without trouble and without exposing our lives to the dangers in which you find yourselves constantly through your long voyages.
This is referring to the death and diseases that the Europeans endured when travelling from Europe to the Americas. The Natives are defending themselves that they are keeping themselves safe and growing their lives and tribes perfectly here without have to go and find new foreign areas to start over.
I beg thee now to believe that, all miserable as we seem in thine eyes, we consider ourselves nevertheless much happier than thou in this, that we are very content with the little that we have; and believe also once for all, I pray, that thou deceivest thyself greatly if thou thinkest to persuade us that thy country is better than our
Again, the Natives are so happy in the way that they live in their simple lives that they see no reason on why they should completely change the way they live for these Europeans that are trying to come in and take over their spaces.
But why now, do men of five to six feet in height need houses which are sixty to eighty? For, in fact, as thou knowest very well thyself, Patriarch—do we not find in our own all the conveniences and the advantages that you have with yours, such as reposing, drinking, sleeping, eating, and amusing ourselves with our friends when we wish? This is not all, my brother, hast thou as much ingenuity and cleverness as the Indians, who carry their houses and their wigwams with them so that they may lodge wheresoever they please, independently of any seignior whatsoever?
The Patriarch essentially means that the Natives just want to live their simple lives and don't want to change to fit into the Europeans standards. They like their traditions and don't see it as necessary to change to do things that they don't want to be apart of.
a biscuit cake given to one, that breaks it equally into so many parts as there are persons in his company and distributes it.
This shows that the Natives were actually really thoughtful people and liked to share their food between the different members of their tribe and their family. This completely goes against all of the negativity that was being spread to them in the quotes prior.
natives of the land lived so purely in so rich a country like to our beggars in England
The Natives are being compared to beggars which gives them another untrue negative attribute. The Natives had their own establishments with a stable way to get food and live peacefully.
“I have observed that the savages have the sense of seeing so far beyond any of our nation, that one would almost believe they had intelligence of the devil sometimes when they have told us of a ship at sea, which they have seen sooner by one hour, yea, two hours sail, than any English man that stood by of purpose to look out, their sight is so excellent.”
The word "Savages" was used to describe the natives. This is such a negative connotation of the Natives making them seem evil or not established, even thought they have their own societies and were open to making treaties and peace with the Europeans. Also referring the Natives to the devil gives another negative untrue attribute about them. This writing will make those back in Europe fear for when coming to America and thing of the Natives poorly.
The natives are capable of Morality or Goodness and very apt to receive the principles of Catholic Religion; nor are they averse to Civility and good Manners
Knowing that the Natives were actually very peaceful people and were looking for allies with the Europeans this makes sense. They are open to trying new things while creating new relations.
Las Casas’s writings quickly spread around Europe and were used as humanitarian justification for other European nations to challenge Spain’s colonial empire with their own schemes of conquest and colonization.
This shows that not everyone in Spain, and Europe in general, agreed with the exploitation of the Native Americans. Some believed that it wasn't a just thing to do and that awareness should be spread. This writing was a great way to do it with it being seen all around Europe.