La Florida – Canto 32 | Early Visions of Florida

Alonso Gregorio de Escobedo, O.F.M. La Florida [ca. 1590-1610].

Please do not reproduce without permission. The following is a draft translation, prepared by Thomas Hallock, in support of The Epic of Florida: Selected Poems by Juan de Castellanos, Bartolomé de Flores, and Alonso Gregorio de Escobedo (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2026).

Canto 32. This Canto contains a sermon that I to Christian friends and to Indian enemies, declaring how much God hates pride and loves the excellent virtue of humility.

By order of my God according to Ose,

the upraised head will be humiliated

because this behavior clearly evidences

a man’s miserable and wretched fate,

while the fate of the lowly one who is employed

and is in service of the crown of glory,

the faithful man who who humbles himself —

he shall rise from everlasting sorrow.

Those creatures who do not love God

and put their love in him fall into disarray,

it brings them misery and misfortune

to find themselves without God and in sin.

This was seen in Nabuth,[1] whose idol

was worshipped by the people on bended knee,

when worship was due to God almighty,

not to another idol. God does not consent to that.

After Daniel, as a holy prophet,

interpreted an opaque dream for the King,

he found himself on the straight track to doom,

who wanted to be secure with the true God [?],

for seeing the indiscretion of self-promotion,

as God had promised to Nabuth

the penalty merited such a crime

in offending God’s infinite goodness. [???]

As a punishment, Daniel was deprived

of his command, his royal scepter and title,

and after being like the ox fed on good grass,

he wandered about for seven years

walking the mountains in exile[2]

because he had defied his God,

going against the just sentence of this King,

and not accepting his omnipotence.

After those seven years had passed

God returned to him the reason he was lacking,

and as well as all the powers he had known

and that the eternal Lord had rejected in him.

His kingdom and servants were welcomed back

by their Lord and Ruler, who showed them loved;

God, the one who issues punishment

told the King he was outside the law. [?]

Nosor then occupied his royal seat,

and gave thanks to God, the eternal Lord

of the Heavens, for His everlasting goodness —

he who had been afflicted was brought goodness.

The King created a space for his soul,

and he confessed that, yes he had limits,

and with great humility he accepted his good fortune

which stayed with him until death.

And because of his humility he was given

a seat next to the Virgin of heaven, emperor,

for there the deserving soul who humbles itself

will dwell with Christ the King.

And though King Ahab[3] worships the Devil,

he showed such such wonder in the sovereign lord,

and was himself humble, so that when God commanded,

he also stepped down from his throne. [?]

If the son of this King was left to suffer

for punishments that the idolatrous father deserved,

it because he was accepting full and humble,

and his soul was not full of pride.

David put Uriah in chains,[4] sentencing

him to a bitter death that he did not deserve,

but then when Nathan took charge,

God released him for being humble.

With these same pains, and without arrogance,

his son dies without any complaints.

God granted his mercy upon David

and seeing him contrite, he gave him shelter,

just as he healed the publican of the ailment,

because he was a humble and valued friend

even though it would have been justified

for him to receive the same punishment as the Pharisees.

God castigates the Pharisee

for being close yet also distant from Him,

while the humble publican, even though

apart, wishes to be closer to God;

I am not worthy of you,” he said to the Lord,

but to you I confess my sins.

And the Pharisee accuses the publican [?],

despite his earlier office as tyrant.

Being with God, source of infinite goodness,

he went into the house prayer with respect,

and the gentleman said to him [?], said “be discreet

in house prayer and weep for your sins.”

Wise Solomon, who was chosen by God

to leave what was written as a divine science,

has said that those who call out to God,

will be heard, as is fair, in his house of prayer.[5]

God has seen enemies in his house,

one of whom we know to be know Martin Luther,

who clumsily took up the reins

until he reached a lustful [lascivo] dead end,

and with false doctrine he lost the direct way

to the faith of Jesus, meek lamb,

and he create his misinformed, false sect,

and which they lose the ways of, and life in, God.

This traitor, and others, waged war

against our Lord and God, but brought them to death,

because they brought an infernal, terrible, strong poison

to the simple ones of this earth.

This was how a hundred thousand souls

were fated to be buried in eternal flames,

because of the infamy of their friend

who was not just a traitor, but their enemy.

Who could believe that the Pharisee

would be such a cruel enemy to the publican,

showing his great madness and poor judgement

in saying before God such bad things about his brother; this ugly case cost him his life,

when he could have extended his hand,

gone to the temple where he had lost God;

instead, the grace he enjoyed went away.

The heart of the righteous must be

well prepared to enter the temple of God,

for if comes to pray as a saint

he will receive whatever he asks.

But if he enters with evil intent,

he will get whatever he deserves,

which we know he gave to the accuser

to the humble, and thus was justified.

That Joseph, speaking as through the mouth

of a prophet would say: “It is not reason that my beloved

in my own home, appears to be perfect

yet commits evil as an imperfect one.”[6]

Which of God’s law does one follow? What straight path?

He who chooses to worship an idol,

making the decision by his own account,

despises what is right and true.

He who is wronged along the way,

even it is not deserved and is a great affront,

does not complain about the damage done

in his own home, because that is where it starts.

The criminal is deemed worthy of death

because of the freely-chosen treason

and ugly gravity of his own sin —

it will bring down another close to him.

Asuero filed a lawsuit against Aman

because he wanted to impose upon his beautiful wife

Ester in his home and before his own presence.[7]

He showed his mercy upon him

because the queen was naked [vulnerable?] before him,

and it fell within her power as queen

to bring the traitor to death with a strong arm,

because he had intended to kill her.

In this way, the blind man sins

against God in his holy house,

because the confessor’s plea was not enough,

it did not offer reproof of the living ember,

nor did it extinguish the terrible fires

of vice that takes one to hell,

and so the Christian must be vigilant,

if he is to banish the errors of his mind.

Never had the Lord been so indignant

than when he saw the different kinds

of livestock there in his temple,

all the animals to be bought and sold.

Every of of those merchants were banished,

followed by punishment with a whip,

because, “my house is not a shop,

where things are to be eaten or sold.”[8]

My brothers, it is better to be holy

in the church, for the temple is as your own cell,[9]

each should be warned that to not work

together, in one faith, is to be a bad Christian.

See how the self-important Pharisee came

into the temple, taking death into his own his hands,

and did not nor the life of this sacred place,

nor would he give life to you if you were sinful.

It is better for us to understand that our prayers

will not fly to their heights, if poorly asked,

because he was calling to God in arrogance,

with crazy words, saying to Him:

“I give you thanks, Lord, and if I gave them,

on this an occasion, it is not my soul

which is like that infamous publicans,

who commits the clumsy sins against his brother.” [??]

To say as much is a sign of arrogance,

and our eternal God punishes for such sins,,

for it is only the humble heart without pride

that is pardoned with forgiveness.

The man who humbles himself, who stays

down to earth, finds that his prayers penetrate

the clear sky, because of its friendly face,

and he draws the highest comfort from the Lord.

If the Christian is not humble in prayer,

what profit or fruit will it yield?

If it is does come from the hand of one who is humble,

the prayer meets no resistance in finding the hand of God;

to enter without resistance to the right God;

the prayer that meets God plainly very plainly

is met with satisfaction, redeeming the sinner.

That is what the Lord wants, as he commands us,

“Ask and he shall deliver.”[10]

Solomon the wise was chosen by God

to be a mighty king, he though he obeyed,

to our Lord or God as the Divine Object,

the one who brings joy to all he created.

Daniel also held Him in the highest respect:

three times, each day, he prayed to him.

And Moses, leader of the Hebrew people,

won his laurels and trophies through him.

And the most righteous to ever worship him,

the apostle John, saw how the lords

fell to their knees in acts of humility,

making obeisance along with the angels.

He saw how the angels knelt before the throne,

and how the host of angels, full of love,

would sing, “Holy is God Almighty,

who punishes or gives reward, as is just.”

And so this great Lord, the Indivisible Goodness,

offers to the righteous soul that calls to him,

giving by this notice to understand that

the soul which gives itself to God is loved in return.

And it was by God alone to be crucified

on the divine cross, precious branch.

By immense charity, he brought to the ground

so the righteous could be carried to the clear sky.

Whoever wants to reach Him must be

humble and circumspect in prayer,

and not like the Pharisee, would treat

God arrogantly and without respect.

He fasted and said, “My soul rejoices.”

It was vanity to the living object,

and deserved to be punished by God,

because of the wickedness of his sin.

The Father seeks the faith of the sodomite,

the one who humbles himself and says

to God, “Lord, you are the cure;

Do not swallow the seed of the evil one,

for while I know that I am a vile creature,

you the Highest God have made me a royal seat,

and I beg of you that you hear my plea,

and concede to me all that I ask.”

He spoke, so it could be more clearly said,

“Do not be angry with us, eternal God, because

I am the vile one, and I ask that you would

brant forgiveness to you enemy.

And is Jacob (who puts his God trust in God) does

recognizing the poor beggar who says

that “I am the smallest, and in the great scale

of your immense power, I have been freed.”[11]

Humble in the presence before God,

David thus asked of him: “Who am I, who is my house?

For me to approach you, the omnipotent King,

you made no charges, I did not have to bring anything,

for justice is your very essence.”

And as Daniel said of Adam: “The body is vile

if you, Lord, let her out of your hand. [??]

He who was Jacob yesterday, today is a tyrant.”

The good person expresses goodness at all times,

and in his humble prayer, he makes that known;

but he who does not always do so

is evil, and that confirms his evilness.

Because the the evil man who confesses to be good,

he will be the one who wears God’s rich garment,

for as St. Paul tells us, as far as God is concerned,

“thanks are to be made for the blessings he shows us.”[12]

Ezekial, David, Paul and Zackary,

all professed their virtues clearly,

and so, because as Pharisee declares.

a sentence against one, and he declares,

he wasted his time with Give in idle pursuits,

and wanted God to show the outward face

his of works, for thus he attributes them

and to give God thanks, he always fleed. [???]

By my account, there are three ways

to show this abominable conceitedness yourself:

the first is by, on your own, representing

the work of God’s unspeakable goodness;

this first was how Nabuth increased his own guilt,

because the response that he gave

to the prophet David was so obnoxious,

arrogant, crazy, vain and without discretion.

“Is this not the famous Babylon,”

Nabuth said to Daniel, “my strength depends upon it,

for if God’s hand is all-powerful,

so much stronger is the King who lives by that hand.”

“Listen, Nabuth, the voice of the glorious God

speaks to our Lord speaks through her,

and it says that your kingdom will be given

to another king, and you be fed like an ox.”[13]

This is where Samson’s luck ran out,

when after the victory had gone to God,

he said to a thousand Philistines, “I gave you death

death with the memorable jawbone.”[14] [?]

God struck him with a terrible and strong thirst

for taking away His honor and glory,

and he almost lost if life there

for his cruel and unconscionable arrogance.

Will the saw or axe holds up against the one

who cuts, slices, slashes or saws?

The king may rise up against his God,

and like a little worm, make war on him?

The ruler will be content with himself

when the evil one is locked up for a terrible crime,

and you will see that good comes from God —

as does punishment, both awarded as He so chooses.

What do you have, tell me, that you haven’t received?

These not being yours, why do you glorify yourself?

By falling into this belief, you are taking a risk,

making yourself a stranger in thinking it is you;

all of your blessings come from God.

I do not know how you would claim it as your own,

that would be great blindness and wandering away,

to think “what Lord has made is my own.”

Whether you want it or not, the soul you have

will be taken away, whenever they choose to do so,

and she and the kingdom to the king, and whoever

resists God will be thrown to the galleys of hell.

The Christians who wear the humble garments

will find God waiting for them —

abandon your pride, which is the same as a desire

for the hellish demon, and where evil grows.

Imitate instead St. Francis, my father,

who won the afterlife through his humility,

and who stripped himself of the seat

that the raving, murderous Lucifer had for him in Hell.

If you are to trust in God and be humble,

even if your soul were to suffer a loss,

or if you are make penance for your sin,

you will enjoy what the Lord has in wait for you.

It will occasion to the soul’s loss

to think that with God as the foundation,

good thing will come to everyone,

and that everyone is chosen by Him;

to him who lacks the talent of reason,

we know for certain he’s going backwards,

and by following the other, brutal path,

he will be full eternal error and blunder.

We do not have value or satisfaction

in thinking that something good

comes to us from of God, for He gives

alone grants mercy. We are in a stinking swamp,

if we think that we are not sufficient,

if we are the lesser work in these lands,

how you can perform any feat,

more difficult to you and more strange. [??]

Brother, if God the Father does not guide you

to Christ the Redeemer, you will lose concern

that you will not be able to follow the straight path,

and you will not be crowned in eternal glory,

making the doom yours, not mine.

Oh, village of Israel, you have been damned,

since you stop following me when I call!

More than a thousand fold is my love and affection.

You have locked away your help from me, sinner,

choosing instead to walk toward Hell.

Following bad inclinations, you make war;

without me you will never be a righteous man.

By your own choosing, your soul like water

that is banished from the salty seas;

you will not be able to navigate the currents

and travel from vice to the holy sources.

Mother Earth is a like a vile harvest

that, as a stepmother, bear good fruit,

and you, like a stupid horse, are going

straight down that road and lose yourself there.

For those bad men who do not follow the narrow road, God’s strong and absolute arm will not assist,

his arm will not frees you and raise you up,

giving (as to the slave) his papers of freedom.

“Without me,” says the friend of our Lord John,

“you can’t do right. It is impossible.”

the keeper of Heaven’s key’s, Peter, is a faithful witness

to this obvious and infallible truth.

God looked upon he who sinned and this King,

with invisible eyes made shelter for the sinner;

before Him, they were like like wax by the fire

melting into Christ, then Peter.

The second type of sin for the indulgent

is the one who believes he has already received God,

deserving mercies that he thinks have been given to him,

as merited by the title of merit he holds.

And in this claim, it has been declared

that he is a fool, for as it is clearly written:

he who thinks he deserves mercy,

because he has it and God has chosen so.

He chose the twelve vessels to carry

his sacred name, and to them he declares,

“For my sake you are now my apostles,

to go two by two before me.

I will make you fishermen of men;[15]

you are to go for me me, and I give you the rod

of my power. If by some miracle,

you, the traitors, shall now seek glory.” [?]

The third type of sin people depend on

is an overrated prop, or crutch —

it being a pride that, although mortal,

and they believe that all good comes from God

in his glory, they also bring onto themselves

hellish demons, knowing horrible punishment

await, a disastrous grief of their own choosing,

leaving by their own volition contentment aside.

The arrogant and inflated Pharisee,

in this manner, abandoned God’s glory,

as the story of Moses and his brother Aaron

in the desert live forever in memory:[16]

when water suddenly ran from a great rock

and the stream of water was so notorious

that the two of them never entered

into that land which they so desired.

The glory to which the immortal Christ refers,

says St. Paul, and that St. Luke allows

anyone to understand

is of this greatness realized.

Glory in the highest should be considered,

and God brought to within your chest

which was as it was told to them by the angels,

and would be leave us in their peace.

The blasphemous Pharisee declares

how he talks to God, and with great boasting says:

“Lord, I do not believe

that others serve you with constancy.

My self-righteous spirit feels

an arrogant sympathy for them,

for you are good only to me

and not to the other people.”

You adorn my soul with richness,

which is enameled by virtues.

To others you see in great poverty

and I despise them, for they have nothing:

not only is there virtue in me, but nobility;

in me, all else is eclipsed.

O infernal pride! Whoever would have you

is not admired in yourself, for God gives you death. [??]

Haman, who was deprived by the the King,

did not believe any other than him should be looked at,

and he said to the King: “I saw by my life,

tell me how to honor a faithful servant.”[17]

Haman was advised on what he wanted,

imagining he alone was deprived,

“Go then,” said the King right away,

“Mordecai will accomplish it all together.”

Without affront, and with what remained of his honour,

they hung Haman from a log.

And in this way God raises the humble,

fills them to the brim entirely,

the proud man’s sorrow increases,

he is brought back to earth

by all the army of the Inferno,

where he winds up tormenting himself day and night.

In him, you will find only dark darkness

because the light of light is always lacking,

everything there is misery and misfortune

because it the place for those doomed to punishment,

and so he left the breeder of the creature,

this is what the devil brings you,

will give you, for his crimes —

endless pain, endless infinite torments.

Those who, by their own wild decision,

choose to follow their own arrogance,

will be condemned, just as the Pharisee was.

Nosor was left to feed on disgusting grass

and Aman was hung from on the gallows,

and you, my Christian, if you are just