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 24. This canto relates the trip from La Habana to La Florida, and the first sermon made to my Indians about the doctrine of our God.

Said Jesus to his holy disciples:
“Thou shalt go as the meekest lambs before
the fiercest wolves, who have removed themselves
from what it is true and most sincere in life.
In this town full of serpents it is wise
to be prudent, sagacious and silent;
the soul who holds the dove of innocence
is that which shall win the palm of glory.

Just as the skillful captain of war
will inspire his gallant infantry,
in this same way, Jesus, my great teacher
encouraged his twelve on his final day,
sending me to rid evil from this earth.
And so the eternal father had faith,
leaving it to the sanctified people
of this century to transplant his church.

It is right to consider how sovereign
Francis was shown to be a holy saint,
for after a vain century had passed,
he loved the gospel truth greater faith,
and by the hand of Christ, the wounds appeared,
his stigmata stamped from his truest heights,
and while he has left this transient life,
the badge of his five wounds are remembered.

They remain in his body, protected
by God, in a sepulcher on the floor,
carefully watched by the sentinel
under the flag of the King of Heaven.
God’s true lieutenant is never afraid.
Look then to our church for consolation,
and also to my father, Saint Francis,
the pastor and shepherd of this our flock.

The illustrious saint of Assisi
imitated Christ the Redeemer to
perfection. And those who now contemplate
his image on the Crucifix see also
the people of his order, alive as one;
and if the friar should live among the heathen,
he will be shown the license of mercy.

And as we asked, to us, it was given:
a grave and religious man, a prelate
named Father Alonso de Reinoso,
who was to continue in his journey,
who is a learned and refined savant,
famed for the deep and wide erudition
found in the province of Santiago,
the famed region from where this reader comes.

This prelate was humble, chaste and poor,
carrying the burning spark in his breast
of Jesus dying through crucifixion,
bringing life to the beautiful soul;
and in following him, I dedicated myself
to this dazzling star in the sky, this sun
that is St. Francis, those strong walls
are the most secure of all justice.

Without these rays of light, the unfaithful
soul will die in deep and heavy darkness;
but if robed in the sanctified vestments,
the soul will be resplendent in glory,
filled with joyfulness and beauty, bearing
such grace and gallantry to the spirit,
as Christ says to him, “come with me, if you
love me, then take up my cross and follow.”

All men possess a freedom of the will,
and if one seeks Heaven, he shall have it;
God is not impressed by a gentle yoke,
there being no one but him in Heaven;
but if one confesses in his high name,
by what Jesus has done, God will console,
before his Father, the glory of Christ
will bring the soul the prize of victory.

Seeking victory, we plow across the salty seas,
casting aside more comfortable lands;
our boat surrenders to the furious waves
that punish, pound and press against its sides.
Our famed and able pilot was Pinzón–
in him the King has placed his confidence,
commanded to steer us to the Northwest
against a wind that came from the East.

We left La Habana before daybreak,
and as the sun gave light to clear dawn
we discovered the country of the West,
where our brave and dark moros were living,
these Indians who were bound and bridled
by the sins they had accumulated
not able to value their inventions
against our brave and valiant squadrons.

We went with satisfaction and great joy,
navigating the treacherous coast;
it took us five entire days until
we reached a landing point on higher ground.
We slowly made our way to the approach
reaching a pine tree with enormous girth
that our captain, pilot, and the sailors
have given a nickname, the “sombrero.”

They fired off two bronze cannons to see
if the those in the fort would respond,
then the most illustrious gentlemen,
leaders and the others, greeted our boat.
They unfurled the banners and flags, hanging
them from stem to stern, up to the crow’s nest,
taking great pleasure and uncommon joy
to finally be nearing their port of call.

The fife player Vidal had an argument
with a sailor on this day. Showing off
the quality of his steel instrument,
he struck a sailor in the face with it, [100]
then quickly scurried up to the topsail,
making such a terrible resistance
that a hundred men could not remove him
until the boat had anchored up in port.

Given how this heretic swine should rob
what belonged to Spain coming from the West,
it rained a thousand stones thrown, from the East
to the topsail, a prudent battle plan.
And so the great Vidal, for this action,
met the retribution of our people;
the stones split open his brains, sending him
into the salty sea, his watery grave.

To reach our desired port we still
had to cross the tempestuous waves,
and neither the general nor the soldiers
nor the friars would rest until we had crossed.
It was on the day of St. Michael that
we had reached this point, so we prayed to him
to intercede for us, and he guided
us northward, following his holy light. [image–port of St. Augustine]

And so with God’s blessing, we met success.
To include everything I remember
about the history of this holy voyage
would make for an extremely long account;
when we reached the end of our pilgrimage,
God showed us the sign of his holy grace,
having brought us peacefully, safe and in
good health to the province of Florida.

Following the model of St. Francis,
barefoot, we stepped onto to the grainy sand,
and General Menéndez came to see us,
receiving us with serene countenance.
We all celebrated his good health,
and he ours, as well, and in a rich vein
Menéndez spoke, as if he were God’s own
apostle, speaking in this manner:

“Franciscan Fathers, thus you have come from
distant eastern lands to live in this dry
and impoverished nest, from which the sun
absconds the full view of its red forehead,
and so it is humbly that I now ask
you to preach to these Indians of the West,
people who take the devil as their friend,
who cry out to God as an enemy.

Having spoken to us in this manner,
finished, we all kissed his hand,
professing to die in the struggle,
naked in fear but courage in our hearts,
and to our commissary, we humbly
begged to go forward as loyal followers
who would branch across the land, testing
our fortune in a war against the Devil.

The luck that fell on me was uncommon:
to be called to a happy place so named
for His death bringing death to death itself,
by both man and God of highest renown,
whose strong arm from that site liberated
the many children from the first parent,
whom the deceitful devil closed the gate
of righteousness and opened that of harm.

His cunning was such that even if you
were not inclined, you would do the opposite,
so those who bit the apple that seemed sweet
in actuality paid a bitter price.
I will return to that point shortly:
in my village there was a cacique,
that rare friend of knowledge and divine law,
who brought health and sustenance to the soul.

This sustenance, gift of blessed Jesus,
is what brings solace and pleasure to man;
the sinner who weeps for what he has done
earns the right to wear God’s royal vestments,
with brocade of the finest workmanship,
tailored to fit you just as you desire,
to give eternal life, as the prophet
also brought life to the child who had died.

That dead child was my town, and it grieved me
to see the terrible damage of idols,
which held them back like chains in a prison,
bound to each another by their ignorance ….

Lines 189 to 312 include (from stanza 24 1/2 to stanza 40) a long sermon to the Timucua. Escobedo implores Florida’s natives to avoid the deceptions of Satan and fires of Hell; the “strong venom” of the serpent had defeated Adam and brought universal death to man; after man’s fallen state, one must return to God’s path, to wear “honor and glory” of God’s vestments. The actual audience of Escobedo’s poetic sermons, of course, remain uncertain: was his message for listeners in America or readers in Spain? By way of comparison, a scripted catechism by Escobedo’s colleague Francisco Pareja records how Christianity was explained to the Timucua. In an “abbreviated instruction” for the elderly and “not very bright,” Pareja breaks Christian worship down to eight basic points: (1) that there is one, omnipotent God, who “created everything in this world”; (2) that God rewards “those who do good works” and punishes “those who do evil things”; (3) that is God is a Trinity, being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; (4) that while humans were banished to eternal damnation, “God through his ineffable mercy gave us his Son, who became man,” and Jesus redeemed man with crucifixion; (5) that the soul is immortal; (6) that to be saved, one must avoid sin and obey God’s commandments; (7) that after baptism, “there is no other remedy other than to do penance, being repentant, confessing, and making reparation”; and (8) that one asks for God’s favor “by means of Jesus Christ.” Toward the end of his own verse sermon, Escobedo offers (perhaps) a nod to the coastal Timucua, quoting Matthew 9:9, in which Christ says to the fishermen, “follow me.” The poem continues:

May it be: that God bring the light of faith,
that you leave the service to Lucifer
for the living ember that is our Lord.
Cease! End your custom of idol worship,
Put a price on your idols and sell them,
because, as your friend, I am now obliged
to make your introduction to my God.

It is so: that he sends us to the West
as his ministers to declare his faith,
which you had not before. Follow the way
of Christ the Redeemer, radiant Sun.
I do want you to think that I am
a two-faced spy, here to bring problems to
your people. I come without arms, bearing
only the spirit of Christ in my breast.

A minor cacique, or caciquillo
came forth to comfort me, and in a show
of newly won courage, brought me the gift
of a basket filled with fruit and some fish.
I must confess that this gift was meager
(a loyal soldier brought me another
of great value and rich delicacies,
was brought to me by a faithful soldier)
but to the cacique, it was still a snub.

It was he who spoke, affirming for me
how a serpent goddess lived among them.
One day, as he explained, a Spaniard killed
a snake and by a happy circumstance,
it had been the time to leave my companions
to preach the doctrine the very next day
my company and my doctrine for another day,
and the western Indians and faithful Christian
would join together their right and left hands.

With great joy, I received from these princes
the gift of their baskets, described before,
and on that day, I expressed gratitude
to both the Indian and faithful soldier,
and being now as three in company
we so resolved and clarified which God
is to be worshipped here on earth: should it
be the serpent or the Lord in heaven?

Yet to God, to the serpent goddess no,
who is beautiful and who hides her snares.
What is the best claim to eternal life?
The soul who worships this serpent is lost;
throw her carcass out into the street.
She stinks! Do not stay with her any more!
Go with God” to the Indian I reply;
“what you cannot see, I promise, is true.”

When confronted by his dead Goddess,
the Indian was alarmed and ashamed,
and he said humbly, “Father, I ask
you to remember that we were deceived;
bury the serpent in the sepulcher
of oblivion. I choose now to obey
your command, following for sure what your
government and eternal Lord prove true.

“I ask and beg only that you desist
in this deed that has never been heard before,
for you say you have crossed many seas,
to bring my soul, which had been lost, to God.
It is right, it is just, that you should ask:
‘in what order did God give life to our
father, whom you say was the first, and to
his wife Eve? I would like to understand.

“And while it true that our priest explained
clearly and distinctly, to me and with
the entire village present, how Christ
is both God, and wise and righteous man;
that while he was both father and teacher,
he never gave notice to our people
that we should make humble supplications.
Please explain this to us. We long to know.”

I said: “As a Christian and as a priest
of Holy Christ, and as a servant of
the Castilian Crown, I give you my word
to recount the history you have not seen.
I will speak the truth as to my brother
for that I will die without resistance;
and in so speaking, if I am martyred,
then, for my own soul, it will be lucky.

God the almighty Father created
Heaven and earth and the glimmering sun,
and looking at this wondrous creation,
saw that this earth needed a president,
so he shaped the soil to create a man,
a miracle named Adam, from whom we
all descend, and seeing that he said,
God took a bone from Adam to make Eve.

For two to be one is a certain thing,
and this union is the first of all unions,
while that of body and soul, be alert,
for a hundred thousand reasons, it comes first.
When God made Adam, He woke him from death,
giving him life and mountains of goodness
by taking a rib from Adam’s side and
creating Eve, a marvelous creation.

Taking what had given life to Adam,
that strength which had animated his flesh,
God brought the woman, paltry and fragile,
weak and without animation, to life.
Through this heroic deed we understand
how it was God that built all creation,
and how it was a deed of great renown
as to say, ‘Man is God and God is man.’

The human union is manifested
clearly by the union of body and soul,
which is already so well known, that we
have to say that is was by God’s own hand.
We rejoice in how the body meets soul,
for it is reason that gives sustenance
and life to the healthy body, the food
that all of us have come forward to eat.

You will now hear the argument in brief,
which I will recount in this first Canto:
And here, I give the fundamental point,
the message to take back to your dead village,
how first the Servant Adam sinned, and then
how Christ paid reparations for that sin,
because the payment was not enough
for man (for God, yes) who is born in sin.

Yes. This was the same marvelous union
in which our Lord and God wore the garments
of a human being, one who now rests
in the glorious beauty of heaven.
The unfortunate and traitorous soul,
that was filled with misery, got redeemed,
The story of everything that was done,
my pen has told you, in so many words.

Yes. This is the God who can set you free,
who will judge whether you live or you die.
It is not the snake that brings you glory;
the serpent brings only pain without end.
Rather than trusting in this serpent, give
yourself over to a God who is without
measure, who is infinite, immortal
omnipotent, Lord of earth, sea and sky.

“Indian, if you would ponder the stars,
you will see there unparalleled wonders.
Look at the water and how many fish!
Look at how many animals on earth!
Look at the sun, moon, and pretty planets!
Look at all the mortal beings in this world.
Consider these joys of eternal glory,
taking great care to remember it all!”

Admiring my words, the western Indian
said clearly he was a Christian, because
he had chosen the benign will of God
and been baptized by a Castilian priest.
But then he returned to his wayward path,
again worshipping that insane serpent God —
but it was a miracle, I say, because
by God’s great power, to God, he returned.

“In China, their Indians were instructed
in the same true and sacred faith,
and they received the waters of baptism,
following the road to heaven, but then
they returned to that ferocious serpent,
daring to worship the snake as a God
giving themselves to this vile demon.”

“Gaze upon this horrible sight, how our
faithful priests were punished like criminals,
hung by Indians, who on occasion,
revert to their cruel ways. Not stopping there,
the infidels added to their case by
stealing an alabaster child of Christ,
which represented the King of glory,
defeating the devil in victory.”

“But then a rare, stupendous miracle:
while an Indian washed this sacred stone,
bathing not only its legs, but its chest
and face, the grain from the nearby waters
doubled its fruit, which was to declare how
God will reward those who do holy deeds —
those who treat God’s image with respect shall
be kept safe in His holy perfection.”

When the people learned of this miracle,
all of the Christians in the town came by,
forming a great procession with the clergy
in front, gathering before the image
of Jesus, who is the most high, being
as reason tells us in God’s own image,
bringing a just death to the impious
Chinese man who let the devil’s work linger.”

The traitorous and unfaithful Indian
killed those who were righteous for no reason,
for having killed the converts who chose not
to follow the vile worship, full of guilt.
To make matters worse, he was a powerful man
whose crime merited no apology or consequence,
and while baptized as a faithful Christian,
he was not with Abel, Cain’s dear brother. ”

I now leave you with what I said to them,
and many are the reasons that I say:
I speak to you, as I did to them, today,
how the friendly village would not confess.
Please, you and yours take me as your guide.
Follow me towards the truth and righteousness.
Follow my God, seek the true path, the road
and life my faithful Florida Indians sought.

The priests to whom I refer further said
if you search with a sad and weary soul,
looking for God, you will receive the same
eternal prize as the friar in sackcloth.
Just as the last who came to labor in the vineyard
was received as the first, so too will God
reverse the order of his own rewards,
and all faithful shall wear the same vestments.

In the vineyards of Christianity
one is paid in the way I was saying:
the laborer in this vineyard meets
approval as he has been promised.
It is left to the owner of these fields
to decide, with largesse or shirking spirit,
to whom he should give his money, be that
to the gentleman or to the mendicant.

Most Omnipotent and exalted Lord,
you are the light and truth, life and the way;
guide these, your poor and blind people,
so they may love and serve you forever.
Bring mercy as heavenly rain to the West,
giving them the sweet Lord Jesus,
for I am certain, that if they know him,
they shall come to receive God’s law.”

The Indian was amazed by such a rare feet
and promised to return in some future day,
retaining the whole story in his memory
and asking me to include it in this history,
how he heard without fraud or snares
the true and faithful faith of Jesus Christ,
how the hardest and most stubborn Indians
heard the truth from a gentleman from Spain.

I gave my word as a Christian to the
Indian of the West (who intends to write
down what I have set on paper because
everything depends on his great memory),
that the great and sovereign God
should grant me his grace, sparking him
to accept the rational and rightful truth,
which is offered in the following Canto.