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 25. This Canto relates the symbol of faith that was given to me by a cacique, who had received the waters of baptism, but who had left the faith and returned to his rituals.

Recounting a religious exchange with a Florida cacique, Escobedo outlines the principles of Christianity. Escobedo praises the “tenacious memory” of a “valiant” Guale Indian (24:17-18) who had received religious instruction, although passages appear to be an exemplum, directed to Spanish readers. The cacique, a lapsed Christian, addresses the Franciscan in a multi-stanza exchange that shifts between stanzas quoting the Guale convert and authorial paraphrase. The chief notes that one must not follow “la secta de Mahoma,” the Muslim sect, but the Catholic faith; that the church may judge external actions, but the interior is known only to God; and the cacique further clarifies the trinity, while recognizing the primacy of God s creator–noting that He alone made Heaven and earth, “Dios Señor que hizo cielo y tierra” (24:137). Escobedo underscores other recurring themes: that those who do not recognize God’s omnipotence burn in Hell, while believers enjoy everlasting life; how the Divine took personhood in the form of the son, who was born of the Virgin Mary; and he implores his listener (or read) to return to God– “Vuelve, vuélvete a Dios alma cristiana / deja la ingratitude que a Dios provoca,” (“turn back, turn back to God Christian soul, leave behind the ingratitude that God provokes” (24:272-73). After a long invocation, the canto close with a prayerful, 120-line sermon (24:352-472):

 

“A mere human, I ventured into the

abyss without the oars of holy faith;

I was without God, and would never have

found Him, had He not extended his hand.

The gentile who believes comes to baptism,

offered to him by a Castilian father,

so that he can leaves his errors behind,

serving my God, who is the Lord of Lords.”

 

“Jesus lords over all things, so do not

be afraid of the dangers in this life —

not hunger, nudity, not the miserable

winter cold you suffer in Florida,

not hell, nor the Devil’s deceitfulness.

With Him by your side, your soul is united

against the death that will steal and plunder

your sight and strip you of all your senses.”

 

“A man is comprised of body and soul,

and as such, Christ is God and man at once,

though no one equals the same radiance,

the height and the splendor, of God himself.

Humanity does not hold the same renown

as the divine being, and whoever

believes otherwise shall be later sent

to the eternal fires for this error.”

 

“For the benefit of the redeemed soul

Christ our Lord received death, and though his soul

descended into limbo, the strong arm

of a living God accompanied him.

Praise the father of Adam on this day!

May glory shine on the fortunate souls!

And may you too see him on that happy day,

which your own well being must now await.”

 

“After accomplishing such a feat, he

ascended into Heaven, where he sits

at the right of the Father, at the peak

of all peaks, until that chosen moment,

when you are not thinking; with an irate

face and royal splendor, he will descend

to judge the good who win the eternal

prize and the bad who will burn forever.”

 

“When he comes, it will be worthwhile to see

how the living and the dead obey him,

his resurrection will be wondrous,

for then, all shall receive their just rewards:

the deplorable to the Inferno,

as I said, while those who magnify His

works will find themselves realizing the happy

and singular dream of eternal life.”

 

“This is the Roman faith. As you can see,

it is not by man that one receives

what is true and respected

to enjoy God’s way and life.

This relation of the sacred symbol

is taken from the glorious Athanasius,

to Florida, in hopes of bringing the true

and just wisdom of Rome through me.”

 

It gave me great contentment to recount

and carry forth this great certainty to

the western Indian, and his prodigious

memory would answer well to the task.

With great confidence, he declared his faith,

knowing that God would carry forth his soul

without worries, and it was amazing

to see the barbarous Indian so advised.

 

If anyone admires what I have said,

with a faith that will neither come nor go,

to know what both rich man and beggar say,

whether you can remember it or not,

He said, “I am on the faithful friend’s side,”

and I counseled him on what was proper

for him as well as for the Castilians

who defend this country from tyranny.

 

Those who profess this inner faith should do

good works, for without deeds, there is no life

to await the rational soul (which will

leave the body where it has been detained);

when you finally leave this life, these works

shall be worn like the rich vestments of those

who enjoy the eternal glory and grace

that God gives those who seal the victory.

 

And with this Lord you have a medicine

that will cure the most sorely wounded man;

the doctor who has received the training

if you will weep from the heart for your sins,

your soul will winnow out the clumsy vice

that will otherwise condemn you to death–

at all hours this person will cry out,

longing for the health of eternal life.

 

There is a peace that will never perish

for those who worship and who enjoy God–

the celestial army offers its

songs of praise at each and every hour.

The faithful find themselves forever in

this heavenly court, under the watchful eye

of God, the King of Kings, who brings the laws

of reason to every rational being.

 

To those who break His laws, this is certain:

that he will give torment without measure,

given how God freely opened the door

when the door of vice was already closed.

The good Christian always remains alert

and the infidel towns in Florida

have received the sacred baptism that

that causes the Devil to give up hope.

 

Those of you in this impoverished land

should not ask to be baptized in sovereign

Christ, because it is a dangerous thing

to request when already a Christian;

because glorious Jesus died only

one time to give life to the human man,

and so in imitation, as Christians,

only for the first time are we baptized.

 

And if one received these consecrated

waters, and returns to his vile customs

he should then confess these sins to his priest.

He will be cleansed of his hurt and sorrow,

enjoying the crucified Man and God,

God of God, light divine of heavenly fires,

to whom I humbly ask for the favor

to sing about the customs of the West.