The book became an important element in the creation and propagation of the so-called Black Legend – the tradition of describing the Spanish empire as exceptionally morally corrupt and violent. It was republished several times by groups that were critical of the Spanish realm for political or religious reasons. The first edition in translation was published in Dutch in 1578, during the religious persecution of Dutch Protestants by the Spanish crown, followed by editions in French (1578), English (1583), and German (1599) – all countries where religious wars were raging. The first edition published in Spain after Las Casas's death appeared in Barcelona during the Catalan Revolt of 1646. The book was banned by the Aragonese inquisition in 1659.[77
This passage visualy describes the situation during Spanish conquest of Latin America. It‘s brevity does not diminish it‘ s content. Bartolome de Las Casas tells what he saw through his own eyes, all the terror, inadmissible but tolerable, illegitimate but approved.
First sentence, the salutation, shows how the writer, Bartolome, respect and honour the addressee to whom he rights, Philip, Prince of Spain.