ng the lives of those who followed it. The fathers offered to
ask this from our Lord, if his Majesty wished, for the cause was His;
and He heard their petitions and our desires. This emperor may be the
Constantine of that church, in whom the blood that he shed of so many
noble laborers wrought the health which was restored to him; and this
made him unwilling to shed the blood of the humble innocents. We hope
that this omen has assuaged the persecution, and his health goes far
to confirm this. We have the same hope for China, where our Lord has
made us so acceptable to the emperor that he has given us one of the
study-halls at his court at Paquin. Our fathers are giving lectures
to large audiences, and are highly esteemed by all the court, whence
springs our hope of founding many colleges in that kingdom. [102]
May it please his Majesty to further this."

LETTERS FROM JUAN CEREZO DE SALAMANCA TO FELIPE IV

_Revenue affairs_

Sire:

I informed your Majesty by way of Yndia, on the twenty-second of
October of last year, of the treasury matters, and of the resistance
which these royal officials were making about accepting the new
ordinances that were left them by the visitor, Don Francisco de Roxas,
by having appealed from them, and having represented in the royal
Council of the Yndias the impossibility of being able to comply
with these in the service of your Majesty. Notwithstanding their
allegations, and the resignation of their offices which they made in
writing, I continued, by what methods I could avail myself of, to urge
them to accept the said ordinances of the visitor. As they persevered
in their disobedience, I arrested all three royal officials, and kept
them together in the treasury, so that the despatch [of business]
might not cease; thereupon they obeyed, and from that time on we have
been following the new ordinances. Although I blamed the too great
resistance which they made, ever since I have excused them somewhat,
through having experienced the great inconvenience and embarrassments
which some of the ordinances contained; and I confess how prudent
they were in the exercise of their authority before they experienced
the present damage. Matters are in such condition that while I am
trying to adjust myself to the new ordinances and not to depart one
jot from them, I find myself more embarrassed, and the despatches that
demand the greatest haste delayed--as happened to me in the stress of
sendi