s. Whenever there is a question of sending religious to China
or Japon, or permission is asked for it, our president and auditors of
the royal Audiencia of Manila shall meet in special session with the
archbishop and the provincials of all the orders of the Filipinas,
and they shall consult over and discuss the advisable measures for
the direction of that holy and pious intent. They shall not allow
any religious to go to the kingdoms of infidels without a previous
permission of the archbishop and governor, with the assent of all who
shall be at the meeting. In order that this may be done, our president
and Audiencia shall give and cause to be executed all the orders that
may be necessary. Such is our will. [Felipe II--Madrid, February 5,
1596; Felipe IV--Madrid, December 31, 1621; February 16, 1635; November
6, 1636; September 2, 1638; July 12, 1640; in this _Recopilacion_.]
LAW XXVI
Our viceroys of Nueva Espana shall protect the religious who go
to the Filipinas Islands by our order and at our account; and the
officials of our royal estate and all our other employees shall give
them speedy despatch and shall treat them well. They shall collect no
duty for their persons, their books, and the warrants which are given
them on which to collect the cost of the voyage. [Felipe III--Madrid,
September 18, 1609.]
LAW XXXII
His Holiness, Paul V, promulgated a brief at our request, dated
Roma, June eleven, one thousand six hundred and eight, in order
that the religious of the orders of St. Dominic, St. Francis, and
St. Augustine may go to Japon to preach the holy gospel, not only
by way of the kingdom of Portugal, but by way of any other country;
and it is advisable for the service of God our Lord that that brief be
duly fulfilled. We order our viceroy of Nueva Espana and the governor
of the Filipinas Islands, and charge the prelates of the islands, to
cause it to be obeyed and fulfilled, with the conditions and licenses
ordained by the laws of this titulo. [Felipe III--Madrid, February 8,
1610; Felipe IV--in the _Recopilacion_.]
LAW XXVIII
We order our governor and captain-general of the Filipinas Islands that
if there are any religious there who live in great scandal, and not
according to their rules, habit, and profession, and others who have
been expelled from their orders, whom the provincials cannot drive from
that province because of the difficulty of embarking them for Megico,
that he hasten to r
|