;
and in disposing of the misrepresentations and invented tales with
which he kept coming to me, we lost much time. In short, the bishop is
growing old, as I am informing your Majesty in another letter. But it
is certain that, unless he himself goes away, I see no other remedy
for the obstructions caused by his temper and passion (by which he
has embarrassed the course of business and government here), than the
very journey which he contemplates--namely, to send him to Espana (as
I would assuredly do, because he would have made this step necessary
for me) in order to tell your Majesty that there will be no deficiency
in his duties here, for he has not busied himself more in them than
to hinder me in mine. May our Lord preserve your Majesty for many
long years, as Christendom needs. Manila, June 20, 1592. [50]

_Gomez Perez Dasmarinas_

[_Endorsed:_ "Manila. To his Majesty. Gomez Perez Dasmarinas. June
20."]

Sire:

In previous letters I have reported to your Majesty the irregularities
and abuses existing here in the marriage of widows of encomenderos and
others who are minors, and I now refer again to the subject. According
to the order of your Majesty, the widow or child of an encomendero
who served in the conquest inherits the encomienda or income. It
happens very often that the widow is young, and rich through her
succession to the encomienda; and, following bad advice or personal
inclination, she makes an unsuitable or improper marriage, giving that
rich reward and appointment to some trader or newcomer, without merit
or claim for service. Thus many honorable and deserving men, who have
rendered services to your Majesty here, and who might, by this means,
be rewarded and established, are deprived of the encomiendas. The
same occurs in the case of minors, who by reason of their youth or
through bad advice on the part of interested guardians or relatives
(who openly sell them in marriage to the highest bidder), contract
many misalliances. In addition to these evils, many quarrels and
lawsuits ensue from this practice.

Only yesterday a woman who had but a month ago buried her husband, one
of the most honorable captains in these islands, married one of her
servants, a man of very short lineage, still fewer years of service,
and poor natural endowments. I think that the same thing will happen in
the case of four or five rich widows and several minor encomenderos,
who are about to be married. All this might be p