lia, which use up more men
in one campaign than do the Filipinas in twenty years.

To the fourth, that because your Majesty is so hard pressed he needs
must attend to matters here, etc., we could say that it is in no wise
expedient that your Majesty should abandon that country, on account
of the dependence of all the Indias upon it; because if the Dutch
possessed themselves of that archipelago (which they are attempting
to do), they would draw from it resources sufficient to destroy the
Indias--not only by the power which they have, but also through the
opportunity of keeping an open port in those regions where your Majesty
could not defend himself without spending much more than the profits of
the Indias. For that reason it is necessary to preserve that country,
as well as all the rest; for your Majesty is under expense for the
same reason in preserving Habana, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Jamayca,
Florida, and the whole continent, without securing profit, merely on
account of the damage which enemies could inflict upon the Indias. Not
alone for this reason are the Filipinas important to your Majesty,
but for another of no less consequence, and which these countries do
not have, namely, the great profits which can be drawn from them.

To the fifth I say that although this maxim, that united forces are
stronger, is usually true, yet there are occasions when this union
consists not alone in compressing them, but in conserving the parts
of which the whole is composed, although these are distant from one
another, as are those which your Majesty possesses in his monarchy. At
first, when the Filipinas were discovered, this might have been done
without any harm while that country was new and strange, unknown to
the nations of Europe, uncultivated and in disorder. No one desired
it until Filipo Second of blessed memory brought it to notice; and
at that time, even if it had been abandoned, there was no one who
coveted it; but now that the great wealth contained in it is well
known, all are desirous of it, and are trying to take it from your
Majesty, so that they may thereby carry on their war. This was well
considered by the exceedingly prudent grandfather of your Majesty;
for he considered not only the service which he was doing to our Lord
God, by spreading His Catholic faith and bringing so many souls to
recognize Him, but likewise that, at the rate at which it was growing,
it would increase for his posterity with greater ma