nt preaching, or on account of their demands and threats,
has never refused them anything. And if, in the course of the year,
they have resorted to these measures at the time of the despatch of the
galleons to Nueva Espana, the governors have granted their petitions,
just or unjust--either that the religious might write well of their
government, or so that they might not write ill of it. I am convinced
that they will always write ill of me, because I am ever striving to
regulate the service of God and that of your Majesty. As that is a
labor in which both services may be free from self-interest and worldly
ends, I shall not resent that they write to your Majesty whatever they
like; for, since you are so just and so Catholic a sovereign, I cannot
believe or expect that you will condemn me without a hearing. Therefore
I petition your Majesty to be pleased to have your secretaries send
a copy of my letters to your vassals, both regular ecclesiastics and
seculars, of what I shall write concerning them; for they will find
therein no deceit or falsehood (and it is impossible to deceive God
and one's natural sovereign). Also they will find neither hate, love,
nor passion, but only kind desires for correcting the faults of my
neighbors, and those of the subjects of your Majesty whom you have
given to me by your favor, so that I might maintain peace and justice
among them, and keep them in the fear of God and that of your royal
person. I also petition your Majesty to be pleased to have the said
secretaries send me the letters, or copies of the letters, that they
shall write, so that we may, on both sides, verify the truth here,
and, having verified it, advise your Majesty.

[_In the margin_: "That the Order of St. Dominic generally opposes
the government, while that of St. Francis has given great scandal to
those islands, by the provincial chapter that was held."]

The Order of St. Dominic has grown old in opposing the government for
many years. The Order of St. Francis has opposed it from the time of
the provincial chapter held by a commissary, Fray Juan de Gabiria,
an Observantine, in which he deprived the discalced fathers of all
the definitorships, elected Observantine provincial and guardians,
and removed the discalced provincial; and against the will of
your Majesty and your royal decrees tried to convert the discalced
fathers into Observantines, under the protection of Don Juan Cereco
Salamanca. Because he removed a guar