anything except a breviary and the holy Bible,
for the preaching of the holy gospel. Their clothing is of coarse,
rough frieze without, and their inner garments of what your Majesty
(whom may God guard) grants them as alms. All this is evident by the
publicity of the facts, and by official information which on various
occasions has been sent to the glorious Catholic sovereigns, your
Majesty's predecessors, and to their royal and supreme Council of
the Indias by the governor and royal Audiencia of the islands, and
the cabildos, ecclesiastical and secular, of the said city of Manila.

In consideration of these things, and of the fact that so numerous
Christian communities are persevering in the Catholic faith, and that
these are spreading with the new conversions, his Majesty who is now
in glory, moved by the fervent zeal which he always had for the good of
souls, continued to send to the said islands religious of the Order of
St. Dominic, in order that by their apostolic lives and doctrine they
might teach and preach the holy gospel. And finally, in the past year
of 1668 her Highness the queen-regent, the mother of your Majesty,
was pleased to grant permission that some of those religious should
go thither at the cost of the royal treasury; in accordance with this
thirty-three religious went to those islands, thirty priests and three
lay brethren. [30] But, although that permission and the number of
missionaries were enough for one shipment, they do not suffice for the
succor of so many souls as that province has in its charge, and for
the new conversions which continually present themselves. Moreover,
with the long voyage, the unaccustomed climates, the continual toil,
and the austerity which is observed by this province--which follows the
primitive rule of its order--the number of its members must necessarily
diminish. This has actually been the case, since from the time when
permission was given for the last shipload of religious, which was
nine years ago, a greater number have died than those who went to the
islands in that band, as was evident from the last reports which the
said province sent [to Espana], and which the petitioner will exhibit,
if necessary. And today, counting in the sick, crippled, and old men,
there are not ninety priests in the said province; and even though
there were many more, since more are actually necessary it is highly
expedient that other and fresh religious should go thither, that they