under severe penalties the practice
of bringing sick persons to the church to receive holy communion
by way of viaticum--a custom introduced into these islands from
the infancy of their Christian faith. It had never been entirely
uprooted, although ordinances against it had been issued by various
zealous prelates in their decrees, and by our Catholic monarchs in
their royal cedulas--commanding that the holy viaticum should be
carried to the houses of the sick, even though they were poor and
of low estate, as are the natives of these islands. And because the
previous ordinances of the king our sovereign on this subject had not
had the desired effect, his Majesty again repeated his commands in a
royal decree of July 28, 1681, in which he charged our archbishop to
banish this abuse, the custom of carrying the sick to the church to
receive the holy viaticum, on account of the difficulties which might
follow from it. In accordance with this, our archbishop promulgated
an edict throughout his diocese, dated September 5, 1682, commanding
that all the parish priests should carry the viaticum to the sick,
without permitting them to be brought to the church; and although
he received from the parish priests entreaties and arguments on
this point, his illustrious Lordship did not listen to them, but
courageously proceeded in his holy undertaking.

Besides those exceedingly just measures, at the instance of the royal
Audiencia of these islands his illustrious Lordship promulgated an
edict--which was affixed to the doors of the churches, with penalty
of major excommunication--that all executors of wills must within two
months present before his tribunal the said wills, which had not been
inspected for fourteen years past; and so numerous were those that
were presented--not to mention others dating back to forgotten times,
which were not yet accomplished--that they gave him work sufficient
for several years. He issued other edicts and monitory decrees in
regard to the denunciation of various crimes, and so many of these
were continually disclosed that soon the ecclesiastical tribunal was
tilled with cases, and the numerous officials in its employ could not
make room for the legal proceedings therein. Very scandalous lives
were revealed, and criminal suits were begun; but these could not be
prosecuted on account of appeals and subterfuges which caused delay.

He who attempts to correct abuses and scandals finds it necessary
to equip