rm of an invitation to dinner: three times was the summons
repeated but each time, on one pretext or another, it was evaded, until
there only remained to summon him officially and to censure his violation
of his Bishop's instructions and his refusal to appear before him. As
even this severe measure left him unmoved, Las Casas ordered his arrest
and sent his alguacil and some of the clergy to bring the recalcitrant
Dean before him. The news of what was passing had spread through the town
and when the diocesan authorities went to make the arrest, quite a crowd
of people had collected to see the outcome of the ecclesiastical duel.
The appearance of the Dean, being conducted by force to answer to the
Bishop for disobedience that had been prompted by his compliance to the
Spaniards' desires, provoked a demonstration in his favour. He, seeing
his opportunity, began to call for help, crying: "Help me to get free,
gentlemen, and I'll confess everybody! Get me free and I'll absolve all of
you!" A great hubbub ensued; men armed themselves to attack the Bishop's
alguacil; some barricaded the Dominicans in their convent to prevent their
coming to the assistance of the arresting party, others freed the Dean
from his captors, and thus, with great uproar and shouts for the King and
his justice against the Bishop, the mob arrived at the latter's house,
into which a crowd forced its way with clamorous disorder.

A gentleman named Rodriguez de Villafuerte, who was in the ante-chamber in
company with Fray Domingo de Medinilla, managed to somewhat calm the
turbulence of the people. The leaders of the mob burst into the room
beyond, where Fray Domingo had insisted that the Bishop should remain,
instead of coming out to face the rioters as he wished, insulting him in
the coarsest language and even threatening to kill him. The storm of
popular fury broke itself against the imperturbable serenity and
inflexible determination with which Las Casas met and dominated it.
Though the crowd dispersed, cowed and sullen, to their houses, the
murmuring continued, and the friars dared not leave their convents, for
fear of provoking a fresh outbreak.

The Bishop cancelled the ecclesiastical faculties of his Dean and
excommunicated him.

The man who had threatened to kill Las Casas was the same one who had once
before fired a musket shot through the Bishop's window, by way of warning
him, and as he was known for a hot-headed reckless person, the fria