om removing
or appointing whomever he wished, or choosing those whom he considered
better for his own purposes and even molesting the good? For since all
the houses with votes in those islands except the convents of Manila
are doctrinas, he could place in them the men satisfactory to himself;
and these would not fail him in the following provincial chapters in
accepting from his hand a provincial who would be most advantageous
to him, or most inclined to agree with him. Consequently, he would
become absolute master of the monastic government of the orders. If the
ordinaries wished to molest those religious whom they did not like,
who could prevent them from fulminating penalties for the slightest
causes? and this especially where the witnesses are Indians who would
swear against their missionaries at any threat or for any profit,
whatever the ministers or the visitors of the bishops wished.

It is well seen that all those troubles, so possible, would cease
if the governors would govern according to the pious zeal and most
Christian intention of his Majesty, and the ordinaries according
to the obligation of their estate. But, nevertheless, in parts so
distant and remote from the heart of the monarchy, not all the
governors and ordinaries work in harmony. For even the good and
those regarded as such in Espana are wont to become changed in
the Yndias, and to act very differently from what was expected
of them; for power and opportunity generally change the purposes
and disorder the expectations of those who are by nature covetous,
revengeful, or subject to other passions. What may not [therefore]
be feared? On account of all those things the fears of the orders are
not ill founded. Would that experience did not testify to all these
possibilities. Since even without that subjection the governors and
ordinaries are wont to give the regulars causes for merit for very
slight causes, what would it be if they held the regulars as subjects
and had absolute power to be able to punish them as criminals and to
depose them as guilty?

If the regular superior should decide that he ought in conscience
to remove any occasion for scandal, or one who was a discredit to
his profession, in the case of any of his subjects; and it should be
necessary for that reason to remove him from his mission: in such case,
if he went to the governor to impart his purpose as he is obliged to
do by the right of the royal patronage, the governor having he