beards, and were destined for the new province which he was going
to found under the title of "congregation," for the conversion of
Japon and China. For this purpose the said father Fray Diego Collado
had obtained the bulls necessary for it in Roma; but seeing that he
would not be given license for it in the royal and supreme Council
of the Indias, on account of the difficulties that were apparent to
the eyes of the least prudent, he did not present them there, being
content with having Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera on his side, with
whom he had come to these islands in the aforesaid company. That was
a very dangerous and critical time for the province of Santo Rosario,
which was exposed to many disturbances by the division that they were
trying to make of it; and the best convents near Manila were to be
taken away from it for the new congregation. In that pretension the
aid of the governor was freely used, and it was necessary for the
archbishop to oppose him, the province of Santo Rosario having had
recourse to the latter. Thereupon the dispute was openly declared,
because the governor tried to carry to completion the undertaking that
had been begun. The said division would without doubt have been carried
into effect had it not been opposed by the archbishop and by Don Fray
Diego de Aduarte, a Dominican, and bishop of Nueva Segovia. That was
the beginning of the sharpest controversies that have been seen in
the Indias between the two jurisdictions--ecclesiastical and civil;
and from it originated the disturbances which scandalized the world,
causing lamentable effects which are experienced even until the present
time. Not only laymen, whom worldly considerations cause to follow the
side of power in these islands, conspired on the side of the governor,
but also certain ecclesiastical persons, whose advancement depended
on the will of the civil government. These latter, being domestic
enemies, were the greatest spur in the hostilities that had been
begun. They would have been ended by the care that the archbishop was
taking, had the unyielding disposition of Don Sebastian de Corcuera,
in what had been begun, allowed him to be less insolvent in what he
was attempting. For if on such occasions something is not yielded on
both sides, the fire that has been started will continue to increase
until any check will be entirely impossible--as was experienced on this
occasion; for instead of being extinguished, it became more f