us imprisonment that was about to be executed
on their shepherd. It caused great excitement and grief to all,
and a great scandal among the natives of these islands, even among
the pagans and Mahometans who frequent the islands for commerce;
and not many wished to concur in so unjust a determination. The
orders hastened to the archiepiscopal houses, where they found the
archbishop with the warnings that they were about to arrest him,
clad in his pontifical robes. He, also knowing that the most holy
sacrament was being guarded in the cathedral, sent father Fray Juan
de Pina, guardian of St. Francis, to his convent for the most holy
sacrament. On that occasion it was placed in a lunette; and it was
brought with all the propriety possible, accompanied by many religious
carrying candles. When it had been brought, the father guardian placed
it in the hands of the archbishop. He, bathed in tears, received it;
and, with noteworthy courage, seated himself to await the agents of
the execution. He sent his notaries to notify the governor and the
auditor, Don Marcos Zapata, of censures; but the notaries, finding them
assembled with the fiscal in the hall of meeting, had more respect
for the human Majesty, whom they represented there in assembly, than
the chief constable and his helpers had for the supreme majesty of
majesties, Christ our Lord, whose sacrament was in the hands of the
archbishop. Therefore the ecclesiastical notaries notified them at
the doors. While doing this at one of the doors, it is said that the
governor ordered a soldier to extinguish the lights by which they
were reading, by waving his hat, which was done.

At that same time the chief constable and his helpers were in the
archiepiscopal house, where the archbishop was found in the manner
above described, surrounded and accompanied by all the orders except
that of the Society of Jesus. The chief constable sent to advise
the governor of the condition in which he had found the archbishop,
whereupon the governor sent him orders that he should cause the
religious to retire to their convents; and that, when the archbishop
grew tired of holding the most holy sacrament, he was to arrest him
with the soldiers whom he had with him. That was intimated to the
religious and lay priests who were about the archbishop; but they
refused to obey it, fearing lest they incur the wrath of God if they
abandoned the prince of the Church on such an occasion. Thus by common
consent