he deceased entrusted him, who made election and a
confidant of him--with very much greater reason ought an account of
the administration of the souls that are immediately in charge of
the same bishop be given to him; and although in proof of that many
other arguments might be adduced, none will be so effective and so
conclusive as to consider that while there were, as is true, so many
so aged, learned, grave, and holy religious of all the orders present
in the holy council of Trent, who propounded as many difficulties
and obstacles as they could offer, yet the holy council decreed and
ordered as we have seen.

In conformity with that, notwithstanding the said reply which the
orders of Nueva Espana gave to the decree of his Majesty, the orders
of his Majesty in regard to the said visits seem to have been obeyed,
for ten years after another royal decree was despatched, which the
said father, Fray Juan Baptista, mentions on folio 396 of the said
book, as follows:

"The King. Reverend father in Christ, bishop of the city of Antequera,
of the valley of Huajaca, of Nueva Espana, and member of my council:
Inasmuch as I have heard that the religious who reside in those
regions, busied in the instruction and conversion of the Indians, give
out that it is a cause of great disquiet and uneasiness to them for you
to send to visit them, in regard to curacies, by clerics or religious
of other orders; and as it is advisable to avoid all occasions that
may divert them from their chief end, especially since (as they say)
it is contrary to their institutes, and is the occasion of their
living disconsolate, and that they are molested: I request and charge
you that when you are unable to visit in person the missions of that
bishopric--in accordance with the order in my decree of June first,
one thousand five hundred and eighty-five, [13] where this matter is
discussed at greater length--for the said visits of religious who shall
be in those missions, in regard to matters of curacies, of the most
holy sacrament, of the baptismal font, of the building of churches, and
all else concerning them, and the divine worship, you send religious
of the same orders. Consequently, where there are Dominican friars,
a friar of the same order shall be sent as visitor; and the same shall
be observed with Augustinians, Franciscans, and those of the Order of
Mercy, and of the Society. That shall be observed for the cases and in
the manner contained in the