red young girls have retired to
the protection of its walls, the greater part of them daughters of
Spaniards--who, if they should go outside the seminary, would risk,
and even achieve, setting the world on fire. The fathers of our
college sometimes go to preach to them; and for my own part I can
say that, whenever this duty fell to me, I did not fail to render
praise to God at seeing there so many young women retired from the
world, occupied in divine service and knowledge, and removed from
the dangers and temptations without. Those among them who become
established in matrimony give manifest token in their manners of
the excellent education that they have received there, and the holy
instruction upon which their superior has taught and reared them. This
seminary for girls owes a great deal to the archdeacon of Manila,
Don Francisco Gomez de Arellano--who, not content with expending his
wealth in other works of great service to God, occupies himself and
spends a large share of his means in the protection and maintenance of
this institution. At his own expense he constructed some of the inner
apartments in the seminary's house, which were greatly needed, and in
the church a large and beautiful reredos, of elaborate architecture;
but, even more important, he has with his ministrations and instruction
carefully cultivated those souls.

But to return to the Indians: two of them were rescued at that
time, for which they had reason to be thankful; for, as they were
Christians, the greater would be their loss and peril. One of them,
who was twenty years old, had learned with great thoroughness a
certain device of witchcraft; and yet during all this time, through
some special providence of our Lord, had practiced it to no profit. It
is certain, too, that if he had been successful he would have ruined
himself and harmed many others. But I say no more of this, to avoid
prolixity. Another Indian had a book containing certain verses of
poetry, which they call _Golo_ [74]--most pernicious, because they
included an express compact with the devil; this its owner freely gave
up, that it might be burned, which was done. Most of the prisoners
in the jail are Indians, placed there for various crimes which they
committed; and they also have their own separate hospital in the city
(as also the Spaniards have one), where their sick are healed. Both
hospitals are royal foundations, established by order and at the
expense of his Majesty the C