ness Gregory XV in which he commanded that the
elections for offices, from the provincial to the most petty
official, should be made alternately between the two parties--one,
the religious who took the habit in Espana and came to these
islands for the conversion of the infidels and the direction of
those who are converted; the other, the religious who have
entered the order in the Indias.

This province of Philipinas of the order of our father St. Augustine
has enjoyed, from the time of its foundation at the conquest of
these islands, the utmost peace in its ordinary government; and
it is by virtue of this that it has accomplished so great results
in the service of the two majesties [_i.e._, God and the king of
Spain]--being always occupied in the conversion of these peoples,
and in the direction of those who are converted; and devoting so much
care to the fulfilment of its obligations, even when the results of
their labors made their devotion so manifest. In this state the order
was maintained, making great progress in the gain of souls, until the
year 29, in which this said province received a brief from his Holiness
Gregory XV, in which he commanded that the elections in the province,
from that of provincial to that of the most petty official, should
be made alternately between the religious who had come from Espana
at the cost of his Majesty, and those who had entered the order in
these regions. The brief was laid before the province; [2] but it had
been obtained by misrepresentations, and its execution was impossible
because the religious who had taken the habit in the Indias were very
few, numbering less than one-third as many men as were the offices
which the said brief commanded to be given to them. For these reasons,
the province appealed from the execution of the decree; but, although
this appeal was so just and so conformable to law, the judge whom they
had appointed to execute the decree [3] refused to allow it, declaring
that we were publicly excommunicated. Afterward, the royal Audiencia
here, to whom we had recourse with a plea of fuerza, declared that the
judge had committed it against us in not allowing the said petition
and appeal, that it might go before his Holiness. Then the judge,
compelled by the royal Audiencia, admitted the said appeal, and set
a time when it should be brought before the authorities at Roma. In
order to serve better the interests of this province, we appeared,
through our pro