disturbance and schism which had begun. This was done by means
of an act issued by the judge, in which he suspended the former
act, and decided that the trial of this cause should be deferred for
forty days before the [next] chapter-meeting. Therewith this province
remained in peace and quiet, [11] and all the religious attended to
their obligations--until the arrival, in this year of thirty-seven,
of the bull for this province, passed by the royal Council of the
Indias, in which our most holy father Urban Eighth revoked the brief
for the _alternativa_; its tenor is as follows:

"Since, however, it has lately been reported to us by our beloved son,
the prior-general of the order [12] of the brothers hermits of Saint
Augustine, that in the aforesaid province nearly all the brethren of
Spanish blood of the said order resident therein were sent to those
countries at the expense of our very dear son in Christ, Philip,
the Catholic king of the Indias, in order that they might labor for
the conversion of heathens and the instruction of converts; that
moreover in the province and order of the aforesaid brethren in those
countries there are very few [brethren] known as creoles [_criolli_],
who are fit for the charge of those peoples: Therefore in the letters
presented as inserted ahead, in view moreover of the fact that it is
impossible to have the law carried out since the creole brethren are
not numerous enough to fill the aforesaid offices with the care of
souls attached thereto, an appeal has been taken to us and to the
apostolic see to have the said decrees set aside. Hence the said
prior-general has humbly petitioned us of our apostolic kindness to
make due provision in the premises.

"Therefore hearkening to the petition of the said prior-general,
desirous moreover of rewarding him with especial favors and graces
[we hereby,] in order that these presents alone be carried into
effect, do absolve him and declare him thus absolved from whatsoever
excommunication, suspension, interdict, and other ecclesiastical
sentences, censures, and penalties incurred by law or individual court,
should he in any manner have been entangled thereby; moreover through
these presents we charge and order your fraternity that, should the
petition be grounded on truth, you interpret benignly and recall the
letters inserted ahead, to the end that by our apostolic authority the
elections for the future be free, in accordance with the constitution