, or others, if necessary,
who may be suitable persons for such offices. They will have salaries
sufficiently large to enable them to administer justice to the natives,
protecting and defending them against anyone who would injure them, and
maintaining such intercourse and friendship with them as will incline
them to receive religious instruction when they shall have it. Thus in
all the encomiendas which have this justice and preparation, as soon
as it is known what benefits are conferred upon the natives by those
ministers of justice, in influencing and governing them, as above
stated, authority will be given to the encomenderos to collect the
three-fourths of the tribute, as I have said. But in the meantime,
none of it shall be imposed or levied; and as soon as justice is
established, efforts shall also be made, until religious ministers
shall come, to employ a layman or laymen of virtuous life and example,
in order to instruct the natives, to the best of their ability, in
the things of our holy faith; and such persons shall receive some
benefice, in accordance with the royal right of presentation.

The encomenderos shall fulfil and observe all the aforesaid orders,
under penalty of being deprived of their encomiendas. In encomiendas
belonging to his Majesty, and in those of other and private persons
when the encomenderos shall--by order, or through any other lawful
impediment--be prevented from making the collections personally, in
case these collectors should exceed just bounds they shall be fined
five hundred pesos for his Majesty's treasury, and half the expenses
of any war thus caused. In addition, they shall make good any losses
caused by them to the said Indians, and shall pay all costs. The
aforesaid persons are likewise ordered to make the collections with
all possible gentleness and equity, observing the other instructions
of his Majesty concerning the manner of collecting tributes. The
Indians shall pay in kind, or in such articles as they prefer to
give. I also order that an authorized copy of this my decree be
furnished to each and every one of the encomenderos or collectors who
shall engage in the aforesaid collections. This decree I order and
command to be observed, fulfilled, and executed, under the penalties
above stated, for the present and until such time as his Majesty,
when well informed of the present state of affairs in this land,
which has been mentioned above, shall make suitable provisions in