it as a great offense; for you yourself are a good witness of
how little trouble I have given you in this matter, and henceforward
I shall give much less. I am not so desirous of ordering that I
wish you to share your charge with me, for my own work, which is not
small, is enough for me. I do wish to have your Lordship know that my
discussion of the manner in which the collections are to be made, or
from what encomiendas they may be made and from what ones not, is not
interfering with your Lordship's office, but fulfilling the duty of my
own. Not that I am to imprison or sentence encomenderos who collect
contrary to what I say, for this is your Lordship's duty. Before
the tribunal of conscience I must condemn those to make restitution
who collect without having the authority to collect, even if it be
with the permission of your Lordship; and I must place your Lordship
under the same obligation because you gave them such permission. This
distinction of powers your Lordship ought to have known before telling
me that I was interfering in what was not my business.

In the matter of employing laymen where there are no ministers of
religious instruction, your Lordship says that I do not make up my
mind, although you have already proposed it to me several times. Twice
your Lordship tells me in this letter that you have communicated
things to me, but I am astonished that my poor memory does not recall
any of them. One of the greatest satisfactions is that your Lordship
does things all by yourself, without my having anything to do with
them, and in truth I hold it as one of the greatest mercies that
could come to me; and although his Majesty orders the opposite,
as many things fail to be done which kings command, so this also
shall fail to be done, to my great satisfaction and to yours also,
as I think. I have not stationed Spaniards in the encomiendas because
I do not know whom to place there; and I remember very well having
said this to your Lordship, but we agreed together that I should
decide this matter, as I remember it. There is no reason why I should
give your Lordship a report on the persons who can be appointed,
because it is my business to appoint them, and to determine their
salaries--not only by commission from his Majesty, but it is also my
due on account of my office. But I have not dared, and do not dare,
to appoint anyone--not because I do not wish to and have tried to,
but because I know that there is no one in