duals which this
commonwealth, and we the religious of the Order of our father
St. Augustine, are suffering from the presence of Don Fray Miguel de
Venavides, archbishop of this archiepiscopal see--who, we believe,
should be occupying a cell in some convent of his order in exemplary
and peaceful life, as he did before he rose to the position of bishop
and to the dignity which today he holds. In that position, [1] either
because he wishes to assume more authority in the [ecclesiastical]
government than is his due, or on account of some grave scruples which,
continually increasing, so harass and disquiet him that were not the
valor and prudence of Don Pedro de Acuna, governor of these islands,
so great, and the royal Audiencia which your Majesty has here composed
of councillors so wise, Christian, and moderate, fear would often have
arisen (and with good cause) of various scandals for which the said
prelate has given occasion. For with his revelations and prophecies,
of which your Majesty has been informed, he publicly stated that the
Chinese were about to rebel, from which it resulted that poor soldiers,
and other persons who belong to peoples that resort here, were eager
for such an opportunity; and it is believed that the cowardly Chinese
were thus led to mutiny and rebellion, putting this whole land in
danger. All this arose from the fears of the archbishop, which were
not communicated to the person who could, without exciting comment,
have taken precautions and prevented the trouble--namely, the governor,
with whom he has usually had collisions. These were principally in
matters concerning the royal patronage, which loses footing out here;
[such conduct is therefore] the less to be tolerated. Your Majesty will
have heard long ago of some ill result, for the governor has tried to
manage the archbishop with due gentleness, treating him with respect,
giving him a wide range in affairs, and temporizing with him in order
to avoid contention. During his sicknesses, which are frequent, the
governor has entertained him as a guest in his own house, keeping him
there a long time. This has been of so little use that he takes every
opportunity to disturb, and sometimes without opportunity disturbs,
the general peace--at which all of us, not only ecclesiastics but
laymen, are so distressed that there is no way of expressing it to
your Majesty. We believe that if it were possible for you in Espana
to see how we suffer here, your Ma