one
to Terrenate, enriched with his booty from the Chinese ships; and
that damage would result from delay, while great expenses would have
to be met from the royal treasury. For my part, all these arguments,
since they arose from loyal desires, without taking the trouble to
show the irreparable injuries that would result from that course of
action, caused me no care. I constantly attended to the repairing
and preparation of this fleet as well as possible, including in it
whatever your Majesty possesses in these islands. The reason that
obliged me to lay great stress upon that enemy was that--since he
knew that Don Juan de Silva had gone to Sincapura with a fleet of
ten galleons, four galleys, and one patache--he, without knowing of
the governor's death, came to look for him with an equal number of
warships. These were chosen from twenty-two vessels, and equipped with
the best artillery and men of arms and war in them all; and he dared
to come within sight of our walls and very confidently was coming
with his great force. Consequently I considered it best to prepare an
armed fleet which, being such, might be able to fight with his. Not
of less consideration was the fact that we are in the view of so many
barbarous nations, who esteem and extol him who conquers. Accordingly
it was necessary to consider carefully not to place our reputation
and credit in any danger, but that we should have as superior a fleet
to his as could be collected, to go out to measure strength with the
enemy; for in this case what was once branded [1] could not be effaced.

The final reason that caused me to arm those galleons with the best
forces that could he assembled was the consideration that the enemy
should not go out victorious because your Majesty did not possess in
this land the means with which we could construct a fleet in many
years; and if we drove the enemy's fleet away and punished him as
his boldness and arrogance merited, he would have to lay aside his
desire for returning to these islands, and would leave them quiet and
peaceful, and free from the dangers that his coming threatened. With
this resolution conquering great difficulties with the help of God,
who always favored this His cause, the fleet of seven galleons,
one patache, and three galleys was prepared. In order to man them
with the rowers that were needed, the citizens, Sangley Christians,
and some Indians lent two hundred and twenty-three slaves. And as one
hundred and