ople, moved them
to devotion, and caused them to learn willingly and with pleasure
our sacred mysteries, thus couched in their own meter and style
of music. In short, these were affected in the same way which the
glorious doctor St. Augustine mentions concerning himself; and we all
experienced the same emotions. By these means those Christians became
fervent, and frequented with profit the holy sacraments. The fruit
of their devotion was apparent in their lives, as Father Francisco de
Enzinas relates in one of his letters; therein he continually praises,
as one who keeps this matter in his mind, and is personally concerned
in it, the good disposition of those people, their readiness to accept
the teachings of virtue, and their service to God, concerning which
he relates the following:

"It is a source of great consolation to see the purity that shines
in many of these poor women. I know concerning some of them that,
after being annoyed and even persecuted with liberal offers of money,
neither by gifts nor threats were they in any way overcome. I also
know of other women who, when, they have learned that lawless men have
entered the village, have absented themselves from home and retired
to their grain-fields, to avoid the danger of offending God. One of
those soulless men promised a young boy, one of those who aid us at
our house, that he would give him I know not what gift, if he would
search after a certain woman for him. The lad answered that he could
not, since he belonged to the house of the father, assist in such a
matter. When he was told that the father would not know it, he replied:
'But will God fail to see it, even if the father does not know it?' At
this reply the man became abashed and ashamed, and ceased to importune
him. From Easter-time until the date of this writing, which is about
a month and a half, more than eighty adults have been baptized--the
greater part of them very old, but well prepared--and with these about
ninety who are younger. While journeying during Lent, to the village of
Leite, we were overtaken by a storm so violent that it drove our boat
upon the shore and compelled us to continue our course by land. This
change, however, was not without the special providence of God; for,
as we were passing by some grain-fields, an old woman lay very sick in
her wretched hut. Learning that I was going by, she had me summoned;
and after I had given her instruction, I baptized her, with great
consola