ny things in
favor of the honor of God, and the service of your Majesty. For both,
with all humility I entreat your Majesty to be pleased to order these
excesses to be corrected, or to give me orders for what I am to do
in like cases.

Will your Majesty command that the question be considered whether
it will suit your Majesty to order the approval of what has been
done, or to take such action as may be most expedient for your royal
service--on account of the advantages arising from the separation of
this Order of St. Dominic into two factions, and for that reason,
their becoming subject to your Majesty's orders. I shall obey you
with my breast to the earth, as I ought to do, and as I have done for
twenty-six years past. May our Lord preserve your Majesty's Catholic
person, as is necessary to Christendom. Manila, the last of June,
1636. Sire, your vassal kisses your Majesty's feet.

Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera

Sire:

Six months before my arrival here, the fathers of St. Francis had
held a chapter. It was illegal, without question. Fray Francisco de
Gabiria, an Observantine friar, came to them as visitor. He began his
commission and visit by depriving all the definitors of the province
of their offices, and appointed new definitors from the Observantine
friars and others who took the habit in this country and belong to
the Observantine faction. He continued [this course] by removing
the guardians and appointing others who belonged to his following,
until they had more than sufficient votes to hold a chapter. The
commissary-visitor took the opportunity to do all this, because the
legitimate definitors had deprived a friar, one Jose Fonte, of his
guardiania. That religious was guardian of the convent of Manila, and
a prime favorite of Don Juan Cereco, former governor _ad interim_. The
legal definitors deprived him of the guardiania. Upon the coming of
the father commissary, Fray Jose Fonte complained and requested his
guardiania, although the matter had no appeal. The said Don Juan Cereco
also lodged a complaint, because his favorite and adviser had been
deprived of his guardiania. The commissary, who saw that the occasion
was so opportune for his purposes, overrode the province and body of
definitors, and on account of the above, deprived the high officials
[of his order] of their offices. Sire, nothing is hidden from us in
this land. In this case, one might tell your Majesty many things,
but I shall relate only