the barracks and
guardhouses. The fathers of the Society tried to procure means of
peace, but none of them succeeded. Seeing that there was no hope of
peace, and recognizing the injury that the archbishop was doing them
at the instigation of the three orders and the father commissary,
they were forced to speak out against the archbishop through their
judge-conservator, Don Fabian de Santillan y Gavilanes, schoolmaster
of this holy church and a person of good standing in this city. The
three orders, especially that of St. Dominic, took this cause against
the fathers of the Society as their own--although it did not concern
them, but was, on the contrary, in favor of all. The fathers of the
Society were defending what the orders were defending, since they were
defending their privileges and immunities, which are common to all
the mendicant orders. But the orders did not think of this, nor that
they were putting out both their eyes (as says the proverb) in order
to put out one of the Society. The aversion and hatred that they show
against the fathers of the Society is incredible, doing them all the
ill turns possible in all things, and talking maliciously of them. The
orders had recourse by a plea of fuerza to the royal Audiencia, which
declared that the judge-conservator had not employed it, and that he
was legally appointed. Thereupon, seeing that they had no means by
which to embarrass the judge-conservator, they tried to make use of the
authority of the Inquisition, the fathers of St. Dominic threatening
the judge-conservator with it. Those fathers spread the report that
they would seize him, and get even with him. At this juncture the
father commissary summoned him, and such was the aspect of affairs
that the said judge asked the said commissary for a testimony that he
had not been summoned for anything that could prejudice his person, in
order that he might not be left with any stain. The judge-conservator
had made complaint against the provisor, Don Pedro de Monroy, for
having declared that neither Luther nor Calvin, nor any other heretics,
did so much harm as did the members of the Society. That was a calumny
and insult, the remedy for which the judge thought concerned him. The
father commissary entered the lists, and asked for that cause. The
judge sent him the original complaint, reserving the testimony, to
present it to the holy tribunal of Mexico. The said father commissary
asked for the testimony, and it was als