e to be treated by the Inquisition was the fact
that I was trying to send the said Francisco Garcia in the fleet,
as its surgeon, since he was a familiar of the Holy Office. I had not
known that before, and I think that it is not so, since the viceroy,
in the presence of the tribunal of the holy Inquisition of Mexico,
condemned him and sent him here; or else his cause was such that,
even though he was a familiar of the Holy Office, that holy tribunal
did not think it advisable to prevent the punishment imposed by the
viceroy. And although the tribunal of Mexico, notwithstanding its
so great power, refused to prevent that punishment, a friar tries
to prevent it here and opposes me, the governor, and protects even
a criminal from me--not so much to protect him, as to turn upon and
oppose me. In truth, Sir, this is a grievous thing, namely, that in
whatever desires or whims these friars have, and for whomever they
wish to be aided and protected for them against the governor, they
immediately find a path by way of the Inquisition.

Those fathers gave the final touch to those annoyances by taking
from me, to my great vexation, a goodly number of sailors and some
soldiers, who had received their pay in order to make the voyage
in the said fleet of galleons to Terrenate. One of two friars of
St. Dominic fled with them in a boat and went by way of Macajar to
India, in order to go to Espana with serious complaints, as I am told,
for your Highness. However, the path that they are taking is very apt
to lead them into the hands of the Dutch or of the many other enemies
who infest the seas of Yndia. It is said, and I regard it as certain,
that that was the plan of the father commissary of the Holy Office;
and at least he concurred in and had a part in it. Let your Highness
consider the boldness and freedom of those friars in recklessly
entering a matter which is so to the disservice of your Highness;
and it is a kind of treason to take away the people who are in your
service, and who have been already paid to go in the royal fleet.

Many other things of this sort and of this same kind could be related
to your Highness, and all need the same remedy. It is one which
I think efficacious for the prevention of greater damages, namely,
that your Highness distinctly order the holy Inquisition of Mexico to
appoint no friar of any order as their commissary in these islands,
but some secular, since this function belongs to such. By that mean