of doctors and masters of Santo Tomas, to the no
little annoyance of the bishop and the religious orders. In this
conference the question was asked whether the members of the cabildo
were worthy of being absolved for their irregular acts. All answered
in the affirmative, except little Master Caraballo; and he said that
his illustrious Lordship could not grant the dispensation, as these
were cases that concerned the faith, specifying his declaration in
the document which was drawn up. The Dominican fathers gave the same
opinion; but the bishop of Sinopolis replied to them, saying that if
this were a matter contrary to the faith, as they seemed to imagine,
they could not discuss it, since that pertained to another tribunal;
it was finally decided that the absolution should be given to the
prebendaries. When we were all expecting that this would be done,
as it ought to be, within the body of the ecclesiastical cabildo,
the fourth Sunday of Lent having arrived, the archbishop commanded
that there should be no preaching in any of the churches of this
city, or in those without the walls; and that all the people should
repair to the cathedral in the afternoon. He commanded that two seats
should be made ready there--one outside the church, in order that the
countless multitude who were present might enjoy this so edifying act;
and the other at the great altar itself. The altar and the cibary
were covered with a canopy.

At ten in the morning, he declared the members of the cabildo to be
excommunicated; and, the facts being as I have already stated above,
they were now absolved ad reincidentiam, by the bishop of Troya;
such relapse [reincidencia] had not occurred in any instance, and
therefore the declaration of the canons was without cause, and only
directed at a very scandalous paper on the absolution--which was
performed with great ostentation, in the following manner.

At four in the afternoon, the archbishop being seated on the chair
which stood outside the holy church, assisted by his provisor, Juan
Gonzalez, and a racionero, the prebends went to him, and, while they
knelt there, a judicial record was read to them of all the offenses
committed--that is, all the enactments made--by them while governing
the archbishopric; and, while they were there before the public in
that embarrassing condition, [en calzas y en jubon] [119] the names
of all those who supported the cabildo, and recognized that body as
the ecclesiastical