ng of the month of October, the examiner took greatly
to heart the establishment of peace between the Dominican fathers
and those of the Society, in which negotiation the governor and the
archbishop were active, since now the latter found no longer the means
for annoying us. The affair was very diligently conducted, but always
with the claim of advantages for the other side. The worthy man was
quite deceived, having been told that the Dominican fathers had only
broken off their former intercourse with our church inasmuch as it
had been polluted from the time when Auditor Grimaldos was interred
in it; but this was a great lie, and quite notorious, since, a year
before the said auditor died, since the controversy over the arms,
[165] they had ceased intercourse [with us]. Notwithstanding all this,
they always directed their efforts to the end that the Society should
yield; and, the octave of the naval feast falling on the very day of
St. Francis de Borgia, we had to delay until the octave the feast
and sermon for the saint, and went in a body to the church. Great
rejoicing was displayed in the city; much artillery was fired; the
[Dominican] provincial Marron preached; the archbishop, governor,
and Audiencia were present. All this was repeated on the day of the
octave of St. Francis Borgia, when Father Cani preached; and from
that day the Dominican fathers and their archbishop have displayed,
at least externally, their former friendliness.

A little while afterward, on the day of St. Peter [of] Alcantara,
[166] occurred the most fearful earthquake that ever, according to
report, was known in these islands, the shocks being repeated at
various times. The father rector went to the archbishop to ask his
permission to offer the act of contrition, but he refused to allow
it--saying that he had thought of something else that was better,
which was, to carry the Virgin of the Rosary through the streets,
all reciting the rosary aloud. Moreover, in order to make peace with
God and placate His just anger, he commanded one day that a general
interdict be rung, publishing as excommunicated all those who had in
any manner been concerned in the banishment of his illustrious Lordship
and the other Dominican religious, and all the officers who had taken
part in the blockade of the convent of Santo Domingo. Afterward,
having erected a scaffold or stage in the courtyard of his convent,
he published the absolution--for which they went past hi