native woman of Panay, went to those islands to
collect his tributes. He was walking through the church court when I
was hearing confessions. I had sent away one of the chief Indian women,
because she did not pay attention or answer questions, and had told
her to meditate thoroughly over her sins and return later. She went
out and the Spaniard asked her if she had confessed. She replied that
she had not, because the father had asked her how many feet a hog had,
and she had been unable to answer me. The Spaniard laughed heartily,
and, upon my coming out, told me about it. Whereupon I crossed myself
many times, at seeing that the people were so thoughtless there, and
that she should have understood me so ridiculously. Those who live
where the father is stationed are not so, but even the little children
come to the convent and are assembled. And in matters of the soul--the
chief thing--they go to confession; and in truth I would rather confess
a hundred Indians in the Filipinas, of those thus rendered fluent,
than one Spaniard. The Indian women confess remarkably well, and with
many tears, and take communion with devotion. They give account of
themselves, respect the father, and recognize his courtesy. Who has
not experienced this? The Spaniards understand it all, but when an
effort is made to settle the Indians in villages, all the Spaniards
resist the religious as if the latter were taking something from
their pockets. And surely, as I am advised, the greatest warfare
that the devil wages against the ministry is by the hands of the
Spaniards, so that all those who should favor this cause are opposed
to it. Consequently, the religious tire themselves out, and the devil
reaps what harvest he wills. All the evil is laid to our door, and the
good the Spaniards attribute to themselves. If the Indian flees and
the encomienda is deserted, it is the fault of the religious. But if
it increases, it is due to the alcalde-mayor, the encomendero, and
the collector. This is a thing so beyond reason, that truth itself
cries out. If it were not for the protection of the religious, there
would not now be an Indian, or any settlement. The Indians understand
this fact very well, as will be seen by the statement of one of them.

The bishop of Nueva Segovia, Don Fray Pedro de Soria, collected
those Indians together, by order of his Majesty, and told them of
the advantages of the Spanish monarchy, and how beneficial it would
be for them to ha