d to kill the religious. For while the said
father was standing at the church door after the _Salve_ on a Saturday,
surrounded by Spaniards, the mestizo came in at one side, and struck
at him with a dagger. The father warded it off, and protected himself
from it with his hands, without a Spaniard offering to aid him. A
lay brother, named Fray Andres Garcia, [109] was coming toward the
convent; he was making a small flat-bottomed boat [_chatilla_] there
for the house at Manila. He was truly a religious of great virtue
and example. He had formerly been a soldier in Flandes and Italia,
and was one of the chosen men sent to Ginebra [i.e., Geneva] by
Felipe IV, to carry despatches to the duke of Saboya [i.e., Savoy],
the king's brother-in-law, who was trying to take that rebellious
city. As soon as father Fray Lucas spied the brother, he cried out
and begged for aid. Fray Andres hastened to him, and although now
a man well along in years, he had not forgotten the vigor of his
youth. And in such manner did he comport himself, that those Castilians
went away. The mestizo was punished, and the father was healed. The
religious have suffered, and still suffer, innumerable things like
the above, for making those Indians sincere Christians, for teaching
them civilization, and for serving your Majesty in pacifying the
country for you. Eight religious, who accompanied father Fray Andres
de Aguirre hither, began this work. Although that father returned to
the Filipinas Islands simply to aid Ours in the work here, and to die
in the country discovered by him, yet the province, finding that its
affairs, past and present, were known to him, elected him provincial;
he was therefore constrained to bend his shoulders to receive that
load--which is not light, to one who knows it.

This chapter named many other places as priorates, which, although
under administration, were only visited, and had been waiting until
there should be religious [to place in charge of them]; as religious
were obtained from time to time, the convents were being supplied--not
only with those coming from Espana, but with those professing in
Manila. For in this manner the natives could be ministered to more
readily, and the religious would fulfil their duties better; and
their responsibility was very heavy.

Religious were established in Pangasinan. 1 have referred to this
before, and mentioned that this province is in possession of the
most religious fathers of our f