ries of both families, who labored with all their might, they
reduced many Zambals to the bosom of our holy faith, and filled their
respective villages with new converts. Had so laudable a rivalry
continued, excellently founded hopes that so glorious a conquest
would be ended would have been conceived. But it was God's will to
have all the territory of Zambales shortly after left for several
years in charge of the fathers of St. Dominic, while our laborers
went to the territory of Mindoro, as we shall relate in chapter ix
of the following decade. Thereupon the strife entirely ceased, and
even the fruit, so far as our reformed order is concerned.

407. Father Fray Joseph de la Trinidad finished his provincialate
in April, 1677, and then immediately went in person to continue
the expedition that cost him so great anxiety. He penetrated the
mountains on foot in various places in order to seek sheep there
whom he might convey into the flock of Christ. Exposing himself to
the will of their barbaric natures, without any fear of the perils
or caring for the dangers to himself, he persevered there until he
had to retire two years later for the reasons given above. As we do
not possess the necessary manuscripts, we cannot state the number of
souls that were drawn down from the mountains from the year 1671 to
that of 1679. The relations which we follow only assure us that as
it was not considered advisable at that time to form settlements in
the wildnesses of the mountains many reduced families were withdrawn
thence, in order to live in the coast villages. Those villages have
been augmented in tributes and inhabitants, to such a degree that those
ministries were constituted with a great abundance of people and were
the most flourishing of the province, as they were so thickly populated
by souls who embraced the Catholic faith with fervor. In due time
(decade 13, in the year 1741) this history will show forth another
most fruitful expedition, which was made into the same mountains by
our Recollect family, founding there villages and convents in order
to attend to whatever pertained to them in the conversion of those
Indians. Now we shall end this relation by giving due thanks to God,
for He has in all times infused into our brothers a spirit fervent
in undertaking, and in proceeding in such obligations.

[The second and last section of this chapter deals entirely with
Recollect affairs in Spain.]

DECADE NINE

[The firs