unal
of conscience is not free to pardon anyone, or to absolve persons from
any sin, except when they act as they ought. Confession being thus
rigorous, even greater laxity was permitted than should have been. Your
Majesty must believe that I am trying to do everything possible here,
so as not to exceed my duty, and I never take such action without first
consulting with such persons of learning and conscience as are here.

In the second decree, your Majesty orders that when the Sangleys
wish to be baptized, their hair shall not be cut off. He who reported
this to your Majesty deceived you, for there are not only a hundred
houses occupied by Sangleys who remain here for negotiations with
their merchandise, but more than [_blank space in MS_.] who live in
the alcaiceria of this city, called Parian, and more than [_blank
space in MS_.] [39] in all the neighborhood. It is certain that
in both places there are at the very least more than [_blank space
in MS_.]. Since the religious of St. Dominic came to this country,
more than two hundred have been baptized, and every day many more are
receiving baptism. But inasmuch as what concerns the Sangleys, and the
great compassion with which God has dealt with them and with us, will
go in a separate letter, in order not to increase the length of this,
your Majesty will read therein matters that will prove how well you
are served, and you will give abundant thanks to God. He who reported
this to your Majesty must have some zeal, but not with knowledge; for
I consider all the conditions, desire the conversion of these Chinese,
and obtain it, better than he who wrote to your Majesty. I would not
decide to have their hair cut off, if it were not so necessary that
not to do so would be to endanger greatly the faith and the persons
with whom I deal. These affairs are of such a nature that no matter
what opinion were given, I could not do anything else, even though I
should wish to do so. Because I considered it fitting to baptize two
of them without cutting off their hair, I thereby did myself much
harm; your Majesty may thus see how contrary to actual facts are
the things written you from here, and that the death-penalty is not
suffered for cutting off their hair, as was written to your Majesty;
for after the Dominican fathers learned the language we discovered
vast secrets of that land, which were formerly well hidden.

The third decree states that there are many ecclesiastics in this