By order of the captain: 

Benito de Mendiola, notary of the fleet

This said letter in the above form written in the Moro speech and signed by the said captain before me, the said notary and before witnesses, was given and delivered on this day, the sixth of April of this year, to Sibandao, an Indian chief of this town, so that he might give it to the said Limasancay.  Sibandao, through the said interpreter, offered to take it and deliver it to Limasancay.  In order that it might appear in the records, this copy was inserted.  The said captain and the said interpreter signed it.  Witnesses were Francisco Velazquez, Lope de Catalina, and Juan Lopez de Queto.

Gabriel de Ribera Miguel Godines

Before me: 

Benito de Mendiola, notary of the fleet

This is a well and faithfully executed copy of a commission given to Lope de Catalinaga by the illustrious captain, Gabriel de Ribera, who comes to pacify these islands of Mindanao and Jolo, by order of the very illustrious Doctor Francisco de Sande, of his Majesty’s council and governor and captain-general of these islands.  Its tenor is as follows: 

I, Grabiel de Ribera, captain of infantry and of the fleet and people who come to pacify the islands of Jolo and Bindanao, at the order of the very illustrious governor and captain-general for his Majesty of these islands:  Inasmuch as the instructions of the said governor ordered me to send some one from the town of Santisimo Nombre de Jesus to pacify the river and tingues [mountains] of Butuan; and considering how much we may shorten the long voyage by going from this district of Cavite instead of from the said town, and that we have here ships and rowers suitable for this undertaking—­therefore in the name of his Majesty I entrust the said expedition to Sergeant Lope de Catalinaga.  I order him to go as leader for the said pacification with fifteen soldiers besides himself.  I order him to go with the said soldiers to the said river and tingues of Butuan to pacify the said people in the tingues.  He shall try to render them obedient to his Majesty, making the best possible terms of peace by means of interpreters whom he is taking.  From the natives of the said tingues, when they are pacified, he shall have power to collect such tribute as in all fairness can be collected from them.  As he has the matter in hand, he shall do what is most convenient in this.  Having collected the tribute, he shall keep one-half of it very carefully, as it belongs to his Majesty.  The other half, according to his Lordship’s orders, shall be divided among his soldiers, according to custom.  Everything that shall be done upon this expedition shall be attested by notary; and I authorize him to appoint one, before whom shall be transacted all the proceedings necessary, so that an account may be rendered of everything.  I order all his soldiers to regard, consider, and obey him as their leader, and observe his orders, under such penalties as he may inflict.  Given in Cavite on the fourteenth of April, one thousand five hundred and seventy-nine.