its commander; but his grace neither accepted nor
besought anything from the fleet or from the fortress.
And hearing from Antonio Rombo that there was great
need of many things, through lack of which much hardship
was suffered, I left Maluco again on the thirteenth
of October one thousand five hundred and sixty-seven,
in search of his grace, very well provided with everything
necessary for his aid—no inconsiderable
amount—at the cost of his highness and
of his captains. And I failed again to see him,
in spite of all my efforts, in consequence of setting
out late, and having encountered a very violent monsoon.
On the twenty-sixth of August, one thousand five hundred
and sixty-eight I returned to Maluco, only to retrace
for a third time my way. And our Lord was pleased
to allow me to arrive at this our port where I encountered
him in peaceful wise without any hostile manifestation
whatsoever. And I did not take from and defend
against him any vessels or supplies, a thing both
easy and profitable for us to do; but, on the contrary,
I favored his grace in every way, and gave him the
title of governor. But—seeing that
the fortress was being strengthened more and more each
day upon the land; and that he was trying to enter
into communication with the people about, and constraining
them in some measure by force of arms to obedience
in the payment of tribute to his majesty the king Don
Felipe; and entering into agreements, in the name of
his majesty, with the people near and far to the effect
that they might sail safely all around the land and
through the waters of this archipelago,—I
am in considerable apprehension, for all this region
belongs to the conquest and demarcation of the king
our sovereign; and I cannot persuade myself that his
grace comes here with the delegated authority and consent
of the king Don Felipe, who is so closely connected
and allied with the king our sovereign. Wherefore
I request his grace, both one and many times, on the
part of the very Catholic and Christian sovereigns,
[114] to send me word as to the cause of his coming
and his stay, and to show the commission which he
brings; for if the consent of the sovereigns is in
any wise therein contained, I wish to conform thereto,
as I am very desirous to give help and favor in every
way which will be of service to the said sovereigns—as,
in letters, and in the interviews held, I have given
his grace to understand thoroughly. And if his
grace is not willing to do anything in this matter,
and will not consent to come with all his camp and
join this fleet, as I have also asked him to do, I
summon him, on behalf of the very Catholic and Christian
sovereigns, to depart from this land and archipelago
of ours forthwith, with all his camp, fleet, and munitions
of war, and leave it free and unembarrassed to the
said lord thereof. And otherwise I protest that
all the loss and damage which may ensue in this matter
will fall upon his grace, and that he will be obliged
to give account of them to God and to the sovereigns
our lords. Given in this galley “San Francisco,”
in the port of Cebu, on the fourteenth of October
one thousand five hundred and sixty-eight.