can support it.  I say this with such liberty because I know what I am saying; and in the defense of it I should think it but little to lose my life.  When your Lordship tells me that I interfere with what is your business, I consider it as a great offense; for you yourself are a good witness of how little trouble I have given you in this matter, and henceforward I shall give much less.  I am not so desirous of ordering that I wish you to share your charge with me, for my own work, which is not small, is enough for me.  I do wish to have your Lordship know that my discussion of the manner in which the collections are to be made, or from what encomiendas they may be made and from what ones not, is not interfering with your Lordship’s office, but fulfilling the duty of my own.  Not that I am to imprison or sentence encomenderos who collect contrary to what I say, for this is your Lordship’s duty.  Before the tribunal of conscience I must condemn those to make restitution who collect without having the authority to collect, even if it be with the permission of your Lordship; and I must place your Lordship under the same obligation because you gave them such permission.  This distinction of powers your Lordship ought to have known before telling me that I was interfering in what was not my business.

In the matter of employing laymen where there are no ministers of religious instruction, your Lordship says that I do not make up my mind, although you have already proposed it to me several times.  Twice your Lordship tells me in this letter that you have communicated things to me, but I am astonished that my poor memory does not recall any of them.  One of the greatest satisfactions is that your Lordship does things all by yourself, without my having anything to do with them, and in truth I hold it as one of the greatest mercies that could come to me; and although his Majesty orders the opposite, as many things fail to be done which kings command, so this also shall fail to be done, to my great satisfaction and to yours also, as I think.  I have not stationed Spaniards in the encomiendas because I do not know whom to place there; and I remember very well having said this to your Lordship, but we agreed together that I should decide this matter, as I remember it.  There is no reason why I should give your Lordship a report on the persons who can be appointed, because it is my business to appoint them, and to determine their salaries—­not only by commission from his Majesty, but it is also my due on account of my office.  But I have not dared, and do not dare, to appoint anyone—­not because I do not wish to and have tried to, but because I know that there is no one in whom we can trust without great harm to the Indians and very little benefit; because those who could go and be of service to the Indians do not wish to, and those who wish to are not suitable.  Thus your Lordship will see how right I was in saying that to appoint many alcaldes-mayor and lieutenants is a greater harm to the Indians, and this is not a fancy of mine but a common saying in all the land.