as it seems difficult for me—­whose duty it is to give orders for the collection of the tributes, and correct the excesses in this regard, in the name of your Majesty—­to put his theories into practice, I represented to the bishop verbally, at various times, the reasons that I had for making no innovations until after informing your Majesty and awaiting your Majesty’s order and resolution.  Setting forth many reasons, I tried to persuade him in the letter which accompanies this; I wrote to him explaining that, even in the never-pacified and rebellious encomiendas, your Majesty commanded that something be paid, as a token of recognition of authority.  If there are justices and other benefits useful to the Indians, such as instruction in the faith, teaching them to live decently, and attracting them by kind treatment to receive instruction, when it should be furnished, then all the tribute could be collected except the portion due for instruction.  If neglected, the Indians would become intractable and all would be lost.  If tribute is never exacted from the infidels, they will never become Christians.  This tribute should be collected with all possible gentleness, avoiding violence and wrongs to the Indians.  The furnishing of instruction is not delayed by the encomenderos, for they urgently ask for it; but it is not given them because of the lack thereof.  It seemed to me that, for the said reasons and others, it is better to make no innovations now; but that an account of everything be given to your Majesty so that you may order the necessary provisions.  In the meanwhile, collection will be allowed of at least three-quarters of the tributes belonging to the encomenderos.  If their support is taken away, these men would leave the land, and everything would be lost.  In that case, even if there were instruction there would be no one to receive it; and the Indians would have to be conquered anew.  In particular some arrangement should be made so that the Indians shall receive benefit and profit from us, by introducing justice where none has existed, and continuing commerce, so that they will conceive love and affection for us and will be disposed to receive the faith whenever there may be anyone to teach it.  Thus, I told the bishop, the least troublesome way was for affairs to remain in the same condition until after your Majesty had been consulted.  Otherwise the land would be lost if the encomenderos should abandon it, which would without doubt come to pass if they could not be supported therefrom.  Moreover, in accordance with these conclusions of the bishop your Majesty would be obliged to make restitution of more than one hundred and fifty thousand pesos, and there would be lost every year more than thirty thousand pesos of income.  As for the encomenderos, there was not enough property in the world for restitutions, nor would there be greater cause for pity than that an encomendero who has spent so many years in conquering this land should be deprived of the bread for his