The King:  To the very reverend father in Christ, the archbishop of the city of Manila, of the Philipinas Islands, a member of my Council.  As the information of which a copy is sent you with this has been examined in my Council of the Indias, which inquiry was made by the order of the governor of that archbishopric, concerning certain excesses of the teaching religious of the Order of St. Augustine in those islands, I have decided to send it to you; so that, in so far as concerns your jurisdiction over the occupations of the priests in the missions, you may correct the excesses mentioned in the said information, and whatever others there may be.  You will remedy them in the form which most furthers the service of God our Lord, and myself.  As to the other matters contained in the said information concerning the said religious—­that it is understood that they are in league with the governor of those islands and the provincial of the said Order of St. Augustine, or he who may be in his place—­you will discuss the remedy which is made necessary by events, as well in this particular as in general.  Accordingly I charge and command you to do this, and to advise me of what you shall have done therein.  Valencia, on the first of March, of 1599.

I The King

Countersigned by Joan de Ybarra

Signed by the Council.

Letter from the Bishop of Nueva Segovia to the King

I have no doubt that by other ways your Majesty [23] will learn of the affairs of Manila.  Even to seek correction for them I would be unwilling to recall them to mind, were I not obliged to do so by the service of God and the welfare of my afflicted fellow men.  With the fidelity which I owe to your Majesty, I must proclaim aloud before God and your Majesty everything in Manila outside of the monasteries, and declare what thing or what person is offensive to God, to your Majesty, and to his fellow man.  God is severely punishing that city by poverty and losses of property.  Such is the chastisement in spiritual affairs, that, after so many years had passed without a prelate or father to sympathize with and help the people, the archbishop who came last year fell into a profound melancholy; and when he had been here two months and a half God called him to Himself.  He was removed from many misfortunes which could not be relieved; and before he had preached a single time, or given one call to his flock, the Lord took him.  It was said, however, that he died of a poisonous herb which was given him; and they say that his symptoms proved it.  Whether that is true or not, this land is such that it could be suspected and said that in so short a time they took the life of their prelate.  In the temporal government, the death of the good licentiate, Alvaro de Cambrano, was very unfortunate for the poor and for persons of little influence.  He was a pious man and one of noble purposes, and he died of grief, as may be deduced from a letter which he wrote me before his death.  There is no doubt that the reason we do not die is because we have not grieved over matters with the charity and good zeal which were his.