First point.  This point contains in brief the substance of all the others.  In explaining it, I declare that the navigations from these kingdoms to those islands are so worthy of consideration, and so important, that no others in the world at this time are equal to them.  For the drugs, fragrant gums, spices, precious stones, and silks that the Dutch enemy and their allies bring thence—­obtained partly by pillaging, and partly by trading in their forts and factories which they own throughout that archipelago—­amount, as they do at present, to five millions [of pesos] annually.  It has been stated how paramount is this undertaking to any others that can today be attempted; for besides the spiritual injury inflicted by those heretical pirates among all that multitude [of heathen peoples] (which I think the universal Master has delivered to your Majesty so that you may cultivate it and cleanse it for His celestial granaries), it is quite certain—­since the enemy are collecting annually so large a mass of wealth; and since the sinews of war consist in that, both for attack and defense—­that they are acquiring and will continue to acquire those riches daily, with greater forces.  And, as they continue to increase in strength, their ambitious designs will also extend further.  In the same degree as the enemy grows stronger, it is certain that our forces will continue to decrease—­and so much that, if relief does not arrive there in time, the day will come in which not one of your Majesty’s vessels can be placed on the sea, because of the many that the enemy will have there.  Inasmuch as there is no one in the world today who can oppose the enemy except your Majesty, they hate our interests with all their strength, and will attempt to destroy and ruin them by all possible methods.

The method of preventing all those most considerable troubles is the one that your Majesty is attempting, by despatching the eight vessels that you are sending under color of reenforcements—­and would that it had been with a fleet of sixteen vessels, each one of which would carry three hundred sailors and soldiers and be very well armed with artillery.  For with that the rest [of the enemy’s forces] would be driven away, and that crowd of thieves, who are becoming arrogant and enriching themselves—­so much to the cost of our holy religion, of your Majesty’s reputation and prestige, and of your most loyal vassals, by disturbing your Majesty’s most holy designs—­would be forced from those seas and even from these.  For it is very certain that if that [trade] be taken away, the enemy would have no resources with which they could preserve themselves; while if your Majesty has all that profit—­as beyond doubt, God helping (for whose honor it is being done), you will have it, by encouraging your royal forces and by enforcing your holy purposes—­all the heads of that many-headed serpent of the enemy will be destroyed.