so the cause was suspended, and the parties intended to have recourse to Roma regarding the case.  At this juncture the ritual of our very holy father Paul V, with a bull of his Holiness, dated Roma, June 17, 1614, came to my hands, in which they order absolution to such a penitent, who asks for confession after losing his power of speech, if he shall give signs, in person or through others, of his desire.  Upon seeing the said ritual, I ordered it to be published, and it was done on the day of Sts.  Peter and Paul, in our church of Manila, this year of 621.  A judicial record was made of all of this matter, and authentic papers with the arguments of each party.  That alone is being sent to your Majesty as a report, in order to inform you of everything, as is my duty. [Marginal note:  “Seen.”]

The Order of St. Francis in these islands is discalced.  There is generally a visitor from the commissaries, who is sent by the commissary-general of Nueva Espana, who must be of the same discalced.  This year one came, who was not received by the provincial and his definitors because he did not come in the way required by the rules and privileges of this their province.  Although the Audiencia tried to admit the one from Nueva Espana, matters came to such a pass and so menacing a condition that by way of authority, and in order to avoid scandals, Don Alonso Faxardo, governor of these islands, determined to suspend the commission, after first having conferred with me.  What I did was to assemble the orders and learned persons of my cabildo.  I found:  first, that the commissary was not discalced, although he must be so by virtue of a bull and express privilege, which he carries in order to visit this province, or to exercise an act of jurisdiction.  The authorization borne by him was very extraordinary and had a great excess of the ordinary warrants.  There was added a very forcible argument of administration, which is that twenty or more of the leading friars had been sworn witnesses in the present contention, while the commissary had given testimony contrary to theirs, so that no good administration was looked for, but only numerous scandals and dissensions.  Then affairs almost reached the point where the province was in hostile array, one side against another.  Accordingly, all those of the council, without any dissenting voice, resolved that it was inexpedient for the commissary to enter on the administration.  That resolution was followed, and the provincial proceeded with his duties in peace.  Therefore, those in Nueva Espana will be informed from here to send hereafter only persons of the discalced religious and of their profession, and they will be peaceably received.  For if they are of the cloth [pano], [10] the discalced religious fear that they are trying to introduce themselves into this province and into that of Xapon, and to drive the discalced from here; this has been attempted, contrary to what this city has requested your Majesty several times to order—­namely, that no friars of the cloth come to these islands, but only discalced, with whom the province has always been established. [Marginal note:  “Seen.”]