to resign my office as its head, as I was unable to remedy these ills; but I have refrained from doing so, as I think that I am doing some service to God our Lord therein, from whom I await the remedy.  The cause of all these troubles is the coming to this province of your Majesty—­which was established in so great discalcedness, [14] strict observance, and poverty—­of religious not discalced, or reared on that good milk, but belonging to the cloth in those [Spanish] kingdoms, of religious reared (although under a rule) with different principles and mode of life.  So different are these that under no consideration can there be the remedy that they will accommodate their way to ours, or we conform to theirs.  Some of us appeal to Paul and others to Zefas [i.e., Cephas] [15]—­a most lamentable and injurious condition of affairs, and the destruction of this conversion, and of our own peace within and without.  In order not to weary your Majesty, I shall not dwell longer upon this, or spend time setting forth our losses.  But although peace—­the essential thing—­has fled, it has been preserved [here] in the reform, separation from the world, poverty, and strict mode of life which are observed among the discalced religious of those kingdoms of Espana; and I think that, in poverty, this province even exceeds [the practice of] that virtue in those kingdoms.  To Indians that appears a miraculous thing, beyond what is either acquired or natural.  To God be the thanks!

This province was established and has been preserved with holy religious, sons of the provinces of the discalced in Espana; and at present about two-thirds of these religious are from the said provinces.  But little by little, religious of the cloth have come among them, clad as discalced religious only in order to gain admission to these regions.  So many of them have gathered here that they are sufficient to form parties and divisions by themselves, aided by some of our discalced religious who join their party.  What most encourages this is, that as our fathers-general, commissaries-general, and other superiors are those who govern us, they try to favor those of the provinces of the cloth with offices as superiors and commissaries, and with other privileges, whereby they are advantaged and plant the foot of superiority above others much more deserving and worthy than they; consequently they plant their feet upon all in order to attain their ends.  In this way do they destroy the peace of one and all of us, so that I am fain to be able to express my grief to your sacred and royal Majesty.

This would be checked provided our said father superiors would observe and place in execution an order and royal command, which it is said that your Majesty gave long ago, ordering that the said fathers of the Observance should not come to these islands, but only the professed religious of the discalced branch.  But this they do, thinking that they comply with your Majesty’s said order by clothing those said religious of the cloth in the shabby habit of the discalced religious, in order to pass over here—­whereby your Majesty’s royal will is defrauded and your royal officials at your ports deceived.