The King. Venerable and devout father provincial of the Order of
St. Dominic of the Philipinas Islands: I have been informed that
the religious of your order are living with great lack of restraint,
and are meddling in the government of those islands, from which have
resulted and are resulting very great difficulties. Moreover, the
honor and procedure of those who have been men of those islands have
suffered; for, both in the pulpit and in other ways, the religious
are trying to sully the reputation of those persons when they are not
acceptable to them. Now inasmuch as that is unworthy of any person
whatever, and more so of religious who have to furnish an example to
all by their retirement from the world and their method of procedure;
and inasmuch as it is very advisable to reform that efficaciously:
therefore after examination of the matter by my Council of the
Indias, it has been deemed best to charge and order you, as I do,
to summon immediately all the religious of your order. By the best
method that you shall deem advisable you shall censure them for their
irregularities, and represent these to them; and warn them to engage
only in their devotions and the conversion of souls according to their
obligations--which is the main purpose for which they went there--and
that they shall not meddle in government matters, or in any other
matter that does not concern their order. You shall advise me of what
you shall do in this matter. Given at Madrid, December thirty-one,
one thousand six hundred and twenty-two. [49]
_I The King_
By order of the king, our sovereign:
_Juan Ruiz de Contreras_
Signed by the Council.
[_Endorsed_: "To the provincial of the Order of St. Dominic of
the Philipinias Islands, ordering him to summon the religious of
his order, and censure them for their irregularities, warning them
to engage only in their devotions and conversion of souls, without
meddling in government matters or in any other matter that does not
concern their order."]