The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 24]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 24

where with some more rest they can attend to the
profit of their own souls. Our father Fray Miguel
Garcia, considering that our father Fray Diego de
Guevara had visited the provinces so slowly, did not
choose to cause more trouble to the convents, or to
spend more on his visits. Consequently, he was not
excessive in this matter, but very mild.
In the intermediary chapter held in Manila within two years, as had been determined in the full
chapter, it appeared that the province complained
about the [term of the] chapter being lengthened
one year. They advanced not a few reasons in support of this complaint, and so many that it was
ordered that that measure be revoked, and the chapter meeting be assigned for the next year of I6I4.
It was to be held in the house of Guadalupe, a place
very suitable, in their opinion, for the chapter meetings, as it was not very far from Manila, so that they
could supply their needs; and it allowed them to
escape annoyances and importunities of the laymen.
This [intermediary] chapter considered that
many religious were dying, and that, since the father
priors always came to vote, some house must necessarily remain empty, and be entrusted to the fiscals
of the villages. This appeared full of inconveniences, both temporally and spiritually, which it is
not right to express, since they are so apparent. And
even were there nothing else than the great danger
of many persons dying without holy baptism, and
others without confession, that was sufficient. But
there were many other reasons, which, although not
so serious, aided not a little. The expenses that
would be saved were many; and this reason, that the
priorates would have such persons, for the best ones