and punctuality, and no one had been lacking in anything--and that
in times so calamitous as his own. During that time the ships from
España failed us for two years, and during all that period he had so
great courage that he did splendid things in the convent of Manila,
both for the church and for the house. The monument placed in our house
is the best of all those belonging to the orders; it and many others
are his work. Notwithstanding this, the religious did not consider him
favorably. Consequently, our father provincial, seeing the difficulty,
did not wish, as a prudent man, to venture upon a thing which would
make face against him. For the religious alone are of this condition,
that they play openly; as they look rather at the common good than
that of their own particular interest. Consequently, he cast his eyes
on father Fray Jerónimo de Salas, a man so well received that the
other fathers agreed on him immediately, and he was elected without
much difficulty on the twenty-ninth of April, 1617. That election
was very pleasing to the province, for all were very sure that they
would receive very great consolations at his hands. They were quite
right too, for I could treat of that point, as a very large share of
it fell to me, when I was in Bisayas acting as prior of Dumangas; for
he sent me leave to come to Manila, as he wished me to become subprior.

Father Fray Jerónimo de Cabero presided at that chapter, as we had
no letters-patent from our father general. As definitors, father Fray
Juan Enríquez, father Fray Pedro de Lesarte, [39] father Fray Alonso de
Baraona, and father Fray Felipe de Tallada were elected. The visitors
were father Fray Estacio Ortíz and father Fray Agustín de Mejía. All
together assembled, they annulled preceding orders and enacted others
for the good management of the province.

But little life was left for our father provincial, for a very