Books like the _Semana espiritual con meditaciones del principio y fin del hombre para cada día, y documentos de oración_, by Juan González Gutiérrez (Madrid, 1656) and the numerous religious works of the friar Andrés de San Nicolás have little significance except to illustrate the prolific industry of certain ecclesiastical writers in the realm of mysticism. San Nicolás’ _Historia general de los Agustinos Descalzos de la Congregación de España e Indias_ (tomo I, Madrid, 1664), is, however, accorded value as an account of the establishments of his order in Europe and Asia, but it treats only briefly of the history of the order in America. In spite of his voluminous writings San Nicolás appears to have been little known in New Granada, and Vergara naively remarks that he has considered this forgetfulness as a punishment inflicted by posterity for the author’s lack of love for his country.[182] [Sidenote: _El secular religioso_] Another voluminous ecclesiastical writer of Bogotá was Juan Bautista de Toro. The most important of his works is the big volume called _El secular religioso_, published in Madrid in 1721, and republished there in 1778. A feature of the work which the historian is bound to consider is its denunciation of the injustice and greed of the corregidores and the inhumanity of their treatment of the Indians. In an article on _Curiosidades literarias_, Miguel Antonio Caro, in _Repertorio colombiano_, calls attention to the fact that Toro wrote a natural, simple and harmonious style at the time when “Gongorism with the authority of the peninsular writers had passed to the Indies and perverted completely the literary taste.”[183] The fact is also noted that in spite of Toro’s constant eulogy of the Jesuits, and his energetic condemnation of the conduct of Spanish officials in America, a second edition of this book was issued from the royal press of Charles III.[184] [Sidenote: Juan de Alloza] In the seventeenth century mystical writings encountered fewer obstacles to their publication, and were more extensively read in the Spanish colonies than were books treating of purely secular subjects. The works of Padre Juan de Alloza were chiefly of this kind. His _El breve oficio del nombre de María_ was reprinted many times. His _El cielo estrellado de María_ and his other books of a similar character found numerous devoted readers. This was assured by the great reputation acquired by the author in his lifetime. In gaining this reputation he had the advantage of membership in an eminent colonial family. One of his brothers, who was a priest at the cathedral, became rector of the University of San Marcos, and died as bishop-elect of Santiago de Chile. Another brother in 1651 and in 1652 was also rector of the University, and an uncle, Gregorio de Loaysa, was vicar-general of the archbishopric. [Sidenote: No todos eran Alloza]