their troubles, except to their idols and devils, but who now despised these, and called in their sorrows and wretchedness upon God--invoking the most comforting name of Jesus and of His most holy mother Mary, our Lady. To her all these peoples feel such loving devotion that some of them more quickly remember this our Lady and call upon her in their necessities than God Himself--in which our Lord delights, for the honor of His most holy mother. It took from the holy old man a thousand gray hairs to see the many persons who, recovering from their sickness, asked for baptism--and much more to see those who died baptized. He was not displeased but delighted when he heard them ask for food and dainties, which he provided for them with great charity and kindness, giving them whatever they asked so long as it was not dangerous to their health. He regarded his provincialship as a happy one when he went among those who were serving the sick, not as their needy neighbors, but as taking the place of Christ, our good, who regards as a kindness to His own person everything that is done in His name to those who are so poor. Hence the good provincial went on, in happiness and devotion, serving the sick as if he were their nurse; he provided them with good beds, shared with them his robe, and as well as he could, though he did not know their language, encouraged them to patience. Lifting his eyes to heaven, he thanked the Redeemer of the world that He had so changed the hearts of this race, who in their heathen state seemed to have no heart or understanding for anything except the gaining of money, in which they seemed to place all their happiness and all their desires. Afterward, when he saw some miraculous conversions here, which have already been partly described, it was a wonderful thing to see the devout superior breaking out in lively and fervent wishes that he might see similar mercies of the Lord enjoyed by the great kingdom of China; and that the doctrine of the Catholic church, carried thither by apostolic men, might succeed in conquering in that same country those able minds by the force of its truth, and by the constant aid which truth has always received from the divine Goodness. He was sure that among the people of that kingdom, as they are more polite, having a superior political organization, and are more highly cultivated by learning, the faith would accomplish very extraordinary results. To this belief he was the more inclined because it had already wrought so much among those poor Chinese who came to the Philippinas Islands; for they are ordinarily of the lower class of their kingdom, and as such come to serve and labor for foreigners. On this account there followed in his mind a great desire to send to China religious from the number of those who understood the language, and even to accompany them, though he could not see the way to carry out his plan. He could not venture to take