Augustine, who lived in the new town with the Spaniards, but who undertook no ministry to the Indians. They even felt that a mission to them was impossible because of the excitement of the Indians resulting from the many homicides committed among them by the Spaniards, as the latter have done in the other parts of the Indias. Besides this, these Indians were so warlike that not even a religious went out of the town except in a company of soldiers and with arms; nor did the encomenderos go to collect their tributes without an escort of many soldiers, coming back immediately with anything that the Indians were pleased to give them, for they feared the danger incurred by remaining. The conduct of the soldiers and of the colonists who lived there at that time was so little Christian, and the exhortations of the religious had so little effect upon them, that the friars regarded it as wise to leave them in their dissensions, since they did not wish for the peace to which the religious persuaded them. Accordingly, one night, without being perceived, the fathers left them and went away. For a long time they lived without a priest, without sacraments, or Christian teaching, so careless of God and of their souls that they let the cattle feast in the church; and a picture of our Lady which had been left in it was covered with spider-webs, there being no one to keep it in order, so forgetful were they of their souls. Such was the needy condition of that province when the noble and devout governor Don Luis Perez das Mariñas came to the council above mentioned, and asked them to send religious, who might at least administer the sacraments to the Spaniards. On account of the great need, the two religious mentioned went to the province, receiving orders that, if no religious came from España in the ships for which they were waiting, they should return. The number of the religious was, indeed, so small that they could not even attend to what they had in their charge, much less assume the additional charge of that province, which was so far from the missions which the order had in those regions. The religious did their duty with great care and diligence; and that Lent they made great efforts with sermons and addresses, planning and delivering them with the object of inducing the inhabitants to settle their differences and confess themselves during Lent. To this end public documents were drawn up before a notary, with the purpose of adjusting debts and settling dangerous controversies. All this was a necessary and most holy work; and when it was concluded and they had left the consciences of the Spaniards at rest, the time had come when the vessels from Mexico might have arrived. Since they had no news that religious were coming, these two friars, in fulfilment of the order given them, set out for Manila again, at the time when six others, who had newly come from España, reached the province. All eight met in the town of