This brotherhood seeing that for the fulfilment of its principal rule of relieving the necessities of its neighbor spiritually and physically, the brothers who composed the board [mesa] were not sufficient, thought it advisable to provide that, up to the number of forty, they should busy themselves in attending promptly to the greatest necessity that called to them, in order to furnish the most efficacious relief; that it would be well to take charge of the poor sick men and women, and bring them to the hospitals; that it would be well to gather the dead bodies and bury them; that it would be well for the assistance in hospitals and treatment of the sick, to watch and find in all the suburbs and wards of this city, the persons who needed physician, surgeon, and medicines. And upon the instant they gave advice to the treasurer and almsgivers appointed by the board, so that they might attend to the most important remedy. One cannot imagine the work of this venerable brotherhood during the time of those disasters in attending to and providing for all the necessities in the two hospitals of the Spaniards and of the native soldiers of the country; to the two infirmaries of poor women, and of wretched slaves; and to the two prisons of the court and the city, which were also dependent upon the assistance and relief which their charity negotiated for them: since it is certain that besides the personal work of the brothers, in those first years, for the above purposes alone, and for other pious ends, there was spent from the year 599 to that of 650 a sum of more than 540,446 pesos, 7 tomins, which it has been possible to verify in the short time that I have had for it, and other liquidations that will be set forth hereafter. But this was done with such accounts and checks on the parts of treasurer and almsgivers of this house that a strict monthly or annual residencia was taken from them by the purveyor and other deputies, the balances resulting either against or in favor punctually. Their revision was entrusted to the purveyor and secretary of the board and immediately they proceeded to the satisfaction of the said balances of all parties. CHAPTER VI Of the advantages and gains which resulted from the great alms which were given out by the house of Santa Misericordia for the common relief of spiritual and temporal needs.