is so pressing?  And what excuse would your Majesty have before the Divine Majesty for not aiding it in time, if for this reason so many millions of souls should retrograde from the faith?  Then, too, consider the great multitude who, it is hoped, will come to the knowledge of the true God, in whose hand, as David says:  Domini est terra, et plenitudo eius, orbis terrarum, et omnes qui habitant in eo. [44] Who but He gives kingdoms and monarchies? for how could He be under greater obligation—­if there is any way in which to oblige Him from whom nothing is due—­than to procure His own greater honor and glory in the salvation of souls, which cost him so much?  For these services are paid for, both here and in heaven, bountifully, and the holy Scriptures are full of examples to this effect.  How many blessings did He shower upon Obededon for preserving the ark of the testament, and what favors has the most fortunate house of Austria [45] received from His hand, which was presaged in that manna which was once sent!  God is very generous, and knows well how to further the affairs of him who charges himself with His; but as for those who, on the contrary, put temporal good before His service, what success can they hope in this?  I might well cite many examples which I do not, that I may not pass the bounds of my memoir.

Although some give as an example the king of Great China, who abandoned many kingdoms of which he was the lord in order to preserve his own, this is not suited to your Majesty’s position; for Great China is very extensive and holds as many people as eight Espanas, and its king has one hundred and fifty millions of revenue, or even more, and is made thoroughly secure by nature and art.  What he abandoned, moreover, was not taken from him, nor was there any risk of putting himself in a position to make enemies—­although where these reasons are present, those who advised this are right.

Chapter III.  How the city of Manila at present bears the burden of all this structure.

I have already explained how the city of Manila is like the center of a circle, whose circumference includes all the kingdoms mentioned.  It remains to explain how it maintains this structure and bears the whole burden of it.

In the first place, it maintains the war of Maluco and feeds it with troops, supplies, and munitions continually, a thing which Portuguese India could not do.  I argue the matter thus, that I may not seem to be actuated only by affection for my own country, instead of making a just estimate.  It must be considered that people cannot go to Maluco from India more than once a year, on account of the weather; this is well known to all those who sail on those seas.  From Manila the voyage can be made almost the whole year; whence it follows that Maluco could not be reenforced so conveniently [if the Filipinas were abandoned], especially in cases of great need.