respected and venerated as the greatest chiefs.  The sermon mortified them, and they resolved to take satisfaction for the pretended and supposed insult.  The bolder of them, on some pretext or other, approached the zealous father, quickly drew a cutting weapon, such as they use, from its sheath, and at the first blow almost decapitated him with it.  His hood protected him somewhat, but not so much that he was not grievously wounded.  As the wound was given in a dangerous place, its cure was difficult.  Thus he lived but a short time, sacrificing his life very willingly for the good of those rebellious sheep.  After that parricide the new reduction rose in rebellion.  The followers of the unjust aggressor burned and destroyed the village, convent, and church, and withdrew to the general asylum and refuge of the woods.  Some faithful Christians remained with the wounded father, whom they carried to Masinloc, where his happy death occurred.  With what was left, after abandoning that new Christianity for the time being, the ministers tried later, as if forgetful of the past insult, to have the reduction returned to its old site.  They interested the Indians of Masinloc, and, partly with mild means and partly with threats, they attained their object—­not without great efforts, fears, and hardships.  The church, house, and village were rebuilt, and about seven hundred souls were enrolled.  That village, after other translations, is the one now called Santa Cruz, and is dependent on Masinloc.

4.  Those hardships caused those religious to be well received in Manila.  Its citizens became interested in that, without leaving their first foundation of Bagumbayan, which was very useful for those suburbs, they should move into a regular convent within the walls of their fortification—­which was unavoidable because of the continual disputes with Japanese and Chinese, and because of the fears caused by the Dutch with their fleets.  Because of the urgency with which all compassionately entreated them, with this security, the father vice-provincial, Fray Juan de San Geronimo, responded gratefully; and, recognizing the strict advisability of it, bought a small house near the artillery foundry which then existed.  The governor, then Don Juan de Silva, liberally and willingly facilitated this undertaking with alms, and conceded the site.  Various oppositions were encountered against that foundation, but they were conquered, although with difficulty, by constancy.  The religious passed many days of poverty on that site, being uncomfortable and with scanty subsidies, until the very pious and noble gentleman, Don Bernardino de el Castillo Rivera y Maldonado, a native of the City of Mexico, master-of-camp of the royal regiment, castellan of the fort of Santiago, and regidor of the city—­moved likewise by the urgent entreaties of his pious wife, Dona Maria Enrriquez de Cespedes, who was very strongly inclined towards this religious institute and to their patron, San Nicolas de Tholentino