Two buildings were being erected in Manila, for the temporal and the spiritual.  The temporal was in the shape of a fort, which was being built.  With such a possession friends feel secure, enemies fear, and one’s strength is increased.  How much the spiritual edifice was growing is seen, since the number of workers was increasing, the people were becoming more and more capable of understanding what we were teaching them, and were estimating the inequality between the two beliefs.  Hence it was needful that they should embrace what was good, and throw away the other as wicked and evil.  The fathers kept school in the convent.  They taught the boys to read and reckon.  They were training some of them in the sacristy, teaching them to aid in the mass; so that, by having nearer at hand what we were teaching them, they should learn it more easily.  All this was necessary in order to conquer natives, who were so hardened and so much accustomed to evil, that they regarded everything evil as good.  For to such a pass can evil come, as says the prophet Isaiah:  Vae qui dicitis bonum malum. [52] And as the lads returned home every day with something new, which they told to their fathers and mothers, the result was that they gave the latter food for reflection, which caused the spark to course through their hearts; and as the spark was fire, and still more from God, it must strike deep and work its effect.  Thus the number of Christians continued to increase.  And, not less, certain hopes arose that they would be multiplied daily, and extended through all those nations who were viewing events in Luzon, as being the greatest island of all, and with the most warlike inhabitants.

A site had been chosen for the convent, which is today the best in the city, and the largest and finest; for it comprises an entire square, equal on each side.  It has a vaulted church with its transept.  The body of the church is adorned on each side with chapels.  Truly, if the chapels had been built higher, according to the plan, so that there might have been a series of windows above, where the light would enter, it would rank with the fine buildings of Espana.  But the lack of light is unfortunate for it.  It has a very fine stone cloister, accompanied by its cells.  There is a vault underneath also.  All of this work has proved excellent, for although it is in a place where frequent earthquakes occur, it has suffered no damage of consequence. [53] Rather, I think that the fathers of the Society, upon seeing this, have planned to build their church with a vault, and are correcting in it the faults of ours.  Thus it will result in a very fine building indeed, and just as the affairs of that so distinguished and holy order are wont to result.  The rest is yet to be built, for now everything is very dear.  Since the money is derived from outside sources, they must be guided by the alms received; but the faithful assist according to their means—­if they have little, with little; and, as [now] they have