Your Highness, when I have desired with pure zeal only to serve Your Catholic Majesty with all I possess. I am, likewise, told by the officials, that, during my absence, certain quantities of gold have been remitted, so that, in truth, the remittances have never ceased being sent every time an opportunity offered.
It has, likewise, been stated, most Powerful Lord, that Your Majesty has been informed that I received, from
Cortes Pro-
poses to
Return to
Spain
the province allotted to me, profits amounting to an income of two hundred millions. As my desire neither is, nor has been, other than that Your Catholic Majesty should know beyond all doubt my zeal for Your service, and should be entirely satisfied that I have always told, and will tell the truth, I cannot manifest it better than to place this much revenue at Your Majesty's disposition, and there could be no better opportunity than the present to dispel any suspicions, which, according to public rumour, Your Majesty has concerning me; hence I beseech Your Majesty to accept for your service all that I possess here and to do me the favour of granting me instead a donation of twenty millions in Spain. In this way, Your Majesty will keep the remaining one hundred and eighty millions, and I shall live contentedly at Your Majesty's Court, where no one, I protest, will exceed me in fidelity, nor dare to doubt my services to the Crown. I shall, also, be better able to serve Your Majesty there, for, being an eye witness, I can inform Your Highness as to what will most advance Your Royal service, preventing any false accounts from deceiving Your Highness. I assure Your Sacred Majesty that my service there will not be of less importance, for my advice may help to preserve this land, and advance the conversion of the natives to our Catholic Faith, and increase Your Majesty's revenues in these parts, rather than see them diminished as has happened in the Islands
