and the other confessors shall not absolve the encomenderos without first having made a detailed investigation and inquiry in respect to their treatment and good disposition toward their tributarios, so that they could grant or deny absolution accordingly. Thus he constitutes himself judge, in the exterior court, of encomenderos and their property.
12. While these letters were passing between us, and during several days after—which were wasted in persuading the bishop to make no innovations until after consultation with your Majesty; and, although our opinions do not coincide, we should however agree in giving account to your Majesty of what was happening—the encomenderos came to me sorely troubled, saying that in the pulpits, sermons, and confessional, they were being greatly harassed and many obstacles were being imposed on the collections in their encomiendas; and that they were being ruined, and were being prohibited now from collecting more than the third or the half of their tributes. They were also constrained to make restitutions of past payments. Thus they are so afflicted and ruined that, if this continues, they will have to be allowed to leave their encomiendas and to go to serve your Majesty nearer the royal person, where they may gain a livelihood—since after having served so many years with bloodshed and services which deserve merit and obtain it, these scruples are imposed. They ask me in the accompanying petition[1] if your Majesty would not issue some order declaring what must be paid.
13. Having investigated their grievance and affliction, and seeing that the bishop was reading his
