258 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



him from the censure and excommunication he had incurred, without 

 however any proper action on his part and without returning his 

 prisoner to the church, from which he had forcibly and violently 

 seized him. And since the Bishop would not absolve him unless he 

 took these necessary steps, he cut off the Bishop's income and sealed 

 the doors of his residence, placing guards there at the same time and 

 forbidding under heavy penalties that anyone should bring him food 

 or water, so that necessity should force him to grant absolution ; 

 and although some priests and good Christians helped their pastor 

 secretly, by tossing food to him over the walls at unseasonable hours, 

 nevertheless the sainted prelate suffered in the cause of justice and 

 of the authority of his church, great trials and actual hunger. Now 

 the Governor laid false charges against the Bishop, with perjured 

 witnesses; the case went to the Circuit Court in Guatemala, where 

 the justice of the Bishop's cause and his innocence were recognized, 

 and the Governor was found guilty. 



742. The President of the Court at that moment, Conde de la 

 Gomera, was a near relative of the Governor, and he perverted the 

 judgment so that it went against the Bishop and in favor of the 

 Governor. But God seeing that justice had been denied this sainted 

 prelate, came to her rescue, and began punishing the crimes com- 

 mitted against him. A pustule appeared on the Governor's face and 

 within 6 months a cancer had eaten it away, with a stench such that 

 no one would stay near him, and so he died in a fit of insanity. 

 One of his sisters, who attended him and whom I knew personally, 

 had her face all covered with leprosy. One of the judges who voted 

 unjustly against the Bishop, hanged himself ; another died without 

 confession, and others after the same fashion. Of the false witnesses 

 against the Bishop, one was murdered by his own son ; another was 

 dragged by his horse and killed ; another fell dead without confession ; 

 and all those who committed injustice against the Bishop, came to a 

 disastrous end. I saw part of this myself, and most of it was told 

 me authentically by leading residents of Comayagua ; and there were 

 other facts also, which I omit so as not to make this story too long. 



743. This event took place in the year 1610. Now although this 

 sea route to Honduras is one of the best and shortest to the Indies, 

 let us consider what fate befell the ships coming to those provinces 

 after this happened : some were lost on the voyage out ; others were 

 plundered by the enemy ; in fact, there has not been a year that failed 

 to have some calamity, while previously ships went and came unmo- 

 lested. Righteous are the judgments of God, who chastises those who 

 treat His ministers ill when they defend His cause. I could bring 



