230 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



and thrall of Spain, defaced the great bulwarks of her strength ; 

 they left most of ti)e convents of Peru in a state of ruin. 



The history of the foundation of the order of St. Augustjn 

 is given in detail by the Fray Antonio de la Calancha, in a 

 folio volume of a thousand pages, entitled, Choronica del 

 Orden de San Augustin," in which he dwells upon the diffi- 

 culties encountered by the founder. 



About the year 1547 or 4S, as is stated in several convent 

 registers, the Reverend Fray Francisco de Vitoria, a man of 

 apostolic virtues and talents, came to settle in Peru, as the first 

 commissary general of the province, (in the church acceptation 

 of the term), in company with a number of friars and minis- 

 ters of the Franciscan order. In the same ship with them was 

 the Reverend Padre Fray Augustin de la Santisima Trinidad, 

 who, by the order of Charles V., preceded as a pioneer the 

 legion that was lo found the order of St. Augustin in Peru. 



Amongst those whom the Fray Francisco brought under his 

 protection, was his niece, the virtuous and noble Lady Dona 

 Juana de Cepeda. This lady was young and beautiful, and 

 much given to converse about the holy spirit with our Fray 

 Augustin, for whom she entertained a filial regard. It was 

 not because she could not have found his equal, or even supe- 

 rior, if she had sought for such a one in the pious train of her 

 uncle; but having fallen ill when very young, she had dedi- 

 cated herself to our Lady of Grace, who is worshipped by all 

 of the Augustin religion, and promised to celebrate her annual 

 feast, if permitted to recover ; and it was this circumstance 

 which inclined her towards the Fray Augustin. 



They all arrived safely in Lima, at a period when the coun- 

 try was still distracted by the civil wars which broke out be- 

 fore the death of Pizarro. Then, it appeared that the care of 

 every one was either to avoid death or inflict it ; individuals, 

 seeing the strife of civil war, only thought of providing for 

 their own security and convenience. The Fray Augustin fixed 

 his abode in a small house near the city shambles, which weri^ 

 then where now stands the convent of " La Limpisima Con- 

 cepcion." There he lived poorly indeed, for in those warlike 

 times, the rich thought not of bestowing alms or of succoring 



