Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/234

 Quiñones and Alonzo de Avila, counsellors of the towns of New Spain, and myself, begged Your Majesty to send us bishops and other prelates to administer the offices and divine cult, for it then appeared to us that this was necessary, but, examining the matter more fully, it now seems to me Your Sacred Majesty should order other measures to be provided for the more speedy conversion of the natives, and that they may be better instructed in the mysteries of our holy faith. This would be as follows:

Your Majesty should order many religious men to come to these parts, as I have already said, who would be zealous for the conversion of infidels; houses and monasteries would be provided for them in the provinces which we would indicate, and a tithe of one tenth may be levied for their support; the surplus would be assigned for the churches and their furnishings in the towns where Spaniards live, and to their clergy. The tithes would be collected by Your Majesty's officials who would keep account of them and provide all such monasteries and churches with necessaries; the amount will be enough and more than enough so that Your Majesty may receive the surplus. Let Your Highness beseech His Holiness to concede Your Majesty the tithes in these parts for this purpose, making him understand the service rendered to God, our Lord; and this can only be obtained in this way, because, if we have the bishops and other prelates, they will follow the customs, which as a punishment for our sins exist to-day, of disposing of the gifts of the Church and wasting them in pomps and other vices, leaving family estates for their children.