Note 2 — THE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

The said father Fray Victorio went to Roma with that letter, and although it reached the hands of his Holiness, yet he could not obtain that haste which he desired, for the ambassador was in disgrace with the pope because of some trouble which he had had with certain Portuguese which cost blood and deaths. His Holiness was very angry at that trouble, and it was necessary for the ambassador to leave Roma. But the father, not losing courage, as he had many powerful friends in that capital, as he had been raised there and had started for Filipinas from Minerva, exerted himself and obtained the opportunity to pay his respects to his Holiness and to lay his proposition before him, to which the pontiff answered in formal words: “In the time of our predecessor the same instance was made by the king of España, but it was not granted. How now do they return to insist again?” And it was so that the first letter of his Majesty was brought, and that benefit which was striven for was not obtained on account of the occupations and for other reasons which his Holiness must have had (in which the great providence of God in the government of the holy oracles of His vicars is to be noted, since a pontiff worthy of adoration had so singular an idea of Filipinas and of the university which was requested there) although the father left disconsolate. But by direction of a cardinal, his fellow countryman the father again renewed his courage, and, after waiting several months, again paid his respects to his Holiness, and gave him a memorial of his desire. His Holiness caused it to be received by his secretary, and the next day it was taken to the signatura,2 and a decree was made that in regard to the erection of this university, a committee [congregacion] of four cardinals and four prelates named there should be formed. The president of it was the most eminent Cardinal Saqueti, the father’s countryman who had aided him from the beginning. The said prelates informed, then, and visited by the father, and being informed of the advisability of what was asked, it was concluded in the said committee that it was fitting to concede that favor to the king of España. Therefore, his Holiness despatched his apostolic bull in regard to this erection, that bull being as follows: