They said that as Espana was governing them,
signal detriment was being received, and there were no hopes that
any betterment would be obtained in future; for the amount of silver
passing thither from Nueva Espana, both for regular expenses and for
merchandise, was immense. For the same reason, and by the same road,
that treasure was being sent by the hands of the Chinese to the center
of those kingdoms, which, intractable by the severity of their laws,
are debarred by those laws, as by arms and fortifications, from all
trade with foreigners. They asserted that the monarchy, scattered and
divided by so many seas, and climes, could scarcely be reduced to one
whole; and that human foresight could not bind, by means of ability,
provinces separated by nature with so distant boundaries. These
arguments, they said, were born not of the mind, but of experience,
a truth manifest to the senses. All other arguments that could be
adduced against this reasoning they declared to be honorable and
full of generous sound, but difficult of execution.
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