The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century, Volume XXI, 1624 Edited and annotated by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson with historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord Bourne. CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXI Preface 9 Documents of 1624 Ecclesiastical affairs of the Philippines. Miguel García Serrano, and others; 1574-1624 19 Conflict between civil and religious authorities in Manila. [Unsigned and undated; 1624?] 79 Seminary for Japanese missionaries. Alvaro de Messa y Lugo, and others; Manila, July 23-August 5 84 Extract from letter to Felipe IV. Miguel García Serrano; Manila, August 15 95 Royal orders regarding the religious. Felipe IV; Madrid, August-December 98 Early Recollect missions in the Philippines. Andrés de San Nicolas, Luis de Jesús, and Juan de la Concepción. (Extracts from their respective works, covering the history of the missions to the year 1624. ) 111 Bibliographical Data 319 ILLUSTRATIONS Title-page of _Historia general de los religiosos descalzos . .. Del gran padre . .. San Augustin_, by Andres de San Nicolas (Madrid, 1664); photographic facsimile from copy in library of Edward E. Ayer, Chicago. 109 Title-pages (the first engraved) to _Historia general de los religiosos descalzos . .. Del gran padre . .. San Augustin_, by Luis de Jesús, Augustinian Recollect (Madrid, 1681); photographic facsimiles from copy in library of Edward E. Ayer, Chicago. 187, 189 Title-page of volume iv of _Historia general de Philipinas_, by Juan de la Concepción, Augustinian Recollect (Manila, 1788); photographic facsimile from copy in library of Harvard University. 261 PREFACE This volume, dated 1624, is entirely devoted to religious matters, ecclesiastical or missionary in their scope. The current documentsfor that year are concerned with conflicts between the diocesanauthorities and the religious orders, and between the civil andreligious authorities in Manila; the defeat by the Audiencia of thelate Governor Fajardo's attempt to found a seminary for the trainingof Japanese missionaries to be sent to labor in their own country;and efforts by the Spanish government to check the assumptions ofthe religious orders. Then follows a historical account of the earlyRecollect missions in the islands, down to the year 1624, compiledfrom the works of Andrés San Nicolas, Luis de Jesús, and Juan dela Concepción. A document entitled "Ecclesiastical affairs in the Philippines"contains letters, decrees, etc. , bearing on this subject, dated from1574 to 1624. Instructions to Gomez Perez Dasmariñas (1574) jealouslyrestrict to the crown or its officials all exercise of the royalpatronage; and give minute details of the course to be pursued bythe governor and the provincials of the religious orders in matterswhere that right is involved. This is followed by various officialdocuments issued in the controversy between Archbishop Serrano and thereligious orders (1622-24) regarding the right claimed for archbishopand bishops to exercise the same jurisdiction and authority over thereligious of the orders, when charged with the care of souls, as overthe secular clergy. Serrano fortifies his position by various royaldecrees and papal bulls. These documents show that much laxity hasprevailed in selecting missionaries for the Indians, some of theseteachers not even knowing the language of the natives to whom theyminister; also that the friars claim even greater authority overtheir parishioners than that exercised by the archbishop and bishopsin whose dioceses their missions are located. On June 20, 1622, thearchbishop begins his official visit in the parish of Dilao (nearManila); and his edict announcing this calls upon the people of theparish to bring to him any complaints or information that they mayhave regarding any fault, illegal act, or neglect of duty in theircura or parish priest. Fray Alonso de Valdemoro was then in chargeof the Dilao mission; refusing to obey the archbishop's commands, he is excommunicated by the latter, and sentenced to imprisonment ina monastery. But the Audiencia refuse to support the archbishop, whoaccordingly writes a letter to the king complaining of the resistancemade by the friars. Felipe IV, in a decree dated August 14, 1622, orders that the missions in the Philippines shall be subject tothe provisions of another decree (issued June 22 of the same year)promulgated for the missions in Nueva España. This provides thatthe same procedure be followed therein as in the missions of Peru;that the missions remain in charge of the orders, but that hereafterthe religious be not placed in charge of missions; that they shallbe subject to the archbishop in matters pertaining to the churchesand the care of souls, but that anything relating to the personalcharacter of such priest shall be privately referred to his superiorin the order, who shall try and correct him. An unsigned and undated document (1624?) gives an interesting accountof a conflict between the civil and religious authorities in Manilaover the question of a criminal's right to asylum in a church. Itis decided, at least for the time, in favor of the ecclesiasticalauthorities. At the death of Governor Fajardo (July 11, 1624) the Audiencia takecharge of the government. One of their first measures is to revokethe grant made not long before by Fajardo of certain monopoliesto a seminary founded by him for educating Christian Japanese togo as ordained missionaries to their own country. The members ofthe Audiencia claim that this was an ill-timed act, in view of thepersecution of Christians in Japan, and the edicts of its rulerexpelling Spaniards from his realm, and forbidding his subjects totrade with them. Moreover, the seminary building is being erected ina place selected in violation of a royal decree, and which has beenarbitrarily seized from its owners; and the monopolies granted area grievance and injury to many persons, especially to the Indianswho reside near Manila. The Audiencia accordingly revoke these, and order that the seminary building be demolished; and they issuea royal decree in accordance with this decision. In a letter dated August 15, 1624, Archbishop Serrano advises theking either to give more power and authority to the Audiencia, orto suppress it. In the latter part of the same year the king issuessome decrees affecting the religious in the islands. The first(dated August 30) cites earlier decrees regulating the privilegesand jurisdiction of the religious, and orders that these be strictlyobserved. In a letter to the archbishop of Manila (dated October 8), Felipe gives some directions regarding the religious orders. A letter(dated November 27) to the Dominican provincial enumerates variousabuses practiced toward the Indians by the friars of that order, and directs him to see that these be corrected. An interesting chapter of ecclesiastical history is provided in theaccounts of the early Recollect missions in the islands. These areselected from the printed works here named: _Historia general delos religiosos descalzos del orden de San Avgvstin_, by Andrés deSan Nicolas (Madrid, 1664), and the second part of the same work, byLuis de Jesús (Madrid, 1681); and _Historia general de Philipinas_, by Juan de la Concepción (Manila, 1788). From all these books weselect, as has been already announced, only such portions as closelyconcern our subject, and such as contain information of special value, or which is otherwise not accessible. From San Nicolas's work we take his account of the foundation of theRecollect missions in the islands. This is begun in May, 1605, by FrayJoan de San Jerónimo, who sets out with thirteen other religious;they arrive at Cebú on May 10, 1606, one of the missionaries havingdied on the voyage. After a brief description of Luzón and Manila, the writer recounts the entrance of the Recollects into that city, their hospitable reception from all, and their establishment in ahouse of their own outside the walls. After some of the fathers havelearned the Tagál language, they begin their missionary labors atMariveles, not far from Manila, whose native inhabitants are unusuallybrutal and ferocious. A brief outline of the customs and beliefs ofthese people is presented, which, although slight, is valuable asbeing another original source of ethnological information about theFilipino peoples--the early Recollect missionaries, like Chirino andhis co-laborers, having gone among wild Indians who had had littleacquaintance with the Spaniards; and their observations are thereforeof natural and primitive conditions among the natives. The missionaries first sent to Mariveles soon die from hardship, privation, and penances; but others at once volunteer to taketheir places. Rodrigo de San Miguel is the first of these to go;and he, with others, accomplishes a wonderful work among the fierceZambales. Details of the labors of each, and of marvelous escapes fromdeath, are related. At Masinglo a convent is founded by Andrés delEspiritu Santo, which becomes a center of missionary work for a largedistrict. The missionaries are kept under strict rule and discipline, that their self-abnegation and frugal mode of life may emphasizetheir preaching; and regulations are laid down for their missionarywork and their relations with the Indians. The main residence of theRecollects is, after some years, removed within the walls of Manila;and a handsome building is erected for it, and endowed, by a piouscitizen. Some notable images in its church are described. Attempts being made, in both Rome and Spain, to suppress the neworder of Augustinian Recollects, various testimonies to the value oftheir work, and to their piety and zeal, are furnished by variousofficials, both civil and ecclesiastical; and in connection withthese is a statement of the scope and character of the occupationsand services of the Recollects, in both peace and war. Convents arefounded by these missionaries at Bolinao and Cigayan. At the latterplace, one of the fathers is slain by an Indian, and the church isburned by the revolting natives; but the indefatigable missionariesreturn to the unpromising field, again subdue the wild Indians, andrestore what these had destroyed. Another residence is established atCavite, which accomplishes great good among the seamen who live there. The history of the discalced Augustinians is continued by Luis deJesús. In 1621 the reformed branch of the Augustinians is erectedinto a congregation independent of the original order. In that yeara convent of the discalced is founded in Cebú, and, through thegenerosity of their benefactor Ribera, another at Calumpan, outsidethe walls of Manila; the latter serves as a quiet retreat for thefathers, to the benefit of both their physical and spiritual health, and under its care is placed the village of Sampaloc. In it is kepta miraculous image of the Virgin. In 1622 the Recollects begin toevangelize Mindanao, of which island there is a brief description, with more detailed ones of certain curious birds and animals foundthere, and of the customs and beliefs of the natives. Their governmentis simply the tyranny of the strong over the weak, a condition ofoppression and cruelty and wretchedness. Slavery, formerly a commonpractice among them, has been broken up where the missionaries haveintroduced the Christian religion. In 1609 the natives of Caragaare subdued by the Spaniards, as also in 1613 a revolt by them isquelled; and finally (1622) the Recollects carry the gospel amongthem. The missionaries do much to subdue these fierce savages, andmake many converts--notable among whom is a powerful chief namedInuc, whose example is followed by many. A flourishing mission hasalso been established on the river of Butúan, where had formerlybeen a Christian mission, now abandoned. Detailed accounts aregiven of the labors and dangers which the fathers undergo, and ofcertain conversions. Our historian does the same for the missions inCalamianes and Cuyo. It may be noted that the Recollect missionariesvigorously pursued the same policy as that of the Jesuits in forming"reductions" or mission villages of their converts. Various miraculousevents in the experience of the missionaries are related, especiallythe exorcism of certain demons who attempted to drive the Spanishsoldiers out of the country. Another mission is opened on the CagayanRiver in Misamis, northern Mindanao; the fathers meet great trials andhardships, but finally succeed in converting the leading headman onthe river, with many of his followers. They are greatly aided in thisby the successful revolt of these Indians against the Mahometan chiefCorralat, in which they ask and receive the assistance of the Spanishtroops stationed at Tandag. From the records of the provincial chapterheld at Manila in 1650 is compiled a list of the Recollect conventsin Mindanao and Calamianes, with the number of families attached toeach. The writer goes on to relate some of the trials, hardships, and dangers experienced by the Recollect missionaries in their work, several being martyrs to their zeal. In 1624 is held the first chaptermeeting of the new Recollect province of Filipinas; Fray Onofre dela Madre de Dios is chosen provincial, and certain regulations forthe conduct of the religious of the order there are adopted. With these earlier narratives may be compared that of Juan de laConcepción, in his _Historia_ (vols. Iv and v), which contains somematter additional to the others, although his account is largely drawnfrom these. The Recollects, like the Jesuits, form "reductions" oftheir scattered converts, in order to carry on their instruction moreadvantageously. The difficulties between the observantine and reformedbranches of the Augustinian order are recounted with some fulness. Asingular epidemic of demoniacal obsession at Cavite is dispelled bythe religious services held at the new Recollect church there. At therequest of the bishop of Cebú, the discalced Augustinians extend theirwork--a reënforcement of missionaries having arrived from Spain--tothe Visayan Islands and to Mindanao (1622); some account of theirsuccesses in the latter region is given. They also push forward intothe Calamianes Islands and Paragua (1622). Of these islands the writerpresents an interesting account, describing their principal productsand natural resources, as well as the character and religious beliefsof the natives. Among these people, unusually brutal and fierce, gothe undaunted Recollects, and soon establish flourishing missions, collecting the people in "reductions. " Then they send to Manila arequest that Spanish soldiers come and take possession of Paragua, which is done. The missions spread farther, and a large part of theisland is subdued to the Christian faith and the crown of Spain. _The Editors_ October, 1904. DOCUMENTS OF 1624 Ecclesiastical affairs of the Philippines. Miguel Garcia Serrano, and others; 1574-1624. Conflict between civil and religious authorities in Manila. [Unsigned and undated; 1624?] Seminary for Japanese missionaries. Alvaro de Messa y Lugo, and others; July 23-August 5. Extract from letter to Felipe IV. Miguel Garcia Serrano; August 15. Royal orders regarding the religious. Felipe IV; August-December. _Sources_: The first of these documents is obtained from Pastells'sedition of Celin's _Labor evangélica_, iii, pp. 674-697; the second, from the Ventura del Arco MSS. (Ayer library), i, pp. 515-523; theothers, from the Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla--save the secondof the "Royal orders, " from the "Cedulario Indico" of the ArchivoHistorico Nacional, Madrid. _Translations_: The third document is translated by Robert W. Haight;the second part of the fifth, by Arthur B. Myrick, of HarvardUniversity; the remainder, by James A. Robertson. ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS OF THE PHILIPPINES _Royal Instructions to Gomez Perez Dasmariñas Regarding EcclesiasticalAffairs_ The King. To Gomez Perez Dasmariñas, my governor and captain-generalof the Philipinas Islands, or the person or persons in charge oftheir government: I ordered a decree of various articles to be givento my viceroy of Nueva España, in regard to what was to be done andobserved in that country for the preservation of my patronage, as iscontained at length in the said decree, whose tenor is as follows: "The King. To our viceroy of Nueva España, or the person or personswho shall, for the time being, be exercising the government of thatcountry: As you know, the right of the ecclesiastical patronage belongsto us throughout the realm of the Yndias--both because of havingdiscovered and acquired that new world, and erected there and endowedthe churches and monasteries at our own cost, or at the cost of ourancestors, the Catholic Sovereigns; and because it was conceded to usby bulls of the most holy pontiffs, conceded of their own accord. Forits conservation, and that of the right that we have to it, we orderand command that the said right of patronage be always preserved forus and our royal crown, singly and _in solidum_, throughout all therealm of the Yndias, without any derogation therefrom, either in wholeor in part; and that we shall not concede the right of patronage byany favor or reward that we or the kings our successors may confer. "Further, no person or persons, or ecclesiastical or secularcommunities, or church or monastery, shall be able to exercise theright of patronage by custom privilege, or any other title, unless itbe the person who shall exercise it in our name, and with our authorityand power; and no person, whether secular or ecclesiastical, and noorder, convent, or religious community, of whatever state, condition, rank, and preeminence he or they may be, shall for any occasion andcause whatever, judicially or extra-judicially, dare to meddle in anymatter touching my royal patronage, to injure us in it--to appointto any church, benefice, or ecclesiastical office, or to be acceptedif he shall have been appointed--in all the realm of the Indias, without our presentation, or that of the person to whom we commitit by law or by letters-patent. He who shall do the contrary, if hebe a secular person, shall incur the loss of the concessions thatshall have been made to him by us in all the realm of the Indias, shall be unable to hold and obtain others, and shall be exiledperpetually from all our kingdoms and seigniories; and if he shallbe an ecclesiastical person, he shall be considered as a foreigner, and exiled from all our kingdoms, and shall not be able to hold orobtain any benefice or ecclesiastical office, and shall incur the otherpenalties established against such by laws of these my kingdoms. Andour viceroys, audiencias, and royal justices shall proceed with allseverity against those who thus shall infringe or violate our right ofpatronage; and they shall proceed officially, either at the petitionof our fiscals, or at that of any party who demands it; and in theexecution of it great diligence shall be exercised. "We desire and order that no cathedral church, parish church, monastery, hospital, votive church, or any other pious or religiousestablishment be erected, founded, or constructed, without ourexpress consent for it, or that of the person who shall exercise ourauthority; and further, that no archbishopric, bishopric, dignidad, canonry, racion, media-racion, rectorial or simple benefice, or anyother ecclesiastical or religious benefice or office, be instituted, or appointment to it be made, without our consent or presentation, or that of the person who shall exercise our authority; and suchpresentation or consent shall be in writing, in the ordinary manner. "The archbishoprics and bishoprics shall be appointed by ourpresentation, made to our very holy father [_i. E. _, the Roman pontiff]who shall be at that time, as has been done hitherto. "The dignidades, canonries, racions and media-racions of all thecathedral churches of the Indias shall be filled by presentation madeby our royal warrant, given by our royal Council of the Indias, andsigned by our name, by virtue of which the archbishop or bishop ofthe church where the said dignidad, canonry, or racion shall be shallgrant to him collation and canonical installation, which shall also bein writing, sealed with his seal and signed with his hand. Without thesaid presentation, title, collation, and canonical installation, inwriting, he shall not be given possession of such dignidad, canonry, racion, or media-racion; neither shall he accept the benefits andemoluments of it, under the penalties contained in the laws againstthose who violate our royal patronage. "If in any of the cathedral churches of the Yndias there shouldnot be four beneficiaries--at least resident, and appointed byour presentation and warrant and the canonical installation of theprelate--because of the other prebends being vacant, or if appointmentsto them have been made because the beneficiaries are absent (eventhough it be for a legitimate reason) for more than eight months, until we present them the prelate shall elect four seculars to fillout the term of those who shall have been appointed as residents, choosing them from the most capable and competent that shall offer, or who can be found, so that they may serve in the choir, the altar, the church, and as curas, if that should be necessary in the saidchurch, in place of the vacant or absent prebendaries, as abovestated. He shall assign them an adequate salary, as we have orderedat the account of the vacant or absent prebendaries; and the saidprovision shall not be permanent, but removable at will [_ad nutum_], and those appointed shall not occupy the seat of the beneficiary inthe choir, nor enter or have a vote in the cabildo. If the cathedralchurch has four or more beneficiaries, the prelates shall not take itupon themselves to appoint any prebendaries, or to provide a substitutein such post, whether for those that become vacant, or for those whoseincumbents may be absent, unless they shall give us notice, so that wemay make the presentations or take such measures as may be advisable. "No prelate, even though he have an authentic relation and informationthat we have presented any person to a dignidad, canonry, racion, or any other benefice, shall grant him collation or canonicalinstallation, or shall order that he be given possession of it, unlessour original warrant of the said presentation be first presented;and our viceroys or audiencias shall not meddle by making them receivesuch persons without the said presentation. "After the original warrant of our presentation has been presented, appointment and canonical installation shall be made without any delay;and order will be given to assign to him the emoluments, unlessthere is some legitimate objection against the person presented, and one which can be proved. If there is no legitimate objection, or if any such be alleged that shall not be proved, and the prelateshould delay the appointment, installation, and possession, he shallbe obliged to pay to such person the emoluments and incomes, costs, and interests, that shall have been incurred by him. "It is our desire that, in the presentations that shall be made fordignidades, canonries and prebends in the cathedral churches of theYndias, lettered men be preferred to those who are not, and those whoshall have served in cathedral churches of these same kingdoms andwho shall have had most experience in the choir and divine worship, to those who shall not have served in cathedral churches. "At least in the districts where it can be conveniently done, agraduate jurist in general study shall be presented for a doctoralcanonicate, and another lettered theological graduate in general studyfor another magistral canonicate, who shall have the pulpit with theobligations that doctoral and magistral canons have in these kingdoms. "Another lettered theologue approved by general study shall bepresented to read the lesson of the holy scriptures, and anotherlettered jurist theologue for the canonicate of penitence, inaccordance with the established decrees of the holy council ofTrent. The said four canonries shall be of the number of those ofthe erection of the Church. "We will and order that all the benefices, whether sinecures orcuracies, secular and regular, and the ecclesiastical offices thatbecome vacant, or that, as they are new, must be filled, throughoutthe realm of the Yndias, in whatever diocese it may be, besides thosethat are provided in the cathedral churches, as stated above, shall, in order that they may be filled with less delay, and that our royalpatronage may be preserved in them, be filled in the following manner: "When a benefice (whether a sinecure or a curacy), or theadministration of any hospital or a sacristy or churchwardenship, orthe stewardship of a hospital, or any other benefice or ecclesiasticaloffice, shall become vacant, or when it has to be filled for the firsttime: the prelate shall order a written proclamation to be postedin the cathedral church, or in the church, hospital, or monasterywhere such benefice or office is to be filled, with the suitablelimit, so that those who desire to compete for it may enter thelists. From all those who thus compete, and from all the others whomthe prelate shall believe to be suitable persons for such office orbenefice, after having examined them and after having informed himselfconcerning their morals and ability, he shall choose two persons fromthem--those whom, in the sight of God and his conscience, he shalljudge most suitable for such office or benefice. The nominationof the two thus named shall be presented to our viceroy or to thepresident of our royal Audiencia; or to the person who, in our name, shall exercise the superior government of the province where suchbenefice or office shall become vacant or must be filled, so that hemay select one from the two appointees. He shall send that selectionto the prelate, so that the latter in accordance with it, and byvirtue of that presentation, may grant the appointment, collation, and canonical installation--by way of commission and not by perpetualtitle, but removable at will by the person who shall have presentedthem in our name, together with the prelate. And should there beno more than one person who desires to compete for such benefice oroffice, or the prelate shall not find more than one person whom hedesires to receive the nomination to it, he shall send the name to ourviceroy, president, or governor, as above stated, so that the lattermay present him. Then by virtue of such presentation, the prelateshall make the appointment in the form above directed. But it isour desire and will that when the presentation shall be made by us, and we shall expressly state in our presentation that the collationand canonical installation shall be by title and not by commission, those presented by us be always preferred to those presented by ourviceroys, presidents, or governors, in the form above mentioned. "And in the repartimientos and villages of Indians, and in otherplaces where there shall be no benefice or any regulations forelecting one, or any form of appointing a secular or religious toadminister sacraments and teach the doctrine, providing it in theform above directed, the prelate--after posting a proclamation, sothat if there shall be any ecclesiastical or religious person, or anyother of good morals and education who may go to teach the doctrineat such village--from those who shall compete, or from other personswhom he shall deem most suitable and fitting, shall elect two, afterinforming himself of their competency and good character. He shallsend the nomination to our viceroy, president, or governor who shallreside in the province, so that the latter may present one of the twothus nominated by the prelate. If there shall be no more than one, by virtue of that presentation the prelate shall appoint him to themission, giving him installation, as he has to teach the doctrine. Heshall order to be given to such person the emoluments that are to begiven to ministers or missions, and shall order the encomenderos andother persons, under the penalties and censures that he shall deemsuitable, not to annoy or disturb such person in the exercise of hisduty and the teaching of the Christian doctrine; on the contrary, they shall give him all protection and aid for it. That appointmentshall be made removable at the will of the person who shall haveappointed him in our name, and that of the prelate. "We also will and order that the religious orders observe and maintainthe right of patronage in the following form. "First: No general, commissary-general, visitor, provincial, or anyother superior of the religious orders, shall go to the realm of theYndias, without first showing in our royal Council of the Indias thepowers that he bears and giving us relation of them; and without theCouncil giving him our decree and permission so that he may go, anda warrant so that our viceroys, audiencias, justices, and our othervassals may admit and receive him to the exercise of his office, and give him all protection and aid in it. "Any provincial, visitor, prior, guardian, or other high official, who may be elected and nominated in the realm of the Yndias shall, before being admitted to exercise his office, inform our viceroy, president, Audiencia, or governor who shall have in charge thesupreme government of such province, and shall show him his patentof nomination and election, so that the latter may give him theprotection and aid necessary for the exercise and use of his office. "The provincials of all the orders who are established in theYndias, each one of them, shall always keep a list ready of all themonasteries and chief residences [maintained there by his orders]and of the members [resident in each] that fall in his province, and of all the religious in the province--noting each one of them byname, together with a report of his age and qualifications, and theoffice or ministry in which each one is occupied. He shall give thatannually to our viceroy, Audiencia, or governor, or the person whoshall have charge of the supreme government in the province, adding toor removing from the list the religious who shall be superfluous andthose who shall be needed. Our viceroy, Audiencia, or governor, shallkeep those general lists which shall thus be given, for himself, and inorder that he may inform us by report of the religious that there are, and those of whom there is need of provision, by each fleet sent out. "The provincials of the orders, each one of them shall make a list ofall the religious who are occupied in teaching the Christian doctrineto the Indians, and the administration of sacraments, and the officesof curas in the villages of the chief monasteries. They shall give suchlist once a year to our viceroy, Audiencia, or governor, who shallgive it to the diocesan prelate, so that he may know and understandwhat persons are occupied in the administration of sacraments andthe office of curas and the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and who arein charge of the souls for whom he is responsible; and in order thatwhat is or must be provided may be apparent to him, and from whom hehas to require account of the said souls, and to whom he must commitwhat is to be done for the welfare of those souls. "Whenever the provincials have to provide any religious for instructionor for the administration of sacraments, or remove any who shallhave been appointed, they shall give notice thereof to our viceroy, president, Audiencia, or governor who shall exercise the supremegovernment of the province, and to the prelate; and they shall notremove any one who shall have been appointed, until another shallhave been appointed in his place, observing the above order. "We desire, in the presentations and appointments of all the prelacies, dignidades, and ecclesiastical offices and benefices, that thosemost deserving, and who shall have been engaged longer and to betterprofit in the conversion of the Indians, and in instructing themin the Christian doctrine, and in the administration of sacraments, shall be presented and appointed. Therefore we strictly charge thediocesan prelates, and those superiors of the religious orders, andwe order our viceroys, presidents, audiencias, and governors, thatin the nominations, presentations, and appointments that they shallhave to make there, as is said, in conformity [with this decree], they shall always prefer, in the first place, those who shall havebeen occupied, by life and example, in the conversion of the Indians, and in instruction and in administering the sacraments, and those whoshall know the language of the Indians whom they have to instruct;and, in the second place, those who shall be the sons of Spaniardsand who shall have served us in those regions. "In order that we may better make the presentation that shallbecome necessary of prelacies, dignidades, prebends, and the otherecclesiastical offices and benefices, we ask and charge the saiddiocesan prelates and the provincials of the religious orders, and weorder our viceroys, presidents, audiencias, and governors, each oneof them, separately and distinctly by himself, without communicatingone with another, to make a list of all the dignidades, benefices, missions, and ecclesiastical offices in his province, noting thoseof them that are vacant, and those that are filled. Likewise theyshall make a list of all the ecclesiastical and religious persons, and of the sons of citizens and Spaniards who are studying forthe purpose of becoming ecclesiastics, and of the good character, learning, competency and qualities of each one, stating clearly hisgood parts and also his defects, and declaring, so that prelacies, dignidades, benefices, and ecclesiastical offices shall be suitablyfilled, both those that shall be at present found vacant, and thosethat shall become vacant hereafter. Those relations shall be sent usclosed and sealed, in each fleet, and in different ships; and whatshall be deemed advisable to add to or to suppress from the precedingones that shall have been sent before, shall be added or suppressed;so that no fleet shall sail without its relation. We charge theconsciences of one and all straitly with this matter. "In order that we may not be deceived by those who come or sendto petition us to present them to some dignidad, benefice, orecclesiastical office, we desire, and it is our will, that he whoshall thus come or send appear before our viceroy, or before thepresident and Audiencia, or before the one who shall have charge ofthe supreme government of the province; and, declaring his petition, the viceroy, Audiencia, or governor shall make the relation officially, with information concerning his standing, learning, morals, competency, and other details. After it is made, he shall send it separatelyfrom those persons. Likewise the approval of their prelate shall beobtained, and warning is given that those who come to petition for adignidad, benefice, or ecclesiastical office without such investigationshall not be received. "We desire and it is our will that no person can hold, obtain, oroccupy two dignidades, or ecclesiastical benefices in the provincesof the Yndias, either in the same or in different churches. Thereforewe order that if any one shall be presented by us for any dignidad, benefice, or office, he shall renounce what he shall have heldpreviously, before his collation and appointment. "If the one presented by us does not present himself, within thetime contained in the presentation, to the prelate who must makethe appointment and canonical installation, after the expiration ofthe said time the presentation shall be void, and no appointment andcanonical installation can be made by virtue of it. "Inasmuch as it is our will that the above-contained be observedand obeyed, for we believe that such procedure is expedient for theservice of God and for our own, I order you to examine the above, and to observe and obey it, and cause it to be observed and obeyedin all those provinces and villages, and their churches, _in toto_, and exactly as is contained and declared, for what time shall be ourwill. You shall accomplish and fulfil it, in the ways that shall appearmost advisable to you. You shall take for this purpose such measuresand precautions as shall be advisable, in virtue of this my decree; andI give you for that complete authority in legal form. Accordingly werequest and charge the very reverend father in Christ, the archbishopof that city, and member of our Council, and the reverend fathersin Christ, the archbishop of Nueva España, the venerable deansand cabildo of the cathedral churches of that country, and all thecuras, beneficiaries, sacristans, and other ecclesiastical persons, the venerable and devout fathers provincial, guardians, priors, and other religious of the orders of St. Dominic, St. Augustine, St. Francis, and of all the other orders, that in what pertains to, and is incumbent on them, they observe and obey this decree, acting inharmony with you, for all that shall be advisable. Given in San Lorenzoel Real, June first, one thousand five hundred and seventy-four. _I The King_By order of his Majesty:_Antonio de Eraso_" I order you to examine the said decree, and its sectionsabove-incorporated, and you shall observe and obey it, and cause itto be observed and obeyed _in toto_, as is contained and declaredin it and in each one of its sections, as if it were given for thoseislands and directed to you. I charge the reverend father in Christ, the bishop of those islands, the venerable dean and cabildo ofthe cathedral church of the islands, all the curas, beneficiaries, sacristans, and other ecclesiastical persons, and the venerable anddevout fathers provincial, guardians, priors, and other religious ofthe orders of St. Dominic, St. Augustine, St. Francis, and all theother orders, that in what pertains to, and is incumbent on them, they observe and obey it, acting in harmony with you in every waythat may be advisable and necessary. Given in San Lorenzo, Septemberthirteen, one thousand five hundred and eighty-nine. [1] _I The King_By order of the king our sovereign:_Joan de Ibarra_Signed by the Council. [The litigation between the prelate and the religious orders originatedfrom the visitation of the village of Dilao (which belonged to theministry of the Franciscan fathers), commenced by Archbishop MiguelGarcia Serrano, June 24, 1624, [2] with the dictation by him of thefollowing:] [3] _Act_. In the village of Quiapo, which is near the city of Manila, onthe twenty-second day of the month of June, one thousand six hundredand twenty-two, his Excellency, Don Fray Miguel García y Serrano, archbishop of these Philipinas Islands, member of his Majesty'scouncil, etc. , declared that, inasmuch as the eleventh chapterof the twenty-fifth session of the holy council of Trent rules andorders that the religious who exercise the duties of curas of souls beimmediately subject, in regard to such duties and in all that pertainsto the administration of the sacraments, to the jurisdiction, visit, and correction of the bishop in whose diocese they minister; and thatno one, even though he be _admovibilis ad nutum_, can exercise thesaid office of cura without having obtained beforehand the consentand examination of the bishop or his vicar, etc. , [4] which isordered to be strictly observed and obeyed, both by the bishops andthe superiors of the religious, and by the religious themselves, bythe twenty-second chapter following, notwithstanding any privileges, constitutions, rules, customs, rights, and others _non obstantibus_, etc. ; besides which, his Holiness Gregory Fourteenth, by his briefwhich was obtained at the instance of his Majesty, under date of Roma, April 18, one thousand five hundred and ninety-one, charges and ordersthe archbishop of these islands to visit the missions and the religiousin them. [5] All of the above is ordered to be observed and obeyed in these islandsby decrees of his Majesty, under date of June first, five hundredand eighty-five; December twenty-one, five hundred and ninety-five;and November fourteen, one thousand six hundred and three. [6]In conformity with these decrees, his most illustrious Lordship, wishing to observe what his Holiness and his Majesty have ordered, as it is a matter very advisable and necessary for the service of Godour Lord and that of his Majesty, and the welfare and increase of theconversion, teaching, and instruction of the natives of these islands, notified the very reverend fathers-provincial in Christ of the sacredorders of St. Dominic and St. Augustine, and the commissaries of thatof St. Francis, of these islands, by means of an order signed by hismost illustrious Lordship, which was given to them in the first partof April of this current year, so that, understanding it, the mattermight be facilitated and observed on the part of the said orders, with the good-will and exactness that is proper, and which they havealways had in obeying and observing the orders of the holy apostolicsee, and those of his Majesty. And inasmuch as it is advisable thatthere be no more delay in the above, his most illustrious Lordshipintends to go to visit the mission of the natives of the village ofDilao, outside the walls of the city of Manila, which is in chargeof the Order of St. Francis, on the day of St. John the Baptist. Hehas advised the father guardian of the said convent thereof, in orderthat the Indians of the said convent may be assembled in the church atthe hour of high mass, and so that all other necessary arrangementsbe made for making the said visit. His Lordship ordered the aboveto be set down as an act, together with the copy of the brief of hisHoliness Gregory Fourteenth, and of his Majesty's decrees, of whichmention is made above; and he signed the same. _Fray Miguel_, archbishop. Before me: _Licentiate Alonso Ramirez_ In the town of Quiapo, on the twenty-fourth day of the month of June, one thousand six hundred and twenty-two, the illustrious lord DonFray Miguel Garcia Serrano, archbishop of the Philipinas, memberof his Majesty's council, etc. , declared that he ordered--and hedid so order--that that notification that his illustrious Lordshipordered to be made and that he made, to the superiors of the religiousorders--namely, the order mentioned in the act of the twenty-second ofthis month, which was made on account of the visitation of Dilao--befiled with the [records of the] said visitation, which is to be begunon this said day, of the said mission and ministry of Dilao. Thusdid he decree and order. _Fray Miguel_, archbishop. Before me: _Licentiate Alonso Ramirez_ Very reverend fathers in Christ, the provincials of the holy orders ofthese Philipinas Islands: Being obliged to carry out the ordinance andmandate of the holy council of Trent and the decrees of his Majesty inregard to the examination and visitation which I have to make of thereligious who are administering the missions of natives in my diocese, I deemed it advisable, in order to attain my object better, to informyour Paternities of it before beginning it--so that, understandingthe matter, it might be facilitated and observed by your Paternitieswith the good-will and exactness that are proper, and which you havealways displayed in obeying and observing the mandates of the holyapostolic see and those of his Majesty. As your Paternities know, chapter 11 of the 25th session of the holycouncil of Trent, _De regularibus et monialibus_, rules and ordersthat the religious who exercise the duties of curas of souls beimmediately subject as regards such duties, and in everything thatpertains to the administration of sacraments, to the jurisdiction, visit, and correction of the bishop in whose diocese they administer;and that no one, though he be _amovilibis ad nutum_, may exercisethe said duty of cura without first having obtained the consent of, and been examined by, the bishop or his vicar, etc. Both the bishopsand the superiors of the religious, and the religious themselves, are strictly ordered to observe and fulfil the above, as ordered byarticle 22 following, notwithstanding any privileges, regulations, rules, customs, and rights, and others _non obstantibus_, etc. This decree then, of the holy council of Trent, has two parts--one inwhich it is ordered that the said religious be immediately subjectin regard to curas, and in all that pertains to the administrationof sacraments, to the jurisdiction, visit, and correction of thebishops; and the other that, before being admitted to the said duty, they must obtain the consent of, and be examined by, the bishops ortheir vicars. There has never been any innovation in the first; for, although the second part had the innovation that appears in two briefsissued by his Holiness Pius V--one in general for all Christendom, which he conceded at the instance of the mendicant orders, under dateof Roma, July 17, 1567, in the second year of his pontificate, whosebeginning is, _Etsi mendicantium ordines_; and the other a specialone for the Yndias, at the instance of his Majesty, under date ofRoma, of March 26, of the same year--in those briefs there was noinnovation in regard to the first part. On the contrary, in the briefof his Holiness Gregory XIV which his Majesty sent to these islands, and which was obtained at his instance, under date of Roma, April 18, 1591, the first year in which he commits to the archbishop of Manilathe adjustment and restitution of what the conquistadors and otherpersons had in charge among the Indians, and prohibits religious fromgoing from a pacified district to convert one unpacified, without thepermission of the bishops, there is a clause of the following tenor. .. : _Praeteria cum praecipuum munus Episcoporum sit proprias ovesper se ipsos pascere et visitare_. [7] In regard to the second part of the two things ordered by the holycouncil--that is, that the religious, before they can exercise theduties of the care of souls, must first get the consent of, and beexamined by, the bishops or their vicars--that order also appearstoday in its entire force and vigor. For although it is true that hisHoliness Pius V reserved the said religious from the said permissionand examination, by the two privileges above mentioned, afterwardhis Holiness Gregory XIII reduced these and all the other favors andconcessions given to the mendicant orders by Pius V to the terms oflaw and the holy council of Trent, as appears by his _motu proprio_given at Roma, on the kalends of March, 1573, the first year of hispontificate, whose beginning is _In tanta rerum_, etc. , and whichfather Fray Manuel Rodriguez inserted in the book that he publishedconcerning the privileges of the orders, [8] in number 38 of thoseof that same supreme pontiff. Although it is true that it is stated in the memorial which the Orderof St. Francis in Nueva España presented regarding the substanceof the privileges of the mendicant orders in the Yndias, at theprovincial council that was convened in Mexico in the year 1585, at the instance of the same council (as is mentioned by father FrayJuan Baptista, of the said order, in the second part of his book ofadvice for confessors), that the said revocation had no effect, becausethe cardinal protectors of the orders immediately appealed from it, asking his Holiness to suspend the said _motu proprio_ and that itbe not promulgated; and that his Holiness agreed to it, and that, accordingly, no account was taken of it--it appears that no attentionmust be paid to that, for the said memorial has no further proof orauthority than the certification of Father Master Veracruz, who was inSevilla when the _motu proprio_ of Gregory XIII was issued, and becauseFather Manuel Rodriguez, of the same Order of St. Francis, affirmsthe contrary--who some years later, while residing in Salamanca, wherethere was more notice of it than in the Yndias, published his books of"questions concerning the regulars, " as appears in article 7, question8, of the first volume, [9] as well as in other places. With the sameagrees father Fray Alonso de Vega, in his conclusion, chapter 62, case 4, _Questio de confessione_, and it appears by the declarationsof the holy congregation of the cardinals, which Marcilla reportsin article 20, of section 25, _de regularibus_, and in article 15, of section 13, _de reformatione_, [10] besides others, by which it ismanifest that it is a privilege that his Majesty obtained for what hethen judged advisable for the proper government of the churches of theYndias, and the greater increase of their Christianity. It ought not, nor can it, be understood to be to the prejudice of the privilegesthat the holy apostolic see has conceded to the kings of España forthe same purpose, such as that of Alexander VI, in his bull of theconcession or confirmation of the Indias, as follows: _Hortamur vosquamplurimum . .. Et infra sit--insuper mandamus vobis in virtutesanctae obedientiae (sicut etiam pollicemini) et non dubitamus provestra maxima devotione et regia magnanimitate vos esse facturos, ad terras firmas et insulis praedictas, viros probos. .. . _ [11] And Adrian VI, in his _Omnimodo_, as follows: _Dum tamen sint talessufficientiae . .. _ and of the right of the royal patronage. [12] And since it is now his Majesty's will that the fitness and approvalof the said religious in regard to curas must be to the satisfactionof the bishops, which he says to be thus advisable for the dischargeof his royal conscience and that of the said bishops, it is clearthat we are bound to fulfil it as a command of the holy apostolic see. The above is in respect to the mandates of his Holiness. Coming tothat which is ordered in this regard by the decrees of his Majesty, it appears that his Majesty having despatched his royal decree on thesixth of December, 1585, that if there were any capable clergy theyshould be preferred, in the benefices and missions of the Indiansto the religious who held them, and who should have held them, byvirtue of another royal decree of May twenty-five, of five hundredand eighty-five, his Majesty gave notice to the Order of St. Francis, of Nueva España, that he had ordered the suspension for the time beingof the execution of this decree; and that the said missions be held, as hitherto, by the orders and religious; that there be no innovationin the manner of presentation and appointment; that the bishopsin their own persons (these are the words of the royal decree), without committing it to any others, shall visit the churches ofthe missions, where the said religious may be, and in the missionsinspect the most holy sacrament, the baptismal font, the building ofthe said churches, and the service of divine worship; and that theyalso visit the religious who should reside in the said missions, and correct them in matters concerning curas. That royal decree is in the book of advice to confessors of Indianswhich father Fray Juan Baptista, of the Order of St. Francis, publishedin Mexico, in the year six hundred; it is on folio 380. On folio259, it contains what the provincials of the orders of St. Dominic, St. Francis, and St. Augustine, of the province of Mexico, answeredto it on the twenty-eighth of November, of the said year, 585. Thatanswer was to accept the said missions _non ex votis charitatis_, but with the obligation of _in se et justitia_; and in regard tobeing visited, they say that, inasmuch as the obstacles of theirdisturbance and relaxation of discipline were always to be found, which induced the apostolic see to exempt them from the visits ofthe ordinaries--which obstacles would be more and greater in theYndias, if authority were given for it--they would not refuse thereverence, respect, and submission due to the bishops, as prelatesand shepherds of the Church of God. They said that they were undergreater obligations to them than to any one else, and would respectthem and receive them into their convents with proper reverence, as they had always done; and that, obeying what his Majesty ordered, they would be very glad to have them visit in their churches the mostholy sacrament, the baptismal font, and what concerns it; but in allmatters outside the above-mentioned, they petitioned his Majesty notto give the bishops authority or entrance, for that would mean theperpetual disquiet and ruin of their order. But as for that which the said orders of Nueva España declared in thatreply, namely, that the obstacles of disturbance and relaxed disciplinewere bound to follow the visits of the bishops, for which the apostolicsee was induced to exempt them from their jurisdiction; nevertheless, it will be considered that a very different reason will be foundto prevail in this case in respect to which, as regards religiousfrom whom visits are exempted, they have their special rules andregulations, which are peculiar to each order. Both for that reason, and because their institute, life, and government is of the cloister, and they have no administration, dominion, and jurisdiction overpersons of the world, it was most advisable to give them superiorswho had been reared in the same life, customs, and rules of religion, since, moreover, their profession was simply that of religious. But the ministry of the care of souls that the religious exerciseis not of the cloister, nor does it depend on their special rule orinstitute; nor in regard to such are they at all different from thesecular curas, both touching the religious ministers themselves, and touching the persons who are ministered to, whose spiritualgovernment is in charge of the bishops. And since it is a fact that the religious who accepts an executorshipis obliged to give a strict account of it to the bishop--nor doeshe fulfil his duty by giving it to his superior, if it is a matterwith which the deceased entrusted him, who made election and aconfidant of him--with very much greater reason ought an account ofthe administration of the souls that are immediately in charge ofthe same bishop be given to him; and although in proof of that manyother arguments might be adduced, none will be so effective and soconclusive as to consider that while there were, as is true, so manyso aged, learned, grave, and holy religious of all the orders presentin the holy council of Trent, who propounded as many difficultiesand obstacles as they could offer, yet the holy council decreed andordered as we have seen. In conformity with that, notwithstanding the said reply which theorders of Nueva España gave to the decree of his Majesty, the ordersof his Majesty in regard to the said visits seem to have been obeyed, for ten years after another royal decree was despatched, which thesaid father, Fray Juan Baptista, mentions on folio 396 of the saidbook, as follows: "The King. Reverend father in Christ, bishop of the city of Antequera, of the valley of Huajaca, of Nueva España, and member of my council:Inasmuch as I have heard that the religious who reside in thoseregions, busied in the instruction and conversion of the Indians, giveout that it is a cause of great disquiet and uneasiness to them for youto send to visit them, in regard to curacies, by clerics or religiousof other orders; and as it is advisable to avoid all occasions thatmay divert them from their chief end, especially since (as they say)it is contrary to their institutes, and is the occasion of theirliving disconsolate, and that they are molested: I request and chargeyou that when you are unable to visit in person the missions of thatbishopric--in accordance with the order in my decree of June first, one thousand five hundred and eighty-five, [13] where this matter isdiscussed at greater length--for the said visits of religious who shallbe in those missions, in regard to matters of curacies, of the mostholy sacrament, of the baptismal font, of the building of churches, andall else concerning them, and the divine worship, you send religiousof the same orders. Consequently, where there are Dominican friars, a friar of the same order shall be sent as visitor; and the same shallbe observed with Augustinians, Franciscans, and those of the Order ofMercy, and of the Society. That shall be observed for the cases and inthe manner contained in the above-mentioned decree. Given in Madrid, December twenty-one, one thousand five hundred and ninety-five. [14] [_I The King_] By order of the king our sovereign: _Juan de Ybarra_" But since it was not expressed in the said royal decree of the year 585that the religious who should administer the benefices and missionsof the Indians should first be examined and approved by the bishops;and since the remedy for the public excesses of the said religiousshould be limited to the bishops in the decree, if there should be anyexcesses even in respect to curacies--the bishops proceeding in this, not in the form ruled by the said article II, of section 25, of theholy council, but by that which is declared in article 14, of thesame section: his Majesty afterward decided, for considerations thatsatisfied him, that the authority and jurisdiction of the bishops inregard to the above be extended further, as the holy council rules;and accordingly, on November 14, one thousand six hundred and three, he despatched his royal decree for the metropolitan churches of theIndias, one of which he sent to the archbishop of these islands, which is of the following tenor: "The King. Very reverend father in Christ, archbishop of the cityof Manila of the Philipinas Islands, and member of my council:Notwithstanding that it is very carefully ordered that the ministerswho are appointed to the missions of the Indians, both secularsand friars, must know the language of the Indians whom they have toinstruct and teach; that they shall have the qualifications that arerequired for the duties of the curacies that they have to perform;and that the religious missionaries be visited by the secular prelatesin regard to the curacies: I have been informed that it is not obeyedas is advisable; that the prelates do not exercise the care that isadvisable in examining the said religious missionaries, in order tosatisfy you that they are competent and that they thoroughly understandthe language of those whom they are going to teach; and that many oftheir omissions and excesses in the administration of the sacramentsand the exercise of the duties of curas are not remedied in thevisitations. That is a great obstacle, and consequently the Indianssuffer considerably in the spiritual and temporal. I have heard thattheir superiors are less careful in this, and in the choice of thepersons, than they ought to be. And inasmuch as it is advisable forthe service of God our Lord and for mine, and for the welfare of theIndians, that the ministers of instruction be such as are requiredfor this ministry, and that they know the Indians' language, I chargeyou strictly that, in accordance with what is decreed and ordained, you do not permit or allow, in the missions in charge of the ordersin the district of that archbishopric, any religious to come toperform the duties of cura or to exercise that duty, unless he shallfirst be examined and approved by you or by the person who shall beappointed by you for that purpose, in order to satisfy yourself thathe has the necessary ability, and that he knows the language of theChinese or Indians whom he has to instruct. Those whom you shall find, in the visits that you shall make, who have not the competency, goodqualities, and good example that are requisite, and who do not knowsufficiently the language of the Indians whom they are to instruct, you shall remove; and you shall advise their superiors, so that theymay appoint others who have the necessary qualifications, in whichthey also must be examined. You shall advise me of all that you doin this matter. Given in San Lorenzo, November fourteen, one thousandsix hundred and three. _I The King_ By order of the king our sovereign: _Juan de Ybarra_" With the above royal decree was despatched another to the royalAudiencia, in which its observance and fulfilment is ordered andcharged; and another to the same archbishop, which only contains thestatement that he is strictly charged with its fulfilment. [15] HisMajesty says in it that it is advisable to do this for the reliefof his royal conscience and that of the archbishop himself. Thosedecrees having arrived in the ships that came in the year six hundredand five, Don Fray Miguel de Benavides, archbishop at that time, assoon as he received them, presented all three in the royal meetingheld on the second of June, of the said year, and they were obeyedand ordered to be fulfilled. But as the said archbishop died withintwo months, he could not carry them out; and consequently they wereleft unobserved, because the cabildo succeeded to the government ofthe vacant see. Afterward, Archbishop Don Diego Vazquez de Mercado, either because he knew nothing about them, or because he was sofar prevented by his age and infirmity (as all know), did not putthem into practice. At his death, Don Fray Diego de Arce, bishopof Zibú, governed this archbishopric; but he did not know of thesaid decrees. But as they have come to my notice, and since we areobliged, both myself and your Paternities, to observe and obey whathis Holiness and his Majesty order in regard to this, as above stated, we cannot excuse ourselves from immediately putting it into execution. We shall not be able to delay the observance of the said royal decree, by saying that since twenty years have passed since its issue, without having given it a beginning, it will be well to await hisMajesty's will once more; for, besides that things are today in thesame condition as then, it appears that his Majesty, having heard thatthe said royal decree was not being observed in Nueva España, eitherbecause the bishops had no knowledge of it, or for other reasons, gave it again to the viceroy, Marquis de Guadalcazar, under date ofNovember nineteen, six hundred and eighteen, in which, inserting wordfor word the first decree above mentioned of November fourteen, sixhundred and three, he orders it to be obeyed in the following words: "And inasmuch as it is my intention and will that what I have ordainedand ordered in regard to the above be strictly observed and executed, I order you to examine the said my decree which is here incorporated, and to observe and obey it _in toto_, according to its contentsand declarations, just as if I were talking with you, and it weredirected to you. Such is my will, notwithstanding that in the lapseof time, and with the claims of the prelates and missionaries, it has been winked at or another custom introduced, which shall, under no circumstance, be in any manner allowed. Given in Madrid, November nineteen, one thousand six hundred and eighteen. _I The King_ By order of the king our sovereign: _Pedro de Ledesma_" And the archbishop of Mexico having reported to his Majesty that theabove decree of his Majesty of six hundred and eighteen had not beenshown by the viceroy, although he had had it in his possession for sometime, his Majesty despatched other new decrees to the said viceroy andarchbishop, under date of February eighteen and August twenty-five, six hundred and twenty, in which, he again orders them to observe andobey the said first decree to the said archbishop, in these words:"And since your person is authorized, not only by the council of Trent, but by the declaration of the cardinals, and by common law, to proceedto the visit for the reformation of all the missionaries, both secularsand regulars, you shall endeavor to relieve your conscience and mine. " Consequently, neither of us will by any means satisfy our obligations, if we neglect to carry out the commands of his Holiness and of hisMajesty in this regard, so that we may report to his Majesty in thefirst ships that his royal will has been fulfilled. From the above, and from the jurisdiction and authority concededto the bishops over their sheep by the sacred canons, councils, andbriefs of the holy apostolic see, it is manifest with what want ofreason and foundation has been the assertion and declaration madethree or four times by Father Pedro de San Pablo, provincial of theOrder of St. Francis, in the royal courts about one month ago, whilereporting a suit of the fiscals of the missions of the Indians--namely, that the provincials of the orders of these islands, and the regularministers of the Yndias, had more jurisdiction and power, by virtueof their privileges, over the Indians in regard to matters concerningthe ministry of their missions than had the bishops and archbishopsin whose dioceses the said missions are located. That appears to bea universal sentiment and practice of the said religious, by what wehave experienced in the course of the visitation to the Indians ofour archbishopric that we have as yet made. Given in Manila, Marchtwenty-nine, one thousand six hundred and twenty-two. [16] _Fray Miguel_, archbishop. [On April two and three, Don Gabriel de Mújica, the archbishopric'ssecretary, delivered in person a similar copy of the abovenotifications to [each of] the fathers-provincial--namely, Fray JuanHenrríquez, Augustinian; Fray Miguel Ruiz, Dominican; Fray Cristóbalde Santa Ana, commissary visitor of St. Francis. On June 20, thearchbishop began his visits through the parish of Dilao, causing anedict of the following tenor to be published from the pulpit duringhigh mass. ] We, Don Fray Diego Garcia Serrano, by the grace of God and theholy apostolic see, archbishop of the Philipinas, member of hisMajesty's council, etc. : To you, the faithful Christians, citizens, dwellers, residents, and inhabitants of the village of Dilao, whichis administered by the Order of St. Francis, of whatever state, rank, and preëminence you may be, greeting in our Lord Jesus Christ. Wecause you to know that the holy fathers, inspired personally by theHoly Spirit in their sacred councils, piously and rightly ordered andcommanded that all the prelates and pastors of the universal Churchbe obliged, in person or through their visitors, to make annuallya general visit and investigation of their subordinates and clergy, both seculars and regulars, who have in charge the administration ofsouls. This shall include the offices that they hold, in curaciesand in churches, hermitages, hospitals, and confraternities, allwhich should be directed to the spiritual welfare of souls--whichconsists in being, through the grace of God, our Lord, separatedfrom sins, especially public and disgraceful sins, which offend His[Divine] Majesty so greatly. In order to fulfil this our obligation, we admonish and order that those of you who shall know or who shallhave heard anything said concerning the father cura, your minister, whohas charge of you in the matter of the administration of sacraments, or of any other person, which cannot or ought not to be toleratedby the citizens and inhabitants of this said village of Dilao, ofwhatever nation and rank he be, shall tell and declare it to us;especially if he shall have committed what will be mentioned andrelated to you later in this edict, in whole or in part, or any otherthing similar to it. You shall declare and manifest the same beforeus within the three days first following after this our letter andedict shall be declared and read to you. First, if you know or have heard said whether the said father cura N. , your minister, has been remiss and negligent in the administrationof the holy sacraments of baptism, penance, the eucharist, extremeunction, and matrimony. _Item_: Whether anyone has died without holy baptism through hisneglect and carelessness, or without confession, communion, orextreme unction. _Item_: If you know whether the said your minister has not said massfor you on every Sunday or feast that is observed; or whether he hasmade any signal omission in this; and whether he preaches and teachesthe Christian doctrine to you, as he is obliged. _Item_: Whether the administration of the holy sacraments takes placewith the reverence and propriety that is fitting; whether he hasmarried anyone before daybreak, or without the admonitions ordered bythe holy council, or without the notification of our vicars, and theirpermission having preceded, in the cases in which it ought to be madeand asked for; and whether the baptisms that have taken place have beenin the baptismal font of the church, with all respect and reverence. _Item_: If you know whether the said your minister keeps the tariffof the fees--both those which pertain to him and those that pertainto singers, fiscals, and sacristans--written and placed openlywhere all may read it, so that they may know what they have to pay;or whether he has forced the natives to give more alms than they oweor are willing to give for marriages, baptisms, or burials, whetherin money or in other things. _Item_: Whether the said your minister is careful to execute the piousfoundations and the wills of his parishioners; or whether these havefailed to be observed through his fault. _Item_: Whether the said your minister is careful to register hisparishioners, both natives and those of other nations, at the time ofLent; and whether he has confessed them during that time, or triedto confess them; and whether he has, after Lent, made any effort toascertain whether they fulfilled their duties to the church accordingto their obligation. _Item_: If you know whether the said your minister has concealed anypublic or notorious sin of his parishioners, that has come to hisnotice, and has not endeavored to have it remedied by the personswho can remedy it. _Item_: If you know whether the said your minister has not lookedafter the property of the church, the silver, and ornaments, andeverything belonging to it; and whether any property has been lostby his carelessness and negligence. _Item_: If you know whether the said minister, in the public sinsthat have come to his notice and that he has punished, has condemnedthe sinners to pecuniary fines, or something of value, such as wax, cloth, or other things; and whether he has failed to apply the saidfines to those to whom they belong, in accordance with his Holiness'sbrief and his Majesty's decrees. _Item_: If you know whether the fiscals have performed their dutypoorly; or whether they live in sin, or are dishonest, or they concealsins or concubinage; or whether they receive bribes; or whether withtheir authority as fiscal they have annoyed the Indians, or havetaken rice, fowls, or other things at a less price; or whether theyhave imposed any tax under pretext of alms for the church, by theirauthority that they possess as ministers of it; or whether they havetaken more fees than belong to them by our tariffs. _Item_: If you know whether the choristers and sacristans havelikewise taken larger fees than are assigned them by our said tariffs, for burials, funeral honors, and other things that belong to them;and whether, when any poor man has died who has not the wherewithalto pay the fees, they have refused to bury him unless they are paid, or unless they receive pledges that they demand before burying him. _Item_: If you know whether there are any apostates of our holyCatholic faith; or who practice any evil worship; or who possess orread books of it. _Item_: Whether there are any who are living in public concubinage, or as whoremongers; or who keep in their houses slave women, or otherwomen or men of evil life, in order to commit sins. _Item_: Whether there are any who have not confessed, or fulfilledthe precept of the church, according to their obligation; or whetherthere are any who have eaten meat unnecessarily during Lent on thefast of Friday or the four ember days. _Item_: Whether there are any married twice while the first husbandsor wives are living, or who are married to relatives in the degreeprohibited, without dispensation from him who can give it. _Item_: If you know whether there are any usurers who loan money atusury and interest; or who sell on credit at a dearer price than thethings are worth when cash is paid; or who buy at a less price in orderto give the money advanced with the imposition or fraud and usury. _Item_: If you know whether there are any, either of you natives, or of any other nation, either men or women, who are sorcerers, orwitches, or magicians; or those who pray to the devil, or who castany kind of lots, whether to discover theft, or to ascertain otherthings by enchantments and witchcraft. And inasmuch as the above evil is a very great offense and disserviceto God our Lord; and as it is advisable to remedy that hereincontained that has been committed: we order, exhort, and admonishall the citizens, dwellers, residents, and inhabitants of this saidvillage of Dilao [to make known these things], within the said term ofthree days--under penalty that, if they know it and do not declare it, they shall, if it be proved, be punished most severely. Given in this village of Dilao, June twenty-four, one thousand sixhundred and twenty-two. _Fray Miguel_, archbishop. By order of the bishop, my master:_Licentiate Alonso Ramirez_ [While the archbishop was proclaiming the visitation in the churchof the above village, father Fray José Fonte, secretary of fathercommissary Fray Cristóbal de Santa Ana, presented to him the followingpetition. ] Fray Christoval de Santa Ana, preacher and commissary visitor ofthe discalced Franciscans of this province of San Gregorio, etc. : Ideclare that, as I have been informed that your Lordship intends tovisit the missions and their ministers of the said my order in thisarchbishopric--which is not only an innovation, and a thing not doneby the other archbishops, the predecessors of your most illustriousLordship, but also contrary to the ordinance of the brief of hisHoliness Pius V, despatched in Roma, March twenty-four, one thousandfive hundred and sixty-seven, in which, notwithstanding the ordinanceof the holy council of Trent, authority is given to the religious whoare occupied in the conversion of, and preaching to, the Indians, to perform the office of curas and administer the holy sacraments, with subordination to the superiors of their order, and exemptionfrom the bishops and ordinary judges--accordingly the said my orderreceives violence and injury from your Lordship's endeavor. [17] I petition and entreat you, in observance of the ordinance of hisHoliness, to preserve the said ministers and the said my order in theirexemption and privileges; if this be not done, I protest that I shallmake use of the other powers conceded to my order by the apostolic see, and the remedies that belong to it by law. I petition justice, etc. _Fray Christoval de Santa Ana_, commissary-visitor. . .. His Lordship having seen the said petition and having noted thebrief of his Holiness and its contents, declared: That besides thatthe said brief is revoked by a _motu proprio_ of his Holiness GregoryXIII, under date of Roma, on the kalends of March, of the year fivehundred and seventy-three, by which are revoked all concessions andprivileges that his Holiness Pius V conceded to the religious of themendicant orders, reducing them to the terms of the law and of the holycouncil of Trent, even in case that the brief of his Holiness PiusV, which has been read, is not comprehended in the said revocation, his Holiness Pius V did not make any innovation in the rulings ofthe holy council in regard to the religious who administer soulsbeing immediately subject as far as such ministers are concerned, and in everything that pertains to the administration of sacraments, to the jurisdiction, visit, and correction of the bishop in whosediocese they minister. For, as is evident by the said brief, hisHoliness was requested, at the instance of his Majesty, to be pleasedto decree concerning as many things as had been ordered in the holycouncil of Trent; namely: first, that marriages should not be allowedto be celebrated except in the presence of the parish priest or by hispermission; second, that the religious could not preach without thepermission of the bishop; third, that they could not hear confessionswithout having been examined by the ordinary; fourth, that the bishopscould erect new parishes in places very far apart. [18] And in regard to the fact that the religious were exercising theduties of parish priests in the Yndias, it was necessary to providerelief in the above four things. His Holiness, in accordance with thatpetition and request, decides the first three points in favor of thesaid religious, so that, having been examined and approved by theirsuperiors, in the form ordered by the said brief, the permission ofthe ordinaries was not necessary in order to exercise their offices;and then his Holiness, immediately providing for the fourth, ordersthat there be no innovation by the ordinaries in the custom followedbefore. Consequently, his Holiness decided in this regard that, ifit were the custom before the council for the ordinaries to erect newparishes in the missions administered by the religious of the Yndias, his Holiness orders that that custom be retained; and if not, thatthere be no innovation; and that the said brief does not treat ofother things. Consequently, his Lordship orders that the visitationthat he has commenced be continued; and he made declaration to thateffect through the interpreter, Christoval de Vera. Thus did he decreeand order, and he affixed his signature. _Fray Miguel_, archbishop. Before me:_Licentiate Alonso Ramirez_ [Father Fray Alonso de Valdemoro, definitor of the province ofSan Gregorio, was then president and minister of the mission andministry of Dilao. In consequence of the aforesaid, the archbishophaving ordered him to open the sacristy, in order to inspect the holysacrament, and to examine the adornment that was there, he said thathe could not do it. Notwithstanding that reply, the prelate orderedhim once more to open the sacristy, where the most holy sacrament waskept, in order that he might proceed with the said visit, "which hewas to obey immediately under penalty of the greater excommunication, _latae sententiae ipso facto incurrenaa_, and four years' suspensionfrom the office of the ministry of souls. " The father minister, havingbeen informed of the act, insisted on his reply, basing his actionon the pontifical privileges of his order. In respect to the royaldecrees, he said that he was obeying them, but that it was necessarythat they should be communicated to his own regular superior, whohad the right of answering them; "and consequently, that in virtueof the said briefs, by which he is exempt from the jurisdiction ofthe bishops in regard to the ministry and visit that his Excellencyintends to make; and by law, inasmuch as he is not the archbishop'ssheep or subject, the said excommunication . .. Does not oblige orbind him. Accordingly, let his most illustrious Lordship determinethat matter with his superior, whom the said father is bound to obey;and, while this matter is not clear, he does not consider as harmfulthe penalties and censures imposed by his Excellency. He affixedhis signature, witnesses being Captain Gregorio de Galarça, AlférezAntonio de Viana, and Don Melchor de Valdes, and many other persons. _Fray Alonso de Valdemoro_, definitor. Before me, and I attest it: _Licentiate Alonso Ramirez_" Thereupon the archbishop ordered his notary to read the act passedon the twenty-second of the same month, "in which is discussed theright of his Excellency to make this visitation. Together with itthe archbishop ordered the clause of the brief of Gregory Fourteenthto be read and communicated to him, which treats of this visitationand the decrees of his Majesty which are in these acts, so that thesaid father should not pretend ignorance of it. Thus did he order, and he affixed his signature. _Fray Miguel_, archbishop. " The definitor responded "that in consideration of the fact that whenhis Holiness concedes any indult, and orders any new mandate, he isseen to address himself, as is his constant custom, to the chief men, to whom it pertains to carry out any new mandate, the same law extendsto the decrees sent by his Majesty, which are directed to the chiefpersons, to whom it pertains to answer the said decrees and mandatesof his Holiness. Consequently, as it does not appear that his prelateand superior, to whom it pertains to receive and answer the saiddecrees and clauses of the said brief that have been communicatedto him, has been notified of them; and as it is not apparent to himfrom the said reply: he cannot make any innovation until such time asthe will of his superior, with whom those matters must be discussed, is known to him. .. . " Having received that reply, the archbishop "declared the said father, Fray Alonso de Valdemoro, to have incurred the penalty of greaterexcommunication and of suspension from his office as minister, whichis imposed on him; and that, as such excommunicate, he was deprivedof what excommunication deprives one; and in order that he mightnot allege or pretend ignorance, this declaration, stating that hehas incurred the censures imposed, is to be read and communicatedto him. .. . " Having heard the act, Father Valdemoro replied: "that, in considerationof the replies that he has given, and his protestation against theviolence that his Excellency has exercised toward his order, and thelack of summons, [19] which are an intrinsic right in excommunication, he does not consider himself as such excommunicate, until informationhas been given to his superior, as he has said, and in the meantimehe does not consider himself injured. .. . " After the aforesaid, Father Valdemoro took part in a procession, in which the image of our Lady of Guidance was carried to the city, so that the Lord might be pleased, through her intervention, tobring safely to port the ships that were to anchor that year inCavite from Acapulco. The ecclesiastical fiscal was informed of it, and he informed the provisor and vicar-general of it. At that timethe latter was the canon and treasurer, Don Juan Cevicós. He orderedthe father to leave the procession, and by the archbishop's orderhe opened an official inquiry, in order to investigate the offense, and to punish it according to law, "as the said father is a parishpriest and minister for souls in the said mission of Dilao, and thesaid offense is dependent on the visit which his said Excellency ismaking on him as such minister, inasmuch as he is, in that regard, under his Lordship's jurisdiction and subject to him. .. . " The investigation ended on June 26 of the said year. In it thedepositions were taken of Licentiate Juan de Arguijo, ecclesiasticalfiscal of the archbishop; Don Alonso García de León, canon; LicentiateJerónimo Rodriguez Luján, presbyter; Miguel Calderón, presbyter; andAlférez Francisco del Castillo, chief constable of the archbishop. Thearchbishop ordered that the father minister of Dilao be arrested, "and placed as a prisoner in one of the convents--that of St. Dominic, or St. Augustine, or the Society of Jesus, or St. Nicolas of theRecollects of this city--the one which the said father shouldselect. That convent the archbishop assigns to him as a prison andplace of confinement; and he is ordered not to break it under penaltyof greater excommunication, _latæ senteniæ ipso facto incurrenda_, andsuspension from active and passive vote for three years. And in orderthat the said imprisonment might be effective, and not be hinderedby the religious of the said order, the royal aid shall be petitionedthrough this royal Audiencia, to whom it rightly belongs to give thataid, in order that they may fulfil the decrees of the holy council ofTrent, and a royal decree given for this purpose, under date of SanLorenzo, November fourteen, six hundred and three, directed to thisroyal Audiencia, and another royal decree of the same date directedto the archbishop of these islands, in which they are ordered to makeeffectual the said visit, as such is advisable for the relief of theconsciences of his Majesty and of the said archbishop. .. . " The Audiencia having been asked for aid on June 27, declared on July4, that "there was no occasion at the present time for imparting tothe archbishop of these islands the royal aid asked in his name. .. . " While the above was happening, one Sunday, June 26, papers wereseen to be posted on the doors of the cathedral and convents ofManila. They were signed by father Fray Pedro de Muriel, by orderof the judge conservator appointed to prevent the said visit. Hewas father Fray Tomás Villar, rector of the college of St. Dominic, by virtue of two briefs of Pius V: the first given March 24, 1567;and the second September 23, 1571 _Universis et singulis venerabilibusfratribus_. He had accepted his charge one day before the said posterswere put up. In those posters, Don Juan Cevicós was declared to haveincurred the excommunication of the canon _si quis suadente diabolo_, for having taken Father Valdemoro from the procession the twenty-fourthof the same month. The matter being communicated to the archbishop, "he summoned thesaid conservator to immediately refrain from proceeding in the saidcauses, under penalty of incurring the penalties established by law;besides which he would proceed to punish the scandal caused in thiscommunity by his having affixed decrees in which the said provisorwas said to be excommunicated. " Father Villar replied, declaring his charge as apostolic judgeconservator, and that, as such, "he must proceed in the saidcause. Accordingly, he petitions and requests his Lordship to ceaseto proceed in the said visit, that he has intended to make in thesaid mission of Dilao; and that he send all that has been writtenand done to the said judge conservator; and if not, the latter willproceed to what is advisable, in accordance with law. In respect to theprovisor, through his having incurred that contained in the said canon, _si quis suadente_, he ordered that he be proclaimed in the publicparts of this city as excommunicated, so that all may know of it, and that no person remove, or cause to be removed, the said posters, under penalty of greater excommunication, _ipso facto incurrenda_ . .. " In view of the aforesaid, and considering that the Audiencia gaveno support to the archbishop, so that he might prosecute the saidvisit that he had begun, he insisted no further on it. But "so thatthe aforesaid might be apparent to his Majesty, and that the lattermight provide what relief he pleased, the archbishop ordered--andhe did so order--a testimony to be sent to the royal Council of theYndias of all that had been done, and that the briefs mentioned inthis act be sent also . .. " At the same time he wrote the following letter to his Majesty:] Sire. Finding myself obliged, both by the holy council of Trent and a briefof his Holiness Gregory Fourteenth, and by the restraining decrees ofyour Majesty, in regard to the visiting of the religious missionariesby the bishops--respecting curacies, and that they do not exercisesuch office without being examined beforehand in the language ofthe natives that they administer--I determined to carry out so holymandates, from which so many blessings must result to the service ofGod and that of your Majesty. Accordingly, having declared my purposeto the superiors of the said orders, three months before beginning thesaid visit, by means of a letter or notification which I gave them, in which I cited the passages of the said holy council, the brief ofhis Holiness, and the decrees of your Majesty, they responded to meorally, saying that they had an indult from his Holiness, Pius Fifth, in order that they might not be visited in matters touching curasand ministers of souls; and that the bishops had no jurisdictionover their ministries. I began, in fulfilment of the aforesaid, the visitation on the twenty-fourth of the past month of June, at aministry in charge of the Order of St. Francis, in the suburbs ofManila. Proceeding to the visit, I found so much resistance fromthe religious missionaries, both on reading the edict, and when Ihappened to request them to open the sacristy in order to inspect thecasket of the most holy sacrament, that it was necessary to order thatunder censure, and that was not sufficient to make them agree to myrequest. Accordingly, I declared and announced that the minister ofthat mission was excommunicated. For the time being I contented myselfwith that effort, with which, in order to avoid scandal, I returnedhome, with the intention of asking aid from this royal Audiencia. But the said minister regarded the ecclesiastical censures and hisprelate as of so little moment, that his subsequent action was justas if he had not been excommunicated and denounced. In a generalprocession that this cathedral made to the chapel of Nuestra Señorade Guia, for the happy arrival of the ships that we were awaitingfrom Nueva España, in which were the royal Audiencia, cabildo, city, and orders--all aware of the event of the previous day, for even themost secret thing is known in a city so small--all were universallyscandalized. Consequently, my provisor, in order to avoid that scandal, was obliged to order the said minister to leave the procession, and notto furnish the bad example that he was setting by showing contempt forecclesiastical censures. As he refused to leave, the provisor removedhim from the procession, ordering the fiscal of this archbishopricto follow him until he ejected him from the procession. As it was amatter that concerns, and is dependent on, the visit, all the orderswere so angry over it that, speaking through the mouth of the Order ofSt. Francis, they elected as judge conservator a friar of St. Dominic, the rector of this college of Manila, in order to avoid any furtherattempts in the said visit to the ministries of the orders. The judgeconservator, without informing me of any apostolic letter or brief ofhis Holiness pertaining to the said conservatorship, posted decreesnext day in the churches and public places, declaring the said provisoras excommunicated and as fallen into the penalties of the clause _siquis suadente Diabolo_ . .. I continued to prosecute the cause of thevisit, and, having found the said minister guilty, I requested aid inorder to proceed against him, and, until he should become obedient, to keep him confined in one of these convents of Manila. The royal Audiencia voted that there was at present no occasionfor the said aid. Thereupon I issued an act, in which I abandonedthe visit until I could give an account to your Majesty--to whomI enclose a testimony of everything with this letter, and with itanother testimony of the act of the royal Audiencia in regard to thecase against my provisor, whom the judge conservator tried to arrest, and for which he requested aid, which the auditors refused him. I have written your Majesty this relation in order to comply with yourorders to inform you of what should be done in this, and so that youmay see the freedom with which the religious proceed in this country, confident that they are the greatest part of the community; and thathaving, as they do, so great influence in all these provinces whichthey administer, they must succeed with whatever they undertake, even creating a judge conservator, contrary to the ruling of the holycouncil and the royal will of your Majesty. That is so true that theyproclaimed in Manila that if the archbishop proceeded with the visit, they would place him on the list as excommunicated, and would notabsolve him until he should go to their convent of St. Dominic tobeg absolution. I might easily have proceeded with the visit, Sire, but I preferred to be chidden as remiss, than not to have those greatscandals muzzled which were represented to me to be inevitable ifI went to law with these religious. And speaking with all truth, itseems to them a case of less value than that any Indian or Spaniardshould imagine that there is any power in these kingdoms greater thantheir own. May God preserve the very Catholic person of your Majesty, with the increase of new kingdoms and the happiness of those thatyou possess, as Christendom has need, and as we your Majesty's humblevassals and chaplains desire. Manila, August first, one thousand six hundred and twenty-two. [20] _Fray Miguel Garcia Serrano_, archbishop of Manila. _Regulations concerning the visits of religious_ The King. Inasmuch as I have considered it advisable to order to begiven, and gave, one of my decrees of the following tenor: "The King. Inasmuch as there have been many differences in regardto the manner in which the religious of the mendicant orders whohave missions of Indians in their charge in Nueva España, are tobe visited by their prelates, and whether it is advisable that theypossess missions; and inasmuch as various decrees have been despatched, some of which have been carried out, but others, because of findingsome trouble in the execution, have not been observed; and desiringto end those quarrels and establish the form most advisable for theservice of God and for mine: I ordered that, the papers that treat ofthat matter having been collected, what had been done in that matterbe examined in an assembly of ministers and other experienced andeducated persons. The assembly having conferred on the matter, andadvised me of their opinion, I have considered it best to determineand order, as I do by this present, that, for the present, and untilI order otherwise, the said missions remain to, and be continued by, the religious as hitherto; and there shall under no consideration beany innovation in that matter; and the assignment and removal of thereligious who are curas, whenever it may be necessary, shall be madeby my viceroy of those provinces, in my name, the latter observingin those appointments and promotions the form, together with theconditions and circumstances, with which it is done in the kingdomsof Pirú; and it is my will that the religious be not admitted to theexercise or to the service of the said missions, or that they receivethe emoluments of them in any other manner. I also order that thearchbishop of those provinces may visit the said religious in whatrefers to the ministry of curas and to nothing else--inspecting thechurches, the sacraments, the chrism, the confraternities, their alms, and everything pertaining to the mere administration of the holysacraments and the said ministry of curas. He shall go to make thevisit in his own person, or shall assign or send for this duty suchpersons as he shall choose and find satisfactory, to those districtswhere he cannot go in person, or where there is no occasion for hisaid. He shall employ correction and punishment whenever necessary, strictly within the limits and exercise of curas as above stated, andnothing further. In respect to personal transgressions in the moralsand lives of such religious curas, the latter shall not remain subjectto the said archbishops and bishops, so that these may punish themthrough the visits, even though under pretext that they are curas;but, on having notice of such matters, they shall, without writingor drawing up processes, secretly advise their regular superiors ofsuch persons, so that the latter may correct the wrong. In case thatthe latter should not do this, then the former might make use of theauthority given them by the holy council of Trent, in the manner andin the cases when they can and ought to act in regard to religiouswho are not curas. In this instance I order that they have recourse tothe said my viceroy, who shall appoint them and who can remove them, to represent to him the causes, so that it may be done as has beenand is done in Pirú. And inasmuch as the said religious, in regardto the jurisdiction, are not endeavoring to acquire any right forthe perpetuity of the said missions; and since by the aforesaid theordinary jurisdiction is not annulled in cases that conform to lawand to the holy council of Trent: it pertains to the superiors totry the causes of the religious. That must and shall be understood, without any prejudice to the ordinary jurisdiction and the right ofmy patronage. I order all the above to be thus observed and executedinviolably by my viceroy, archbishop, bishops of Nueva España andall other persons whom its fulfilment concerns, notwithstanding anyother orders whatever that may exist to the contrary. Such I revokeand declare null and void. Given in Madrid, June twenty-two, onethousand six hundred and twenty-four. _I The King_ _Juan Ruiz de Contreras_" And in behalf of the archbishop of the metropolitan church of thecity of Manila in the Philipinas Islands, I have been requested tobe pleased to declare whether the decree of November fourteen of theformer year six hundred and three is to be observed in those islands, in regard to the manner in which the said religious missionariesare to be visited; or whether the visit is to be exercised with thelimitation and in the form contained in the new decree which was givento Nueva España. The matter having been examined in my royal Councilof the Indias, I have considered it fitting to give the present. Byit I order that everything contained in the decree herein insertedbe observed and obeyed by my governor, archbishop, and bishops ofthose islands, and by all other persons whom it concerns, exactlyas is contained in it, for such is my will. Given in Madrid, Augustfourteen, one thousand six hundred and twenty-four. [21] _I The King_ By order of the king our sovereign: _Juan Ruiz de Contreras_ CONFLICT BETWEEN CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES _Case that happened in Manila in the year 1623, in regard to a fugitivewho was taken from the church_ Juan Soto de Vega, whom justice was prosecuting for having stolena large sum of money from the ship which was coming from Mejico toFilipinas, had taken refuge in the asylum [_sagrado_] of the cathedralof Manila. Desirous of escaping from the prosecution of the seculartribunal, he tried to get to Eastern or Portuguese Yndia in the monthof December. He begged permission from the provisor and vicar-general, Don Pedro Monrroy, that he might be taken from the cathedral and keptin the ecclesiastical prison; and they actually kept him there, butwith guards and in confinement, until the Portuguese boats left forYndia. Then they returned him to the cathedral, where he remained forthe space of eight months, until an auditor took him violently fromthe church on the fifth of September, 1623, and took him to the publicprison. There he, in company with another auditor, tortured Juan dela Vega until they broke his arm, which caused a great public scandal. The provisor began to take steps in defense of the ecclesiasticalimmunity. He demanded the criminal, and publicly declared the auditorsto be excommunicated, threatening to place them under interdict, unlessthey would return the prisoner to the church. After the time-limit hadexpired, the interdict was imposed. The auditors, on the other hand, despatched a letter and a second letter to the provisor charging himto lift the censures and interdict, under penalty of banishment and afine of 2, 000 ducados, unless he did that in the time-limit that theyassigned him. As he did not fulfil the command, they despatched thecourt constable, with soldiers, to look for the provisor in order toarrest him. They registered all the house of the archbishop, and thehouse of the provisor himself, sequestered his goods, broke off thelocks of the cupboards and writing-desks, and ransacked his papers, butdid not find him, for he had hidden in the convent of the Augustinians. The archbishop (against whom the proceedings were directed), secondedby the public opinion, which was contrary to the auditors, summonedDoctor Don Juan de Renteria, bishop of Nueva Segovia (who was thenin Manila), and various religious, prebendaries, and lawyers, andassembled or formed a council to discuss what ought to be done in sucha case. The opinion of all was that the auditors were legitimatelyexcommunicated, and the interdict rightly imposed; and that theecclesiastical immunity ought to be sustained, and satisfactiondemanded for the scandal by returning the fugitive to the church. While that meeting was being held, the auditors despatched a royalmandate, which they said was given by Don Felipe, to the archbishop, ordering him not to retain Don Pedro de Monrroy as provisor, as hewas exiled from the kingdoms, to absolve the excommunicated, and liftthe interdict--under penalty, if he did not do so, of banishmentand a fine of 2, 000 ducados. The archbishop replied, demanding atestimony of the cause and the corresponding acts [of the Audiencia], in order to determine what he should do. But the auditors sent himanother royal decree, warning him that he would be considered to haveincurred the said penalties if he did not immediately lift the censuresand interdict. Since the archbishop held firm, the auditors sent thechief court constable, together with the actuary of the Audiencia andthirty pikemen under command of an adjutant, at four in the afternoonon that same day, in order to take charge of the episcopal residence, with orders not to permit any one to leave it or anything to be takenfrom it. At this juncture, the rector of the Jesuit college and others advisedthe archbishop to raise the censures _ad reincidentiam_ [_i. E. _, "until a repetition of the offense"], and the interdict for one week, since they thought that the auditors would return the prisoner. Thatwas done, and the archbishop requested the opinion in writing of theorders and learned persons, which they gave him--with the exceptionof the Dominicans, who excused themselves. The archbishop, seeingthat the auditors not only did not do what was promised, but evenissued another decree to arrest and expel the provisor, called anothermeeting, at which the Dominicans had no part. In that meeting it wasdecided to defend the ecclesiastical immunity, and that two individualsof the assembly should go to talk with the auditors in the name ofthe assembly, and notify them that the prisoner must be returned, orelse the archbishop could not raise the censures or interdict. TwoJesuits went, and the auditors replied to them that they would notdesist or turn back. The interdict was immediately imposed again, and the auditors were publicly declared to be excommunicated. A Jesuit, who was a friend to the governor, advised him to take ahand in the matter in order to cut short such scandals. The resultwas that the governor decided to see the archbishop at the residenceof the Society, in order to discuss the most suitable method. Theinterview was held, but without result. Another interview had thesame result. Meanwhile it was decided to appoint two arbitrators, one from each side. Doctor Jolo was appointed for the auditors, andFather Juan de Bueras, [22] rector of the residence of the Societyof Jesus, for the archbishop. They agreed that the prisoner shouldbe returned to the episcopal prison, and that each side should desistfrom their claim in what was accomplished. When the time came to execute the agreement of the arbitrators, theauditors put difficulties in the way. But, since at the same timeit happened that the provisor, as commissary of the holy crusade, had drawn up acts against the auditors for the violation of hishouse and tribunal, against which there was no recourse by force inthese islands; and since, on the other hand, the governor demandedfrom them the record of all that had been done (separating himselffrom them, as not being a lawyer) in order to inform the king:they resolved to form an assembly without the governor, and votedthat the prisoner should be returned to the ecclesiastical prison, while the ecclesiastical judge was investigating whether the churchwas protecting him, which was what the archbishop claimed. The victorious provisor left the residence of the Society, and withgreat pomp, and, accompanied by a mass of people and by his ministers, drew the prisoner from the public prison and took him to his own. Theinterdict was raised, to the chime of the bells of all the churches. The auditors begged to be absolved in their houses, but the archbishoprefused, saying that since the scandal had been public, the absolutionalso must be so. However, absolution was given in his house to onewho was sick and who was less culpable; as well as to another by theinfluence of the Dominicans, who obtained that it be given him bythe parish priest. SEMINARY FOR JAPANESE MISSIONARIES In the city of Manila, on the twenty-third day of July in the yearone thousand six hundred and twenty-four, the honorable president andauditors of the royal Audiencia and Chancillería of these PhilipinasIslands, in whose charge is the government thereof, declared that[they have resolved upon this measure] in view of the fact that SeñorDon Alonso Faxardo de Tenga, formerly governor and captain-general ofthese said islands, and president of the royal Audiencia, undertookto found a seminary [and] college where Japanese should be educated, instructed in religion, and taught, so that when they had received holyorders they might go to the kingdom of Japan and preach and instructthere in our holy faith, after the manner and likeness of the Englishcolleges in the kingdoms of España, and other Christian countries--forwhich purpose he designated space and locations for a church, house, and garden in the unoccupied land outside the walls of the said city;and for the income and maintenance of the said seminary [and] collegehe designated and applied the income from the passage and navigationfrom this city to the port of Cavite, and the monopoly of buyo, bonga, [23] and tobacco, which he ordered to be established by a royal decree, which, to this purpose, was despatched in the name of his Majestyon the twenty-ninth of January of this present year. By this it wascommanded that no person should make use of the said passage, nor ofthe carriage and sale of the said buyo, bonga, and tobacco, exceptingthose who hold it in lease for the said college and its administrators, or those named by them for this purpose, under the penalties whichare imposed upon them by the magistrates. From this have resultedgreat discontent and scandal in all ranks of this commonwealth, andparticularly among serious persons therein, both ecclesiastical andlay--who, being moved by zeal for the service of God our Lord, and ofhis Majesty, and for the prosperity and preservation of these islandsand the citizens and natives thereof, have made representations ofthe many difficulties resulting from the aforesaid grant, not onlyin sermons which have many times been preached in regard to this, butlikewise by information and declaration to the judges and ministers ofhis Majesty, that they might aid in procuring relief therein, as itis a thing so important for the royal service. For the establishmentof the said college and seminary was accomplished at a time whenthe king of Japon so rigorously prohibited the preaching of the holygospel in his kingdom, as is explained in the said royal decree; and[his resentment] had reached such an extreme that, when ambassadorswere despatched in the past year to negotiate on behalf of theseislands for friendship and good understanding with the said king, he showed himself to be so ill disposed against them that he didnot allow the said ambassadors to enter his court during the eightmonths and more which they passed in his kingdom, seeking an audiencein order to give their message and embassy. According to the lettersand relations received, his resentment was the result of having foundcertain religious in his kingdom in secular clothes, and of havinglearned that they had been brought from these islands to his land indisguise and secretly. On this account, and in order to prevent themfrom entering Japon, he has ordered all Spaniards who are in his saidkingdom to leave it, and has forbidden and discontinued traffic, andhe will not consent that Japanese ships come to these islands, as theyused to come, to bring provisions and other military stores for theroyal warehouses; this can only result in the ruin of this country, on account of the lack which this may cause in its armament, trade, and maintenance. If the king of Japon, who has already ordered thatreligious cannot dwell in his kingdom, by not consenting to allowSpaniards in it, as has been said, should get word that Japaneseare being educated and instructed in the said seminary, to go andcontinue the said preaching, it is certain that he must experienceeven greater displeasure and annoyance, and adopt more strenuousmeasures to stop all communication and passage from these islands tohis said kingdom. As a result, the Spaniards will suffer the greatestneed through the want of provision which is brought to these islandsfrom there. It might even be the cause that he would unite withthe Dutch enemy, whom he admits peacefully into his said kingdom, and that they would come with a great number of troops and vesselsagainst these islands, and cause great losses to them, as we have noforces sufficient to resist them successfully. On this account it isexpedient to use prudent measures and acts, and not to continue this, which in all certainty, and evidently, as is generally known by allthe religious orders and serious persons of this city, must result inharm to the service of God and of his Majesty, and in notable loss tothis commonwealth--both because the said seminary cannot bring aboutthe good results claimed for it, on account of the little inclinationof the Japanese for it, and the different objects which it is presumedhave been aimed at by it; and because in this case the argument doesnot exist that holds good in other kingdoms and parts where thereare colleges of the English and other foreign nations. For, if thosepeoples are irritated by the religious instruction and teaching ofthe persons who are gathered in the said colleges, there are forcesto resist them; but through this seminary they might cause greaterinjury than the said nations are doing without it. As for the locationwhich was designated for the said seminary, although it was, as hasbeen said, in the unoccupied land outside the walls of this city, it appears to have been selected and set aside in the Plaza de Armashere, close by the village of Laguio, where they have commenced toerect a building and pillars of stone, contrary to what his Majestydirected by his royal decree of the sixth of March of the year onethousand six hundred and eight, which is as follows: "The King. In consideration of the fact that a relation has been madeto me on behalf of Hernando de los Rios Coronel, procurator-general ofthe Philipinas Islands, to the effect that when the uprising of theChinese Sangleys occurred there, there were, about the walls of thecity of Manila, many buildings from which the Sangleys did much damageto the walls thereof, until they were destroyed; and to prevent thisdifficulty for the future, Don Pedro de Acuña, my former governor andcaptain-general of those islands, commanded that no buildings shouldbe erected within three hundred paces from the wall of the said city, in its entire circuit, and begged me, considering that this was soexpedient as he had given me to understand, in order that the said cityshould be provided with the necessary defense, and protected from thepast dangers, that I should be pleased to have this confirmed, or doas might be according to my pleasure. Having examined it in my royalCouncil of the Yndias, the said order which the said Don Pedro issuedhas appeared to me to be very effective, as is said. Accordingly it ismy will that this be observed and fulfilled, as exactly and punctuallyas if it were issued by myself; and, in fulfilment thereof, I orderthat neither now nor at any time shall any building be erected withinthe said three hundred paces about the said wall of the said city ofManila, since this is expedient for my service and for the securityand defense of the said city. Done at Madrid, on the sixth of Marchof the year one thousand six hundred and eight. _I The King_ By order of the king, our lord: _Juan de Civiza_" All the aforesaid procedure is contrary to this decree. Besides, the district and place where the said seminary building has beencommenced are the lots which have been seized and taken away from theowners who possessed them, the houses which they had built upon thembeing removed or torn down, in order to make the said Plaza de Armas;nor have they thus far been paid for, nor has any satisfaction beengiven to the owners. Accordingly, if the said lots were not necessaryfor the purpose for which they were taken, they should be returned totheir owners as land and property which pertain and belong to them, and no work or edifice should be erected thereon until they be paid andsatisfied. As for the income which is appropriated for the work, itsmaintenance, and the prosecution of the building for the said seminary, it was contrary to the rules of justice and to the laws of the kingdom, and greatly to the prejudice of this whole commonwealth and the Indianvillages in its neighborhood; for the voyage and navigation from thiscity to the port of Cavite--as it is not a river passage, but a bayand an arm of the sea, which may be crossed with all sorts of vessels, both large and small--cannot be reduced to the status of a privateroute and profit, on account of the loss which this would cause to sogreat a number of persons as possess the said vessels, and use them tocarry and convey merchandise and other sorts of articles from this cityto the said port. And especially it will cause this loss to the nativeIndians of this city and of the villages of Laguio, Mahar, Meytubi, Dongalo and others of this coast, who will be deprived and preventedfrom using the vessels which they ordinarily possess to carry andconvey to the said port persons, merchandise, and other things; andif this profit be hindered they will have nothing wherewith to sustainthemselves, and will not be able to pay his Majesty the royal tributes, nor aid in other impositions and personal services. The same losseswill be increased by granting a monopoly of the said buyo, bonga, andtobacco--not only for the neighboring villages but even for provinceswhere it is collected and brought to this city; for their nativeshave no other source of income which would be to them so importantand profitable as the gathering, carrying, and sale of buyo, bonga, and tobacco, and if this were stopped they would be reduced to thegreatest poverty and want. That would make it impossible for them tosucceed in paying the royal tributes, impositions, repartimientos, andother consequences of the service of his Majesty; and to the citizensand the people of various nationalities who dwell here, for whom thesaid commodities serve as food and sustenance, there would be causedexpense and inconvenience, as has already been seen by experience, foreven without the said monopoly being erected, but merely projected andintended, the said buyo, bonga, and tobacco have risen and increased inprice, so much that the cost at present is twice what it was before, and at the time when it was decided to erect the said monopoly--whichnot only is of the fruits of the land, and articles which the saidpeoples use for their sustenance, but likewise is prohibited byequity and the laws. Consequently, looking for the greatest serviceto God and his Majesty, the growth and preservation of these islands, and the welfare and comfort of the citizens and natives thereof, they[_i. E. _, the president and auditors] declared that they would revoke, and they did revoke, the said grant with everything therein contained;and that they would declare it, and they did declare it, to be nulland of no force and effect. And they declared that they would notify, and they did notify, each and every magistrate of his Majesty, thateach one of them, in his jurisdiction, in so far as may concern him, shall not consent to the use of the said monopolies, or of any oneof them, on the part of either the said seminary or of any otherperson with a lease-title therefrom, or in any other manner, who mayemploy and make use of the said grant; but on the contrary they shallproceed to the punishment of such, who shall be in their jurisdiction, as against persons making use of a title and right not pertaining tothem. And as for the said edifice and its demolition, it shall beentrusted to the captain-general, so that he, when he has examinedit, and found that it is within the said three hundred paces aboutthe walls, shall have it demolished and razed, until it be put in thestate in which the said Plaza de Armas had been before, and at the timewhen the said edifice was commenced, in such manner that the purpose ofthe command of his Majesty in the said royal decree shall be compliedwith. A royal decree in conformity with this act shall be despatched, and shall be cried publicly in the customary districts and places, so that knowledge thereof may come to all. And, by this their act, they decree and command accordingly, and have signed their names. _Doctor Don Alvaro de Messa y Lugo_Licentiate _Don Juan de Saavedra Valderrama_Licentiate _Don Mathias Delgado y Flores_Before me:_Pedro Alvarez_ Don Phelipe, by the grace of God king of Castilla, of Leon, of Aragon, of the two Çiçilias, of Hierusalem, of Portugal, of Navarra, ofGranada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Galicia, of Mayorca, of Sevilla, of Cerdeña, of Cordova, of Córcega, of Murcia, of Jaen, of theAlgarves, of Algeciras, of Gibraltar, and of the Canaria Islands, and of the Eastern and Western Yndias, islands and mainland, of theOcean Sea; Archduke of Austria, Duke of Borgoña, of Bramante, andMilan; Count of Arpspug [_i. E. , _ Hapsburg] and of Flandez, of Tirol, and of Barcelona; Seignior of Viscaya and of Molina, etc. [Here theroyal decree quotes in full the foregoing act of the royal Audienciabeginning: "In consideration of the fact that Don Alonso Faxardo deTença, " etc. , down to "but likewise is prohibited by equity and law. "] Wherefore, looking for the greatest service to God and myself, theincrease and preservation of the said islands, and the welfare andcomfort of the citizens and dwellers therein, after examination by mypresident and auditors of the royal Audiencia and Chancilleria of mysaid Philipinas Islands, in whose charge is the government thereof, through the death of my governor, Don Alonso Fajardo de Tença, itwas agreed that I should revoke, as by these presents I do revoke, the said grant and everything therein contained, and I declare itnull and of no force and effect. And I command all my justices andministers that each one of them in his jurisdiction, in so far asconcerns him, shall not consent to the use of the said monopolies orany one of them, on the part either of the said seminary or of anyother person with a lease-title therefrom, or in any other manner, who may employ and make use of the said grant; but on the other handthey shall proceed to the punishment of such, who may be in theirjurisdiction, as against persons making use of a title and right notpertaining to them. And as for the said edifice and its demolition, it shall be entrusted to the master-of-camp, Don Geronimo de Silva, captain-general, likewise of the artillery of my said islands, so thatwhen he has examined it, and found that it is within the said threehundred paces about the walls of the city of Manila, he shall have itdemolished and razed until it be put in the state in which the saidPlaza de Armas had been before, at the time when the said edifice wascommenced, in such manner that the purpose of my royal command in myroyal decree shall be complied with. And this, my letter and royaledict, shall be publicly cried in the customary districts and places, so that it may come to the knowledge of all. Given in the city ofManila, on the twenty-fourth of July of the year one thousand sixhundred and twenty-four. _Doctor Don Alvaro de Messa y Luga_Licentiate _Don Juan de Saavedra Valderrama_Licentiate _Don Matthias Delgado y Flores_ I, Captain Pedro Alvarez, chief secretary of the government anddepartment of war of these Philipinas Islands for the king our lord, have had this written by his command with the decision of his presidentand auditors. Registered by Don Juan Sarmiento. _Chancillor Don Juan Sarmiento_ In the city of Manila, on the twenty-fourth of Jury of the year onethousand six hundred and twenty-four, was published this decree inconformity with the provision therein, in loud and intelligible words, by the voice of Augusto de Navarrete, public crier, in front of thegate of the Audiencia hall, and on the corner where resides CaptainAntonio de Xérez Montoro, and on the site of Bagun Bay, outside thewalls--Captain Martin de Esquival, sargento-mayor, Geronimo EnrriquezSotelo, and many other persons being witnesses. To this I certify: _Pedro Alvarez_ I, Captain Pedro Alvarez, sargento-mayor of the government anddepartment of war of these Philipinas Islands, at the command ofSeñor Doctor Don Alvaro de Messa y Lugo of the council of his Majesty, and his auditor in the royal Audiencia in these islands--who, as thesenior auditor, fills the office of president thereof--have orderedto be drawn, and have drawn, this copy of the act and royal decree, the originals whereof remain in my possession; and this is certainand true, corrected and compared with the said original, to whichI refer. Witnesses at its correction and comparison were: CaptainLopez de Olaiz, Sargento Pedro Delgado, and Martin de la Rroca, citizens and residents of this city of Manila, where this is dated, on the fifth day of the month of August of the year one thousand sixhundred and twenty-four. _Pedro Alvarez_ [_Endorsed_: "Copy of the act and royal decree which were publishedrevoking the grant which was made to the seminary [and] college forJapanese, of a monopoly of buyo, bonga, and tobacco, and the passageto the fort of Cavite. "] EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM THE ARCHBISHOP TO FELIPE IV 10. The chief argument that induced his Majesty Philippo Second, our sovereign, to reëstablish in these islands, during the termof Don Francisco Tello's government, the royal Audiencia which hehad suppressed some years before, was in order that the governorsmight not be so absolute in regions so remote and so far separatedfrom his royal presence, but that there might be a superior arm torestrain them, without allowing extortions on the innocent. That is amost pious act, and one experienced by all this community during thetime of that sovereignty and superintendency in all things pertainingto justice, government, and war. If your Majesty be pleased to haveit restored and reëstablished with the majesty and power with whichit was founded, it will be of great service to God and your Majesty, and the consolation and relief of your vassals. For it is certain thatthree or four men view a cause which does not concern them with moreimpartial eyes than does one man who is sole and absolute, who is attimes governed by passion, and consequently blind in what he ordersexecuted. Although it be said that demands for justice may be made inthe residencia--as if the poor man who suffers in person, property, honor, and at times in his life, would appear at the residencia; and, even if he were alive, could go to obtain satisfaction at that court[_i. E. _, of Mexico], or have method or means to do so, even thoughhis grievances were enormous and cried out to the heavens--well doI know that there are testimonies in that royal Council (since theyhave been sent from here) that say the contrary. But I equally affirmthis to be the truth, as, to my positive knowledge, it actuallyoccurs--more true than I would indeed wish, for it would be wellif these things did not happen. And since this royal Audiencia hasno more authority than at present, to suppress it will be of greatservice for your Majesty, and even necessary, as the poor auditorsare as much annoyed and molested as are other private persons. Whatis worse, your Majesty's authority has been seen humbled by so manynations who know that this Audiencia immediately represents your royalperson. It will be less troublesome for us private persons to sufferthan that so great authority be seen in such decay. I petition yourMajesty to be pleased to have the importance of a matter of so greatmoment considered, as may be most fitting to your royal service. It is a fact that this city of Manila, both at the instance of thegovernor and by its own action, has caused representations to bemade in that royal Council, that this royal Audiencia should refrainfrom making appointments in which the children and relatives of theauditors occupy the best offices of war, without ever having firedan arquebus in their lives. These men become captains at one stroke, to the grievance of the old soldiers who have served, just as if yourMajesty had not provided for this by making such men incapable ofoffices--in which intention, I consider, enter the offices of justiceand war. However, even though it is not agreeable to them, it shouldbe so understood; and if your Majesty be pleased to order this to bedeclared, and that favors and rewards for services can be expectedonly from your royal hands, this difficulty would be remedied. For Iavow that it is vastly prejudicial, since, when a man has an auditorto defend his causes, and those inclined to him favor those causes, his negligence comes to be rewarded. In a matter of war, the presentcondition of things very often is wont to be of irreparable damage, as we in these islands have experienced on various occasions. [August15, 1624. ] ROYAL ORDERS REGARDING THE RELIGIOUS _Regulating their privileges_ The King. Inasmuch as the king my sovereign and father (whom may holyParadise keep) was informed that the religious who resided in thePhilipinas Islands, busied in the instruction and conversion of theIndians, were meddling in things that did not concern them, he orderedGomez Perez das Mariñas, then governor and captain-general of thePhilipinas Islands, or the person in whose charge the government mightbe--by his decree, dated June eleven, of the former year five hundredand ninety-four--not to allow the religious to have prisons or jails, or to make arrests or condemn, unless they have commission from thebishop for the things in which he can give it in accordance with law;or not to appoint as fiscals others than those whom the bishop mightassign them, together with other declarations contained in the saiddecree. Afterward the king my sovereign and father, who is in glory, by another decree dated May six, six hundred and fourteen, orderedthe aforesaid to be obeyed and observed, according to its contents, without violating or exceeding its tenor and form, as is containedmore at length in the said decree and its reissue, which are of thefollowing tenor: "The King. To Don Juan de Silva, my governor and captain-general ofthe Philipinas Islands and president of my royal Audiencia of them, or the person or persons in whose charge may be their government:The king my sovereign and father, who is in heaven, ordered to beissued and gave the decree of the following tenor: "'The King. To Gomez Perez das Marinas, my governor and captain-generalin the Philippinas Islands, or the person in whose charge may be thegovernment of them: Inasmuch as I have been informed that the religiouswho reside in those islands, busied in the instruction and conversionof the Indians, meddle in matters that do not concern them, I order younot to allow them to have prisons or jails, or to arrest or condemn, unless they be those who have commission from the bishop for thosethings in which he can give commission in accordance with law; thatthey do not appoint or have other fiscals than those assigned them bythe said bishop; and that they take no fees for burials, marriages, or baptisms, other than according to the appraisement and declarationof the said bishop. And inasmuch as I have been informed that theyhave proceeded in the exercise of their privileges, with an excessprejudicial to the suitable progress of the instruction, and that itwould be advisable to declare what privileges be conserved and whatrevoked, in order to remove confusions and doubts--for they confess theIndians without the bishop's authorization, and, although not curas, perform marriages, which is in direct violation of the ordinance inthe holy council of Trent, incurring risk that the confessions andmarriages are invalid: I order you likewise that you shall communicatewith the superiors of the orders, and command them to examine the saidprivileges; and, unless they have such privileges, not to proceed inthe matters here specified, because of the doubts and scandals thatmay result. Given in Madrid, June eleven, one thousand five hundredand ninety-four. _I The King_By order of the king our sovereign:_Juan de Ibarra_' "And now it has been represented to me on the part of the archbishopof that city that none of the contents of the said decree are observedor obeyed with the exactness that would be fitting and expedient tothe service of God and to my service. He petitioned me to order thatit be strictly observed, as a remedy for the troubles that arisefrom it. Inasmuch as it is my will that this be done, I order youto observe, and to cause the said decree above inserted of the kingmy sovereign and father to be obeyed and observed, exactly accordingto its contents and declarations, without violating or exceeding inany part of it. This I shall regard with approbation; but by thecontrary I shall consider myself as disserved. Given in Madrid, May six, one thousand six hundred and fourteen. _I The King_By order of the king our sovereign:_Don Juan Ruiz de Contreras_" And now Don Juan Çevicos, treasurer of the metropolitan church ofthe city of Manila of the said Philipinas Islands, has informed mein the name of the archbishop of the city that, petition havingbeen made in behalf of Licentiate Don Diego Barquez de Mercado, while archbishop of the said church, and of the suffragan bishops, in my royal Audiencia of the said city, for the execution of the saiddecree, because it was not observed by the religious of the Orderof St. Francis, and an edict to that effect having been despatched, the provincial of the said order was notified. He--under pretextof two other decrees of the sixteenth of March of the said yearsix hundred and fourteen, despatched at the petition of the saidreligious because they had represented that the said archbishop hadtried to make innovations in the missions by appointing fiscals inthem (as in fact he did do, so that information should be made ofwhat had been done in this), and that in the meanwhile no innovationor change should be made in what had been the usual practice at thetime when he entered the said archbishopric--opposed the said edict, and petitioned that the said decree of the sixteenth of March, sixhundred and fourteen, be observed. The same was done by the otherorders in the said islands. After the cause had been prosecuted inthe said Audiencia, after some questions and answers, it was orderedby an act lately issued, on the first of August the past year, sixhundred and twenty-two, that the said decrees be observed and obeyed, and that notice be given to the president, governor and captain-generalof the said islands and to the said archbishop, as was done, so thatthey might investigate on what was ordered and charged to them. Thedetermination in the said cause was sent to my royal Council of theIndias. Until other provision should be made, there was to be noinnovation and the execution of the said edict was to be suspended, as was evident and appeared by the testimony of the records, which was, in accordance with the above said, presented and examined in the saidmy Council. I was petitioned to order that the commands of the saiddecree of June eleven, five hundred and ninety-four, and its reissueof May six, six hundred and fourteen, above inserted, be executed; andthat, in accordance with them, the said archbishop and bishops shouldappoint and name the said fiscals--as pertains to them, in accordancewith law--and try judicially the crimes and causes of the said Indians;and that the said religious, who arrest and punish them, as appears, [should not do this]. Having been examined by the members of the saidmy Council of the Indias, it was agreed that I ought to order thismy decree to be given. Therefore I desire, and it is my will, thatthe above decrees, above inserted (of June eleven of the said yearfive hundred and ninety-four, and May six, six hundred and fourteen), be observed, obeyed, and executed exactly according to their contentsand declarations, notwithstanding the contents of the said decreesof March sixteen of the said year six hundred and fourteen, orderingthat the said archbishop make no change in the usual practice in theappointment of fiscals, and that the said governor investigate. And, since this is necessary, I render those decrees to be null and void, and without effect. I order the president and auditors of my royalAudiencia of the said islands not to violate or exceed the contentsof this my decree, or consent that they be violated or exceeded, nowor henceforth, and in no manner. On the contrary, they shall givethe protection and aid that may be necessary for its execution andobservance. This I shall regard with approbation. Given in Madrid, August thirty, one thousand six hundred and twenty-four. _I The King_By order of the king our sovereign:_Juan Ruiz de Contreras_Signed by the members of the Council. [_Endorsed_: "In order that the decrees above inserted, ordering thatthe missionaries of the Filipinas Islands have no prisons or jails;that they may not condemn, except those who have commission from thearchbishop; and that they appoint no other fiscals than those whomhe shall assign them; notwithstanding the decrees that were givenordering no innovation in the former practice, be followed in theappointment of the said fiscals. "] _Letter to the archbishop_ The King. Very reverend father in Christ, archbishop of themetropolitan church of the city of Manila in the Filipinas Islands. Theletter which you wrote me on the thirteenth of August of last year, 1623, has been received and considered in my royal Council of theIndias. In regard to your statement that, on account of the haste inwhich were sent from Mexico the ships which arrived that year at thoseislands with assistance, the archbishop did not send you the papersfor convening the council, and that you therefore did not carry outyour plan for doing so, but that the necessary measures for it wouldbe taken this year: I command you, on receiving the despatches, toexecute the orders contained therein with the care and punctualitythat is desirable, and that I expect from you. I appreciate the diligence which you exerted in preventing theattempt to nominate for provincial of the Order of St. Augustine aperson who did not possess the qualifications which are necessary andrequisite. You should always be on your guard against such things, andattempt to preserve the desirable peace and concord among the orders. You advised us that it was necessary to have some ecclesiastical personto be charged with the guardianship and the mode of governing theseminary of Santa Potenciana, and to examine the persons who are tolive there. It was resolved to order the president of the Audiencia, jointly with you, to inform us of what takes place, and that in themeantime you were both to join in providing the most effective wayof administering the said seminary, with regard to both the personswho enter it and those who leave it, with this justification, thatit be necessary. Accordingly, you will endeavor, for your own part, to have these orders executed. Your statements regarding the foundation that was being establishedso that the youths of those islands might be graduated without goingto the university--which foundations were to be under the patronageof the most pure conception of Mary most holy, our Lady--have beenconsidered, and you may proceed. As to your proposition that my royal exchequer in those islands shouldbe inspected, the necessary provisions have already been made. You advise us that in the execution of the measures contained in thedecree of August 9, 1621, you have warned the heads of the orders thatthey shall not receive in those islands the religious from Yndia, and that you caused several clerics to embark who arrived at thatcity from that country. You will continue to do so, fulfilling yourorders contained in this memorandum. The other points mentioned in your letter have been considered, but answers to you are not yet ready. [Madrid, October 3, 1624. ] _I The King_ Countersigned by Juan Ruiz de Contreras. _Ordering the correction of abuses against the Indians by theDominicans_ Don Phelipe, by the grace of God, king of Castilla, Leon, Aragón, Jerusalem, Portugal, Navarra, and the Indias. To the reverend anddevout father-general of the Order of St. Dominic: It has been learnedfrom letters received and examined in my royal Council of the Indiasfrom Don Alonso Faxardo de Tenza, my governor and captain-general ofthe Philipinas Islands, and president of my royal Audiencia residenttherein, that, although the religious of the Order of St. Dominic whoreside there are most exemplary and protect their parishioners so well, it generally results that there is anger at their encomenderos, andthey do not attend to the affairs of my service as is advisable. Onthe other hand, the Indians consider the treatment received from thereligious as severe, for they do not allow even the women to wearshoes, while they force the men of the province of Nueva Segovia toguard the church in rotation and turn. For whatever annoyance theIndians cause them, they question them with regard to the Christiandoctrine, and their questions exceed those that persons with morereason and education can answer. And thereupon, if they fail in theleast to meet these requirements, the religious have the chiefs andtheir wives whipped, and cut off their hair. That has resulted incausing among the Indians so great resentment that the insurrectionof the Indians that occurred may be attributed to that. Inasmuchas that is a matter in which it is advisable to apply a remedy;and inasmuch as the harsh treatment practiced by the said religioustoward their parishioners has appeared excessive, and not in harmonywith what they should do, since their purpose in going to the saidislands is to instruct and teach the natives in the articles ofour holy faith, and with all love and mildness, because they are, as is a fact, people without reason and so newly converted (forwhich reason it is so expensive to my royal revenues, from whicheverything necessary is given): I request and charge you to givewhat order is advisable so that the aforesaid evils be remedied, as may be most necessary to the religion that they profess. Whatremedy you shall furnish, you shall send to the said my Council, with all haste, so that it may be remitted to the said islands;for if that be not done with the promptness required by the case, the relief that seems most effective will [not] be applied. Madrid, November twenty-seven, one thousand six hundred and twenty-four. _I The King_ Countersigned by Joan Ruiz de Contreras, and signed by the Council. [_Endorsed:_ "To the father-general of the Order of St. Dominic, directing him to remedy the excesses, committed on the Indians bypunishing them, by the religious of that order, who have missionsin Philipinas. "] EARLY RECOLLECT MISSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES _Extracts from the Following Works, Covering the History of theMissions to 1624:_ _Historia general de los religiosos descalzos del orden de . .. San Avgvstin_. Fray Andrés de San Nicolas; Madrid, 1664. (pp. 396-510. ) _Historia general de los religiosos descalzos del orden . .. S. Augustin_. Fray Lvis de Iesvs; Madrid, 1681. (pp. 1-61. ) _Historia general de Philipinas_. Fray Juan de la Concepción; Manila, 1788. (Tomo iv, pp. 189-265; v, pp. 32-100. ) _Sources_: The first and second of these are obtained from copiesbelonging to Edward E. Ayer, Chicago; the third, from a copy in thepossession of the Editors. _Translations_: The matter herein presented is translated andsynopsized by James A. Robertson. EARLY RECOLLECT MISSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES GENERAL HISTORY OF THE DISCALCED AUGUSTINIAN FATHERS, BY FRAY ANDRESDE SAN NICOLAS [24] Decade II Chapter V _Now the second provincial Chapter is held. The mission to thePhilippinas Islands is effectively discussed. The college of Zaragoçaand the convent of Pedroso are founded. Reference to the life ofSister Polonia de los Santos_. _Year 1605_ [At the second provincial chapter meeting of the AugustinianRecollects, held in April, 1605, at the convent at Madrid, fatherFray Joan Baptista de Vera was chosen provincial. At that chaptermeeting, the question of the rules of the young order was taken up, with other business. After the conclusion of their business theconvention dissolved, "while father Fray Joan de San Geronimo [25]was effecting his passage to the Indias, with his good companions"(pp. 396, 397). ] _First mission of our religious to the Philipinas Islands_ To his arduous labor in the formation and growth of the poor discalcedAugustinians, the first provincial [_i. E. _, Fray Joan de San Geronimo]gave a heroic end by beginning the very observant province of SanNicolàs [26] de Tolentino, in the islands adjacent to Asia which wecommonly call Philippinas. .. . [A short narrative of the early discoverers follows, and the beginningsof the Augustinian missions. That order proving inadequate to cope withthe immense number of the infidels, the other orders are also givena part in their conversion. But the need of other laborers is stillfelt, and King Felipe II assents to the petition of Fray San Geronimo"to go to the Indias with twelve associates to preach the gospel, inthat part that he should deem best. " King Felipe "immediately decreedthat he should get ready to go to the Philippinas Islands, and orderedhis ministers to give him the despatches immediately. The noted andpious father had the despatches in hand before the celebration ofthe chapter, where after it was called to order, he presented therethe decree, which received prompt obedience. "] The memorial of this circumstance is found in the old register, and is in the following form: "May first, one thousand six hundredand five, while the very reverend fathers were in session, etc. Ourfather Fray Joan de San Geronimo, outgoing provincial of this province, presented certain royal letters of the king our sovereign, and of hisroyal Council of the Indias, in which his Majesty gives permission tothe said father Fray Joan de San Geronimo to take twelve religiousto the Philippinas Islands to preach the holy gospel, and to foundmonasteries of our holy order in those Philippinas Islands. Havingexamined and read them, the expedition seemed to us to be oneof great service to God, and we, the entire body of definitors, resolved that it should be undertaken accordingly; and that all thedocuments and authority necessary should be given to him so that heshould go as superior and vicar-provincial of the said PhilippinasIslands; that he may found monasteries there, and in all parts of theIndias--with the following proviso, namely, that he shall not havemore authority than that which this province shall give him; and thatthose houses that shall be founded there, and the religious in them, shall always be subject to the father provincial who is, or shall be, over this province. He shall always correspond with the latter, and ateach chapter held they shall send the elections of vicar-provincialand priors, and the acts that they shall pass, so that the fatherprovincial of this province may confirm them, or refuse to confirm, as he shall deem best. Advice shall be given of all the deceasedof those houses, so that the office may be performed for them, atthe time when the elections of the vicar-provincials shall be sent, etc. " Then, lower in the roll of those elected--or in the catalogue, as we commonly call it--one reads at the end the words that follow:"As vicar provincial of the Indias, we nominate the venerable father, Fray Joannis de Sancto Hieronymo, and assign to him fourteen religious, who shall always be subject to this provincial of this province ofHispania. " This arrangement having been made (which was made by theintervention of the royal decrees that were despatched at Valladolid, April three of that year, and which contained, in fact, the permissionfor such, and general authority to found as many convents there asthe new Augustinian Recollect missionaries were able and desired;to which were added other messages touching spiritual matters whichthe pontiff's legate generously conceded), the father provincial, FrayJoan Baptista, decreed the issue of his warrant, on May two. In thisdocument, after mentioning that he was ordered and commanded by theking, and also by the said legate, to send the said father as superiorof the religious, who were about to set out for the help of those whowere occupied in the vineyard of the Lord, in the cultivation of thoseislands, the father provincial entrusted to him all his authority, without reserving anything whatever; but with the conditions that wemention, in the records and other minutes which are generally madeon such occasions, the permissions that are despatched. The father vicar-provincial had already chosen his workers, men likehimself. They were among the choicest and best men that the Reform thenhad in their convents. They were as follows: Fathers Fray Andres deSan Nicolàs, who was called de Canovas, an apostolic man, and a greatpreacher in word and deed; Fray Miguel de Santa Maria, a most exemplaryman, and devoted to the rigorous life; Fray Geronimo de Christo, [27]very austere and observant; Fray Pedro de San Fulgencio, a capableand very clever man for all things; Fray Diego de la Anunciacion, [28] adorned with very singular virtues, and regarded as a saint;Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel, [29] most keen-witted and erudite inall learning; Fray Francisco Baptista, a penitent to excess, andregulated by conscience; Fray Francisco de la Madre de Dios, mostzealous for the discalced, and for the welfare of his brethren; FrayAndres del Espíritu Santo, a religious, although very young, verymodest and retiring. [30] The father superintendent also chose fourother religious, lay brethren, who were of use and a great credit tothe Reform, on the voyage, and at the time when they came, whose namesare as follows: Fray Simon de San Joseph; Fray Joan de San Geronimo;Fray Geronimo de la Madre de Dios; and Fray Joan de San Guillermo. Theyall assembled in Madríd on the fifteenth or sixteenth of May. Thencethey left for Sevilla, and from there went later to San Lucar. Theywere detained there until they could embark in one of the ships of theNueva España trading-fleet, which set sail from the great bay of Cadiz, July twelve, and commenced its voyage happily. The zealous missionarieswere going, very full of God, and consequently did not abate one pointof their observance, fulfilling their religious obligations as if theywere in the most retired house of those which they had left behind intheir province, notwithstanding that they were going in the midst ofthe traffic and excitement that seem to be inevitable in sea-voyages, and more so in so long ones as are those of the Indias. They did notdiscontinue the two hours' mental prayer or the choral divine office, at their proper times, and the silence, fastings, and discipline. Ifthey were given any moment from those holy exercises, they employedit in preaching, and in caring for the sick. They cared for and servedthe latter with what they needed, and as well as they could. They didnot content themselves only in their own ship, for when good weatherand the quiet of the sea permitted, they went in the small boat orlancha to the others, in order to console and confess those in need ofit. They gave them wholesome counsels, and encouraged them to serveGod our Lord as they ought. By such course they succeeded in gaininggreat credit and esteem. The commander himself always approached themwith his flagship to salute them, and to ask after their health, and whether they needed anything, while he commended himself veryearnestly to their petitions and prayers. He visited them in the islandof Guadalupe with the great following of his men, charging to themthe prosperous outcome of the fleet. Finally they reached the port ofSan Juan de Lua, September seventeen, with the rejoicing common tothose who sail, and especially on those seas. They disembarked and, after having rested for some little time, they took the road; thisthey moderated by stopping several days in La Puebla de los Angeles, [31] as guests of our calced fathers, where they received the friendlyreception and love that that province has shown to the discalced veryoften because their beginning was in that form. Since the strictness of that convent was then extreme, it lit up ingreat measure the devotion and modesty of ours, the will of all goingwell alongside the rare mildness of their customs. The more seriousinmates of the house did not fail to praise the humility, poverty, and circumspect behavior of our fathers; and consequently not a fewof them were determined to follow their purpose and accompany them onthat holy undertaking, and to enjoy so good examples. They requestedthis from the father commissary, but he, being so exact in matters ofattention and courtesy, excused himself prudently, in order not toanger the prelates of the province; and, besides, because he had noorder from the king, nor any subsidy with which to pay the expenses ofany more persons than he had brought from España, although he esteemedthe desire that they showed to aid him. He went immediately to Mexico, leaving the fathers of La Puebla very enamored and sad. They werereceived in that magnificent city with kindness and extraordinarydevotion by the most learned father, Fray Diego de Contreras--towhom was given, after a few years, the church of Santo Domingo, theprimatial church of the Indias. He was then professor of rhetoric inthe noted university, and rector of the college of San Pablo whosevenerating community went out to meet them in solemn procession andwith pomp, when they entered their gates. The learned master gaveproof of his ardent charity in his hospitality and cordial kindness, making them very happy. He prepared a room for them, in which theyremained, where they received all comfort and aid, until the fathervicar-provincial rented a comfortable house, into which he and hissubordinates, and the brethren whom he had with him moved, in ordernot to give occasion for so much ceremony and so many compliments;hoping for the near opportunity to depart for the port of Acapulco. That one--although formerly a secular lodging, now a very strictconvent--could rival the most famous monastery in the matter ofobservance; for, giving themselves to continual prayers, rigorousfastings, harsh mortifications, and severe penances, all of them wereopposing themselves to the best of their ability in the war againstthe flesh. They did not leave the house unless summoned for some workof charity, such as to confess or to preach, which they performedvery willingly, and to the profit and good of souls. They votedunanimously not to strive to obtain for themselves or for others, under any pretext, in person or through others, any offices withinthe order, or out of it--in order to give, as was actually seen, a solid foundation to the province which they afterward erected sohumbly. Their rigid mode of life there was bruited through the city, and the most noble and the wealthiest, with simple earnestness, askedthem to remain. Some of such persons offered to endow their house, and others to contribute very ample alms. They begged our fathers atleast to leave them the number sufficient to give a good beginning tothe convent that they desired to establish. The master, Fray Diego deContreras, whom we mentioned above, was aiding and encouraging thosearguments, promising that they would become discalced, and that hewould carry forward our Institute, [32] with his great authority andpower, in that kingdom. Father Joan de San Geronimo was tempted bythose pious offers of generosity, but he did not deceive himself; formany souls would have been lost if he had desisted from that opportuneand holy voyage, or if he had lessened the number of the helpers whomhe took with him--who were but few for the abundant harvest that theyset about gathering, as we shall note with the lapse of years, in themanner in which it occurred. Accordingly, having closed his ears to allthe proposed advantages, he undertook to go to the port at the end ofthat year, where we shall leave him continuing with his observance ofrules and pious devotions on the roads, although these were horrible, as if he had been in the most comfortable and most quiet convent ofall those which he had lately left well established in España. [The remainder of chapter V is concerned with matter that does nottouch the Philippines, namely, the founding of the college of Zaragoza, that of the convent of Pedroso, and the life of Sister Polonia delos Santos. ] Chapter VI _Our religious reach Luzon, after the death of Father Andres de SanNicolas in sight of the islands. They found the convent, which islocated outside the walls of Manila, and undertake the conversionof the barbarous Zambàles, in which three of their men die from thehardships, and father Fray Alonso de la Anunciacion at the houseof Portillo. _ We left father Fray Joan de San Geronimo and his twelve associates, anxious to finish their journey, continuing their road from Mexicoto the port commonly called Acapulco, because it was necessary toembark once more in order to reach Philippinas, where God our Lordhad prepared many souls who, oppressed by the demon, had no ministersto lighten their darkness. There was already in the said port a shipready to sail, called "Espiritu Santo, " and they were accordinglydetained but a short time. They finally set sail on the twenty-secondof February, that year of one thousand six hundred and six, in allsafety, and all being overjoyed at seeing themselves nearer the landthat they were seeking. Some incidents happened on that voyage whichwere afterward regarded as miracles, and all attributed them to thegood company of so notable religious whom they carried. The firstone was that, the ship being all but sent to the bottom by burning, the fire having approached near some barrels of powder, warning wasgiven in so good time that it could be extinguished, when if there hadbeen but little more delay, this would have been impossible. The secondseemed more prodigious; for on a certain very clear and serene night, shouts came from the bow from those who were stationed there, crying, "Land! land!" The pilot and sailors were thunderstruck as soon as theysaw themselves upon some shoals or sunken rocks, and already lostbeyond all remedy. Thereupon bewailing their misfortune, they triedto seek confession, as quickly as possible. They thought that allefforts were useless; therefore they cared for nothing else. Howeverthey tried to cast the line, but uselessly, for their lines were cut, and they the more confounded by their slight hopes of life. The shipwent ahead into that chasm [_rebentaçon_]--as it is called--as ifit were passing through a strait; and after having sailed a goodlystretch without accident, among so many reefs, they found themselveson the high sea, free from everything. Father Fray Andres de San Nicolas had preached the previous afternoonwith great energy against the great licentiousness and shamelessconduct of the passengers and the other people, who had no fear ofGod. He severely censured their excesses, and the little anxietythat they showed in that time of greatest danger. With burning words, he exhorted them to do better, representing to them their danger andbegging them, finally, to confess, since they did not know what wasto happen that night. The fruit that proceeded from that sermon waslarge, for, his audience becoming terrified and contrite, many ofthem confessed, and others proposed to do the same by having theirentangled consciences examined as soon as possible. After a few hours, what is described above was experienced, whereby all thought that thegood preacher had had a revelation of that event; and they could notthank our Lord sufficiently for having granted to them the companyof so good religious, but more especially the company of him whopreached to them of their danger--whom they regarded as a distinguishedservant of God, as he was. Some certified afterward that that placethrough which the boat had passed had been a rocky islet, and thatthey had seen it on other voyages; and they were astonished at havingescaped on that occasion with life, attributing it, beyond doubt, to amanifest miracle, which the Lord wrought at the intercession of thosefathers. They desired, therefore, to listen to their teaching daily, and especially to that of the father who announced to them what wehave seen. Consequently, not sparing themselves at all, the fathersgave in alternation their inspired discourses, which were the healthand medicine of the many who were there--the ship so conforming itselfto these that it seemed a reformed convent, where before it had beena house of confusion and bluster, with soldiers, mariners, and seamen. The same father, Fray Andres, among the continual sermons, preacheda very fervent one on a certain day, and gave them to understand thathe would live but a short time, and that he was not to reach the landof promise, for his faults and defects. That happened so, for not longafter, he fell sick, before sighting the islands called Ladrones. Hissickness increasing, when he was told that the islands were in sight, he arose from his bed, and looking at them, through a porthole of hiscabin, immediately lay down again, saying, "Nunc moriar lætus. " [33]His weakness was already very great, and, as he had already receivedthe holy sacraments, and was in great resignation and joy of soul, and all our fathers were present, he begged father Fray Joan deSan Geronimo to have the passion of Jesus Christ our Lord read tohim very slowly. That was done, in the manner that he desired. He, holding an image of the same crucified Lord in his hands, brokeout into very glowing utterances of love, and shed many tears duringthose moments. After the passion was finished--which lasted until neardawn, on account of so many pauses--he begged pardon of all for hisomissions and neglect. He asked them to remember him in their massesand prayers. They recited the penitential psalms and other prayers, at the end of which, the sick man, very happy, conversed with hisbrethren with great affability. He charged them to keep their vowsand the observance of the rules of the order. He persuaded them topersevere steadfastly in their purpose, and to be mindful of thezeal with which they had been ready to leave their fatherland forthe welfare and conservation of many souls. He encouraged them toplace their confidence in God, for His Sovereign Majesty had especialprovidence and care over that small flock. Accordingly, they werenot to become disconsolate with the thought that they had no houseor convent in Philipinas, for already a lodging suitable for theirpurposes was being prepared for them. He concluded by urging themto commend their souls to Him, and then became very calm. All obeyedhim, surprised, and desirous of such a death; and, at the end of theprayer, that chosen spirit went out in peace and quiet from the wavesand shipwrecks of this world, and reached the safe and calm harborof glory. Upon beholding his death, one cannot imagine the grief of bothreligious and laymen; for, venerating him as a father, they bewailedhim universally, and, in all truth, there was not one who did not showgreat affliction. The corpse remained in such manner that it causedgladness to all who looked at it. Various opinions were expressed asto whether they should bury it in the sea or not. The laymen promisedthat they would deposit it in a fitting place, until they should castanchor in the islands now near. Father Fray Joan de San Geronimo didnot consent to this, in order to avoid innovations--and especially whenthey were going to countries where they had no home, and where theyknew no one. Therefore, placing the body in a closely-sealed woodenbox, with an inscription written on a certain sheet of lead, whichdenoted his name, country, and virtues, amid their lamentations andtears the body was cast into the sea, without having added the weightwhich is used to draw the body to the bottom of the water. On accountof that carelessness the box should have remained on the surface ofthe water, without being able to sink at all; but on that occasion theLord permitted that the waves should receive such deceased without anyviolence. As the ship was in a calm, consequently, all were witnessesthat it settled to the bottom very gradually, and easily. Certainviolent fevers were raging in that vessel, from which about fortyhad already died, at the time that the noted Aragonese and observantreligious finished the navigation of his life. But from that instantall had health, becoming better and recovering very soon. That wasattributed to his prayers in heaven in fulfilment of the word that hegave them, during the last moments of his life, namely, that he wouldcommend them to God in glory, provided that he went there, as he hadgood hopes of doing. After the conclusion of the services for a deathso fortunate and so bewailed, they soon arrived--May tenth--at theislands that they were seeking. Having disembarked first, according tothe order that they bore, on the island of Zibù, the discalced werelodged in the convent of our calced fathers, the venerable bishop, and that example of prelates, Don Fray Pedro de Agurto, as we sawin his life, having gone out to receive them in procession. Thatmost illustrious man desired that the new missionaries should notgo further, and offered them a foundation and whatever they wished, in order to exercise themselves in the conversion and salvation ofthe infidels. It was impossible to assent to so many kindnesses, for their immediate passage to Manila was unavoidable, in order thatthe governor might see the despatches and the decrees from España, which it was necessary to present to him. After having given thebishop the thanks due, they had to set out as soon as possible. Before proceeding with our relation, it will not be out of placeto tell our readers, although in few words, something about theisland of Luzòn and the city of Manila, as it is the metropolis ofthe kingdoms that the crown of Castilla has there. It was given thatname, then, since the Spaniards have owned it, from a chief villageso named, distant two leguas from Manavilis, which is corruptly calledMarivelez. It was also called Nueva Castilla. It is the largest islandin the Philippinas, and extends farthest north of all those islands. Itis the most populous in nations and tribes, who exceed the others, bothin bravery and in the light of reason, with well-known advantages. Itsleast altitude is scant thirteen degrees, and its greatest ten or nineand one-half. Its circuit, without taking into account certain bays, comprehends four hundred and twelve leguas. Those who make it threehundred are in error, for they do not consider its position. It isall very fertile, and has many large rivers, that of Cagayan or NuevaSegovia being more swollen than the others. They are all navigable, more or less. Ships enter that of Manila at full tide with one-halftheir cargo, but the galleys enter it generally without any trouble. Itfurnishes a location for the aforesaid city, on a certain very pleasantand beautiful site on the shores of the sea. It is a point made by thePasig River in sight of the bay. That bay is affirmed to be one of thelargest and best that men can see in all the world, for it is thirtyleguas in circumference, and has an island of six miles at its mouth, where a sentinel is always stationed. It sustains more than one hundredthousand persons daily with fish, counting the Sangleys and Japanese, and the villages that are settled on its shores. When AdelantadoMiguel Lopez de Legaspi took it by force of arms, May nineteen, onethousand five hundred and seventy, ten thousand houses beautified it, and it was the court of the king, Ladya [_sic_] Solìmàn, a followerin part of the religion of Mahomet. The same general rebuilt thecity, and left it its former name of Manila--also the proper nameof the island--in the following year of seventy-one. He made it thecapital of the rest of the archipelago, as it was very suitable forthe concourse and commerce of China. Its streets are pleasant andspacious, and without crossways or turns; for they are all straight, and have beautiful buildings of stone, which vie with those of Españathat are considered well made. It is strong by art and by nature, because of the many creeks and swamps that surround it, together withthe great wall of stone built according to the style of the moderns, with not a few ramparts. It is well defended with artillery, and has anexcellent and important fortress, supplied with all that is necessary, even as the most noted forts that are renowned in Europa. Finally, it is now the finest and richest city of all those of its class thatare known in the world. It enjoys a cathedral with its archbishop, a royal Chancillerìa, a presidio with numerous soldiers, and in short, all the products that the regions of the Orient yield for the pleasure, health, and comfort of this life, without having to envy anyone foranything. That city alone makes the name of España very glorious andformidable there; and what is more, it is that city which maintains theCatholic religion in those very remote and out-of-the-way hemispheres. Writing this brief relation in order to give a beginning to theentrance of Ours, we shall go after them immediately, and shallfind them safe at the gates of Manila, after a journey of fourthousand eight hundred leguas by the course that they pursued fromEspaña. That country was then very joyful over the good news ofthe success that their governor, Don Pedro de Acuña, had had in thecapture of Terrenàte, one of the enviable islands of Malùco. They weresheltered in a small house, until they found better accommodations;and although the whole city, upon hearing of their arrival, camein throngs to visit them and offer them more suitable lodging, as also did the holy orders already settled there, with singularaffection, they refused to accept it--except the infirmary, whichthey consented to take for some [sick men], in the convent of themost exemplary Dominican fathers, who immediately gave it with thegreatest charity. At this juncture the victorious governor arrived, and amid all his victories and triumphs, as soon as he heard of Ours, he went to visit them and to regale them, as he was so Catholic anddevout a gentleman. Time was wanting to present the royal despatchesto him, for while he was in the height of his glories, sudden deathassaulted him, brought him to his feet, and cast him into the gloomof a sepulcher. For that reason the recognition of the decrees andorders was suspended for some time. But at last, having been examinedand ordered by the royal Audiencia and other officials to be observed, permission was freely given to father Fray Joan de San Geronimo toerect the establishments that he wished. _Foundation of the first convent of Manila_ The announcement made by father Fray Andres de San Nicolas while on hisdeathbed to his brethren was fulfilled without any failure--namely, that they should not despair, for divine Providence was alreadyarranging a house for them, which would give great pleasure to all. Thefact was that, in verification of his words, on the same day on whichthe despatches for their voyage were made in España, the deceasedgovernor began to build a very fine summer-house, which had its gardenand its ponds, in a site called Bagunbaìàn, only three hundred pacesfrom the walls. It was just being finished when he returned from hisconquest, and when he ended the pleasures and joys of this life. Theretreat and pleasantness of this place were very welcome to Ours;consequently they tried to buy it, and did so--having collected thealms in two afternoons. During that time two religious went throughthe city, accompanied by certain influential persons, [and collected]more than three thousand pesos, with which they paid the sum asked, a great portion of what they should have given having been forgiven tothem. Accordingly, they immediately took possession of their conventon the day of St. Nicolàs de Tolentino, to whom they dedicated it bya special vow, which all took at the beginning of their navigationfrom the shores and coasts of España. Under such good horoscopewas born the happy province of the Philipinas Islands. And thus weshould not wonder at the great luster that it has cast, shedding itsrays by its zeal through the darkest and most forgotten districts, where a notable number of pagans, who were living like wild beastsin a blind barbarism, received the truth of the faith which we profess. The apostolic men first settled the firm foundation of theirhouse--not in the material of it but in the direction of their solidvirtues. They lived in the greatest poverty and contempt of [earthly]things, without other end than the seeking of God in prayer, and inmaking Him known and loved in their talks and examples. There wassome opposition on the part of our calced fathers in regard to thetitle that they gave to the new church, that of the miraculous FatherSan Nicolàs de Tolentino; for his devotion was practiced in a chapelof the principal convent and was very popular, and they thought thatit would be lessened or be done away with altogether. Ours, being sogood men, disapproved greatly of litigation; and, although with greatgrief, they talked of consenting to change the title, commending thematter to our Lord very earnestly, with the intervention of peculiarpenances and exercises. The matter was left to be decided by lot, in which many saints took part, not excluding their own dear one. He, then, was chosen, the first, second, and third time; and the will ofGod was thus made plain. Not only did they confirm what was alreadydone, but they also placed under his protection the province which wasnow in its beginning, and gave it his name. In accordance with thisa very solemn feast was made, that venerable prelate and bishop ofbishops Don Fray Pedro de Agurto saying the first mass. He had cometo Manila from Zibù to be the rainbow [_Iris_] that announced peaceand true brotherhood to calced and discalced, whom we ought to holdas sons of a good father. Father Fray Pedro Solier--a chosen shoot ofthe convent of Salamanca, and afterward provincial of those islands, bishop of Puerto Rico, and lastly archbishop of Santo Domingo andprimate of the Indias--preached in glowing terms in praise of theReform, in the presence of the royal Audiencia, the ecclesiasticaland secular cabildos, the orders, the nobility, and all the peopleof Manila--who from that time made greater progress in the venerationand worship of that saint. The good-will that the city began to havefor the new evangelical ministers was vast. Consequently, the citydesired to shelter them within the girdle of its walls, on noting thediscomfort that they were suffering; and that was done by moving theconvent of San Nicolas, as we shall see. It seemed hard for the religious to leave their first foundation, notso much for the material of the house as for the service that theywere performing for our Lord in that suburb, in administering theholy sacraments to the not few persons who were living there. Thosepeople, especially at night, were deprived of spiritual aid, forit was necessary that the gates of the city be tightly shut and thenecessary guards posted. It was a true inspiration from heaven not toabandon that convent (now that of San Joan Baptista), since--as waswithin a very short time made evident, through the care and presence ofOurs--so great a number of Christians came so frequently from all partsto confession and to holy communion that four ministers daily havenot been sufficient. They numbered some Spaniards and many negroes, both free and slave, and more Indians of different nations, who cameto seek in that refuge relief from their sins and failings. They foundthat convent always open day and night and the religious ever readyto give them the health and life of their souls. After several yearsthe province determined that that house should be made a college, and accordingly that was carried out. The arts and theology werestudied there, for, although instruction and piety join hands, itwas not advisable that the college and the house be in one place. Inthat place rest three incorruptible bodies of the first founders, and no one knows who they are. All are surprised that they can remainso well preserved in a country so damp and hot, and it is regardedby all as a miracle. That college, besides the aforesaid, possesseda great treasure in the image of our Lady of Health. On bringing itfrom Mexico, that image gave proofs of her favors not a few times onthe sea, and perfecting and increasing them in the islands through hermercy. Her installation was celebrated with great pomp and ostentationin the presence of the royal Audiencia and the city, which made veryCatholic and pious demonstrations in the feast. The church was filledin a short time with vows and memorials which the faithful offered. Abrotherhood was founded under the title of Transito de Nuestra Señora[_i. E. _, "Transit of our Lady"], whose chief procession may be seenand is solemnized on the third Friday of Lent, with the greatestostentation and display that one could express in writing or inspeech. The members of the confraternity march clad in very neat whitetunics with blue escapulars, bearing the attributes of the queen ofthe skies on pendants of the same color and embroidered at a greatcost--with a numerous accompaniment of children dressed as angels, who at intervals march along singing praises to the Virgin. It isnot an easy task to count the large tapers and lighted candles;for, as is said, it is one of the best functions that are seen inthe Philippinas. Then follows the bed of the always glorious andmost pure Virgin, which the most devout and most noble women adornwith the wealth of the city. The bed is surrounded with a group ofchildren, also dressed as angels, which is a cause for surprise everyyear. Lastly, go about one thousand bleeding penitents; and there manyvotive images, which move innumerable persons to compunction, who comefrom the neighboring provinces to enjoy that day without fear of anytrouble. Thus has the fitting reverence of that image increased untilit is one of the greatest in the Philippinas; as has been experiencedon various occasions, especially when they put it within the city (forfear of the Sangleys who revolted) in order to make a novena, in whichtook part the royal Chancillería, the archbishop, and the cabildos, for the health of the Catholic army which was very sick. From thatprayer resulted not only the attaining of the convalescence of thesoldiers, but also the peace and quiet that was sought. That collegesuffered a great blow in the time of a certain governor, whose name, in order not to cast infamy on him purposely, we suppress. He, under pretext that its building was a great obstacle to the wall, rigidly made them demolish it, driving our religious thence, contraryto justice and the permission of the city and cabildo; they opposedhim until they could do no more, as they saw that he did that, beingdesirous of not conducting himself well, for it is said that suchwas his custom. But when the end of his office came, the church andcabildo brought suit for the injury received from that illegal act;and they sentenced him to twenty-five thousand pesos, notwithstandingthat it is said that the damage exceeded fifty. Thereupon the collegewas rebuilt, and the image again placed there. _Preaching of Ours in the province of Zambales and of Tugui_ Eagerly had the apostolic men left España in search of misguidedand lost souls whom they might lead to the knowledge of God and intothe flock of His Church. When once they had set foot on the destinedland they could not be kept from turning their eyes and their desireto all parts. The first task was to learn some one of the manylanguages which are spoken among so many and so barbarous nations, in order to have the means to convert the people that should happento fall to their lot. Accordingly, after well considering the matter, they determined to study Tagál, as it was the most general tongue, and the one that was talked as native in Manila and its environs. Allimmediately applied themselves to one language with no little desireand diligence. He who learned it first was father Fray Miguel deSanta Maria, who was called Bombàu. Discussing with him in what partit would be better to begin their missions, they thought that it wasnot advisable to go far from Manila, since they were so few. At thatjuncture a very good opportunity came to their hands in the shape ofa village quite near by, now called Marivelez. [34] Its inhabitantshad no ministers, no one of them wishing, although many were at itsvery doors, to abide in it--both because of the insalubrious climateof its location, and because of the bad disposition of the Indians, who were like brutes in their intercourse and in their customs. Thevicar-provincial stumbled over none of these obstacles, because of hisfirm zeal. Accordingly, he sent the said father, Fray Miguel de SantaMaria, accompanied by father Fray Pedro de San Joseph--who, althoughof the Observance, had discalced himself--together with a lay-brother, named Fray Francisco de Santa Monica, who also went with both of theformer, all of them being skilled in the aforesaid language. Theyinvoked in common the grace of the Holy Spirit, and, after a ferventprayer, they took their farewells--these anxious to accomplish theirdesires, and the others sick at heart at seeing themselves left behindthem. They were not long in arriving at the lairs of the wild beasts, who lived eight leguas from Manila, and were desirous to subdue andsoften them, together with the rest of the coast of Zambàles and ofTugui, which extends for a little more than thirty leguas to Bolinào. The customs and ceremonies of those people must be touched uponbriefly, not so much for the diversion that they may afford as thatwe may certify to the labor of Ours in changing them according to lawand reason, and putting them into a suitable condition. The worshipwith which they then reverenced their false deities they were wontto perform not in the villages, but outside them in the mountains, or the part nearest to their fields. They had certain little housesthere like chapels, in which they all assembled. But that did notprevent them from having gods--penates, or idols, which they called_anìtos_. The priesthood was exercised by certain old men, ceremoniousin the extreme, and not less by old women called _catalònas_--witches, superstitious creatures, diviners, and casters of lots--who wereesteemed and so thoroughly believed that whatever they said, althoughlies, was taken as an infallible oracle. The manner of their sacrifices(which they called by the name _maganìtos_), on meeting to make themin the place that we have spoken of above, was none other than that, having prepared an unclean animal, very well grown--or for lack ofit, a large cock--they offered it to the devil by means of one ofthose witches, with peculiar and curious ceremonies. For, dancingto the sound of a bell, she took in her hands a small idol, made toimitate the form in which the father of deceit was wont to appearto them at times; it was of human form, with very ugly features, anda long beard. She spoke certain words to it, invoking its presence, whereupon the iniquitous spirit came, and entered into her miserablebody in order to dictate to her the deceits that are its custom insuch acts. After having declared their false notions to those present, they ate the animal or bird, and they drank to intoxication, whereuponthe wicked sacrifice was brought to an end. Besides that adorationwhich they gave to the devil, they revered several false gods--one, in especial, called _bathala mey capal_, whose false genealogiesand fabulous deeds they celebrated in certain tunes and verses likehymns. Their whole religion was based on those songs, and they werepassed on from generation to generation, and were sung in their feastsand most solemn assemblies. Those who were ignorant of the teachingsof Mahomet adored not less the sun, the moon, the rainbow, birds, and animals--but especially the cayman or crocodile; a blue birdclosely resembling the thrush; the crow; rocks placed on the shoresof the sea, and those that they see in the sea, such as sunken rocksand shoals. [35] Their ancestors also enjoyed that worship, and more especially thosewho had been famous in arms, and in the virtues native to their modeof belief; and they believed that reward was the lot of the good, and punishment that of the wicked. From this arose among them theknowledge of the immortality of the soul. Accordingly, when anyonedied, they bathed the body and buried it with benzoin, storax, andother aromatic substances, and clothed it then in the best of itspossessions. Before burying the body, they bewailed it for the spaceof three days. They anointed the bodies of those of high rank withcertain confections, which kept it from corruption better than doour unguents of Europa. They did not bury them except in the lowerpart of their houses, having placed and deposited them in a coffinof incorruptible wood. They placed some bits of gold in the mouth, and on the body the best jewels that they had. To that preparationthey added a box of clothing, which they placed near them, and everyday they carried them food and drink. They did not take especial painsthat, if the dead had possessed more property, everything should beleft to him; but slaves, both men and women, were presented to themto serve them in the other life (which they no doubt imagined tobe similar to the present life). The custom that they observed withthose slaves was, to behead them immediately after having fed themsumptuously, so that they might not fail the service and company ofsuch influential men, since the latter needed them, as they said. Inconfirmation of that, it happened that, on the death of a chief ofthat race, they killed all the sailors necessary for a boat's crew, in order that servants, and rowers befitting his station might notbe lacking to him in the life that they ignorantly imagined for sucha person. After the conclusion of those honors, they gave themselvesup to extensive revelry and feasting, which they interspersed withtheir mourning, observing a notable silence in the nearest housesand in the streets. No one worked, just as during a festal occasion;nor did he have to navigate under any consideration. He who opposedthe aforesaid usage did not escape death, which was inflicted on himwith rigor and without recourse. Among all the above and many other follies, they believed thatthe world had a beginning, and they had some notion of the flood;but it was confused with the greatest nonsense and lies. They didnot doubt the fact of there having been in its time a creation ofman, but they believed that the first one had emerged from a bamboojoint and his wife out of another, under very ridiculous and stupidcircumstances. They did not consider homicide as wrong, and thetaking of as many lives as possible was a great honor. Consequently, the valiant and those who were feared set the heads of those whoperished at their hands on the doors of their houses, as a proof oftheir deeds; for he who hung up the greatest number, in the sightof his other countrymen was most esteemed and applauded. It was anabuse of obligation that, a father or mother having died, the sonwho inherited should retire from the village into the mountains andforests until he had despoiled at least two persons of the commonlight--even though it should be, as one can well judge, at the riskof losing the light that he himself was enjoying. When they had morechildren than they desired, or than they could support as they wished, they generally buried them alive. In what pertains to politicalgovernment, they had no greater superiority than that which the mostpowerful usurped in the matter of life and death over those who werenot powerful, disposing of them as they wished. Accordingly they madethem slaves for very slight reasons and occasions. When any suitsand quarrels arose in regard to criminal or civil matters, their oldmen assembled, and composed these difficulties or passed sentence inthem, and no one could appeal or petition from their decisions. Theyproved causes orally, examining witnesses and investigating doubtsverbally. Their laws were only traditions and very old customs, butthey observed these carefully--not so much for fear of punishment, as because they believed that he who violated them would be instantlykilled, or at least become afflicted with the disease of leprosy, and that another part also of his body would become corrupt. Our three religious opposed themselves to so profound darkness asthis, with the light of the gospel, and without taking other arms thanthe cross and the scourge of penance, by which all the wretchednessand misfortunes there were changed into delights and comforts. Thesuffering of great hardships was inevitable; for since those bruteswere intractable and ferocious, they did not show the fathers anyhospitality, that had any mark of reason and sense. The fatherssought them through the thickets and fields where they were living, and, alluring them with loving words, gave them to understand theirerror and the blindness of their souls. They preached to them withthe ardor that came from their hearts of the Triune and One Lord, who governs the universe, and told them their obligation to love Himand to bow to the mild yoke of His law; but those people preferred tocondemn themselves forever to the pains of hell. The fathers retiredat night to some very small huts that they had made, in order to takethe necessary refreshment, which consisted only of beans [_frijoles_], and at most a little rice, which they obtained but seldom. Then theygave some rest and repose to their weakened and fatigued bodies. Thatrest was, however, broken by three cruel disciplines, which alltook every two hours, in order to soften and mollify the diamondhearts of those barbarians with their blood. With that efficaciousmedicine and their tireless care, they continued gradually to softenthose rocks--although from the wretched life that they were living, and their immense toil in going by day through those rough mountains, seeking the sheep whom they desired to corral with the flock, withinthe sheepfold of the Church, and from the worse sufferings in theirnights, they sickened and died. [Accounts of the pious deaths of Fathers Miguel de Santa Maria, and Pedro de San Joseph, and Brother Francisco de Santa Monica, thethree laborers in this first mission, follow in this same section. Thefirst named had long been renowned for his asceticism, both in Spainand in the islands, having been one of the first to join the neworder. The second had been a calced Augustinian, but had transferredhis allegiance to the Recollects after their arrival in the islands, and was very useful on this mission because of his thorough knowledgeof Tagal. The narrative continues:] By the death of those three religious, the others might well fearto go to complete the reduction of Marivelez, and to prosecute whatwas already begun with the perfidious Zambales. But being full of thelove of God, and of zeal for souls, each of them offered himself, justas if it were to obtain the greatest comfort and abundance that mengenerally seek; and all demanded it anxiously, each as best he could, as their most ambitious desire to go up there and be honored. The cityopposed it, for they thought that it meant to send those fathers totheir death--and all the more as they saw that, since Ours were sofew and so pious, they could serve more usefully in more secure andhealthful places. The holy obstinacy of those who would not consentto abandon the post conquered. Accordingly, the first lot fell tofather Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel. He disposed the minds of thoseheathen in such manner that, completing their reduction and leadingthem to the yoke of the Lord, and to a civilized and Christian life, he built a convent in a village called Bacag, adding to it that ofLuzòn, which gave name to the island of Manila--through the erroror misunderstanding of the first Spaniards, who discovered it, whenexamining and questioning the Indians whom they met in a boat. Theyremoved afterward to a better site, in the said Marivelez, and thatplace has seven other villages, in a distance of twelve leguas, whichit administers as annexes. The persons who were converted to the faithby the energy and labor of Ours reached one thousand five hundred. That fort having been assured against the power and empire ofthe devil, the door was opened wider for passage inside, and thetyrannized souls of the Indians of Zambàles were gained. The latter, confident in their fierceness, were divided along the sea-coast, and exercised themselves in the chase, by which they sustainedthemselves--together with some fish--only zealous in killing men, which was the greatest glory among them. Consequently, no boats daredto go to their lands, unless with great risk of the occupants losingtheir lives. With such brutality, the mountains of difficulties whichfather Fray Rodrigo had to conquer in softening the harshness of thosebeasts; and the sweat and labor that it would cost him to make themcomprehend the dictates of reason (from which they were very far), while he was suffering extreme penury in all things necessary to life, can be imagined. His food was only wild herbs and some fruit, whichwas not on all occasions accompanied by a mouthful of biscuit, sentas a great treat, if possible, from Manila. His rest, day and night, was so little, and was so liable to surprises that scarcely could herest a moment without the expectation of death before him all the time, which the heathen, instigated by the devil, promised to give him. Hewent through their thickets and along their shores, crying out andendeavoring to conquer the coldness of those men. By virtue of thecross, he was finally able, little by little, to soften the insolenceof their fierce breasts, and to render them more tractable, althoughthey seemed like rocks in the hardness of their obstinate hearts. God our Lord decreed that, in order to conquer their obstinateresistance, it should happen one day that this same father, FrayRodrigo, on passing through a thicket consecrated to their devils(where, as their rites said, it was sacrilege to cut or touch anybranch--besides the great fear that they had conceived that if anyoneshould have the audacity to do so, or to take the least thing, hewould surely die immediately), saw a tree covered with a certain fruitwhich they call _pahos_, [36] that resemble the excellent plums thatwe know in Europa. As it was so ripe and mellow, he ordered themto climb the tree and get some of the fruit. Those accompanyinghim refused roundly, but he insisted on his desire. They finallyexplained, and said that they would do it under no consideration;for, beyond all doubt, those who dared to offend the respect forthat place would die very suddenly. Upon hearing that, the father wasinflamed with zeal for the honor and worship of the true God whom hewas preaching. Asking them whether all trees around about had thatquality of inflicting death on him who touched them, accidentally ordesignedly, they answered "Yes. " Then elevating his voice, he gavethem a fervent discourse against the delusion under which they werelaboring; and concluded by intimating to them that he himself wouldget and eat the fruit, as well as cut down the trees, so that theymight see that one would not die, and so that they might thereby befreed from the error and blindness of their ancestors. The Indianswere very sorrowful because father Fray Rodrigo had decided to eatof the fruit, and they accordingly begged him earnestly and humblynot to do it. But the good religious, arming himself with prayerand with the sign of the cross, and repeating that antiphony, _Eccecrucem Domini: fugite partes adversæ. Vicit leo de tribu Juda, _ [37]began to break the branches and to climb the tree, where he gathereda great quantity of the fruit. He ate not a little of it before themall, in detestation of their wicked superstitions and ill-foundedfears. The Indians looked at his face, expecting every moment to seehim a dead man. But they immediately recognized the truth of whathe told them. He charged them not to tell anyone what they had seenhim do there. On arriving at the village, he divided the rest of thefruit that he brought, and kept for that purpose, among the otherchiefs and influential persons, who ate it with gusto, esteeming itas a present from that father. The next day, after assembling them(much to their pleasure), he execrated their ignorance in a longsermon, and told them the secret of the fruit. Thereupon, all of them, convinced and surprised, not one of them being wanting, followed himaxes in hand, and felled that thicket, casting contempt on the devil;and many infidels ended by submitting to the knowledge of the truth. Encouraged by so good an outcome, Ours proceeded with the conversionof those peoples. They were not stopped by the manifest danger totheir lives, nor by the famines or other bodily privations that it wasnecessary for them to suffer, in lands new, rough, and productive of norelief for their so many hardships and miseries. However, the divineprovidence made all these, and as many more as might be very mild, by giving the fathers inward consolation, as well as outward aid onnot a few occasions. One of those occasions, experienced by the samefather, Fray Rodrigo, during a trip on the sea, was notable. At thattime, a sudden squall overtaking him, his boat was driven on certainrocks and knocked to pieces, so that those aboard it were drowned, although they knew how to swim well. Only the said father, by thewill of God and the beneficent miracle of a wave, which bore him safeand sound to a rocky islet or reef, escaped. He remained there untilnext day, in the fright that one can imagine, but hoping in God ourLord that He would continue his rescue by conveying him to a placeof safety. That happened after twenty-four hours, for an Indian whohad seen him from a distance swam out to him and took him upon hisshoulders; and he gave thanks to heaven for so great mercy. More marvelous was the case of father Fray Joan de la Ascension, who, while sailing along the coast of Zambàles, was struck by a very violentstorm, and the boat in which he was embarked, and all the Chinese whowere accompanying him, were lost, without one of them being saved. Theboat keeled over--as they say--and was turned completely bottom up. Thefather remained in the hull of the boat, but so that he could holdonly his arms and head clear of the water, while the rest of his bodywas under water. He supported himself in that darkness with his handstightly clasping a beam. For the space of three days did he remainthus, while the hull tossed hither and thither. At the end of thattime, as some Indians were passing through that region and saw thewreck, they drew nigh to see whether they could find anything. Theythought that they would surely find some pillage, and therefore beganto break open the boat in the part open to view. Consequently, whenthey had made a small hole, the pitiful voice of the religious whowas crying for aid was heard. The greedy Indians were frightened, and were about to flee from the terror caused them by so unexpecteda petition. But proceeding, after the encouragement given them by oneof their number who was bolder, they discovered the said father, whowas already half dead. Getting him out as quickly as possible, theytook care of him and gave him some food, whereupon he recovered, andtold them of his accident. It was told and wondered at, with reason, in Manila and in other places; and all who heard of it attributed itto nothing less than a prodigy never seen. [Lives of Fathers Alonso de la Anunciacion and Francisco de los Santos, and Brother Bernardo de San Augustin, follow in the succeeding threesections of this chapter, which concludes with a section on the] _Foundation of the convent of Masinglo_ With just reason can this house be [regarded as] the most precious andesteemed jewel that the Augustinian Reform venerates, as it was thefort that was raised against the devil in the lands of the infidels, which the devil had usurped from the cross and the gospel, when ourreligious, after so many labors and sufferings, tamed the untamableZambàles. That village, before called Masinloc, was suitable forthe foundation, as it was in a location from which they could attendquickly to the service of God our Lord and of souls. Accordingly, theychose it, although its inhabitants were more ferocious than the restof their neighbors because they had no one to drive away their errorsand illumine their darkness. Father Fray Andres del Espiritu Santo, then, accompanied by two other religious, planted that holy bulwarkto oppose all hell. With great care and helpfulness they tried firstto adorn it with the example of their virtues, so that the neophytesshould become fonder of the law which we profess. At that time therecently baptized amounted to eight hundred, with whom great effortswere exerted in separating them from their former evil habits, moreespecially that of idolatry, to which was joined that of intoxication;they were given to these in excess, by the habit that they had acquiredin both things from childhood. With the lapse of time the convertedhave surpassed two thousand, because of the reduction of certain moreterrible Indians who lived in the mountains, without houses and awayfrom the coast. The latter were continually at war with others whoare called Negrillos [_i. E. _, "little blacks"], for they seem to besuch, and they are very black. One may now consider the vigilance itmust have cost to attract those brutes, in order to make them live asocial life in accordance with reason, in peace and quiet--things thatwere never seen among them until our religious undertook to tame themand to bring them into rational intercourse. The jurisdiction of thatconvent has extended fourteen leguas, and it has ten visitas which arevillages. The missionaries generally go to those villages to care fortheir souls, and do not allow them to continue their former wickedness. It happened in that village of Masinglo that, an Indian woman findingherself at the end of her days, they summoned father Fray Bernardo deSan Lorenço so that he might baptize her, for she was then asking forit. He went to her house, and as he thought that she was but slightlysick, he judged that it would be well to delay the sacrament untilshe knew her prayers well and the other mysteries that any Christianmust know in order to be confessed. He began to instruct her, andto persuade her with efficacious reasons to hate her idolatries andto have sorrow for her sins. He tried to leave her in this way untilnext day, but she, crying out and moaning, said to him: "Baptize me, Father, baptize me, immediately; do not leave me or permit me to dieand lose the blessings which thou hast told me that I will obtain bybecoming a Christian. " The religious consoled her and answered thathe would baptize her in due time. She continued to urge him to washaway her sins without delay. Consequently, seeing so much faith, he baptized her, and left her and her children very happy. And, although she did not appear sick, she died shortly afterward withoutanyone having any warning of it. Upon another occasion another womanalso came to the convent, and urgently requested the same father forbaptism. He asked her why she desired it so urgently. She answeredthat one of her eyes pained her, and that she was very much afraid ofdying suddenly without having the health to save herself. The fatherperformed his duty in catechising her as well as he was able, andimmediately administered the sacrament; she was very glad of this, and returned to her house, where they shortly afterward found herdead, without knowing that she had other illness or cause for deaththan the above mentioned pain in that eye. Thus when a beginning was given to that convent, the religiousdiscussed, as was unavoidable, the regulation of a new method bywhich it, as well as the other convents that should be founded inthe lands and villages of the reduced Indians, should be governed. Itcould not be perfected at one time, for experience, that mistress ofseasons, was, little by little, showing what was most advisable forthem. Accordingly, they have established efficient laws in variousassemblies and provincial and private chapters, so that those houseshave shed a luster in the example of their virtues--even though theydo not have an excessive number of religious, because of the lack thatthey generally suffer of those who are necessary. It was, therefore, ordered, in the first place, that all the laws and statutes of ourcongregation be observed, without violating the most minute points ofthe rules and regulations in force in España--especially in regardto the two hours of mental prayer and the matins at midnight--evenshould there be but one religious; since he could say them withthe Indian singers who reside and always live in the enclosure orwithin the walls of the convent. Each of the religious was prohibitedstrictly, and under well-imposed penalties, from engaging in anytrade or commerce, directly or indirectly, however slight it mightbe. In addition, it was ordered that no one should use any pieceof silver or gold, even though it should be a medal, because of thesuspicion that it might arouse in the Indians who should see them, when they were preaching gospel poverty. They were forbidden tobeg the loan of money, or to ask their stipends in advance from theencomenderos, contenting themselves with the little that they had;and living with the greatest possible frugality, in order that theirlives might conform to their discalcedness and their abstraction fromearthly things. The priors were not to leave their districts under anypretext; and they were not to send their associates and subordinatesunless there were urgent necessity, and after a consultation, to beregistered in the books of the convent. The religious were not to enterthe houses of the Indians, except to administer the sacraments in thenecessary cases; and no one could employ himself in this office untilhe should be well acquainted with the language of the land. They werenot to acquire possessions, or more income than the one hundred pesosof their stipend; and necessity was to be the standard and rule thatthey were to seek, as those who were truly poor. They were not toentertain secular persons, and much less governors, alcaldes-mayor, or encomenderos; for, if they did so, it would be very prejudicialto the fitting retirement and strict observance advisable for theReform. The Christian doctrine was to be preached and explained tothe young people every morning in the churches, but to everyone onfeast days, with especial care and personal attendance. In order toconduct the divine worship, they were to endeavor to have music inall the convents, by teaching the youth not only to sing but alsoto play the sweetest and best instruments that we use in Europa, so that the new Christians might become very fond of frequenting thesacred offices. They were to be admonished straitly to attend to thedevotion of the most holy Virgin, our Lady, having her rosary recitedevery afternoon in the church; and on Saturday mornings they were to bepresent at the mass, and before nightfall at the "Hail Mary, " holdingtheir lighted candles in their hands. The religious also made otherresolutions pertaining to the protection and defense of the Indians, in case that anyone should transgress by trying to do violence to them, so that, as true fathers, they might oppose themselves courageouslyto any annoyance that the malice of the soulless men of this age, always iniquitous, might attempt. In short, they applied the neededand fitting preservatives, with the desire of maintaining the goodname and reputation of religious who were seeking the safety of thosesouls, and hating that which might have the appearance of love fortemporal things--in consideration of which no earthly interest hadtransported them from España to Philippinas. Chapter VIII _The third provincial chapter is held; and after the election a notslight danger assails the Reform. The first convent of Manila ismoved inside the walls_. [The first section of this chapter deals with affairs of the Recollectorder in Spain. The third election of provincial results in the choiceof father Fray Gregorio de Santa Catalina. Dissensions immediatelybreak out in the ranks of the religious, which are engineered bythe retiring provincial, father Fray Joan Baptista. The schismresults in the suppression of the order by a bull of Paul V, andits absorption into the calced Augustinian ranks. Various influencesare set afoot, however, by those devoted to the Reform, and the newprovincial prepares to go to Rome to entreat the pope to reconsiderthe suppression. The second section deals with the] _Removal of the convent of Manila_ In order to divert the grief of Ours in España for a moment, theneed of referring to the removal of the convent of San Nicolas ofManila from its location outside the walls (which is now the collegeof San Joan Baptista, as above stated) to the other site, within theenclosure, where now is the glorious capital of the most religiousprovince of the Philippinas Islands--is interpolated. The creditacquired by the good founders in a short time was vast, by meansof their exemplary life, and the zeal that they had manifested inthe reduction and conversion of the infidels. They had shed abroadin all directions the light and splendor of their virtues, and veryespecially of their voluntary poverty and abstraction from temporalthings, contenting themselves with but very little, and coveting, atthe most, the attainment of permanent blessings and riches. They wonmany persons for God in that city by means of their holy instructions, and taught them the true way, which very few court. By that coursethey made themselves so much masters of the good-will of all thatthe people begged them unanimously that they should enter a morecomfortable place--but without abandoning that place, because itspreservation was so useful for the welfare of as many souls as livedin those suburbs and environs, so that nobles and plebeians mightenjoy the spiritual food that the fathers so promptly distributed tothem. Besides, it seemed unavoidable to do that, so that they mightbe more secure and better guarded, whatever happened, because of thecontinual and sudden attacks of the Japanese, Chinese, and Sangleyenemies, who are wont to attack those suburbs with courage. FatherFray Joan de San Geronimo assented to the prayers of the faithful, and the not little convenience of his own associates; and accordingly, aided by the alms that were given him, he bought certain small houses, near to a site where many years ago the artillery was founded. Thatsite was also given him at the end of the year by Governor Don Joan deSilva. The opposition of some was not wanting, although that conventwas so desired and applauded. However, that opposition soon ended;and our religious endured it with signal austerity for many days, until the very noble gentleman and master-of-camp, Don Bernardino delCastillo Ribera y Maldonado--a native of Mexico, castellan of the fort, and regidor of the city--together with his very virtuous wife, DoñaMaria Enriquez de Cespedes, through the devotion that they bore to ourinstitute and to the holy neo-thaumaturgus Nicolàs de Tolentino (atwhose intercession a son was born to him, who died shortly afterward, the same lady having petitioned our glorious father to negotiatewith God so that that son might not live if he were to grow up badand a sinner), assumed the patronage of the church and convent. Heimmediately erected a fine building of cut stone, the cost of whichexceeded one hundred thousand pesos. In addition to that, he assignedit a suitable income--not for the support of the religious, for atthat time it was not the custom for Ours to accept such; but for thenecessary repairs that had to be made later. At the conclusion of the work, it was our Lord's pleasure to granthim a very pious death, prepared, among his many alms, by actionsand customs more resembling those of a perfect religious man of anarrogant and merry soldier. The religious buried him as if in hisown house, displaying on his honorable tomb the memory of his deeds;and erecting monuments afterward to him and to his consort in a veryfitting niche, as well as suitable proclamations of thankfulness thatOurs published. He left the devotion of the great titular saint, whom he greatly loved, well established; consequently, by means ofhis authority, the city chose the saint as patron, and decreed thathis day should be celebrated, and that the city should attend in theform of its cabildo, which has always been done. Governor Don AlonsoFaxardo, governor of the islands, our illustrious benefactor--who gaveus permission, as far as the royal patronage is concerned, to preachthe gospel in the provinces of Butuàn and Caràgha, together withthe islands of Cuyo and Calamiànes--was also buried there. From thatpermission have resulted so great increase in numbers to the Church, and great honors to our Recollect order. Likewise the governor's wife, Doña Catalina Zambrano, and others--auditors and officials of theChancillería, and many noble gentlemen--keep him company there. Anotable confraternity has been founded in that church, called theNazarenos [_i. E. _, the Nazarines"], so that on the night of HolyThursday they march through the streets in a most devout procession, just as they are accustomed to do in the kingdoms of Castilla. Among the most revered images of those islands is reckoned that of theholy Christ, which is called "the Christ of humility and patience, "which was lately placed in the right side chapel. Licentiate Joande Araùz, cura and beneficiary of the parish church in the city ofMexico, gave it, and with it a treasure of favors and concessions toManila. That image is very natural, and of the best manufacture thathas been known in those remote hemispheres. He manifests himself to thesight, seated on a rock, with his cheek resting on his hand; and thesight of him moves the hard heart of the most abandoned to tremblingand devotion. The religious took it aboard at Acapulco in solemnprocession, all of them hoping to arrive safe with so good company, as happened. Accordingly, as soon as they cast anchor, they carriedthat image to the college of San Joan Baptista, so that it might belodged until the necessary arrangements were made for the festivalof its entrance. The festival was at last effected after the lapseof many days, and it was one of the celebrated festivals that havebeen seen and admired, both in its pomp and in the concourse thatcollected from all parts because of the fame of the image. It wasplaced first in the cathedral church, and next day, a very momentousprocession having been ordained, they carried it thence to the convent, where the beginning was made and the conclusion given to a magnificentnovena. The divine mercy showed its favors very frequently to those whopetitioned it for aid in their troubles with a true and living faith. There is another image of our Lady, called "Consolation, " because ofthe great consolation that those who are afflicted find in it, whenthey are most exhausted. Her devotion commenced from the time of theentrance of our Reform into the islands; and it has been continuedby means of the favors that she scatters in protection of those whocommend themselves to her by invoking her aid. Our patrons had a mostsingular affection for her, and therefore they left a clause by whicha mass was to be sung for their souls in all the festivities of themost blessed Mary. They offered her many gold jewels and articlesof richest clothing, that testified the love with which they humblysurrendered to the vassalage due to her. Father Fray Antonio de SanAugustin [38] encouraged greatly the worship and veneration of thatsacred and miraculous image, and received instant pay and wages forhis labor. For when he was about to die (the candle being alreadyin his hand), without anyone perceiving it or having hope of it herecovered his senses, and talked to those present who were watchinghim and assisting him, to the astonishment of all the physicians, who regarded him as a dead man. He declared what had happened, andsaid that having offered in his heart his vows at the feet of thesaid Virgin, when he was almost dead, as was thought, he heard hernear him talking to him, together with St. Nicolás de Tolentino;and she graciously revivified him, saying that he was not to diefrom that illness. That was a fact, for within a few days he arose, just as if he had not been at the gates of death. The third image that illumines and ennobles that convent is that ofthe famous titular saint, Nicolàs de Tolentino. He has chosen to makehimself known in those remote regions as much as in the other regionsof Christendom, by means of the continual prodigies and marvels that heworks there. A great volume might be written of those that have beenseen in Manila alone, and a greater volume of those outside. Sufficeit to say that, because of his having appeared to the sailors intheir greatest straits and troubles, they have all unanimously takenhim as their patron. The glorious saint rewards their pious devotionby lofty marvels, and does not discontinue for all that to work themvery frequently on land--for which both the Spaniards and the Indiansof the Philippinas Islands venerate him as a refuge, in whom theyconsider their relief very sure. Strong religious have gone out from that very strict house to combatthe power of the devil, in order to remove his yoke from many souls, as we shall see in the time of reporting their deeds of valor. [The chapter concludes with the pious deaths of Fathers Andrès deSan Joseph, Diego de Santa Ana, and Gaspar de la Madre de Dios, andof Brother Simon de San Augustin, all of whose bodies were buried inthe Manila convent. [39]] Chapter IX _Father Fray Gregorio de Santa Catalina goes to Roma, and presents his[claim for] justice in the tribunal of the supreme pontiff. The endof the chapter is concerned with a mission that Ours tried to maketo the Philippinas Islands, the founding of two convents, and thedeaths of two great religious_. [The provincial's mission to Roma results disastrously at first, for he is doomed to many months of dreary waiting is denied audiencewith the pope, and even ordered to quit the city. But finally the tideturns; the pope, having learned of his mission, grants the long-desiredaudience, and after hearing the humble representations of the pleader, looks favorably upon the Reform branch. Although the Augustiniansin Spain attempt to suppress entirely the Reform, public opinion istoo powerful, and the Recollects have too many influential friends;and consequently, the general of all the Augustinian order, then JuanBaptista de Asti, orders opposition to cease. Meanwhile, Father Pedrode San Fulgencio comes as procurator from the Philippines to requestmore missionaries. He finds the Reform in almost its last throes, but, nothing daunted, departs for Rome to urge his mission beforethe pope. Being favorably received and his pretensions granted, after a considerable stay in the Roman court, where he also assiststhe provincial Gregorio de Santa Catalina, he sets out on his returnto Spain, but dies at Milan; and, for lack of anyone to carry on hiswork everything is lost for the time being. Now Augustinian agents fromSpain take the opportunity to arouse animus against the Reform and tothwart their designs by saying "that the discalced were unnecessaryin the Philippinas Islands; and that those who had gone were fewand hitherto of no use in the preaching, as they were persons whocould in no way prove advantageous to the Indians. The contrary wasseen then; and by the mercy of God, we have since seen it here, andshall see it, very clearly, in due course of time. We note here only, for the confusion of those who boldly devised such a proposition, the testimonies that have come on different occasions in regard tothe credit and praise of Ours, who have shed luster amid those rudeand very barbarous provinces, with so much glory to themselves, byilluminating them with the light of the gospel. " These testimonials, some of them later than the period which the present volume covers, follow:] Let the first be that of an inquiry made in Manila, at the time thatthe above-mentioned calumny was learned, before Captain Martin deHerrera, alcalde-in-ordinary of the same city. The report of thiswas approved afterward by the city's cabildo, its justices, andmagistrates, the witnesses being fully qualified to act as such:namely, the master-of-camp, Don Bernardino del Castillo Maldonado, castellan of the fort; Master-of-camp Don Pedro de Chaves; GeneralDon Joan Esquerra; Captain Christoval Guiràl; General Don Joan Manuelde la Vega; Don Joan Sarmiento, chancellor of the royal Audiencia;Don Francisco Gomez de Arellano, dean of the cathedral there, andcommissary-general of the crusade; Don Joan de Aguilar, archdean ofthe same church; Captain Hernando de Avalos y Vargas; LicentiateRodrigo Guiràl, secular priest; Admiral Don Joan de Valmaseda;Don Luis Enrriquez de Guzman; Don Diego de Leòn, school-master ofthe said church; Captain and sargento-mayor Don Francisco de Ayala;Don Luis de Herrera Sandoval, treasurer also of the same church; Luisde Barrasa, regidor of the city; Captain Melchor de Ayllòn; and DonAntonio de Arze, also regidor of Manila. All those so illustriouspersons deposed that the discalced Augustinian religious who wereliving and who had lived there, were serious, learned, spiritual, beloved men, and that they were gladly seen and heard by those wholived and dwelt in the Philippinas Islands; and that, by their goodlife and example, they had gathered and were gathering much fruit inthe community, and among the natives of the province of Zambàles. Thosepeople had been most fierce enemies of the Spaniards and other nationsbefore Ours had taken charge of their reduction. By the excellentinstruction of our religious, they had become so tamed and gentle thatnow one could pass through their coast; while before one could noteven approach them without evident risk of those people killing him, with great gusto, as they were so barbarous. Consequently, it wouldbe well to keep and increase those religious in that archipelago, for the salvation and profit of souls. The second testimony is that of the royal Chancillería of Manila, in aletter to the Catholic king of the Españas, and affirms the following: "The discalced religious of the Order of St. Augustine, who areemployed in these islands in preaching the holy gospel, are heldin great esteem in this city of Manila because of their virtueand good example. They have three or four provinces of Indians intheir charge, and, moved by holy and pious zeal for the welfare ofsouls, they continue daily to establish new convents among the mostunconquerable people of the islands. Thus have they been seen to gathermost considerable fruit for the service of God and of your Majesty. " In another letter are also noted these words, which affirm the above: "The discalced religious of St. Augustine are very observant in theirministries, and attend to the service of your Majesty, on occasionsof enemies by sea and land, where some have been killed and captured. " Before proceeding further, it will not be an impertinent digressionto mention and explain briefly the services above mentioned, statingfirst that our religious serve as chaplains in the forts of Tandag, Calamiànes, Bagangàn, and Linào, with notable sacrifice both oftheir liberty (for they are often captured and illtreated) andof their lives, because of the bad voyages on, and hardships of, the seas. When Don Fernando de Silva was governing the islands, a fleet was sent against the Bornean and Camucònes enemy, who weredevastating the coasts, seizing numbers of captives, and committingother depredations. As chaplains went fathers Fray Diego de San JoanEvangelista, native of Zaragoça, and Fray Joan de la Cruz. They borethemselves so devotedly amid the military excitements, and gave so goodexamples, that the chief commander, one Captain Bartolome Diaz, findingit necessary to absent himself, in order to leave his men with securityand in quiet appointed, with well recognized prudence, the first abovenamed. For that religious, not as a substitute for the commander, but as a father, cared for all, and they were satisfied. And they weresurprised, because it happened that, the supply of water falling short, they sought it, but were unable to find any in various parts of theislands, and were suffering the anguish and affliction that can beimagined in such an extremity, when one day the said father said mass, begging our Lord for help in such need. It happened, then, that afterperforming his ministry he returned to the men and told them to be veryjoyful, and to look in the direction that he pointed out to them for aspring that was there. They found it immediately, not very far away, and praised God for so great a mercy. In the insurrection of Caràghaa numerous fleet was also prepared; Captain Joan Mendez Porras wasaccompanied, for the common consolation of the soldiers, by fathersFray Lorenço de San Facundo and Fray Diego de Santa Ana. By theirefforts the villages of Bislìn, Careèl, and Bagangan were conqueredand that land again reduced. In another fleet that set out from thesame province of Caràgha, Captain Joan Nicolas chose father FrayJacinto de San Fulgencio, whereupon many villages surrendered tothe service of the king; and the Indians of the island of Dinagàt, Baybayòn, and Sandegan requested ministers, and five hundred werebaptized. Besides such occasions, which are generally quite common, Ours have served in divers fleets that have been prepared to opposethe Dutch who were infesting the shores. Lastly, in two expeditionsmade by Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuèra--one to the kingdom ofJolo, and the other to that of Mindanao--he took, in the first, fathers Fray Joan de San Nicolàs, and Fray Miguel de la Concepcion;and in the second, father Fray Lorenço de San Facundo and fatherFray Joan de San Joseph. The last-named religious was very useful, for he served as ambassador to the Moro king, to whom he was a friend, as he had been his captive in former times. Returning to our narration, and the relation of the security ofOurs, now comes Don Fray Hernando Guerrero, archbishop of Manila, in a letter to the Congregation of the Propaganda of the Faith, [40] and he confirms the work of the same, while he says: "The discalced Augustinian religious who live in these PhilippinasIslands are gathering a very large harvest here in the conversion ofsouls. Not less known are the advances that Christianity is makingin the kingdoms of Japan by their preaching and teaching, where inthe years one thousand six hundred and twenty-nine and thirty, sixreligious of the same institute suffered martyrdom, together withmany others, members of the third order, [41] or _Mantellatos_, andconfriars of the girdle [_correa_] of our father St. Augustine, allconverted to the faith and instructed by the same discalced religiouswho are in those regions. Now, to relate the news that we have justreceived, two of the same religious are suffering the most exquisitetorments that can be imagined, after two years of the hardest kind ofimprisonment. They are suffering also, in the ministries and conventswhich they maintain in these islands, great discomfort and hardship;for the Indians in their charge are the most unbridled and fierce ofall those known in this archipelago, as experience of last year proved, when the Indians killed four religious. Their death and the evidentdanger of their lives did not frighten the others, and thereforeother missionaries did not hesitate to go. " While that prelate was bishop of Nueva Segovia, he also wrote twoletters, one to the Catholic king of España, and the other to theabove congregation, of the following tenor: "The Order of the discalced religious of the Order of our fatherSt. Augustine are of considerable importance in these islands, andthey are gathering much fruit with their teaching and their goodexample. They have many missions in districts remote from this city, as they were the last who came to the islands, etc. " "The discalced Augustinian religious, " he says in the other, "whoreside in these Philippinas Islands are gathering large harvests inall parts in the conversion of the souls of these pagans, as they havedone in the kingdom of Iapon. Two years ago six professed religious ofthe same order were slain there, by fire and sword, for the preachingof the gospel, and the conversion of souls, in addition to seventyother persons who suffered the same death, in the same kingdom, for the preservation of the faith, which they had received thenthrough the ministry of two Spanish religious of the same institute, who were preaching it there. The two latter are also now in prisonfor the same reason, and it is thought will already have perished byfire or in some other way. " Don Fray Pedro de Arze, bishop of Zugbù, was more minute in describingthe labors and efforts of our religious, in a letter informing thesacred Congregation of the Propaganda of the Faith, in which he saysthe following: "For some years past the discalced Augustinian fathers of thecongregation of España have been, and are, gathering very largeharvests in the conversion of the infidels of these islands; for, besides the many others that they have in other bishoprics, theyhave more than ten convents in my diocese alone. They are laboringtherein in the cultivation of the vineyard of the Lord, with the bestof example, strict observance, and care. This is in the newest andmost dangerous posts of these islands, where their lives are exposedto great risk, as the islands are hostile. But notwithstanding allthese dangers and hardships, they have converted a very great numberof infidels, both adults and children, to our holy Catholic faith. Itrust, God helping, that the conversion of the infidels--and especiallythose of one island where those holy religious have their missions, as it is one of the largest islands of these regions--will, in thefuture, by means of their care and industry, advance and increase tomuch greater, etc. " Besides the above, there are three other letters to the samecongregation, of the following tenor: "The discalced religious of the Order of our father St. Augustine haveworked hard as long as they have been in these islands (which is manyyears), and with good example, in the preaching of the holy gospel;and they have gathered a great harvest of souls. They have establishedmany convents in the islands, for which they should receive honorfrom your Excellencies, and receive protection, so that his Holiness, as master and father, may concede them rewards and favors, so thatthey may be encouraged to complete what they have begun. " The second letter contains the following points: "The Recollect fathers of the Order of our father St. Augustine inthese Philippinas Islands are laboring faithfully in the vineyardof the Lord, with good example and prodigious danger, as the peoplewhom they instruct are harsh and fierce. In some districts, theyare making much gain in the conversion of souls; in Japon they havemade a very great gain, and have converted many, both men and women, who have given their lives for the confession of our holy faith, as will be seen there by the authentic report that is being sent tohis Holiness. Consequently, they deserve that your most illustriousLordships show them every grace and protection, and that you encouragethem to proceed in a work so holy by writing to the king of España toprotect and aid them, for that their example and good life deserve it. " The third letter is of the tenor that is set down here: "The Recollect fathers of the Order of our father St. Augustinein these Philippinas Islands are faithfully cultivating, in mostexemplary manner, the vineyard of the Lord, and are preaching Hisholy gospel with great hardship and danger to their lives; for thosepeople whom they have in charge are so harsh and fierce that theykilled four religious the past year. But the others did not fearon that account to send new ministers to preserve the fruit thatthey were gathering among those souls, through their hope that, bytheir teaching, they will convert all of those people to the trueknowledge. They have also made much gain in Japon, as has been seen;since a great number of pagans, abandoning their errors, have embracedour holy faith through the preaching of the religious of this orderwho are in those kingdoms. For their confession, six religious ofthat institute, accompanied by many, suffered martyrdom, after theyhad taken the habits of Mantellatos, or tertiaries of the same order, with other confriars, and others who wear the girdle. " This prelate confirmed the same in two other letters to the Catholicmonarch, in the following manner: "The Recollect fathers of the Order of our father St. Augustine, from their first arrival in these islands, have gathered a plentifulharvest in souls by their good example. They have many conventsand many missions in their charge. In their care are the islands ofCalamiànes, and they have charge of a great part of the island ofMindanao, where they have convents and labor with great zeal for thesalvation of souls. " In the second letter he wrote these words: "The Recollect fathers of the Order of our father St. Augustinehave many convents in these islands, where they administer, withgreat care, Christian instruction to the natives of the islands, to whom they furnish a good example and whom they treat with greatgentleness. Their missions are very dangerous and the people of some ofthem are harsh and fierce. They have had very good success in Japon, and have given many martyrs to the Church, who fortified their livesby the confession of our holy faith, as will appear there [_i. E. _, in Europe] by the report made here in regard to this. They merit theaid and protection of your Majesty, so that they may be encouragedto serve our Lord. " The ecclesiastical cabildo of Manila, occupying the vacant see, testified to the same king of España in another letter: "The discalced Augustinian religious are very austere in theirinstitute, and in their ministrations to the natives in the missionsunder their charge--who, as they are among the most untamable andfierce people in these regions, have killed and captured several ofthe religious. Consequently, they are very short of men, but havenot failed in the service of your Majesty on the occasions that haveoffered by land and sea. " It would be an evident ingratitude not to record here three letters, which the unconquerable city of Manila wrote to their king andsovereign, giving him a definite relation of the condition of Ours. _First letter_ "The order of the discalced Augustinians, which has extended intothese islands, has been and is of great fruit in the spiritual bytheir general virtue, their exemplary lives, and their excellentteaching--both in the settlements of the Spaniards, where theyhave convents, and in those of the natives where the ministrationand preaching of the holy gospel results in a very great harvest ofsouls. Because they were the last order to settle in these regions, they had to build some of their convents among the most rude andwarlike natives of these provinces. They have had so good successwith those natives that, through their efforts and the lovingtreatment which they have shown them, they have so converted themto the faith and so subjected them to the obedience of his Majesty, that the fervent spirit which those religious have infused into boththose tasks is very evident. The order has a great lack of ministersto occupy their many missions; and they need the favor and protectionof your Majesty, in order to attain their desire of carrying veryfar the conversion of souls, and of preserving those who have beenconverted to the faith. Therefore, this city is under obligationsto represent it to your Majesty, and to petition your Majesty, aswe do, with all humility, to be pleased to have a goodly number ofreligious sent to them, so that they may continue and carry on theirgood intentions in the service of God and that of your Majesty. For, besides that the number of religious here is very few, as they havescarcely enough for their missions, they fall sick and die, as many ofthe sites and posts to which they go are not very healthful; for whichreason, the lack of ministers in their order is greater each day. Thisis felt so much the more keenly as the importance of it is known. " _Second letter_ "This city of Manila has informed your Majesty on other occasionsof the great results produced in these islands by the discalcedRecollect religious of the Order of St. Augustine. Their exemplarydevotion is daily increasing this Christianity, as they strive for itwith so great energy. In regions so remote, and so full of enemiesand of heathen people, they, losing the fear of the violent deathsthat they suffer daily, with the holy zeal which accompanies them, have founded many convents. From that has resulted a very greatconversion of those rude people, they being the most turbulent thatare known in these regions. May our Lord, for whom is this work, decree that they continue to increase, since so many blessings resultfrom it for the glory of our Lord and the service of your Majesty. Toyou we represent the aforesaid, and their great need of religious sothat they may continue. For two alone who went to Japon have been thecause of sending seventy Japanese to heaven--some already religious, and others brothers of the girdle--while the said two fathers werearrested and destined for martyrdom, and it is expected will by todayhave achieved the happy end of it. " _Third letter_ "This city of Manila has informed your Majesty on various occasions ofthe great importance to these islands of the order of the discalcedRecollects of the Order of St. Augustine; of the apostolic men init; of the great harvest that they are gathering by the preachingof the holy gospel; of the excellent example which they have alwaysgiven, and are giving, with their strict and religious life, andtheir so close observance of their rules; and of the so considerableresults that have been achieved by them in the service of our Lordand in that of your Majesty, with the aid of your royal arms, inthe great number of infidels who have been converted to our holyCatholic faith, and have been subdued so that they render yourMajesty due homage and tribute. Those people have generally paidthat tribute and pay it every year. [We have written you] thatthose religious have exercised and exercise with especial care inall things the spiritual earnestness that concerns their profession, both in the maintenance or their work and in their continual desire, notwithstanding the innumerable annoyances which they endure, to carrythis work onward. They are ever converting new souls to the serviceof our Lord and the obedience of your Majesty, while they preservegreat harmony and concord among themselves. Consequently, that orderhas always been and is one of the most acceptable orders and oneof the most welcome in these islands. They are the poorest of all, as all their ministries are in remote regions very distant from thiscity, and among the most warlike people in all the provinces of theseislands, as they have been but lately reduced. [We have told you] ofthe risk of their lives on account of this, because it has happenedat times that those who seemed to be pacified have rebelled; while atother times the religious have fallen into the hands of those who werenot pacified, when preaching to them the holy gospel. There have beenmany others also who have suffered martyrdom in the kingdom of Japon, thus enriching the church of God with such noble actions, as well asthe crown of your Majesty. Above all, they have no income except thealms given them by the faithful. There is no fleet in which they donot sail for the consolation of the infantry, etc. This city petitionsyour Majesty to be pleased to concede permission to the said order, so that religious may pass from those kingdoms to these islands tothe number that your Majesty may decree, in consideration of the factthat the need for them, in ministries so distant as theirs, is verygreat. In those ministries, through the little nourishment of thefood which they use for the sustenance of human life, for they liveas those who are truly poor, and with great abstinence, which theyobserve, without reserving any time because of discomforts, whether ofsun or shower, going through dense forests and inaccessible mountainsin order to reduce the many millions of souls of those districts toour holy Catholic faith, not one of whom has any light, etc. " Don Joan Niño de Tavora, governor and captain-general of theabove-named islands, and president of the royal Chancillería of Manila, says in another letter to the same king: "The Recollect Augustinian fathers who reside in these islands, inasmuch as they arrived last, have taken the districts most distantfrom this city. They are extending their labors into the district ofCaràgha, and Calamiànes, with success among those Indians, etc. Duringthe last four years, more than four thousand persons have been baptizedby that order alone. I petition your Majesty to be pleased to orderthat their procurators be despatched with the greatest number ofreligious possible, etc. " Lastly, Sabiniano Manrique de Lara, who exercised the aforesaid office, concludes in another letter, in which he affirms the proposition: "The order of discalced Recollects of St. Augustine who reside inthese islands and the districts of them, preserves in its members, with all virtue and exemplary life, its obligations for the serviceof God, in the protection and instruction of their parishioners, the Indian natives; and in what regards the service of your Majesty, they show the efficacious zeal of good vassals. For during the time ofmy government they have not at all embarrassed me in any way. On thecontrary, as I recognize their good conduct, I am obliged to representit to your Majesty; and will your Majesty be pleased to show them everyfavor and grace, in whatever opportunity may occur to your Majesty. " A letter came with those that are here given as addressed to thesacred Congregation of the Propaganda of the Faith, who ordered thetwo following letters to be written, which we place at the end, inorder to qualify better the labor of Ours, and to conquer the calumnyof those who attempted to obscure and stifle the fervor with whichthe Reform commenced the reduction of the barbarous infidels. _To the vicar-general of the discalced Augustinians_ "Very reverend father: "Your Paternity will have learned that a letter was presented and readin the assembly of the sacred Congregation of the Propaganda of theFaith, received from the bishop of Zibù, etc. The most illustriouslord cardinals have received most special pleasure in learning fromit the great number of convents that the religious of your order havebuilt in the Philippinas, and also the great harvest that they aregathering in the conversion of those heathen by their example andtheir good and holy customs. Inasmuch as the said bishop lives withsteadfast hopes of greater progress and advancement if he were againaided and reënforced with other laborers of their order, such as they, and resembling them, the sacred Congregation, attentive to this, petitions your Paternity, with the affection and earnestness thatthe salvation of so many souls merits, to effect and strive anew, with all the earnestness and care possible, to provide new religiousand workers for those so remote and needy regions. We assure yourPaternity that it will be a great service to God and to the holyapostolic see. And also that act will be one of great pleasureto their Excellencies the cardinals. The latter advise you that, in the missions conducted by your Paternity, the contents of thedecree enclosed herewith should be observed and obeyed. Besides this, the sacred Congregation, in consideration of the services that yourPaternity's order has rendered to the holy apostolic see, has thoughtbest to protect that order with great pleasure and good-will, etc. _Cardinal Ludovisi__Francisco Ingoli_, secretary. " _To the very reverend fathers the father provincial and the definitorsof the discalced Augustinians in the Philippinas Islands_ "Very reverend fathers: "The relation of the progress that your Reverences have made in thosedistricts in the conversion of the heathen, and of the efforts putforth and the hardships suffered for the said object, having beenreferred to this sacred Congregation of the Propaganda of the Faith, his Holiness and these my most illustrious Lordships, after havingreceived most special consolation from so good news, have praisednot a little the zeal and piety of your Reverences. They also exhortyou to continue in the future with the same fervor, especially in thecare of the mission destined for Japòn. In the same manner they haveordered that an urgent message be sent to the papal legate [_nuncio_]of España to try to procure prompt despatches for the multiplicationof the ecclesiastical workers in those regions. His Holiness, inparticular, has willingly offered them his consolation with eightthousand benedictions, etc. _Cardinal Borxa__Francisco Ingoli_, secretary. " In order to conclude all this with the destruction of the calumnythat their opponents invented, in regard to the presence of Ours inPhilippinas being without fruit, we might quote certain authors whohave spoken in no uncertain voice in their praise. But we forbear, except in the case of master Fray Thomas de Herrera, whom, as heis worth a thousand men, it will be well to cite. In regard to theaforesaid, he speaks in the following manner in his _Alphabeto_: "These fathers, who were not slothful laborers, kindled with zealfor the Catholic faith, and desirous for the salvation of souls, crossed the seas in the year 1605, to remote regions of this world, although at the eleventh hour. " (Folio 181, volume i. ) "The discalced fathers of Hispania crossed the seas in the year 1605, kindled by their zeal for the salvation of souls (and at times bythe shedding of their blood in the kingdoms of Japonia) to thoseremote islands, as planters of the Church or as spreaders of itstents. " (Folio 127, volume ii. ) "The congregation of the discalced of Hispania, which extends itsvineyards even to the seas and to the Philippinas Islands, sentlaborers about the year 1588 to remote colonies, who preached thegospel to the Japanese; and with their own blood, shed most profusely, they either planted or watered the Church in various kingdoms, and illumined the Augustinian order with a great number of gloriousmartyrs. " (Folio 485, _ibidem_. ) [A section devoted to the founding of the convent of Calatayud inAragon follows, and the narration of the work in the Philippines istaken up again in the succeeding section, entitled:] _Foundation of the convent of Bolinao_ The missionary religious in the Philippinas Islands had complete andquiet peace, although those who were living in España, opposed bymiseries and misfortunes, were trying with all earnestness to recovertheir lost quiet. A great field was offered to them, in which to givevent to the ardor of their desires; but being few in number, they couldnot accept as much as was given them. They determined finally to takethe island of Bolinào, near the province of Zambàles and of Tugui, whose warlike and fierce inhabitants, although less so than the others, gave father Fray Geronimo de Christo, vicar-provincial at that time, and his associate, father Fray Andres del Santo Espiritu, sufficientoccasion to exercise their patience; for, not wishing to hear them, they tried daily to kill them. The two fathers persisted in softeningthose diamond hearts with their perseverance, after having lived forsome months on only herbs of the field, when the natives deprivedthem of food so that, thus needy, the fathers should be compelledto leave them and go away, or so that they might die of hunger. Thatmight have happened if God our Lord had not aided them with His grace, as is His wont in times of greatest stress. The patient endurance ofOurs conquered the barbarians; and, recognizing that those who wereso long-suffering and so kind could not fail to be right in whatthey said, they submitted to the yoke of the gospel, very gladlyand joyfully receiving the Christian instruction and baptism. Forthat reason it became necessary to found a convent there, and thatwas accomplished through the conversion of one thousand six hundredsouls, who are directed, together with those of other villages nearby. In that place occurred a circumstance resembling that of fatherFray Rodrigo de San Miguel, which we have recounted above; for whileall the Indians of the village were not yet converted, our religiouslearned that those of the village had gone to a bamboo plantation notvery distant, in order to worship it and to venerate their bamboos, asif they were gods. They followed the Indians, and found them occupiedwith their blind observances. The more the religious persuaded them, they could not induce them to cut a single bamboo, because of the errorwhich they had accepted from the mouth of the devil, namely, that theywould surely die if they touched the canes. Thereupon the fathers, although at the evident risk of their lives, amid the great shoutingand lamentations of the Indians, ordered a good Christian servant, whoacted as their guide, to begin to fell the thicket. Proceeding at firstwith the fear of those foolish people, the servant felled the entirethicket to the earth, and then the barbarians were assured of theirerror, and without delay they more joyfully accepted Christianity. [Two sections follow, treating of the lives of Fathers Geronimo deChristo and Diego de Jesus, the first of whom was a missionary inthe Philippines and the second in Mexico--who, being captured by theEnglish, passed through many stirring adventures. ] [Chapter x contains nothing touching the Philippines except a briefsurvey of the life and death of the founder of the Philippine missions, Father Joan de San Geronimo. He died near Ormuz, while returning toSpain in order to secure more workers for his mission. ] Third Decade [The first chapter recounts that papal permission was given to erectfour novitiates in the convents in the four Spanish cities of Madrid, Valladolid, Zaragoza and Valencia. ] Chapter II _Foundation of the convent of Cigayan_ _The year 1612_ The missionary fathers of the Philippinas Islands were free fromanxiety, and were far from suffering the strife and upheaval that theReform was enduring in España. However, in their great anxiety to guidesouls to heaven, they did not desist from their fruitful conversionalong the coasts of Zambàles. They needed associates to help themcarry so heavy a burden; but notwithstanding that, in their sorrow forthe lamentable loss of those who did not yet know God because of thelack of missionaries, after they had converted many infidels in thevillage of Cigayàn they set about founding a monastery there. Theycarried it out that year, and lived therein with all security untilan Indian, instigated by the devil, laid violent hands on father FrayAlonso de San Augustin, whom he wounded severely in the throat witha very broad though short dagger, called _igua_ in that country, which is made purposely for beheading a person at one blow--a vicecommon to the Zambàles, before they knew the sweet charity of the lawwhich we profess. But as the stroke was first caught by the hood [ofthe father's habit], the barbarian did not succeed in his purpose, which had been to behead him in a moment. But the wound did notheal readily, and consequently he lived but a little while. It issaid that there was no further cause for the atrocious and profaneact of the wicked parricide than the desire to free himself fromthe censures that that same father had administered to him for hiscrimes and wickedness. Thereupon, the Indians of the village rosein revolt, and after burning the church and the convent, fled to themountains. However, some remained, who defended the other religious, and carried the wounded man to Masinglo. Consequently, the village wasalmost deserted. Afterward they tried, and successfully, to subduethe insurgents again. They succeeded by their energy and toil, andrestored the settlement and church again to their former state forthe administration of seven hundred souls or so, who were the lastones to comprehend the cry of the gospel. It happened in this place that one Sunday, while father Fray Franciscode Santa Monica was in the church teaching the rudiments of theCatholic faith to the least intelligent Indians, they came to tellhim that there was a certain woman, at a long legua's distance fromthat place, dying of childbirth, who was entreating for baptism veryearnestly. The said father left his exercise, and, seizing a staff, started to run so fast that, as he himself testified, it seemed as ifhe were flying through the air. He was not far wrong, for in less thanone-half hour he reached the place or hut of the poor woman who wasexpiring, all swollen and black with the pain and anguish that she wassuffering. He baptized her (and also instructed her as was necessary), and she immediately gave birth to an infant, which, although alive, was much deformed because of the danger of the mother. After it hadbeen washed likewise from the original sin in which all we childrenof Adam are born, they both died, to the joy and wonder of thatminister at seeing the depth of the divine decrees in regard to thepredestination of those souls. [Chapters iii, iv, and v treat of the European affairs of the order. ] Chapter VI _All of the charges against the Reform are annulled by a brief, andthe fifth provincial chapter is held, with the prorogation whichthey claimed. Two convents are established and a mission arrangedfor the Philippinas_. _The year 1616_ [By a papal decree of May twenty-one, new life is given to theRecollect order, and their future assured. On the return of FatherGregorio de Santa Catalina, the chapter which had been delayed untilthat time was held. In this chapter, _discretos_ (or persons elected asassistants in the council of the order) and visitors were abolished, the latter having been found more expensive than useful. The title ofchief preacher was not to be given to anyone, as it tended to destroythe democratic principles of the order. A section on the founding ofthe college of Caudiel in Spain follows, and then the last sectionof this chapter, which is also the last of this volume _in re_the Philippines. ] _Foundation of the convent of Cabite_ Inasmuch as we have left our religious busily occupied in the loftyministry of the conversion of the infidels, it will be advisable for usto turn our attention to them, on the present occasion, praising theirgreat zeal. Much more must we do so, since they advanced with so fewworkers to do all that their forces were able, both in the preachingof the gospel, and in the spread of their houses, in order that theymight serve with energy in the no small toil that was theirs. Thatconvent of Cabite seemed to be necessary; and they did not deceivethemselves, for, although only two leguas distant from Manila, itis of considerable consequence for the conversion of many souls, as Cabite is a port where men of not a few Asiatic nations assemblefor the sake of its commerce, which is remarkable. Hence that placecomes to be the largest one in the Philippinas Islands after the saidmetropolis, and all the seamen live there, in order to be convenientlynear to its traffic and its trade. With such a motive, that conventwas founded by father Fray Andres del Espiritu Santo, and under sogood auspices that it has been of use to the service of God and tothe credit of the Reform, because of the spiritual blessing that ithas obtained, as well as by the esteem in which it has been held, as the various people who come there from the most remote and distantkingdoms have experienced the example and instruction of Ours. DivineOmnipotence has there made illustrious, for the feeding of hearts, adevout image of our Lady of Rule [_Nuestra Señora de Regla_]--modeledfrom the one that protects and defends the Andalusian shores betweenCadiz and San Lucar--especially favoring through her means the poorsailors in the continual dangers of their fearful duty. So many arethe vows that attest her miracles, that it would be a digression tohave to mention them. While the useful foundation of that convent was being directed inPhilippinas, father Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel was in España, workingcarefully and diligently in order to get the necessary despatchesto conduct helpers suitable for the prosecution of the spiritualconquest that had been happily commenced among the Zambàles. Thevigilance employed by two commissaries to get the so desired subsidyfor his brothers was disappointed by death, and by the oppositionwe have already related. Consequently, the few who were fightingthe devil in the enclosure did not desist, and sent the above-namedfather--since he was the most fitting person that could be found forthe attainment of such an enterprise--to whom they consigned papers ofgreat moment, as a testimonial of the work and of the fruit which theywere gathering with the gain of souls. Our calced fathers themselvesaffirmed it, to the confusion of those who here opposed father FrayFrancisco de la Madre de Dios, and their ministries and desires. Thefather embarked with great haste, but as he was coming on an affair ofheaven, misfortunes were not wanting in the world, and he endured veryheavy ones. He himself mentioned them in a relation that he made toPope Urban Eighth at the latter's command, when he reached his feet, as the ambassador of certain schismatic princes of the Orient (as weshall relate in detail when we come to the year of that event). Thefather declares, then, that having suffered a severe storm amid theislands--during which the vessels anchored at Manila were wrecked--hesailed immediately toward Japòn. Thence, after suffering othertempests, they finally sighted Cape Mendocino in forty-four degreesof latitude. Then coasting along the shores of Nueva España (whichwas composed of inaccessible mountains), and through unknown seas(in which he saw great monsters), for the distance of one thousandleguas, he sighted the cape of San Lucas. There the gulf of theCalifornias begins. The father anchored in Acapulco, the best of theports known to the pilots, after having spent more than seven monthson the voyage. He went to Mexico and to Vera Cruz; and, continuinghis journey and encountering a new storm on the ocean, was driven tothe coasts of Terranova [_i. E. _, Newfoundland] and of Labrador. As aconsequence so much shortness of food was experienced that only twoonzas of biscuit were given to each man, and about the same amountof water. The ship began to leak, so that it was as if by a miraclethat it was able to put in at the Terceras. There they refitted, andthe father finished his navigation, by coming to Cadiz, after havingmade to that point from Manila seven thousand one hundred and sixtyleguas, in the manner that we have seen. Thence he went to Madrid, and was given favorable audience; and everything that he petitionedwas conceded to him. But when twenty religious had been assembled, although they were even about ready to sail in the fleet that wasbeing sent with reenforcements to the Malucas, the father's luckturned against him with the order that was received, for the boatsthat were ready not to sail. Consequently, he was accommodated onthe fleet of Nueva España, but with very few religious. However theyproved to be many, because of the lack of religious in the ministriesand convents of the Indias. .. . General History of the Discalced Religious of St. Augustine By FrayLuis de Jesus [42] Decade Fourth Chapter First _The Augustinian Reform is erected, by pontifical favor, into acongregatión, divided into provinces, and governed by a vicar-general. _ [The first eleven sections of this chapter relate to affairs inSpain, and contain matters touching the order at large, as well asthe affairs of various districts, and others pertaining to the livesof various religious of the order. The balance of the chapter dealswith Philippine matters, as follows. ] _Year 1621_ § XII _Foundation of the convent of Zibù in Filipinas_ During this year of twenty-one, when our discalced order was erectedinto a congregation in España, the number of our houses in theFilipinas Islands was increased by the efforts of the zeal of thereligious who were attending therein to the service of God and thewelfare of so many souls, who were in need of ministers to lightenthem with the divine word upon the pathway of the Lord. SovereignProvidence, then, arranged that our discalced should have a conventin that island of Zibù. It has been a station for the entrance of thepublication of the faith of Christ our Lord to many distant provincesof barbarous and blinded people. The famous Magallanes discovered it in the year 1521. It has acircumference of less than one hundred leguas. Its inhabitants arecalled Pintados, because they have various designs on their bodies, which they make with iron and fire. They were formerly regarded aslords and chiefs of the other neighboring provinces, for they madethemselves feared by their great valor. Adelantado Miguel Lopez deLegaspi gained it by force of arms from its king Tupas in the year1575 [_sic_], and founded there the city of Nombre de Jesus, becausean image of the most holy child Jesus, one-half vara tall, was foundthere in the house of an Indian. The Observantine fathers possessthat image in a convent that was built in the same house and on thesame site; it had before been owned and venerated by the heathen, and is today frequented by the Catholics, who find there relief fortheir needs. The city lies in the eastern part, and has a good port, while there are other ports found in the island. There, then, did themost pious bishop, Don Fray Pedro de Arce (of the order of our fatherSt. Augustine, and a son of the most observant province of Castilla, and of the convent of Salamanca--where he professed in the year onethousand five hundred and seventy-nine, while father Fray Antonio Muñozwas prior), solicit our discalced to found a convent; for, althoughthey had been the last in arriving at Filipinas, he hoped that theywere not to be the last in the work of the vineyard of the Lord. The bishop assigned the site in a chapel dedicated to the conceptionof our Lady, somewhat apart from the traffic of the city, so that, accordingly, the religious could give themselves more quietly toprayer. He adjudged them also the spiritual administration of an isletand small village called Maripipi, not very far from Zibù. Aboutsix hundred souls were instructed there by Ours with great careand vigilance. The erection of that convent was accomplished byfather Fray Chrisostomo de la Ascension, who was its first prior. Heerected a small building, that afterward was rebuilt because of anaccidental fire, and extended so that now it is a very comfortabledwelling, well suited to purposes of devotion. That convent has adevout confraternity of Our Lady of Solitude [_Nuestra Señora de laSoledad_. ] On Holy Thursday, a solemn procession is made after theceremony of the descent of Christ from the tree of the cross. Thatprocession, passing through the streets of the city, is a greatedification and consolation to the faithful. § XIII _Foundation of the convent of San Sebastian outside of the walls ofManila in Filipinas_ The very devout and pious gentleman Don Bernardino del CastilloRibera y Maldonado was so good a benefactor to our discalced thathis generosity, which could not be satisfied within the circuit ofthe walls of Manila, desired that we should make an experiment aboutone-half legua from them. There as he had an estate which occupiedall that site, called Calumpan, to the boundaries of a little villagenamed Sampolog, and in its midst a well-built bit of a house, he madean entire gift of it, so that a monastery might be built, in which thereligious could live retired, and, free from the excitement of thecity, give themselves up with more quietness to prayer. Father FrayRodrigo de San Miguel--whose heroic labors will give us considerableof which to write--took possession of the estate, and remodeled thesaid house in the form of a convent. The aforesaid master-of-campand castellan of the fort, Don Bernardino, was of great help, and itwas completed in time. The said village of Sampolog was assigned tothe care of the religious, so that the more than three hundred soulsthat it contained should be instructed and taught there by them. The comfort of the site was increased, so that the provincials havechosen it as their place of habitation, because of the quiet thatis enjoyed there, as well as for its pleasantness, which serves asa just recreation to the continual fatigue that their governmentbrings with it. One would believe that God looked on that house withpleasure, for, during the cruel rising of the Sangleys, or Chinese, it suffered no considerable damage, although they set fire to it invarious parts with the desire of leaving not even a memory of it. Wepiously believe that the queen of the angels, our Lady, defendedit, as being her dwelling; for a very holy image is revered there, under the title of Carmen. Although that image is small in stature, it is a great and perennial spring of prodigies and favors, whichshe performs for those who invoke her. Our religious took it fromNueva España, and even in that very navigation she was able to makeherself known by her miracles. Don Juan Velez, dean of that cathedral, was very devoted to ourdiscalced Recollects. Upon finding himself in the last extremity oflife, to which a very severe illness brought him, he requested thatthat holy image, which had been but recently taken there, be carriedto his house. So lively was his faith, accompanied by the prayers ofthe religious, that he immediately received entire health on accountof so celestial a visit. As a thank-offering for that favor, thepious prebendary made one of the most famous feasts that have beenin that city. He founded a brotherhood, with so many brethren thatthey exceed four thousand. Consequently, that most holy image isdaily frequented with vows, presents, and novenas, thank-offeringsof the many who are daily favored by that queen of the skies. Finally, in this year of our narration was sent the sixth mission ofreligious, which the father procurator, Fray Francisco de la Madrede Dios, arranged in España for those islands; and he obtained byhis great energy authority from the Catholic monarch to take twelvereligious there to increase the number of the laborers in the vineyardof the Lord. That year died father Fray Alonso Navarro, and father Fray AntonioMuñoz. Mention was made of the first in the first volume, decade i, chapter 6. Mention will be made of the second in this fourth decadeof this volume, chapter 9, in the foundation of the convent of Panamà, § 9. Chapter Second _The apostolic see confirms what was enacted in the first generalchapter of the reform. Other new privileges are conceded. The preachingof our religious in Filipinas spreads. _ _Year 1622_ [Papal favor, with the confirmation of the enactments made by thefirst general chapter of the Recollects held in Madrid, puts thereformed order on a tolerably firm footing, and they are able toproceed with their missionary and other efforts with more peace ofmind. The first section of the present chapter relates entirely tothe affairs of the order at large. The Philippine narration is againtaken up in section ii. ] § II _Preaching of our discalced Recollect religious in the province ofCaragha. Description of the country, with detailed and interestinginformation. _ ¶The divine Mercy scattered his accustomed favors upon the provinceof San Nicolàs of Filipinas that year. For its zealous sons, desiringto propagate the holy gospel, but lacking sufficient workers, busiedthemselves in preserving what had been acquired, until the arrival ofvery good companions [of their order], when they undertook to go tothe province of Caragha, a very principal portion of the island calledMindanao. That island rivals that of Luzòn in size. It is one hundredand fifty leguas distant from Luzòn, and is more than three hundred incircuit, counting promontories and indentations. Its greatest lengthis one hundred and thirty-six leguas, namely, from the point of LaGalera to the cape of San Augustin. It has flourishing villages, especially along the shores of the rivers, which are large and notfew. One which flows out of the famous lake of Malanao is larger thanthe others. That lake is formed from other rivers which dash down fromthe mountains. The shape of the lake is oval, and its circumferencefifty leguas or more, according to report. Its greatest diameter isonly sixteen leguas, with its points and bays, and without the latterit is only twelve. In short, that lake is considered as one of themost famous in the world. Its marge is extremely fertile in rice andother food products, which abound in the Bisayas. Its mountains areclothed with cinnamon-trees, brasil-trees, ebony, orange, and othertrees that bear delicious fruit. On the lowlands are bred abundanceof deer, buffaloes, turtle-doves, and fowls, besides other kindsof game-birds. But in the rough country are sheltered wild boars, civet-cats, and other fierce and wild animals. There are certain birds that possess remarkable characteristics. Theone called _tabon_ is found on the coast of Caragha. [43] It is smallerthan a domestic hen, and very like it [in appearance], although notin affection for its young. It lays its eggs, which are three timeslarger than those of our hens, in sandy places, and easily buriesthem in a hole about one braza deep. That done, it abandons them, and never returns to examine them again. Thereafter, the preservationof those birds being in the care of divine Providence, the heat ofthe sun quickens and hatches them, and the chicks, leaving the shell, also break out of the sand above them, and gradually get to the surfacein order to enjoy the common light; and thus, without any further aid, they fly away. If it happens that the chick in the egg is buried withits head down, it does not get our, for upon breaking the shell and thesand, it continues to dig always downward, as that is the directionthat its head has; and as it misses the road it gets tired and dies, and its cradle serves as its tomb. Quite different from the _tabon_ is another bird called _cagri_, which is not found outside of Mindanao. [44] Its shape resemblesthat of the bat, although it is much larger. It has no wings, butonly a membrane resembling a cloak, which falls from its shouldersand covers it even to its feet. That enables it to pass from one treeto another, but it cannot soar like other birds. It spreads out thatmembrane when it wants to, and it is not without a tail. Its eyesand head resemble those of a very graceful little dog, and its hairis very soft, and at times colored with various colors, pleasing tothe sight. It bears so great affection to its young that it carriesthem hanging to its breasts, just as women do, without leaving them, although it climbs, flees, or runs. The reader will not be wearied with knowing the characteristicsof another animal called _hamac_. It resembles a monkey, althoughthe head is very round. Its eyes are golden, and very beautiful andlarge. Its tail is very large and serves it as a seat, and it neatlywraps itself about with it. It does not use its feet to walk; for, in order to go from one part to another, it lets its tail drop, and supporting itself on it, leaps as it wishes. It is not seenby day, because it keeps quiet until night, when it looks for itsfood, which is only charcoal. [45] All its friendship is with themoon. Accordingly, seated on a tree, it awaits the moon, until the timewhen it shines. It looks at it fixedly without winking, from the timewhen it begins to shine until it hides itself. When the dawn comes, that animal loses its sight and returns to its dwelling. If anyonediscovers it, that animal takes pains to look at him, and measuresand takes note of his person with his sight, from top to toe. That isusually a cause for fear, to those who do not know that characteristic;but, if he knows it, that threatening causes him no fear. Finally, concluding the description of that island, the reader must know that itis called Cesarea, in memory of the unconquerable Charles Fifth--a namethat was given it by Bernardo de la Torre, captain and master-of-campof Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, in the year 1543; and under that name itwas designated by the documents and writings of that period. § III _Customs of the inhabitants of that island_ Coming to the customs of the inhabitants of that land, we have tonote their common tradition, namely, that the first inhabitants wereblacks. Their barbarous descendants are preserved in the thickestforests and in the most retired mountains. They have no regularhouse, but stay where night overtakes them. They go almost naked, for they only cover the shame of nature with the bark of certaintrees. Some of them have been seen to wear certain cloths made fromcotton, called _bahaquer_. They use the bow and arrow, and very keenknives, with which they can sever the head of a man from the body atone stroke. Their employment is to go in search of Bisayan Indians, who live in the districts nearer the rivers and seashore; for theyhate the latter with fury because these have, as they give out, usurped their own land. It has been learned from serious and trustworthy persons that tall andvery ugly men have been discovered in those dense forests, whose feetare turned backward. They live on the flesh of wild game, tree-roots, and fish, without doing any work. The very sight of those men was soterrifying that he who unfortunately chanced to see any one of themwas left cross-eyed and squinted forever, just like those whom wecall _vizcos_ [_i. E. , _ "cross-eyed"]. An eyewitness of this pieceof information confirmed this, who declared that he had seen andknown certain Indians who were almost squint-eyed from the effectproduced by the glance of those monstrous men. Those Indians saythat their speed is such that they can catch the swiftest deer byrunning; and that upon catching those said Indians, the wild mentalked very confusedly among themselves, but afterward left thecaptives hanging to some trees--whence they descended with greatrisk, and were left squint-eyed, because of having looked at thoseenormous barbarians. Some years later, another eyewitness who hadexperience in the affairs of that island added that such monsters, called _tecmas_, had been seen with ears misshapen because of theirsize, and that their mouth was like that of a dog; while they wereso hideous in face and teeth that they caused great fright. According to this information, these Indians have languages that arevery diverse, with peculiar characters. But they almost universallytalk the Bisayan, which is common and peculiar to Zibù, the head ofthe other provinces called Pintados. Those Indians and the Caraghas, with their other neighbors, go partly naked; for they cover thelower part of the body, while they wear certain twisted cloths onthe head in the manner of a crown, or the duliman of the Turks, but without the little bonnet that the latter are wont to wear. Thewomen are entirely covered, while, to protect themselves from the sunand other inclemencies of the weather, they use curiously woven hatsof palm-leaves. Their manner of religion was to adore, some the sky, and others themoon; or their now deceased ancestors; or the mountains or woods inwhich they believed their ancestors to dwell, accompanied by certaindeities, enjoying perpetual tranquillity. They regarded it as certainthat those who had been most valiant and tyrannical in this life weredeified, and also that there was eternal punishment for some. Others, finally, reverenced most ugly idols made of stone or wood, which theycalled _divatas_. There were different kinds of such idols: somebeing destined for war, and others for sickness, sowing, and suchobjects. They were rendered furious by thunder, and defied the deitywhom they supposed to have sent it; they called out loudly to it, and if that did not suffice, they took arms against it. It is said that the ridiculous Alcoran of the Mahometans hadpenetrated even to that land from the Orient, having been takenthere by certain zealots of that infamous sect, who were trying toextend it. However their efforts and false preaching availed themlittle; for the inhabitants of those islands were very much given tointoxication, and very fond of eating flesh forbidden by that falselaw. Consequently, that error took root in very few of them. They had no certain days established throughout the year for theirsacrifices, but made them as time and opportunity offered. They werepunctual in offering these when they were going to fight. War wastheir universal inclination, because of their bestial and ferociousappetite to rob and to go on raids, committing depredations onthe neighboring islands, and making slaves of all the people whocame to their hands. They also offered sacrifices in sickness, thebeginnings of their sowings, the building of their houses, and forother necessities. The duties of priest were exercised indifferently byboth men and women, called _baylanes_. They made use of superstitions, lots, witchery, and other ceremonies. The method of their ceremonies was as follows. Those who were to bepresent were summoned, handsomely dressed and adorned, by the soundof certain harsh bells (or, rather, unmusical cattle-bells) to thehouse where it seemed best--for they had no assigned temple--whichwas adorned with herbs and flowers. While they were waiting for allto gather, those who first came began certain songs, alternatingbetween men and women, in time to the sound of a small drum. Thevictim was already prepared. It was either a hog or some captive, whose hands and feet they tied as if he were a young sheep. All theinvited ones having arrived, the priest or priestess began theirbarbarous function by going into a private retreat beforehand, wherehe made six conjurations; and, after the devil had entered his body, he left the retreat with infernal fury to explain the oracle whichall were awaiting. Then the priest, taking a small lance in his hand, danced about the sacrifice to the music of certain cattle-bells andrustic instruments. Finally, on reaching the animal or captive, thepriest wounded it, and the bystanders killed it with spear-thrustsand blows. When the victim was dead, if it were a man, they cast itinto the sea; if it were an animal, they quickly skinned, cooked, and ate it, drinking until they became intoxicated. But they keptsomething for the absent ones, as a relic, also reserving the mostchoice portion (generally the head), on a table that resembled analtar, for the devil whom they called the _divata_. No one touchedthat portion except the baylan, who afterward threw it into the watervery reverently. The sacrifice was concluded with that ridiculousceremony. However, they were wont to add certain other ceremonies, according to the purposes for which the said sacrifices were beingmade, as for instance in war. At such times, after their intoxicationwas over, they went to the shore of the river or sea; and, afterlaunching a small boat, the baylan jumped into it, at the same timemaking his lying conjurations. If the boat moved, it was taken as agood sign, but if it were immovable, it was intimated to them thatthat war should not be made, unless they repeated the sacrifices. They also made use of another ceremony to ascertain whom each onewould capture. Each one kept in his house a great number of the teethof the crocodile or wild boar, strung on a cord. He handed those tothe priest very humbly. The latter received them with many salaams, ordained so that they should have reverence for him. Then he saidcertain badly-pronounced words ordering such teeth to move themselves, by whose number the said baylan prophesied those who would remaincaptive in the power of the owner of the string. In the same way theycast other lots, in order to ascertain the future and its accidents. § IIII _Continuation of the same_ When about to go rowing or sailing, they prayed to the promontoriesor capes, attributing to them worship, as to the gods of war, withvery sad cries. They watched to see if a certain bird appeared, called _limocòn_, similar to the turtle-dove of Europa. If theysaw it in the direction that they were taking, it was a bad sign, and they did not leave the port. They also considered the _toco_ or_taloto_--called _chacon_ by our Spaniards, and very like the lizard[46]--as inauspicious. They feared the latter wherever they foundit, as a thing very contrary to their designs. While the war lasted, they did not eat of the fish called _pulpo_ [47] or of any other fishcaught in a net. For they believed that if they tasted of that, theywould become blind; while, if they ate of the others, they would losethe victory and would be made captives. They thought that if they atewith a light, they would be conquered; and consequently, never didthey strike a light to eat, even though night had fallen. Those whoremained in the village did no work for seven consecutive days; for, if they did not do that, they feared the defeat of their companions. Onreturning victorious, they asked their nearest dead relative, withtheir rude prayers (having stopped their boats), whether he wouldlike to have a part in the taking of the captives whom they had. Ifthe boats moved--which was but natural and necessary, since they werein the water--they believed that he assented. Thereupon, taking thebest slave, they bound him hand and foot; and, taking him ashore, they passed the boat over him with great force and weight until theykilled him with brutal cruelty. The sacrifice was concluded in thehouse with the death of another captive, who was killed by the wifeof the conqueror. They showed themselves very dutiful toward their dead, burying themwith lamentations and remarkable minuteness of detail, increasing orlessening the obsequies according to the quality and worth of theiractions. The nearest relatives were careful to close their mouths, forthey feared lest the soul of the dead would enter into their bodiesand do them a great deal of harm. Then they began their mourning bylugubrious songs, which one of the kin intoned, while the others werevery attentive in order to respond, in time, with fearful cries. Thatlasted more or less time according to the excellence of the deceased, whose exploits were mentioned with great exaggeration. The friends andacquaintances came in, both to console them and to become intoxicated, which formed the relief for that sorrow. Only the mourners, who worewhite, refrained from drinking, in order that they might receive thecompliments of condolence soberly and in a dignified manner. So great was their devotion to the souls of their parents andgrandparents (whom they called _humalagar_), that they alwaysoffered them food in their banquets, especially when they finishedany house, thinking that they themselves would die if they failed inthat. They did the same with the first yield of their fruits. Whenthey became sick, they invoked these ancestors to aid them, as we dothe saints. Then they summoned certain old witches, who were theirphysicians. They respected the latter so greatly that, from the dayon which they entered their doors, no fire was lit in that house, as asign of great reverence. The medicines applied were after consultationwith the devil, in the shape of a little idol or a very ugly figure ofa man or woman, whom they asked for the life of the sick person. Ifthe idol moved, it was a sign of death, just as remaining still wasa sign of life and health. They made the same tests in the water, by putting a boat in it, and observing from a distance its state ofquietness or motion. During the time that those barbarous obsequies lasted, it wasunlawful for anyone to go to any place where the deceased had gone, or where he had bathed, under penalty of the culprit's losinghis life immediately. After the days for the mourning had beencompleted, they covered the eyes and mouth of the corpse with sheetsof gold. They carried it to the field in a coffin, and into distantcaves or sepulchers among themselves; and buried it, together witha male servant if the deceased was a man, or a female servant if thedeceased was a woman, so that such person might serve them, as theythought that that was necessary in the other life. Thus did the deadand living go hand in hand, without any recourse or dispensation. Suchservants of the deceased were set apart for that purpose from theirchildhood, and were called _atabang_. If the deceased was rich, agreater number of servants was added. This is confirmed by the eventthat was rumored in the island of Bohol shortly before Miguel Lopezde Legaspi arrived at Zibù; for those people placed seventy slavesin the sepulcher of one of those barbarians, all arranged in orderin a little ship, which they call _caracoa_--which was provided withanchors, rigging, and everything else, even arms and food, as if ithad been launched in the sea. Of the aforesaid, it is well known that that people believed in theerror that the soul went with the body, and that they were maintainedin the other life as in this. Consequently, they placed the most costlyclothes in the sepulchers. The relatives added others, and even arms, if the deceased was a man, and the instruments of her domestic laborif a woman, together with all the other dishes and jewels of the house(not even excepting gold and precious jewels), in accordance withtheir taste, so that these might be enjoyed in the other life. Thefood was carried to them for the space of one year, and it was placedon an adorned table every day. When it was taken there, the food ofthe preceding day was taken away. That they threw into the water, andno one dared to touch it, as it was a sacred thing. They generallybuilt a hut over the grave, so that the deceased should not sufferfrom the inclemency of the weather. If the death were by violence, vengeance pertained to the children, and in default of children to the nearest relative. The sign of thatobligation was to place certain armlets on the arms, as for instance, twigs of osier, more or less according to the station of the dead. Uponkilling the first man whom they encountered--even though he wereinnocent--one armlet was removed; and thus they continued to killuntil all the rings were removed from the arms. The avenger did noteat anything hot, or live in a settlement, during that wicked andbarbarous vengeance. Each year every relative punctually celebrated the obsequies, and thatwas a very festive day. They gathered a great quantity of food andbeverages; they commenced many joyful dances; they stuffed themselveswith what was prepared, taking some to their houses, and reserving thegreater portion to offer to the _divata_, and to the deceased, in thefollowing manner. A small bamboo boat was prepared, with much care, and they filled it with fowls, flesh, eggs, fish, and rice, togetherwith the necessary dishes. The baylan gave a talk or a prolix prayer, and finished by saying: "May the dead receive that obsequy, by givinggood fortune to the living. " Those present answered with great shoutingand happiness. Then they loosed the little boat (sacred, as theythought), which no one touched, and whose contents they did not eat, even though they were perishing; for they considered that a great sin. §V _Vices of the inhabitants of that island_ The vices of that people were indeed enormous. They were never loversof peace among themselves, and always were anxious for continual wars, which they carried on at the slightest excuse. All their desire was torob and capture on land and sea, although they had in their ancienttimes condemned theft severely. Their arms consisted of a lance;a long, narrow shield which covered the entire body; and a daggerresembling a broad knife, with which they easily cut off the head ofhim whom they conquered, which was their greatest delight. They alsoused bows and steel-pointed arrows with skill. Their greed was insatiable, although they were lazy and slothful; andfor that reason they practice unheard-of usury. There is no trace ofreason or justice in them. If one lent another a short measure of rice, the debtor was obliged to return it in a certain time. If he did nothave the wherewithal to return it, he became a captive, and had noredress; for the judges, who should have prevented that oppression, were the first to practice that offense. That was the practice betweenpeers. If the business were with any chief, the poor wretch remaineda slave forever, even though the sum were for only four reals. Theymade a distinction in those captivities; for if one were born of aslave woman, and a free father, or the contrary, such a one remaineda half slave. Consequently in order for the accomplishment of hisservice to his master, it was sufficient for him to serve for sixmonths scattered along through the twelve of the year. If he were thechild of parents both half slave, he was obliged to serve one month, remaining free the three following; then he served another month, continuing in this manner his servitude. Likewise, when a freemanand a slave had many children, the chiefs were wont to set some free, while the others remained slaves forever. Their intoxication and lust went to excess. They had what wives theycould support, and did not exempt among them their sisters and theirmothers. Marriage consisted in the will of the parents of the bride, and the suitor paid them the dowry, although it was not handed to themuntil after they had children. If either of the parents were dead, the dowry was given to the nearest relative. They were divorced withease, but it was on condition that if the husband solicited it he lostwhat was given to his parents-in-law; but if the wife procured it, the dowry was restored. If adultery were proved, the aggressor and theaggrieved [husband] came to terms--the same being done in the case ofthe wife--in regard to the sum that was agreed upon, after considerablehaggling, and they generally remained fast friends. Consequently, some husbands were wont to make a business of that, such was theirbarbarism, arranging tricks, and providing occasions for their wivesto repeat their adulteries, in order that they might derive infamousgains. If the culprit had nothing with which to pay, he became acaptive or lost his life. Divorce was very frequent, and agreement wasmade to divide the children between husband and wife for their support. They gloried in knowing charms and in working them, by consulting thedevil--a means by which some made themselves feared by others, forthey easily deprived them of life. In confirmation of this assertion, it happened, according to the recital of one of our ministers, thatwhile he was preaching to a great assembly one Indian went to another, and breathed against him with the intent of killing him. The breathreached not the Indian's face, however, but an instrument that hewas carrying, the cords of which immediately leaped out violently, while the innocent man was left unharmed. The philosophy of suchcases is that the murderer took in his mouth the poisonous herbgiven him by the devil, and had another antidotal herb for his owndefense. Then, exhaling his breath in this manner, he deprived oflife whomever he wished. They used arrows full of poison, whichthey extracted from the teeth of poisonous serpents. They woundedand killed as they listed, by shooting these through a blowpipe, which they concealed between the fingers of their hands with greatdissimulation, blowing the arrows so that they touched the flesh oftheir opponent. They practiced consultation with the devil by meansof their baylans, in order to ascertain natural causes, especiallyin their illnesses. Consequently, they were very great herbalists, knowing above all the preservatives from the poisons with whichthey attacked one another on slight occasions--especially the women, who are the more passionate and more easily aroused. § VI _Treats of the government of those islanders_ The government of those people was neither elective nor hereditary;for he who had the greatest valor or tyranny in defending himself waslord. Consequently, everything was reduced to violence, he who was mostpowerful dominating the others. When one went to the chief to pleadjustice, the latter delivered his sentence without writing anything;and there was no appeal, whether the sentence were just or unjust. Therich treated the poor and the plebeians as useless brutes, so thatthose poor wretches flung themselves upon the rocks to die, as theywere unable to endure so hard a yoke. If he who was less did not payhomage to him who was more influential, he was declared as his slaveonly because the other wished it. They also deprived those miserablebeings of life for such reasons. Such was their iniquity and madness. If any criminal received protection in the house of a chief and thelatter managed his affair, the one protected became a perpetual slave, together with his wife, children, and descendants, in return for theprotection. Because once while some boats were sailing some dropsof water fell on a chief woman, through the carelessness of him whowas rowing, it was considered so serious an offense that the poorwretch was condemned to perpetual slavery, together with his wife, children and relatives. However, our religious destroyed that practiceby spreading the holy gospel in that country. The nobility of those Indians was personal. It consisted in one's owndeeds, without reference to those of others. Accordingly, he who wasmore valiant and killed most men in war was the more noble. The signof that nobility consisted in wearing the cloth wrapped about the head(of which we have spoken above), of a more or less red color. Thosenobles were exempt from rowing in the public fleets (and that althoughthey were slaves), and ate with their masters at the table when theywere at sea--a privilege which they gained by their exploits. Inthat custom of killing they reared their children and taught themfrom an early age, so that beginning early to kill men, they mightbecome proud and wear the red cloth, the insignia of their nobility. § VII _Governor Don Juan de Silva declares war against those Indians, and our religious enter to preach the gospel faith. _ We have extended the relation of the barbarous customs of thoseIndians, in order that the reader might know the great difficulty insubjecting them to the law of reason, and (what is more) to the mildlaw of the holy gospel. Some Spaniards, accompanied by evangelicalministers, had penetrated those provinces at times from the year1597, with great zeal; but they could not remain there because of theferocity of the natives, and for other casualties, which make thoseprovinces less habitable, notwithstanding that they abound in manythings that are necessary to life and advantageous to commerce. For these and other reasons, Don Juan de Silva, governor and presidentof Manila, called various meetings of commanders, and experiencedcaptains, in which it was determined to make energetic war on thosebarbarians. Charge of the war was given to General Don Juan de Vega, son of Doctor Don Juan de Vega, auditor of Manila. He with a finefleet of four hundred Spaniards and other Indians sailed to humblethe pride of those barbarians. The latter were not unprepared forresistance; for, joining their forces, they entrenched themselves sothat there was considerable doubt as to the undertaking. Both sidesfought with great valor, and there were many killed and wounded. Butat last our troops were victorious, as their zeal was to the serviceof God and the increase of His worship. More than one thousand fivehundred Christian captives were liberated, and a presidio and fort[48] was erected as a warning for the future. That effort was notsufficient to quiet those Caraghas islanders; for within four yearsthree thousand of them assembled and, surrounding the redoubt, placed it in great straits. They were repulsed by our men with sogreat valor that, having retired to the sea, they vented their furyby inflicting severe injuries on some villages friendly to us. And, our men also getting a good reenforcement that was sent us fromManila, those men returned to their homes--where, treating afterwardfor articles of peace, they were pardoned for their past boldness, and their subjection was arranged with the mildness of the gospel yoke. Affairs were in that condition, when the most illustrious Don FrayPedro de Arce, bishop of Zibù, most worthy son of our Augustinianorder, with his great zeal of gaining souls for God conceded toour Reform the office of catching them with the net of the gospelpreaching. When the reënforcement of missionaries had arrived fromEspaña that year [_i. E. _, 1622], as is said in volume i, last chapter, eight of our religious were appointed for that purpose. Stimulatedby the pity that they had at learning that so many souls were beinglost in the blindness of their idolatry, these missionaries set out ingreat fervor from Manila, after having received the blessing of theirsuperior, and not without the holy envy of the other religious, whowould have liked to spend their lives in that holy employment. Theseapostolic men landed at Zibù, where they received the blessings ofthe most zealous bishop and many kindnesses with which he wished toload them. He despatched them with promptness, and in a short timethey reached the redoubt of Tanda, which was the name of the fortthat had been erected there by our Spaniards. Then commenced the greatest felicity of that land; for our religious, having as their object the welfare of those barbarians, tried togain their good-will by gentle measures. For that purpose, fatherFray Miguel de Santa Maria, the superior of that spiritual squadron, refused to settle in the said fortress of Tanda; for, since thoseheathen had a horror of it, they would not go to it. Consequently, despising his life, and exposing it to manifest danger, he determinedto enter the country one legua further, and to build a dwelling-placeon the shores of a river. His design did not succeed badly, for, attended by good fortune, he continued to attract and gain theaffections of those fierce Indians by making them understand theirillusions and errors. His other associates were not idle amid so much, for, having separated among the environs (after having left a priestin the redoubt as chaplain, who was not slothful in his gaining ofsouls), they worked fervently in scattering the light of the faith, in the midst of the darkness of that blind people, without excusingthemselves from great perils and hardships. They chose their residencein the village of Yguaquet, [49] on the bank of another river wherethe country people generally met. Those gospel workers were dividedand separated from one another, in order that they might attend withgreater convenience to the different districts. One cannot imagine the toil of our religious in cultivating that wildforest of barbaric people. They catechised, instructed, and baptizedmany, so that what was before a brutish wickedness, where the devilreigned, began to be a beautiful fragment of the Church. They enduredgreat suffering, because of the intractability and fierceness of theislanders, who were hostile to peace and to human intercourse; forthey had so little affection for even their brothers and sons thatthey killed them or abandoned them to die, on but slight pretext. Buteverything surrenders to the grace of God, and to the earnest zeal ofHis ministers, who consider only the honor of His Divine Majesty--fromwhom those pious workers received so great strength, that great wonderis caused by the consideration that people so given to witchcraft, cruelty, and injustice should have received the worship of the trueGod with so great affection and devotion. To see them so surrenderedto the obedience of the Catholic Church, and so fond of the churchesthat were soon built by the care and solicitude of Ours, edifies andconsoles one. There are celebrated the feasts of Christ and His mostholy mother, and those of the other saints, in which they show a verysteadfast faith. Finally those people learned some arts and trades, by which they live in great comfort. We cannot avoid mentioning a very notable conversion in that provinceof Caraghas. There was a chief, named Inuc, so celebrated and fearedthat through his power and cunning he was absolute master of aconsiderable territory, and the shores of a river that afterward tookhis name. That barbarian was not satisfied with tyrannizing withinhis own boundaries, but entering those of others, sailed throughthe gulfs and along the coasts, in search of whom he might rob, capture, and kill. It is said of that man that he had made more thantwo thousand persons slaves, and killed innumerable men with his ownhand. Consequently, he was feared in the neighboring islands; whileno vessel dared to go to his lands--especially one of Spaniards, whom he hated beyond measure, so that he would never agree to maketreaties of peace or of profit with them. The perdition of that man and the injuries and offenses that hecommitted against God and his neighbors, caused great anguish tofather Fray Juan de la Madre de Dios, [50] a native of Villa-Bañezin old Castilla, and one of the eight who went to Caragha. He took itupon himself to subdue this man without other aid than confidence ofthat of God. In order to achieve it, he prepared himself by specialfasting and prayers. He went alone to look for him; having foundhim--to the great surprise of Inuc himself, who thought that thereligious had great boldness in coming into his presence--the lattertalked to him so fittingly and fervently, that the tyrant, having firstpardoned the father's coming without his leave, thanked him for theholy admonitions that he gave to him. Showing him great affection, Inuc admitted trade between his countrymen and the Spaniards;then he consented that the holy gospel might be preached in histerritories. He gave his vassals an example by being baptized; bysending away his numerous wives and marrying the first according to therites of the Church; by freeing his captives; and by issuing an edictallowing those aggrieved to come to him to receive reparation for theinjuries which he had inflicted on them. He fulfilled that exactly, binding himself by two judges, namely, our religious and the captainof the fort of Tanda. They settling and sentencing with all equity, restored to those interested whatever appeared to be theirs. Thus didhe who was before a haughty tyrant become a humble sheep of the flockof the Church, and a faithful vassal of the kings of Castilla. Newsof that conversion spread throughout those districts, and followinghis example, many heathen submitted to the yoke of our holy law. Our missionaries were greatly encouraged by that fortunate success, so that they were not dismayed at the work that they had undertaken, although its difficulties were many. They were confirmed in theirintent by another case that happened in a village called Ambaganon that coast of Caragha. A religious was resting one night when anIndian, instigated by the devil, called together two other companions, who formed a rearguard for him; while he, entering the house, triedto kill the innocent man who was asleep. It was at midnight, the timethat he thought most opportune. He left those who accompanied him atthe foot of the house, while he mounted the ladder. At the entranceof the room of the gospel minister, a venerable old man accostedhim and asked him in his own tongue: "Where art thou going? Seestthou not that I am watching this man who is asleep, and who is myson?" Notwithstanding that, the Indian persisted in his evil intentof entering. But at that juncture the old man raised a staff of goldwhich he held in his hand, and threatening the aggressor, scared himso that, turning his back to descend the ladder, he could not findit in order to escape, notwithstanding his eager search for it. Thusdid he spend the remainder of the night in great anxiety, and in themorning he was discovered by the people who lived there. The Indian, conscience-stricken, demanded that they inform the father, to whomwith great sorrow he related all that had happened, giving him leaveto publish it. He declared also who were his associates--who, growingtired of waiting, and seeing that day was dawning, had returned inorder not to be discovered. The bystanders were astonished at hearingthe circumstances; and it was believed that that venerable old manwas our father St. Augustine, who defended his religious son withthe pastoral staff. § VIII _Our religious preach in the province of Butuan_ The province of Butuan--so called from the river of that name whichflows through it and renders to the sea the tribute of its so abundantwaters, while the sea enters the land for one-half legua--has wideborders and plains where numerous people live who resemble the Caraghasin their customs and ceremonies. However they are not so rude in theirbehavior, perhaps because they were softened by the evangelical law, which they once enjoyed. However, they abandoned that law becausethe ministers abandoned them. [51] That holy conquest was undertakenwith great resolution by father Fray Juan de San Nicolàs, one of theeight, who with a spirit apostolically bold planted the standard ofthe cross in the town nearest the seashore. He subdued its inhabitantsby his gentleness, and attracted them to the bosom of the Church bysermons in their own language. Those sermons produced a great fruit, not only among those country people, but also among the traders whocame from other districts to traffic. With such auspicious beginnings, Ours continued to penetrate theprovince, and, going up and down that river, sowed the divine word. Itfell to the lot of father Fray Jacinto de San Fulgencio, also one ofthe eight above mentioned--who regarded but lightly the hardshipsthat were represented to him, with unfortunate examples, as havingencountered other ministers of the gospel--to journey more than fiftyleguas, preaching the faith of Jesus Christ to the villages. He hadserious and frequent difficulties in making himself heard; for thedevil appeared in a visible form to the Indians, persuading them notto admit those fathers into their country, because of whom, so theysaid, dire calamities and troubles must happen to them. But, as itwas the cause of God, all the deceits and cunning of that commonenemy remained only threats. It was no little work to make the Indians leave so many wives as eachone had, obliging them to marry the first, and to free their slaveswhom they miserably oppressed. But he attained it with his mildness, the inoffensive method by which our religious succored the weaknessof those Indians. Thus did they obtain permission to travel throughthe shores of that river, gaining souls for heaven, and building adwelling in the village of Linao. [52] In that did the superb zeal of father Fray Jacinto de San Fulgencioexcel wonderfully. For having resolved to go up the river together withsome Butuan Indians, already Christians, and arriving at the said placeof Linao, and seeing that its inhabitants were gentler and more docile, he erected an altar in a chosen house, where he placed the images--fromwhich the heathen received great joy, praising their beauty. Then heassembled the chief men of the district, and preached them a sermon, in which he informed them who the true God is, and bade them abandonthe customs and rites of the devil. They jested at such a proposition, but were soon subdued--especially one, who declared the location oftheir god or _divata_. Father Fray Jacinto was overjoyed at that, andschemed how he might see such place of worship, which was located onthe other side of the river. Commending himself, then, to Jesus Christ, whose cause he was advancing, he ordered a boat to be launched and wentto look for the idol. Some Indians went out to meet him, brandishingtheir lances in order to prevent his entrance. Others more humane, persuaded him that he should abandon that undertaking, saying that, if he wished to build a church there, they would give him a betterlocation. The father answered mildly that that house was very muchto his purpose because it was large, and all could gather in it inorder to be instructed in the mysteries of the faith. The Indians whoaccompanied the pious father feared that a quarrel was about to ensue, and that fear went with them even to the door [of the house]. Thefather entered the place of worship boldly, to the wonder of all. Hesaw various altars on which they sacrificed to the idol, which wasplaced on a higher altar covered with curtains. The father carefullyavoided giving any attention to the said idol, and, having assembledthe chiefs, addressed them in regard to erecting an altar to the trueGod. All agreed to it. On going out, the father purposely turned hisgaze to the image, and asked who was that who had so much reverencethere. No one replied, whereupon the zealous father seized the image, which was a fierce devil, made of wood covered with black paint, which made it altogether ugly and frightful. The barbarians were asif thunderstruck, for they thought that no one could touch that godwithout losing his life, and they could not cease their surprisethat that father had been able to capture their divata. Thereuponthe fervent missionary took occasion to make them understand theirblindness, and to persuade them of the offense which was committedagainst the true God in worshiping the devil. After so notable anaction, he returned triumphant, with the protection of heaven, tohis boat, taking the idol with him without any one preventing him. Onthe next day the Indians offered a considerable quantity of gold toransom their little god. The father paid no attention to it. On thecontrary, he diverted them, and leaving them to forget it, descendedto the convent of Butuan. There the people went to look for him, proclaiming the little or no value of their god, and saying that theywished to receive the true God. That was a matter of great consolationto the father at seeing how well his pains had been recompensed. The divine pity approved the holy zeal of our religious by theexperience of that village of Linao, which was located on the shoresof the river, forty leguas away from the sea--that while before theywere molested by crocodiles, which killed numerous people, as soonas the fathers made a settlement there they suffered no persecutionfrom those fierce animals. They all attributed it to the most holycross now set up, and to the voice of the gospel. Numerous conversionswere made in that country. Very famous is that of an Indian woman who, having received our holy faith, died shortly afterward on the eve ofSt. Catalina, virgin and martyr, at the first watch of the night. Ongoing next day to deliver her to the fathers in order that they mightbury her, and the grave being already opened, they came from the houseof the deceased woman to say that she was alive. Wondering at the news, the fathers went to verify the matter, and found it to be truth. Forthe deceased talked before them all, declaring that God had permittedher to return to this life, so that, inasmuch as she had concealed avery grave sin in confession, she might confess and be saved. She didso immediately, and the instant when she was absolved she expired;while Ours gave many thanks to our Lord for the pity that He had hadtoward that soul, and to the others, since they became more inclinedto our holy Catholic religion because of that prodigy. Also it is worth while to narrate what happened in the province ofAmbongan and the lake of Compongan through the preaching by Ours ofthe faith of Jesus Christ. An Indian woman was very near the end ofher life, and her husband and children were sad because at the timethere was no father there to administer the sacraments; for Ours wereat Butuan, whence they could not come without considerable delay. Thesick woman, seeing their sadness, told them to console themselves;for the most holy Virgin, their advocate, had appeared to her verybeautiful and shining, and had told her to rejoice, for she would notdie until a father should have come to confess her and give her all theother sacraments of the church. That very thing happened, for withina month a missionary priest arrived there to visit and console thosevillages. The sick woman heard of it, and had herself carried to thechurch, where she received the sacraments of penitence, the eucharist, and extreme unction, in the presence of that village. She returned toher house, embracing a cross, to which she spoke innumerable tenderwords. She died about midnight, leaving behind strong indications ofhaving gone to enjoy the eternal rest. § IX _Ours preach in Calamianes, and Cuyo_ The fervor of our religious did not rest with what was accomplishedin the provinces above mentioned. Having obtained some associates, they determined to preach in Calamianes, islands which remainedin their blindness and idolatry. Their inhabitants were wild, andgreat sorcerers and magicians, who knew many herbs. They used thelatter to kill by means of the breath or expiration infected with apoisonous herb, as we have said above. They are poor, not because ofthe sterility of the country, but because the Borneans, Camuzones, and others of their neighbors plunder them. Those islands lie west of the island of Panai, which is one of thelargest of the Filipinas, being eighty leguas long, but narrow in itsbreadth, and extends north and south from ten to twelve and one-halfdegrees. They are small, for they are only four to six leguas incircuit, and that which is largest is twenty. The chief islands, thosemost frequented by Ours, number nine. In that of Butuagàn [_sic_], the climate is not suited to deer; for they are not raised there;and if they are taken there they die very soon, without the reasonbeing known, for all the Filipinas contain many of them. That of Coròn is also notable, as it is a ledge or rock, very highand rugged, which is fortified naturally by the crags that girdleit. Its ascent is steep and intricate. The Indians retire there asto a sacred place. It cannot be taken except by hunger or thirst, and the crag or island is dry and barren, so that not a drop of watercan be found on it. Numerous birds resort thither, and there arealso a great number of beehives [53] amid the hollows of the rocks, and a quantity of honey is produced, as well as wax, without itscosting any care or labor. The Indians gather that harvest, and, carrying it to other places, obtain the things needful for life. All those islands are defended by reefs, which makes the navigation ofthose seas very dangerous, even in the time of fair weather. Withintheir boundaries there are a number of different kinds of animals, of rare form. There was one the size of a cat, with the head and feetof a tiger, and the eyes, nostrils, and hands of a man, and entirelycovered with soft down. There is another little animal seen, which, as it has no teeth, because these never grow, lives on maggots. To getthem it sticks out its tongue, which is very long, where those littleanimals congregate; and, when the tongue is full of them, it draws itback and swallows them. [54] The forests abound with many incorruptiblewoods, such as ebony, cypress, cedar, and small pomegranate trees. Those islanders had never had a gospel minister to draw them fromtheir ignorance. Our discalced, pitying their wretchedness, resolvedto send five religious for that undertaking. Their superior wasfather Fray Juan de Santo Tomas. He, not fearing any dangers, andarmed with the divine strength, planted the tree of the cross in theisland of Cuyo. That island is called "the garden of nature, " becauseof the singular pleasantness and beauty that it enjoys, in which itis more fortunate than the other islands of that famous sea. It issix leguas in circuit, as are two others its near neighbors, whichrival it in beauty. It abounds in rice, and very savory fruits. Themountains are full of fragrant flowers, and shelter a great numberof wild boars. There are many species of birds, and fowls are rearedin considerable abundance. Although those islands were densely populated, the people were sobarbarous that they seemed not to possess reason. For that causeour religious wished to cultivate that forest in order to sow theseed of the gospel. Notwithstanding [their savagery], father FrayFrancisco de San Nicolás, accompanied by another priest, named FrayDiego de Santa Ana, and a lay brother, went to the chief island of theCalamianes. Treating the inhabitants with gentleness, they instructedand persuaded them to live gathered into villages--a thing thatthey utterly abominated, both because of their natural fierceness, and because they were greatly harassed by the enemies who generallyinfested those islands. Much was suffered in the attainment of that, but it was accomplished, with the most severe toil on the part ofOurs; and they baptized many of those Indians, whose number we shalldeclare below, when we treat of the convents which were built inthose islands in spite of the devil and all hell, who opposed themwith all their forces. Although it will be somewhat of a digression, we cannot help sayingsomething of the barbarous customs of those heathen Calamianes. Theyrecognized a first cause, which governed what was visible. Theyattributed good or evil events to fortune and to the star of eachone. They adored a deity who resembled Ceres, to whom they commendedtheir fields and offered their fruits. They worshiped another pettydeity who resembled Mars, in order to gain his protection in theirbattles. They believed in the _humalagar [i. E. _, soul of an ancestor](as we said of the Charaghas)--whom they summoned in their sicknessesby means of their priestesses. The priestesses placed a leaf of acertain kind of palm upon the head of the sick man, and prayed that it[_i. E. _, the soul] would come to sit there, and grant him health. Theyalso venerated the moon, asking that it would aid them at the time ofdeath. They celebrated the obsequies of the dead during the full moon. Their priests were highly revered, and were called _mangaloc_. Thedevil showed them what they asked from him, in water, with certainshadows or figures. They practiced circumcision, and had ministersassigned for it. They had as many concubines as they could support. Ifthe first wife committed adultery, the penalty was to repudiateher for a certain time. When anyone wished to have a share in theinheritance of the dead, he laid a piece of his garment upon thecorpse, and thereby acquired that right, but he was obliged to aid thedeceased's children. They had no fidelity among themselves, whence manyconflicts arose. In order to clear themselves of calumnies or charges, they invented various tricks. At times, divine Providence, breakingtheir entanglements, defended the innocent and punished the guilty. Their arms consisted of bows and arrows. On the point of the arrow theyfitted a fish spine, with a certain poison that was so effective thatit was mortal even if it only slightly touched the flesh. They usedshort spears and certain shields which they called _carazas_. Theycarried certain knives with two sharp edges, which were short, likedaggers. They used jackets or doublets of well-twisted cord, and underthose others of rattan, a kind of osier. By means of these they turnaside the sharp, keen bamboos which, of the length of two brazas, are hurled in naval battles, with which they do great harm. [55] Wonders were not wanting in the conversions of those people. TheChristian parents of an Indian woman brought her into the presence offather Fray Juan de San Joseph, and, as she was suffering grievouslyfrom a violent fever, begged him to baptize her, for they feared lestshe die without that sacrament. The father instructed and catechisedher, and told her to have confidence, and that baptism would saveher, soul and body. The heathen woman received that instructionso thoroughly that when she was baptized, she was as well from herillness as if she had never had it, God rewarding her faith, andencouraging others so that they should receive baptism. Another Indian woman was at the extremity of death, and withoutbaptism. The father was summoned, but he, thinking that she was not inso great danger, and that more time was necessary to instruct her inthe mysteries of the faith, wished to postpone her baptism. However, God put a strong impulse into his heart not to leave the sick womanin danger; and at last catechising her very briefly, scarcely had hebaptized her when she died happy. The devil grieved mightily because the fathers were taking away so manysouls from his captivity, and tried to drive them from that provinceof Calamianes. He availed himself of a witch and her son, appearingin person to them, and ordering them to use all the delusions andwitcheries that they knew, in order to frighten the Spanish soldierswho were in a fortress near by, so that the gospel ministers should bythis means be induced to depart to Manila. The sorcerers began theirdeceits, and one night they seized the soldier on guard and bore himthrough the air to the top of a hill more than a legua away. When theperiod of his watch was over, others went to relieve him; as theycould not find him, the captain thought that he had deserted, andsent another soldier to look for him. He was found crying out like amadman. He was taken manacled to the fortress, and, recognizing thatit was the devil who had maltreated him, they summoned father FrayBenito de Santa Monica, a native of Sevilla, and a powerful minister, who had grace to cast out devils. The father began the exorcismsof the church; and the evil spirit talked--a thing that he had notdone before--and said many things in many languages. Consequently, the father ordered him not to talk unless he were questioned; thespirit obeyed, and, finally urged by the exorcisms, made known allthe said trick, and left the body of the soldier. The next night the devils entered into eight soldiers, afflicting themwith the same accidental madness as the other. Thus did they continueto multiply their cases of possession, to the great fear of all theothers. And although our religious did not cease in their exorcisms andprayers, the infernal spirits were stubborn and pertinacious. Fearsgrew greater when legions of devils were seen in the air at nightin most horrible guise. On that account the most holy sacrament wasexposed in the fort. Yielding to its sovereign presence, the demonsfled in confusion to their eternal dungeons, with the ruin of theirdeceits; for the Catholics mended their lives, the faith was confirmed, and the infidels were more inclined to receive it. § X _Preaching of Ours in the river of Cagaìang_ Let us leave those islands for a moment and return to Mindanào, whereOurs were fervently attending to their ministry. After having putChristianity on the best footing possible along the shores of Butuan, they went forty leguas farther on by sea, to look for another rivercalled Cagaìang, as they had been told that its inhabitants were apeople more docile than the other inhabitants, in order to enlightenthem with the light of the gospel. The lord of that land was an Indiannamed Salangsang. He lived on a steep and inaccessible rock, which isa peninsula called Himologàn. It had no other approaches or mode ofascent than certain ladders made of rattans [_bexucos_], which resemblestrong osiers. When those were removed it was fortified and protectedfrom the invasions of enemies. The customs of those people are likethose related of the inhabitants of Caraghas. The path opened forthat undertaking was that Doña Magdalena Bacuya, a Christian Indianwoman (the grandmother of the above mentioned Indian, Salangsang), being moved by zeal for the honor of God, and compassion for theblindness of those people, went to see her grandson. Although withdifficulty, she succeeded in gaining admittance for our ministers, who were at that time staying at the island of Camiguì without beingable to accomplish that which they wished. Finally, fathers Fray Juande San Nicolàs and Fray Francisco de la Madre de Dios arrived there[at Himologàn], and found the chief in the presence of five hundredIndians who lived in that place. That site, perched on its summit, was a very agreeable residence capacious enough for that people tolive in a house resembling a cloister, so large that they lived init with all their families. These had communication on the inside, while it was strongly enclosed on the outside. In the middle of itwas the _divatahan_ or temple dedicated to the devil. It was a littlehouse and dirty, as was he who was worshiped there. The prince receivedthe ministers with some show of affection, for he gave them a littlebuffet on the cheek, as a sign that he received them as friends. Those people wondered at seeing those ministers in their lands, andjoked about them, taking them for madmen, since they entered withoutweapons or other defense, to seek their death. But as those fathershad God on their side, whose cause they were serving, His sovereignMajesty ordained that the chief, showing them kindness, should givethem a small corner in his house, so that they might live securely, although very uncomfortably. For no one gave them anything, and, in order to live, they had to go fishing and to carry wood and wateron their backs. They suffered considerably from that, but in joy andgladness, for they were serving the Lord, to whom they were attemptingto offer those barbarous people by means of the preaching of the faith. The fathers obtained permission to celebrate the holy mystery of themass, although it had to be done outside that rock, the dwelling-placeof the Indians. They selected the shore of a small river near thesea. There with their own hands they raised an oratory and an altar, where they celebrated mass with great labor, because they had to carryon their shoulders all the things necessary for the work, without anyone aiding them. Then they went up, and locked themselves in theirlittle lodging, which served them as cell and choir, going out onlyto discuss with the leading Indians the knowledge of the true God. Bythat good example, they steadily gained great love, and the peoplepresented to them some food. Ours repaid them by fervently preachingour holy faith to them. The Indians brought their little childrenso that they might be taught the holy mysteries and the Christiandoctrine; and these made no poor beginning in this, although the oldfathers, accustomed to their vices, were unwilling to accept it. Those Indians were vassals of King Corralat (of whom we shall speaklater) to whom they paid tribute. Collectors came yearly along thelevel land from his court to the river to collect the tribute. Thatking was a Mahometan, and consequently hostile to Christians. Helearned that our religious were in the lands of his dominion asguests, and ordered that they be killed without any objection. Morethan one thousand men came to do that, but they were not bold enoughto execute the order of their king, for the natives had acquired sogreat affection for Ours that they went out in their defense. Thematter was arbitrated and it consisted in the gospel workers payingtribute to the king. They gladly assented to it, for the charity ofthe fathers extended to all things. The payment of the tribute costthem great trouble, as it was large, and they had to work with theirhands, as they had no support from other directions. Corralat did not become quiet with that, or rather it was thedevil who, angry at the great fruit that Ours were gathering in thevineyard of the Lord, was trying by that means to drive them outfrom it. The Mahometan king proclaimed war against the villages ofthat river. During it the religious suffered great frights, pains, and hardships, fleeing to different parts, in dangerous boats, laden at times with the sacred ornaments; hiding in caves, in needof food and without comforts; and guarding themselves for a betteroccasion, in order to employ their lives in the service of God andthe spread of His faith. His [Divine] Majesty was not displeasedwith that earnest zeal, for he freed them all from those dangers;while the Indians were so energetic in their defense that they refusedobedience to the tyrant king, and begged aid from the Spaniards whowere established at the fortress of Caragha and from those at Zibù, which was given them immediately. Beyond doubt that was a plan ofthe divine pity to enlighten those heathen with the light of truth, and to withdraw them from the captivity of Satan. For the Indians, having been defended by the arms of Castilla and instructed by thereligious, became so fond of them that they delivered to them their_divatahan_, where they built a church, in order to administer baptismto those who were converted. Salangsang, together with his wife, wasthe first to receive baptism in the church, and many others followedtheir example. That prince, having become a Christian, became awilling subject to the kings of Castilla. He built a strongholdwith sufficient ramparts to defend himself against the stratagemsof Corralat. Finally Ours erected the convent called Cagaiang, wherethe Indians began to build houses for their dwellings. He who labored most in the conversion of those people was fatherFray Augustin de San Pedro, a son of the convent of Valladolid, and aPortuguese by nationality. He not only took care of the teaching ofthe faith, but also instructed the Indians in civilized ways. Thusdid they seem to have been transferred from wild beasts into men. Ithappened in a memorable assault that some nearby Indians made at dawnon the village of Cagaiang, with the intention of killing the fathers(that was an attempt of the devil, and he instigated the Indians to doit, in order to break the friendship which those villages had made)that father Fray Jacinto de Jesus Maria was alone in his cell. Thebarbarians entering the house killed eight persons who were guardingit. Making themselves masters of the door, they fought with theircampilans and other weapons, aiming thrusts, cuts, and strokes inall directions, so that in the darkness Ours might not hide fromthem. But the said father, trusting in God, went out through themidst of them all, without receiving the slightest blow. It is notdifficult for the divine omnipotence to work those miracles, and Heis wont to perform them often in order to defend His ministers. Thefather hid in a thicket, until after the fury had subsided, when hecould place himself in safety. § XI _Foundation of the convents of the above-mentioned provinces_ We cannot excuse ourselves, for the glory and honor of God, fromreferring to the souls whom Ours drew from the darkness of heathenisminto the light of the Christian religion, in the provinces of Caragha, Butuan, Calamianes, and Cagaiang--for whose conservation it wasthought necessary to found convents, whence the religious set out tooverrun the country, administering sacraments, consoling some, subduingothers, and always gaining souls for the Lord. We have not been ableto ascertain with certainty in what year they were established, butthat amounts to but little. The order in which they are mentioned inthe records of the provincial chapter held at Manila in the year onethousand six hundred and fifty is as follows: _Tandag_ 1. The convent of Tandag, head of those in the province of Caragha, where there is a presidio of Spaniards, is one hundred and fifty leguasdistant from Manila. It has to its account seven hundred Christianfamilies. It was founded by father Fray Miguel de Santa Maria. At firstit was more than one legua up the river but was afterward removedto the seashore for certain reasons of convenience. It has a devoutconfraternity of the most holy Virgin, and another of the girdle ofour father St. Augustine, which has been already established in theother convents. A captain (whose name is carefully suppressed) having been buriedin the church of that house, the prior noted one day that his gravewas higher than the others. Attributing it to the carelessness ofthe sacristan, he ordered the latter to level it. That was done;but on the following day, it was seen to be in the same shape as onthe preceding day. It was leveled again, and a quantity of earthtaken away, but still the grave did not discontinue rising. Thatnovelty caused much talk, and at last the said prior ascertainedthat the said captain had died excommunicated. He ordered the bodyto be exposed, and then, absolving it in the manner that the holyRoman church orders, they buried it again without the earth afterthat making any more show of casting him out. By such demonstrationsdoes God give us to understand the respect and fear that should beextended to the censures of the Church. _Butuan_ 2. The convent of Butuan is situated on the shore of the river. Thatvillage numbers one thousand five hundred Christians. The convent wasfounded by father Fray Francisco de San Nicolàs a native of Portillo, and a son of the house of Valladolid. He was a most zealous ministerand preacher to those people. _Cuyo_ 3. The convent of Cuyo, in the island of that name, has to its accounttwo thousand Catholic families. _Cagaiang_ 4. The convent of Cagaiang governs and teaches one thousand eighthundred faithful persons. _Sidargào_ 5. The convent of Sidargào, [56] which is an island ten leguas distantfrom the fort of Tanda, has two thousand Christian families. Accordingto the testimony of persons of credit, certain manikins, small andbeautiful, resembling pigmies in appearance and size, were seen inthe said island on a certain occasion. They fled with great swiftnessthrough the thickets of the forests, so that, notwithstanding theefforts made, they could not be caught. However, it is said that someof them were caught in former times, but that they died of frightin a few hours. A cross is preserved near the village of Sapào, on top of a rock of the size of two dedos above the stone, whichhas certain letters. Those letters cannot be read now, as they havebeen obliterated by the lashing of the sea, which beats against itcontinually. It is a tradition that the first Spanish discoverers ofthat gulf made that cross, although it is not known when. That islet is five or six leguas in circuit, and lies in nine degreesof latitude. It is well supplied with food and good water, of whichthere are many springs, called _bito_. They are always in the samecondition, and do not increase with the rains, nor diminish with thedryness of the seasons. It is remarkable for one thing--in which it isdifferent from that coast of Caragha, and the other islands--namelythat no monkeys are reared there nor can they be reared if broughtthere, for they die immediately. During the rainy season, the earthturns red, and is so sticky that when one walks it tears the shoes fromthe feet. There is a remarkable tree that is called _nono_. It springsfrom the root of another large and shady tree. As it increases in size, it embraces it, and by sucking the moisture and nourishment from it, becomes strong. When it becomes so strong that it can grow alone, it casts away that tree, and despises that which was its staff, thustreating it badly until it withers--a living image of the childrenof this age. Coming to the peculiarities of that coast, we cannot fail to mentionone, namely, that there are trees of the hugest size, so tall that onewould believe that they are trying to reach up into the clouds. TheIndians are wont to make their dwellings in them, specially thoseIndians called _cimarrones_. [57] They pay no tribute, so thattheir trees serve them as a fort in which to defend themselves fromthe Spanish soldiers of the fort of Caragha. The manner of buildingthose dwellings is as follows: They look out a very stout, high tree;they trim off all the branches up to the height where the floor ofthe house is to be. They put in some cross-bars, which cross on thetrimmed-off branches. They fix them with large timbers in the mannerof an enclosure, with which the trampling-ground is made. Then theyenclose that floor with the same timbers, in the manner of a parapet, and cover it with a little nipa. The branches above are also protectedfrom the rain and inclemencies of the weather. Thus the house ismade so strong that it resists any invasion. It has often cost oursoldiers considerable trouble to get those people; for those houseshave no approach except certain light ladders made from rattanstied together. In those houses they keep all their possessions, and there live their children and wives, who all help to fight. Theyhave made a place by which to retire when pursued closely, preparinga passage from branch to branch in order to escape. Those houses areso capacious that one of our religious lay brothers, who had been asoldier in the presidio of Caragha, said that he had seen one thatwould hold sixty persons. On climbing into another out of curiosity, he saw three women hanging--a mother and her daughters. As well ascould be guessed, the mother had hanged the girls and then herself, in order not to fall into the power of the Castilians. [58] _Calamianes or Taitai_ 6. The convent of Calamianes, or, as it is called, Taitai, where thereis a presidio of Spaniards, and where one thousand six hundred soulsare directed. That convent has another confraternity of our Lady, the Virgin. _Bislin or Bislig_ 7. The convent of Bislin or Bislig governs two thousand families. Theredied most happily father Fray Juan de San Augustin, a son of theprovince of Castilla. He was a grand minister of the gospel, and knewthe Bisayan tongue very well. He lived apostolically, and gave a fineexample with his virtues, which made him very lovable to the Indiansthemselves, as was seen in the rising of the coast of Caragha, fromwhich it was necessary to withdraw him and keep him from perils tothe life that he would have lost through the fury of the enemies. Hisabstinence was remarkable, for, although the toil of his ministrywas so vast, as he went continually through rugged places, forests, rivers, and seas, he ate nothing but herbs, and sometimes small fish, when he was especially fatigued. He was very humble and poor, bearinghimself with the Indians as if he were the meanest of them. By theseand other virtues he gathered great fruit in this life, which willdoubtless have gained him eternal rest. _Baldad, Dignes, and Iaquet_ 8, 9, and 10. Our most reverend father, Fray Pedro de Santiago, preacher of Felipe Fourth, examiner of writings for the supreme councilof the Inquisition, vicar-general of our congregation, chronicler ofthe kingdom of Aragòn, bishop of Solsona, and afterward of Lerida, referred many times to the convents of Baldad, Dignes, and Iaquet, in a relation that he published on the going of our religious to theIndias. However, father Fray Andres del Santo Espiritu, provincial ofFilipinas, in another manuscript relation, calls one of them Iguaquet, which is thought to be that mentioned as Iaquet. In that convent thereare eight hundred Christian families. It was founded on a river inthe northern part of this coast of Caragha by father Fray Juan de SanNicolàs, a native of the Algarbes in Portugal, who took the habit inManila. He was a grand minister and knew the language of the Caraghas[59] perfectly. He preached with great spirit, and succeeded in makingmany miraculous conversions, among both the heathen and the Christiansinners, who left his sermons so contrite, that they anxiously wentto seek the salvation of their souls in the sacrament of penance. 11. Another convent is also mentioned as being in certain isletsnot far from Iguaquet, in which another eight hundred families ofChristians were cared for. _Laylaia_ 12. The convent of Laylaia (which sounds the same as [the name of]the river above), is forty leguas distant from Butuan. There was apresidio of Spaniards there, which from the indications seems to bethat of Linao. It has in charge one thousand six hundred souls. _Caviscail_ 13. That of Caviscail, in the Calamianes Islands, was abandoned becauseof the murder committed on one of our religious, an able minister ofthat village, by the Indians. _Calagdan_ 14. Father Fray Felipe de la Madre de Dios, provincial of Castilla, and chronicler, mentions another--in the _Noticias Historiales_, that he left in manuscript--at Calagdan. He assigns to it sevenhundred families that were converted to the faith. _Binalgavan_ 15. That of Binalgavan, in the island of Negros, with one thousandfive hundred families. That convent was left in the hands of thefathers of the Society of Jesus, for reasons that existed for suchaction. We cannot avoid mentioning some matters that happened therewhen it was in charge of Ours. A certain Indian chief had a son two years old, who was very sick. Hemade the usual sacrifices to the devil for his health. As he did notget what he was after, he begged father Fray Jacinto de San Fulgenciofor a little water passed through the chalice. The father gave it tothe sick child, and the latter was instantly cured. With that occasion, it was the will of the divine mercy that the child, his parents, and their household should be baptized and leave their darkness. On another occasion they brought an Indian from a mountain with aleg already rotting; and as he was being treated in the house of thealcalde-mayor, at an unseasonable hour of the night he called loudlyfor baptism. The father went to him, and, upon seeing him, the sick mansaid: "Baptize me, Father, since God has brought me into the power ofthe Christians for that reason. " The religious minister baptized himimmediately, and scarcely had he finished administering the sacramentto him when the Indian, invoking the most sweet name of Jesus, expired. Finally a converted Indian woman, having been convicted of a gravesin, in order to deny it cursed, saying: "May a crocodile eat mebefore I reach my house, if what I said was untrue. " God punishedher immediately, for while near her native place, called Passi, inthe island of Panai, a crocodile attacked her, and seizing her in itsmouth, dragged her into the river, and swallowed her. At that time, father Fray Juan de San Joseph was prior of that convent. _Tagho_ 16. The convent of Tagho, so called from a river that bathes it, has in charge the care of nine hundred families of Christians. _Dinai_ 17. In Calamianes, the convent of Dinai, with seven hundred families, was removed to Linacapan in order to avoid the continual raids ofthe pirates. _Damaràn_ 18. The convent of Damaràn had charge of four hundred baptized persons. Father Fray Jacinto de San Fulgencio, commissary and procurator of thatprovince of San Nicolàs of Filipinas, while at this court of Madridgave a relation of other houses, in addition to those enumerated, which are as follows: _Layavan_ 19. The convent of Layavan, with seven hundred families in its charge. _Camigui_ 20. That of Camigui, with the bay of Liangàn, has six hundred families. _Baqua_ 21. That of Baqua has charge of one thousand two hundred familiesdivided among six villages. _Parasao_ 22. That of Parasao governs eight hundred families who live inthat place. _Bagangan_ 23. That of Bagangan, with eight hundred other Christian families. _Tuggaban_ 24. That of Tuggaban has in charge one thousand three hundred families. _Banton_ 25. That of Banton, with one thousand two hundred families. _Divàil_ 26. That of Divàil cares for one thousand three hundred families. _Paràva_ 27. That of Paràva administers one thousand families. _Sampongan_ 28. That of Sampongan governs six hundred families. _Surigao_ 29. That of Surigao another six hundred. _Casteèl_ 30. That of Casteèl, a like number. Father Fray Christoval de Santa Monica, father of the said province, commissary and procurator-general, added: _Gura_ 31. That of Gura. _Baler_ 32. That of Baler. _Binangonan_ 33. That of Binangonan. In other records and documents which have come from the said provinceis found the relation of: _Abucaì_ 34. That of Abucaì. _Dagat_ 35. That of Dagat. _Tebastlan_ 36. That of Tebastlan. Many of the said convents are no longer in existence now, eitherthrough lack of religious, or for other accidental reasons; becausethese have occurred, it has been deemed advisable to abandonthem--although the churches are still standing and are cared for, and our religious visit those villages, preserving them in the faith, so that the spiritual food is not wanting to them. § XII _Mention of some hardships which Ours have suffered in the spread ofthe Catholic faith_ It would be beyond our powers to tell what Ours suffered in spreadingthe gospel truth, and in drawing the souls of so many barbariansand heathen from their blindness and errors; for, as they have caredmore for gaining the reward of heaven than of earth, what is knownof it is little or almost nothing. We trust in God, who can rewardthose who serve Him, and that He will have given great glory tothose who have suffered so much for the extension of His honor, bybringing so many people to recognize Him. Let us, then, relate thatthe father-provincial of the above named houses visits them threetimes during the term of his office--and that with so great perilsby land and water that the preservation of his life seems a specialprovidence of heaven. Father Fray Onofre de la Madre de Dios was meton one of those occasions by more than twenty caracoas of piratesand was obliged to cast himself into the water, together with hissecretary. They went to an island, where, naked and without food, they suffered those miseries that can be imagined. Another provincial father, Fray Andrès del Espiritu Santo, suffereda violent tempest, in which a number of persons perished. The boathaving overturned, as neither he nor three other religious whowere accompanying him knew how to swim, they seized hold of thekeel. They remained there two days and one night, expecting deathevery instant. But God was pleased to have them reach a beach amidrocks and reefs. There, bruised and full of wounds, they found noother comfort than to seek roots with which to support themselvesfor many days, until unexpected aid came to them from another part. Father Fray Nicolàs de Tolentino visited the province of Caragha. Hewas wrecked three times, and suffered most the last time; for, the boathaving broken, he had nothing to eat in seven days. Having reached anuninhabited place by dint of his exertions, he went overland throughrough paths and through mountains, at the risk of being eaten bycrocodiles, until he found a little boat, that carried him and hiscompanion to Manila. They were so weak and hurt that they could notrecover their health for a long time. Brother Fray Francisco de San Nicolàs, a native of Cadiz, coming fromthe island of Negros to attend to certain things of the church service, suffered so terrible a whirlwind that the boat was driven upon somerocks and broken into splinters. Its occupants were drowned, and ourlay brother, not knowing how to swim, went to the bottom. Withoutknowing how, he found himself in the hollow of a rock which had anopening at the top. He managed to creep through, by the help of God, who protected him. Climbing to the top he saw that he was on a rockyislet of one-half legua in circuit, and remained there until hiscries and shouts brought some passing Indians, who, surprised at sonovel an occurrence, took him off in their boat. The captivities and oppressions suffered by Ours would take long torecount, and so I shall give only one. Jolo is an island that liesbetween those of Burnei and Mindanao. It is very famous in thatarchipelago, not for its size, but for the warlike daring of itscaciques or petty kings, who have made themselves feared by theirrobberies and cruel deeds throughout those seas. While their fleet, then, was at Calamianes, father Fray Juan de San Joseph, a nativeof Granada, was captured. He was then prior of the convent of Cuyo, and was visiting those villages which had been converted to thefaith, administering the sacraments and the word of God to them--theemployment of those gospel ministers. They took him to their island, being greedy for the ransom. The amount of it was discussed, but asthe sum demanded by those barbarians was large, and the poor religiouscould not collect it in a short time, it was necessarily delayed forsome time. During that time the Mahometan islanders began to persuadethe father to abandon the faith and adopt their vile worship, promisinghim great riches and comfort, and marriage with a sister of the lordor petty king of the island. That would have been a powerful temptationto one who was not so firm in the law of Jesus Christ, and assisted byHis divine favor. Our religious resisted that strong and troublesomebattery mightily; but those barbarians, seeing themselves despised, turned the leaf, converting those flatteries into threats of death, and placed before him many cruel methods of depriving him of life. Thatwas not what the good father feared most, since he desired to lose hislife for the faith which he professed. The petty king had conceived anaffection for the father, and left untried no means in his power inorder to break down the strength of the religious. To such an extentdid he carry his madness that one of the wives of the barbarian, abeautiful and unbridled woman, visited our prisoner often, accompaniedby beautiful women of high rank, in order that they might achievesuccess in winning him to their disgraceful love; for, had he beentaken in that net, the chaste man would have remained ensnared. Thattrick, it is well known, is one of the most persuasive that the devilfurnishes. For he makes war by the affection for the object, and withthe vehement incentives of the appetite. But divine grace was verywell fortified in the soul of the gospel minister. Consequently, the shots of the devil, the world, and the flesh were weakened anddestroyed. The women returned in confusion, after hearing him preachof the mysteries of our sacred law. He understood the Bisayan languagevery well, and consequently learned the one peculiar to that islandin a short time. Although the instruction did not take root in theirminds, at least they recognized a certain element of grandeur thataroused their veneration. Father Fray Juan passed considerable timein those struggles, comforting the Christians who were there, andobtaining many triumphs for himself. Finally, on the arrival of thetime for his ransom, he returned to his convent at Cuyo, joyous athaving suffered for God, although not well satisfied at not havinggiven his life for his holy law. But we can declare that if thebarbarians lacked the determination to condemn him to martyrdom, our Catholic soldier did not want the courage to receive it. We shall give an end to this year of twenty-two, by giving a briefmemorial of father Fray Diego de Santo Tomàs, a native of Nueva-España, a creole of Cholula, and the son of Diego Garcia de Leon and DoñaInès Carrillo. He went to Filipinas when very young, where, leavingthe deceits of the world, he betook himself to the port of religion, taking our holy habit in the convent of San Nicolàs of Manila. Heprofessed in the year 1610. When he saw the so great fervor ofthe religious for the spreading of the faith, he took the call soeffectively into his breast that the superiors, employing him in thatexercise, ordered him to become sub-prior. He was afterward priorof Masinglo, and lastly of Dinai. In the exercise of those duties, he was careful to employ all his strength in caring for the sheepreduced to the flock of the church. He went through the CalamianesIslands, preaching, converting, and confirming those converted in thefaith. And as his cares were prodigious, and he became weakened byhis hardships, his strength failed him; tired out, he became sick, and died on a desert beach, without any human presence. However thedivine presence would not fail him. Happy soldier, whom death overtookwhile fighting in the campaign of the Church of God! Let us give a companion to this father, and let him be father FrayJuan de la Anunciacion. He was born in Madrid, in the parish ofSan Gines. His parents were Diego del Castillo and Felipa Manuel deBenavides. He took our holy habit in the year 1613, while father FrayJuan Bautista Altaraque was master of novitiates. He professed thefollowing year under father Fray Augustin de San Gabriel, prior ofthe convent of the said town. He went to the Indias, being desirous ofemploying his life in the service of God and the welfare of souls. Hethoroughly understood the languages of the Indians. Entering therudest of the islands, he preached with great fervor, and convertedmany heathen. He spent some years in that employment, and finally hislife, without anyone being present at his death. He died worn out, and for lack of nourishment. He lived much, since as long as lifelasted for him he employed it in the service of the holy church andthe conversion of the infidels. His body was found and very reverentlygiven honorable burial. [Most of the third chapter is concerned with affairs in Japan. Ashort description of that country is followed by the efforts of theRecollects to gain entrance to its inhospitable shores in 1623. Firedby the news of the persecution waged against the Christians, twofathers, Francisco de Jesus and Vincente de San Antonio, disguisedas merchants, set out from Manila to preach the gospel to theJapanese. But many misfortunes overtake them: their boat, old and weak, opens at the bow and compels them to put in at the island of Babuyanes;shortly after setting sail once more, a fierce storm drives them tothe Chinese coast, whence they narrowly escape shipwreck and thendeath at the hands of the people, who prove hostile. However, fortydays after leaving Babuyanes, they reach Japan, on June 20. Shortlybegins their journey toward Nangasaqui, which they reach October 14, 1623, noting Japanese customs on the way. There it is reported thatdisguised priests are in the city, and an edict published by theemperor banishes all the Spaniards from the country. Both the fathers, however, escape the banishment. A section on the life of Father Juande la Madre de Dios, a noted laborer in the missions of Mindanao, and who was buried at the fort of Caragha, follows; and the chaptercloses with a reference to affairs at large connected with the order, and the obtaining of certain papal decrees. ] Chapter Fourth _The first provincial chapter is celebrated in Filipinas in the conventof Manila; and in España the first intermediate general chapter ofPortillo. Certain servants of God finish their lives happily. _ § I _Election of the first provincial of Filipinas, at the convocationof the first chapter of that province Year 1624_ The religious of those islands had been governed since the timeof their arrival there by vicar-provincials, either elected by thepriests who were in the convents or missions, or appointed by thesuperior prelate of España, according to the letters and patentswhich father Fray Pedro de la Madre de Dios and father Fray Rodrigode San Miguel had obtained for it. The first vicar-provincial was thevenerable father Fray Juan de San Geronimo, who governed until theyear 1608. Father Fray Geronimo de Christo followed him, but, as hedied very soon, the chapter was convoked; and, in the following yearof six hundred and nine, the same father Fray Juan de San Geronimo waselected. When the latter returned to España, the chapter was convokedin the year six hundred and ten, and father Fray Andrès del EspirituSanto elected. He governed until the year twelve, when father FrayPedro de la Madre de Dios came from España with the appointment. But, his patents having expired, the chapter was convoked, in which the saidfather was elevated to the same office, and he ruled until the year15. That year, the chapter having been convoked, father Fray Andrèsdel Espiritu Santo took the government a second time, until the yearof eighteen, when father Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel came from Españawith the appointment. He had it in charge until the year twenty-two, when, as he returned to España, he was succeeded by the said father, Fray Andrès del Espiritu Santo, who had come that same year fromEspaña with religious. He governed until the year twenty-three, inwhich father Fray Pedro de la Madre de Dios came from España, havingbeen appointed by the venerable father vicar-general. He convokeda chapter, in order that a separate provincial might be elected inthat province, as was done in the others. The patents were as follows. "His Holiness, our most blessed father Gregory Fifteenth (may Godpreserve him), with the desire that is his of aiding the reformedorders, at the instance made him by his Majesty and our order--whopetitioned him that a vicar-general be given us, and permission thatthe convents of our order, with the title and name of province, mightdivide into several provinces--conceded a brief for the aforesaid, which was carried out. For that purpose a chapter was convoked in thisconvent of the city of Madrid on November twenty of the following year, the past year of 1621, in which I was elected vicar-general. Theconvents possessed by the order in España in those islands weredivided into four provinces. Consequently, that the orders givenby his Holiness and by the general chapter may be executed, I amsending the messages, so that a provincial chapter may be held. Inthat chapter the orders of our Latin constitutions and those of thenew ordinances of our aforesaid general chapter shall be observed. "In regard to time, I declare that it shall be held within four monthsof the time when your Reverences shall receive the messages and whenthe religious who bear them, and who sail in this trading-fleet, shall arrive at that convent of the city of Manila--so that [therewill be no haste] in case that it should not be a suitable time whenthe religious arrive, or it should be necessary to arrange anythingfor the celebration; but if time should allow, and the necessarythings should be arranged, it may be held within a month, and notbefore. I warn your Reverences that, on receiving and opening themessages and despatches that I am sending, the form that I orderbe observed. And inasmuch as when your Reverences receive thesedespatches, two years will have passed of the sexennium--accordingto the order laid down in the new ordinances, decreeing that nowand henceforth provincial chapters shall be held, so that thosewho are to come to take part in the election of a new vicar-generalmay be elected every six years--your Reverences shall take one yearfrom this first triennium, and this election shall be, but for thistime only, a biennium. Thus shall be done with both the provincialand definitors, and the rest of the priors and the other offices, so that in the following provincial chapter of that province, thedefinitor and discreto may be elected--who shall come, in its name, for the new election of vicar-general that is to be made (if our Lordbe so pleased), at Pentecost of the year 1627. "The coming shall be arranged in such manner that they may not comelate, nor leave before it is necessary. As soon as the definitor anddiscreto (or those who may be elected to fill their places on accountof their death, or for any other legitimate impediment) are elected, your Reverences shall advise the vicar-general by the first boat, ifthey cannot arrive in time. I have chosen to advise your Reverencesof this, so that you might know what you ought and must do; and sothat everything may be done with prudence, devotion, and virtue, in which may our Lord give us many increases. From this convent ofthe discalced of our father St. Augustine, of the city of Madrid, June 12, 1622. Your Reverences' brother, _Fray Geronimo de La Resurreccion_" Accordingly, when this order arrived with the other despatches, thepriors of San Nicolàs of Manila, of Zibù, of Cabite, of Masinglo, of Amò, of Bolinao, of Calumpan, of Tanda, of Butuan, of Iguaquet, of Tibastlan, of Cuyo, of Linacapan, and of Cagaiang assembled. Underthe presidency of the said father Fray Pedro de la Madre de Dios, theyunanimously elected the venerable father Fray Onofre de la Madre deDios, provincial, on the sixth of February of that year twenty-four, the time that the present history has reached. The election was very suitable, as he who was elected was deservingof other and greater posts. He was a native of Perpiñan, in thecounty of Rosellòn, and a son of the convent of Zaragoça, in Aragòn, where he studied arts and theology. He was prior of the convent ofZuera, and afterward master of novitiates in that of Madrid, where hefurnished a great example of observance and virtue. He went to theIndias with the zeal of preaching the faith of Christ our Lord. Hefilled some posts worthily, with so much satisfaction to the religiousthat he deserved to be the first provincial of that province. Hecompleted the suitable ordering and economical régime of the houses, the methods that he practiced being continual presence at the choir, steadfast application to the divine worship, and the decoration ofthe churches. He was modest in his actions, which he adapted to all;mild in his intercourse, by which he made himself loved; skilfulin business management; extremely poor, and given to continualmortification. The definitors were father Fray Andrès del EspirituSanto, father Fray Diego de San Bernardo, father Fray Joseph de SanAugustin, and father Fray Juan de Santo Tomàs, chosen men indeed. The acts passed are reduced to the following points: "That thereligious living at the missions or villages of the Indians maintainall the regular observance of the convents, especially in rising atmidnight for matins, and in the two hours of mental prayer morning andafternoon, even though there should be no more than one priest. Thatauthority be given to the missionary fathers to carry some books thatare conformable to their profession; and that they be prohibited fromwearing hempen garments, especially since the heat of the country iscontrary to that harshness. That the ministers learn the language ofthe Indians within one year; and that, in order to avoid disturbance, they do not receive guests in their convents, unless it be bishops, religious, governors, or alcaldes-mayor. [A section on the first intermediate general chapter of the Recollects, which was held at the convent of Portillo, follows. Section iiitreats of the life and death of brother Fray Juan de San Nicolàs, who had professed at Manila, December 21, 1622. The malice of certainIndians who were taking him up the river from the convent of Iguaquet, to aid in one of the missions, causes his death; for they overturnthe boat, leaving him to drown while they swim safely to shore. Thechapter ends with an account of the life of Bishop Don Fray Gregoriode Santa Catalina Alarcòn who after having been appointed bishop ofNueva Cáceres, in the Philippines, by King Felipe IV, is appointedalmost immediately afterward to the bishopric of Santiago de Cuba atHabana. His death occurs at sea while on his way to assume the latteroffice. This chapter completes the annals for the year 1624. ] GENERAL HISTORY OF THE PHILIPINAS BY FRAY JUAN DE LA CONCEPCION [60] Volume IV Chapter VII _Arrival at these islands of a new mission of the discalced Recollects, the reformed branch of the Hermits of the order of the great fatherSt. Augustine_. [Through the solicitations of Felipe II, the supreme general of theAugustinian order, Gregorio Petrochini, furthers the founding inSpain of a reformed branch of the order. Accordingly the beginningis made in the convent of Talavera, from which beginning the branchgradually grows, although with several set-backs, until the Recollects(their distinctive name) obtain separation from the regular branch ofthe Augustinians. A province is formed, and elections held, at whichJuan de San Geronimo is chosen provincial. After his term of office, he is created bishop of Chiapa; but, burning with the mission fever, offers himself and twelve companions as volunteers for the missionsof the Indias. ] 34. So noble a proposition edified the king, who recognized it asmade by a whole and free spirit. The king had information that theorders appointed for the conquest of Philipinas were not sufficientfor the total conversion and reduction of the many pagans; and, even if they were sufficient, that they had not exerted all theirstrength, distracted by other and less important cares. Theproposition of the father provincial was very much in keepingwith the royal intentions. Accordingly, without any delay, it wasdecreed that the father and his associates should prepare to go tothe Philipinas Islands, and executive orders to his ministers for aspeedy despatch were formulated without delay. The venerable fatherkept these to himself until the formal session of the chapter, inwhose assembly he presented the decree. It was punctually obeyed, all of them considering this laborious expedition as a great servicefor God. They determined to grant him all the necessary documents, and appointed as vicar-provincial with full powers father Fray Juan deSan Geronimo himself, with the limitation of recognizing as superiorthe father provincial of the province of Castilla. 35. With this arrangement, and the royal decrees which containedthe permission for their embarcation, and general royal authorityto make as many establishments as possible in these islands, and asthose new missionaries should deem proper (to which were added otherconcessions for spiritual matters conceded by the papal legate), and fortified with all these patents and despatches, the good fatherchose his associates, men like himself. Most of them were graduated, and most of them eminent men of the Reform. He well comprehended thatsuch new plantations required, since they were to be conspicuous beforeall, men of learning and eminent virtue. Having assembled at Madrid, they set out for Sevilla on the fifteenth of May, in great harmony andmodesty. There they rested somewhat from the fatigues of their journey, and then continued it to San Lucar de Barrameda. They waited thereuntil a large trading-fleet sailed, which left the bay of Cadiz forNueva España, and those religious embarked in one of its ships. Theconfessions that they heard, and their exhortations to the sailors, were a great comfort to the latter, and they did not neglect charitablyto assist the sick. Thus did they acquire unusual estimation throughoutthe fleet. The commander-in-chief approached them in his ship, theflagship, when the weather permitted, to inquire after their health, and to offer them what they needed, commending himself to their holyprayers, and placing in their care the prosperous voyage of the fleet. 36. They reached the port of Vera Cruz with perfect safety, wherethe ships were sheltered. They disembarked, and, passing through thetown of Los Angeles, went to Mexico. There they were received inthe college of San Pablo by its rector, father maestro Fray Diegode Contreras, who was afterward archbishop of Santo Domingo, theprimatial church of the Indias. He kept them with his hospitable aiduntil the vicar-provincial rented a comfortable house, in order toavoid receiving favors, which their strict regulations forbade. Whileawaiting the opportunity to go to the port of Acapulco, their modeof life was retired and edifying. Many noble and wealthy personsbegan to entreat them to remain there, and to establish themselves, offering them their favor and most abundant alms; and they asked that, if that should not be granted, a competent number would remain andestablish themselves. The father maestro Contreras encouraged thesesolicitations, and promised them to allow them to become discalced, and to give credit to the new institute. 37. The president Fray Juan considered those so liberal propositionsas annoying temptations, to which, through the motive of their zeal, not one of his could consent. He considered it advisable to avoid themby flight, and resolved upon his voyage to the port of Acapulco. Therewas already a ship there about to sail to Philipinas on the day ofthe invocation of the Holy Ghost. Having embarked on it, they setsail on the twenty-second of February, one thousand six hundred andsix. They had their terrors on the voyage; the ship caught fire, and the fire was already quite near the powder-barrels that werereserved in the "Santa Barbara. " [61] Warning was given of this(which is one of the greatest of dangers), in sufficient time toenable them to extinguish the fire. Had it reached the powder, the worst ruin would have surely followed. I think that there isno peril of the sea so horrible. Another danger happened on a calm, clear night, when the cry of "Land, land!" came from the bow. Thatdanger startled the pilots, who had no shoals down on their chartsthere. They were aware of them by the breakers in the water, andthe vessel was so engulfed in them that it could neither bear away, nor put in, without the same risk. As the breaking of the waterswas getting nearer the ship, they considered all their efforts vain, and without any urging, allowed themselves to be carried in the samepath. They tried to make soundings, but the plunging of the boat andthe violent dragging of the sounding-line on the reefs did not permitthem to make an accurate calculation of the depth. In such a contest, the hopes of all were already weak, besides which they were enteringamid the breakers. The ship sailed a long distance without meetingaccident, and later they found themselves in the deep sea, free fromso dangerous a fright. That shoal was marked down accurately on thecharts, and was noted on other voyages. It was a rocky islet surroundedwith many covered reefs. They considered it a marvelous occurrencethat they should pass over them without meeting with accident onthem. Father Fray Andres de San Nicolas fell sick near the islandsof the Ladrones, and, recognizing that his attack was serious, hesought consolation in the holy sacraments. During his last hours hefervently exhorted all to persevere in the undertaking that had beenbegun, promising them a happy result. He yielded up his spirit to Godamid tender colloquies. Those of the ship wished to keep his body in awell-sealed wooden casket, in order to give it decent burial on shore;but in order to avoid innovations, the venerable superior, Fray Juan, did not consent to this. Accordingly, having been placed in a casket, he was cast into the sea, accompanied with the usual obsequies. 38. They continued from that moment their voyage prosperously, afteran almost general epidemic of fever, safe and sound. By special ordersthey anchored in the port of Zebu. That most venerable prelate, DonPedro de Agurto, received the new missionaries with a procession. Theywere lodged in the convent of the Augustinian fathers, who receivedthem as brethren. Much did that illustrious man desire the propagationof the gospel. He begged and insisted that they stay in his bishopric, and offered them a foundation to their liking, if they would onlyremain for the conversion of the infidelity that was obstinatelypersevering for the lack of ministers. He suffered greatly from this, for so necessary was the remedy. It was impossible for the newcomersto consent to so favorable arrangements, or to listen to so urgentand compelling entreaties. Their journey to Manila was unavoidable, inorder to present the royal decrees and despatches to the governor. Theythanked his Excellency fittingly, and all offered to put themselvesat his disposal after the performance of so necessary business. Theyset out from that place to execute it, as soon as opportunityoffered. They reached the capital city of Manila without any accident, then celebrating the victories obtained by their governor, Don Pedrode Acuña, in the expedition of Terrenate. They were accommodated ina small house for the time being, where the most influential peopleof the city came to visit them. Everyone offered them a more decentlodging, the orders distinguishing themselves by offering them theirconvents. To all they humbly excused themselves, only accepting theinfirmary of the Dominican fathers, for the treatment of some of theirsick, where they were treated with a most benign charity. The governorarrived, triumphant from his expedition; and as soon as he heard ofthe arrival of those new religious, leaving the magnificent trophies, deigned to be the first to visit them. He consoled and regaled themas a noble knight. But being eager to finish the despatch of theships to Acapulco, and going quickly to Cavite, he could not examinethe royal despatches; nor could he do so afterward, for, as we havealready stated, death attacked him while engaged in this affair, andlaid its spoils in the sepulcher. Thus was suspended his recognitionof the royal decrees; they were presented to the royal Audiencia, who, recognizing them as authentic, gave them the requisite attention. Invirtue of these, permission was given to the father vice-provincial, Fray Juan de San Geronimo, to preach the gospel wherever he thoughtbest, and to establish his houses wherever he should consider itmost advisable. Chapter VIII _This Mission establishes itself at Bagumbayan, and they begin theirevangelical labors_ 1. The deceased governor, Acuña, had already finished a country-seat orsummer-house for his retirement from the cares caused by so extensivea government, at a location called Bagumbayan, three hundred pacesdistant from the walls of the city. At the death of that gallantgovernor they began to try to dispose of this house. The newmissionaries thought that retreat very suitable for their purpose, and tried to buy it because it was already offered for sale. Forthat purpose they went through the city begging alms of its citizens, accompanied by certain persons of influence, and in two afternoons theycollected more than three thousand pesos. With them they immediatelypaid the price asked, the authorized guardian of estates, Captain DonPedro de Ortega, lowering its just price considerably. LicentiateDon Rodrigo Diaz Guiral, then filling the office of fiscal of theroyal Audiencia, was a zealous and influential party in everything, and took especial interest in facilitating that accommodation. Theyconverted the house of recreation into a convent. They assigned alocation for a public church, which they dedicated on the tenth ofSeptember to the glorious St. Nicolas de Tolentino, to whom they hadconsecrated themselves by a special vow when they left the coastsof España. That function was very solemn. His Excellency of Zebu, Don Pedro de Agurto, performed the pontifical office; while thevery reverend father maestro, Fray Pedro Solier, of the Order ofSt. Augustine of the Observance, a person distinguished by his meritsand position, preached. He was then provincial of the province ofSantissimo Nombre de Jesus in these islands, bishop of Puerto Rico, and afterward archbishop of Santo Domingo. The royal Audiencia, theecclesiastical and secular cabildos, the orders, and the nobility andcitizens of Manila were present and lent honor to the function Withsuch favorable beginnings, those evangelical ministers were greatlyconsoled and very happy. They were most happy with the favorablehoroscope in which that new province was born, in having St. Nicolasfor their patron. There was some altercation [over this matter] withthe Augustinian fathers of the Observance; the devotion to this sainthad now grown very extensive in their church, in a special chapel, and they foresaw that worship there would be decreased on account ofthis new advocacy. It was not an occasion for a suit, and they triedmodestly to avoid litigation. Although possession could not give betterright, the Recollects yielded, and accommodated themselves to a changeof title, commending to God this serious matter. The calmness of SeñorAgurto was seen in that, at whose direction they cast lots to settlethe controversy satisfactorily. Many other saints took part in thelots, and in them the said St. Nicolas had success the first, second, and third time when the cast was repeated. Thus was the will of Godpowerfully confirmed, resistance ceased, and they resigned themselvesto it peacefully. They extended the protection of the new church tothe province, which was already in its beginnings. The said firstfeast was celebrated with the greatest harmony between the parties, and unity of minds. 2. They were not useless in that location, for, accommodating theactive life to the contemplative one, they applied themselves withfervid ardor to spiritual help in the administration of sacraments andin gospel preaching to many different peoples, who needed that sameassistance, especially at night, when the city gates were locked. Asthere were no parish churches near, many were the sudden calls thatdisturbed their rest, for all of which they were very ready andprepared, as one should be in a matter that concerns the salvation ofthe soul. Their zeal could not be restrained here; more arduous wasthe obligation which had brought them, and the acquiring of some oneof the many languages which are spoken in these islands. Without thatdiligence their application would be useless; without such intercourse, men must necessarily consider one another as barbarians. Since theTagál language is the most general, their most careful study was givento it. Their eagerness was emulative, and made them rapid in theirhaste. He who most quickly penetrated the language was father FrayMiguel de Santa Maria, native and son of the convent of Zaragoza, a person of resolution and vigorous mind, and of no common abilities. 3. With these arrangements they tried to make a beginning in theirapostolate. On discussing where they would better employ themselves, they thought that they would better not separate far then, since theywere so few. Quite near by, eight leguas distant, was the villageof Marivelez, which had no ministers. The other ministers had leftit because of the insalubrity of its climate and the brutishnessof its natives, who were very obstinate in their superstitions. Thevoices of the missionaries did not at all soften them, wherefore withcomfortable maxims they had left them in their obstinacy, shakingoff secretly the dust from their sandals. Truly their religionwas ridiculous. They had their groves or reserved places in theforest. There were their peculiar penates or minor gods, to whom theymade their sacrifices. Certain old deluded and ceremonious personstook charge of the sacrifices. They were assisted by certain old women, called _catalonas_, who had great authority among those deluded people, which they had acquired by deceitful and delusive tricks. The method ofsacrificing cattle was the common and transcendental one among thosenatives. But irreligion was manifest in all their vain observances, and in the conservation of their traditions, rather than any activeand positive religion. They observed those long-kept and sacrilegiouscustoms, through fear of punishment if they omitted them; and, evenmore, they were persuaded that they would die the instant when theyviolated these. 4. Their laws in political government were no better, being atthe pleasure of the most powerful, who exercised their tyrannydespotically. Many difficulties were those. And if one wouldconsider that others, who must be considered of equal or greaterspirit, had abandoned them as unconquerable, he would understandtheir human prudence, or temerity, or their great conceit. But therobust vicar-provincial stumbled in nothing, his wonderful zealfacilitating everything. For that administration and conquest, heappointed Fray Miguel de Santa Maria the adelantado, giving him asassociates father Fray Pedro de San Josef, and the lay brother FrayFrancisco de Santa Monica, all of them now well acquainted with thatlanguage. They accepted their appointments resignedly, and set outfor Marivelez. They quickly found that profound darkness was opposedto their new light. They were not dismayed by their inevitablelabors. No welcome was found among so rude and unconquerable apeople. The missionaries solicited them in the woods, where theygained their livelihood by the labor of their fields. They spoke tothem in affectionate tones; they undeceived them of their errors, which so darkened their souls. They maintained, at their own cost, some huts where they retired for the necessary rest at night. When theytook any slight and hurried refreshment, it was for their necessaryrelief and rest, since the rest of their time was broken withpenitential exercises. By such unalterable and edifying procedure, they were gradually softening those hard rocks; and they alreadyhad many converts and baptized people. The other idolaters did notregard that desertion well, and one day when the father was going onhis rounds to catechise them in the woods, the pagans were awaitinghim, and discharged upon him a shower of stones. He yielded to hiscontusions and wounds. He escaped with his life from this exigency, which was not little. But he was so ill-treated that he could notrecover his health, which became worse; and recognizing that it wasimpossible to recover it there because of the utter lack of comfort, he determined to retire to Manila, in order to die conformably withhis brethren. Some medicines were administered to him here, which hetook rather to please his superior than because he had any idea thatthey would be of use. The dissolution of his body rapidly progressing, he piously received the last sacraments; and, in the midst of loftyand loving acts, he passed to the eternal rest, leaving this wretchedlife with envy. His two courageous companions returned also to theinfirmary at Manila, for they had fallen sick from their continualtroubles; and they ended their lives in so excellent and desirablea manner, the first fruits of this laborious task. 5. So arduous an undertaking was not abandoned through fear ofits danger, because those beginnings were, in the general mind, unfortunate. It fell to the lot of father Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel, a man celebrated in the history of his holy province, especially inthe voyage that he made from these islands to Basora and Caldea, in which he reduced various Armenians of the schism [62] to theobedience of the holy see, and presented their chiefs to his Holiness, Urban Eighth, who thanked him for his zeal by special favors andrewards. He was firm in spirit and of most courageous boldness. He tookpossession of that toilsome mission. With his industry, he reducedto a civilized and Christian life the remainder of those pagans, in a location called Bagac. There he built his church and dwelling, and there he gathered many scattered peoples. Afterward he moved itto that of Marivelez because of the convenience of the port, and itsmore equable climate. He arranged other annexed locations withina distance of twelve leguas, where his tireless industry gatheredabout one thousand five hundred souls. Assuring this stronghold, heopened a gateway by which to pass to the coast beyond. The ZambalesIndians tyrannized over it, and no boats could touch there withoutdanger of their lives. Those were Indians of barbarous ferocity, andvery bloody-minded. It was very difficult to soften such monsters, so blinded by their superstitions and by their barbarous customs, that in no way would they accustom their ears to other things. Onevery extraordinary event procured respect for the father among them, and thereupon they paid more attention to his evangelical words. 6. Father Fray Rodrigo was one day passing through a thicket. Thatthicket was, according to their customs, one of the reserved ones, and it was considered sacrilegious to cut anything from it, and thatsuch act would be punished with immediate death. So infatuated werethey with that blindness that no one, even though in great need, dared to take anything from that place, being restrained by fear. Thefather saw a beautiful tree, which they call _pajo_, laden withripe fruit. He ordered his followers to gather some by climbing thetree. They strenuously resisted, but father Fray Rodrigo insisted onit. They declared that they would not do it under any circumstances, and that it meant sure death if they offended the respect whosefatal sentence comprehended all the trees of that place. The fatherseverely chided them for their error, and to show them that it was so, he determined to gather the fruit himself. He began to break branchesand to clear the trunk, in order to facilitate the ascent. The Indianswere grieved, and urgently begged him to desist from that undertaking, which they considered as so rash. But the religious, arming himselfwith the sign of the cross, and reciting the antiphon, _Ecce lignumcrucis_, managed to gather some of the ripe fruit, which the treeoffered. He ate it in front of them and liked the fruit very much, for indeed it is savory. They looked at his face amazed, expectinghis instant death. When that did not happen, they recognized theirdelusion, and detested their cheats They also ate without experiencingany harm. The father charged them to say nothing upon their arrivalat the village. He took with him a goodly quantity of that fruit, and divided a great portion of it among the chiefs. Esteeming thegift, they, in their ignorance, ate it without fear. In a sermon onthe following day, the father disclosed the secret and checked theirvain fears; so that, undeceived by experience, they followed himwith their axes, and in short order felled that thicket, which wasa confused center of perverse iniquities. Thereupon, many of thoseinfidels submitted to the true knowledge. 7. He continued the conversion of those people after that happy result, despising dangers, and enduring bodily necessities, very full indeedof interior consolation. That is a rough coast, and offers grievousterrors in its times of turbulent weather. Father Fray Rodrigowas navigating along it when a fierce tempest suddenly overtookhim, which, driving the small boat upon some rocks, dashed it intopieces. Those who were in it were drowned, although they knew how toswim. The father alone, by the violent impulse of a wave, reached asmall rocky islet. His life was miraculously saved on it, and God, who does not grant His blessings incompletely, caused an Indian todiscover him within twenty-four hours. The Indian swam to him, andcarried him from that danger, on his shoulders. Even more marvelous wasanother thing that happened to father Fray Juan de la Ascension, whilesailing along that same coast. He was in a boat manned by Chinese, who, being careless of their sheets, did not loose them in time, whenthe wind suddenly shifted furiously. It is most dangerous to coastalong high lands, for so furious winds blow through the passes thatif great care is not taken with the sheets the boats overturn easily. 8. Thus did it happen with this boat, and its keel was exposed tothe sun. All were drowned, without any aid; only father Fray Juan wassaved by divine Providence. This is more manifest, since the methodwas one unheard-of. The father remained inside his craft, whilethe overturned boat tossed up and down. Its space did not entirelyfill with water, a small space being left, which served as an arch, in which the father could keep his head and arms out of the water, having laid fast hold of a beam. He passed three days thus, untila boatful of Indians, happening to pass that way, and observing thefloating hull, approached the boat, to see if it contained anythingby which their greed could be advantaged. They began to breakthrough the open end. As soon as they had opened a small aperture, they heard the voice of the shipwrecked religious, who begged forhelp. The Indians were frightened, and resolved to leave the taskthat they had undertaken. One of them, more courageous, inspired themwith the sufficient resolution, and, continuing, they discovered thefather almost at the last extremity. They reached him presently, tookgood care of him, and helped him with what they were carrying. Withthat he came to himself and recounted his catastrophe. They marveledgreatly at so extraordinary an event, which they regarded only as aprodigy never before seen. In this manner did they continue with theconversion of those infidels, until they obtained a good foundationin the village of Masinloc. It was a very suitable location, as itwas the center of many mountains and settled districts where many anddiverse peoples could easily be reduced to a civilized and Christianlife. The management of its planting was given to father Fray de elEspiritu Santo; and he, with two associates, was well employed inthose apostolic excursions. In a short time they had eight thousandnewly baptized Indians, and arranged methods for their administration, and for their catechism. Their first care was divine worship, andinstruction and training musicians and singers. So did those zealousministers labor, and we leave them now in that cultivation. Volume V Chapter III _The discalced Augustinian religious continue their spiritual conquestson the coast of Zambales, and pacify it with their labors. They extendtheir fervent tasks to the province of Caraga, in Mindanao. _ 1. If God created man with a certain fertility, with which topropagate other men, although that fertility was not taken away bythe first sin, it is not what it would be if disobedience had notintervened; and if to that propagation conservation be not added, itwould not proceed according to the form and method of its kind, buteven in these natural arrangements nothing would be done without thecooperation of the Creator. Proportionally so is it in the spiritualpropagation, in which man is formed for piety and justice. He whoplants or he who waters is nothing, but it is only God who giveth theincrease. For that reason so necessary dispositions are not useless, but are indispensable in the present providence. How can they hearunless there be one to preach to them? God gave man understanding, but it is as dull in infancy as if he did not have one; it must beexcited, and brought to light with the increase of age, in which hebecomes capable of knowledge and of instruction, skilful to perceivetruth and pure and chaste love, with which to fight strenuouslyagainst the engendered vices to which he is inclined naturally fromhis youth. Those spiritual propagations in semi-brutish men are verydifficult; for, although reason is not altogether extinguished, thesparks of it are so feeble that one must use considerable discretionand prudence in order to arouse them. With those monsters werethe discalced Augustinian religious dealing on the Zambales coast;having as the object of their living faith the salvation of souls, they could employ themselves admirably in such spiritual propagations, planting and watering with immense labor, God granting them the desiredincrease in that so blessed intercourse. Establishing themselves inMasinloc, they did not restrain themselves in the undertaking untilthey reached the end of the coast, on whose famous point is the villageof Bolinao. There they had had the first intelligence of the gospel, which the observantine Augustinians had tried to communicate tothem. But either the ferocity and barbarous customs of the natives, who threatened to kill them, or their great occupation in othermore abundant missions, compelled them to abandon that attempt. Atthe demand of those religious, together with a commission from thegovernor then in office, Don Rodrigo de Rivero, and the instance ofthe venerable dean and cabildo, the vice-provincial despatched fathersFray Christoval de Christo and Fray Andres del Espiritu Santo to thatconversion. The village was then located on an island, which formedthe port of the same point. When the venerable religious entered, thenatives would have nothing to do with them; however they did not dareto expel the fathers nor lay hands on them. They supported themselveson certain herbs and roots, which grow naturally and without laborin the forest, necessarily suffering misery and misfortunes. 2. Their endurance and suffering made the Bolinaos more tractable;they were persuaded that their preaching was true, and that theirinstruction was important for them. They began to listen to itwithout aversion, although with curiosity. The efficacy of the wordof God penetrated strongly into their hearts. Then they conceiveda horror of their barbarous customs. Thereupon, and because of thecontinual instruction, they resolved to abandon paganism, and tosurrender their necks to the gospel yoke. One thousand six hundred, having been catechised satisfactorily, were baptized. They builta suitable church and a dwelling-house for the father ministers, and the village of Bolinao was established in very orderly ways, in matters relating to their common life and to civilization. Theyhave continued happily in their vocation, and I think that it is oneof the most solid Christian communities in the islands. They are verydevout, and their thoughts are without any superstition, while theyare most inclined to devotion. Thence the fathers extended their zealto the near-by and dependent communities; all these were most happilysubjected. That was largely induced by the religious themselvescutting down a reserved bamboo plantation, and thus removing theirfoolish fears that he who dared to cut a single bamboo from it woulddie--but which did not happen to them, as the Indians had imagined. Bythat means they were undeceived in their previous superstitions. 3. The fathers also extended their reductions and conversions tothe south of Masinloc. They formed the scattered peoples, and therural settlers of Tuguy and Paynayan into villages. Inasmuch asthe Pagans and Negritos of the immediate forests disturbed thosenew establishments greatly by making furtive raids on them andkilling several people, seizing those who were heedless at night, the superior government determined to establish a small fort inPaynayen, with moderate-sized artillery, and a garrison of Spanishand Pampanga infantry which would maintain in loyalty those newlycatechised and reduced, and would shelter them from barbaroushostilities. The expenses for it were to be paid, in order to makeraids in the forests, and to intimidate with their arms those peopleof so fierce customs. The only ones still to be conquered on thatlong coast were the scattered people of Sigayan, about eight leguasnorth of Masinloc. Father Fray Alonso de San Augustin, a son of thiscity of Manila, took charge of that undertaking at the order of hisvicar-provincial. His diligence was efficacious and most lively. Hereduced many of those infidels to the true faith; founded a town withthem, which he, with good supervision, established in a commodioussite; and established a church and house. He managed and perfectedthe work with great vigilance and the consolation of his soul. One daywhen the people were assembled, he preached a fervent sermon, censuringthe resistance of some obstinate infidels. Some of them were respectedand venerated as the greatest chiefs. The sermon mortified them, andthey resolved to take satisfaction for the pretended and supposedinsult. The bolder of them, on some pretext or other, approachedthe zealous father, quickly drew a cutting weapon, such as they use, from its sheath, and at the first blow almost decapitated him withit. His hood protected him somewhat, but not so much that he was notgrievously wounded. As the wound was given in a dangerous place, itscure was difficult. Thus he lived but a short time, sacrificing hislife very willingly for the good of those rebellious sheep. Afterthat parricide the new reduction rose in rebellion. The followersof the unjust aggressor burned and destroyed the village, convent, and church, and withdrew to the general asylum and refuge of thewoods. Some faithful Christians remained with the wounded father, whomthey carried to Masinloc, where his happy death occurred. With whatwas left, after abandoning that new Christianity for the time being, the ministers tried later, as if forgetful of the past insult, to havethe reduction returned to its old site. They interested the Indiansof Masinloc, and, partly with mild means and partly with threats, they attained their object--not without great efforts, fears, andhardships. The church, house, and village were rebuilt, and about sevenhundred souls were enrolled. That village, after other translations, is the one now called Santa Cruz, and is dependent on Masinloc. 4. Those hardships caused those religious to be well received inManila. Its citizens became interested in that, without leavingtheir first foundation of Bagumbayan, which was very useful for thosesuburbs, they should move into a regular convent within the walls oftheir fortification--which was unavoidable because of the continualdisputes with Japanese and Chinese, and because of the fears causedby the Dutch with their fleets. Because of the urgency with whichall compassionately entreated them, with this security, the fathervice-provincial, Fray Juan de San Geronimo, responded gratefully;and, recognizing the strict advisability of it, bought a smallhouse near the artillery foundry which then existed. The governor, then Don Juan de Silva, liberally and willingly facilitated thisundertaking with alms, and conceded the site. Various oppositionswere encountered against that foundation, but they were conquered, although with difficulty, by constancy. The religious passed many daysof poverty on that site, being uncomfortable and with scanty subsidies, until the very pious and noble gentleman, Don Bernardino de el CastilloRivera y Maldonado, a native of the City of Mexico, master-of-camp ofthe royal regiment, castellan of the fort of Santiago, and regidor ofthe city--moved likewise by the urgent entreaties of his pious wife, Doña Maria Enrriquez de Cespedes, who was very strongly inclinedtowards this religious institute and to their patron, San Nicolas deTholentino (by whose intercession she had obtained a son), who had diedsoon afterward--took charge of the foundation. He erected a handsomebuilding on that site for a church and convent, which was made ofhewn stone. He finished it at a personal cost to his estate of morethan one hundred thousand pesos. He assigned it suitable revenues inlands, and funds for the necessary repairs and rebuilding--all themore liberally, as he had no necessary heir. 5. In an authentic declaration that he made before thealcalde-in-ordinary of this city, Don Martin de Herrera--received andtestified before the notary-public, Juan de Villa Marin--the patron, Don Bernardino, declares that the impelling motive for undertaking andperfecting the work of church and convent was his great devotion toSan Nicolas de Tolentino, and his having recognized in the discalcedAugustinian religious, from the time of their arrival in this city, learned, virtuous, and serious men; and the knowledge that they weregathering much fruit in this community and among the natives roundabout. In their manner of acting, they persuaded men that they wereall true servants of God. That had moved him to aid them in their verysevere need; and he had taken under his charge convent and church, building them a new edifice from the foundations up. He had boughtmany pieces of ground for them at excessive prices; in that way andon the work, he had spent a large sum, and he considered it wellemployed. He declared that he was ready to spend much more, even tothe extent of all his wealth, and to be left with only his assignedpay of castellan; for the said Recollect religious deserve it bytheir example and virtue. For the repairs and preservation of thework, he assigned a fitting income from many lands. It is estimatedthat he spent on and endowed it, in all, with one hundred and fiftythousand pesos, although with obligations to chaplaincies. Besidesthat, he adorned the church, and continually expended money for it. 6. He also had a garden or country-house, called Calumpang, becauseof its location. He made them a present of it, and of a portion ofthe lands surrounding it, on condition that the said religious founda convent on that site, where some religious could live retired andfree from disturbance. The then vice-provincial, Fray Rodrigo deSan Miguel, took possession, after obtaining the necessary licensesfrom the government and from the archbishop. With these was formed aconvent of the same house, and a small church was erected under theinvocation of St. Sebastian, being dedicated to that glorious martyr, a being to whom especial devotion was paid by its founders, who aidedits cost with their wealth. The archbishop, then Don Fray Miguel GarciaSerrano, adjudged [to it] the spiritual administration of the tenantsof the lands, to the number of about thirty houses. The minister ofSampoloc had a suit pending about those tenants, but as soon as theywere adjudged to that new church, they escaped from his demands;and free possession remained to them, which was confirmed by theroyal patronage. A beautiful image of our Lady of Carmel was placedin that church a few years afterward, which was brought from Mexicoby a mission of those religious. Her devotion extended her worship, and her favors made her more famous. The dean of that holy church, DonJuan Velez, given up by the doctors, and already without hope, beggedthe religious to carry the holy image of Carmel to his house. At theentrance of that Lady, and the fervent prayer of the dean, he suddenlybecame well and completely cured. As a thank-offering for so singulara favor, he returned the image to her church, and made her a verysolemn feast. He founded with the ordinary authority a confraternity, under the title of Carmel, which attained so many members withina short time that the number was more than two thousand, of bothsexes. The dean continued the feast every year, but scapularies werenot distributed because they had no authority for it, and because theyhad no members of the Carmelite order. [63] Therefore those religioushad recourse to a competent prelate of the Carmelites, who couldconcede the permission with apostolic privilege--the very reverendfather-provincial of Andalucia, Maestro Fray Diego de el Castillo, granting authority to the prior of the convent of San Sebastian inPhilipinas in order that he, in his person alone, could and mightbless the scapularies of his holy order, and distribute them to thefaithful who might request them. From the receipt of that despatch, and by means of such a distribution, the confraternity became fullto overflowing. The feast could not be held on its appropriate day inJuly, which is wont to fall in the height of the rainy season. Havingrecourse to the apostolic see, Pope Clement Eleventh erected theconfraternity anew, and set its feast for the twenty-first of January, with special concessions of a plenary indulgence weekly, and additionalones during the year on days assigned by the archbishop. Those weeklyindulgences fall on Wednesday, and the others on the four Sundays ofthe month in February, May, July; and the last, on the day of thebetrothals. The same pontiff later extended the plenary indulgenceof the twenty-first of February to the following week, in order tosatisfy the devotion of the innumerable crowd. If those nine dayswere increased to a fortnight, the crowd would always be numerous. Inthe nine days are administered from six to seven thousand communions, besides many who commune in other churches. It is the most extensivedevotion among Spaniards and natives. That devotion had its failings, as is usual among numerous crowds, which have been corrected by thezeal of the superiors. That confraternity has since been establishedin the city of Zebu, and has in the same manner been extended intothe Bisayan provinces. 7. At length his final illness came to this illustriousbenefactor. Recognizing it as such, he made his will, in which heinstituted as his heir San Nicolas de Tolentino. He died, and thereligious accepted that condition, and the remainder of his propertywas adjudged to them. He was buried in that church as if in his ownhouse: on his conspicuous tomb was expressed the record that he leftby his charitable deeds. In the same tomb the body of his wife wasafterward placed. Monuments were erected to them, and in a suitableniche were placed worthy memorials of gratitude. Since that firstchurch had the misfortune to be ruined by earthquakes, the fathersdid not recognize the patronage when they entirely rebuilt the church, regarding their new church as free. 8. The governor, the bishops, and the encomenderos were urgent forthose religious to extend their apostolic labors. But they were few andcould not attend to those extensions Consequently, the vicar-provincialdecided to send a religious to España, to beg king and council foraid for new operations. Father Fray Pedro de San Fulgencio, a wellknown and experienced member of the order, was proposed for thatundertaking. He was given for the voyage legitimate authorizations, letters of credit from all the governments, very expressive andliberal, in which the truth and necessity were explained, so thathis Majesty would kindly concede a suitable number of ministers, whomight continue so excellent and important beginnings. That fatherreached Madrid without accident, and found his brethren in mortalanguish and distressing pain, and the reformed branch now breathingits last and almost destroyed. [The outgoing provincial has relaxed the strict rule of the reformedbranch. The internal disputes that follow his term are brought to adefinite head by Paul V's brief, ordering the regular Augustiniansto take over the convents of the Recollects and to absorb thatbranch. However, the order is saved by the strenuous efforts exertedboth in Spain and Rome. ] 15. In such condition was this reformed branch when father FrayPedro, procurator of Philipinas, reached España, without province, without authority, and without means for cooperation in his urgentaffairs. But his brave spirit did not waver; he was adroit and promptin the management of papers; and he was presented to the king witha brief memorial referring to his commissions. Although his Majestywas not then very well inclined to the Reform, laying aside thoseconsiderations, he paid good heed to the petition, recognizing itsjustification. He conceded the despatch of thirty religions, whomthe procurator could take with him on the first occasion that shouldpresent itself, with the usual subsidies. After that so favorableresult was obtained, it was considered advisable to go to the courtof Roma, in order to move the universal head [of the church] tofavor the general interest by information of the results obtainedin the islands. He obtained audience with the supreme pontiff, PaulV, to whom he related the labors of his associates in the benefitof infidel souls. His representation was very well received by thesupreme pontiff. The latter conceded him many favors and indulgencesfor the missionaries engaged in conversions and reductions. In orderto aid father Fray Gregorio [64] in his claims, he was detained a longwhile. Those public interests and the most important affairs of thoseconquests disappointed private interests. Powerful rivals advancedtheir claims, but the procurator ought not to have abandoned his ownaffairs. He trusted too much to his prompt and favorable commissions, in whose durability the quickest despatch is not enough; for the agentson the opposing side, availing themselves of his voluntary absence, began to depreciate the mission that had been conceded. They declaredthat the Recollects were not necessary in Philipinas; that thosewho had gone there before were but few and useless. The procuratorsof the provinces of Philipinas--who by having taken the habit werenot divested of human passions, for they considered it [_i. E. , _ theRecollect mission] as a grievance, instead of being moved by a justand charitable zeal--interested themselves in that report. There wasmuch that had to be tilled and cleared. Whole provinces were beggingfor spiritual aid. But now, since their zeal was mitigated, they wereexcusing themselves from labors, and were contenting themselves withtranquillity. To say that new missions were necessary, without someof these entering the labors of others, was very apparent to them, and on very superficial considerations reprehensible. Their immoderateopposition reached such a point that they declared publicly that they[_i. E. , _ the Recollects] were not men who could prove at all usefulto the infidels. 16. Their procurator, Fray Pedro, was well able to answer thosecalumnies (for they were calumnies), and to restrain insinuations sopernicious and prejudicial to the interests with which he was charged;for he had discretion and a spirit for everything. The most effectivething in that was the pressing need of his commissions, and thecontents of his credentials. But death, which overtook him at Milan onhis return trip, prevented those advancements and important efforts;and there was no person to whom to entrust the favorable outcomeof his negotiations at Roma, nor his papers as procurator, whichwere the essential part of the negotiation. Upon that so unexpecteddisaster, inasmuch as there was no substitution of powers, nor, asit happened, anyone in whom to substitute them, the above oppositionand contradiction had their opportunity--thus disappointing thearrangements of several religious who were already preparing for thatvoyage, in their anxiety to embark quickly, and assist their associatesin the islands, and extend their laborious work. Those misfortunes anddisturbances were unhappily removed and extended to Philipinas. Thevice-provincial was notified of Paul V's brief, of the extinction ofthe province, and the submission to the calced religious, who began tomake use of violent acts of superiority. Although counsel was takenwith erudite men regarding that difficulty, yet in view of that soexecutive brief, they wavered in their opinions. The only thing thatmilitated against the brief was that it was not passed by the royalCouncil. But since it had to do with government and monarchy, it wasat least binding on the inner court of the conscience, especially onsubjects who had given a special and solemn obedience to the pontiff, in regard to the internal government of their institutes. These soviolent disturbances had some rest in the election of provincialin the person of the father maestro, Fray Miguel Garcia Serrano. Init the offices of the convents and ministries of the discalced wereconfirmed to the persons who held them, and in the same manner; alltaking care, after the representations of such a prelate, to honorand protect so afflicted a family. 17. Those so complicated causes for disquietude saddenedextraordinarily the venerable father, Vice-provincial Fray de SanGeronimo. He, upon seeing his edifice being destroyed gradually inthis manner, and that its ruin was a foregone conclusion by suchmeasures, determined, notwithstanding his age, and the catastrophesthat usually happened, to return to España, in order to solicit andpromote the quiet of his reformed branch, and help for the preachingand conservation of the Indians, by communicating in person to theCatholic king his fortunate beginnings, being confident in the royaland benignant attachment to his person, and his merits. His receipt ofcertain letters, however, compelled him to cut short the voyage. Thoseletters assured him that the mind of the monarch was made up to appointhim as bishop in one of the vacant sees of these islands. In orderthat those obligatory despatches might not find him in the islands, and as he found a suitable opportunity, he embarked in a vessel to makehis voyage by way of India. That unusual effort also was frustrated, because he was attacked by his last illness on the high sea, atthe parallel of Ormuz. During it he edified the sailors greatly byhis excellent disposition, and his conformity to the divine will, in whose kiss he delivered up his spirit. Very sorrowfully they casthim into the sea, the common tomb of sailors who happen to die thus. 18. Although few, those reformed religious, condescending at repeatedurging, accepted a foundation in the port of Cavite. There lived theseamen, who, accustomed to dangers, are also reckless in vices. Menof nationalities distinct in religion and sect were wintering therebecause of the heavy commerce, and through their frequent intercoursetheir morals were becoming relaxed. 19. He who most urgently requested and sighed for such a foundationwas a pious citizen and a good Christian, named Raphael Blanco, chiefof the shore or arsenal, and master of the calkers. He offered to helpin the establishment with a large ground-plot and property on whichhe had built some houses, with the necessary condition that it was tobe used as a church and convent. He was ready to sign a legal writof gift, provided that the vicar-provincial bound himself to erecta church on the said ground and site. The parties having come to anagreement, went before the royal Audiencia, which was governing, and the bishop of Zebu, Don Fray Pedro de Arze, governor of thisarchipelago. Permission was granted, and a church and convent wereformed in the best manner, in the houses of Raphael Blanco, with theaid of various alms, with St. Nicolas de Tolentino as its titulary. Inthe beginning of its construction it was of wood; but afterward, thenecessary licenses having been granted, it was built of stone. Threereredoses adorned the temple. Shortly after its foundation its benefitwas experienced. The people of the port were most extraordinarilyafflicted; they frequently saw various horrifying specters in the air, which gave vent to terrible and formidable cries. Those specters tookpossession of various bodies, which they maltreated in many and cruelways. Some they made raving mad; to some they caused very dangerousillnesses; some took to the mountains in flight; some, going upto the heights, let themselves fall down a precipice. So terriblea persecution put the whole port beside itself. The churches wereopened and the august sacrament exposed day and night. The greatestcrowd collected in the new convent and church. Missions were preachedthere with spirit and fervor, in which their prior at that time, FrayPedro de la Madre de Dios, excelled. These aroused all to penitence, and there was frequent petition for the holy sacraments. The air wasfilled with sighing, and the people mortified themselves with fastingsand severe penances, in order to placate the divine wrath, so manifestin fearful acts of vengeance. The priests were continually employedin exorcisms against the wicked spirits. Cavite resembled an afflictedNineveh. God willed to let the punishment end with threats. The spiritsleft their obsessions at the command of the ecclesiastical ministers, the horrible apparitions ceased, and their mournful howling was nolonger heard. The inhabitants became quiet and were consoled, butdid not fail to be very well warned. For they continued constant inthe correction and the general reform of morals; and it extended toevery kind of people, who were intimidated for a considerable time bysuch fearful events, and very thankful to their spiritual benefactors. 20. Upon hearing of the death of his vice-provincial, father FrayRodrigo de San Miguel became very eager to make his voyage to Españato solicit new workers. He asked and obtained duplicate despatchesfrom the most prominent and distinguished inhabitants, from theecclesiastical and secular cabildos, from the governor, and fromthe royal Audiencia. All the documents were confirmed by the mostillustrious bishops, who said that the discalced Augustinians werevery observant of their rule in their ministries, very zealous in theconversion of souls, and therefore very advantageous, useful, and evennecessary. That would oblige his Catholic Majesty to concede them themission that they desired. The orders also confirmed the documents, especially the observantine Augustinians, in which they confuted thepreceding adverse testimonies. Then he embarked with so favorableand extensive despatches; but his voyage was very disagreeable. Theysuffered a severe storm amid these islands, in which were lost boatsthat had anchored at Manila and Cavite. The stormy winds obliged themto sail to Japon, from which altitude they continued their course, with constant squalls, until they sighted Cape Mendocino--whence, coasting the shores of Nueva España, they finally anchored at Acapulco, after innumerable terrors and dangers, and after a most distressingvoyage of seven months. 21. The father went overland to the North Sea, and embarking at VeraCruz, continued his course. On the voyage a raging tempest carried themto the coasts and banks of Terra Nova--[_i. E. _, Newfoundland]. Thatdeviation from their course made water and food grow scarce, so muchso that daily rations of only two ounces of sea-biscuit were dealtout, and the same proportion of water. The ship sprang a leak, andtook so much water into the hold that they reached the Terceras asby a miracle. There they rested and equipped themselves, in order tofinish their voyage to Cadiz. Thence the father went to Madrid, wherehis requests were listened to kindly, and his despatches concededto him. In virtue of them, he had already called together twentyreligious; and he determined to embark in the fleet that was beingsent to the Malucas with reënforcements. He could not effect that, because that order had been lost with the obligations expressed inanother part. Accordingly it was necessary to accommodate himself tothe trading-fleet which was being despatched to Vera-Cruz, althoughwith a small number of missionaries; however, considering the extremelack of them [in the islands] great relief was furnished even by these. 22. Thereupon, and the contentions of the Roman court having beenfavorably determined, because the supreme pontiff had [now] beenthoroughly and sufficiently informed, the latter took pains to consolethose whom he recognized as innocent. He did that by his apostolicbrief, in which, with full knowledge of the cause, he explained hisformer brief and definitive sentence, confirming the concession ofClement Eighth, in the erection of the province. He restored thetitle and office of provincial to the same father Fray Gregorio, confirmed his former patents, and restored everything to its formercondition. However, there were certain endurable reservations, bywhich they could not found more monasteries or receive novices. Atthe end of the three years' term, the calced provincial was to visitthat reformed branch in whose jurisdiction the Recollect conventswere to be. He conceded them many indulgences, privileges, andfavors, by which their minds were calmed, and their desired reliefin Philipinas obtained. This country was reenforced with thirteenother missionaries, whom the fathers of España sent officially incharge of their commissary, father Fray Christoval de San Augustin. Hereached Mexico, whence he could not proceed farther, as death seizedhim. Father Fray Onofre de la Madre de Dios took charge of thatleadership, with whose arrangement they all arrived safe and soundat Manila. They had their frights in meeting some Dutch urcas, whichfollowed our ship with a stern wind; and they were about to be capturedwhen the religious invoked in their favor the glorious St. Nicolasde Tholentino. Then, luffing, they were able to escape the Dutch. 23. The most illustrious bishop of Zebu, Don Fray Pedro de Arze, was in Manila, and requested the reverend father Fray Rodrigo de SanMiguel, the vice-provincial at that time, to send religious to Zebuto make a foundation in that city. The latter complied with this, bysending father Fray Juan Chrisostomo de la Ascencion to take charge ofthat, in answer to the bishop's venerable and respectful urgency. HisExcellency conceded to the father a site as his especial property, which had a chapel of our Lady of the Conception somewhat apart fromits center. There the said father established his convent. As hisExcellency's desires were not that the fathers should live in ease, he immediately assigned to them the administration of the islandof Maripipi, where there were about six hundred souls. Being thusestablished in Bisayas, his same Excellency, after consulting thesuperior government, and his Excellency Don Alonso Fajardo acquiescing, charged and intrusted them solemnly with the spiritual administrationof the province of Caraga in Mindanao. That province, although subduedby Don Juan de Silva, and given as an encomienda, had not yet hadany ministers--or, at most, a secular chaplain for ministration tothe garrison of its fort. It was a difficult undertaking becauseof the warlike spirit and the ferocity of the Caragas, whose chieftenet of religion was the deification or apotheosis of the braveand of the most tyrannical. From so barbarous a maxim one can infersomething of their fierce customs. The district was large and causedgreat labor, for the conquests had to be made through rough and denseforests. Their superior assigned eight religious for this task, who, being supplied with the necessary things, arrived without accidentat the presidio of Tandag. [65] 24. They endeavored to reduce that infidelity with mildness andgentleness. They made those people see their errors, and God lent suchforce to their persuasions that many were baptized. They procuredtheir conversion through the chiefs, who by their superioritytyrannized over their dependents. One of those chiefs was calledYnuc, as renowned for his reputation as feared for his cruelty, bymeans of which he was absolute along that coast and formidable in theneighboring islands. He hated the Spaniards violently, with whom healways refused to make peace or truce, ever preserving for them animplacable hatred. The superior of that mission, father Fray Juan dela Madre de Dios, trusting in God, dared to conquer that monster. Heleft Tandag to look for him alone, without any followers. He foundhim at his _ranchería_. [66] Ynuc wondered at the father's audacityin appearing before him without first asking permission. He intendedto take satisfaction for what he considered an intolerable insult, but the father talked to him with so much mildness and spirituality, that he not only pardoned his boldness, but also showed pleasure at hissalutary advice. They conversed intimately, and Ynuc was so pleasedwith his intercourse that he accepted tolerable treaties of peacewith the Spaniards of Tandag, with whom he opened communication andcommerce. He granted a free permit so that the father might preachto his subjects, and so that the father might enter and leave hislands without hindrance, ordering that all give him their help. Thefather continuing his intercourse with Ynuc, the opportunity came, when master of his affections, to treat concerning his conversion, as his example was so important. Ynuc did not resist the divine callvery strenuously. He disposed himself for catechism, and receivedbaptism amid great solemnity. In that conversion he performed thenecessary duty, as a proof [of his sincerity], of sending all theconcubines from his house, and marrying the first wife and confirmingby the sacraments the natural contract _in faciæ ecclesiæ_. [67] Hefreed all his slaves, who exceeded two thousand. He issued edictsordering that all persons who thought themselves aggrieved shouldcome for satisfaction, without any fear; and he made the religiousthe judges for that, together with the commandant of the fort. Theysettled all differences equitably, and to the satisfaction of theinterested parties, entirely contenting them all with their decrees. 25. That conversion was much bruited throughout the whole province, and to his example many infidels bowed their necks; however, manydifficulties yet remained. The missionaries resolved to conquer them, for which they exposed themselves to evident dangers. The superioreither did not recognize them as dangers or despised them. He wasresting one night in a location called Ambagan, not far from Tandag. AnIndian, without other motive than his barbarous inclination, conceivedthe thought of killing him, and obtained two companions, who aidedhim with their weapons in his depraved purpose. He climbed into thehouse boldly, leaving his two companions ready on the ladder. Whenhe tried to enter the apartment where the minister was sleeping, avenerable old man stopped him, who asked him in his native language:"Where art thou going, profligate? I am guarding the sleeper, who ismy son. " The Indian, carried away by his headlong wrath, persistedin entering the forbidden apartment. Thereupon, the venerable old manraised aloft a golden staff, which he supported in his hand, with whichhe threatened the Indian, who conceived so great a horror of it thatin his confusion he was unable to find the ladder by which to descend, although he sought it in various ways. He remained there, miserableand afflicted, all that night, without knowing what was passing, until, the morning having come and the minister having come out of his room, he placed himself before the latter very contritely, and told him whathad happened, urging him to make it known. His associates confirmedwhat referred to them--namely, that becoming tired of waiting at thefoot of the ladder, they had retired thence at daybreak, in ordernot to be discovered, abandoning their associate to his fortune. Thefather agreed, as did the more judicious, that he whom the Indianwas declaring by his signs was the great father St. Augustine, whomiraculously defended his son with the pastoral staff. 26. The infidels came to hold these religious in great veneration whenso noteworthy incidents were made known throughout the province, and the gospel obtained great advantages. The errors in whichthe idolatrous priests were trying to maintain the infidels weredissipated. The priests, seeing their interests waning by the recentconversions, conspired against the fathers' lives several times; butthey escaped those dangers by a special and divine providence. Severalreductions were formed in the province, and in the adjacent islandof Siargao. The Jesuit fathers could not take care of all theirenterprises in that island. The reduction of Butuan was not assured, with the visits made at long intervals. Those visits, being transient, allowed no place for instruction, nor did those people preserve muchof their teaching. The bishop of Zebu communicating that fact to thesuperior government, it was agreed that the discalced Augustiniansshould take charge of that administration, with a foundation, as that was important. They accepted it with legal papers, andhad much to do on that great and famous river. They ascended itswaters even to their source, which is the lake of Linao, about fiftyleguas in circuit. There they founded a settlement, in order toassure their labors. [68] They coasted the shore to little Cagayan, [69] on that excursion taking also into their charge the island ofCamiguin. Farther on they passed through the rancherías of Higan andLangaran up to the lake of Malanao. But the opposition of the Jesuitsstopped them; for the latter disputed their right to that spiritualprogress, to such an extent that they produced controversies in thecourt. His Catholic Majesty decided the question by the rights of hisroyal patronage. He ordered the island of Mindanao to be surveyed, and distributed the administration of it between the two contendingprovinces, granting to that of the Recollects [the coast] from thepoint of Sulaban [70] to the cape of San Agustin, while the restremained in charge of the Society. Thereby were hostile rivalriespacified, which would have produced nothing good had they continuedwithout so powerful arbitration. Chapter IV _The Augustinian Recollects are charged with the administration andconquest of the province of Calamianes. Geographical and naturaldescription of that province_. 1. The extension of its spiritual progress to the province ofCalamianes does much honor to the religious Recollect family. It wasnot the effect of a rash temerity; it was a matter of slow and carefuldeliberation. When once established and determined, resolution freefrom terrible doubts was necessary to undertake it. "Not only is fearnot a cause for surety, " said the emperor Leo [71] in his tactics, "but it is also most adverse for good strategies; since in difficultundertakings it is necessary to consult God, and, assured in one'sinmost beliefs, to attack without trepidation of spirit. The bestgood of expeditions (especially military), if they are difficult, consists in discovering thoroughly the condition of the enemy, the number and quality of their troops, and their enterprise inmilitary discipline. With that keen knowledge, the captain prepareshis assaults, and plans his sudden counter strategies. " In the presentconversion, maxims so prudent were very suitable--in which, preparedby the spiritual food of faith, hope, and charity, they made manifestthe mystery of the ineffable Trinity, and subdued the infidels tothe sacrament of holy baptism. It was a difficult thing, and one thatexceeds human strength; but obeying God, attacks become spirited. ByHis help one can soothe difficulties, explain intricate mysteries, andresolve everything easily. After having consulted that superior oracle, accompanied solely by his armor-bearer, one can attack whole armies, rout them, and throw them into a general confusion and consternation;and it is the enemy's own weapons that wound and disperse them. 2. The archipelago of Calamianes consists of an infinity andindeterminate number of islands, large and small, and most of them veryfertile. [72] Those best known and best supplied with the productsof commerce which might make them rich are [here] set down. Buttheir lack of attention [to these products] reduces the natives toa wretched and unhappy state. The first island, and that which isfirst encountered from the course of Mindoro, about fifty leguasacross from Luban, is Calamian the great, which gives name to thewhole province. It is commonly called Busuagan, taking that name froma principal village or settlement. It is a large and pleasant islandin the form of an oblong, eight long leguas in length and about fourwide. Its rivers are of great volume; there are sufficient mountains;and from that nature [of the land], there is an abundant yield ofwax of superior quality, which is produced naturally, and without[human] labor, by the vast multitude of industrious bees. The onlywork in it is the gathering of the honeycomb in its season (whichis very securely fastened in the large, high, and leafy branchesof the trees), by the sole effort of making fires with thick smoke, which compels those little animals, which defend their property atthe cost of their lives, to flee in confusion. 3. A more profitable product is the nest made by certain small blackbirds, which are mistakenly called swallows. The material of which thenest is made, in order to lay and hatch their eggs, is yet unknown. Itis regarded as sure that its manufacture takes place in the breast orcrop, whence issues a long filament. Those filaments stick togetherbecause of their viscous nature, and at their extremities adhere tothe rock. Those nests are usually located in very overhanging andrough places, in such a way that the continual rains do not unfastenor destroy them, although the birds always endeavor to place themunder shelter. The shape of the nest is similar to that of theregular swallow, although smaller. It is known that that filamentis produced with difficulty. It is like fine vermicelli, which issometimes accompanied with drops of blood. It is white and somewhattransparent, like ice. It is prepared in various ways, but a soupresembling that of vermicelli, but of better taste, and incomparablymore nourishing, is made with the broth from a substantial olio, or stew. It is very useful for those who suffer from evacuationsand dysentery; it corrects those ailments and is good as a mild anddissolvent food. The Chinese esteem it highly, and generally pay, according to its scarcity or abundance, eight, nine, and sixteen pesosper cate, which contains twenty-one onzas. They are very difficult togather, for the birds always build them in craggy locations, in whosetortuous and precipitous caverns they are only obtained by descendinga rope. Some are obtained by climbing up bamboos, finding a rest forthe feet on the knots, which are left with large projections for thatpurpose. So dangerous evolutions cost even broken arms and legs, andsometimes even cause death. The taking of the nests is repeated threetimes during the calm months of the year. The latter part of December, those to whom are assigned crags--in which it is not right for oneto meddle with those of another, a rule that is observed with muchfidelity--go out. They gather the old nests, which are sufficientlyblackened by the preceding rains; however, they do not lose muchof their nourishment. Thus do they force the little bird to make anew nest, as it cannot make use of the old one for breeding. As thedesire to breed is excited by its nature, the industrious littlebird strives to build its nest before breeding. All the month ofJanuary is spent in its costly labors. The destroyers come and tearthem down. Sometimes they are found with eggs, and sometimes evenimperfect; but nothing restrains their greed, and they tear downall indifferently. The disconsolate birds again begin to build theirnest, and at the end of February or the beginning of March the Indiansrepeat their robbery. The saddened bird, forced to build its shelterat the behest of nature in the multiplication of the species repeatsits anxious labors. Either because there is not enough material forso many labors, or because the season has passed in their periods, the bird does not possess the same inclination in its formation; thenest is finished later, and is less juicy, as experience has shown, for at that time the rainy season generally sets in. That, and theMoros who infest these seas cause the harvest of nests involuntarilyto be abandoned. However, if the above circumstances do not prevent, the third excursion is not lacking. All the crags are not accessible, and where those furtive assaults cannot be made, the number of thoseindustrious little birds is prodigious. " [73] 4. The beaches are protracted into very extensive shoals andreefs. There the excellent balate is very abundant. This isa shellfish, [74] which when cooked and dried in the smoke ispreserved dry. This product is highly relished by the Chinese orSangleys. They lade as much as possible into their boats, paying thirtyand even thirty-eight pesos per pico (which is equivalent to fivearrobas twelve and one-half libras), according to the season. Theflesh is very wholesome, and tastes like shrimp. The fisheriesof fine-shelled turtles are also abundant, and they also form aconspicuous product. Some of the shells have markings as deep red asa fine garnet; and the four principal shells are of an extraordinarysize. From the shells are made very neat boxes, trays, and other prettythings. They are given a jasper finish, which makes their colors shineout strongly. The island has abundance of deer, wild boars, and wildhogs, and monkeys and birds of singular rarity. There are many pagansof good appearance and better disposition. The frequent raids of theMoros hold that most fertile island in the greatest abandonment. Anarrow channel separates the island of Coron [75] from it. The latteris a rocky crag about three leguas in circumference. The only entranceto it is by a narrow tongue of land, which forms, as it were, a smallport. But it is so easy of defense that a few men can prevent anyentrance there without danger. Because of the strength and independenceof its location many natives of savage inclination, and most warlike, live there. Calamian the little follows, where the capital is atpresent located. [76] There is a fort there, well armed. The men intheir capacity as soldiers, with their corresponding officers, defendfrom the natives. It is also fertile in the same products, althoughless abundantly than Calamian the great, but it is so overrun with ratsor moles that no seed plant can live, for they destroy everything. Thenatives are forced to engage in the trade of jars and salt, althoughthey are much interested in the nest business, and in that of wax;the one being their own occupation and the other the exchange. 5. Passing without comment other innumerable islands, comes the famousone of Paragua, [77] about eighty leguas long and from ten to twentyin its greatest width. It is a rich and fertile island. Besides thecommon articles of commerce, such as wax (of which the harvest is moreabundant than in any other district), nests, fine shell, and balate, ithas various fisheries for fine pearls of beautiful luster, some of themfound at a depth of three or four brazas. Shells, or _madres abiertas_, of excellent mother-of-pearl, of various beautiful colors, are foundon its coasts. The matrix-shell of these pearls has been seen of oneand one-half ordinary palmos in length and almost one palmo in itsnarrowest part--whose pearl could not be obtained, because the valveopened on drawing it from the sea, and the sensitive fleshy part thatcontained the pearl fell into the water. According to its appearance, it must have contained pearls of many grains and carats in size. Theisland has various exquisite and useful woods which distil specialgums. There is one which is an effective remedy for cancers; it is sopowerful a caustic that it burns out the cancer even when it is deep, although the wounds caused by its burning are dangerous. However, those wounds have their suitable remedy. There is a quantity of nutmegof two varieties--the long and the round. The latter is valued morebecause it is more fragrant. It is easily destroyed by grubs, becausethe precautions useful for its preservation are unknown. There arebejucos or Indian canes for walking-sticks, with their branches asmuch as five and one-half palmos long; they are of better lusterand of greater toughness than are those gathered by the Dutch in theislands of the Sonda. I am sure that camphor would be found, if onelooked for it, just as good as that of Borney; for the resemblance ofParagua's productions to those of that great island is very marked, and the latter is not very far from its southern point. 6. There are but few quadrupeds [78] that are not found in the otherislands: porcupines, armadillos, _tezones_, leopards, _colcobos_, and certain very beautiful foxes, but of the same species as thestink-foxes of Peru, and very pestilent. They come to the houses intheir greed for fowls, among which they cause considerable havoc. Butwhether it is due to their urine or some other posterior evacuation, such is their stench that is necessary to abandon the house for atime, as it is unendurable. There are many and rare birds. Royalpeacocks are very common; they are but slightly larger than a hen, though without any difference from the large peacocks of India inthe vividness of their colors. Several efforts have been made todomesticate them, but in vain; they become greatly depressed, andsoon die. There are nightingales that sing harmoniously near thecoolness of the small streamlets, repeating their melodious trills, and gifted with most nimble throats. There are many varieties ofparrots of brilliant colors; green, white, and vari-colored pigeons;squirrels or _paniquesas_, of several distinct species--some are whitewith a black ring which sets them off well; there are some with wingsand some with membranes that facilitate their flight, although thatis but short. It is known that the land is one continuous mineraldistrict. Extensions of pure iron jut from the shores laid bare by thebreaking of the waves, as rocky shoals. There are others of vitriolor verdigris, in very rich veins. It must be that the centers of themountains are like this. The island abounds in exquisite and healthfulwaters, now in the springs, now in the large rivers--so many in numberthat sixty-seven are counted from Catbuli to the bay of Ypolote, on theside and coast of the east. Numerous tribes live there. In the roughestlocations the Aetas or black Cimarrones are gathered. Along the riversand level farm lands the natives are of a lighter complexion, andless ugly in feature. This island is peculiar in what we have alreadymentioned, namely, that earthquakes are not experienced there. Butthere are stormy clouds that emit vivid lightnings and terrifyingthunder. But we have not heard that the fury of the thunderbolts isin those clouds, or results from them, for the inhabitants of Paraguahave experienced none of those ravages. Consequently, they do nothave any words or terms peculiar to their language, for these or forearthquakes, which is a very convincing proof. .. . 7. The coasts, bays, and rivers of that large island abound plentifullyin divers and savory fish. In the bay of Malampaya, opposite Taytay, in the same district as Manila, although with a clear and deep bottom, there are many islands, which beautify the bay with their foliage. Avast multitude of vicudas enter the great rivers at the spawningseason--a fine cod-fish that differs in no wise from that of Terranova[_i. E. , _ Newfoundland], and when fresh they are of delicious taste. TheIndians catch them (although with danger from the Moros), and withoutother appliances than certain hooks, and as many as they wish. Forlack of salt, they smoke-dry them, which always leaves an unpleasanttaste, and the fish spoil easily. Paragua has its own near-by islandsscattered along its coast, some of which are inhabited by pigeons, various species of parrots, peacocks, and aquatic birds; others inwhich sailors get as many eggs and squabs, or the young of such birds, as they wish. The largest and most fertile [of these islands] is thatof Dumaran, which is separated from Paragua by a narrow strait. It isa fertile island, in which there is a most abundant harvest of rice, which as a general rule yields more than a hundred-fold. 8. The island of Alutaya belongs to that province. It is a rockyand arid land. However, it has plenty of domestic and usefulanimals, [the rearing of which forms], the careful industry ofits natives. It is about thirty leguas across the open sea fromthe islands of Calamianes. About six leguas away is the island ofCuyo, which is small, being about three leguas in circuit, and low, but very fertile. It contains whatever is fitting and desirable forthe sustenance of human life. Its natives, being for the most partdescendants of Sangleys, are industrious and shrewd in trade. Inexchange for the edible and potable products of their island, andthe textiles of Yloylo, and tobacco, they lade fine products inCalamianes, an exchange that causes anger to the alcaldes-mayor. Thelatter endeavor to prevent that trade, which injures their interests;but those people by their shrewdness deceive them easily, and frustratethe efforts of the alcaldes. The natives were on the whole very savage, and had even more barbarous customs and greater stupidity than theinhabitants of the other islands. They have a knowledge of herbs. InParagua especially, there are some very poisonous ones. They usethem to bewitch their fellows and deprive them of life. There isone of so uncommon deadliness, that if it be chewed in the mouth, and if the exhalations from it be directed in a gentle current towardany person whom it is wished to destroy, his life is quickly takenaway. I heard that from some who have intercourse with the Negroesof Dapit, who know more about it and use it mere easily. The way toovercome those fatal effects is to carry the effective remedy withone--another herb or root. Thus the evil breath loses all its force, and the [aforesaid] herb or root is a sure antidote for its deadliness. 9. This Recollect province set itself to conquer those savagemonsters. They had but little religion, and that an idolatryso barbarous and stupid that no light of reason was visiblein it. Their knowledge of the first cause was very erroneous andconfused. They admitted another life, but through certain very confusedtransmigrations. They revered their dead greatly, for they preparedfood for their resting-places. They had certain little idols--one whopresided over the fields, one over wars, one over illnesses--and theyoffered ridiculous sacrifices to all. They revered the moon greatly, as the mistress of death, and celebrated their funeral rites only atthe full moon. Their priests had high honor among them, and still morethe priestesses, who arrogated despotic power to themselves. They hadno civil body, but were scattered, and had communication only in theirfamilies. They were timid and cowardly, and avenged their grievancesonly by treachery. Five religious were assigned for that difficultundertaking, their director and superior being father Fray Juan deSanto Thomas, a missionary of proved spirit and a man of resolutemind. They left Manila provided with the necessary supplies. Theyput in first at the island of Cuyo, whose natives, being of excellentdisposition, were hoping to have Spaniards in their island--althoughthis was against the will of their priests, who were losing theirprofits (which their offices made easy) by admitting them. Themissionaries were received with affection by the others, who hadno such interests. They first reduced those people to a social lifeand united them, settling quarrels among the families, and forming agoodly village; and, urging their obligation, they built a church andhouse. They continued gently to insinuate themselves in the natives'hearts and succeeded in reducing them to the bosom of the Catholicchurch. Thence they went to Alutaya. They preached the gospel, and, in the same manner, established a town, church, and house, for thepeople received the instruction with docility. 10. After those so fortunate beginnings, they determined to send twoof the said religious and one lay brother to Paragua. They entered thebay of Taytay, where they experienced greater resistance. The peoplewere opposed to living congregated in one settlement, and that wasthe gravest hindrance; but the fathers were able to attain in part, by dint of patience and constancy. The greatest annoyance arose fromthe Moros, who infested those coasts, and the natives were unwillingto expose themselves to their injuries by establishing themselves onthe beach. The religious hoped that the Spaniards would defend themwith their arms, and that with their reduction they would becomeestablished there. By that method and other effective efforts theyattained the erection of a large village. Thence the religiousinformed the superior government of their progress, and that forits continuation and the defense of the natives--both those alreadyreduced, and those whom they expected to reduce--the construction of afort was necessary for the reduction of the island of Paragua, in whicha Spanish garrison might be stationed. By that means the reduction ofall that large island was certain. Accordingly, that determinationwas taken in a meeting of the royal treasury tribunal; and twocompanies were detached for the garrison, one Spanish and the otherPampanga. The title and pay of royal chaplain was given and concededto the minister of that village. The fort mounted on its ramparts someexcellent artillery. The conquests were carried farther along thatcoast, and inland. The Spaniards were also received, and without anyrepugnance the natives accommodated themselves to the fitting homage, even the infidels recognizing the tribute. Villages were establishedon the river of Barbacan, Aborlan, and as far as Ypolote. They alsoreduced the island of Dumaran, and spread to the Calamianes Islands, where they founded reductions in Linacapan, Culiong, or Calamian thelesser, and in the greater [Oalamian] at Busuagan. To the above, whichthey regarded as capitals, they added other near-by villages; and astheir ministrations spread so extraordinarily, it became necessary fora greater number of religious to go there. That was made possible bythe second arrival from España of father Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel, [79] who had been sent to make various efforts in their interests, and who returned with eight religious. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DATA The principal document in this volume, "Early Recollect missions inthe Philippines, " is compiled from the following works: 1. _Historia general de los religiosos descalzos del orden de SanAvgvstin_, by Fray Andrés de San Nicolas (Madrid, 1664), pp. 396-510. 2. _Historia general de los religiosos descalzos del orden deS. Augustin_, by Fray Luis de Jesús (Madrid, 1681), pp. 1-61. (Thiswork is a continuation of the preceding one. ) 3. _Historia general de Philipinas_, by Fray Juan de la Concepción(Manila, 1788), tomo iv, pp. 189-265, and v, pp. 32-100. The following documents are obtained from MSS. In the Archivo generalde Indias, Sevilla: 4. _Seminary for Japanese missionaries_, --"Simancas-Secular; Audienciade Filipinas; cartas y expedientes del governador de Filipinas vistosen el Consejo; años 1600 á 1628; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 7. " 5. _Extract from Serrano's letter_. --"Simancas--Eclesiástico; Audienciade Filipinas; cartas y expedientes del arzobispo de Manila vistos enel Consejo; año de 1579 á 1679; est. 68, caj. 1, leg. 32. " 6. _Royal orders regarding the religious_. --"Audiencia de Filipinas;registro de oficio; reales ordenes dirigidas á las autoridadesdel distrito de la Audiencia; años 1597 á 1634; est. 105, caj. 2, leg. 1. " The second part of this document, however, is obtained fromthe "Cedulario Indico" of the Archivo Historico Nacional, Madrid:"tomo 40, fol. 26, verso, n°. 38. " The following document is taken from the Ventura del Arco MSS. (Ayerlibrary): 7. _Conflict between civil and religious authorities_. --In vol. I, pp. 515-523. The following document is found in Pastells's edition of Colin's_Labor evangélica_ (Barcelona, 1904): 8. _Ecclesiastical affairs in the Philippines_. --In tomo iii, pp. 674-697. NOTES [1] Translated from Pastells's _Colin_, iii, pp. 674-677. Theoriginal is conserved in Archivo general de Indias, with the followingpressmark: "Registros de oficio y partes; reales ordenes dirigidos alas autoridades y particulares del distrito de la Audiencia; 1568-1808;est. 105, caj. 2, leg. 11, libro 1, folio 233, verso, part 2. " [2] Thus in Pastells's text (p. 690); but it is apparently a misprintfor June 22, 1622, the date of Serrano's act. [3] Throughout this document, the matter contained in brackets iseditorial comment by Rev. Pablo Pastells, S. J. , who has published thepresent document in the appendix to the third volume of his editionof Colin's _Labor evangélica_ (Barcelona, 1904), _ut supra_. [4] The passage of the council of Trent referred to above reads asfollows: "In monasteries, whether the houses of men or of women, with which the care of the souls of secular persons is connected, all persons--excepting those who belong to their monasteries, orwho are servants of those places--both secular and religious, whoexercise that care after this manner, shall be immediately subjectin those things which pertain to the said care and administrationof sacraments, to the jurisdiction, visit, and correction of thebishop in whose diocese they are located. Neither shall any there, even those removable at will [_ad nutum amovibilis_], be consideredunless by the consent of that bishop, and by the latter's previousexamination, made personally or by his vicar; excepting the monasteryof Cluny and its boundaries, and also excepting those monasteries orplaces in which abbots, generals, or the heads of the orders establishtheir ordinary and chief residence, and other monasteries or houses inwhich abbots, or other superiors of the regulars, exercise episcopalor temporal jurisdiction in parish churches and parishes; exceptinglikewise from the right of those bishops even persons who exercisegreater jurisdiction in the said places. " See the original readingin Pastells's edition of Colin's _Labor evangélica_, appendix, p. 677. [5] See the above bull in this series, _Vol_. IV, pp. 119-124. [6] See the last two decrees here mentioned, later in thisdocument. The first decree--the original of which is preserved in theArchivo general de Indias, in "Cartas y expedientes del gobernadorde Filipinas vistos en el Consejo; años 1567-1699; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 10"--which we translate, as well as all the above document, from Pastells's edition of Colin's _Labor evangélica_, iii, pp. 682, 683, is as follows: "The King: Very reverend father in Christ, archbishop of themetropolitan church of the city of Mexico of Nueva España; reverendfathers in Christ, bishops of my council, venerable deans, dignidades, canons, and other persons, who are assembled in the provincial councilwhich is held in the city of Mexico. You have already been informedby my decree--of which duplicates signed by my hand were sent out, directed to all the prelates of the churches of the Yndias--datedDecember six, of the year one thousand five hundred and eighty-three, that I ordered you all, and each of you in particular, that if youhave clerics who are suitable and competent, you shall appoint themto benefices, curacies, and missions, in preference to the friarsof the mendicant orders, who hold them at present--observing, inthe said appointment, the order that is mentioned in the title ofmy patronship, as is more minutely set forth in the said decrees, the tenor of which, being precisely the same as that of the one sentto you, the above-mentioned archbishop, is as follows: "The King: Very reverend father in Christ, archbishop of themetropolitan church of the city of Mexico of Nueva España, andmember of our council: Already you know that, in accordance withthe ordinances and established rules of the holy Catholic church, and with the ancient custom received and observed in Christendom, thejurisdiction of the holy sacraments in the curacies of the parishes ofthe churches belongs to the seculars, they being aided as assistantsin preaching and confessing by the religious of the orders; and that ifmissions and curacies have been entrusted to religious of the mendicantorders in those regions by apostolic concession, it was because of thelack that was experienced of the said lay priests, and the conveniencethat was found in the said religious for busying themselves in theconversion, instruction, and teaching of the natives, with the exampleand profit that is required. Now granting that this was the objectaimed at in that arrangement, and that the effect has been greatly inaccordance with the efforts made for it, and that they have obtainedso much fruit through their apostolic lives and holy perseverance, and that so great a multitude of souls have come to the knowledgeof our Lord through His favor and aid by means of their teaching:still, inasmuch as it is advisable to bring back this matter to itsbeginning, and that, in so far as is possible, what pertains to thesaid curacies of parishes and missions be restored to the common andreceived use of the Church, so that there may be no defect in thatof the Indians, I request and charge you that now and henceforth, if you have suitable and competent clergy, you appoint them to thesaid curacies, missions, and benefices, preferring them to the friars, and observing in the said appointments the order that is mentioned inthe title of our patronship. As long as there are not all the secularsnecessary for the said missions and benefices, you shall divide thosewhich are left over, equally, among the orders in those provinces, so that there may be some of all the orders, to the end that eachorder may labor according to its obligation, striving to excel in soholy and apostolic an enterprise. And you shall watch above all, as agood shepherd, so that your subordinates live with great watchfulness, relieving our conscience and your own, so that the results that aredesirable be obtained among those natives. Madrid, December six, 1583. _I The King_ By order of his Majesty:_Antonio de Eraso_ "Certain religious of the above-mentioned orders having come fromthose provinces and from others of the Yndias, and having relatedthe many annoyances that have followed and that might follow from theobservance and fulfilment of the said decree, I ordered some of themembers of my council and other persons of great learning, prudence, and intelligence to assemble. They having examined the indults, briefs, and concessions of the supreme pontiffs, and the other papers thatare filed in the secretary's office of my Council of the Indias, inregard to this matter of the missions--as well as the informations, letters, relations, and opinions that have been given, sent, andbrought from all parts but lately, and upon the occasion of thisdecree, both by the religious and by the prelates and clergy--havegiven me their opinion. Considering that it was proper, in order tocome to a resolution and decision in a matter of so great moment andimportance, and commencing with what is of greatest importance--namely, to commend it to God our Lord, whom you all, as is done here, are to entreat very urgently to guide and direct it as may be mostto His service, the proper spiritual government of those kingdoms, the welfare of the souls of the inhabitants and natives therein, andthe propagation of the holy gospel: I have determined to await a moredetailed relation of what may appear from these new documents, and thegeneral consensus of opinion in all classes, so that after examiningthem all (since we all must aid for one and the same purpose, and theresult must be for the welfare of all, and particularly for mine, forthe fulfilment of the great obligation under which our Lord, besidesthe many benefits which I continually receive from His blessed hand, has placed me by adding thereto so great kingdoms and seigniories, where so great a multitude of souls have come to His true knowledge, and where they will continue to come daily, by the help of His gracewhich illumines them, so that they may leave their blindness) the bestconclusion may be reached. Accordingly, I request and charge you that, having assembled and congregated in that holy council, you discuss andconfer over what pertains to this matter. You shall send me a veryminute relation of the measures that you shall deem it advisable totake in each province and bishopric by itself, and for all in general, in regard to the execution of the said decree. You shall say whatmissions are in possession of the religious and those in charge ofthe seculars, and in what villages and vicinity these are, and allthe other things concerning it that you think to be necessary for thesake of greater clearness; so that, having examined the said relationsand the others that are awaited, and the papers that are here, andholding consultation with my Council of the Indias, as well as withthe other persons whom I shall appoint for this purpose, I may takethe most advisable measures. While that is being done and determined, you shall suspend (as I now for the time being do suspend), and I shallconsider as suspended, the execution of the decree herein inserted. "All, and each one by himself, if they are in your dioceses, shallleave the said missions freely and quietly to the said orders andreligious, so that those who have held, hold, and shall hold them, mayhold them as hitherto, without making any innovation, or changing themanner of filling those missions or appointing the religious to them. "Each of you personally, in his own district, without entrusting itto any other person, shall visit the churches of the missions wherethe said religious shall be established, and inspect the most holysacraments and the baptismal fonts in them, the buildings of thesaid churches, the alms given for them, and all the other thingspertaining to such churches and the services of divine worship. Youshall also visit and fraternally correct the religious established inthe said missions, in regard to curacies, and shall take special careto consider the honor and good fame of such religious in irregularacts that may be hidden; and when more than this should be necessaryor advisable you shall inform their prelates, so that these may punishthem. If the latter do not inflict punishment, you shall do so, eachone of you, in accordance with the ordinance of the holy councilof Trent, after the period of time mentioned in it is passed. Andinasmuch as it is not advisable that a matter that is so important asis the care of souls--and, further, those souls that are so new inthe faith--be at the will of the religious who shall be establishedin the said missions, curacies, and benefices, they must understand, both superiors and members [of the orders] that they are to hold theoffice of cura _non ex voto charitatis_, as is said, but by justiceand obligation, administering the holy sacraments, not only to theIndians, but also to the Spaniards who may be found living amongthem--to the Indians by virtue of the above-mentioned apostolicindults, and to the Spaniards by commission from the prelates. Forthat each of you shall give, in his own district, and to me, a veryspecific account of how the religious, on their part, observe whatpertains to them of this--which they are to perform exactly andaccording to their obligation--together with what, in your opinion, they may do to aid you in fulfilling your pastoral duties, in whichyou shall consider the safety of the souls in your charge, for whomyou must give so strict an account to God our Lord. Barcelona, Junefirst, one thousand five hundred and eighty-five. _I The King_By order of his Majesty:_Antonio de Erasso_" [7] Referring to his _Nova collectio et compilatio privilegiorumapostolicorum regularium_ (Turnoni, 1609). [8] Gregory XIV, in his brief _Cum sicuti nuper accepimus_, afterapproving the first diocesan council (convened in Manila by BishopSalazar), and the reservation of cases that the bishop should makewith the advice of the said council, imposes on him the visitationof his flock and of the religious who administer it, forbidding anyreligious to go out for the conquest of unpacified infidels withoutthe express command of their regular superior and the license of thebishop in writing. The extract to this effect is as follows: "And lest the rules and resolutions made for the said bishop [_i. E. _, of Manila], and the religious and missionaries assembled in the sameplace, for the happy progress of the Christians newly converted tothe faith, should be infringed by them for their own special pleasure, profit, or inclination, we will and decree by our apostolic authoritythat those things that shall have been ordained and commanded by thatcongregation, by the votes of the majority, for the protection ofthe Christian faith or for the salvation of souls for the thoroughconversion of those converted Indians, be steadfastly and rigorouslyobserved, as long and so far as that congregation shall ordain andcommand it. "Moreover, whenever that bishop, at the advice of the saidcongregation, shall have reserved any case for himself, accordingto what shall have appeared expedient for the nature of the times, persons, and affairs, no secular priest nor a member of any religiousorder or congregation shall, under pretext of any privilege or indult(even though apostolic), excepting the bishop himself, or by hisexpress license and command, be authorized, or dare or presume togrant absolution in any manner in cases so reserved, during the saidreservation, under penalty of being suspended from the ministry ofthe mass and from the confession of the faithful, incurring thatpenalty by the very act. "Moreover, we enjoin and order that bishop that, since it is thespecial duty of the bishop to minister to his own sheep and tovisit them in person, he shall visit the flock entrusted to him, the religious of the Christian instruction, and those missions, inhis own person or in that of his vicar-general in spiritual things, or at least in the persons of other very grave men, and not at all bysimple and unskilled clergy, ignorant of letters, and of no judgment. "And inasmuch as some of the inhabitants of those islands, and membersof the above-mentioned orders, eager to see new things, and wanderingor passing from one district to another, abandon those newly convertedand baptized; and inasmuch as such persons cause the latter at timesto revert to idolatry, which is greatly to be deplored; and inasmuchas many others who otherwise would acknowledge the faith and accede tobaptism neglect it on account of the lack of ministers, or remain ininfidelity; and inasmuch as the religious themselves, ignorant evenof the languages of those districts, are despised, to the shame oftheir orders, and render more difficult the conversion of the Indians:We, desirous of checking this evil by an opportune remedy, strictlyforbid and prohibit all and singular, of whatever religious order, and all others whomsoever who are engaged in the conversion of theinfidels and the teaching of Christian doctrine, under penalty ofexcommunication, not to dare or presume to go from a pacified to anunpacified land, except by the express license and command of theirbishop and of the religious superiors, given in writing. Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, under the seal of the fisherman, April xviii, MDXCI, in the first year of our pontificate. " See Pastells's _Colin, ut supra_, iii, p. 679. [9] Tomo i of his _Questiones regulares et canonicæ_ was publishedat Salamanca in 1598; another edition, in four volumes, was issuedsome years later. [10] Probably contained in his _Epitome, o compendio de la Suma_(Madrid, 1610). [11] See the bulls concerning the Indias granted by Alexander VI, in _Vol_. I of this series, pp. 97-114. The bull here referred to isthe _Inter cætera_ of May 4, 1493. [12] This bull was dated May 9, 1522, and begins _Omnimodo exponinobis_; it grants authority to the friars of the mendicant orders togo to the Indias, after securing permission from their king or fromhis royal council. See Pastells's _Colin, ut supra_, iii, p. 677. [13] See this decree _ante_, note 6. [14] The original of this decree is in the Archivo general of Sevilla, "Cartas y expedientes del gobernador de Filipinas vistos en el Consejo;años 1567-99; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 10. " [15] The two decrees here mentioned (see Pastells's _Colin, ut supra_, iii, pp. 684, 685)--the originals of which are conserved in Archivogeneral de Indias, having the same pressmark as that in the precedingnote--are respectively as follows: "The King: To the president and auditors of my royal Audiencia of thecity of Manila, of the Philipinas Islands. Certain prelates of thoseregions have written to me that many religious who are appointed tothe missions of Indians which are in charge of the orders do not havethe competency and qualities that are required for the office of cura, which they fill; that they do not know the language of those whomthey have to instruct; and that the archbishops and bishops cannotremedy this, because the religious do not come before them to beexamined. And in the visits that the former make, the latter claimto be exempt from their jurisdiction, even in regard to curacies, saying that they have an indult for it; neither can their superiorsremedy it. Inasmuch as it is a matter of so great consideration, Ihave now ordained that, in so great conformity with what is decreedand ordained, the said archbishops and bishops shall not allow anyreligious to enter to perform or exercise the duties of cura in themissions which are in their charge, without first being examinedand approved by the prelate of that diocese, both in regard to hiscompetency and in the language, in order to exercise the duty of curaand to administer the sacraments to the Indians of their missions, as well as to the Spaniards who may be there; that, if in the visitsthat the said prelates make to them in regard to curacies, any ofthe said religious missionaries should be found without the ability, qualifications, and example that are requisite, and who do not knowsufficiently the language of the Indians whom they instruct, suchreligious shall be removed and their superiors advised, so that thelatter may appoint others who have the necessary qualifications, inwhich they are to be examined; and that, if any indult or bull of hisHoliness is presented to them exempting the said religious from this, they shall advise you, so that you may do your duty. And inasmuch as itis advisable that that be observed, executed, and obeyed, I charge youthat you give the said prelates in that district the encouragement, protection, and aid necessary for this; and that you do not permitor allow religious to be admitted into the missions in any otherway. You shall advise me of what you shall do. Given in San Lorenço, November fourteen, one thousand six hundred and three. _I The King_ By order of the king our sovereign: _Juan de Ybarra_" "The King. Very reverend father in Christ, archbishop of the city ofManila of the Philipinas Islands, and member of my council: You willsee by my decree of the same date as this, which this accompanies, what I have resolved and ordered in regard to the examination of thereligious who shall exercise duties as curas in the district of thatarchbishopric--which is not discussed here in regard to seculars, as it is a settled and fixed matter. And inasmuch as it is advisablefor the relief of my conscience, and that of yours, that that decreebe fulfilled and obeyed carefully, I charge you that you do so;and if any indult or brief from his Holiness be presented to you, in behalf of the orders, exempting them from this, you shall advisemy royal audiencias, so that they may do their duty, and my fiscalshall plead what is suitable. You shall advise me of what you shalldo in everything. San Lorenzo, November fourteen, one thousand sixhundred and three. _I The King_ By order of the king our sovereign: _Juan de Ybarra_. " [16] The following decree was given by the king prohibiting certainpractices of the regulars: "The King. To the president and auditors of my royal Audiencia of thecity of Manila of the Philipinas Islands: I have been informed that thereligious who reside in those regions have the custom of assigning attimes Indian villages for the celebration of their chapter meetings, from which, besides the annoyances and wrongs that the Indians receive, it happens that the audiencias and governors are unable to apply theremedy for certain things that occur in the said chapter meetings, and that require despatch. And inasmuch as it has been considered thatthat is a cause for trouble, it has been deemed advisable to preventit by ordering--as I do order and command by this present--that nowand henceforth, chapter meetings of the religious be not celebratedin Indian villages; and that if there be reasons obliging the meetingto be celebrated at any time in any such village, those reasons becommunicated to you, both the president and the Audiencia, and thatyour order and permission be obtained. Such is my will. Given inValladolid, June thirteen, one thousand six hundred and fifteen. _I The King_ By order of the king our sovereign: _Juan Ruiz de Contreras_" This decree is translated from Pastells's Colin, _ut supra_, p. 685;its original is conserved in the Archivo general of Sevilla, itspressmark, "Registros de oficio; reales ordenes dirigidos á lasautoridades del distrito de la Audiencia; años 1597-1804; est. 105, caj. 2, leg. 1, lib. 1, vol. 64. " [17] The passage of the brief referred to above, is as follows: "We, therefore, who gladly favor the increase of Divine worship andthe salvation of souls, especially since we have been petitioned byeach of the Catholic kings, giving assent to them petitioning afterthis manner, do, by virtue of our apostolic authority, concede andgrant license and authority, by the tenor of these presents, to alland singular, the religious of any, even the mendicant orders, livingin monasteries of their orders in the said regions of the Indias (ofthe Ocean Sea), or outside of them, by the consent of their superiors, so that they may freely and legally use the license obtained from theirsuperiors, as is declared in their provincial chapters, to exercisethe office of parish priest in the villages of those regions, suchoffice having been and being assigned to them by a similar license, in the celebration of marriages and in the administration of theecclesiastical sacraments, as has been their wont hitherto (providedthat they observe the form of the said council in other ceremonies);and to preach the word of God and hear confessions, as is declared, so long as those religious know the languages of those districts;and no other permission of the ordinaries of those places, or ofany other persons, shall be necessary. And moreover, by the sameauthority and tenor, we decree and ordain that the said bishop shallmake no innovation in the places of those regions where there aremonasteries of religious who exercise the care of souls. So likewise[we decree and ordain] that it must be resolved and determined byany judges and commissaries, who exercise any authority whatever, delegated to them or to any one of them, to him determining andinterpreting otherwise by virtue of any authority whatever; and wedeclare null and void whatever else shall be attempted in regard tothese things, by anyone under any authority whatever. .. . Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, under the seal of the fisherman, March 23, 1567. " See Pastells's _Colin, ut supra_, iii, p. 678. [18] The passage referred to above, which we translate from theoriginal bull as given in Pastells's _Colin, ut supra_, p. 678, is as follows: "Since, therefore, our predecessor Pope Pius V of happy memory, afterhearing of the troubles which were said to have been inflicted on thefriars of the mendicant orders by the ordinaries of the places and therectors of ecclesiastical parishes in many ways, in regard to . .. Thecare of souls and the administration of the sacraments . .. Not onlydecreed many things differently in certain of his letters to the saidfriars, but even those things that were recently decreed in regardto these things in the council of Trent, . .. We . .. Decree and ordainconcerning the said and concerning all other letters and regulationswhich emanated in any manner from the same predecessor concerning thosematters to any orders and congregations of any regulars, including themendicants, and concerning all and whatever is contained therein, thatthat regulation and decision, which was legal before the declarationof the said letters and regulations, whether by the ancient law, or by the holy decrees of the said council, or in any other way, beregarded as having force hereafter, and which they would have, hadnot those letters and regulations emanated, to which regulation anddecision and to their former undiminished condition and limitation, we reduce them all. .. . Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, in the year ofthe incarnation of our Lord, 1572 [_sic_] on the kalends of March. " [19] _Monitoria_: Summons issued by an ecclesiastical judge to commandthe personal appearance and deposition of a witness. [20] The original of this letter is conserved in the Archivo generalof Sevilla; its pressmark, "Cartas y expedientes del Arzobispo deManila; años 1579-1697; est. 68, caj. I, leg. 32. " [21] This document is obtained from Pastells's _Colin_, iii, pp. 685, 686. The original decree is conserved in the Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla; its pressmark the same as that indicated in note 14, _ante_. [22] Juan de Bueras was born in the mountains of Burgos. He went tothe American missions after having taught moral theology at Toledo. Hewas provincial of the Philippines in 1627. Later he became visitor ofthe provinces of New Spain and Mexico, dying at Mexico, February 19, 1646. See Sommervogel's _Bibliothèque_. [23] See _Vol_. IV, p. 222. [24] Following is a translation of the title page of this work, a facsimile of which is here presented: "General history of the discalced religious of the Order of thehermits of the great father and doctor of the Church, St. Augustine, of the congregation of España and of the Indias. To his CatholicMajesty our sovereign Felipe Fourth. By father Fray Andres de SanNicolas, son of the same congregation, its chronicler, and rectorof the college of Alcalá de Henàres. Volume first. From the yearM. D. LXXXVIII. To that of M. DC. XX. Divided into three decades. Withprivilege. In Madrid. Printed by Andres de la Iglesia. Year M. DC. LXIV. " [25] Fray Juan de San Jerónimo was born at Malagón, Spain; he becamea priest, and when already in middle life entered the discalcedAugustinian order at Talavera, in 1593, making his profession in thefollowing year. He soon attained high standing in this new order, andwas the envoy sent to Rome to negotiate its separation from the regularAugustinians and secure approval for its constitution. In 1602 he waselected its first provincial, and under his rule the order flourishedand spread in Spain. He was nominated to the bishopric of Chiapa, inNueva España, but declined this honor that he might devote himself toforeign missions. Arriving at the Philippines in 1606, he organizedthere his mission, built a convent at Bagunbayan, and undertook theconversion of the natives in the province of Zambales. The conventexpanded into a college, but its buildings were demolished in1644. Being soon afterward rebuilt, it lasted until the eighteenthcentury, when it was again torn down. San Jerónimo had charge of itduring two years; but, his health being much enfeebled, he set out onthe return to Spain. When in sight of Ormuz, he died, in 1610. Seeaccount of his life in San Nicolás's _Historia_, pp. 469, 470; andin _Provincia de S. Nicolás de Tolentino_ (Manila, 1879), pp. 20-23. [26] This and various other accents which are grave instead of acutefollow the text of the original work. [27] Andrés de San Nicolás died at sea, when the ship was in sightof the Ladrone Islands. Miguel de Santa María, after reaching Manila, was assigned tothe settlement of Mariveles; but the natives were angered at hispreaching, and stoned him so severely that he died from the effectsof this attack, in the Manila convent. Jerónimo de Christo was an old man when he departed for the Philippinemission, but was noted for his learning and ability. He was electedprior of the Manila convent, and afterward vicar-provincial in SanJerónimo's absence; and died while in active service in the missions, in 1608. [28] Pedro de San Fulgencio soon afterward returned to Europe, toobtain more missionaries; having made arrangements for their voyage, he died on reaching Milan. Diego de la Anunciacion, born in 1565, made his profession in theRecollect convent at Madrid, in 1597; and held several high positionsin his order before he entered the Philippine mission. He was superiorof the convent at Bagunbayan, and afterward prior. After some yearshe returned to Spain, where he spent the rest of his life, dyingDecember 13, 1625. [29] Rodrigo de Agandum Moriz (in religion, Fray Rodrigo de SanMiguel) was born in Valladolid--or, according to some authorities, in Orio of Guipuzcoa--in 1584, and entered the discalced Augustinianorder at the age of fourteen years. Joining the Philippine missionin 1606, he ministered to the natives in various districts of Luzónwith great acceptance, employing his poetical talents in teachingthe Christian faith to the Indians. In 1614 he went to Spain formore missionaries, returning to the islands in 1617-18. Againvoyaging to Europe (1622), he went, via India and Persia, to Rome, where he arrived in 1626. Declining the pope's offer to make him abishop and patriarch in the Indias, he planned a mission to Chaldea;but he died at Orio, while en route to Madrid, December 26, 1626. Heleft several manuscript works, mainly historical, among which was_Historia general de las islas accidentales á la Asia adyacentes, llamadas Philipinas_; this was published in _Documentos inéditospara la historia de España_, tomos lxxviii and lxxix (Madrid, 1882), but it was apparently left unfinished by the author, the part thatis extant treating mainly of the early explorations by Magalhães andVillalobos, and of the history of the Moluccas. In the Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla, is the following letterfrom Felipe IV to a brother of Fray Rodrigo: "The King. It has been learned in the Council of the Indias thatfather Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel, a discalced Augustinian religious, who is said to be a brother of your Grace, brought from the Yndias ageneral history of the Filipinas Islands, compiled with great care, as, in order to write it, he had examined the archives and authenticmemoirs of those regions; that it has been lately our Lord's pleasureto take father Fray Rodrigo, who has died in Vizcaya; and that yourGrace was given two of his books, especially the above history. Andinasmuch as that work would be very important for what is writtenon the general history of the said islands by order of his Majesty, the matter having been discussed with the father provincial of thesaid order, in which the latter has declared that the said history isin possession of your Grace; the Council has directed me to write toyour Grace, in its name, that it would be greatly to the service ofhis Majesty for your Grace to send me the said history for the saidpurpose. And if your Grace wish remuneration for it, or that it bereturned after having used it for the said purpose, your Grace willadvise me of what you desire in this matter, so that those gentlemenmay know it, and so that the advisable measures may be taken. May Godpreserve your Grace, as I desire. Madrid, May seventeen, one thousandsix hundred and twenty-seven. _Antonio Gonzalez de Legardo_ On the receipt of this letter, I beg your Grace to advise meimmediately, for the Council anxiously awaits a reply because of thehistory. " (_Pressmark_: "est. 139, caj. 1, leg. 15. ") [30] Andrés del Espíritu Santo was born at Valladolid in 1585, andmade his profession at Portillo in 1601. Entering the Philippinemission, he began his labors with the natives in the province ofZambales, where he was very successful. In 1609, and again in 1615, he was chosen vicar-provincial. Afterward going to Spain for moremissionaries, he returned to the islands in 1622, and four yearslater became provincial, as again in 1632. The rest of his life wasspent at Manila, where he died in 1658. [31] A city between Vera Cruz and Mexico City, more commonly known asPuebla; it was founded about 1530, and became the seat of the diocesein 1550, and soon was a flourishing agricultural and manufacturingcenter. [32] _Instituto_: constitution, or rules of observance, adopted bythe order. [33] "Now I shall die happy. " [34] Luís de Jesús states (_Historia_, p. 79) that this name is acorruption of Manavilis. [35] Cf. The accounts by Loarca (_Vol_. V of this series) and Plasencia(_Vol_. VII). [36] This tree (_Mangifera altísima_) resembles the mango, but itsfruit is much smaller. The tree grows to a greater height than themango. The fruit is eaten by the natives, being used with vinegar. SeeBlanco's _Flora_. [37] "Behold the cross of the Lord. Flee, ye adverse ones. The lionof Judah is conqueror. " [38] Antonio de San Agustin was born in Manila, the son of Franciscode las Misas, and made his profession in the Recollect convent there, in December, 1614. He was a minister in various places, and had beenprior of several convents. In 1658, while returning from an officialvisit to the Calamianes Islands, he was captured by Moros, who slewhim. At the time of his death he was sixty-six years old. [39] The first father named above was afflicted by a grievousplague of vermin [_chinches_--literally, "bedbugs"], seeminglyafter a request that he might suffer his purgatory on earth. At thetime of his death, "raising his voice and saying, _In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum_, he expired, without making anothermovement. Immediately the _chinches_ disappeared and not one could befound, although one could gather than by handfuls before, as they say. " [40] The _Congregatio de Propaganda Fide_, one of the "sacredcongregations" of the Catholic Church, was founded in 1622, by PopeGregory XV, conferring upon it most ample powers for the propagationof the faith, and especially for the superintendence of missionsin countries where heretics or infidels had to be evangelized. Thejurisdiction proper of the congregation extends to all territorieswhich are governed _more missionum_, or as missionary countries--notby the bishops of the regular hierarchy, but by prefects and vicarsapostolic. It has, moreover, legislative and judicial power. SeeHoffmanns' _Catholic Directory_, 1896, p. 48. [41] The status of a tertiary, or "member of the third order, " wasoriginated by St. Francis of Assisi, after the foundation of his ownorder, and that of the Minorite nuns who lived under a rule prescribedby him. In 1221 he instituted a third order, the members of which, menand women, should be bound by rule to more unworldliness of life, piousdevotion, and works of mercy than those of ordinary persons living inthe world. He called them "Brothers and Sisters of Penance. " They hadto take a year's novitiate, and a simple vow to observe the rule. Manytertiaries, in course of time, desired to take solemn vows and livein community, while still conforming to the rule of the Third Order;thus arose various congregations of tertiary monks and nuns. Otherreligious orders had their Third Order; that of the Augustinians wasestablished at the beginning of the fifteenth century. (Addis andArnold's _Catholic Dictionary_, p. 792. ) [42] Following are translations of the title-pages of this work, of which facsimiles are here presented: _Engraved title-page_: "General History of the discalced religious ofthe Order of the hermits of the great father and doctor of the Church, St. Augustine, of the congregation of España and of the Indias. Tothe most excellent duke of Ixar count of Salinas. By Father Fray Luisde Jesus son of the same congregation, and its chronicler. Volumesecond. From the year M. DC. L. Divided into three decades. Engravedby Pedro a Villafranca royal engraver, Madrid. 1663. " _Printed title-page:_ "General History of the discalced religious ofthe Order of the hermits of the great father and doctor of the Church, St. Augustine, of the congregation of España and of the Indias. ByFather Fray Luis de Jesus, son of the same congregation, pensionedlecturer, general chronicler, and acting provincial of Castilla theold and the new. Dedicated to the most excellent Señor Don JaymeFrancisco de Hijar Silva Sarmiento, etc. , protector of our sacredReform convent. Volume second. Divided into three decades, from theyear twenty-one to that of fifty. With privilege. In Madrid: Printedby Lucas Antonio de Bedmar, printer of the kingdom. Year of 1681. " [43] Delgado in his _Historia_, pp. 813-816, describes thisbird. _Tabón_, he says, is a word that signifies in the Pintados"to hide by covering, or to cover by concealing it with earth. " Whenthe chick first appears its plumage is white and gray. Its wingsare used at first for aid in running rather than in flying. The birdlives mainly on fish, which it catches in the sea. The eggs, whichare very nutritious, are eaten with gusto by the natives. [44] This is the flying lemur (_Galeopithecus philippinensis_; called_káguang_ or _caguán_ by the Visayans), an animal belonging to theQuadrumana, and the Prosimidæ (semi-apes). Alfred R. Wallace foundit in Sumatra, Borneo, and Singapore; see his description of it in_Malay Archipelago_ (New York, 1869), pp. 145, 146. Jagor found itin Sámar--_Travels in the Philippines_ (English translation, London, 1875), pp. 242-244. See also Delgado's description (_Historia_, p. 845). This lemur has, like the flying squirrel, a volucral membrane, which not only covers all its limbs but reaches to its tail; and thusthe creature glides from tree to tree. This explains the writer'sallusion to it as a bird. [45] The creature thus described is the tarsier (_Tarsius spectrum_), belonging to the same class (semi-apes) as the lemur, _ante. _ Jagor(_ut supra_, p. 252) was told in Luzón that it could be found onlyin Samar, and that it lived exclusively on charcoal--of course, an erroneous notion. In Samar it was called _mago_ or _macauco. _The _Report_ of U. S. Philippine Commission for 1900 (iii, p. 311)mentions several Islands as its habitat, and the belief of the nativesthat it lives on charcoal. Delgado cites the same notion (_Historia_, p. 875); he supposes the tarsier to be a sort of wild cat. [46] The gecko (_Gecko verticillatus_), a reptile allied to thelizard. Two species of this animal in the Philippines frequent thehouses: one very small, which feeds on mosquitoes, flies, and otherpests, and works noiselessly; the other larger (up to eight incheslong) with a heavy body and a loud call. The latter is, to judgefrom Delgado's description (_Historia_, p. 885) the one mentioned inour text. [47] The cuttlefish, or octopus (_Sepia octopus_). [48] This was in 1609, and the fort erected was that of Tandag;it was on a bay on the northeast coast of Surígao province, Mindanao. [49] Apparently the same as the present Gigáquit, a town an thenortheast coast of the province of Surígao. [50] Juan de la Madre de Dios assumed the habit of the discalcedAugustinians at Valladolid, making his profession in 1615. With eightother missionaries, he arrived at Manila in 1620; and some two yearslater he entered the Mindanao mission. His ministry there was short;for toward the end of 1623 he was slain by a fierce Moro chief whomhe had rebuked for his acts of injustice and tyranny. See sketchesof his life, in Luis de Jesús's _Historia_, pp. 53-55; and _Provinciade S. Nicolas de Tolentino_, pp. 308, 309. [51] Apparently referring to the missions founded by the Jesuits, some years before, in northern Mindanao; see _Vol_. XIII, pp. 48, 80. Fuller accounts of these missions are given in Combés's _Historiade Mindanao_, which will be presented in later volumes of this series. [52] Situated in central Surigao, on a chain of lakes and riversfrom which issues the Butúan River, flowing northward into the bayof same name. [53] See Delgado's account of the various kinds of bees in thePhilippines (_Historia_, pp. 848-850). [54] The pangolin or _Manis_, commonly known as ant-eater. Thepreceding sentence probably refers to the flying lemur (note 44, _ante_. ) [55] Cf. Account of the weapons used by the Mindanaos, given by Retanaand Pastells in their edition of Combés's _Historia de Mindanao_, cols. 782 and 783. Also cf. Weapons of North American Indians, asdescribed in _Jesuit Relations_--see Index, vol. Lxxii, pp. 337, 338. [56] Referring to Sìargao Island, off northeast coast of Mindanao;about twenty-one miles long and fourteen wide. [57] _Cimarrón_ is an American word meaning "wild" or "unruly, " andis also applied to a runaway slave. O. T. Mason, in his translationof Blumentritt's _Native Tribes of the Philippines_ (Washington, 1901), says (p. 536) that "this characterization is given to heathentribes of most varied affiliation, living without attachment andin poverty, chiefly posterity of the Remontados. " Buzeta and Bravo(_Diccionario_) say that these people are "collections or tribes ofinfidels known by this name in the island of Luzón and others of thearchipelago. There is at present a tribe living in the dense forestsof the mountain Isaroc in the province of Camarines Sur. There arealso some collections of these and some hostiles in the mountainsof the island and province of Samar. They are descendants of theNegrito race, who seem to become differentiated from their own speciesbecause of their extraordinarily wild and mountainous life. " Hencethe name seems to have been given these people in Mindanao simply todistinguish them as especially barbarous and difficult to establishrelations among. They were probably one of the numerous tribes ofNegritos such as inhabit Mindanao today. [58] In a brief description of the Philippine Islands which occurs ina geographical work by the Chinese writer Chao-Yu-Kua (who flourishedin the thirteenth century)--which account will appear later in thisseries--is an interesting mention of "nests" built in trees by theAetas or Negritos, who live therein in single families. ProfessorFriedrich Ratzel (_History of Mankind_, Butler's translation, Londonand New York, 1896) says (i, p. 111) that the Battaks in Sumatra, and many Melanesians lived in trees; and on p. 422, he says: "Amongthe Battaks safe dwelling-places are also found at the point where atree-stem forks or throws off branches; the central shoot is loppedoff, and the surrounding branches remain. " Continuing he speaks of thehuts built by the Ilongotes of Luzón on tree stems, which are madefrom leaves of the nipa-palm and bamboo. "The Orang-Sakei and theLubus of Sumatra also live to some extent in trees" (p. 423). Thereare also tree-dwellers in Africa and India. [59] "In older works are so named [Caragas] the warlike and Christianinhabitants of the localities subdued by the Spaniards on the eastcoast of Mindanao, and, indeed, after their principal city, Caraga. Ithas been called, if not a peculiar language, a Visaya dialect, whilenow only Visaya (near Manobo and Mandaya) is spoken, and an especialCaraga nation is no longer known. " (Blumentritt's "Native Tribes ofthe Philippines, " in _Smithsonian Report_, 1899, p. 535. ) [60] The title-pages of La Concepción's fourteen volumes show more orless difference in their wording. Following is a translation of thetitle of vol. Iv, a facsimile of which is here presented: "Generalhistory of Philipinas: temporal and spiritual conquests of theseSpanish dominions, their establishment, progress, and decadence;comprehending the empires, kingdoms, and provinces of islands andcontinents with which there has been communication and commerce byimmediate coincidences, with general notices regarding geography, hydrography, natural history, politics, customs, and religions, inwhich so universal a title should be interested. By father Fray Juan dela Concepcion, discalced Augustinian Recollect, pensioned lecturer, ex-provincial, synodal examiner of the archbishopric of Manila, and chronicler of his province of San Nicolas of the Philipinasislands. Volume IV. With permission of the superiors. At Manila, in the printing office of the royal and conciliar seminary of SanCarlos; printed by Agustin de la Rosa y Balagtas. Year of 1788. " [61] A term applied to the gun-room on a ship, which was consideredas under the protection of St. Barbara. [62] The Armenian church was founded by St. Gregory, who wasconsecrated bishop of Armenia in the year 302 A. D. Owing to amisunderstanding, this church refused to accept the decisions ofthe Council of Chalcedon (451 A. D. ) regarding certain questionsof heresies, which led to its gradual separation from the Greekchurch. In the middle of the fifteenth century arose dissensions, which resulted in a schism; these were mainly occasioned by RomanCatholic missionaries who endeavored to proselytize the Armenians tothe doctrine, liturgy, and ceremonies of the Roman church, to whichthey gained many adherents. This led to dissensions and persecutions, which continued until, in the middle of the eighteenth century, the Armenian patriarch secured the intervention of Peter the Great, and the protection of the Russian church, under which that of Armeniahas since remained. [63] The Order of the Carmelites was founded by a crusader namedBerthold, in the middle of the twelfth century. Some time afterbecoming a monk in Calabria he went to Mount Carmel, where he wasjoined by various other hermits living there in solitude. They adoptedthe rule of life framed for them by Albert, patriarch of Jerusalem, which consisted of sixteen articles. These forbade the possession ofproperty; ordered that each hermit should live in a cell by himself;interdicted meat; recommended manual labor and silence; and imposeda strict fast from the exaltation of the cross to Easter, Sundaysbeing excepted. The hermits were compelled to abandon Mount Carmelby the advance of the Mahomedan power, and established themselves inCyprus, and other places. In Europe they were compelled to live incommon and mitigate their rule, and they became known as one of themendicant orders. In England, where they became very numerous, theywere called the "White Friars. " To St. Simon Stock, the first general, the Virgin is said to have shown the scapular in a vision. The orderbecame divided into two branches, according to whether they observedthe strict or the mitigated rule, being designated as Observatines andConventuals. The Carmelite nuns were first instituted by John Soreth, general of the order in the fifteenth century. See Addis and Arnold's_Catholic Dictionary_, pp. 120-122. [64] Gregorio de Santa Catalina, who had gone to Rome with twelvereligious to urge the support of the pope for the Recollects. [65] "Fray Miguel de Santa Maria, with his seven companions, arrivedat Tandág in the year 1622" (_Provincia de S. Nicolás de Tolentino_, p. 276). [66] A letter dated May 22, 1904, from father Fray Eduardo Navarro, O. S. A. , Valladolid, Spain, who spent many years in the Philippines, thus defines several terms as used in the islands. _Pueblo_ ["town" or"village"] is to be understood in its usual significance. But besidethe pueblo proper, where are established the church, parochial house, and city hall, all the pueblos have, at a greater or less distance, groups of a greater or less number of houses. If they belong toChristians, they are called barrios ["suburbs"], and have a distinctivename; if of infidels, they are called rancherías ["a collection ofhuts"] of such and such a chief. [67] _i. E. _, "at the entrance to the church;" said of marriages dulyperformed with church rites. [68] "Strictly speaking, then, the work of the redemption of thoseislanders [in Mindanao] belongs to the Jesuits and the Recollects. Thelatter commenced their labors by virtue of an arrangement made in theyear 1622, by the bishop of Cebú, Very Reverend Father Fray Pedro deArce--agreed upon with the captain-general of the archipelago, who wasthen the famous Don Alonso Fajardo de Tenza. Their first enterpriseswere on the northern and eastern coasts of Mindanao, as well as inthe adjacent islets of Dinagat, Camiguin, and Siargao. In the year1631, the ninth of their evangelizing work, the Recollect fatherssuffered painful but glorious losses; for six of those missionarieswere martyred by the inhabitants of the island. " (Retana and Pastells, in their edition of Combés's _Historia de Mindanao_, col. 788. ) [69] River and pueblo of same name in the province of Misamis, innorthern Mindanao; the river falls into the bay of Macajalar. [70] A point on the northern coast of Misamis province. [71] Referring to Leo VI, Emperor of the East, styled "the Philosopher"and "the Wise;" he occupied the throne of Constantinople from 886 to911 A. D. He wrote several books, among which is a treatise on militarytactics, which was published by J. Meursius, at Leyden, in 1612. [72] The islands in the Calamianes and Cuyos groups number onehundred and forty-five that are charted, besides nearly sixty thatare uncharted. See descriptions of these groups in _U. S. Gazetteerof Philippine Islands_, pp. 412-415, 480-484. The names Calamian andBusuañga are now applied to separate islands, the largest, of theCalamianes group. [73] The bird here referred to (_Collocalia troglodites_) is aspecie of swift; the nests, composed of a gelatinous secretion fromthe salivary glands in the mouths of the birds, sell at high pricealmost their weight in gold, when fresh and clean. The best nests areobtained on the precipitous sides of the Peñon de Coron, between Culionand Busuanga, where the natives gather them at no little personalrisk. The nests are known to commerce as _salangana_. (_U. S. Gazetteerof Philippine Islands_, pp. 170, 482. ) Delgado says (_Hist. De Filipinas_, p. 821) that the material used bythe bird is a species of seaweed, called _ñgoso_, or another called_lano_--and not, as Colin and San Antonio would have it, the foam ofthe sea. See _ut supra_, pp. 727, 728, and 822. See also Retana's note in his edition of Zúñiga's _Estadismo_, ii, pp. 430*, 431*. [74] The balate--also known as "sea slug, " "sea cucumber, " "beche demer, " and commercially as "trepang"--is a slug (_Holothuria edulis_)used as food in the Eastern Archipelago and in China, in which countryit is regarded as a delicacy by the wealthy classes, and brings fromseven to fifty cents a pound in the markets. (See _U. S. Gazetteerof Philippine Islands_, pp. 482, 483. ) Delgado, writing in 1754, says(p. 935) that in Manila the dried balate was usually worth thirty-fiveto forty (or even more) silver pesos a pico (or pecul; equivalent, in the Philippines, to 137. 9 U. S. Pounds). [75] "Better known as Peñon de Corón ("Crown Peak"); a small, rockyisland off the eastern end of Busuañga Island, famous for the finequality of the edible bird's-nests found there. [76] Apparently the present Calamián island is here referred to;its chief town is Culion. [77] Now known as Palawan; its northern part forms the province ofParagua, which includes many dependent islands lying near it. [78] "In general it may be said that the Philippines politicallyspeaking, and the Philippines zoologically speaking, are notidentical areas, for Balabac, Palawan, and the Calamianes Islandsare strongly characterized by the presence of numerous Bornean formswhich are conspicuously absent throughout the remaining islands ofthe archipelago. Although the Philippines are commonly held to forman eastern extension of the Indo-Malayan subregion, it should notbe forgotten that at least among the birds and mammals there is alarge amount of specialization in the islands to the eastward ofthe Balabac-Palawan-Calamianes group. .. . The Philippines are verypoor in mammals. .. . They are undoubtedly well adapted to a large anddiversified mammalian fauna, and the only plausible explanation ofthe scarcity of forms is to suppose either that they have never beenconnected with Borneo and the Asiatic continent or that, if at onetime connected, they have since been subjected to such subsidence as towipe out the greater part of their mammalian fauna. " (U. S. PhilippineCommission's _Report_, 1900, iii, p. 307. ) [79] This is an error on the part of La Concepción; Fray Rodrigo wentto Europe in 1622, but died there in 1626. The missions of Mindanaoand Paragua were begun by Recollects who arrived at Manila in 1620and 1622, and continued by missionaries who came in 1627 and 1637.