By the Fathers of the Society of Jesus.
By Father Pedro Chirino of the same Society Procurator for those
Islands.
At Roma, By Estevan Paulino, in the year MDCIV. By permission of
the Superiors.
This relation of the Philippines, composed by Father Pietro Cirino,
having been examined by three theologians of our Society, may be
printed if it shall seem advisable to the most reverend Monsignor
Vicegerent and to the most reverend Father Master of the Sacred Palace.
Claudio [Aquaviva], general of the Society.
Let it be printed, at the pleasure of the most reverend Father,
master of the Sacred Palace.
B. Gypsius, vicegerent.
This account of the affairs of the Philippine Islands, by the
reverend Administrator Father Petrus Chirinus, of the Society of
Jesus, is published with permission. Nothing in it, in my opinion,
is repugnant to the orthodox faith or the decrees of the Church,
or morality; on the contrary, I praise the diligence, learning,
and piety which I find in no small measure in the author and his book.
Fray Thomas Malvenda, of the Order of Preachers.
Let it be printed.
Fray Joseph Maria, master of the Sacred Apostolic Palace.
Sent to our very reverend Father Claudio Aquaviva, general of that
Society, by Father Pedro Chirino, procurator for those islands.
I am about to relate to your Paternity the state and condition of
our insignificant Society in the Filipinas, in accordance with the
obligation of my office as procurator sent here from those regions
in the month of July, six hundred and two, and as one who has spent
there fourteen years of the best of his life. [31] I shall follow the
thread of incidents which have befallen the Society in that region, and
the hardships that it has undergone while preaching our holy faith. I
shall also consider how that Society has grown in connection with its
services toward the holy Church. That I may do so more conveniently,
my narrative will begin at the time when our religion was first
established in those islands, treating of the islands themselves,
their characteristics, and those of the nations and peoples who
inhabit them. I shall touch somewhat upon their history and upon
events that have occurred there, noting only what concerns my purpose,
and that briefly; for a complete and copious history of those islands
has been written, [32] with exceeding care, truth, and eloquence, by
Doctor Antonio de Morga of the Council of his Catholic Majesty, and
his auditor in the royal Chancilleria of Manila. Moreover, apart from
the consideration of the above book, it is neither my obligation nor
my profession to write a history; although there certainly are in that
land magnificent, singular, and wonderful things, both profitable and
pleasing to know. I feel confident, however, that the matter contained
in this short narrative will not fail to please your Paternity, in
proportion as you are informed of the fidelity and truth with which
our Lord (may He guard your Paternity) is served in those most distant
parts of the world by your sons who are there.
Of the name of the Filipinas, their discovery, and location. Chapter I.
The Filipinas are a part of the many islands which recent cosmographers
consider adjacent to Asia—as the Canarias and the Terceras [i.e.,
Azores] are to Africa; and Inglaterra [England], Escocia [Scotland],
Hibernia, Irlanda, Olanda [Holland], Gelanda [Iceland], and the
Oreadas [Orkney] Islands, to Europe. Some of the islands of this
great archipelago cross the equinoctial line, or the torrid zone,
and following the coast-line of Great China and India, terminate on
the north side with the islands of Japon, which extend beyond the
fortieth degree; in the south the archipelago has as yet no known
termination. The Filipinas are between the Malucas and the islands
of Japon; and it is a thing to be wondered at that the exertions and
diligence of the Portuguese, who discovered, explored, and settled
Maluco, China, and Japon, the outermost and peripheral islands,
should not have discovered the middle part, or center, namely, the
Filipinas. It is true, they were informed concerning the island of
Burney, which is the most southern of the archipelago; they did
not, however, stop there, being bound for the islands of Maluco,
in eager quest of spices and drugs, which are to be found there in
such abundance. It was this very desire to secure drugs that caused
the Spaniards, or Castilians, to discover and settle the Filipinas,
as is well known. For when Hernando Magallanes was in quest of
the aforesaid drugs for the crown of Castilla, in the days of the
emperor Charles Fifth, he came upon the island of Sebu, where,
at the expense of his life, [33] he proved that the entire voyage
from Nueva Espana could be made, avoiding the tedious route through
the Strait and the necessity of sailing thither from Spain. [34]
Villalobos did the same soon after, but our Lord destroyed his fleet,
leaving the captain and his crew shipwrecked on the island of Maluco,
where necessity compelled them to fraternize and remain with the
Portuguese. [35] Father Cosme de Torres, our illustrious apostle
of Japon, took part in this expedition, and was found in Maluco by
the Blessed Father Francisco, who received him as his companion,
and as a member of our Society. [36] The Castilians persisted in
making a third attempt to send a fleet from Nueva Espana for the same
purpose. With the warning and experience of the two former expeditions,
they well knew the locality of Sebu, and cast their anchors there. God,
who destined them not for Maluco but for the Filipinas, caused them
to abandon the thought of Maluco and to settle the latter islands,
thus bringing them to the bosom of the Church and to the crown of
Castilla; they gave these the name of Filipinas, out of respect to,
and to perpetuate the memory of, King Filipo Second. [37] It was
during his reign that this third expedition took place, as well as the
discovery and conversion of the islands—which was accomplished by only
five hundred Spaniards with six Augustinian religious, holy men and
learned. Among them was the reverend Father Martin de Herrada, [38]
a great cosmographer and mathematician, but still more distinguished
as a holy and truly apostolic man. He was the first who made converts
to Christianity in the Filipinas, preaching to them of Jesus Christ
in their own tongue—of which he made the first vocabulary, which I
have seen and have also studied.
The discovery of an image of the child Jesus, which gave its name to
the city of Sebu; the holy patrons of the same and of Manila. Chapter
II.
The city of the natives in the port of Sebu was at that time
so large and populous that it extended a space of more than a
legua along the beach, on the spot where now stands the city and
fortress of the Spaniards. As the Indians had already in the past
experienced the valor of the latter, and were fearful at thought of
their treachery in killing Magallanes years before, they greatly
feared our men on this occasion. Upon sighting our vessels, they
began to offer all possible resistance with their bows and arrows,
lances and shields—such being their arms—to prevent our men from
landing. When our people saw the islanders disposed to hostility,
they discharged some cannon into the air, frightening them to such
an extent that they abandoned their houses and fled inland. Thereupon
our men leaped ashore unimpeded and began to seek food in the houses
(as is the custom among those who have just disembarked after a
long voyage). At this juncture it happened that a Biscayan who was
rummaging among the movables and ornaments of one of the houses,
found in a basket, among other things, a carved image of the
holy child Jesus, presumably left as a trophy of the devotion of
some good soldier of the first expedition of Magallanes. [39] The
Indians, partly on account of the novelty of the image, which they
understood to be the God of the Christians, and partly on account of
the respect and reverence with which our Lord himself inspired them,
held the object in great veneration, as was afterwards learned, and
had recourse to it in all their necessities—making sacrifices to it
after their custom, and anointing it with their oils, as they were
accustomed to anoint their idols. And our Lord exercising, moreover,
His wonted mercy toward those who honored Him without knowing Him,
did not act otherwise toward those who, in their ignorance of Him,
were at the same time offending Him; He succored them most liberally
in their needs, as a token and pledge of the greater favors which He
had marked out for them when they should come to a knowledge of Him,
and preserved for these times which they are now enjoying. For which
reason they had recourse frequently to this image in their necessities,
calling it "the Divata of the Castilians;" for among them "Divata"
is God, whom the inhabitants of Manila call Bathala or Anito, [40]
as we shall see later. The good Biscayan upon seeing the holy Child,
was filled with a strange joy and happiness, and desiring to share
it with the rest of the expedition, began to cry aloud in his own
absurd language, "Bear witness to God, thou hast found His Son." The
religious at once took possession of the image, regarding it as
a good omen; and out of respect and devotion to it named the city
that they founded Santissimo Nombre de Jesus, and placed the image
in a church of their order erected in the city. There it remains
in highest veneration, and has wrought many miracles, particularly
in childbirths, whence it is both facetiously and piously called El
Partero ["man-midwife"]. Each year it is borne in solemn procession
from the church of St. Augustine to the spot in which it was found,
where a chapel has since been erected. The procession takes place upon
the same day when the discovery was made—namely, on the twenty-ninth
of April, the feast of the glorious martyr St. Vital, who is patron
of the city, and as such that day is kept as a solemn feast in his
honor. One of the regidors, appointed each year for this purpose,
brings out the banner of the city; he is on that day clad in livery,
and invites the public to the festivals. [41] There are bull-fights and
other public festivities and rejoicings, with many novel fireworks,
such as wheels and sky-rockets, which the Sangleys make the night
before; on this occasion they construct things well worth seeing, and
which appear well-nigh supernatural. The city of Manila holds similar
festivities on the feast-day of the glorious apostle St. Andrew,
who was chosen as its patron because, on his feast-day, the city was
delivered from the blockade of the pirate Limahon. At that time the
city had no fortress or walls, or any stone buildings; and in all
the islands there were no more than five hundred Spaniards, as I
learned from one of them. These few men alone compelled the enemy,
who numbered more than a thousand fighting men, to withdraw from the
city; and they even pursued and harried the pirates in such wise, by
blocking the mouth of the river Pangasinan (where they had retired
with their ships), that to escape the fury of our men they were
obliged to construct some light craft within their fort. They are
said to have calked these, for want of pitch, with their own blood;
and to have carried them on their shoulders for several leguas over
land, until they succeeded in launching them into the sea, and fled
under full sail. They left their ships in the river and dismantled
the forts and camps, where our men found some spoils, of which I saw
a part. But satisfaction over the booty was outweighed by chagrin at
losing the enemy whom they had practically in their hands. The enemy,
however, had received such a lesson that they never returned.
Some years afterwards they planned to elect another patron against
hurricanes, which are called in those parts vagios, and by the
Portuguese tufones. [42] They are furious winds which, springing
up ordinarily in the north, veer toward the west and south, and move
around the compass in the space of twenty hours or more.
One of these days of tempest is a very Judgment day; especially
if it overtake one in the night-time, and in a wooden house. It
rends some houses, and turns others over on one side; still others
(and most frequently) it destroys and hurls to the ground. With the
assistance of the bishop of Yucatan, [43] who was at that time dean
of the church, the cathedral of Manila had been temporarily erected,
with pillars of the very strongest trees, so large that two men could
not reach around them; and all the timber above and below was on the
same scale; yet in half an hour one of these typhoons destroyed the
newly-built cathedral, and left only the tabernacle of the most Holy
Sacrament between four pillars. In this accident some people were
killed: for, fleeing from their houses, which were falling to pieces
over their heads, they betook themselves for greater safety to the
church. The vessels in the bay were hurled ashore the distance of a
stone's throw, and those who were caught in the tempest were carried
away like straw. To remedy so great an evil, lots were cast with great
solemnity at a concourse of all classes; from these came forth the
[name of the] most glorious virgin St. Potenciana—not without much
mystery; for, on the day when the event took place (the 19th of May),
one of the earliest settlers, hearing her name called, arose and said:
"Hers is the day when we first entered Manila, by which it is meant
that our Lord chose to inform us of the obligation that we owe to
this glorious Saint." What followed confirmed his statement; for
from that time forward there has been a notable improvement in this
respect, the storms and the fury of the winds recognizing the favor
and protection of this blessed virgin.
How the Spaniards spread over all the Filipinas to Manila. Chapter III.
The people of Sebu did not remain a long time in retirement. Assured
of the good friendship of the Spaniards for them, and that through it
they should have many commodities which they needed, together with
defense and help against their enemies, and peace in the islands
(of which they were so desirous, being weary of the continual and
grievous wars and evils with which they had harassed one another),
they all repaired to the Spaniards to be baptized, and to offer
them their services. They entered, moreover, into such fraternal and
confidential relations with the Spaniards that they soon came to long
for the honor which might be theirs from association with them, and
from serving them with their industry and lands—not only providing
them with what was needful for their sustenance, but acting as guides
in the exploration and conquest of the other islands as far as Manila,
which is the principal and foremost island among them all.
For this reason the Sebuans are privileged and exempt from taxation,
as a reward for their friendly services and loyalty. In the beginning
the pacification of the Islands was strongly resisted, and some
deaths among our men ensued; yet, in spite of this, those few reduced
and subjugated everything and began to establish our holy faith,
gently bringing the villages, with their chiefs, into obedience
to the Church and to the crown of Castilla. The method which they
pursued was consistent with the practice of those nations in forming
a friendship—a method not altogether their own, as it was a custom
among the most ancient heathen peoples, mention of which we find in
serious authors. Those who made peace in the name of the rest, and
established the pacts of perpetual friendship, pricked and wounded
their own arms; the Indian sucking the blood of the Spaniard, and the
Spaniard that of the Indian. In this wise they became as if of the
same blood, and were closer than brothers. These are called sandugo,
which means "consanguineous," or "of the same blood."
Of the entry of the fathers of the Society into the Filipinas. Chapter
IV.
These islands offer good inducements to the Spaniards, as well
as for ecclesiastics and religious, to make settlements: to the
former, because the islands are numerous and thickly inhabited by a
people who, though not rich, were accustomed to wear cotton and silk
garments, and gold pieces (not merely of thin plate) and brooches to
fasten them; and rich necklaces, pendants, ear-rings, finger-rings,
ankle-rings, on the neck, ears, hands, and feet—the men, as well as
the women. They even used to, and do yet, insert gold between their
teeth as an ornament. Although among the other ornaments which they
used were to be found articles of considerable interest and curiosity
which could be described, there is one practice which seems more worthy
of attention than the others—namely, that of wearing rings upon the
instep of the foot. This seems to be precisely the same custom that
the ancients wrote about when they mentioned nations who used gold
for fetters and chains, especially among the nobles. Their ornamenting
the teeth is also worth notice, although it is a barbarous practice to
deprive them of their natural whiteness, which God conferred upon the
teeth for the beauty of man. On the other hand, they showed themselves
to be both skilful and prudent in trying to maintain them as necessary
instruments for the preservation of health and life. They are thus
very diligent in rinsing out their mouths and cleansing their teeth
after eating, and upon arising in the morning. For the same purpose
they treat and adorn their teeth in the following way: From early
childhood they file and sharpen them, [44] either leaving them uniform
or fashioning them all to a point, like a saw—although this latter
is not practiced by the more elegant. They all cover their teeth with
a varnish, either lustrous black or bright red—with the result that
the teeth remain as black as jet, or red as vermilion or ruby. From
the edge to the middle of the tooth they neatly bore a hole, which
they afterward fill with gold, so that this drop or point of gold
remains as a shining spot in the middle of the black tooth. This
seems to them most beautiful, and to us does not appear ugly.
These people were and still are very sagacious, and keen in traffic and
bargaining, and in buying and selling; and they applied themselves to
all gainful pursuits—and not least to agriculture and to the breeding
of animals, regularly carried on for the profits thus made. They
have not only great harvests of rice (which is their ordinary bread),
but also crops of cotton, with which they clothe themselves, and from
which they manufacture quantities of cloths, which were, and are yet,
much esteemed in Nueva Espana. For this reason, the Spaniards regarded
them as a people from whom large profits might be gained, and they
were not mistaken, for, from the gains on cotton fabrics alone (which
there they call lompotes), one encomendero left an estate of more
than one hundred and fifty thousand pesos in a few years. The soil
is not only good and favorable with a sunny climate, but fertile
and rich. Besides possessing many gold mines and placers—of which
they make but small account, because of the China silks which bring
them more profit—they raise fowls in great abundance. Besides the
domestic fowls, which are most numerous and very cheap, the fields
are full of wild ones. There is an infinite number of domestic swine,
not to mention numberless mountain-bred hogs, which are very fat,
and as good for lard as the domestic breed. There are also many goats
which breed rapidly, bearing two kids at a time and twice yearly;
there are entire islands abounding with them. As to the buffaloes,
there called carabaos, there are beside the tame and domestic breed,
many mountain buffaloes, which are used [as food] the same as those in
Europe—although somewhat less ugly in appearance, and with singularly
large horns, three times the size of those of our breed. They have
remarkable skill in striking with these horns; lowering the beard to
the breast, with the point of the horn they lift up the most minute
object. In spite of these formidable qualities both Indians and
Spaniards hunt and slay them. Their flesh, whether fresh or dried,
is as good as the most excellent beef. Deer are so abundant that the
Japanese import cargoes of their hides from these islands. The sea
abounds in all kinds of delicate fish; trees, fruits, vegetables,
and garden-stuff are abundant—especially bananas, of which there
are as many different kinds as in Europe there are varieties of
apples and other fruits. There are six or eight species of orange,
the most famous of which is an orange as big as a large-sized melon
or gourd. Some of these are white inside, like limes; others are as
red as our oranges are yellow; and all kinds are as well-flavored as
bunches of delicate grapes. In general, the fruits of those regions,
although different from ours in species and form, have much the same
flavor as the European fruits. The palms, of which there are many
and varied species, are the vineyards and olive-orchards of that
country. For beside the many other uses and advantages of this tree,
it yields wine, vinegar, and oil in sufficient quantities not only
to supply that region abundantly, but likewise to ship and send away
to other neighboring regions—especially furnishing wine to Japon,
Maluco, and Nueva Espana. The rigging of vessels is also manufactured
from this tree. In fact, there is such an abundance of the materials
necessary for the construction of ships that a vessel which is built
in Nueva Espana or Peru in several years' time for fifty or sixty
thousand pesos, is constructed in the Filipinas in less than one year,
and at a cost of less than eight thousand pesos. The cane is in itself
another miracle, especially the kind called cauayan, the size and
thickness of which are incredible. I shall not say what I have seen
of that species during fourteen years; but one of our Society lately
told me in Lisboa, while discussing this subject, that in the river
of London he had seen a vessel which had one of these canes for a
pump. In addition to Pliny, [45] the most ancient writer who makes
much mention of these canes, there are many moderns who testify to
their size—especially one who, from information received by those of
his nation who have coursed these seas (to our detriment and their
own danger), has written an account of these canes and of other
plants and fruits of that New World. Although this cane is so large,
it is so easily worked that it is employed in whatever is needed for
any of the uses of life; from vessels and houses (which can be made
from it in all their parts), its use extends to the pot and wood for
cooking. It seems to me that its uses could go no farther; and in
these it corresponds, too, with what Pliny [46] writes of the reed
and the papyrus—particularly as within the hollow of the cane, there
are membranes somewhat similar to beaten and glazed paper, on which
I have at times written. In some of the canes there is also found a
juice or liquor which is drunk as a luxury. There is nothing especially
remarkable in the fact that so much abundance should be deposited in
the hollow of these canes; for, just as in other regions trees need
water, in the Filipinas some are found which furnish it—acting as a
perpetual fountain for a whole community, even though it may be on the
apparently dry uplands. In all that locality there are no other springs
than these trees. The method which they employ for obtaining the liquid
from the tree is to make some cuts or incisions in the trunk and the
thicker branches; and out of these is distilled and flows a clear,
sweet water, in ample quantities. But, to return to the subject
of the canes, it should be known that in our church of Manila were
erected two ladders, each of which had only two canes somewhat more
than eight brazas in length: the steps consisted of strips and slips
cut from the said cane. They were used in decorating the church and
each one would sustain at its top two or three men; they were erected
without any prop being needed to sustain them. Each cane was at the
lowest part about three palmos in circumference, which crosswise or
in diameter would be about one palmo. [47] These ladders are well
adapted to such needs, for being, as they are, strong and yet hollow,
they are not very heavy, or hard to move. From these canes they make
in China the whips which with three or four blows kill a man.
To this abundance and fertility was added the proximity of China,
India, Japon, Malaca, and Maluco. From China they not only began to
ship their riches in silks and glazed earthenware, as soon as they
learned of our wealth of four and eight real pieces; but they also
stocked the islands with cattle (which have since multiplied there
exceedingly) and with horses and mares, and great stock-farms have
been established. The Chinese have also supplied provisions, metals,
fruits, preserves and various luxuries, and even ink and paper;
and (what is of much more value) there have come tradesmen of every
calling—all clever, skilful, and cheap, from physicians and barbers
to carriers and porters. The Chinese are the tailors, the shoemakers,
the blacksmiths, the silversmiths, sculptors, locksmiths, painters,
masons and weavers; in short, they represent all the trades of
the community. Their labor is so cheap that a pair of shoes costs
no more than two reals, and so many are made that they have been
shipped even to Nueva Espana. From India, Malaca, and Maluco come to
Manila male and female slaves, white and black, children and adults;
the men are industrious and obliging, and many are good musicians;
the women excellent seamstresses, cooks, and preparers of conserves,
and are neat and clean in service. The islands also import drugs,
spices, and precious stones; marble, pearls, seed-pearls, carpets,
and other riches. From Japon are imported much wheat, and flour, also
silver, metals, saltpeter, weapons, and many curiosities. All of these
things make life in that region pleasant and an object of desire to
men; and indeed it seems a copy of that Tyre so extolled by Ezekiel.
In the second place, as concerns the religious, there was from the
very beginning the very tractable disposition displayed by so many
natives of the islands in embracing the faith. But as the many and
excellent ministers whom the holy Order of St. Augustin promptly sent
thither were not sufficient for the task of converting the natives,
nor were those who were sent by the Order of the seraphic father
St. Francis, [48] which in the year 1580 already had in the islands
some establishments, and had made many conversions—the fathers of the
Society of Jesus were also needed. They were introduced, in that year,
by the first bishop of these islands, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar,
[49] a priest of the Order of St. Dominic—who afterward died in
the city of Toledo, as archbishop of Manila. This great prelate had
left his province of Mexico to consult with the Catholic king, Don
Felipe Second, concerning matters of grave importance; and, being by
his Majesty appointed bishop of the Filipinas, he soon sought from
the king permission to take with him to the islands members of the
Society—as appears from the same royal provision made for them
in Nueva Espana. Accordingly he took with him from that country
the first members of the Society to enter those islands—namely,
Father Antonio Sedeno and Father Alonso Sanchez. These, our fathers,
entered the city of Manila without cloaks, as I have heard Father
Antonio Sedeno himself relate, in commending their poverty; for those
which they brought with them from Mexico had worn out and rotted
in the voyage. They went to rest at [the convent of] San Francisco,
where those blessed fathers received them with much charity until they
found an abode—which they chose in a suburb of Manila, called Laguio,
very wretched and closely packed, and so poorly furnished that the
very chest in which they kept their books was the table upon which
they ate. Their only food for many days was rice boiled in water
without salt, oil, meat, fish, or even an egg, or any other thing;
sometimes as a dainty, they secured some salted sardines.
But the good bishop who had brought them did not leave them long in
such straits; for not only did he offer us his library, and show us
other acts of kindness and charity as a true father, but he tried
to improve the site of our habitation, as soon as he saw that those
first fathers had no wish to change it for another. Thus, with two
ground-plots given them by Andres Cauchela, accountant for the Catholic
king in those regions (who owned some lands in Laguio); with property
of the Catholic king, obtained at the instance of the aforesaid bishop
and at the order of the governor, Don Gonzalo Ronquillo [50]; and with
the addition of private offerings of charity—a fine wooden house was
constructed (which I myself saw), wherein was fitted up their church,
in which our fathers exercised their ministry, with a large attendance,
and to the great advantage of the Spaniards.
Three years later their number was increased. The Catholic king
sent his royal Audiencia to the islands in the year 1583; and as its
president, the governor of the islands and the representative of his
Majesty, Doctor Santiago de Vera, who was a member of his council, and
judge in the royal Chancilleria of Mexico. [51] He, at the time of his
departure from Mexico, requested of the Father Doctor Juan de la Placa,
who was then provincial in Nueva Espana, permission to take with him
to the islands some of the fathers. Not only did he himself urge this,
but also other personages, even the king's ministers, who all insisted
that he should in no case go without them. Under this influence the
father provincial was constrained to draw from the few members then
in his province four individuals: these were Father Ramon de Prado,
a Catalan; Father Francisco Almerique, an Italian; Padre Hernan Suarez,
a Castilian; and, as coadjutor, the brother Gaspar Gomez—all of whom,
as we shall later see, were of great benefit to those regions. So
great was the satisfaction of this most Christian man, upon receiving
the message of our provincial (who had given him two of Ours, and
those other four on his own responsibility), that he immediately
fell on his knees before them, and gave thanks to our Lord that he
had obtained the ministers whom His Divine Majesty employs for the
conversion of peoples, as he has so said. They reached the Filipinas
in May or June of the year 1584, and afforded great companionship,
comfort, and aid to those who were in the islands. Father Hernan
Suarez was especially useful, for God had endowed him with special
grace in winning hearts and bringing them to His service—and this, in
familiar conversation and ordinary discourse, as well as in the pulpit
and the confessional. In this way the whole community was dependent
on him; he settled all matters that might give rise to discord, and
no one took any step without his opinion and counsel. He ministered
to his flock jointly and severally in public and in private, with much
charity on his part and satisfaction on theirs. But this very thing was
the cause, in a short time, of his death. Exhausted by so much toil,
but especially by the fierce heat of the sun—to which he was exposed
at every hour, in journeying on foot from Laguio to Manila and back
again—and wearied and often perspiring from the sermons which he so
frequently preached, he died a holy death within two or three years,
to the universal sorrow of his entire congregation which celebrated
his obsequies as those of a true father.
For this reason and at the order of Father Antonio de Mendoca,
provincial of Nueva Espana, who did not wish that our members should
dwell so far from Manila, they were obliged to change their abode
and come within the city. Many devout persons and friends of our
Society helped them greatly to this end with offerings, some giving
them pieces of land, on which was a wooden house of moderate size;
others offerings of money, with which they bought more land. Here
we dwelt until Captain Juan Pacheco Maldonado, a regidor of Manila,
and Dona Faustina de Palacios y Villa Gomez, his wife, our excellent
benefactress, erected for us a beautiful stone edifice. This work
was begun, with great piety and devotion, on the same day when this
Christian captain received the news that the English had robbed a
vessel in which he had a great quantity of goods. The mariscal Gabriel
de Ribera, another notable benefactor of ours, erected temporarily
a very neat wooden church, which was used until the stone church,
which we now have, was finished. The greater part of this was done at
the expense of this captain, Juan Pacheco. The rest was accomplished
with the aid of large gifts contributed by the devout people. In
short, this post at Manila began to assume permanent form; our very
reverend Father-general Claudio Aquaviva, accepted it as a college,
and appointed, as its first rector, in the year one thousand five
hundred and eighty-nine, Father Antonio Sedeno.
Of the employments of the fathers of the Society in the
Filipinas. Chapter V.
In the residence at Manila (which was the only one that our Society
then had in the Filipinas), of the five priests who had gone thither
only three remained. For, as we have said, Father Hernan Suarez urged
himself on to work until he died of sheer exhaustion—but certainly
with most abundant harvest, and having brought great consolation
to that commonwealth, where his loss was deeply felt, and his
memory was held for many years in great tenderness and affection by
all. Father Alonso Sanchez, although inclined by nature to retirement
and solitude, could not hide his light, since he was a man of great
courage and ability. His retirement was perpetually beset by bishop,
governor, royal ministers, prelates of the church, and regidors of
the commonwealth. Both within and without Manila, he was forever
busied in important affairs—whether concerning the welfare of souls,
the peace of men's consciences, the tranquillity and prosperity of
the commonwealth, or the service of his Majesty the Catholic king,
our sovereign. On this account not only did they send him on several
journeys to China and Malaca, but finally despatched him to Europe
upon like undertakings, where he was well known at the court of Espana
and afterwards at that of Roma. The three who were left behind did
not remain idle. Father Antonio Sedeno, in addition to his ordinary
occupation of preaching—in which he was so effective that he could
move stones by his eloquence—in his capacity as superior attended
to the temporal affairs of the residence and to the construction of
buildings. He was all the more busy in this latter occupation, from
the scarcity, at that time, of architects and builders in Manila;
for there were none at all. First he taught this art to the Indians,
and then to the Chinese; and he inspired the bishop to build the first
stone house ever erected in Manila. Encouraged by this example, they
continued to build others, until finally the city reached its present
greatness. At this time it is one of the most beautiful and delightful
cities in the Indias. Formerly the houses, though large and roomy,
were all constructed of wood or cane. In short the good father was
the architect of the city, and the people caused him no little labor
in inspecting, planning, and arranging its edifices; he aided them
out of pure charity and zeal for the advancement of the holy Church,
which he hoped would be very great in those regions. The first fort
constructed in Manila for the defense of the city was erected under
his direction, and with his plans, supervision, and aid, which cost
him no little effort. This is the fortress that they call Guia,
because it is situated at the principal gate of the city which leads
out to the chapel of Nuestra Senora de Guia that stands in front of our
house. I once accompanied him when he went to furnish the plans for a
stairway in one of the principal houses; and he showed so much patience
and indulgence toward the errors which the Indians had committed in
his absence that he did not lose his temper in either word or look,
but merely had what was wrong taken apart and done over again.
Father Raimundo de Prado also preached with much enthusiasm and
devotion; but his principal employment was in the confessional,
where he exercised his calling to such advantage that there was
scarcely a man or woman who confessed to another priest. He also, at
the instance of the bishop, read in our house for the benefit of the
clergy, the Materia de sacramentis, which lasted, several months;
but after that was finished he read no longer, as he could not attend
to so many things.
Father Francisco Almerique began the study of the Chinese language,
in his zeal to aid in the conversion of the many Chinese who came to
Manila and whom we in the Filipinas call Sangleys. He effected several
conversions, in particular, that of a young man of much talent who had
studied their learning, and made more than ordinary progress, and was
about to be graduated in his own country. This young man, abandoning
his studies and ambitions for our holy faith, was solemnly baptized
in our church at Manila by the hand of the bishop, and took the name
of Paul, in devotion to that most glorious apostle, the teacher of
the Gentiles. I met him afterward and came to know him well, and
saw in him a Christian of the primitive church. Since it enters most
opportunely into this matter, let me relate how, having once seen an
honorable Spaniard commit some act by no means Christianlike, he said
to me: "Father, are not these Christians? and, if so, how can they do
this?" I was obliged to satisfy him by making a distinction between the
living and the dead faith, and the appreciation and estimation of the
things of God in contrast to the inclination and affection for earthly
things, which is so common among our Christians of long standing—to
the great scandal of the new converts, as this incident shows.
The Japanese who came to Manila also repaired to our church; and I
once saw them perform a very decorous and devout dance in a feast of
the most holy sacrament. Their mode of dress is decorous, and they
sing, to a slow and solemn music, marking the pauses by strokes with a
small fan grasped in the palm of the left hand; they move in time with
this, only stamping their feet, inclining their bodies somewhat. The
effect is most striking, and invites devotion, especially in those
who understand what they sing, which are all things pertaining to
the divine. In the year one thousand five hundred and eighty-seven,
one of them named Gabriel, a native of Miaco, reared in the Society,
brought with him to Manila as converts four other companions—who,
as soon as they arrived, were baptized with great solemnity in our
church and confirmed by the bishop, who treated us with the same love
and confidence as if he were of our religious order. On the feast of
St. Michael, the twenty-ninth of September of this same year, there
was a jubilee in our church, and the bishop desired to celebrate the
mass; on that occasion, six hundred persons received communion; for a
country and a Christian community so new as that one, this was a very
large number, and gave all the more consolation and edification to all.
In this same year occurred a miraculous conversion of an infidel. This
latter was crossing the river of Manila in one of those small boats
so numerous in the islands, which do not extend more than two dedos
[52] out of the water. As there are many caimans in this river
(which in that respect is another Nile), one of them happened to
cross his course, and, seizing him, dragged him to the bottom with
a rapidity which is their mode, by a natural instinct, of killing
and securing their prey. The infidel, like another Jonas, beneath
the water called with all his heart upon the God of the Christians;
and instantly beheld two persons clad in white, who snatched him from
the claws of the caiman, and drew him to the bank, safe and sound;
and as a result of this miracle he was baptized, with his two sons,
and became a Christian. The very opposite befell another Christian,
who, forgetful of God, passed every night to the other side of that
river to commit evil deeds. God, wearied of waiting for him, sent his
"alguazil of the water"—which is the name that we give there to
the cayman—who, seizing him, executed upon his person the divine
chastisement for his wickedness. All this took place in Manila,
in which place Ours were not long confined; they went forth, and
dispersed through the islands, the number and variety of which we
shall now describe in greater detail.
Of the number and size of the Filipinas Islands. Chapter VI.
The islands properly called the Filipinas begin at the large island
of Burnei, not far from Malaca, which serves as a roadstead for the
Portuguese who sail for Maluco. This island extends from the first
or second degree on the south of the equinoctial line to about
the eighth degree on the north side. The Mahometan king of this
island, although he retained his own religion, rendered obedience
as a vassal of the crown of Castilla when Doctor Francisco de Sande
[53] was governor of the Filipinas. The island of Siao [54] is east
of Burnei and about six or eight degrees latitude toward the north;
its king and his subjects are Christians, converted by the fathers
of our Society who live in Maluco. To render homage to the crown of
Castilla, he came to the court of Manila at the time when Gomez Perez
de las Marinas, knight of the habit of Santiago, was governor of the
islands. On this journey he was accompanied by Father Antonio Marta,
an Italian, the superior of the Society in the islands of Maluco,
and by his companion, Father Antonio Pereira, [55] a Portuguese. I
had them all as guests in a house at Tigbauan, in the island of Panai,
where for two years I was instructing those peoples, to their profit
and my own satisfaction, as I shall later relate. I do not mean Cian,
but Siao, for that is the name of the island. Cian is not an island,
but the mainland between Malaca and Camboxa, contiguous with Great
China and Cochin China. By journeying northward from the two islands
of Siao and Burnei, one may traverse in his course from island to
island the whole extent of the Filipinas; and, by going east and west,
their entire width. Passing through Sarrangan, Iolo, and Taguima, which
are three distinct islands, one reaches the great island of Mindanao,
whence one comes to the island of Manila, the metropolitan see; as well
as to Babuyanes, Hermosa Island, and the greater and lesser Lequios,
which include many islands. Of the more northern islands, besides those
already named, those which are known and are most populous are: Manila,
Mindoro, Luban, Marinduque, Cabras, Tablas, Masbate, Capul, Ibabao,
Leite, Bohol, Fuegos, Negros, Imares, Panai, Cagayan, Cuyo, Calamianes,
Paravan—besides many others which are less known, although populated,
all of which will reach forty or more in number. This is excluding
other small uninhabited islands and some of fair size. Among those
islands that I have mentioned there are some much larger than Espana,
as, for example, Manila and Burnei; and others which are certainly
no smaller, as Mindanao and Calamianes. Some are somewhat smaller,
as Mindoro, Ibabao, and that of Negros; others very much smaller,
as Leite, Sebu, and Panai, but all of them are well peopled, fertile,
and rich, and not far distant from one another, and not one so small
that it is not in reality large.
The island of Sebu, one of the smallest, would have, if we were to
credit the statement of a certain author, a circumference of twelve
leguas; but I myself have sailed along the coast of two-thirds of the
island (it is triangular in shape), and assert that its circumference
is more than fifty Spanish leguas.
Of the division and distribution of bishoprics and provinces in the
Filipinas. Chapter VII.
At the instance of the first bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar,
and with the information which he gave to the Catholic king Don
Felipe Second, of glorious memory, his Majesty divided those islands
into four dioceses, beseeching the Holiness of our most Holy Father,
Clement Eighth, to establish the aforesaid bishop as the metropolitan
archbishop of the city of Manila, with three suffragan bishops. [56]
Two of these were in that same island, one in the eastern part,
and one in the western; one, the bishop of Nueva Segovia (which by
sea is but sixty leguas distant from Great China); his bishopric
extends as far as the Ilocos, more than a hundred leguas distant,
being conterminous with the archbishopric of Manila. The other is the
bishop of Camarines whose bishopric is but little smaller, reaching
from the lagoon of Manila to the channel-mouth through which we enter
the islands on the way thither from Espana. The third bishopric is
even larger, for it embraces almost all the islands of the Pintados
(the proper name for which is Bisayas)—beginning with the islands
of Panay, Bantayan, Leite, Ibabao, and Capul, and extending to the
great island of Mindanao and the more southern islands. Its cathedral
and see are in the city of Santissimo Nombre de Jesus, so named from
the discovery of [an image of] the Child Jesus which was found there,
as we have related.
The people of the Bisayas are called the Pintados, because they are
actually adorned with pictures [Span. pintados—i.e., painted, or
tattooed]—not because this is natural to them, although they are
well built, of pleasing countenance, and white; but because they
adorn their bodies with figures from head to foot, when they are
young and have sufficient strength and energy to suffer the torment
of the tattooing; and formerly they tattooed themselves when they had
performed some act of valor. They tattoo themselves by pricking the
skin until the blood comes, with sharp, delicate points, according
to designs and lines which are first drawn by those who practice this
art; and upon this freshly-bleeding surface they apply a black powder,
which is never effaced. They do not tattoo the body all at the same
time, but by degrees, so that the process often lasts a long time;
in ancient times, for each part which was to be tattooed the person
must perform some new act of bravery or valiant deed. The tattooed
designs are very ingenious, and are well adapted to those members
or parts whereon they are placed. During my stay in the Filipinas,
I was wont to say, in my satisfaction and admiration for the fine
appearance of those natives, that if one of them were brought to Europe
much money could be made by exhibiting him. Children are not tattooed,
and the women tattoo all of one hand and part of the other. They do
not, however, on this account go naked; they wear well-made collarless
robes, which reach the ankle and are of cotton bordered with colors:
when they are in mourning, these robes are white. They take off these
robes in their houses, and in places where garments are unnecessary;
but everywhere and always they are very attentive and watchful to
cover their persons, with great care and modesty, wherein they are
superior to other nations, especially to the Chinese.
The Catholic king also decreed, for the sake of peace, and to
facilitate the preaching of the gospel, that the provinces of the
religious orders should remain distinct, and that there should be no
interference or confusion between the religious and the clergy. He
left the orders of St. Francis and St. Augustine from that time in
those districts of Indians which they previously occupied, which are
numerous and very good. He bestowed upon the Order of St. Dominic,
which had gone thither five or six years later than our Society,
the remaining territory in the bishopric of Nueva Segovia. To us he
granted the islands of Ibabao, Capul, Leite, Samar, Bohol, and others
in that vicinity, as well as authority to found a college in the city
of Santissimo Nombre de Jesus.
How the Society extended its labors to the villages of the Indians
outside of Manila. Chapter VIII.
At this time we had again brought our number in Manila to five. In
the place of Father Alonso Sanchez, who was absent in Espana,
and of the late Father Hernan Suarez, two others of us had gone to
the islands and had learned the language; and one of us, in holy
obedience to orders given him, and at the instance of a prebendary
of Manila, began to use it in his benefice, fourteen leguas from the
city. The principal village of this district is called Balayan; in
it and in numerous other villages of the same region there are many
good Christians, converted by the discalced friars of the Order of
the seraphic Father St. Francis—especially in Balayan, among whose
inhabitants there are many persons of note, who are very intelligent
and well disposed. During several years an apostolic man of that
order preached there, named Father Juan de Oliver, whose holy teaching
shone forth in the piety and devotion of that people. I dwelt in that
district for more than two months, and during my stay they kept me well
occupied in the baptism of children and adults, and in confessions and
communions, which were so numerous that all that time seemed to me a
Holy Week. All these peoples hold our holy law in the highest esteem,
and therefore have the deepest respect for its priests. I shall relate
in this connection an incident that befell me at this time with some of
the chiefs of Balayan. There was an epidemic of small-pox (called by
them Bolotong), which was killing off children and old men, although
more fatal to adults than to the young. I was in the habit of walking
through the principal streets twice a day, morning and night, when I
would send boys on both sides of the street to discover and indicate
to me those who desired confession and baptism. Whenever they sent for
me (which was not seldom), I entered the house; all the living-rooms
are in the upper part, the lower floor being used only for household
duties. And it was no small labor to ascend and descend so often,
especially by ladders of cane; which are used everywhere. One day, when
busied in this my occupation, I passed by a group of their chiefs, who,
upon perceiving me, formed a row on one side of the street and saluted
me all together, uncovering their heads, and making a low bow. I,
inclining my head, removed my cap and passed on. They appreciated my
politeness, and considered themselves so favored and honored by it
that, upon my return, they displayed the same courtesy, standing in
line, and then they all fell upon their knees, as if they desired to
excel me in politeness; for that which I had shown them when I first
approached seemed to them all too much. My greatest aid to them was
at Lian, three leguas from Balayan, in which place—as well as in
another near by, called Manisua—I converted many to Christianity
and heard many confessions. I was here on Ash Wednesday; not only did
the adults receive the ashes with incredible reverence and devotion,
but all the mothers brought all their children to receive the emblem,
and were not willing to depart until they and all the others had
received. For this journey I thank and am deeply grateful to the
bishop who was most earnestly desirous that Ours should aid in so
important a ministry. As it was clearly evident that the villages
of Taitai, Antipolo, and others of that encomienda—which was six
leguas from Manila, up the river, and in which there were already
some Christians—contained many infidels who should be converted,
he entrusted it to the Society. Through the grace of Jesus Christ our
Lord, such fruitful results were accomplished as shall be seen in the
course of this narrative. I shall simply state for the present that,
at the end of ten years, I was in the habit of saying (in imitation of
St. Gregory Thaumaturgus) that I was most thankful to our Lord, for,
when I entered the place, I found hardly forty Christians, and at the
end of that time there were not four infidels. If I am not mistaken,
we baptized with our own hands more than seven thousand souls; and
today it is one of the most flourishing of Christian communities that
Holy Church possesses, and none in those regions is superior to it.
How the village of Taitai improved its site. Chapter IX.
At that time the village of Taitai lay along the water, on the
banks of a marsh or stream formed by waterfalls from the mountains
of Antipolo, which emptied into the river near the same mouth by
which it flows out of the lagoon. It was situated in a most beautiful
and extensive valley, formed between the lagoon and the mountains;
and so low that each year, when the waters of the lagoon rise on
account of the floods from the many rivers which enter it, the valley
is flooded and submerged as is Egypt by the Nile, and remains thus
inundated from August until October or November. At this period the
valley itself becomes a lagoon of more than an estado in depth, and
can be traversed only by means of boats. This inundation abundantly
fertilizes the rice fields and seeded lands with which the valley is
covered, and, as a result, rich and abundant harvests are gathered. The
water enters at the proper season when the rice stalks are hardening
and are beginning to ear; consequently the copious irrigation helps
it to form seed without hindering the grain from hardening, or the
harvest from being gathered. On the contrary it is a convenience,
as I myself have often seen, to go in boats for the reaping, and in
those boats to bring the bundles of grain to the houses, where they
are exposed to the sun to dry. When it is thoroughly dry they thresh
and clean it, and store it in their granaries. This inundation not
only flooded the village—to such an extent that the streets could
be traversed only in boats, in which I went often enough—but also,
although the floor of the church had been raised and repairs made
to guard against the water, it flowed in over the steps, even to
the main altar. On account of this inundation they had selected,
not far from the church and farther back from the water, a hill,
where those who died during this season were interred. For mass they
repaired to Antipolo, which lies a scant three miles inland among
the mountains. The first time when I saw my church flooded, and
realized that I could not say mass in it, I was obliged to believe
what I had never been able to credit, although I had been often told
of it. It is customary for these villages, for greater convenience
of government, to be divided into districts on the plan of parishes,
which they call barangais. Each one of these is under the command
of a chief, who governs it and appoints those who are to provide for
all contingencies; the latter are called datos. At that time this
village had four hundred families and was divided into four barangais;
consequently there were four datos, each one of whom had charge of
a hundred inhabitants who are called collectively catongohan. I
summoned my four datos and from the choir I showed them the altar;
they saw (and they had known it beforehand) that mass could not be
celebrated. "Without celebrating mass each day," I said to them,
"although I may be unworthy of it, I cannot live, for that is my
sustenance which gives me strength to serve you for Christ's sake. Now
I must go where I can say it—that is, to Antipolo. If you wish to
see me again, you will build for me, on the hill where the dead are
now buried, a little church in which I can say mass, with some little
room to which I can retire; until this be done, I remain with God;"
and I went away. Desiring my return, they soon began the work and
finished it in such wise that I could stay and celebrate mass, and,
too, serve as an attraction to any one who might pass that way. At
first they did very little, and that slowly; but as it was necessary
to dismantle the church and carry to the hill its materials, and with
these the cross belonging to the cemetery, they soon began to show
such haste in migrating to the new village that ten or twelve of them
crowded into one house, until each one could build his own. Surprised
at such haste, I inquired its cause, and they told me that at night
they suffered from fear of the demons in the old village, because it
had now no church or cross; and so no one dared to sleep there. With
this change the village greatly improved its site. That they might not
lack water near by for bathing (to which all those nations are much
addicted), they carefully opened a ditch at the base of the hill,
along the edge of the village, by which water could come in from
the stream which they formerly had. Along the streets and around
the village they planted their groves and palm-trees, which enrich
and beautify it. They afterward constructed on the new site a very
beautiful temple with the help of the king our lord, who paid a third
of its cost, as his Majesty does for all the churches. Since I have
mentioned the baths it is fitting to relate what I can tell about them.
Of baths in the Philippines. Chapter X.
From the time when they are born, these islanders are brought up in
the water. Consequently both men and women swim like fishes, even from
childhood, and have no need of bridges to pass over rivers. They bathe
themselves at all hours, for cleanliness and recreation; and even the
women after childbirth do not refrain from the bath, and children just
born are bathed in the rivers and springs of cold water. When leaving
the bath, they anoint the head with ajonjoli [i.e., oil of sesame]
mixed with civet—of which, as we shall later show, there is great
abundance in those regions. Even when not bathing, they are accustomed
to anoint their heads for comfort and adornment, especially the women
and children. Through modesty, they bathe with their bodies drawn up
and almost in a sitting posture, with the water to the neck, taking
the greatest care not to be seen, although no one may be near to see
them. The most general hour for bathing is at the setting of the sun,
because at that time they have finished their labors, and bathe in the
river to rest and refresh themselves; on the way, they usually carry
some vessel for bearing water to use in their domestic duties. In the
island of Panay I saw all the people, at the conclusion of a burial,
hasten to the river upon leaving the church and bathe there, as was
the custom among the Jews—although these Indias have no knowledge
of that dead law. They keep a vessel full of water before the door
of every house; every person, whether belonging to the house or not,
who enters it takes water from the jar with which to wash his feet
before entering, especially during the season of much mud. They wash
their feet with great facility, rubbing one foot with the other:
the water flows down through the floor of the house, which is all of
cane and fashioned like a window-grating: with bars close together.
They also employ the baths as a medicine, and God our Lord has given
them for this purpose springs of hot water. In the last few years the
hot springs of Bai, on the banks of the lagoon of Bai, have been most
healthful and famous, and many Spaniards of both sexes as well as
ecclesiastics and religious, have had recourse to them in various
maladies and recovered their health. And, indeed, the ease and
delightfulness of the trip almost compel one to undertake it, even
though he may not need it. The [Pasig] River extends inland as much
as six leguas; and from its source in the lagoon until it reaches the
bay of Manila, it is dotted with houses, gardens, and stock-farms, in
most delightful variety. As the trees in that climate bear leaves the
whole year through, their verdure and coolness increase the charm. I
noticed but two trees which shed their leaves; both of them are wild,
and do not bear fruit, but both are highly useful and valued for that
reason. One is the balete, [57] which grows very tall, has a round,
cup-shaped head, like a moderately large walnut tree, and is of a
most delightful green. Its leaves are somewhat narrow, like those
of the almond tree; and are hard, compact, and glossy to the touch,
like those of the orange tree. The Filipinos prize them for their use
in cooking, as we do the laurel and the rosemary. This tree is very
hardy, and most often flourishes in rocky places; it has a natural
tendency to produce roots over almost the whole surface of its trunk
so that it appears to be covered with a beard. The Chinese, who are
really ingenious, are wont to plant one of these trees on a stone
(so small that both the tree and stone can be held in the hand),
just as if it were in a flower-pot, and then it can be carried from
one place to another; and the tree, like a dwarfed orange tree,
grows in proportion to its roots, hardly reaching five palmos in
height. As this method of planting these trees on a stone may seem
as difficult as it is curious, I shall describe how I have seen it
done. They take a sprout of the tree when it is already covered with
roots, and a stone which must not be too hard, or smooth, but not
very solid, and somewhat porous or hollow. These stones are found
there in abundance among the reefs and shoals of the sea. They tie
the little tree or sprout to this stone, covering the latter so far as
possible on all sides with the fibres and roots; and to make it grow,
they cover the stone with water. With the water the tree clings much
more readily to the stone, entwines about it, and becomes grafted
into all its pores and cavities, embracing it with remarkable amity
and union. A large balete stands in the patio [i.e., inner court]
of our house in Manila, near the regular entrance. In the year 1602,
in the month of April or May, I saw it all withered, with its leaves
falling. Thinking that it was dying I was greatly grieved, for I did
not wish to lose so fine a tree. My sorrow was increased when I saw
it next day almost without a leaf; and I showed it to our procurator,
who chanced to be with me while I was inspecting the tree. But on the
third day I beheld it covered with new leaves, tender and beautiful,
at which I was as rejoiced as I had previously been saddened; for
it is in truth a beautiful tree. In this I saw represented, as in a
picture, the truth of the resurrection.
There is another tree which they call dabdab. [58] Its leaves also
have an agreeable taste and serve as a lining for the inside of the
kettle in which they cook their rice, preventing the latter from
adhering to the sides. This tree is very similar to the almond-tree,
although its trunk and leaves are much larger. These leaves are nearly
as large as the palm of the hand and shaped like a heart. It apparently
dies in September and revives in January, when the flower appears,
before the leaf; it is different from the balete, being larger and
of a different shape, and red like a ruby.
Among other plants brought from Nueva Espana to the Filipinas is the
anona, [59] which has grown larger and is more successfully raised
in these islands; it yields a most delicious and delicate fruit. It
also loses its leaves, but soon renews them, almost as quickly as
does the balete.
But, to return to the river of Manila—over which the passage to
the baths is made in boats, large or small according to the number
of passengers—by going up the stream the lagoon is reached; this,
with its forty leagues of circumference, is one of the most remarkable
objects in the world. All that region is full of rivers, villages,
and groves. The lagoon itself is of fresh water, and has many islets
which render it beautiful. It abounds in fish, and in herons, ducks,
and other water-fowl. Above all, it contains many crocodiles or caimans
(which there are called buaya), which cause great havoc among the
poor fishermen and traders who navigate the river—especially in
stormy weather, when the waters become tumultuous, as often happens,
and swamp their vessels.
Of the mission at Tigbauan, and what the fathers of the Society
accomplished there. Chapter XI.
In January of the year fifteen hundred and ninety-two, one of us two
who were employed at Taitai had to depart for the island of Panai to
give instruction and continue the work of conversion in the encomienda
of Tigbauan. The island of Panai, as I have already said, is in the
province of the Pintados, in the diocese of Sebu. It is a little
more than a hundred leguas in circumference, and, in all its extent,
most temperate and fertile. Its inhabitants are the Bissayas, a white
people, who have among them some blacks—the ancient inhabitants of the
island, who occupied it before the Bissayas did. They are not so dark
or ugly as are the natives of Guinea, but are very diminutive and weak;
but in their hair and beard they closely resemble the Guineans. They
are much more barbarous and untamed than are the Bissayas and most of
the Filipinos, for they have not, like those peoples, houses or fixed
sites for their villages. They do not sow seed, or gather harvests;
but with their women and children wander, half naked, over the
mountains like beasts. They capture on foot the deer and the javali,
[60] and on the spot where they capture an animal they stop, and feed
upon it as long as it lasts. Their only natural property is the bow
and arrow. The Bissayas through natural compassion have not destroyed
these blacks, who are not hostile to them, although they have little
dealing with the Bissayas. While I was in Tigbauan, however, a petty
war occurred between them which is worth relating for what it shows
of such wars among these nations, and their triumphs and trophies. A
Bissayan chief, who lived in his solitary house among the mountains,
distant from the villages, had a friendship—or, for all I know,
a relationship—with a leading Negrillo, who was also headman among
his people. Under the cover of this friendship, the Negrillo took his
opportunity, as I shall relate, to do a treacherous act. He came one
day, as he had often done before, to pay a visit to his friend, who
received him as such and gave him food and drink—an act which should
soften the most bloodthirsty heart, even if he had been offended. But
the Negrillo, without heeding the obligation imposed by kind deeds
or by the good-will with which they had been conferred upon him,
seized his host unawares, and took his life, also slaying all the
other members of his family—men, women, and children. His crime,
however, did not go unpunished. A spirited young man, son of the
dead man—not daring alone to avenge himself upon the black, who had
been reenforced by others of his own color—assembled his kinsmen and
friends; besides these [so many joined him that] all the villages of
the island were depopulated, in order to fall upon the Negrillos—all
eager to enslave the women and children, this being a great source of
wealth among those people; they accomplished their purpose, killing
many men. This lasted until the matter became known to the royal
officials in that region, who pacified them. At the entrance of some
of the villages, I saw the trophies of this victory and some of the
slaves. The trophies were thus made: one of the large canes, already
described, very tall, was driven into the ground. At its point were
two, or three, or more pendent bannerets like streamers or pennants,
and on them the hair of the dead foes. These blacks have had very
little to do with the Spaniards, not so much through hate as from
fear and mistrust of them. It has already happened that Spaniards,
unaccompanied and straying from the road, have fallen into their
hands; but with a few presents and fair words they have been allowed
to go free. They also fear the priests as being Spaniards, making
no distinction between them. For this reason we could not undertake
their conversion, although they were near to the villages of Tigbauan;
on this account all our energy was directed towards the Bissayas alone.
They call the reed-grass tigbao, and, by derivation, the lands
which bear this grass are called Tigbauan; and because the site of
this village is close to a great expanse of reedy land on the bank
of a beautiful stream, it bears the above name. The village itself
was on the same shore, at the mouth of the river—which, as well as
the sea, yields various kinds of fish, excellent and plentiful, which
I myself have enjoyed in abundance. As they were continually fishing
on the beach, usually with three or four nets, they never made a haul
without devoutly regaling us with a part of it. Tigbauan has a very
beautiful district, with many villages extending more than six leguas
along the coast of the sea; the entire district is well supplied with
game, fruits, and vegetables, and fish from the sea. The people are
very industrious; consequently I always saw them occupied—the men,
with their fisheries and farming; the women, with their spinning
and weaving. What we accomplished in the two years spent among a
people so good and well-disposed towards the Gospel could be told in
less time than what we left undone; for, since we of the Society of
Jesus were then so few, and had little hope of increasing our number,
we did not dare to undertake more than we thought could probably be
maintained; and in this we were not mistaken, for at the present day,
when at least a dozen ministers are needed, there is actually but
one secular priest. For that reason we did not dare to baptize adults
or children, except in cases of extreme danger, outside of the chief
village (which is Tigbauan) and two or three other outlying hamlets,
distant two miles or less.
Nevertheless we preached the faith throughout that vicinity in the
Haraya language, and even translated into the same tongue and taught
the Christian doctrine and the catechism, which formerly they knew only
in the Bissaya, a language different from the one they speak. [61] Many
churches were erected, and some who had been baptized were confirmed
in the faith. Some improper relations were dissolved and converted into
Christian matrimony. In Tigbauan and its villages, besides the baptism
of many children and adults, there were introduced the holy sacraments
of confession, communion, and extreme unction, the last of which they
neither knew nor had ever heard of. Church-feasts were celebrated with
vespers and solemn masses, particularly at Easter and in Holy Week. A
large school was formed, containing the children of all that region,
where they learned to read, write, play musical instruments, and sing;
two children from this school were sent every week to each one of
the churches in the district, to take care of it and to assemble each
afternoon the people of the village to repeat the doctrine in front of
the church, as was done in Tigbauan. Here occurred an event regarding
a boy, which gave me great satisfaction. An infidel chief living in
a village called Taroc, a legua from Tigbauan, had a little son who
was a Christian, a child of five or six years—of whom I knew nothing,
as they had concealed him and others from me, being reluctant, through
their natural barbarity and wildness, to hold intercourse with us and
deliver up the objects of their affection. This child fell ill, and,
realizing his condition, urged his infidel parents to summon me. They
made me repair to him in great haste, for as I was told that the sick
boy had called for me, I was convinced that he was not so young that
he could not at least confess. In short, I went; I merely read the
gospel to him, and in a few days he was cured of his sickness. As
a result of the visit, which was greatly appreciated by the people,
that village was won—especially his own parents, who were afterward
pleased to have their son go to Tigbauan to join the school with the
rest. The town of Arevalo is three leagues distant from Tigbauan;
we also assisted there in the pulpit and the confessional, at the
instance of the Spaniards who resided there, and of the bishop's
vicar, in whose charge they were. This vicar was then the licentiate
Don Francisco Gomez Arellano, archdeacon of Manila, through whose
earnestness and devotion divine worship was greatly augmented in
that church, and its service increased. This vicar embellished it
with new ornaments, very rich and curious, such as lamps and silver
candlesticks, thereby augmenting the reputation and esteem of our
holy religion among those new nations.
Of our departure from Tigbauan and our entrance into Sebu, Leite,
and other islands. Chapter XII.
At this time died Father Martin Henriquez, who had remained in
Taitai; he gave way under the laborious task of ministering alone
to so many souls, which he did with such perfection and fervor that
it was impossible to maintain strength for so much. This father was
so fervent and energetic that in three months he had learned the
language; and, in six, composed in it a catechism and a treatise
on confession. He also prepared a collection of sermons for all the
Sundays and feasts, and on the four last things, [62] as well as other
matters profitable to those peoples, who greatly respected his purity
of life and the vigor of his preaching. I have seen him leave his food,
to go to administer baptism or extreme unction to a sick man. He
was most devoted to our Lady, and, whenever he sat down to study,
he took out a little image of her which he always carried with him,
and placed it on the table that he might have it before him. Every
day I saw him, among other holy exercises, recite his rosary, and
devote one half-hour to prayer in the afternoons (besides the entire
hour in the morning); and every night he would scourge himself. He
was an indefatigable worker, and consequently slept little, which
was more than he could endure. He died a holy death, the same year
when he came to the Filipinas, before twelve months had elapsed;
and, when his work is considered, we wonder that he lived so long. On
account of his death, Father Francisco Almerique was obliged to leave
Manila—where his duties were by no means light among the Indians of
that city and district, who all sought his aid. As he had abandoned
these heavy labors only to undertake others as great, he soon fell
ill. To lighten his burden, the two who had remained in Manila took
up the double task; these two were the father rector, Antonio Sedeno,
and Father Raymundo de Prado. They took turns in doing this work, one
remaining a week in Manila while the other went to Taitai. This sort
of life could not last long; and so our Lord, who aids the greatest
necessities, inspired the good father to inform me of the difficulties
in which they were, and order me to return to Manila. There we could
plan our course of life in accordance with the advices which might
come to us in the ships, which were expected soon—either uniting
the four of us who remained, to do what we could in the city; or, if
a reenforcement should come to us, extending our labors in securing
conversions, according to the number of our men.
I reached Manila in May of the year fifteen hundred and ninety-five,
leaving in Tigbauan and its vicinity, and in the town of Arevalo,
not a few persons sorrowing at my departure. The general, Doctor
Antonio de Morga, arrived in the following June, having come to
serve as lieutenant of the governor and captain-general of the
islands. He brought with him two fine vessels, and eight priests
[63] of our Society. The joy of the communities of Manila and Sebu,
and of Ours, was beyond belief upon learning that these fathers had
arrived. From both places, requests came in to us for priests: from
Manila, for instruction and schools, of which its sons were in great
want; from Sebu, for a college which they desired in their city. On
the other hand, the lieutenant governor of his Catholic Majesty urged
that the Society should take charge of a province of Indians as did
the other religious orders; and the Indians themselves, with several
encomenderos, supported this request. Finally an effort was made to
satisfy everyone, in the way which I shall relate. Four of us priests
went to the island of Leite which we reached on the day of the Triumph
of the Holy Cross, the sixteenth of July of the same year. Two of us
remained at Carigara in the house of Christoval de Trujillo, the owner
of that encomienda, a man of eminent piety, and our benefactor. He
straightway built for us there the first house that we possessed in
that island. The other two of us went along the coast of that island
and those of Ibabao and Samar, observing what peoples and posts were
best adapted at that time for our settlement. We returned to Carigara
at the end of July, where, thanks to the incredible haste and large
number of the Indians, we found our house finished and the two fathers
established in it. Early in August, I had information from the father
vice-provincial, Antonio Sedeno, that he had arrived at Sebu with
two other priests, and summoned me thither. Father Juan del Campo and
Father Cosme de Flores remained in Carigara, and undertook the study of
the Bissaya language with great fervor. Father Antonio Pereira and I,
with another brother, went on to Sebu in conformity with the order
of the father vice-provincial. Father Antonio Pereira had remained
with Ours in these islands from the time of his arrival, as I said,
with the king of Siao, waiting for the conclusion of business which the
king and. Father Antonio Marta could not wait for—the latter, because
he could not longer absent himself from his province and subordinates:
the former, because he could not remain longer away from his kingdom
and his vassals. This good father was so eager and zealous for the
welfare of souls that, although a guest, he did not permit himself
one moment of idleness, but always busied himself in the pulpit and
confessional and in other ministries for the welfare of souls. We
reached Sebu in the middle of August, where we found our good father
and superior sick, in the house of a regidor of the city; and with
him were Father Alonso Humanes, who had gone as superior during the
journey from Nueva Espana, and Father Mateo Sanchez. He presently sent
these two fathers to Leite, with orders to divide it into two stations,
two fathers in each—one pair taking Carigara (where the two fathers
had remained whom I have already mentioned); the other, Dulac, which
is about sixty miles further on. These are both maritime villages with
a situation and territory well adapted for undertaking the conversion
of that new people, until then untaught. The aforementioned Father
Alonso Humanes was appointed superior of both stations. In Sebu Ours
had already fixed upon the site which we now possess, partly purchased
with offerings from the citizens, and partly bestowed by the city and
private persons. Accompanying the land was a goodly house of wood,
which with little work could be made to accommodate the church and
our dwelling. Father Ramon de Prado had remained in Manila as rector,
with the other four fathers, two of whom were sent to Taitai to
aid Father Francisco Almerique: of the two who remained in Manila,
Father Tomas de Montoya [64] began to teach Latin, and Father Juan
de Ribera attended to matters of conscience.
The death of Father Antonio Sedeno, first rector of the college of
Manila, and first vice-provincial of the Society of Jesus in the
Filipinas. Chapter XIII.
The first thing which the father vice-provincial, Antonio Sedeno,
enjoined upon me on his arrival at Sebu was that I should at all
events hasten the completion of the house, and carry him to it,
for it was his wish to die in the house of the Society. This I did,
having him conveyed on men's shoulders in a covered bed, for he was
so ill that he could not go in any other way. I was greatly rejoiced
at this, and he was extremely relieved at finding himself in his new
home. His illness was increased by the hardships of the toilsome
journey from Manila, one hundred and fifty leagues away, in the
season of the vendavals and the rains, which in the bay of Manila,
and as far as the entrance into the province of Pintados, is the most
difficult and dangerous of the whole year. In this case, the burden
of these hardships and torments fell upon a person so feeble, infirm,
old, and exhausted that, although he arrived at Sebu in fair health,
their effect was greatly aggravated by his immediately commencing work
with two sermons, which were highly regarded in that community. But
his efforts so prostrated him that he took to his bed with a fever,
which so exhausted him that his holy life came to an end on the first
of September of the same year, fifteen hundred and ninety-five. In
life, and no less in his death, this holy man was a rare example
of virtue; and so, in both, he was highly esteemed by all classes
and ranks of people—especially by ecclesiastics and religious,
who recognized in him an admirable virtue. When but a youth he left
Espana in the service of the Duke of Feria. He was received into the
Society at Loreto, studied in Padua, and had charge of the Germanic
College in Rome. From this place blessed Father Francisco de Borja
[65] sent him to Japon. Upon reaching Sevilla, however, he learned
that the ships bound for the Indias had already left Lisboa. Waiting
at this latter place for further instructions he was given the choice
of embarking, at his pleasure, for either Piru or Florida. He chose
Florida as a place which, in its poverty, offered greater opportunities
of suffering there many hardships for the sake of Christ. In this he
was not deceived; for in Florida, and later in Habana, he suffered
greatly on sea and land, from hunger, cold, exhaustion, storms,
hardships, exposure, and mortal perils. It often happened that he
fell to the ground, while walking on the shore—sick, powerless to
move, and among Indians most cruel in war, who had killed others of
the Society; and yet he escaped, how, he knew not. Many a time did
he eat no more than a handful of maize, planted and gathered by his
own hands; for whatever else he might have must be given to poor
soldiers. During a pestilence which had spread among those savages
he became a physician, for he could baptize them if they should die;
in this way he sent many of them to heaven. From Florida he was sent
to Nueva Espana, and was the first of the Society to enter the City
of Mexico, where by his virtuous life and teachings, he inspired the
viceroy, the auditors of the Audiencia, and the citizens with such
affection that they sought to bring over from Espana members of the
Society, in order to found a college in Mexico. This was done and
Father Antonio Sedeno was made rector: he laid the foundations and
erected a building, which stands to this day. He went over to the
Filipinas, as we have said, where his occupations were such as we
have already related. While on the sea, he and his companions lived
in their cabin in such modest retirement, and were so dignified in
their bearing, that they spread tranquillity throughout the vessel,
and accordingly their teaching was highly valued. He lived forty years
in the Society, to its great edification, and preached for fifteen
years in the Filipinas with admirable results. He suffered greatly
from asthma, and consequently slept almost always in a chair. But he
did not, on this account, allow himself any recreation, or cease to
eat fish alone during Lent and fast days. It might be more accurately
said that he but seldom ate at all, so great was his abstinence—which
he, moreover, sought to conceal, feigning, with much dissimulation,
that he ate of everything, when in reality it was a mere pretense of
eating. He was very contrite; severe toward himself, but gentle to
others; most exact in obedience, but very reserved and cautious in
command; courteous and honorable in his dealings; liberal, generous,
and devout. He gave or obtained aid for many needy persons, and all
esteemed him for his labors. He was most zealous for the welfare
of souls, and for the prosperity and preservation of the Filipinas,
and for their settlement and aggrandizement. We have already related
what he accomplished in building. He was the first to discover lime
there, and made the first roof-tile, and erected the first building. He
sought out Chinese artists, whom he kept in his house to paint images,
not only for our churches but for others, both within and without
Manila. He encouraged the encomenderos and the parish priests to
provide their churches with these images, and made it most easy to
procure them. Thus almost all the churches in the islands were adorned
with images, nearly all of which were of the Mother of God. He took
great interest in planting groves and in laying out gardens, and was
anxious that silk should be produced in the islands, hoping thus to
retain there for their benefit the money which was going to China,
and thus to secure their prosperity. To this end he planted mulberry
trees, and was active in other ways, even constructing a loom,
and teaching the Indians to weave in the European fashion. He was
accustomed to say that the highest form of prayer was that which most
inclines one to self-mortification; and he so practiced this that his
own life was a perpetual mortification. He taught this in the house
and elsewhere; and in his own exercises he could not use any other
method than mortification. His sermons were all on fear, judgment,
and condemnation. He said that this was what the world needed; and he
was not mistaken, for in truth he accomplished great results through
this teaching. One of his hearers, who was once praising to me his
instruction, repeated an expression which the father often used,
and which had deeply impressed him: "There [i.e., "in the other
world?"] you will understand it," he would say with wonderful truth and
force. In our household intercourse with him, he would assert that he
who aspires to perfection must be convinced that the pleasures of food,
drink, the couch, idleness, and the like, are not for him. All this,
however, he did not urge by force, but rather taught it in a kindly
manner, and gently guiding each one according to the strength which
God had given him—although he said that God gave strength to all in
proportion to their courage in working and suffering for His love. He
also said that one should die rather than commit the slightest venial
sin; and in his own case he was so rigid in this respect that at
times it seemed excess of scruple. His life was certainly most pure,
and his death like unto his life. During his illness we all admired
his great patience and resignation in the hands of God.
Father Antonio Pereira used to say that he often visited him in order
that he might profit and be edified by so admirable an example. The
day when he died, we had already noticed in the morning that extreme
unction should not be any longer withheld from him; and so I prepared
him to receive it, telling him that it seemed to be time. He raised
his eyes and hands toward heaven with great devotion, exclaiming:
"To pass to eternity!" With this he became lost in thought, spoke not
another word, and, receiving with much devotion that holy sacrament,
died in peace. He did not become rigid or discolored in death, but
preserved his bright color, and his limbs remained soft and flexible,
until he was buried. All the ecclesiastics and religious of the city
of Santissimo Nombre de Jesus, all the regidors, and the honorable and
prominent people, attended his funeral rites, which were celebrated
with great solemnity, devotion and tenderness. [66] In Manila also, on
account of the devotion of all classes for him, solemn funeral honors
were held, and were attended not only with the tears and sorrow of all
classes, but by the authority and concourse of all ranks and religious
orders. This holy man was lost to us at a time when we were in great
straits over the founding of that vice-province of the Society, which
we had hoped would be successfully established through his energy and
prudence. But there remained with us a great confidence that he would
aid us no less in death than in life; and thus his influence was seen
in the prosperous increase after his holy death of our ministries and
other affairs, especially in the college of Sebu, which is indebted
to his holy body as the foundation-stone of all its growth.
Of other and new members of the Society who went to the islands in
the year fifteen hundred and ninety-six. Chapter XIV.
In the fleet of this year fifteen hundred and ninety-five, our very
reverend father-general, Claudio Aquaviva, sent to the Filipinas
Father Francisco de Vera, with twenty-four of the Society, at the
request and expense of his Majesty the Catholic king, Don Felipe
Second. With all these, he reached Nueva Espana in the same year;
and, in the following, he embarked at the port of Acapulco for the
Filipinas with fourteen members of the Society, with the governor,
Don Francisco Tello. [67] In order that this voyage from Nueva Espana
to the Filipinas may be successfully made, it should be undertaken
by the middle of March, at the latest, so as to reach the Filipinas
before the vendavals or southwest winds of June set in, which are
very tempestuous—like the north winds in Nueva Espana which begin
in September. As these vessels left the port of Acapulco so late,
upon reaching the Filipinas they encountered vendavals which exposed
them to great peril and hardship. It has happened that vessels, leaving
late as did these, upon striking these vendavals in the Filipinas, have
been obliged to turn back with these winds to the Ladrones Islands, and
to return thence with the brisas from those islands to the Filipinas;
then, reaching the latter, to encounter the vendavals, and again be
driven by their force to the Ladrones. The hindrance and privation thus
experienced can be imagined; nor can the ship land at either islands
until the months of October and November when the vendavals cease.
Almost the same thing befell Ours that year. The vendavals and
currents long drove them back, and, in consequence, their voyage was
lengthened, and provisions ran short; the ship's stores gave out, and,
that they might not lack water, they were allotted small rations, each
being given but half a quartillo a day—a privation which at sea is
keenly felt. Finally, relieved from all these hardships and torments,
through the mercy of God they arrived safely at the college in Manila
on the first day of August of the same year. This voyage is usually
made in seventy days, but they, to their own greater merit, did not
reach the islands before one hundred and thirty days; and afterward
they journeyed more than one hundred leguas besides, by both sea and
land, coasting the shore in large boats. They crossed by land the
province of Camarines, all of which is occupied by the convents of
the glorious father St. Francis, where they were received and cared
for according to their dire necessities; even the father commissary
of those provinces, heedless of entreaties or excuses, washed with
his own hands the feet of six of Ours, who chanced to pass by his
abode. The first words with which one of those servants of the Lord
received them were the following, which he uttered with loving tears:
"Would they were a thousand fathers, for they would all have a harvest
in the Filipinas." The Indians, too, who had never seen Ours in this
province, were greatly rejoiced at their arrival—not only those
already baptized, but even the infidels; and they gave proof of their
good will in the hospitality which they showed towards our fathers,
in imitation of their own fathers and ministers.
This was indeed a valuable reenforcement; for, combined with that of
the year before, they made a sufficient force to begin the extension
of the Society throughout the islands which were assigned to it as
a province, and to care for the humble souls who begged for bread
and had no one to give it to them. Father Ramon de Prado, who had
succeeded to the office of vice-provincial, thus obtained people to
employ in this work, conformably to his great zeal for the salvation of
souls. How he did this we shall see later, each subject in its proper
place. First, I will say that the facility with which many ministers
of the Lord in the four religious orders learned the languages used in
their respective missions, even so as to preach and hear confessions
in them, seems a gift from heaven. The most tardy student of them,
if he apply himself moderately, spends no more than six months;
and one of Ours, Father Cosme de Flores, learned and mastered this
language, so that he could preach and hear confessions, in seventy-four
days—to the astonishment of our people, as well as of the Indians
themselves. The latter, seeing this facility, say that God, without
doubt, bestows it upon us, recognizing their needs. In truth these
languages are not very difficult, either to learn or to pronounce—and
more especially now, since there is a grammar, a vocabulary, and many
writings therein. The most difficult is the language of Manila (which
they call Tagal)—which, I have already said, Father Martin Henriquez
learned in three months; and in three more, he used it fluently. This
was the first of the native languages that I learned, to which and
to the others I shall profitably devote another chapter. [68]
Of the Languages of the Filipinas. Chapter XV.
There is no single or general language of the Filipinas extending
throughout the islands; but all of them, though there are many and
different tongues, are so much alike that they may be learned and
spoken in a short time. Consequently if one is learned, all are
almost known. They are to each other like the Tuscan, Lombard,
and Sicilian dialects of Italia, or the Castilian, Portuguese,
and Galician in Espana. Only the language of the Negrillos is very
different from the rest, as, in Espana, is the Vizcayan [i.e.,
Basque]. There is not a different language for each of the islands,
because some of them—as, for example, Manila, and even Panai, which
is more than four hundred leguas smaller—contain several languages;
and there are languages each of which prevails in several islands. In
the island of Manila alone, there are six different tongues; in Panai,
two; in some others, but one. The languages most used, and most widely
spread, are the Tagal and the Bisayan; and in some regions of the
Pintados another tongue is also prevalent, called Harayan. The Tagal
embraces the greater part of the coast and interior of the islands
of Manila, Mindoro, Luban, and some others. Bisaya is in use through
all the islands of the Pintados, although in some of the villages
therein the Harayan is spoken. Of all these languages, it was the
Tagal which most pleased me and which I most admired. As I told the
first bishop, and, afterwards, other persons of dignity in the islands
and in Europe, I found in this language four qualities of the four
greatest languages of the world, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Spanish:
it has the abstruseness and obscurity of the Hebrew; the articles
and distinctions in proper as well as in common nouns, of the Greek;
the fulness and elegance of the Latin; and the refinement, polish,
and courtesy of the Spanish. Examples of all these characteristics may
be seen in the "Ave Maria" done into Tagal; and, as that is a short
prayer, and more easily understood than the others, I will place it
here with its explanation in our vernacular, and with word-for-word
equivalents. In this way may be seen the idioms and characteristic
expressions of this language which will please some readers, and
furnish information, both useful and curious.
The "Ave-Maria" in the Tagal language
Aba Guinoo Maria matoa ca na.
Hail Lady Mary, joyful thou now,
Napono ca nan gracia,
full thou of grace;
An Panguinoon Dios na saio.
the Lord God is with thee
Bucor can pinagpala sa babain lahat.
especially, thou blessed among women all.
Pinagpala naman ang iong anac si Jesus.
Blessed also be thy son Jesus.
Santa Maria ina nang Dios
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Ipana languin mo cami macasalanan
Let us be interceded for by thee, us sinners
ngayon at cum mamatai cami. Amen, Jesus.
now and when shall die we.
The first word of this prayer Aba, is obscure, but apparently has the
force of "salute," like the Latin Ave. Bucor expresses diversity,
distinction, and singularity. The article is Si (Jesus), as Ton
in Greek. The richness of the language lies in its many synonyms
and phrases; consequently this prayer, which, as it stands, is very
elegant, could be formed with equal elegance in various other ways,
without losing its original sense and meaning. The polish and courtesy
consist in not saying, as in Latin, Ave Maria (which would seem in
this language abrupt and barbaric), without adding that polite word,
Guinoo.
There is none or very little of this courtesy in the other two
languages of the Bissayas, which are more rude and unpolished. I
thought it good to present the same prayer in these languages, not
only as a curiosity, but to give an idea of their similarity and
differences—giving notice, however, that it is not my intention
to offer an interpretation (which is unnecessary, since we all
know the "Ave Maria"), but, as I said, to show the idioms of these
languages. These idioms, moreover, ought not to displease or appear
ignoble, for every tongue has its own beauty and elegance for those
who are born in it, which the eyes of foreigners cannot discern. This
point has been discussed by Jesus Sidrac in the prologue to his
Ecclesiasticus, a holy and Catholic work; and it was proved
at length, and with great erudition, by the most glorious doctor
St. Jerome, in the hundred and first Epistle to Pamaquio.
The "Ave Maria" in the Harayan tongue
Maliag cao Maria nabota cao can gracia
Rejoice thou Mary, full thou of grace.
An atun guinoon Dios dian canimo.
He our Lord God is with thee,
Capin icao sa manga babai nga tanan,
fortunate thou among women all;
ig capin naman ang imon bata nga si Jesus
and fortunate also he thy son Jesus.
Santa Maria inang can Dios
[Holy Mary], mother of God,
igampo mo cami nga macasasala
let us be favored by thee, us the sinners,
caraon, ig cum mamatai cami.
now and when shall die we.
Amen, Jesus.
The "Ave Maria" in the Bissayan tongue
Maghimaya ca Maria napono ca sa gracia
Rejoice, thou Mary, full thou of grace;
An guinoon Dios anaa canimo.
the Lord God is with thee.
Guirayeg ca uyamot sa babaihun tanan
Exalted thou much among women all,
ug guirayeg man an imon anac Jesus.
and exalted also he thy son Jesus.
Santa Maria inahan sa Dios,
Holy Mary, mother of God,
iguiampo mo cami macasasala onia
let us be interceded for by thee, us sinners, now
ug sa amun camatai. Amen, Jesus.
and in our death.
It has been my object in giving this slight illustration of the
difference between these three languages—aside from its singularity
and novelty, which may furnish some pleasure—to make evident the ease
and clearness of the languages and their words and pronunciations,
which render them very easy, or at least not difficult to learn. Some
of their idioms and transpositions, which are different from our
own, must be accepted as they stand, as Father Joseph de Acosta says
very well when writing on this matter, (De procur. sal. lib. 4,
cap. 9.); but if they are once acquired, and one is accustomed to the
sound of them, they do not render the language difficult, but rather
make it easy and graceful. But since I have mentioned the courtesy
and politeness of the Tagalos, and of their tongue, it will be well,
before proceeding further, to speak more at length concerning it,
for it is so noble and pleasing a moral virtue.
Of the civilities, terms of courtesy, and good breeding among the
Filipinos. Chapter XVI.
The Filipinos are not so ceremonious in their actions as are
the Chinese and Japonese; yet they have their politeness and good
breeding, especially the Tagalos, who are very civil and courteous in
word and action. Upon meeting one another, they practice our custom
of uncovering the head—not that they used hats, caps, or bonnets;
but they wore a piece of cloth like a towel, some three or four
palmos long, which they wound around the head in becoming fashion,
like the ancient crowns or diadems. This they removed, as they now
do the hat [sombrero]—which they have adopted, in imitation of us,
abandoning the potong, as they called the towel or diadem which they
formerly wore. As among them it is not courtesy to remain standing
before a person whom they respect, they seat themselves upon the
ground, or rather on their heel-bones. Seated in this way, with head
uncovered and the potong thrown like a towel over the left shoulder,
they talk with their superiors. The mode of salutation upon entering
or meeting anyone is as follows: They draw the body together and make
a low reverence, raising one or both hands to the face, and placing
them upon the cheeks; they next sit down waiting for the question
that may be put to them, for it is considered bad manners to speak
before one is spoken to. Their greatest courtesy is in their form
of address; for they never speak to one as "thou," or in the second
person, whether singular or plural, but always use the third person,
saying for example—"Does the lord, or the chief, wish for this or
that?" There are many examples of this to be found in Holy Scripture
or sacred language, and particularly in the Psalms. In the relations
of man with woman, woman with man, or woman with woman, they are very
careful—even when they are quite equals, and, too, among the middle
class—to use, after every important word, nothing but "my Lord," or
"my Lady;" as, "My Lord, as I was coming up the river, I saw, my Lord,"
etc. This term and pronoun are used as agreeable and even affectionate,
even in the languages of much greater importance, as Hebrew, Greek,
and Latin, which are the three most venerable tongues. In polite
and affectionate intercourse they are very extravagant, addressing
letters to each other in terms of elaborate and delicate expressions
of affection, and neat turns of thought. As a result of this, they are
much given to musical practice; and although the guitar that they use,
called cutyapi, is not very ingenious or rich in tone, it is by no
means disagreeable, and to them is most pleasing. They play it with
such vivacity and skill that they seem to make human voices issue
from its four metallic cords. We also have it on good authority that
by merely playing these instruments they can, without opening their
lips, communicate with one another, and make themselves perfectly
understood—a thing unknown of any other nation. The Bissayans are
more rustic and less civil in manners, just as their language is
harsher and less polished. They have not so many terms of courtesy,
as formerly they had no letters until, a very few years ago, they
borrowed theirs from the Tagalos. As we have already treated of their
languages, it would be advisable to make some mention of their letters.
Of the Letters of the Filipinos. Chapter XVII.
All these islanders are much given to reading and writing, and there
is hardly a man, and much less a woman, who does not read and write
in the letters used in the island of Manila—which are entirely
different from those of China, Japon, and India. This will be seen
from its alphabet, which is as follows:
The three vowels serve as five, and are:
A I O
a e i o u
The consonants are only twelve, and in writing are used with the
vowels in the following form.
The letter alone with no point above or below it, is pronounced with
the vowel-sound A:
BA KA DA GA HA LA MA NA PA SA TA YA
Ba ca da ga ha la ma na pa sa ta ya
By placing the point above, each is pronounced with the vowel-sound
E or I:
BI KI DI GI HI LI MI NI PI SI TI YI
Bi qui di gui hi li mi ni pi si ti yi
Be que de gue he le me ne pe se te ye
By placing the point below, they are pronounced with the vowel-sound
O or U:
BO KO DO GO HO LO MO NO PO SO TO YO
Bo co do go ho lo mo no po so to yo
Bu cu du gu hu lu mu nu pu su tu yu
Consequently, to pronounce cama, two letters without points are
sufficient: KAMA ca ma.
If a point is placed above the KA we have KIMA or que-ma.
If a point is placed below each character KOMO the word is co-mo.
Final consonants are suppressed in all forms of expression: accordingly
cantar is written KATA ca ta; barba, BABA ba ba.
By means of these characters they easily make themselves understood
and convey their ideas marvelously, he who reads supplying, with much
skill and facility, the consonants which are lacking. From us they have
adopted the habit of writing from left to right. Formerly they wrote
from the top to the bottom, placing the first line on the left (if I
remember aright), and continuing the rest at the right, contrary to
the custom of the Chinese and Japanese—who, although they write from
top to bottom, begin from the right and continue the page to the left.
They used to write on reeds and palm-leaves, using as a pen an
iron point; now they write their own letters, as well as ours, with
a sharpened quill, and, as we do, on paper. They have learned our
language and its pronunciation, and write it even better than we do,
for they are so clever that they learn anything with the greatest
ease. I have had letters written by themselves in very handsome and
fluent style. In Tigbauan I had in my school a very young boy, who,
using as a model letters written to me in a very good handwriting,
learned in three months to write even better than I; and he copied for
me important documents faithfully, exactly, and without errors. Let
this, however, suffice for the matter of languages and letters,
and let us return to our employment for souls.
Occurrences in Manila in the year fifteen hundred and ninety-six and
fifteen hundred and ninety-seven. Chapter XVIII.
In the college we had begun, as I have said, to study the Latin
grammar and moral theology. Each of these branches was begun
in the usual way, with public academic exercises and learned
discourses. [69] As it was the first event of that kind to take
place in the islands, the exercises were received with great favor,
and were attended and enjoyed by all the dignitaries, and prelates,
and by a great concourse of other people. Divine worship, moreover,
was notably increased upon the completion of the church—which, in
its construction and unusual design, proved to be very beautiful. It
was constructed on the model of the church of Jesus in our house of
the professed at Rome, although considerably inferior to that. This
church was dedicated to the glorious St. Anne, the ceremony taking
place on her feast-day in the year fifteen hundred and ninety-six,
when an image of her was piously set up, and the most holy sacrament
brought from the old church with great solemnity and devotion. The
chapel of our Lady was placed, as in the church at Rome, on the
gospel side; and in it her image was set up with an elegant reredos,
in the devout presence of many Spaniards and Indians. In the other
chapel, on the epistle side which is on the side next the house,
and joined to the sacristy, were placed the holy relics, which at
the instance of the Catholic king our lord, and the urgent request
of Father Alonso Sanchez, were donated by the Apostolic See and had
arrived in the previous year. The tabernacle in which these relics
now repose had already been constructed and finished; it embraces
the whole width of the chapel. It is of an incorruptible wood which
they call in those parts molave. [70] It is adorned by eight columns,
four on a side, grouped in a square, with base and pedestals which
sustain, higher up, its architrave, frieze, and cornice, with finials
and handsome architectural designs. Between the columns there are five
distinctly-marked compartments, two small ones on each side and a large
one in the center—all of them of like design and exquisite proportion,
with finely carved doors and inlaid work, with cavities in which the
holy relics are preserved with great propriety and honor. The color of
the whole work externally is black—partly natural, on account of the
quantities of ebony that it contains, which is very abundant in those
regions, and partly derived from the varnish which is used to imitate
that wood. The mouldings, outlines, pinas, [71] and floriations are
gilded, and there are other ornaments of gold and ivory. The altar is
below, with its two steps at the height of the pedestals which support
the columns. In the spaces between the columns, on both sides of the
altar, were placed two images or statues of the glorious apostles,
St. Peter and St. Paul; these are fastened in place by strong and
curious locks and are covered with two pairs of curtains—one pair
of gauze striped with silk and gold, the other of finest damask with
embroidery and gold lace. Whenever these holy relics are exposed at
their respective feast-days, the ceremony is conducted with great
solemnity; and numbers of white candles are placed not only on the
altar and steps, but all over the tabernacle from top to bottom,
giving it dignity and distinction. On the twelfth of January of the
year one thousand five hundred and ninety-seven, the holy relics
were deposited there, with such rejoicings and festive show as had
never been known before in the islands. In all this was seen how it
was God who solicited hearts, and moved them to honor the glorious
soldiers whom he had brought again for the defense and protection of
the earth. They were borne in procession through the principal streets
of the city, which, although handsome in themselves, were decorated
so elegantly that their very elegance expressed the devotion of the
people. They had erected at intervals arches (a dozen in all)—the
greater number lofty, and with sculptured images; the others of
silk and thin stuffs, so ingeniously knotted together and adorned
with various compositions and characters that they presented a very
pleasing sight. They constructed with great skill several fountains,
some of which gave forth water and others wine; two, in particular,
issuing from a window, gave forth milk and Castilian wine, which were
highly prized at that time in the islands. The relics were borne on
six platforms, no less splendid than costly, since they carried nearly
all the gold, precious stones, and jewelry of the city, which had been
offered with much readiness and good will. Our Lord rewarded them for
this, for there was not one accident, or a single piece lacking, of
which there had previously been some fear, on account of the great
gathering of all classes of people. As for the decoration of the
church, the edifice itself, recently completed, was so beautiful and
pleasing that it sufficed for adornment, although not so elaborate
as the tabernacle. Its beauty was increased by elegant hangings
of tapestry, and by many inscriptions—written by Ours in Hebrew,
Greek, Latin, Castilian, and Tagalo—extending in three rows along
the great nave, besides others, corresponding to these, in various
places. As I have said, the holy relics were borne on six platforms,
resting on the shoulders of men, most of whom were religious, and
in fourteen reliquaries, which were carried by as many religious;
and dignitaries of the cathedral, clothed in their official robes,
accompanied these. Add to this the salutes from the forts, and
the standards of the confraternities carried in the van, and the
effect was highly imposing. The festivities lasted nine days, each
order celebrating its special feast, preaching and saying mass with
the greatest possible solemnity. The Augustinian fathers began the
festivities, considering the occasion especially theirs on account of
their long residence there. They assisted us by their good will and
deeds, thereby showing themselves no less devoted to the holy relics
than friendly to the Society. They conducted many kinds of music and
dances, and besides these were many furnished by our Indians, and
the Chinese and Japanese; all this variety produced most pleasing
effects and greatly adorned and enlivened the festival. In this
fashion the other religious orders celebrated their own days until
the eighth, in succession, with great devotion, joy and edification
on the part of the people. On the afternoon of the last day, as a
conclusion to the fiesta, valuable prizes were distributed on the
occasion of a literary contest, the announcement of which had been
published some days before with much show and solemnity. In this
contest many excellent and ingenious compositions of various kinds
were delivered, to which prizes were awarded, after two exceedingly
pleasing, dignified and impressive declamations had been recited in
praise of the holy relics. Divine worship was also improved in the new
church by the addition of some silver lamps, candlesticks, chalices,
patines, wine-cruets, monstrances, and thuribles; many altar hangings
and chasubles, made not only from the silk and embroideries of that
country, but from damask, velvet, and brocade brought from Espana and
Italia, with printed borders; hangings heavily embroidered with seed
pearls and thin silver plates; and various draperies, some of velvet
and damask, others of colored taffeta. Besides all these things,
there was the chapel of the singers, who with voices and music of
flutes and clarions, serve in the masses, vespers, and Salves,
at least on the principal feast-days.
There was also begun at this time, through the devotion of Canon
Diego de Leon (who was then attending the lectures in our schools),
the practice of assembling in our church many men of all ranks to take
the discipline, [72] three days in the week, especially during Lent—a
practice which lasts to this very day. This same canon stimulated
their piety on these occasions by a half hour's reading from some
devout book. At the conclusion of the reading, the penance began,
during which they repeated devoutly the Miserere. This holy exercise
was a source of great edification to the Indians; and, in imitation
of it, a great number of them took the discipline on those nights,
in turn with the Spaniards.
Further proceedings at this time in Manila by the Indians and
Spaniards. Chapter XIX.
At this time the Indians were very numerous, both within the city of
Manila (where there are more than six thousand, scattered through
the houses of the Spanish inhabitants) and in all the outlying
districts. These people repair to our church for confession not only
in Lent but on all other days of the year; consequently, there were
not fathers enough acquainted with their language to care for them
spiritually from morning to evening. I know of some who had waited for
more than ten or even twelve days, without being able, for the press
of people, to reach the feet of the confessor. Others remained a whole
day in the church, waiting for their turn. This gives evidence of the
ardor and perseverance with which they attended to the welfare of their
souls. On Sundays and the afternoons of feast-days, when the sermons
were preached in their own language, the church was crowded—above,
below, in the choir and galleries, all which, although very spacious,
were filled; and, besides, there were many of those people outside
the doors (which are five in number).
In two ways they were equally enthusiastic in celebrating the deposit
of the holy relics: first, in the great devotion that they displayed
during the whole eight days while the festival lasted and the relics
were exposed—men, women, and children attending it in such numbers,
both morning and afternoon, that they could not enter the church. The
Spaniards, astonished at this, said that those holy relics must have
come to Manila for the Indians, judging from the way in which the
latter attended and venerated them. To show appreciation of their
great devotion, and to inspire them with more, a short discourse, in
their own language, was delivered to them every afternoon, preceding
the Salve sung by the choir, and accompanied by the music of the
wind-instruments. The second thing they did in the service of the holy
relics was to institute a confraternity or congregation dedicated
to those relics with the title and vocation of "all saints." Their
object was, each beginning with himself and his own spiritual profit,
to strive with all their might for the welfare of their neighbors,
by performing works of mercy, in both temporal and spiritual affairs,
as their opportunities permit—in which effort they exert themselves,
by the grace of our Lord, with the advantages which we shall see later.
One of the best results is the modesty and virtue of the women,
which we esteem in those regions, because it is but little practiced
or valued among their heathen peoples. In many—I even believe, in
all—of those islands there existed a doctrine, sowed by the devil,
that a woman, whether married or single, could not be saved, who did
not have some lover. They said that this man, in the other world,
hastened to offer the woman his hand at the passage of a very perilous
stream which had no other bridge than a very narrow beam, which must
be traversed to reach the repose that they call Calualhatian. [73]
Consequently virginity was not recognized or esteemed among them;
rather they considered it as a misfortune and humiliation. Married
women, moreover, were not constrained by honor to remain faithful
to their husbands, although the latter would resent the adultery,
and hold it as a just cause for repudiating the wife. To illustrate
this: Upon my arrival in the Filipinas, in the latter part of May in
the year fifteen hundred and ninety, I had landed at the island of
Marinduque (which is about twenty-eight or thirty leguas from Manila),
at the time when an ensign with a squad of soldiers was going, through
curiosity, to visit the interior of the island. Night overtaking
him in this place, he was obliged to seek hospitality among the
natives; there, one of the hospitalities which they bestowed on him
and his companions was to offer him two women. These the good ensign
ordered to be sent back, and he pointed out the offense that they
were committing against God, the almighty Creator of heaven and earth,
whom all men should know and serve. He told them that for this purpose
alone the Spaniards had come from so great a distance; and that they
must not offend God by their evil example. It was thus that the good
ensign conducted himself on that occasion. There have been others,
who, recklessly following their own evil inclination, not only do not
resist such solicitations, but, to the great scandal of this nation,
seek and encourage sin. But God, who from evil produces good, has
brought some of those women to fear Him; and they, esteeming purity
as a heavenly thing and vice as a vile and repulsive abomination,
have conquered some most fiery temptations, as will be seen from two
or three incidents that occur to me. There was a Spaniard who held a
mother and daughter so under his control that he was on the way to
seducing the latter (who was a mere girl) by his blandishments and
supplications, combined with harshness and threats. The mother, who
was an infernal old hag, he gained by offerings and bribes. But the
good daughter after seven whole months of such infamous and continuous
attack, would not yield; and finally that wretch, wearied by so long
a siege and vanquished by the constancy of a weak girl, withdrew and
left her in peace. Which is indeed a good deal when we consider the
following: One woman for twelve long years resisted the tempter,
fortified by holy confession and communion. Another, although she
resisted for a shorter time, showed even greater constancy; for the
base and cruel seducer went so far as to aim a dagger against her
breast twice; the third time he went beyond threats, and fear did not
restrain him, but he actually stabbed her. The wounded girl, who had
first been stricken by the arrow of divine love, retained sufficient
strength to leap down out of the house (as I have already said the
dwelling is in the upper part), and thus her soul escaped injury.
For this very reason is the seminary for girls held in so high
esteem which was founded in the islands by Governor Gomez Perez de
las Marinas, at the order of the Catholic king, at the instance of
the first bishop, and through the zeal of Father Alonso Sanchez. It
was established in the year fifteen hundred and ninety, when Captain
Luis de Bivanco, factor of the royal exchequer, gave for this his
houses. Later the seminary was transferred to the site which it
now occupies, and a church was erected in honor of the virgin Saint
Potenciana, patroness of Manila and of this holy seminary.
The good which has resulted to that colony from this institution is
beyond exaggeration. Nearly a hundred young girls have retired to
the protection of its walls, the greater part of them daughters of
Spaniards—who, if they should go outside the seminary, would risk,
and even achieve, setting the world on fire. The fathers of our
college sometimes go to preach to them; and for my own part I can
say that, whenever this duty fell to me, I did not fail to render
praise to God at seeing there so many young women retired from the
world, occupied in divine service and knowledge, and removed from
the dangers and temptations without. Those among them who become
established in matrimony give manifest token in their manners of
the excellent education that they have received there, and the holy
instruction upon which their superior has taught and reared them. This
seminary for girls owes a great deal to the archdeacon of Manila,
Don Francisco Gomez de Arellano—who, not content with expending his
wealth in other works of great service to God, occupies himself and
spends a large share of his means in the protection and maintenance of
this institution. At his own expense he constructed some of the inner
apartments in the seminary's house, which were greatly needed, and in
the church a large and beautiful reredos, of elaborate architecture;
but, even more important, he has with his ministrations and instruction
carefully cultivated those souls.
But to return to the Indians: two of them were rescued at that
time, for which they had reason to be thankful; for, as they were
Christians, the greater would be their loss and peril. One of them,
who was twenty years old, had learned with great thoroughness a
certain device of witchcraft; and yet during all this time, through
some special providence of our Lord, had practiced it to no profit. It
is certain, too, that if he had been successful he would have ruined
himself and harmed many others. But I say no more of this, to avoid
prolixity. Another Indian had a book containing certain verses of
poetry, which they call Golo [74]—most pernicious, because they
included an express compact with the devil; this its owner freely gave
up, that it might be burned, which was done. Most of the prisoners
in the jail are Indians, placed there for various crimes which they
committed; and they also have their own separate hospital in the city
(as also the Spaniards have one), where their sick are healed. Both
hospitals are royal foundations, established by order and at the
expense of his Majesty the Catholic king of blessed memory. To both
Spaniards and natives Ours have ministered, in both these hospitals
and in the prison, in order to aid all with the offices which, in such
places, the Society is wont to exercise, for both bodies and souls.
At that time we began the religious exercises which those of our
Society are wont to conduct in the plazas for the benefit of those,
who through hindrances, carelessness, or impiety, fail to attend the
sermons. The discourses were delivered in the Castilian language, in
the principal plaza of Manila, beneath some of the principal buildings,
which were then occupied (while the royal edifices were being finished)
by the governor, Don Francisco Tello, his Majesty's representative. So
much did he enjoy hearing the discourses, and the clever answers of
some Spanish boys who before the preaching were catechized, as usual,
in the Christian doctrine, that he threw down, from the balcony where
he stood listening, to the boys a number of stamped images to reward
them. This encouraged the boys to learn thoroughly, and become adept
in these exercises, and inspired Ours to continue this holy practice,
thus favored with such sincerity and benevolence; and those who
beheld it were edified, and held us in greater esteem. Through these
discourses and exercises the children, and even some adults, obtained
a knowledge and understanding of the Christian doctrine; moreover,
some were induced to lead better lives, flee from temptation, and
examine their own souls, and even some to enter the religious life.
What was accomplished in the villages of the encomienda of Taitai up
to the year fifteen hundred and ninety-seven. Chapter XX.
We have already seen how the village called Taitai, the chief one of
that encomienda, improved its location by removing from the marshes and
overflow of the lagoon shore. This village had formerly dedicated its
church to the glorious St. John the Baptist, and, upon its removal to
the new site, in devotion to him the name San Juan del Monte ["St. John
of the Mountain"] was given to it. It is a general custom, in all the
mission villages in the Filipinas, for all the people to repair on
Sundays and days of obligation to the church for the mass and sermon,
before which the doctrine and catechism are recited. As a result of
this, they not only have a thorough knowledge of the prayers, but even
excel many peoples of Europe in their comprehension of the mysteries of
our holy faith. To lighten the burdens of these people, that they might
not weary of their constant attendance at church, for the doctrine,
catechism, mass, and sermon—not to mention the frequent publication
of the marriage banns, and the fact that mass is solemnly celebrated
with music and the accompaniment of the organ, in which they spend many
hours—we thought it best to reserve the doctrine and the catechism
for Sundays in the afternoon, and even then not all the people were
obliged to be present—part of them attending on one Sunday, part on
another, and thus in rotation until the turn of the first ones came
again. By such an arrangement this exercise is rendered easier, and
is even more profitable to the people, serving them upon such days as
legitimate diversion, to which they all repair with greater inclination
and pleasure. To this end a bell is rung at the hour of vespers, and
the children go forth through the streets of the place, bearing the
cross, and singing the doctrine, and then, followed by their elders,
they return to the church. The adults, in the presence of the father,
recite the prayers and catechism with great devotion and satisfaction,
spending in all about half an hour. This done, they return to their
homes. Mondays and Saturdays are likewise solemnized with masses,
respectively for the deceased and in honor of our Lady, and are always
attended by a certain number of people. The young men are especially
directed to attend these services that they may continue to practice
Christian habits; upon these occasions some short sermon is preached
them in their own language. The children and old men are those who
are under the strictest obligation to come to the church each day,
at a certain hour, to learn the Christian doctrine—the children,
always; the old men, until they have learned the doctrine. To each
old man is assigned a boy, who instructs him and is careful to
report how much the old man is learning; then, if the old man gives
a good account of himself, he is privileged to cease his attendance,
except with the rest of the people on Sundays. The bell tolls the "Ave
Maria" at dawn, at noon, and at night; and, besides this, some one is
careful to go through the streets at night, sounding a little bell,
and in a loud voice admonishing the people to offer prayers for the
souls in purgatory and for those who are in a state of sin. These,
as well as other pious and devout customs, had been introduced into
those villages. Three handsome churches were erected, and adorned with
images, tapestry, and beautiful ornaments. We gained the good-will of
those Indians to such a degree that, their opinion of us extending to
their neighbors, even the savages who were hidden among the mountains
came to us; and consequently those villages received much increase,
as we shall soon see. There was one of these newcomers in particular,
very appropriately named Sayor, which means "robber" (and truly he
was such in his deeds), who was a savage in his mode of life; without
house or dwelling, he lived among the mountains and in caves—even
using as food, when he found no other game, the serpents that he
killed. Although somewhat advanced in years, he possessed incredible
agility in running and leaping, the natural disposition and propensity
of savage wild beasts. The neighboring villages held this man in so
great fear that, whenever he entered one of them, all the people fled
from him as from a wild beast, believing him to be a violent madman;
and by such compulsion he took, without any resistance, all that
he desired from the houses. I saw this man, who unexpectedly came
toward me of his own accord; he was naked, his only covering being a
wretched breech-cloth; he wore in his girdle a dagger, and carried in
his hands his bow and arrows. I caressed him, and tried to soften him
with presents and gentle treatment, and this intercourse we continued
for five or six years, with increasing confidence and satisfaction on
his part. Consequently he maintained with us very intimate relations
until, finally, Father Diego Garcia, who as we shall later see went to
those regions as visitor in the year fifteen hundred and ninety-seven,
decided that it was time to grant him holy baptism. The father visitor
himself bestowed this grace upon him, baptizing him with his own hands
with great solemnity, and with demonstration of the grace and efficacy
of this most divine sacrament. The name of Pablo was given to him,
which from that time on he so highly prized that if at any time he
was inadvertently called by his former nickname, he showed (although
with a gracious and Christian spirit) regret and disdain equal to
his pleasure and pride in the name of Christian. Accordingly he would
answer to those who called him Sayor: "Not Sayor, but Pablo." After
his baptism we married him; and he now dwells in his own home as the
father of a family, with great discretion and tranquillity. He has
become so tamed that we can say that he is one of the gentlest and most
useful of all our Indians, and aids in our affairs with much fidelity
and love. I spoke to him occasionally, with no small satisfaction,
of his former savage life. He told me of the places in which he took
refuge and spent the night, and of his hunting serpents—which,
according to his statement (which was verified there), are of so
great a size that they swallow men, deer, and other animals. [75]
Before his baptism, when our acquaintance was but recent, he more than
once offered to accompany me upon my journeys, carrying his dagger,
bow, and arrows. We two journeyed alone through the mountains, he
with great satisfaction in serving me, I with equal security and
confidence in his good fellowship.
In this way, at the time when Father Francisco Almerique was here,
not one man, as this one, but entire villages came in—the good father
choosing their location, and helping them to erect the houses. In
the village of Antipolo, in one year alone (either ninety-four or
ninety-five), nearly a thousand souls arrived at the mission, more than
five hundred of whom were baptized in that same year. They had come
down from some very rugged mountains, far from there, where they had
their houses and cultivated fields; but they neglected all these, out
of love and esteem for our holy faith. No one remained in the mountains
but a few catolones, for thus the priests of their idols are styled. As
soon as this was ascertained, efforts were made that a person able to
do so should remove them from that place, to suppress this cause of
offense to those who were weak. This was done with much gentleness,
and they were brought to us. Thereupon the good father, with his holy
prudence and with the example of his righteous life, subdued their
leader, whom the rest obeyed, and baptized them all. This leader said
that the father's anito (thus they style their deities) was greater
than those of other men, and for that reason they recognized him as
superior. This pagan priest, while offering his infamous sacrifices,
was possessed by the Devil who caused him to make most ugly grimaces;
and he braided his hair, which for his particular calling he wore
long, like that of a woman. But he, beginning (like the Magdalen) with
his hair, cut it off publicly, and with it the power of the Devil,
who held him captive; and receiving baptism, constrained the others
by his example to do the same, consigning his idols to the fire where
they were consumed.
In this baptism of five hundred people, there were two old women
whose conversion showed the special and admirable providence of our
Lord. One of them, at least, showed an age of more than one hundred
years; and both came down with the rest from the mountains, desiring
holy baptism. Hardly had they received it when, leaving this mortal
life (for they could no longer sustain the burden of so many years),
they were renewed and bettered by the eternal life for which our Lord
in his infinite mercy had preserved them during so many years.
The Tagalos, which is the name of the whitest and most civilized race
of Manila, were not the only ones who descended from the mountains and
from afar to range themselves alongside the sons of the new Jerusalem,
that is, the holy church [76]—which multiplying in numbers, augmenting
the joy at the sight of the vineyard of the Lord, and producing new
plants, extends its shoots until it penetrates the sea and embraces
and incorporates all its islands. After the men came the beasts of
burden (namely, the Negrillos, who are more fierce, and dwell in the
mountains) who came with outstretched hands to place themselves in
those of their swift Angels, sent to succor this abject and ruined
people. By this I mean that the Negrillos, of whom I have already
spoken—who are the ancient inhabitants of some of these islands,
including Manila, in which there are many of that race who live,
as I said, in the mountains, merely like wild beasts—impressed
by the example of the others, began to be peaceable and tame, and
to prepare themselves for holy baptism. This, for those who are
acquainted with their savageness and brutality, is wonderful beyond
exaggeration. But this very brutal and barbarous nature renders them
(a marvelous thing!) less incapable of our holy faith, and less averse
to it—because in their state of pure savagery they have not, as I know
from observation, any idolatries or superstitions, neither are they
greatly averse to the gospel and baptism. The others—who to their own
detriment and misfortune, are more civilized—abandon more regretfully
their idols, ceremonies, priests, sacrifices, and superstitions;
and, although they renounce them in holy baptism and are converted
(vanquished by the light of Catholic truth), the vestiges of the evil
which they have sucked from their mothers' breasts are not so easily
forgotten as to unburden us, their teachers, of many cares. This was
clearly seen that year in that very village of San Juan del Monte,
where, although all the inhabitants had been baptized and included
many good Christians, those same good Christians informed us of a fire
of idolatry which in its great fury was burning up our harvests. In
order that this may be better understood, it will be well first to
give some account of their idolatries and superstitions in a separate
chapter; and then we will relate what happened in Taitai and how it
was remedied.
Concerning the false heathen religion, idolatries, and superstitions
of the Filipinos. Chapter XXI.
Although upon entering into the dark abyss of such blind idolatry I
find a disorderly confusion of the vilest and most abominable things
[77] worthy of its inventor, although in examining the walls within
this infernal cave, I discover an infinitude of loathsome creatures,
foul, obscene, truly damnable, it is my task, aided by the light of
truth, to reduce them to order—so that we who upon opening our eyes
find ourselves within the light of truth may offer praise to Almighty
God, and have compassion for those who, blinded by their ignorance,
love and prize these things of darkness, and cannot open their eyes
to any light beyond. I shall speak first concerning the false belief
that they hold concerning the divinity of their idols; second, of
their priests and priestesses; third, and last, of their sacrifices
and superstitions. Their art of writing was of no service to them
in any one of these three things, or in matters of government and
civilization (of which I shall perhaps later tell the little that I
know); for they never used their writing except to exchange letters,
as we have said. All their government and religion is founded on
tradition, and on custom introduced by the Devil himself, who spoke
to them through their idols and the ministers of these. They preserve
it in songs, which they know by heart and learn when children, by
hearing these sung when they are sailing or tilling their fields,
when they are rejoicing and holding feasts, and especially, when they
are mourning their dead. In these barbarous songs they relate the
fabulous genealogies and vain deeds of their gods—among whom they set
up one as the chief and superior of them all. This deity the Tagalos
call Bathala Mei capal, which means "God the creator or maker;" the
Bissayans call him Laon, which denotes antiquity. These songs relate
the creation of the world, the origin of the human race, the deluge,
paradise, punishment, and other invisible things, relating a thousand
absurdities, and varying much the form, some telling it in one way,
others in another. To show better what lies and fables these all are,
there is one story that the first man and the first woman came from
the knot of a cane which burst off from its plant. After that, certain
disputes resulted concerning the marriage of these two, on account of
the difficulties arising from the first degree of blood-relationship,
which among them is inviolable, and thought to be allowed only that
first time from the necessity of propagating mankind. [78] In short
they recognized invisible spirits, and another life; also demons, the
enemies of men, of whom they were in abject fear from the evils and
dread which these caused them. Accordingly one of Ours converted many
of them by means of a well-painted picture of hell. Their idolatry is,
in a word (as with many other nations), an adoration and deification
of their ancestors—especially of those who distinguished themselves
through valiant deeds, or cruelties, or obscene and lewd acts. It
was a general practice for anyone who could successfully do so to
attribute divinity to his old father when the latter died. The old men
themselves died with this illusion and deception, imputing to their
illness and death and to all their actions a seriousness and import,
in their estimation, divine. Consequently they chose as a sepulchre
some celebrated spot, like one which I saw on the shore of the sea
between Dulac and Abuyo, in the island of Leite. This man directed
that he should be placed there in his coffin (which was done), in a
solitary house remote from any village, in order to be recognized as
the god of sailors, who would offer worship and commend themselves
to him. There was another, who had caused himself to be buried in a
certain place among the mountains of Antipolo; and out of reverence
to him no one dared to cultivate them, fearing that he who should
go thither might meet his death. This lasted until Father Almerique
relieved them of their fear, and now those lands are cultivated
without harm or dread. In memory of these departed ones, they keep
their little idols—some of stone, wood, bone, ivory, or a cayman's
teeth; others of gold. They call these Larauan, which signifies,
"idol," "image," or "statue;" and in their necessities they have
recourse to these, offering to them barbarous sacrifices.
They also worshiped, like the Egyptians, animals and birds; and,
like the Assyrians, the sun and moon; they attributed moreover,
a sort of divinity to the rainbow. The Tagalos adored a blue bird,
as large as a thrush, and called it Bathala, which was among them a
term of divinity. [79] They also worshiped the crow (as the ancients
worshiped the god Pan and the goddess Ceres). It bore the name Mei
lupa, which signifies "master of the soil." They held the cayman in
the utmost veneration; and, whenever they made any statement about it,
when they descried it in the water, they called it Nono, which means
"grandfather." They softly and tenderly besought it not to harm them;
and to this end offered it a part of what they carried in their boats,
casting the offering into the water. There was no old tree to which
they did not attribute divinity; and it was a sacrilege to cut such
a tree for any purpose. What more did they adore? the very stones,
cliffs, and reefs, and the headlands of the shores of the sea or the
rivers; and they made some offering when they passed by these, going to
the stone or rock, and placing the offering upon it. I saw many times
in the river of Manila a rock which for many years was an idol of that
wretched people. This scandal, which occasioned great evils, lasted
until the fathers of St. Augustine (who dwell near by) with holy zeal
broke it to pieces, and erected in its place a cross. While sailing
along the island of Panai I beheld on the promontory called Nasso,
near Potol, plates and other pieces of earthenware, laid upon a rock,
the offering of voyagers. [80] In the island of Mindanao between La
Canela and the river [i.e., Rio Grande], a great promontory projects
from a rugged and steep coast; [81] always at these points there is a
heavy sea, making it both difficult and dangerous to double them. When
passing by this headland, the natives, as it was so steep, offered
their arrows, discharging them with such force that they penetrated
the rock itself. This they did as a sacrifice, that a safe passage
might be accorded them. I saw with my own eyes that although the
Spaniards, in hatred of so accursed a superstition, had set a great
many of these arrows on fire and burned them, those still remaining
and those recently planted in the rock numbered, in less than a year,
more than four thousand arrows; they certainly seemed as many as that,
to all of us who passed that point. [82]
Besides these, they had a thousand other superstitions. If they
beheld a serpent or lizard, or heard anyone sneeze, they would always
retrace their steps, and on no account go further at that time,
for such an occurrence would be an evil omen. The ministers of the
Devil also cast lots for them; this was another fraud and deceit
which I must not describe for fear of being too prolix. Nor can one
express the blindness in which they were, ignorant of their Creator:
let what has already been said suffice. In regard to the first point,
they had no places set aside for worship, or public days for general
festivities. Not until we went to Taitai did I learn that in many
of the houses there was another one, but smaller, made of cane, as
it were a little tower, fashioned somewhat curiously, to which they
passed from the main house by a short bridge, also made of cane. In
these were kept their needlework and other sorts of handicraft, by
means of which they concealed the mystery of the little house. From
information that I received from some of the faithful, it was in
reality dedicated to the anito, although they offered no sacrifice
in it, nor did it serve for other use than as it was dedicated to
him—perhaps that he might rest there when on a journey, as Elias
said to the other priests. [83] I had all these houses demolished,
so that not one remained. I also found in some little hamlets of the
Pintados a small house at the entrance of the village with only the
roof and ground floor, which served as a place where sacrifices are
performed. But, after all, it was not the general practice to have
any common place of worship, as did the ancient Pagans, or to come
together to any one place for solemn rites, or to have public and
general sacrifices offered in the name of the community. Individuals,
however, made offerings, each one for his own intention or need, and
in his own house or other private place; but they chose jointly their
own priest, male or female (of whom there were many), according to
their own devotion and taste. In Mindanao I saw many houses furnished
on the outside with small platforms made not unskilfully, of cane,
and on these stood some little wooden idols very poorly carved; and
in front of the idols was an earthen pot containing some hot coals
and a little of some disagreeable aromatic, which must have been a
sacrifice to the idols. But although those people had no temples, they
had, in the second place, priests and priestesses, whom the Tagalos
call Catolonan, and the Bissayans Babailan. They vied with each
who could best contrive with the Devil (who deceived them) to take
advantage of the blindness of the people, to deceive them by a thousand
frauds and artifices. Father Antonio Sedeno related how, at the time
when he was living in Florida, he undeceived the Indians concerning
one of these impostors of their own nation. This man pretended to
heal diseases by applying a tube to that part where the sick man
felt most pain, and then with his mouth at the other end sucking the
air from within: after this operation, he spat from his mouth three
small pebbles, which he claimed to have extracted from the body of
the patient. [84] The father, by a very efficient means, once made
him spit the pebbles out of his mouth before applying the tube, and
thus his deception was revealed. In like manner these priests practice
many deceptions upon those blinded infidels—especially in cases of
sickness with which the latter are afflicted, which so oppress them
that they seek at once a remedy, and whomsoever gives or promises it
to them they revere and worship, and give him their all. Indeed there
are some of these priests who have a special compact with the Devil,
who lends them signal aid and assistance, Almighty God permitting this
for his own hidden purposes. The Devil communicates with them through
their idols or anitos, playing the role of the dead man whom they are
adoring; and often he enters into the person of the priest himself,
for the short space of the sacrifice, and makes him say and do things
which overwhelm and terrify the onlookers. This divine fervor is also
attained (the duties of the office being taught) through special
friendship, or kinship, or as a legacy. This inheritance is highly
esteemed by them, in their blindness—and through cupidity, for,
besides the renown and honor with which all look up to them, those
infernal ministers obtain rich offerings (that is, the third part),
all of which are for them. For no one will be present at the sacrifice
who does not make an offering—gold, cotton, a fowl, or other things.
These things, added to the principal offering, that made by the
person for whom the sacrifice was offered, which was a rich one—and,
moreover, additional to the sacrifice itself, which most often was a
fine fat hog—amounted to a large quantity of goods, of much value and
profit. Consequently, those ministers usually went about in handsome
garments, and adorned with jewels and valuable ornaments. The house is
the usual place for the sacrifice, and the victim is, as I have said,
a fine hog, or a cock. The mode of sacrifice is to slay the victim
with certain ceremonies, and with dance movements which are performed
by the priest to the accompaniment of a bell or kettle-drum. It is at
this time that the devil takes possession of them, or they pretend
that he does. They now make their strange grimaces, and fall into
a state of ecstasy; after that has passed, they announce what they
have seen and heard. On this day a grand feast is prepared; they eat,
drink, and become intoxicated, the priest or priestess more than the
rest. [85] Consequently, among them all is drunkenness, excess, and
blindness—a pitiful sight for those who see it and can appreciate
it in the light of truth.
Of the idolatries which were secretly practiced in San Juan del Monte
and how they were abolished Chapter XXII.
The devil was gradually introducing into the village of San Juan del
Monte [i.e., Taytay] a great plague of idolatry (nourished by some
ancient remains of heathenism which had clung to certain persons in
that village), in the form which I shall relate.
In the town there was a band of worthless women, of the Catolonas
[i.e., priestesses] as we have said. These in secret maintained a
tyrannical hold upon the village by various means and plots compelling
many to repair to them upon every occasion, as they formerly did before
they became Christians. Among these women, one who was a leader claimed
that her anito was a very close friend of the anito of the Christians
and had descended to the earth from heaven. This woman most stirred
up the fire on account of the power that she wielded, not only on
account of the sagacity which she certainly possessed, but by her
influence and reputation in the village. Not only was she herself of
high family, but she was very well connected; and had several sons
who were married, and thus related to the most prominent families
of the village. By these means she was, on the one hand, powerful
enough to draw to her the weak, and on the other, to compel the more
influential to dissemble with her, and to refrain from betraying her
for fear of exposing themselves to risk. Nevertheless, this woman and
her following proceeded with great caution and secrecy and rigorously
enjoined those who had relations with them to do the same. If any
of those women died, she appointed an heir, and successor—to whom,
after she had been accepted and received, her idol was brought in
great silence by some chiefs, from the house of the dead person, in
the middle of the night. Then they celebrated a feast during three
continuous days, with banqueting and abundance of wine, which is their
greatest solemnity. The idol of the chief priestess was made of gold,
and she kept it in concealment, through the contrivance of the Devil
(who through it held close communication with her), in a part of her
house where it was most difficult to find it. It is estimated that
for two years this secret pestilence had been going on, tyrannizing
over the inhabitants to such a degree that there was hardly a sick
person whom they did not attend with all diligence—persuading
each one to demand urgently that they should cast lots to ascertain
whether the sick man were to live or die, and, consequently, whether
sacrifice should be offered to the anito for his health. We have
already explained the manner of sacrifices and offerings they made,
and the profit and gain which these infernal furies derived from
them. There was one woman among them who cleared, in the short time
that I have mentioned, almost three hundred escudos; but she did not
enjoy them long, for God would not allow the conflagration to spread
further. His Divine Majesty influenced some of his faithful ones, who,
all aflame with the greater conflagration of His honor and service,
hastened to give account of what they heard and saw and knew of this
matter. With the help of this information, beginning among the weaker
members of the band, in a short time they succeeded in discovering
those of secondary rank—and thus, step by step, they reached the chief
priestess herself. Their second care (which they put into execution)
was to take away from these people the idols, a great number of which
were seized. Some of these were of clay, others of wood; and two,
in particular, were made from two great teeth of the cayman, set in
gold, in which metal the head of the anito was shaped at the point of
the tooth. In neither the residence nor the country house of the head
priestess, however, could her idol be found; nor could it be discovered
by means of her, or by rummaging through her furniture and utensils,
and searching often and most diligently; nor would she reveal it. This
idol had promised her, so she said, that they should never find it,
even if they should tear down and destroy the house; consequently, it
enjoined her not to fear the father who was conducting this search,
or any of his agents or helpers; for it was more powerful than any
of them. But, as God is indeed more powerful, He influenced the
faithful and zealous heart of Father Diego de Santiago—who was then
instructing that village, and made these investigations at the instance
and orders of the vicar-general and provisor of Manila—to decide
that he would not relax or give up the search for this demon until he
should find it. Being quite certain that it was in the house (although
he had already searched there for it several times), he returned for
the last time with the determination to demolish the house, and to
examine every part of it, piece by piece, to see if by chance he might
find the idol hidden in some hole. Before setting about this task,
his glance fell upon a cane prop—old, weather-beaten, and stained
by smoke—which from a joist of the house, supported the ridge-pole
of the roof: this is the mode of construction used for strengthening
the houses. I do not know what he saw in that prop, but he immediately
ordered it to be cut down and its contents to be examined. This time,
"he who was more powerful than all others" was overcome; for, being
found like all the rest, and the gold being removed for the service
of the church, this idol went, with the others, into the fire.
The demon was so insulted and hurt at this trick that, not being able
to wreak any other vengeance, he began (accompanied by many others)
the following night to torment the poor Catolona with visions and
cruel threats. Already undeceived as to the weakness of her idol, she
sought for conversion, and, hating the demon, begged for mercy. With
the help of a cross which was given her as a defense, although the
terror continued, the threats were not put in execution; and finally
the demon abandoned her as she had him. On one of the feast-days, all
their errors were publicly refuted in the church, and the priestesses
remained convinced, repentant and reconciled—by the authority of
the ordinary, as I have stated. They all betook themselves to a
place where, removed from temptations, they could not relapse into
their evil ways [bolver al bomito]. They were placed in charge of
devout and Christian persons, in whose company they lead Christian and
exemplary lives. The people were so thoroughly undeceived by this event
that for several days they not only brought in their idols, garments,
vessels, and other belongings of their ancestors, so that not a trace
of that lineage remained; but there was the utmost religious fervor,
and a great number of general confessions, by means of which their
consciences were purified. Into many good souls there entered such
fear and awe, and such distrust and scrupulosity regarding this evil,
that the, hearing of these general and oft-repeated confessions
(made even by those who had no share in it) lasted months, and even
years. I can affirm, as one who has seen it all and touched it with my
very hands, that of this wound which the devil tried to inflict upon
that tender part, the entire body of that mission and encomienda not
only remained sound, through the great mercy of God, but much stronger
than ever before, as will be seen in the rest of this narrative. But
as a conclusion to this incident I must not neglect what befell Don
Francisco Amandao, chief of that village—an aged man, of excellent
judgment, and a devoted friend of ours. Upon the occasion of a certain
illness, he allowed himself to be persuaded to make a similar sacrifice
to the devil, induced by the suggestion that he should at least give
half of his body to the anito to see if he could heal it. That half
of his body at once became paralyzed, so that he could not move it
at all, and thus he lived several years, giving public testimony
of his infidelity. In great repentance for his sin he came to die a
Christian death, at the time when the above events took place.
What the Society accomplished in Sebu until the year 1597. Chapter
XXIII.
As soon as Father Antonio Sedeno passed away in Sebu (as we have
said), Father Antonio Pereira returned to Maluco, his own province,
whence he had come. I was therefore compelled to remain alone in that
college with one brother, not a little disconsolate at the loss of so
valued a companion and brother, with whom I had passed a very pleasant
year in Tigbauan, Leite, and Sebu; and whose help was so efficacious
in our duties that through the gracious and thorough manner in which
he performed them, we were all greatly esteemed and sought for in the
province of Pintados, and especially in the city of Santissimo Nombre
de Jesus. Here this father had previously remained alone during almost
another year, in the convent of San Agustin, where those most godly
fathers received him into their house as if he were one of their
own order. He, in turn, served them and the whole city with such
edifying results as contributed not a little to win their affection;
and greatly influenced them to demand our fathers, and receive us in
their city—which was done, as we have said. Don Rodrigo Ronquillo de
Penalosa, alcalde-mayor of the city—a son of Don Goncalo Ronquillo,
who died while governor and lieutenant in these islands for the
Catholic king, Don Felipe Second—aided us much with his authority,
as also did his cousin Don Goncalo Ronquillo de Vallesteros, who was
leaving the same office. All of those gentlemen have ever professed
great devotion to our humble Society.
Considering that we were alone, our ministrations in our church to
both Spaniards and Indians were sufficiently frequent, and I often
preached in the cathedral. Moreover, ascertaining that in the Chinese
quarter of the city there were more than two hundred souls, and only
one of them a Christian, and that they had no one to minister to them,
although they were well disposed to receive our holy faith if there
were any one to teach it to them, I applied myself to studying and
learning their language—at which they were much rejoiced, and many
came to me every day at an appointed hour to give me instruction. In
this way I acquired sufficient knowledge to begin instructing them—in
which undertaking I received much help from Governor Don Luis de
las Marinas, who sent me from Manila a very bright young Christian
lad of that nation, who helped me to instruct those who were to be
baptized. It was thus that I spent Advent in the year fifteen hundred
and ninety-five. We celebrated Christmas Eve and the feast of the
Nativity with solemnity and joy, preparing in the meantime to celebrate
our first feast of the Circumcision, for which we had decorated the
church and invited father Fray Bartolomeo Garcia—at that time the
preacher in the Sebu convent of the glorious doctor St. Augustine;
and now associate of the right reverend bishop of Sebu, and commissary
of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in that bishopric—to preach for
me. At this time I fell ill, exhausted by my labors, which, although
not excessive, were too much for me, as having little strength. It
was upon this occasion that the fathers of that holy order gave proof
of their great charity and the great affection and fraternal feeling
which they profess toward Ours; for all of them on that day, leaving
their own church (which also is named Santissimo Nombre de Jesus,
out of respect for the holy Child, which is deposited therein), came
with their singers to our church, where they celebrated on the day
before most solemn vespers, and on the day of the feast officiated
and sang solemn high mass and preached a sermon—all of which I could
not attend, on account of being, as I have said, ill. To grant me a
further favor and charity, they chose to be my guests and partake of
our poverty. It pleased God, in His mercy, to give me health, so that
I might acquit myself in part of this obligation and the many others
which we owe to them. Thirteen days later, which was the day on which
they celebrate their feast of the most holy name of Jesus, I visited
them and preached for them, and ate with them. Some days afterward,
there arrived from Manila two discalced religious of the holy Order
of St. Francis, who had come to embark in a vessel which was fitting
out in that port for Nueva Espana. They disembarked near our house,
which stands at the edge of the water; and, in acknowledgment of the
debt that we also owe to that holy order and its blessed fathers—who,
in so great self-abnegation and aversion to worldly things, in all seek
only the things of Jesus Christ—I begged them to accept the use of
our house. During their stay with me they displayed toward me the most
signal charity; and I, on my part, was equally consoled and edified,
until last Pentecost of the year fifteen hundred and ninety-six. At
this festival they assisted me, before their departure, in the solemn
baptism of two prominent Chinese, and of I know not how many others; we
baptized them, with their Bissayan wives, celebrating their marriages
and conferring the nuptial veils, with great solemnity and rejoicing,
the whole city assembling to witness the ceremonies. The two chief men
were Don Lorenco Ungac and Don Salvador Tuigam. The Chinese are not
accustomed to cut their hair, which they comb and make ready every
morning, and wear it fastened on the head in pleasing and graceful
fashion; but when we baptize them we are in the habit of cutting it
off, so that in this way we may have more certainty of their faith and
perseverance. These two, before baptism, had entreated and supplicated
me not to cut off their hair; and in this they were not without reason,
for, as one of the suppliants himself explained to me, to wear their
hair was honorable among them, and a custom of their nation, as with
us the wearing of mustaches or beard. But as I did not dare to act
in opposition to what the prelates and other judicious ministers and
religious are accustomed to do in this matter, I announced to them
my decision that, unless their hair was cut, I would not baptize
them. With this they submitted and obeyed, and in token of greater
submission to my intentions, Tuigam came to me on the morning of the
baptism, accompanied by others of his nation, and placing in my hands
some scissors, asked me to cut the first handful of his hair. This
I did, and another finished the task. From that time on none of them
made any objection to the rule; in fact, without our speaking of it,
they came to baptism with their hair cut like ours.
Father Diego de Aragon, of the holy Order of Preachers, had also come
to embark in the vessel. This truly spiritual, virtuous, and exemplary
man had been waiting during an entire year for the departure of the
vessel; and, on account of its inability to leave at that time, was
glad to live and remain with me in our house, for his own order has
none in that city. I received him very gladly, and with gratitude
to God our Lord, for the opportunity thus afforded me of serving
a person and order whom I so highly esteemed, and to which our own
Society is so much indebted, and which it recognizes here, there,
and in every region. He was a source of great edification to me—and
to many others of our Society who had come to me from Manila and who
were afterward my guests—by his great piety, austerity, eloquence,
penitence, and blameless and exemplary life. In this way time passed
until September of the year fifteen hundred and ninety-six, when,
the division and allotment of the fourteen fathers who had arrived
in the previous August having been made, I began to have guests
and companions—with whom I could not only maintain our ministries
in better condition, but also go to ascertain the condition of our
affairs in Mindanao, which upon the death of Father Juan del Campo,
were left, as we shall see, without a master. This college was finally
occupied by six of the Society, who were soon busied in ministering to
the Spaniards, Portuguese, Chinese, Bissayans, Tagalos, and many other
nations who resort to that city for trading and other affairs. Two of
us exercised the Chinese language, besides the Bissayan and Tagalo
tongues, which are usually employed for preaching, confessions, and
the other Sacraments. One of the brethren, who was a skilful scribe,
continued the children's school gathered by Father Antonio Pereira,
where reading, writing, and numbers were taught, together with
Christian doctrine and customs.
Of the island of Leite, and those who were baptized there. Chapter
XXIV.
The circuit of the island of Leite is about a hundred leguas—its
length stretching from east to west for forty leguas, and its extent
from north to south being narrow. It is divided almost in the middle by
a large mountain ridge called Carigara, which occasions a remarkable
inequality and variety in its temperature and seasons. For example,
when in its northern part there is winter (which is the period of the
winter months in Espana), in the south there is summer; and in the
other half of the year the contrary occurs. Consequently, when half
of the island's inhabitants are sowing, the other half are gathering
in their harvests; in this way they have two harvests in one year,
both very abundant. This island is surrounded by very many adjacent
islands, inhabited and uninhabited. It abounds in fish from the sea
and its many rivers, in cows from China, in fowl, deer, wild and
domestic hogs, fruits, vegetables, and roots of many species. It is
inhabited by a very numerous people, whose villages therefore are
not far apart; and there is not one of them which does not possess
a large grove of palm-trees and a fine, full-flowing river. Those
palms, as well as other trees which the whole island produces in
abundance, shade the roads to a great extent—providing a comfort
and refreshing coolness indispensable for those of us who must travel
on foot for lack of any other convenience; throughout the island the
roads traverse groves and forests, with foliage so cool and abundant
that even at high noon the sun caused us no annoyance. Many of the
trees have trunks more than twelve brazas in circumference, which are
sawed into excellent planks. The temperature is not so hot as that
of Manila, although the island is two degrees nearer the equinoctial
line—a common condition in that entire province of the Pintados. The
inhabitants are honest, simple, and intelligent, and possess among
other good and laudable customs two in particular, which are common
to all the neighboring islands. The first is, that they have no need,
in journeys upon land or sea, of stores or wallets; to whatever place
they come, they are sure of being welcomed, sheltered, and offered
food. The second is that, whether their harvests be good or bad,
they never raise or lower the price of rice among themselves, which
they always sell to one another at a fixed rate. They practice these
two customs through the friendly relation that exists among them,
such as the apostle sought from his Corinthians. [86] To the two
residences that were in that island (one in Dulac, and the other in
Carigara) there were added, with the new reenforcement of laborers,
three others—in Paloc, Alangalan, and Ogmuc. As each one of these
is still new, we shall not have as much to say about them at present
as later on; for as the number of Christians increased so did the
number of notable facts and events worthy of record. Nevertheless, I
shall not omit to mention here each one of those stations separately;
in general, however, I may say that during the first two years a great
number of Christians were made throughout the island, considering that
Ours were preparing them very gradually, as being so new a people,
for the faith, and for acquaintance and intercourse with us.
What was accomplished in Dulac and its territory. Chapter XXV.
Father Alonso de Humanes and Father Juan del Campo were the first to
instruct the dwellers in and about Dulac. Father Alonso de Humanes was
sent to Sebu, by Father Antonio Sedeno, as superior of our Society in
the island of Leite; and arriving at Carigara (which is the first of
the missions), he left there as superior his companion, Father Mateo
Sanchez, and taking with him Father Juan del Campo, who had been
superior in Carigara, proceeded with him to Dulac. Father Alonso
de Humanes held Father Juan del Campo in the highest estimation
as a spiritual and eloquent man, fervent, learned, and talented,
and very sagacious in practical affairs; for these reasons he laid
hold of him for greater help and companionship. He remained with him,
however, only for a short time; for they soon sent him to Mindanao,
as we shall later see. In the time that they spent together, they
erected the first church in Dulac; established a school for children,
many of whom they baptized; and formed a long list of catechumens,
whom they prepared and baptized, with great solemnity and rejoicing,
to the increase of reverence for this holy sacrament. Besides this,
Father Juan del Campo, traveling throughout that district, gained the
good-will of all those villages and marvelously influenced them to
receive our holy faith. They went forth from his hands such model
Christians that those who before baptism were fierce, rude, and
intractable, you would see today, after baptism, tractable, gentle,
pliant, and loving; they are now wholly freed from error, and feel a
horror of their idols and former vices, and extreme love and affection
for Jesus Christ our Lord, and for His mysteries. Children so small
that they could hardly yet speak, gave such a good account of the
Christian doctrine that they seemed to have been born instructed. Those
who two days before had not known or heard of Him now repeated with
pleasure and gentleness, "May Jesus Christ be praised;" and, indeed,
it all seemed to be His work, and wrought through His instrumentality.
What took place in Carigara in those early days. Chapter XXVI.
As we have already said, the post at Carigara was the first where
the Society began the mission villages of this province; and it was
there that we said the first mass, and celebrated the first feast
with great solemnity in honor of the holy cross. There, too, occurred
the first baptism, when with my own hands (although unworthy); as
a beginning to this new Christian community, I baptized a goodly
number of children already capable of reason. At all the services
of this feast there was a great concourse from the whole district
who solemnized it, beginning the night before, with mirth, rejoicing,
and games. Afterward, Father Juan del Campo and Father Cosme de Flores
began to instruct some of the older persons in the Christian faith. At
that time, and through that exercise, those two fathers learned the
language of the natives in a very short time—especially Father Cosme,
who spoke it with masterly skill. Father Juan del Campo departed from
Dulac, and leaving in his stead, Father Mateo, both pursued their task
of winning souls for Jesus Christ, His Divine Majesty so attracting
the people that soon in Carigara a very flourishing Christian church
began to appear. Although there are many notable things which might
be related about it, I shall refer only to two baptisms which seemed,
to us who were there, worthy of consideration.
The first was that of a child of five years, who filled with the
fervor of heaven came to us from his village for the sole purpose of
asking baptism. His infidel mother and stepfather, upon learning this,
at the instigation of the Devil (who unwillingly relinquished that
booty) came after him with an infernal fury, to carry him back with
them—by force, if necessary. But as they could not do this, out of
respect to the fathers, they tried to impede him through others—their
relatives, friends and acquaintances; and, adding persuasion to threats
(and, for a child so tender in years, but little effort sufficed),
they used all their energies to divert and dissuade him from his
holy purpose. But God our Lord, who gave him a man's strength—and,
in giving it to him, made him all the stronger by adding a gentle
force to his own tender will, caused him to persevere with such
constancy that he finally overcame these influences, saying that
he desired to be a son of God, since those who were not Christians
were slaves of the Devil. He offered other arguments, so ingenious
that they compelled those who were present to defend and aid him; and
earnestly reproving those who unreasonably opposed him, he constrained
them to leave him in peace. Thus he departed with his request granted,
and with holy baptism, with a satisfaction that words cannot express,
and greater than might be expected from a much older person and a more
developed reason. Again, a woman of rank had refused and fled from
baptism against the influences of God and our own persuasions—solely
concerned with the indissolubility of matrimony taught by our holy
law; for she maintained that it was hard that she could not abandon
a husband who displeased her, as was the custom among them. Finally
one of her brothers, who was seeking holy baptism, persuaded her to
accompany him, and so she did; but, when on the point of receiving
the sacrament, she withdrew without it, although her brother was
baptized. This weakness was a source to her of great confusion and
remorse, and consequently of renewed energy and effort (as it was
with the pope St. Marcellinus [87]); for on the following day she
returned to the church pierced with remorse for the wrong that she
had done, confessing herself to be foolish and lacking in sense,
and admitting that her withdrawal had been caused by silly fear. She
told the father that she was deeply grieved at what she had done, and
besought him, that, since now she had returned meek and submissive
to all the mandates of the holy gospel law, she might be granted
holy baptism—which she ardently desired, knowing that without
being a Christian she could not be saved. Finally, after giving
us satisfactory pledges as to her desire and perseverance, she was
accorded holy baptism, which she received with great devotion and joy.
What took place in Paloc and its coast. Chapter XXVII.
Until September or October of the year fifteen hundred and ninety-six,
when Father Christoval Ximenez went to reside in Paloc—where he
learned the language well, and gathered much fruit, as we shall later
see—that village possessed not one permanent priest; only Father
Mateo Sanchez, accompanied by a brother, rendered them timely aid in
some journeys which he made from Carigara. This station lies between
Carigara and Dulac, on the banks of a beautiful river, and is distant
from the sea about a half a league inland. It is surrounded by many
villages, having a large population; and all those natives are very
good people. Here I received a most cordial welcome when I visited
those stations, the year before, with Father Antonio Pereira; the
people entertained me by their friendly conversation were delighted
in hearing the things of God, and asked me many intelligent questions
about them. But there must have been some ministers of the Devil among
them, who (as they lose through our holy faith their prestige and
vile gains) had perverted this people, as I believe, in such a way
that the next time Ours visited them they were not only churlishly
received, but there was hardly one person to greet them, to speak
either good or evil. For they found that the people had fled inland,
and the few who remained in their houses looked upon the fathers with
such coldness and aversion that they were compelled to turn their eyes
toward God, and await from His divine hand consolation for being thus
afflicted and deserted. This His divine clemency soon accorded them,
changing the aspect of affairs, and causing us to know that only
His power can conquer hearts; and He so subdued theirs that the very
persons who had fled desired us again, in a few days, and complained
that we visited them but seldom. When our fathers did repair to them,
they would not let them depart at once, maintaining that they did not
tarry long enough. Some of them sought with great earnestness and
fervor holy baptism, and the Christians adopted the Christian mode
of life with love, ardor, and satisfaction. Accordingly, they could
be seen at prayer, both morning and evening, repeating the sermons,
and chanting the doctrine in their houses and fields and boats (when
they are traveling in these, they carry a little bell to ring for the
Ave Marias). They were very careful in attending church, and devout
in confessing, especially during that first Lent; and showed great
fervor in disciplining themselves, particularly during Holy Week;
in the procession on that occasion there were many who scourged
themselves until the blood came, and still others accompanied them,
bearing four hundred lights, all preserving great silence and order. It
was learned in many individual cases, that God our Lord chose very
opportunely to influence them through various means to receive His
holy faith, and afterward to confirm them in it, by marvelous and
supernatural visions, of things both good and bad, and causing both
joy and terror—miraculously healing, for example, many who lay at
the point of death, and bestowing special inward inspirations. One of
these Christians passed in front of a house where a minister of the
Devil was offering to the demon his abominable sacrifice; and this
very demon told him to prevent that Christian from entering; "for,"
he said, "I am afraid of those Christians." How could those who heard
this refrain from following that powerful God, when they saw that he
whom they considered as such feared not only Him, but also, on account
of their being Christians, those who formerly feared and worshiped
him? A sick woman, in an exhausted condition, offered herself to God,
in her desire for health, and leaving her bed was carried near some
images. God our Lord cooperated with her faith in such a way that
soon she was healed; and she made it public that the holy images
had cured her. In a village near that one, there was a sick woman,
very aged, who was so obstinate in her infidelity that she would
not be softened by the persuasions of the father who visited her. A
child who accompanied him took her hand, and described to her in vivid
language the torments of hell, and so impressed her that she asked him:
"Dost thou know this?" The child responded: "Yes, for God has said it,
and so I believe it." With this he subdued her, and prepared her so
that, after she better understood the catechism, she could receive
after it holy baptism, and, at the same time, health of body and soul.
Of the Residence of Alangalang. Chapter XXVIII.
This station lies in the interior of the island of Leite, five leguas
distant from Carigara. Its district is well inhabited, and has the
advantage of a good soil. Its distance, however, was so great that it
could not well be visited from Carigara, especially considering the
number of its population. On this account, and as, in the allotment
of the fourteen [new laborers], only one was assigned to Carigara
(namely, Father Francisco de Enzinas), the latter was obliged to
remain there in company with Father Mateo Sanchez; and Father Cosme
de Flores had to go to establish the Christian faith in Alangalang,
on account of his knowledge of the language, and the esteem and
affection in which he was held by the Indians. The first care of
this blessed father was to bring together, with great gentleness and
kindness, the inhabitants of all those villages, especially those
who were most remote and could be less easily assisted to reaching
that station—so that a large colony might be formed there, as was
done. He was establishing his church, his house, and his school among
them, and beginning a Christian community, when it pleased our Lord
to take him unto Himself, leaving his Indians orphans, disconsolate,
and alone. Thus they remained for several months, for there was at
the time no one who could supply their need except a brother who had
accompanied the father; and he consoled them by teaching them—but
without administering the sacraments, as he was a lay-brother. The
fathers at Carigara could not help them, being prevented by their
own occupations.
Of the entrance into Ogmuc. Chapter XXIX.
The station of Ogmuc lies on the shore of the sea, in the southern
part of the island of Leite, on the coast almost directly opposite to
Carigara, which is in the northern part. It has in the same island
a very good vicinity, as well as three smaller islands adjacent,
which they call Polo. All those people are friendly and docile and
received Ours with much affection and pleasure. This post was assigned
to Father Alonso Rodriguez with another companion; and it seems that
the gentleness and kindness of this father had its influence upon the
Indians even before they saw him as also later when they met and knew
him. Their governor and other persons came out to sea to receive him,
with much joy; and the chief, without delay, made arrangements on the
spot for his conversion, and wrote out the prayers, that he might learn
them. The rest followed his example, and not only in this matter, but
in at once offering all their children, with whom the father formed a
very promising school. Some of the youngest children were exceedingly
bright; and it was indeed a marvel to see the mass served, with grace
and address, by a child who was scarce able to move the missal. Many of
these children also helped us greatly in catechizing and instructing
their elders and in preparing them, and even urging them, to receive
holy baptism. This was done by a little child of only four years,
who seeing his father somewhat lukewarm in this respect, urged and
incited him with such energy that he aroused the father, and caused
him to entreat us urgently for baptism. They not only fulfilled this
office with their parents but even interceded with us in their behalf,
urging that we should not delay granting this favor. An incident befell
one of these children which in its very childishness gave token of the
esteem with which our holy gospel faith takes root in these tender
little hearts. He found himself among some heathens who were eating
meat on a Friday, and, without thought of wrong, began to eat with
them. Upon taking the first mouthful he was reminded of the day; and,
spitting it out, descended from the house and came in haste to Ours
in great sorrow at having committed a sin. Our fathers reassured him
and sent him away consoled; and were themselves greatly edified and
pleased at such a specimen of Christian faith, although so young and
so recently planted. Nearly all of those people were converted to
Christianity without much difficulty; but there was one man who was
much troubled on account of having three wives—all, like himself of
high rank. Although the thought of renouncing two of them was painful
to him, his greatest consideration was the dowry which he must thus
lose. The good father saw his predicament, and was greatly concerned
lest this man, for at slight temporal interest, might lose eternal
gain. Inspired by God our Lord, he formed a plan, and went to talk with
the woman who was most beloved by the man, hoping to persuade her to
receive baptism. Much persuasion, however, was not necessary; for she
herself desired it, and expressed herself to that effect—adding that,
even though it should displease her husband, she would begin the task;
and that, instead of returning to his house, she would go directly
to that of a Christian woman, who should instruct and prepare her
for baptism. These sentiments she expressed privately not only to
the father, but even to her husband, before many other persons. As
she said, so she acted; and her solemn baptism was celebrated with
many feasts, dances, and rejoicings. The husband seeing this, put
away the other two wives, giving them the amounts of their dowry;
and, freed from this obstacle, received baptism and was married in
Christian fashion. On the feast-day of the glorious resurrection of
Christ our Lord, we celebrated the baptism of this man and eleven other
chiefs, who were also baptized amid great festivities and rejoicing,
and with the concourse of many people.
I have thus given an account of what took place in the five stations
in that island of Leite. Before we pass on to the rest, it will be
fitting to explain, as far as we can, their usages in marriage and
divorce—as well to make more intelligible what we have already
related as to have a better understanding of a topic which in the
course of our remaining narrative must frequently arise.
Of marriages, dowries, and divorces among the Filipinos. Chapter XXX.
I had lived in the Filipinas for almost ten years before I learned that
there was any man who had married several wives; and I did not know
it until I went to the islands of Ibabao and Leite, for in Manila,
Mindoro, Marinduque, and Panai, I had not observed the practice of
such a custom. I had, however, been once told by a Spaniard that in
a certain part of Mindanao, toward Dapitan, it was the custom for
the Bissayan women (the inhabitants of Mindanao also are Bissayans)
to marry two husbands; the practice of having several wives I had
understood to belong only to the Mahometans who dwell in Mindanao
and Burnei. It is certainly, however, not a general custom in the
Filipinas to marry more than one wife; and even in the districts where
this is done the practice is by no means general. The most common
and general usage is to marry one woman. The Bissayans always try to
procure a wife from their own class, and closely connected with them in
relationship. The Tagalos do not insist so much on this latter point:
they are satisfied if the wife be not of inferior rank. As I have
already stated, in neither race is any other impediment considered than
the first degree of kindred. Uncle and niece marry as readily as do
first cousins; but brother and sister, grandfather and granddaughter,
or father and daughter, can in no case marry. There is a marked
distinction between concubinage and wedlock; because the latter,
besides consent, has its own ceremonies, as we shall later see. For
marriage, moreover, they have distinct formalities of betrothal,
which are accompanied by conventional penalties, most rigorously
executed. Here is an example: Si Apai promises to marry Cai Polosin;
these married persons make an agreement with another married pair,
while the wives are with child, that if the wombs of their respective
wives should bear a male and a female those two children shall be
joined in marriage, under a penalty of ten gold taes. This compact is
solemnized by a feast, where they eat, drink, and become intoxicated;
and he who later is the occasion of breaking the compact must pay the
penalty. This is betrothal. In the marriage there figures a dowry,
and the surrender of the woman, with consent for the present, but
not perpetual. It is not the wife, but the husband, who gives her
the dowry—an amount agreed upon, and fixed in accordance with his
means. This is what some authors [88] relate of various nations,
which were accustomed to purchase women as their wives. In addition
to the dowry the husband is wont to make some presents to the parents
and relatives—more or less, according to his means. While I was in
Tigbauan the chief of the island of Cuyo came to marry his son to
the daughter of Tarabucon, chief of Oton, which is close by the town
of Arebalo and a mission-village under the fathers of St. Augustine
They were married by a minister of high standing in that order, named
Father Pedro de Lara, [89] who was then vicar of that convent. From him
and from another religious of the same house I learned that besides
the dowry (which was very large), and a generous offering sent to
the convent, the husband bestowed, in his grandeur and munificence,
presents upon the parents of the bride, her brothers and relations, and
even upon the numerous slaves. The marriage lasted no longer than did
peace between them; for they are divorced on the slightest occasion. If
the cause of the divorce is unjust, and the man parts from his wife,
he loses the dowry; if it is she who leaves him, she must restore the
dowry to him. But if the man has just cause for divorce, and leaves
her, his dowry must be restored to him; if in such case the wife
leaves him, she retains the dowry. For the husband, the adultery of
his wife is sufficient ground for divorce; for the woman, just cause
for divorce is more limited. In case of divorce, the children are
divided equally between the two, without distinction of sex; thus, if
they are two in number, one falls to the father and one to the mother;
and in a state of slavery the same thing occurs when husband and wife
belong to different masters. If two persons own one slave, the same
division is made; for half belongs to each, and his services belong to
both alike. These same modes of marriage and divorce are in use among
those who marry two or three wives. The man is not obliged to marry
them all in one day; and, even after having one wife for many years,
he may take another, and yet another—indeed, like the Mahometans as
many as he can support. I believe that this evil custom in the islands
of Mindanao and Leite has been derived from that sect; for they are
increasing throughout the world, propagating their cursed doctrine
with as much zeal and concern as we do our holy faith. It had taken
root in Burnei before we took possession of the Filipinas; and from
that island they had come to preach it in Manila, where they had begun
to teach it publicly when our people arrived and tore it up by the
roots. Less than fourteen years ago it was introduced into Mindanao,
on this side of the island, which is no small reason for sorrow and
regret. While the marriage-bond lasts, the husband is, as with us,
the lord of all; or, at least, all the wealth is kept together, and
both parties endeavor to increase it as much as they can—although
they are wont to steal from each other for their own purposes.
Of the island of Ibabao, and how the Society entered it. Chapter XXXI.
It is this island which first gives joy to the vessels which sail
hence for the Filipinas; for it is the first land descried in our
passage westward. A headland on its coast is the celebrated cape of
Espiritu Santo, which we sight on arriving at the islands, and for
which we sought. With this island on the left, and the great island of
Manila on the right, we enter directly the Filipinas Islands, leaving
the islands of the Ladrones three hundred leguas behind. It also forms
with the island of Leite, which lies south of it, a very narrow strait,
through which a few ships have penetrated—especially those which
under stress of weather, and driven back by the force of the storms,
have been compelled to take refuge in the port of Cebu. The island is
large and populous, and all around it are many adjacent islands, also
inhabited. All its people are generally regarded as very peaceable,
and they have made an excellent beginning in receiving the gospel,
the chiefs being most distinguished in this regard—which is a matter
of considerable importance, as they open the way for the others by
their example. The first one of the Society to enter that island for
instruction was Father Francisco de Otaco, who went thither with two
companions. Although in the beginning hardships did not fail them,
through their lack of material resources, they were so well provided
with those that were spiritual that one could well recompense the
other. They arrived on the western side of the island, which is
eastward of the archipelago, at a village called Tinagon, [90] without
any fixed or chosen post, and arrived there very opportunely for their
purpose since at that time a plague, communicated from other districts,
prevailed in that part of the island, causing the death of many
people. Accordingly, they at once set about their task, and labored
diligently, going from house to house, and from one sick person to
another, teaching and baptizing. But the unexpected results lightened
their toil; for the number of those who were thoroughly prepared
for and received baptism was very great, and the number of baptized
persons who died from the disease reached a thousand souls. Besides
the church of this central station which was recently built, six
other churches were erected in that district, not far distant from
it. In each one of them was a school with a goodly number of children,
and a master to instruct them; and the pupils were so devoted to it
that the threat that had most effect on them was to say their teacher
would leave them. Our fathers went through those villages, visiting
the sick and aiding them, as well as they could, with remedies for
both body and soul. In the course of these visitations an incident
occurred which well exhibits the forbearance with which God awaits
our conversion, the ease with which we find Him when we seek Him,
and the patience and perseverance which a minister of the gospel
needs in teaching, convincing, entreating, urging, and waiting for
the conversion of a soul. One of the fathers had been visiting the
sick of a certain village, and was on his way homeward, some distance
away, to partake of a little nourishment and obtain repose, as night
was closing in. Turning his eyes to one side he descried a wretched
house which he did not remember to have visited that day. To satisfy
himself of this he mounted a few steps of the ladder, and looking from
the door into the interior of the house beheld a man stretched upon
the floor. Upon approaching he found him motionless and almost dead,
but with enough consciousness to answer "No" to the father's query
if he desired baptism. The father remained with him a long time,
seeking to convince him. Finally, seeing how little this availed,
and that the hour was late, he concluded to leave him. But grief
at seeing that soul lost, and the secret strength which our Lord
gave him, constrained him to wait, and to persist in urging the sick
man—an action so opportune that the latter at last said "Yes," and
listened to the short instruction which is wont to be given upon such
occasions. Thus, in sorrow for his sins he expired immediately after
baptism, with an "Oh, God!" on his lips, torn from his very heart.
One of the islands adjacent to Ibabao is Maripipi, whose inhabitants
were all baptized in one day in the following fashion. This island
is three leguas distant by sea from Ibabao, for which reason our
fathers could not visit it as often as the people desired. Seeing
this, its inhabitants all resolved to embark in their boats and come
themselves to seek holy baptism. The chiefs disembarked at Tinagon,
and, after them, all their followers with their wives and children,
all of them eagerly seeking the sacrament; but the father told them,
through a chief who acted as spokesman, that they must first learn
the doctrine, and that when they understood it he would baptize
them. The chief's only answer was to recite the doctrine, after which
he said that he had learned it from the others. With the evidence of
such faith and good disposition, the father baptized them all; and,
satisfied and joyful, they embarked again for their island.
Some months later, Father Miguel Gomez was sent from the college of
Sebu in order to ascertain the disposition of the inhabitants of the
eastern part of the island for receiving our holy faith; he found them
so well inclined that, erecting a church in a village called Catubig,
not far from the cape of Espiritu Santo, he converted many of that
district to Christianity; indeed, whole villages of that island came
to him, and even many from islands lying adjacent to it in that broad
sea. He was particularly astonished at one of the chiefs of Catubig,
a man who lived, under the natural law, without blame and had good
principles, one of which was to abominate polygamy. This chief was
exceedingly pleased at hearing the catechism, and, requesting holy
baptism, for this purpose cut off his own hair, which is esteemed
as much among those people as among the Chinese. There was another,
a sick old man, who, before he saw our fathers, learning that they
were in that place, sent to request holy baptism, which he afterward
most devoutly received. In this mission many special incidents
occurred which gave evidence that this harvest was fully ripe to be
gathered for Christ; but, as it was not quite ready for the reaping,
[91] and the father was needed in his own college whence he had
departed, he was obliged to return to it, with this good news of his
journey. These villages, with their new Christians, were assigned to
the fathers of Tinagon, who ministered to them so far as they could,
until more suitable provision could be made for them by sending a
father who could more readily assist them; this has not yet been done,
through lack of workers.
Of the island of Bohol, and the entry of the Society therein. Chapter
XXXII.
Bohol is one of the smaller islands of the Filipinas, but is actually
large and populous, inhabited by a people of lighter complexion,
and generally more comely, than are the other Bissayans. They are
a race of such spirit and valor that they have spread through many
neighboring islands, where their descendants still preserve the name
of Boholans of which they are very proud—just as we, when in foreign
kingdoms, are proud of the name of Spaniards. The island is rich in
mines and placers of gold, and abundantly provided with game, fish,
rice, sugar-cane, palms, and other kinds of food. In the year one
thousand five hundred and sixty-four, the adelantado Miguel Lopez de
Legazpi arrived there with his fleet—entering through the channel
which they call El Frayle ["The Friar"]—when, as we have stated, he
set out from Nueva Espana in quest of those islands. A chief of that
island, named Catunao—whom our fathers have now baptized, as we shall
soon relate—gave information to Miguel Lopez of Sebu (which is six
leguas distant from Bohol), and, accompanying him thither as a guide,
was of great assistance to him in the reduction of the island. It was
the good fortune of Father Juan de Torres and Father Gabriel Sanchez to
instruct this people, for they were the first preachers of Jesus Christ
in Bohol. They entered the island with much confidence and consolation,
on learning that its people, like those in the neighboring island of
Sebu, did not practice polygamy—an affliction which to the fathers
in Ibabao and Leite was a source of great sorrow, since they found in
this evil custom a serious impediment to the conversion of many who
were not otherwise hindered from receiving holy baptism. Not only were
the Boholans free from this, but none of their immoral practices (for
they had others) could hinder their conversion; for all at once they
abandoned all of these, together with their idolatry. Those fathers
wrote to us concerning two in particular, of which—although they are
not peculiar to the people of that island, but are general among all
the others—I desire to give an account for the better understanding
and greater clearness of this narrative; one relates to their dead,
and their mode of shrouding and burying them; the other, to their
feasts, festivals, and drunken revels. I shall speak of the general
practices in both, beginning with the first.
The manner which the Filipinas had of shrouding and burying their
dead. Chapter XXXIII.
The first and last concern of the Filipinos in cases of sickness was,
as we have stated, to offer some sacrifice to their anitos, or divatas,
which were their gods. These sacrifices were offered, as we have said,
with dancing to the sound of a bell; and it would happen, as I have
sometimes heard, that in the most furious part of the dance and the
bell-ringing, when the catolona or bailana was exerting most force,
all at once she stopped at the death of the sick person. After the
death there followed new music, the dirges and lamentations, which
were also sung, accompanied by weeping, not only by the mourners but
by others—the former on account of their sorrow and grief; the latter
for their wages and profit, for they were hired for this purpose, as is
and has been the custom among other nations of greater reputation. To
the sound of this sad music they washed the body of the dead person,
perfuming it with the gum of the storax-tree and other aromatics which
they are wont to use, and clothing it in the best garments which the
dead man possessed; then, after having kept and mourned over it for
three days, they buried it. Others anointed the body with aromatic
balsams which prevent corruption, especially with the juice of a sort
of ivy which grows there abundantly, and is truly a very valuable
drug, which they call buyo. [92] It is very pungent, and for the
living is a notable stimulant, also strengthening the teeth, hardening
the gums, and sweetening the breath. Consequently both Spaniards and
Indians make much use of it, and always carry it in their mouth, as
they use the coca in Piru. With the juice of this plant, then, they
anointed the dead body, and so injected it through the mouth that it
penetrated the whole body. Thus prepared, many bodies have been found
uncorrupted after a lapse of many years; but they did not place the
corpses in the earth, but in their dwellings, enclosed in coffins of
the hardest wood, incorruptible, and with the cover so fitted that
it was impossible for the air to enter. Moreover, they placed gold
in the mouths of the corpses, and laid with them many articles of
value; and thus they buried them, under the house, richly adorned,
and with the corpse another chest, containing garments. Besides this,
they usually were careful to carry to the burial various viands,
which they left there for the dead person. In former times, they
would not let them depart to the other world alone, but gave male and
female slaves to accompany the dead. These slaves, having first eaten
a hearty meal, were then immediately killed, that they might go with
the dead man. It once happened that they buried with a chief a vessel
manned by many rowers, who were to serve him in his voyages in the
other world. The usual place of burial was the dead man's own house,
at least in the lower part—where a great pit was dug, in which the
coffin was placed. A small railing was constructed about the pit, and,
leaving it open, they placed inside the food which they brought. Others
buried their bodies in the open field, and for several days burned
fires beneath their houses and set guards, so that the dead man might
not return and carry away with him those whom he had left.
After the burial the mourning ceased, but not the feasting and
intoxication, which lasted more or less time according to the rank of
the deceased. The widow or widower, and the orphans and other relatives
who felt most keenly their grief, expressed their sorrow by fasting,
abstaining from meat, fish, and other viands—eating during this
period only vegetables, and those in very small quantities. Among
the Tagalos the color for mourning is black, and among the Bissayans
white. The latter also tear out their hair and eyebrows, which makes
them ugly indeed. Upon the death of a chief, silence must be observed
in the village during the period of mourning, until the interdict
was raised—a longer or shorter time, according to his rank; and
during that time no sound of a blow or other noise might be heard
in any house under penalty of some misfortune. In order to secure
this quiet, the villages on the coast placed a sign on the banks of
the river, giving notice that no one might travel on that stream,
or enter or leave it, under penalty of death—which they forcibly
inflicted, with the utmost cruelty, upon whomsoever should break
this silence. Those who died in war were extolled in their dirges,
and in the obsequies which were celebrated the sacrifices made to
or for them lasted for a long time, accompanied by much feasting and
intoxication. If the deceased had met death by violence, whether in
war or in peace, by treachery, or in some other way, the mourning
habits were not removed, or the interdict lifted, until the sons,
brothers, or relatives had killed many others—not only of the
enemies and murderers, but also other persons, strangers, whoever
they might be, who were not their friends. As robbers and pirates,
they scoured the land and sea, going to hunt man and killing all whom
they could, until they had satiated their fury. When this was done,
they made a great feast for invited guests, raised the interdict,
and, in due time, abandoned their mourning.
In all these practices may be clearly seen traces of the paganism and
of those ancient rites and usages so magnified and recorded by noted
writers, by which many other nations more civilized—and, perchance,
some more barbarous than this one—made themselves famous and deserving
of mention. Certainly balsams, and the perfumes, not only of ointments
and fragrant spices, but of herbs and odoriferous flowers, are all
known to have been in most ancient use among the Greeks and Romans,
and in the Hebrew commonwealth—derived, perhaps, from intercourse
with pagan peoples, as we read of it in the grave and burial of King
Asa. [93] The bathing of the dead and of those who touched them is
also found in Holy Writ; and in accounts of the commonwealths of the
Egyptians and Persians, and is practiced at the present day, among
many nations; also the custom of placing food in their sepulchres,
which is rebuked by St. Augustine. [94]
Who does not know that the men and women hired as mourners are the
mourners and singers whom the sacred authors so repeatedly mention? and
that, even before the commonwealth of the Hebrews was established by
God our Lord, the holy Job called upon those who were ready to fulfil
this office and to raise their voices in wailing and lamentation for
anyone who would hire them, to lament the day of his birth as if it
had been the day of his death? [95] This practice extended later to
an infinite number of nations, especially to the Canaanites, who
formed their troop of singers and musicians, and, with much skill
and effect, mourned the deceased, as they did at Sifara—the mother
beginning to intone a chant, which was then taken up by those most
learned and skilled in that office." [96]
The preservation of bodies, as far as possible, from corruption is
a common practice among all those nations who desired and attempted
to perpetuate the memory of their dead by burning the bodies and
preserving their ashes; by erecting sumptuous mausoleums or pyramids
(in their estimation, eternal); or by engraving in bronze or hard
stone the names and deeds of their dead.
Burial in the house of the deceased was a custom of the Ethiopians;
and burial at their gates, of the Persians. The adornment of the corpse
with jewels and rich garments was practiced by the Hebrews, Persians,
and Indians, and, before their time, by all the eastern Arabs of the
age and country of holy Job; they filled their houses (which were
rather their sepulchres than their abodes) with treasures of gold and
silver." [97] The custom of placing in the mouth of the corpse gold
or other means for the purchase of necessities and, in particular,
of a safe passage, is much ridiculed by Lucian, in those ancients of
theirs negotiating for the boat and ferry of Charon; and indeed it
served no other end than to excite the covetousness of those who,
to profit by the gold, opened the sepulchres and disinterred the
dead—as Hyrcanus and Herod desecrated the grave of David, and the
Ternates did in Bohol, as we shall later see." [98]
As for the banquets, they were precisely those which occurred at the
ancient festivals and funeral feasts practiced by all countries and
nations, sacred and profane. [99]
The observance of silence seems to be what not only the profane
writers meant by summoning mortals to the shades and darkness, mute
and silent; but what the sacred writers intended in calling death
and dead men mute.
In the sacred tongue they called the sepulchre itself "silence," [100]
or "the place of silence"—on account both of the dumbness of the
deceased, who was no longer able to have intercourse with the living,
and of the silence and wonder in which the living remained, their
grief for the dead, and the solitude in which they sat, depriving
them of voice and speech; even more effectual for this was the
consideration of the wretchedness, insignificance, and transientness
of their own species, which they saw in their neighbor, friend or
relative, when in so evil a plight, a threat and warning to them of
a like fate. [101] In short, since all these usages arose, partly
from some confused perception or conjecture of the natural reason,
partly (and more probably) from the blindness and madness into which
the devil plunged them, those islanders practiced rites and customs
similar to those of former times and nations, for they too were men,
subject to the same deception. Truly in this, as in a thousand other
things, is verified that grave saying and query of the Wise Man:
"What is it that is now happening?" and he answers himself, saying,
"That which happened in the past." Again he asks himself: "What were
the customs of our ancestors?" and again he replies, "Those which
will be, and which those who are yet unborn will practice." [102]
The same I would say of the following.
Of feasting and intoxication among the Filipinos. Chapter XXXIV.
The time for their feasts, wherein they ate and drank to excess (and
they drank, too, much more than they ate), was, as we have said,
upon occasions of illness, death, and mourning. Such was also their
custom at betrothals, weddings, and sacrifices, and with guests and
visitors. Upon all these occasions there was not a door closed against
anyone who might desire to go to drink with them—for they designate
a feast by the term "drinking," not "eating." In the feasts which
they held upon occasions of sacrifice, they were wont to place at one
side of the table a plate, upon which he who chose would throw, by
way of religious ceremony, some mouthful of food, which he refrained
from eating out of respect to the anito. They eat, sitting in a low
position; and their tables are small, low, and round or square in
shape, without covering or napkins, the plates containing the victuals
being placed on the table itself. They eat in groups of sufficient
number to surround the table; and it may happen that a house is filled
from one end to another with tables, and guests drinking. The food is
placed all together upon various plates, and they have no hesitation
in putting the hands of all into the same dish, or in drinking out
of the same vessel. They eat but little, drink often, and spend much
time in the feast. When they are satiated with food and intoxicated
with the drink, they remove the tables and clear the house; and, if
the feast is not one of mourning, they sing, play musical instruments,
dance, and in this way, spend days and nights, with great uproar and
shouting—until finally they fall, exhausted and drowsy. But they are
never seen to become, in their intoxication, so frenzied or crazed
that they commit excesses; on the contrary, they preserve, in the
main, their ordinary conduct, and even under the influence of wine,
act with as much respect and prudence as before, although they are
naturally more lively and talkative, and utter witty remarks. It is
proverbial among us that none of them, upon leaving the feast late at
night in a state of intoxication, fails to reach his home. Moreover,
if they have occasion to buy or sell anything, they not only make no
mistake in the bargaining, but if it be necessary to weigh the gold or
silver for the price (which is the common usage among those nations,
each person carrying for that purpose a small pair of scales in his
wallet), they do it with such accuracy that the hand never trembles,
nor is there any error in the weight.
Of the labors of Father Juan de Torres and Father Gabriel Sanchez in
the island of Bohol. Chapter XXXV.
All these evils and excesses were abandoned when our fathers entered
that island, for after their arrival there God our Lord brought
it about that the wonted songs and noises were no longer heard,
the natives abstaining from them in order not to displease the
fathers. The greatest difficulty which one encounters among those
peoples is to teach the prayers to the adults, who are naturally lazy
and negligent; and to the old men, who are hindered by their age. The
plan and method which is followed in this matter is, not to constrain
them too much. In this regard the Boholans acted with such liberality
that our fathers, upon arriving at some villages, found the old men
learning, of their own free will, the prayers from their children. When
asked if they wished to become Christians, they answered that they were
already preparing themselves, and that after they had learned what was
needful, they would receive holy baptism. So well were they inclined
toward the good. They have excellent dispositions; and whenever any
good habit or civilized custom is taught to them, they do not fail
to practice it—which is no small pleasure and comfort for those
who teach them. In the church they conduct themselves devoutly and
reverently, kneeling on both knees with hands clasped across their
breasts. They attend baptismal services, at the conclusion of which
they embrace the newly-baptized and, kneeling, recite with these
a "Salve," as a token of thanksgiving. A pestilence, attended by
pains in the stomach and head, had attacked this people, and was so
fatal that entire villages of the island were being depopulated. But
our Christians, in the ardor of their faith, took holy water as a
medicine and were healed, so that not one of them died. An instance
of this occurred, which I shall relate. An infidel woman was reduced
by this sickness to such a pass that they did not expect her to live
throughout the night. They summoned the father, and representing
to him the woman's danger, besought him urgently to baptize her at
once. The father did not think that such haste was necessary, or,
at least, that the sick woman was entirely prepared for holy baptism,
and so contented himself with repeating to her some of the catechism
appropriate to the occasion, to wait until morning came. As a further
kindness, in order to cure her body, he asked her if she believed
that the holy water, by virtue of Almighty God, our Creator, could
heal the sick. Upon her answering "Yes," he gave her some to drink,
and with that left her. In the morning they came to tell him that
she whom they had regarded as half dead was already healed. A little
girl had been reduced by the same disease to the last extremity,
and they were already bewailing her as dead; the father hastened to
the spot and grieving lest she should die without the sacraments,
asked for holy water, that he might give her a possible remedy for
body as well as soul. Seeing that the child was unable to drink it,
he asked those who were present if they believed that God our Lord,
and not their idols, could by means of that water give health to the
sick one, and all answered "Yes." The water was then applied to that
part where they said the child felt the greatest pain; and, consoling
her parents with good hopes, he left her; and within a few hours they
sent to tell him that the child was well. Accordingly, they use this
holy medicine frequently in all their sicknesses, and it has become
a general practice throughout all these islands. I have often seen an
Indian woman approach the basin of holy water with her babe in arms,
and taking some in her hands, give it to the little one to drink,
so ordinary and universal is this devotion.
In Bohol, within only eight months, they gained the village of Baclayun
with its hamlets (which was the first station that our Society
maintained in that island), besides the villages of Lobo (which is
a river of much volume), where more than three thousand souls were
instructed and catechized, as well as many in the villages of two
other islands adjacent to Bohol. In all those places were baptized a
large number of those best prepared and able to receive the sacrament,
among them the good old Catunao (whom we mentioned above) with his
wife. Between the two, they surely had lived two hundred and thirty
years, and the woman was younger than he, Our Lord did not see fit to
take him away until He had repaid him for his good services in having
been the guide who introduced Christian people into the Filipinas. He
was always seated, for he could no longer walk. So satisfied was he at
being baptized that during the remainder of his life (which was little
more than a year) he was continually repeating, with much delight,
"Jesus, Mary."
Of the Island of Mindanao. Chapter XXXVI.
Mindanao is closer to the equinoctial line than the islands of Ibabao,
Leite, Sebu, and Bohol, and is larger than almost all those four
together. I shall say no more of its richness and fertility than
that it is not inferior to the most fertile of all of them. Besides
that, it is this island only that abounds in civet and cinnamon. The
cinnamon grows among the mountains, and the civet is obtained in
large quantities from the many civet-cats which only this island
breeds. The natives in nearly all of the island are friendly; but
in the southern part along the river of Mindanao (which they call,
and is, another Nile in its grandeur and breadth), the people, with
those of some adjoining districts, are rebellious and turbulent,
and are enticed by the Ternatans, who have introduced there the
doctrine of Mahoma. As a result, both of those peoples are enemies,
not only to us, but to our friends in the same island. An incident
occurred there which I shall not fail to relate, to show the valor of
those islanders. While the Spaniards had their camps and garrisons
stationed on this river, together with some vessels anchored in the
water, there was celebrated the marriage of a friendly chief with
the daughter, or the sister, of another chief who dwelt farther up
the river; and the commander of that camp, as a token of friendship,
undertook to honor this event by despatching two galliots up the
stream to convey the bride. The Mahometan enemy, Silongan, who dwelt
in the district through which they must pass, upon learning that our
people had gone by, and when they were to return, made no attempt to
hinder their passage with the bride, although they were actually at
open war with us; but he went unprotected to the bank of the river
with dignified pace and sober garb, carrying a fan, and gazing with
much interest on the galliots and their passengers. Recognizing him,
our soldiers in the arrogance of youth, and in hatred to the enemy,
applied their matches, and fired a few shots. The bullets, which
were generously aimed at his feet, did not touch him, although they
fell near by; nor did they cause in him any more agitation or anger
than if the matter were some jest which he disregarded. This was the
courage of an enemy—one of the dwellers in the southern part of the
island; I will relate an instance of valor in a friendly native, an
inhabitant of the northern region of Mindanao. A man went out from
Botuan to fish upon the sea, embarking with his wife and children in
two separate boats. On returning to land when the fishing was over, the
man with his boat was somewhat farther from the shore; and the wife,
with their children in her boat, made more haste to reach the land, on
account of some vessels of Ternatans, which were coasting from point
to point—their enemies and ours, as I have said. These invaders,
seeing their prey alone and defenseless, were not willing to lose
it; accordingly, some of them went in a little skiff, and seized the
woman and the children, carrying them away captive. The poor wretch
who had been thus despoiled, reached the shore some distance behind
them; and seeing that he could not overtake them, began to shout to
them, standing on the beach, and was able to utter such insults to the
robber—calling him a coward, who laid his hands on women and children
alone—that he compelled the other to take up the challenge. He added,
that if he himself should be overcome, his wife and children would not
be unjustly plundered from him, but fairly won as spoils by dint of a
valiant arm. The Ternatan (who was no less spirited than valiant) came
to land, at this provocation, with the woman and the children. Having
placed the latter at one side, they furiously began their combat;
but as the native of Botuan was not only courageous, but fought with
justice on his side, that circumstance so aided him that, after some
attempts, he killed his adversary with two spear-thrusts, and departed
in contentment with his wife and children, whom he had gained anew.
The southern part of the island fell to the lot of Father Valerio
de Ledesma and Father Manuel Martinez, who went there early in
November of the year fifteen hundred and ninety-six. There not only
did the demons, upon their arrival, offer them visible opposition,
trying to affright and terrify them at night with horrible sights
and sounds—such as they are wont to display when God our Lord
permits them—but they found the inhabitants by no means tractable,
on account of their fierce and violent natures. But this was a sort
of test to which our Lord subjected them in order that He might soon
console them by the conversion of many chiefs—especially that of
one whom they had least expected to yield on account of his fierce
and warlike character and the terror which he inspired throughout
the region. This conversion was most edifying, and occurred in
the following manner. On a certain Sunday the fathers invited the
people to come to the church on the following Sunday, enjoining them
not to fail to be present; they heeded this injunction faithfully,
repairing to the church in great numbers. There they formed a class
of all the children, and under the guidance of one of the fathers,
who bore a cross, they marched in good order to a spot where were
explained to them some of the mysteries of our holy faith; thence
they returned to the church, where, before an assemblage of all the
people, Father Manuel Martinez preached a sermon. Our Lord inspired
his words with such force that he subdued their hearts, so hard and
obstinate; and in the very middle of the sermon Elian (for such was
his name) fell upon his knees, and eagerly and strenuously sought
baptism. This sight greatly affected many Spaniards who were present,
as well as the Indians who beheld this great change in their chief
(whom they greatly respected), and they were all moved to tears. This
emotion was increased by the action of the superior, Father Valerio
de Ledesma, who, having remained among the others to hear the sermon,
arose, while the audience were overcome by such emotion and wonder,
drew forth a crucifix, and, holding it in his hands, showed the great
obligations which we are under to that Lord who gave up his life
for our deliverance. By this means he enkindled even more the fire,
and aroused the force of heroic determination for right in Elian,
who at last approached the holy crucifix and kissed its feet with
profound reverence; and after him Osol and others performed the same
pious act. Thereupon Elian, desirous that he might not lose time
in a matter which so deeply concerned him, publicly announced that
anyone whom he owed, or to whom he might be under any obligation,
might come to him and be paid therefor. He divorced all but one of
his wives, and returning to each one the gold that was due for her
dowry, sent them all back to their homes. He himself remained in
our house to learn the prayers and catechism, in order to receive
baptism sooner. This conversion was a great help to the others, who
followed his example, saying: "If the father of us all is becoming a
Christian, what else is left for us to do?" A few days after that,
our fathers, having found this method and plan of converting these
peoples successful, gained another chief, from a different district,
by practically the same measures. The conversion of this chief,
and the condition of the Christian community there, are told by
Father Valerio de Ledesma in a clause of one of his letters, thus:
"Thanks to God, all the river is now seeking baptism, and one may
hear nothing else but the chanting of the doctrine throughout the
village and in the houses, whether the people labor, or row, or walk
about. I have visited all the houses, without exception, and have
so allotted the children who know the doctrine that while working
they may sing it and teach it to the others. As there are not enough
boys for every nouse, I have made arrangements that those who live in
neighboring houses should assemble in the chief of these, and respond
to the boy who sings. In those houses of prominent persons the singing
does not cease, day or night. All this our Lord has accomplished, by
subduing their headmen—especially Silongan, who by his many wives
(six in number), and the large buguei (that is, the dowry) which
he had given them, was held back as if by fetters: and yet he freed
himself from his bonds, by divorcing the five wives, and keeping only
his first one. Then, after a sermon by Father Manuel Martinez, he fell
upon his knees in public, and sought baptism; thereupon I embraced
him and drew forth a crucifix, which he adored. I encouraged him to
persevere, and those who were looking on to imitate him; and at that
it seemed as if all were conquered. On that day arrived a rich cargo
of silk and gold; we baptized a son of his, and he himself will receive
the sacrament when he shall learn the doctrine." Here the letter ends.
In the month of April of the same year, Father Juan del Campo, with
the brother Gaspar Gomez, had gone to the northern part of the island
to the great river of Mindanao, accompanying Captain Estevan Rodriguez
de Figueroa, governor of that island, who went with a well-equipped
fleet to pacify the rebels and expel the cursed sect of Mahoma. The
brother was soon obliged to return, for the purpose of conveying
to Manila the body of the governor, who unfortunately died on the
same day when he reached Mindanao. Father Juan del Campo was left
alone with the army, enduring many hardships with the soldiers, and
accomplishing good results among them, as well as among the friendly
Indians, about which he wrote a copious narrative. While so engaged
death found him, and carried him away—as I believe, when he was
certain of enjoying life—three months and a half after his arrival at
Mindanao. Although he died alone and without the sacraments, as there
was no one to administer them, he met death with great edification,
leaving in that camp a sweet odor of sanctity, and the title of a true
servant of God. He was a native of Sevilla, thirty-three years of age
and had spent eight years in the religious life; he was overflowing
with fervor, and so zealous for the good of souls that all—whether
Indians, Negroes, Spaniards, Chinese, or other peoples—ever found
him disposed to consider himself their debtor, and to succor them
with the utmost willingness and alacrity, for which reason he was
burdened with many toils and painful nights. He never lay down for
the purpose of slumber, but only when sleep seized him unawares in
the midst of his occupations. He possessed the gift of languages, by
which I mean that he learned many with great facility. He also had
the gift of ministering to various peoples and those of different
classes at the same time, thoroughly satisfying them all. At times
he delivered three discourses or sermons to the Spaniards in one day,
because the occasion demanded it. At the same time he did not neglect
the Indians with all their variety of tribes and tongues. It was a
providence of our Lord that he remained alive after the decease of
the governor; for with his good judgment and kindly disposition he not
only consoled and animated the army, but was of great service to them,
and gave them wise advice, in matters of importance which required
careful management. He scourged himself every morning when he arose for
prayer, and almost always wore a hair-cloth shirt. He never ate supper,
that he might be better prepared for his prolonged vigils, study, and
prayers. In fine, he employed so well the short time that he spent in
the religious life that I am sure that it was equivalent to a service
of many years. He lectured on rhetoric in our college of Avila and was
able to give instruction in theology. He fulfilled this office most
satisfactorily and profitably to his students, for his intellect and
erudition were very profound. On holidays and feast-days he rested
by going from village to village, preaching each day two, three,
or four sermons. His manner of treating persons was very gracious,
and consequently he aroused all Avila to fervor, ecclesiastics as
well as laymen. All regarded him as their apostle and teacher, and
so treated him, whether present or absent. Leaving that employment,
he went forth to the Filipinas, where he arrived, as we have said,
in June of the year one thousand five hundred and ninety-five. During
the voyage he was not idle, but rather kindled the fervor of all on
the ship with discourses and sermons, as I was told in his praise
by the commander of the fleet, and by the father commissary of the
Holy Office in the province of Pintados, the associate of the right
reverend bishop of Sebu. I conducted him to Leite where I left him
with Father Cosme de Flores as foundation-stones of Christianity in
that region, where they accomplished the fruitful results that I have
described. In Mindanao his greatest affliction was to find himself
alone, foreseeing, from his great labors and little strength, that
he had not long to live, and knowing that at his death he had no one
who might aid and console him. He thus expressed himself a very few
days before he died, to a soldier to whom he had just administered
extreme unction: "Render thanks to God that you have had some one to
administer to you at this hour the holy sacraments; unhappy wretch
am I, who have no one to do as much for me." But God our Lord, who
is a faithful friend, supplied this want, according him a glorious
death, with abundant consolation from heaven. A few of his pious and
devout followers received his body, burying it in the very chapel
where he celebrated mass—without funeral rites, but with grief and
tears, and concern that his bones should be preserved until borne
to a more worthy resting place. This was done as soon as his death
was made known; his remains were carried to Sebu, and laid in our
church, and solemn obsequies were celebrated. It fell to me to make
this journey, accompanied by Father Juan de Sanlucar, who went as
superior. The latter seeing that there was but little inclination
among those Indians for conversion as long as the Mahometan rebels
remained unsubdued, and that we were being occupied, not with them,
but with the soldiers of the camp, ministering to them as curas (the
office of a secular priest rather than ours), although he continued
these labors for almost a year (for I had returned immediately with
the remains), was finally obliged to retire from the field. The camp
was also withdrawn, and their fort there was dismantled.
(To be concluded.)
Relacion de las Filipinas, by Pedro Chirino, S.J.—This is translated
in full from the original printed work, from the copies owned by
Harvard University, and Edward E. Ayer, of Chicago.
All the rest of the matter contained in this volume is obtained from
the Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla. "Principal points in regard
to the trade of the Filipinas" is a rare printed pamphlet therein; all
the remaining documents are from the original MSS. in that collection,
their press-marks being thus indicated:
1. Expedition to the Malucas Islands.—"Simancas—Secular; Audiencia
de Filipinas; cartas y expedientes del presidente y oidores de dicha
Audiencia vistos en el Consejo; anos de 1600 a 1612; est. 67, caj. 6,
leg. 19."
2. Documents relating to commerce.—"Simancas—Secular; cartas y
espedientes de personas seculares de dicha Audiencia; anos de 1569-;
est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 34."
3. Letter from Morga.—The same as No. 1.
4. Chinese mandarins at Manila.—The same as No. 1.
5. Resignation by bishop.—"Simancas—Eclesiastico; cartas y
espedientes del arzobispo de Manila vistos en el Consejo; anos de
1579 a 1679; est. 68, caj. 1, leg. 32."
6. Letters from Benavides.—The same as No. 5.
7. Letters from the Audiencia and fiscal, July, 1603.—The same as
No. 1.
8. Letter from Acuna, July 20, 1603.—"Simancas—Secular; Audiencia
de Filipinas; cartas y espedientes del gobernador de Filipinas vistos
en el Consejo; anos de 1600 a 1628; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 7."
9. Letters from ecclesiastics, December,
1603.—"Simancas—Eclesiastico; cartas y espedientes de personas
eclesiasticas vistos en el Consejo; anos 1570 a 1608; est. 68, caj. 1,
leg. 42."
10. Uprising of the Sangleys—(a) Letter from the Audiencia: the
same as No. 1. (b) Letter from Santa Catalina: the same as No. 9. (c)
Letter from Benavides: the same as No. 5. (d) Letters from Acuna:
the same as No. 8.
[1] The viceroy of India from May, 1591 to May, 1597 was Matias
de Albuquerque; he was succeeded by Francisco da Gama, Conde de
Vidiguera, a grandson of the noted Vasco da Gama. On December 25,
1600, Ayres de Saldanha became viceroy, holding that office a little
more than four years. "During the 'captivity' or subjection to Spain
(1580-1640) India was governed entirely through the Casa da India at
Lisbon, and altogether in the interests of Portugal and the Portuguese
officials, who, as will be seen in vol. ii, jealously excluded Spanish
interference."—Gray and Bell, note in Voyage of Francis Pyrard
(Hakluyt Society's publication no. 76, London, 1887), i, p. 439.
[2] Galagala: the name of a coniferous tree (also known as piayo
and damar; Agathis orantifolia), which produces a resin that is
used for burning, for lighting, and for calking vessels. See Blanco's
Flora, p. 528; and U.S. Philippine Commission's Report, 1900,
iii, p. 282.
[3] Montero y Vidal recounts (Hist. de la pirateria, i, pp. 146-150)
the piratical raids made about this time by the Joloans and
Mindanaos. When they saw that the fort at La Caldera was abandoned,
they collected a force of three thousand men, in fifty caracoas, and
(July, 1599) invaded the coasts of Cebu, Negros, and Panay, ravaging
with fire and sword, and carrying away eight hundred captives. In
the following year these Moros came against the Spanish settlement
of Arevalo (now Iloilo), in Panay, with eight thousand men; but
they were repulsed by a handful of Spaniards, aided by a thousand
Indian allies. Gallinato led an expedition (February, 1602) against
the Joloans, inflicting considerable loss on them, but was unable
to reduce their forts; and he was compelled, by lack of supplies,
to return to Manila. In the summer of 1602 another Moro expedition
sallied out from Mindanao and harried all the northern islands, even
attacking Luzon; they carried away much booty and many captives. A
partial punishment was inflicted upon them by Spanish expeditions,
but they were not subdued; and the Moro pirates were a constant source
of terror and danger until recent times.
[4] Each paragraph is accompanied in the original MS. by a marginal
note summarizing its contents; this is here omitted, as containing
no additional information.
[5] This decree was issued at Lisbon, March 31, 1582, by Felipe II;
a copy of it (addressed to Penalosa) appears in the MS. from which
we have obtained this group of documents on the Maluco expedition.
A royal decree dated June 22, 1599, orders that all military
expeditions in the islands thereafter must be sanctioned by the
council of war, the cabildo of Manila, and the Audiencia.
[6] In 1526, the cabildo of the City of Mexico gave permission for the
citizens "to have their tepuzque gold converted at the smelting works"
into coin. "For two years oro tepuzque was exclusively used, and the
intrinsic value fluctuated so much that a standard was demanded. In
September, 1528 the cabildo adopted the resolution that all such money
should be examined and stamped." See Bancroft's Hist. Mexico, iii,
p. 669.
[7] Spanish, quando lo que se mada es cosa muy conueniente a la
Republica. The context would apparently require inconueniente,
"injurious to the commonwealth;" there is apparently this typographical
error of omission in the original printed text.
[8] The president and members of a tribunal of commerce, appointed
to try and decide causes which concern navigation and trade.
[9] Children resulting from the unions between Chinese and Indians
are known as zambaigos.
[10] In 1603 Monterey, then viceroy of Nueva Espana, was promoted
to the viceroyalty of Peru. The salaries of these offices were
respectively twenty thousand and thirty thousand ducats (Bancroft's
Hist. Mexico, iii, p. 2).
[11] The "piece of eight" was a coin having the weight and value of
eight reals of silver; the "piece of four," one of half that value.
[12] Reference is apparently made here to the preceding document,
"Principal points in regard to the trade of the Filipinas."
[13] See La Concepcion's account of the result of this expedition
(Hist. de Philipinas, iv, pp. 16-18). The Spanish troops joined the
Portuguese at Tidore, and together they besieged the Malay fort at
Terrenate; but after ten days the Portuguese refused to continue the
siege, and retreated; this compelled Gallinato, the Spanish commander,
to return with his troops to Manila.
[14] Daifu-sama: the official title of Iyeyasu, then the chief
secular ruler (Shogun) in Japan, which power he gained by his victory
at the great battle of Sekigahara (October, 1600). With him began
the Shogunate of the Tokugawa family, which lasted for two hundred
and fifty years. Iyeyasu labored to secure the peace of the empire,
both internal and external, and to this end undertook to eradicate
the Christian religion in Japan; and formed a code of laws for his
people. He was a man of high character and ability, and was deified
after his death. This event occurred in 1616, when he was seventy-four
years old. See Rein's Japan, pp. 293-303.
[15] La Concepcion describes this fire (Hist. de Philipinas,
iv, pp. 30-32); he states that the loss therein was estimated at a
million of pesos, "a loss which indicates how opulent was then the
city of Manila."
[16] The emperor of China at this time was Wanleh (see Vol. III,
p. 228); he died in 1620. See account of his reign (begun in 1572)
in Boulger's Hist. China, ii, pp. 153-204.
[17] Garbanzo: the chick-pea, a sort of pulse commonly used in Spain.
[18] The name of the Moro pirates who inhabit the little islands of the
Sulu group east of Tawi-tawi, and the islands between these and Borneo.
[19] These names are corrupt Spanish renderings of the Chinese
names Nanking and Peking. For accounts of the "Middle Kingdom," or
China proper, and its provinces, and the origin and meaning of their
various appellations, see W. Winterbotham's Chinese Empire (London,
1796), i, pp. 40 et seq.; and S. Wells Williams's Middle Kingdom
(New York, 1871), i, pp. 3 et seq.
[20] In the official transcript of this document furnished
us from the Sevilla archives, this word is written teatinos
("Theatins")—apparently the copyist's conjecture for an illegible
or badly-written word in the original MS. But the Theatins had no
establishments in the Philippines; and the mention of Chirino in
the second of these letters (next following this one) of Benavides
proves that he referred to the Jesuits (Spanish iesuitas), not to
the Theatins.
[21] "The see being vacant"—for Benavides had but just arrived at
Manila, and an interregnum of nearly five years had elapsed since
the death of his predecessor, Santibanez.
[22] Referring to a ceremony performed at mass, also known as the
"kiss of peace." This was given at mass from the earliest times, in
the various Catholic branches of the Church. In the Western churches,
"it was only at the end of the thirteenth century that it gave way
to the use of the 'osculatorium'—called also 'instrumentum' or
'tabella pacis,' 'pax,' etc.—a plate with a figure of Christ on
the cross stamped upon it, kissed first by the priest, then by the
clerics and congregation. Usually now the pax is not given at all in
low masses, and in high mass an embrace is substituted for the old
kiss, and given only to those in the sanctuary" (Addis and Arnold's
Catholic Dictionary, p. 497).
[23] Perez (p. 63) gives but little information regarding this
friar. He seems to have been in the islands as early as 1591, and from
1594 to 1603, engaged in various official duties. In the last-named
year he went to Spain and Rome, afterward going to Mexico, where he
acted as procurator in 1608.
[24] In this paragraph, as in one in the preceding letter of Benavides,
the official transcription of the text has teatinos, where "Jesuits"
occurs in the translation; but the mention of Chirinos shows that
the latter reading is correct. See note 20, ante, on p. 109.
[25] Spanish hermita (sometimes meaning "hermitage"); a reference
to what is now a suburb of Manila, situated on the shore of the bay,
and called Hermita or Ermita. "In its parish church is venerated,
with great devotion, the image of its tutelar saint, Our Lady of
Guidance—to which holy image were especially commended, in former
days, the ships from Nueva Espana" (Buzeta and Bravo's Diccionario,
ii, p. 77).
[26] This was the eldest daughter of Felipe III—Anna Maria, generally
known as Anne of Austria. Born in 1601, she was married at the age of
fourteen to Louis XIII of France; and after his death was regent during
the minority of her son, Louis XIV. She died on January 20, 1666.
[27] Diego de Guevara, belonging to a noble family in Spain, entered
in early youth the Augustinian order, at Salamanca. In 1593 he came to
the Philippines with a company of twenty-four missionaries, and held
various official positions in his order. In 1602 he founded a convent
in Bungo, in Japan. Sent to Spain in 1603, with news of the Chinese
insurrection, he did not reach the court until three years later;
he remained there until 1610, when he returned to the Philippines
as visitor for his order. From 1616 until his death in 1621, he was
bishop of Nueva Caceres.
[28] Spanish, reformados; literally "reformed," but referring to
those who belong to religious houses of strict discipline.
[29] A royal decree dated at Barcelona, June 13, 1599, orders the
governor and Audiencia of the Filipinas to take suitable measures
for restricting the number of Chinese allowed to live in Manila, or
in other parts of the islands. The copy of this decree preserved in
the Sevilla archives contains also an extract from a letter to Acuna
(dated November 29, 1603) in which he is thus directed by the king:
"You have been informed by other despatches of the difficulties (which
had been pointed out to the said Don Francisco [Tello] and other
persons) arising from the number of Sangleys who have remained in the
Parian of that city and its outskirts, so that you might be watchful
for the security of the country. The said Don Francisco writes at
present, that having examined into the matter, and conferred upon
it, he finds (as at that time appeared best) that the most expedient
way was to continue the measure that has been taken since he entered
upon that governorship—namely, that the ships which bring the said
Chinese be sent back [to China] each year full of people. In this
way they can be removed and the country cleared of them, with more
gentleness and kind treatment, as has already been done with many of
them. He thinks that if the captains of the ships are not allowed to
carry more than a hundred Sangleys, including sailors and merchants,
the desired object will be attained—that is, that there should not be
in the country more than three thousand Sangleys, including craftsmen,
gardeners, and workers in all trades. What seems best to us, and I
accordingly so charge you, is to make use of this means, or of others
which may appear to you expedient, so that the country may be secure,
and have only the Sangleys necessary for its service."
[30] This Silonga was one of the most noted of the Moro chiefs; he was
afterward converted by a Jesuit missionary. See account of the raid
made by Buhisan (Buycan), and of Acuna's efforts to suppress piracy,
in Montero y Vidal's Hist. Pirateria, i, pp. 148-152.
[31] Pedro Chirino was born in 1557 in Osuna of Andalucia. He graduated
in both civil and canon law at Sevilla, and entered the Society of
Jesus at the age of twenty-three. Having been appointed to the mission
in the Filipinas in place of Father Alonso Sanchez, he arrived there
in 1590 with the new governor, Gomez Perez Dasmarinas. He acted as
missionary to the Tagalos and the Pintados, and was superior of the
Jesuit colleges at Manila and Cebu. He cultivated the friendship of
Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa, whom he advised to found the college
of San Ignacio and the seminary of San Jose in Manila. On July 7,
1602, he left Cavite for Acapulco by the vessel "San Antonio" with
appointment by Visitor Diego Garcia as procurator of the mission, in
order to take immediate action in the affairs of the mission at both
the royal and pontifical courts. He obtained a decree from Father
General Claudius Aquaviva, by which the mission in the Filipinas
was elevated to a vice-province, independent of the province of
Mexico. His relation was written in 1603, and passed the censorship of
vice-provincial Luis de la Puente in Valladolid. On July 17, 1606, he
returned to Manila. The village of Taitai was removed to its present
site by him. His death occurred September 16, 1635. His biography
was written by Father Juan de Bueras in the annals of the province
of Filipinas for 1634-35, signed by the author in Manila, May 26,
1636; and by Father Pedro Murillo Velarde in part ii, book ii, chap,
i, of Historia de la Provincia de Philipinas de la Compania de Jesus.
Of the many manuscripts left by Father Chirino, I possess the most
important. It is the original manuscript, and is entitled Primera
Parte de la Historia de la Provincia de Philipinas de la Compania de
Jesus.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[32] Referring to Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Philipinas (Mexico,
1609). I have seen the only copy of the new edition of this work
published in Madrid, by Justo Zaragoza, in 1880—the only copy,
because the balance of the edition was sold as waste-paper, as its
sale was anticipated by the edition of Dr. Rizal published in Paris
in 1890.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[33] His death occurred in Mactan, on the morning of April 28,
1521.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[34] Chirino writes here somewhat inaccurately. Magalhaes and Loaisa
sailed directly from Spain, and went through the Strait of Magellan;
Saavedra was the first who went to the Philippines from Nueva Espana
(1527), and was followed in this route by Villalobos in 1542. See
accounts of these voyages in Vols. I and II of this series.
[35] Carlos V disapproved of Villalobos entering the Malucos, and
on this account was on the point of depriving the viceroy of Nueva
Espana, Don Antonio de Mendoza, of his office, as the latter had given
instructions as to the manner of performing the expedition.—Pablo
Pastells, S.J.
[36] Cosmo de Torres was born in 1510 at Valencia; he departed for
India in 1538, and was admitted to the Jesuit order by St. Francis
Xavier, on March 20, 1548. He was afterward sent to Japan, where he
began the work of christianizing that people. He died on October 10,
1570, after a long and arduous missionary career. (Sommervogel's
Bibliotheque, viii, p. 112.)
St. Francis Xavier's ministry in the Indias and Japan began in 1542,
and lasted ten years; he died on December 2, 1552.
[37] The name "Philipinas" was given to the islands by Villalobos, and
confirmed by Felipe II in a decree dated at Valladolid, and directed
to the viceroy of Nueva Espana, Don Luis de Velasco, September 24,
1559.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[38] The others were Andres de Urdaneta, Andres de Aguirre, Diego de
Herrara, Pedro de Gamboa. The sixth died at the port of Navidad. Father
Rada also died at sea, while returning to Manila from an expedition
to Borneo. Felipe II ordered his manuscripts to be collected and
preserved in the archives.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[39] See description of this incident, and illustration presenting
a view of the image (which is still in existence), in Vol. II of
this series, pp. 120, 217.
[40] See Loraca's account of the beliefs of the Moros, Vol. V,
pp. 171-175.
[41] An account of the festivities held in Manila in 1623 on the
occasion of the accession of Philip IV to the Spanish crown, includes
the mention of bull-fights. The festivities were attended by the entire
town, civil and political. This account, which contains valuable
social observations, is an extract from a manuscript owned by the
Compania general Tabacos de Filipinas, Barcelona, and was published
privately (1903) in an edition of 25 copies by Senor Don Jose Sanchez
Garrigos. It will be presented in this series, if space will permit.
[42] These winds are known as baguios or tifones (English
"typhoons"). See full account of them, with diagrams, tables,
etc. (prepared largely from data and reports furnished by the Jesuit
fathers in the Manila observatory), in U.S. Philippine Commission's
Report, 1901, iv, pp. 290-344.
[43] Diego Vazquez de Mercado, later archbishop of Manila.—Pablo
Pastells, S.J.
[44] Regarding this sharpening of the teeth, see Virchow's "Peopling of
the Philippines" (Mason's translation), in Smithsonian Institution's
Annual Report, 1899, pp. 523, 524. Jagor says—Travels in the
Philippines (London, 1875), p. 256: "The further circumstance
that the inhabitants of the Ladrones and the Bisayans possess
the art of coloring their teeth black, seems to point to early
intercourse between the Bisayans and the Polynesians." The Jesuit
Delgado mentions—Hist. de Filipinas (Manila, 1892), p. 328—the
custom of adorning the teeth with gold. Cf. Sawyer's Inhabitants of
Philippines, p. 342.
[45] In the margin (p. 9), are various references to
authors. "Book 7, chap. 2 and 56; and book 16, chap. 36,"
probably refers to the Naturalis historia of the elder
Pliny. "Ludovic. Vartom. Nauigat. lib. 5. cap. 12," refers to book 5,
chap. 12 of the Itinerario of Lodovico Barthema (Roma, 1510). Another
reference is to Thomas Malvenda's De Antichristo, book 3, chap. 12.
The word for "cane" here used is the Tagal name for several
species of the bamboo (Bambus), the largest and most useful being
B. arundo. Both this and the bejuco (Calamus) were commonly
mentioned under the general term canas ("canes," or "reeds,"):
and not only the bejuco, but one species of bamboo (B. mitis)
yields clear water as a beverage for man's use. See Blanco's Flora,
pp. 187-189.
[46] A marginal note (p. 9) opposite this line cites "book 13,
chap. 11," presumably of the same work that is mentioned in the
preceding note.
[47] The palmo was a measure of length used in Spain and Italy,
varying from eight and one-third to ten and one-third inches.
[48] The first Franciscan religious arrived at Manila June 24,
1577. These were fathers Fray Pedro Alfaro, Fray Pedro de Jerez, Fray
Pablo de Jesus, Fray Juan de Plasencia, Fray Juan Bautista Pesaro,
Fray Alonso de Medina, Fray Sebastian de Baeza, Fray Francisco
Mariano, Fray Diego de Oropesa, Fray Agustin de Tordesillas, Fray
Antonio Barriales, and Fray Francisco Menor, and two choristers and
lay brothers.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[49] Domingo de Salazar was born in Labastida (in Alavese Rioja) in
1512. He joined the Order of St. Dominic in 1546 at Salamanca; and at
forty years of age he went to Mexico. In 1579 he was appointed first
bishop of the Filipinas, and took possession of his seat in 1581. In
virtue of the bull Fulti proesidio, promulgated by Gregory XIII,
he erected the principal church of Manila into a cathedral church,
December 21 of the same year. Immediately thereafter he held the first
council, being assisted by both the secular and regular clergy. In
1591 he returned to Acapulco and Mexico, whence he went to Espana
in 1593. He died in Madrid, December 4, 1594, and was buried in the
church of Santo Tomas of his order.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[50] Don Gonzalo Ronquillo was born at Arevalo, of an illustrious
family. His father was a military officer, his grandfather a civil
magistrate, and his brother a distinguished warrior. From 1572 to
1575, Gonzalo Ronquillo served in the Audiencia of Mexico as chief
constable; then returning to Spain, he made an offer to the king
to conduct six hundred colonists to the Filipinas Islands. This was
accepted, and he was appointed governor of the islands, for which he
departed from Spain early in 1579. On the way he lost so many of his
colonists, by desertion or death, that only three hundred and forty
remained when he left Panama, February 24, 1580; they reached Manila
on June 1 following. In 1581 he founded the town of Arevalo on the
island of Panay. Ronquillo's death occurred at Manila, on February 14,
1583—caused, according to a letter written by his cousin Don Diego to
the king, by his grief at the proceedings of Doctor Sande from Mexico
in reprisal for the severe residencia which, by order of the king,
Ronquillo had taken of Sande's government.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[51] These auditors received two thousand pesos of nugget gold (oro
de minas) annually; and the president, four thousand pesos.—Pablo
Pastells, S.J.
[52] Dedo: originally, a finger (cf. French doigt): by extension,
a measure of length ("a finger's breadth"); see Vol. III, p. 201.
[53] Dr. Francisco de Sande, a native of Caceres, left Acapulco to
enter upon his governorship of the Filipinas, April 6, 1575, and
arrived at Manila August 25, entering immediately upon his duties.
Pedro de Chaves named in his honor the newly-founded city of Nueva
Caceres. Sande directed a personal expedition to Borneo, sailing
from Manila for this purpose March 3, 1578, accompanied by forty-six
native vessels. He took possession of that great island April 20,
and reentered Manila July 29 with twenty-one galleys and galleots,
six ships, one hundred and seventy pieces of artillery, and other
war material taken from the enemy. His governorship ended June 1,
1580.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[54] A small island between Sangir and Tagolanda (Vol. XI, p. 297).
[55] Sommervogel only mentions two priests of this name in the missions
of India, but both of them were of later date.
[56] The supreme pontiff, Gregory XIII, erected the episcopal see
of Manila December 21, 1581, with the publication of the bull Fulti
praesidio. Clement VIII elevated it into a metropolitan church August
14, 1591, assigning to it as suffragan, the churches of Cebu, Nueva
Segovia, and Nueva Caceres. To these was added that of Santa Isabel
de Paro in 1865, and lastly those of Lipa, Tuguegaras, Capiz, and
Zamboanga, in virtue of the apostolic decree Quae in mari sinico,
given by Leo XIII at St. Peter's in Roma, September 17, 1902.—Pablo
Pastells, S.J.
[57] "The balete tree (Ficus Urostigima—Sp.) corresponds to our
witch elm, and certainly at night has a most uncanny appearance. Each
of these great trees has its guardian spirit, or Ticbalan" (Sawyer,
Inhabitants of Philippines, pp. 214, 343). See also Blanco's Flora,
art. "Ficus." Chirino speaks of this tree as having no fruit; he must
have observed specimens which bore only sterile flowers.
[58] The Erythrina (indica, Lam.; carnea, Bl.); see Blanco's
Flora, pp. 393, 394, and Delgado's Historia, pp. 429, 430, for
descriptions of this tree (named by them dapdap).
[59] Anona, of several species; one is commonly known as
"custard-apple," another as "sour-sop." The species A. squamota
(Tagal, Ates) is regarded as producing the best fruit.
[60] A species of wild hog, Sus scropha. In all the large islands
of the Asiatic archipelago may be found wild swine, of various
species. "The flesh of the hog must have formed a principal part of
the animal food of the nations and tribes of the archipelago before
the conversion to Mohammedanism. It did so with the people of the
Philippine Islands on the arrival of the Spaniards, and it does so
still with all the rude tribes, and even with the Hindoos of Bali
and Lomboc" (Crawfurd's Dictionary, pp. 152, 153). See Zuniga's
Estadismo (Retana's ed.), ii, p. 438.*
[61] The Haraya is a Visayan dialect.
[62] That is, the most important things which happen to men in leaving
this world—death, judgment, heaven, and hell; this subject is also
included under the term "eschatology."
[63] They were Fathers Alonso de Humanes, superior, Juan del Campo,
Mateo Sanchez, Juan de Ribera, Cosme de Flores, Tomas de Montoya,
Juan Bosque, and Diego Sanchez. They left Acapulco March 22, and cast
anchor at Cavite June 10. Dr. Morga, appointed by virtue of a royal
decree, given at El Escorial, August 18, 1593, left Cadiz with his
wife and six children in February, 1594, and Acapulco on the same
date as the above-mentioned fathers. Under his charge was the aid
for the islands, taken to Manila by the galleons "San Felipe" and
"Santiago."—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[64] In Menology of the English Province, S.J. (Roehampton, 1874) is
the following notice (July 14): "At Manila, in the Philippine Islands,
in 1627, Father Thomas de Montoya, an Indian of Florida. After
thirty years of indefatigable labor among those nations, he died
by slow poison, given by the Bassians [Bisayans?] out of hatred
to the Faith." The statement regarding his nativity is, however,
erroneous. "Murillo Velarde states (Historia, lib. viii, cap. x,
no. 57) that this father was born, not in Florida, but at Zacatecas
(Mexico), in 1568. He entered the Society at the age of eighteen, in
the Mexican province, and passed over to that of the Philippines in
1595 (the year when it was formed). There he filled successively the
offices of Latin teacher at Manila, master of novices, and missionary
to the Pintados. These Indians poisoned him, after which it seems that
he returned to Manila, where his life was a continued martyrdom. To the
sufferings from the effect of the poison were added those of a violent
asthma. He possessed perfectly the Tagal language." (See Woodstock
Letters, 1900, vol. 29, pp. 154, 155.) He is also mentioned by Colin
(Hist. misiones, part ii, book iii, p. 334).—E.I. Devitt, S.J.
(Georgetown College).
[65] Francisco de Borja (Borgia), Duke of Gandia (a city in Spain),
entered the Jesuit order in 1551, becoming its general in 1565;
he held this office until his death, September 30, 1572. He was
beautified in 1624, and canonized in 1671.
[66] His remains are now entombed to the right of the transept of
the Cebu cathedral.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[67] Don Francisco Tello entered Manila July 14. He had left Acapulco
March 6, with Father Vera. The latter's companions were Fathers Lopez
de la Parra, Manuel Martinez, Valerio de Ledesma, Juan de Torres,
Gabriel Sanchez, Miguel Gomez, Juan de San Lucar, Francisco de Otazo,
Alonso Rodriguez, Cristobal Jimenez, Francisco de Encinas, Diego de
Santiago, Leonardo Scelsi, and Bartolome Martes.—Pablo Pastells,
S.J.
[68] Various Philippine languages were studied and systematized by
the first missionaries to the islands, although none of these works
were printed, so far as is known, before 1610. Probably the earliest
of these was a vocabulary of the language of the Cebu islanders, by
Martin de Rada (who died in 1580). Other early Augustinians composed
linguistic works as follows: Agustin de Alburquerque (died 1580) an
Arte, or grammar, of the Tagal language; Diego Ochoa (died 1585),
an Arte and vocabulary of the Pampango; Esteban Marin (died 1601),
Artes of Igorrote and Zambal.
[69] Spanish, actos solenes, i liciones de erudicion. At Manila, in
Chirino's time, there was only what is called collegium inchoatum;
but in ordinary colleges of the Society, with a complete order of
classes, it was the custom, at the solemnis instauratio studiorum,
for the prefect of studies or the professor of rhetoric to inaugurate
the year's work by delivering a "learned discourse," before the
whole academic body; and to this function the appreciative public
was invited. Sometimes the students gave a public exhibition of
their work and proficiency. This "solemn act" might be a dramatic
representation—an original play written for the occasion—or it
might consist of literary exercises on the part of the scholars, music
being also introduced. The technical name for these purely literary
exercises was an "academy," or "specimen;" and naturally they would
take place during the course of the scholastic year Such was the
custom of the age, in Spanish countries.—Rev. E.I. Devitt, S.J.
[70] Molave is the name of a tree whose wood is very hard and
highly valued for building purposes; it is called by the natives
"the queen of woods." The name molave is applied to several species
of Vitex. especially to V. geniculata, Bl.
[71] Pina: a silver design in the form of a pineapple.
[72] i.e., to scourge themselves, as a voluntary penance—a practice
then common among religious devotees. It was probably a survival from
the earlier practices of the associations of Flagellants, who publicly
scourged themselves, in penitential processions through the streets;
they appeared during the period 1260-1420.
[73] Cf. the belief of the Winnebago Indians regarding the fate of
departed souls (Wisconsin Historical Collections, xiii, p. 467).
[74] Golo: "the name of a charm for lovers, used by the ancient
Tagals" (Blumentritt, Dicc. mitologico, p. 51). Regarding this
book of charms, cf. Retana's Libro de aniterias (Madrid, 1894),
which reproduces a similar book, obtained from a Filipino native,
with explanations of such words and phrases as are intelligible;
it is preceded by extracts from the Practica of Tomas Ortiz, O.S.A.
[75] Evidently a reference to the serpents of the genus Python,
allied to the boa-constrictor. They attain enormous size in the
forests, some specimens having been obtained over twenty-two feet
long. Young ones are often kept by the natives in their houses to
kill the rats; these snakes become tame and harmless.
[76] In the printed work, on the margin opposite this and the following
sentences, are various references, thus: "Isaiah, 60; Isaiah, 9; Psalm
79; Isaiah, 66; Psalm 35, whereon 'B. Amb. Greg. II. moral. c. 2'"—the
last apparently a reference to St. (and Pope) Gregory I's Moralia
in Jobum (Basle, 1468?).
[77] In the margin of the printed page is a reference to Ezekiel, 8.
[78] Cf. Loarca's version of this and other myths, and his account of
the native beliefs and superstitious practices (Vol. V, pp. 121-141).
[79] The Tagals also called this bird tigmamanukin; its scientific
name is Irene cyanogastra, Meyer (Blumentritt's Dicc. mitologico,
pp. 34, 118). See Forbes's description of the "fairy bluebird" (Irene
turcosa) in his Naturalist's Wanderings in the Eastern Archipelago
(New York. 1885). p. 67.
[80] Naso (the native name for which is Siroan) and Potol are,
respectively, the southwest and northwest extremities of Panay
Island. Cf. the offerings made to rocks by the Huron Indians (Jesuit
Relations, x, p. 165).
[81] Probably referring to Cape San Agustin, the southeastern extremity
of Mindanao, at the eastern entrance of Sarangani Strait, where there
is always a heavy sea.
[82] For this reason it is called Puntas Flechas—Pablo Pastells,
S.J.
[83] In the margin of the printed work is a reference to "3 Kings,
16"—i.e., the first Book of Kings in the Protestant version of
the Old Testament.
[84] See accounts of the practices of medicine-men among the northern
tribes of the North American Indians, in Jesuit Relations, passim.
[85] Among the infidels of Mindanao there are still four kinds of
sacrifices: human, called pag-huaga, practiced by the Bagobos; that
of swine, or pag-balilig; that of chickens, or pag-talibong; and
the pag-cayag, which is a poured-out offering of rice. The baylanas
sacrifice the victim by thrusting into the heart or throat of the
animal a balarao or dagger, and suck the blood issuing from the
wound. Then they dance about the sacrifice in innumerable attitudes,
and sing, while trembling and making grimaces, the following stanza:
Miminsad miminsad si mansilatan
Vpud si Badla nga maga-dayao nang dunia.
Baylan managun-sayao,
Baylan managun-liguid.
afterward Badla will descend, who will give health to the earth. Let
the Baylanas [priests] dance, let the Baylanas dance about."—Pablo
Pastells, S.J.
[86] A marginal note in the printed work cites II Corinthians, 8.
[87] St. Marcellinus, the thirtieth of the Roman pontiffs, was elected
in 296 A. D., and died in 304.
[88] The following references appear on the margin of the printed page:
Boethius, Topica (Tolentino, 1484), book 2. Andreas Tiraquellus,
Ex commentariis in Pictonum cosuetudines, sectio De legibus
connubialibus (Parisis, 1513), law 4. Francisco Ribera, In librum
duodecim prophetarum commentarii (Salmanticae, 1587), Hosea, 3.
[89] Perez (p. 44) only records the various churches served by this
father, from 1596 to 1607, and his death in the latter year.
[90] Apparently at the point of Tinagoan, on Buad Island, off the
western coast of Samar.
[91] In the margin is a reference to II Timothy, 4.
[92] Piper betel; the method of using it as a stimulant is
described in Vol. IV, p. 22a. The coca to which the betel-nut is
here compared is the dried leaf of a Peruvian shrub (Erythroxylon
coca). of stimulant and tonic qualities. From it is obtained the
well-known anaesthetic cocaine.
[93] Marginal references (of which some throughout this page of
Chirino are too indefinite to be verified): II Paralipomenon (the
appellation, in Roman Catholic versions of the Bible, of the books
named "Chronicles" in the Protestant version), 16. Onuphrius, book 2.
[94] Marginal references: Fastorum Plutarchi in Sylla. Plinius,
book II, chap. 10. Ecclesiastes, 34. Sermo 15 of St. Jerome, 9.
[95] Marginal references: II Paralipomenon, 35. Job, 3. Aristotle,
cited by Varro, book 6.
[96] Marginal references: Judges, 4, and thereon Procopius of
Gaza—probably a reference to his commentaries, Commentarii in
Octateuchum (a Latin translation; Tiguri, 1555).
[97] Marginal references: Herodotus and Diodorus, book 3. Pineda's
Job, 3, v. 16—the Commentarium in Job libri tredecim of Joannes
de Pineda (of Sevilla).
[98] Marginal references: Josephus, Antiquitates, book 13,
chap. 15; book 16, chap. 11. Gregorius Giraldus, Syntagma de
funeratibus. Eustatius, on Homer, p. 393—referring to one of the
works on Homer by Eustathius of Thessalonica.
[99] Marginal references: Athenaeus, book 7. Alessandro Sardi (of
Ferrara), De moribus ac ritibus gentium libri III (Venetiis, 1557).
[100] A side note in the original gives the Hebrew dvmh duma,
which means "silences," and hence "sepulchres."
[101] Marginal references: Virgil, AEneid, 6. Hosea, 10,
v. 15. Pineda's Job, 3, v. 13.
[102] A marginal note refers to Ecclesiastes, 1; but it is not quoted
directly by Chirino, who seems only to use it as a suggestion for
his own thought.