was much deformed because of the danger of the mother. After it had
been washed likewise from the original sin in which all we children
of Adam are born, they both died, to the joy and wonder of that
minister at seeing the depth of the divine decrees in regard to the
predestination of those souls.

[Chapters iii, iv, and v treat of the European affairs of the order.]

Chapter VI

_All of the charges against the Reform are annulled by a brief, and
the fifth provincial chapter is held, with the prorogation which
they claimed. Two convents are established and a mission arranged
for the Philippinas_.

_The year 1616_

[By a papal decree of May twenty-one, new life is given to the
Recollect order, and their future assured. On the return of Father
Gregorio de Santa Catalina, the chapter which had been delayed until
that time was held. In this chapter, _discretos_ (or persons elected as
assistants in the council of the order) and visitors were abolished,
the latter having been found more expensive than useful. The title of
chief preacher was not to be given to anyone, as it tended to destroy
the democratic principles of the order. A section on the founding of
the college of Caudiel in Spain follows, and then the last section
of this chapter, which is also the last of this volume _in re_
the Philippines.]

_Foundation of the convent of Cabite_

Inasmuch as we have left our religious busily occupied in the lofty
ministry of the conversion of the infidels, it will be advisable for us
to turn our attention to them, on the present occasion, praising their
great zeal. Much more must we do so, since they advanced with so few
workers to do all that their forces were able, both in the preaching
of the gospel, and in the spread of their houses, in order that they
might serve with energy in the no small toil that was theirs. That
convent of Cabite seemed to be necessary; and they did not deceive
themselves, for, although only two leguas distant from Manila, it
is of considerable consequence for the conversion of many souls,
as Cabite is a port where men of not a few Asiatic nations assemble
for the sake of its commerce, which is remarkable. Hence that place
comes to be the largest one in the Philippinas Islands after the said
metropolis, and all the seamen live there, in order to be conveniently
near to its traffic and its trade. With such a motive, that convent
was founded by father Fray Andres del Espiritu Santo, and under so
good auspices that it has been of use to the service of God and to
the credit of the Reform, because of the spiritual blessing that it
has obtained, as well as by the esteem in which it has been held,
as the various people who come there from the most remote and distant
kingdoms have experienced the example and instruction of Ours. Divine
Omnipotence has there made illustrious, for the feeding of hearts, a
devout image of our Lady of Rule [_Nuestra Señora de Regla_]--modeled
from the one that protects and defends the Andalusian shores between
Cadiz and San Lucar--especially favoring through her means the poor
sailors in the continual dangers of their fearful duty. So many are
the vows that attest her miracles, that it would be a digression to
have to mention them.

While the useful foundation of that convent was being directed in
Philippinas, father Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel was in España, working
carefully and diligently in order to get the necessary despatches
to conduct helpers suitable for the prosecution of the spiritual
conquest that had been happily commenced among the Zambàles. The
vigilance employed by two commissaries to get the so desired subsidy
for his brothers was disappointed by death, and by the opposition
we have already related. Consequently, the few who were fighting
the devil in the enclosure did not desist, and sent the above-named
father--since he was the most fitting person that could be found for
the attainment of such an enterprise--to whom they consigned papers of
great moment, as a testimonial of the work and of the fruit which they
were gathering with the gain of souls. Our calced fathers themselves
affirmed it, to the confusion of those who here opposed father Fray
Francisco de la Madre de Dios, and their ministries and desires. The
father embarked with great haste, but as he was coming on an affair of
heaven, misfortunes were not wanting in the world, and he endured very
heavy ones. He himself mentioned them in a relation that he made to
Pope Urban Eighth at the latter's command, when he reached his feet,
as the ambassador of certain schismatic princes of the Orient (as we
shall relate in detail when we come to the year of that event). The
father declares, then, that having suffered a severe storm amid the
islands--during which the vessels anchored at Manila were wrecked--he
sailed immediately toward Japòn. Thence, after suffering other
tempests, they finally sighted Cape Mendocino in forty-four degrees
of latitude. Then coasting along the shores of Nueva España (which
was composed of inaccessible mountains), and through unknown seas
(in which he saw great monsters), for the distance of one thousand
leguas, he sighted the cape of San Lucas. There the gulf of the
Californias begins. The father anchored in Acapulco, the best of the
ports known to the pilots, after having spent more than seven months
on the voyage. He went to Mexico and to Vera Cruz; and, continuing
his journey and encountering a new storm on the ocean, was driven to
the coasts of Terranova [_i.e._, Newfoundland] and of Labrador. As a
consequence so much shortness of food was experienced that only two
onzas of biscuit were given to each man, and about the same amount
of water. The ship began to leak, so that it was as if by a miracle
that it was able to put in at the Terceras. There they refitted, and
the father finished his navigation, by coming to Cadiz, after having
made to that point from Manila seven thousand one hundred and sixty
leguas, in the manner that we have seen. Thence he went to Madrid,
and was given favorable audience; and everything that he petitioned
was conceded to him. But when twenty religious had been assembled,
although they were even about ready to sail in the fleet that was
being sent with reenforcements to the Malucas, the father's luck
turned against him with the order that was received, for the boats
that were ready not to sail. Consequently, he was accommodated on
the fleet of Nueva España, but with very few religious. However they
proved to be many, because of the lack of religious in the ministries
and convents of the Indias....

General History of the Discalced Religious of St. Augustine By Fray
Luis de Jesus [42]

Decade Fourth

Chapter First

_The Augustinian Reform is erected, by pontifical favor, into a
congregatión, divided into provinces, and governed by a vicar-general._

[The first eleven sections of this chapter relate to affairs in
Spain, and contain matters touching the order at large, as well as
the affairs of various districts, and others pertaining to the lives
of various religious of the order. The balance of the chapter deals
with Philippine matters, as follows.]

_Year 1621_

§ XII

_Foundation of the convent of Zibù in Filipinas_

During this year of twenty-one, when our discalced order was erected
into a congregation in España, the number of our houses in the
Filipinas Islands was increased by the efforts of the zeal of the
religious who were attending therein to the service of God and the
welfare of so many souls, who were in need of ministers to lighten
them with the divine word upon the pathway of the Lord. Sovereign
Providence, then, arranged that our discalced should have a convent
in that island of Zibù. It has been a station for the entrance of the
publication of the faith of Christ our Lord to many distant provinces
of barbarous and blinded people.

The famous Magallanes discovered it in the year 1521. It has a
circumference of less than one hundred leguas. Its inhabitants are
called Pintados, because they have various designs on their bodies,
which they make with iron and fire. They were formerly regarded as
lords and chiefs of the other neighboring provinces, for they made
themselves feared by their great valor. Adelantado Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi gained it by force of arms from its king Tupas in the year
1575 [_sic_], and founded there the city of Nombre de Jesus, because
an image of the most holy child Jesus, one-half vara tall, was found
there in the house of an Indian. The Observantine fathers possess
that image in a convent that was built in the same house and on the
same site; it had before been owned and venerated by the heathen,
and is today frequented by the Catholics, who find there relief for
their needs. The city lies in the eastern part, and has a good port,
while there are other ports found in the island. There, then, did the
most pious bishop, Don Fray Pedro de Arce (of the order of our father
St. Augustine, and a son of the most observant province of Castilla,
and of the convent of Salamanca--where he professed in the year one
thousand five hundred and seventy-nine, while father Fray Antonio Muñoz
was prior), solicit our discalced to found a convent; for, although
they had been the last in arriving at Filipinas, he hoped that they
were not to be the last in the work of the vineyard of the Lord.

The bishop assigned the site in a chapel dedicated to the conception
of our Lady, somewhat apart from the traffic of the city, so that,
accordingly, the religious could give themselves more quietly to
prayer. He adjudged them also the spiritual administration of an islet
and small village called Maripipi, not very far from Zibù. About
six hundred souls were instructed there by Ours with great care
and vigilance. The erection of that convent was accomplished by
father Fray Chrisostomo de la Ascension, who was its first prior. He
erected a small building, that afterward was rebuilt because of an
accidental fire, and extended so that now it is a very comfortable
dwelling, well suited to purposes of devotion. That convent has a
devout confraternity of Our Lady of Solitude [_Nuestra Señora de la
Soledad_.] On Holy Thursday, a solemn procession is made after the
ceremony of the descent of Christ from the tree of the cross. That
procession, passing through the streets of the city, is a great
edification and consolation to the faithful.

§ XIII

_Foundation of the convent of San Sebastian outside of the walls of
Manila in Filipinas_

The very devout and pious gentleman Don Bernardino del Castillo
Ribera y Maldonado was so good a benefactor to our discalced that
his generosity, which could not be satisfied within the circuit of
the walls of Manila, desired that we should make an experiment about
one-half legua from them. There as he had an estate which occupied
all that site, called Calumpan, to the boundaries of a little village
named Sampolog, and in its midst a well-built bit of a house, he made
an entire gift of it, so that a monastery might be built, in which the
religious could live retired, and, free from the excitement of the
city, give themselves up with more quietness to prayer. Father Fray
Rodrigo de San Miguel--whose heroic labors will give us considerable
of which to write--took possession of the estate, and remodeled the
said house in the form of a convent. The aforesaid master-of-camp
and castellan of the fort, Don Bernardino, was of great help, and it
was completed in time. The said village of Sampolog was assigned to
the care of the religious, so that the more than three hundred souls
that it contained should be instructed and taught there by them.

The comfort of the site was increased, so that the provincials have
chosen it as their place of habitation, because of the quiet that
is enjoyed there, as well as for its pleasantness, which serves as
a just recreation to the continual fatigue that their government
brings with it. One would believe that God looked on that house with
pleasure, for, during the cruel rising of the Sangleys, or Chinese,
it suffered no considerable damage, although they set fire to it in
various parts with the desire of leaving not even a memory of it. We
piously believe that the queen of the angels, our Lady, defended
it, as being her dwelling; for a very holy image is revered there,
under the title of Carmen. Although that image is small in stature,
it is a great and perennial spring of prodigies and favors, which
she performs for those who invoke her. Our religious took it from
Nueva España, and even in that very navigation she was able to make
herself known by her miracles.

Don Juan Velez, dean of that cathedral, was very devoted to our
discalced Recollects. Upon finding himself in the last extremity of
life, to which a very severe illness brought him, he requested that
that holy image, which had been but recently taken there, be carried
to his house. So lively was his faith, accompanied by the prayers of
the religious, that he immediately received entire health on account
of so celestial a visit. As a thank-offering for that favor, the
pious prebendary made one of the most famous feasts that have been
in that city. He founded a brotherhood, with so many brethren that
they exceed four thousand. Consequently, that most holy image is
daily frequented with vows, presents, and novenas, thank-offerings
of the many who are daily favored by that queen of the skies.

Finally, in this year of our narration was sent the sixth mission of
religious, which the father procurator, Fray Francisco de la Madre
de Dios, arranged in España for those islands; and he obtained by
his great energy authority from the Catholic monarch to take twelve
religious there to increase the number of the laborers in the vineyard
of the Lord.

That year died father Fray Alonso Navarro, and father Fray Antonio
Muñoz. Mention was made of the first in the first volume, decade i,
chapter 6. Mention will be made of the second in this fourth decade
of this volume, chapter 9, in the foundation of the convent of Panamà,
§ 9.

Chapter Second

_The apostolic see confirms what was enacted in the first general
chapter of the reform. Other new privileges are conceded. The preaching
of our religious in Filipinas spreads._

_Year 1622_

[Papal favor, with the confirmation of the enactments made by the
first general chapter of the Recollects held in Madrid, puts the
reformed order on a tolerably firm footing, and they are able to
proceed with their missionary and other efforts with more peace of
mind. The first section of the present chapter relates entirely to
the affairs of the order at large. The Philippine narration is again
taken up in section ii.]

§ II

_Preaching of our discalced Recollect religious in the province of
Caragha. Description of the country, with detailed and interesting
information._

¶The divine Mercy scattered his accustomed favors upon the province
of San Nicolàs of Filipinas that year. For its zealous sons, desiring
to propagate the holy gospel, but lacking sufficient workers, busied
themselves in preserving what had been acquired, until the arrival of
very good companions [of their order], when they undertook to go to
the province of Caragha, a very principal portion of the island called
Mindanao. That island rivals that of Luzòn in size. It is one hundred
and fifty leguas distant from Luzòn, and is more than three hundred in
circuit, counting promontories and indentations. Its greatest length
is one hundred and thirty-six leguas, namely, from the point of La
Galera to the cape of San Augustin. It has flourishing villages,
especially along the shores of the rivers, which are large and not
few. One which flows out of the famous lake of Malanao is larger than
the others. That lake is formed from other rivers which dash down from
the mountains. The shape of the lake is oval, and its circumference
fifty leguas or more, according to report. Its greatest diameter is
only sixteen leguas, with its points and bays, and without the latter
it is only twelve. In short, that lake is considered as one of the
most famous in the world. Its marge is extremely fertile in rice and
other food products, which abound in the Bisayas. Its mountains are
clothed with cinnamon-trees, brasil-trees, ebony, orange, and other
trees that bear delicious fruit. On the lowlands are bred abundance
of deer, buffaloes, turtle-doves, and fowls, besides other kinds
of game-birds. But in the rough country are sheltered wild boars,
civet-cats, and other fierce and wild animals.

There are certain birds that possess remarkable characteristics. The
one called _tabon_ is found on the coast of Caragha. [43] It is smaller
than a domestic hen, and very like it [in appearance], although not
in affection for its young. It lays its eggs, which are three times
larger than those of our hens, in sandy places, and easily buries
them in a hole about one braza deep. That done, it abandons them,
and never returns to examine them again. Thereafter, the preservation
of those birds being in the care of divine Providence, the heat of
the sun quickens and hatches them, and the chicks, leaving the shell,
also break out of the sand above them, and gradually get to the surface
in order to enjoy the common light; and thus, without any further aid,
they fly away. If it happens that the chick in the egg is buried with
its head down, it does not get our, for upon breaking the shell and the
sand, it continues to dig always downward, as that is the direction
that its head has; and as it misses the road it gets tired and dies,
and its cradle serves as its tomb.

Quite different from the _tabon_ is another bird called _cagri_,
which is not found outside of Mindanao. [44] Its shape resembles
that of the bat, although it is much larger. It has no wings, but
only a membrane resembling a cloak, which falls from its shoulders
and covers it even to its feet. That enables it to pass from one tree
to another, but it cannot soar like other birds. It spreads out that
membrane when it wants to, and it is not without a tail. Its eyes
and head resemble those of a very graceful little dog, and its hair
is very soft, and at times colored with various colors, pleasing to
the sight. It bears so great affection to its young that it carries
them hanging to its breasts, just as women do, without leaving them,
although it climbs, flees, or runs.

The reader will not be wearied with knowing the characteristics
of another animal called _hamac_. It resembles a monkey, although
the head is very round. Its eyes are golden, and very beautiful and
large. Its tail is very large and serves it as a seat, and it neatly
wraps itself about with it. It does not use its feet to walk; for,
in order to go from one part to another, it lets its tail drop,
and supporting itself on it, leaps as it wishes. It is not seen
by day, because it keeps quiet until night, when it looks for its
food, which is only charcoal. [45] All its friendship is with the
moon. Accordingly, seated on a tree, it awaits the moon, until the time
when it shines. It looks at it fixedly without winking, from the time
when it begins to shine until it hides itself. When the dawn comes,
that animal loses its sight and returns to its dwelling. If anyone
discovers it, that animal takes pains to look at him, and measures
and takes note of his person with his sight, from top to toe. That is
usually a cause for fear, to those who do not know that characteristic;
but, if he knows it, that threatening causes him no fear. Finally,
concluding the description of that island, the reader must know that it
is called Cesarea, in memory of the unconquerable Charles Fifth--a name
that was given it by Bernardo de la Torre, captain and master-of-camp
of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, in the year 1543; and under that name it
was designated by the documents and writings of that period.

§ III

_Customs of the inhabitants of that island_

Coming to the customs of the inhabitants of that land, we have to
note their common tradition, namely, that the first inhabitants were
blacks. Their barbarous descendants are preserved in the thickest
forests and in the most retired mountains. They have no regular
house, but stay where night overtakes them. They go almost naked,
for they only cover the shame of nature with the bark of certain
trees. Some of them have been seen to wear certain cloths made from
cotton, called _bahaquer_. They use the bow and arrow, and very keen
knives, with which they can sever the head of a man from the body at
one stroke. Their employment is to go in search of Bisayan Indians,
who live in the districts nearer the rivers and seashore; for they
hate the latter with fury because these have, as they give out,
usurped their own land.

It has been learned from serious and trustworthy persons that tall and
very ugly men have been discovered in those dense forests, whose feet
are turned backward. They live on the flesh of wild game, tree-roots,
and fish, without doing any work. The very sight of those men was so
terrifying that he who unfortunately chanced to see any one of them
was left cross-eyed and squinted forever, just like those whom we
call _vizcos_ [_i.e.,_ "cross-eyed"]. An eyewitness of this piece
of information confirmed this, who declared that he had seen and
known certain Indians who were almost squint-eyed from the effect
produced by the glance of those monstrous men. Those Indians say
that their speed is such that they can catch the swiftest deer by
running; and that upon catching those said Indians, the wild men
talked very confusedly among themselves, but afterward left the
captives hanging to some trees--whence they descended with great
risk, and were left squint-eyed, because of having looked at those
enormous barbarians. Some years later, another eyewitness who had
experience in the affairs of that island added that such monsters,
called _tecmas_, had been seen with ears misshapen because of their
size, and that their mouth was like that of a dog; while they were
so hideous in face and teeth that they caused great fright.

According to this information, these Indians have languages that are
very diverse, with peculiar characters. But they almost universally
talk the Bisayan, which is common and peculiar to Zibù, the head of
the other provinces called Pintados. Those Indians and the Caraghas,
with their other neighbors, go partly naked; for they cover the
lower part of the body, while they wear certain twisted cloths on
the head in the manner of a crown, or the duliman of the Turks,
but without the little bonnet that the latter are wont to wear. The
women are entirely covered, while, to protect themselves from the sun
and other inclemencies of the weather, they use curiously woven hats
of palm-leaves.

Their manner of religion was to adore, some the sky, and others the
moon; or their now deceased ancestors; or the mountains or woods in
which they believed their ancestors to dwell, accompanied by certain
deities, enjoying perpetual tranquillity. They regarded it as certain
that those who had been most valiant and tyrannical in this life were
deified, and also that there was eternal punishment for some. Others,
finally, reverenced most ugly idols made of stone or wood, which they
called _divatas_. There were different kinds of such idols: some
being destined for war, and others for sickness, sowing, and such
objects. They were rendered furious by thunder, and defied the deity
whom they supposed to have sent it; they called out loudly to it,
and if that did not suffice, they took arms against it.

It is said that the ridiculous Alcoran of the Mahometans had
penetrated even to that land from the Orient, having been taken
there by certain zealots of that infamous sect, who were trying to
extend it. However their efforts and false preaching availed them
little; for the inhabitants of those islands were very much given to
intoxication, and very fond of eating flesh forbidden by that false
law. Consequently, that error took root in very few of them.

They had no certain days established throughout the year for their
sacrifices, but made them as time and opportunity offered. They were
punctual in offering these when they were going to fight. War was
their universal inclination, because of their bestial and ferocious
appetite to rob and to go on raids, committing depredations on
the neighboring islands, and making slaves of all the people who
came to their hands. They also offered sacrifices in sickness, the
beginnings of their sowings, the building of their houses, and for
other necessities. The duties of priest were exercised indifferently by
both men and women, called _baylanes_. They made use of superstitions,
lots, witchery, and other ceremonies.

The method of their ceremonies was as follows. Those who were to be
present were summoned, handsomely dressed and adorned, by the sound
of certain harsh bells (or, rather, unmusical cattle-bells) to the
house where it seemed best--for they had no assigned temple--which
was adorned with herbs and flowers. While they were waiting for all
to gather, those who first came began certain songs, alternating
between men and women, in time to the sound of a small drum. The
victim was already prepared. It was either a hog or some captive,
whose hands and feet they tied as if he were a young sheep. All the
invited ones having arrived, the priest or priestess began their
barbarous function by going into a private retreat beforehand, where
he made six conjurations; and, after the devil had entered his body,
he left the retreat with infernal fury to explain the oracle which
all were awaiting. Then the priest, taking a small lance in his hand,
danced about the sacrifice to the music of certain cattle-bells and
rustic instruments. Finally, on reaching the animal or captive, the
priest wounded it, and the bystanders killed it with spear-thrusts
and blows. When the victim was dead, if it were a man, they cast it
into the sea; if it were an animal, they quickly skinned, cooked,
and ate it, drinking until they became intoxicated. But they kept
something for the absent ones, as a relic, also reserving the most
choice portion (generally the head), on a table that resembled an
altar, for the devil whom they called the _divata_. No one touched
that portion except the baylan, who afterward threw it into the water
very reverently. The sacrifice was concluded with that ridiculous
ceremony. However, they were wont to add certain other ceremonies,
according to the purposes for which the said sacrifices were being
made, as for instance in war. At such times, after their intoxication
was over, they went to the shore of the river or sea; and, after
launching a small boat, the baylan jumped into it, at the same time
making his lying conjurations. If the boat moved, it was taken as a
good sign, but if it were immovable, it was intimated to them that
that war should not be made, unless they repeated the sacrifices.

They also made use of another ceremony to ascertain whom each one
would capture. Each one kept in his house a great number of the teeth
of the crocodile or wild boar, strung on a cord. He handed those to
the priest very humbly. The latter received them with many salaams,
ordained so that they should have reverence for him. Then he said
certain badly-pronounced words ordering such teeth to move themselves,
by whose number the said baylan prophesied those who would remain
captive in the power of the owner of the string. In the same way they
cast other lots, in order to ascertain the future and its accidents.

§ IIII

_Continuation of the same_

When about to go rowing or sailing, they prayed to the promontories
or capes, attributing to them worship, as to the gods of war, with
very sad cries. They watched to see if a certain bird appeared,
called _limocòn_, similar to the turtle-dove of Europa. If they
saw it in the direction that they were taking, it was a bad sign,
and they did not leave the port. They also considered the _toco_ or
_taloto_--called _chacon_ by our Spaniards, and very like the lizard
[46]--as inauspicious. They feared the latter wherever they found
it, as a thing very contrary to their designs. While the war lasted,
they did not eat of the fish called _pulpo_ [47] or of any other fish
caught in a net. For they believed that if they tasted of that, they
would become blind; while, if they ate of the others, they would lose
the victory and would be made captives. They thought that if they ate
with a light, they would be conquered; and consequently, never did
they strike a light to eat, even though night had fallen. Those who
remained in the village did no work for seven consecutive days; for,
if they did not do that, they feared the defeat of their companions. On
returning victorious, they asked their nearest dead relative, with
their rude prayers (having stopped their boats), whether he would
like to have a part in the taking of the captives whom they had. If
the boats moved--which was but natural and necessary, since they were
in the water--they believed that he assented. Thereupon, taking the
best slave, they bound him hand and foot; and, taking him ashore,
they passed the boat over him with great force and weight until they
killed him with brutal cruelty. The sacrifice was concluded in the
house with the death of another captive, who was killed by the wife
of the conqueror.

They showed themselves very dutiful toward their dead, burying them
with lamentations and remarkable minuteness of detail, increasing or
lessening the obsequies according to the quality and worth of their
actions. The nearest relatives were careful to close their mouths, for
they feared lest the soul of the dead would enter into their bodies
and do them a great deal of harm. Then they began their mourning by
lugubrious songs, which one of the kin intoned, while the others were
very attentive in order to respond, in time, with fearful cries. That
lasted more or less time according to the excellence of the deceased,
whose exploits were mentioned with great exaggeration. The friends and
acquaintances came in, both to console them and to become intoxicated,
which formed the relief for that sorrow. Only the mourners, who wore
white, refrained from drinking, in order that they might receive the
compliments of condolence soberly and in a dignified manner.

So great was their devotion to the souls of their parents and
grandparents (whom they called _humalagar_), that they always
offered them food in their banquets, especially when they finished
any house, thinking that they themselves would die if they failed in
that. They did the same with the first yield of their fruits. When
they became sick, they invoked these ancestors to aid them, as we do
the saints. Then they summoned certain old witches, who were their
physicians. They respected the latter so greatly that, from the day
on which they entered their doors, no fire was lit in that house, as a
sign of great reverence. The medicines applied were after consultation
with the devil, in the shape of a little idol or a very ugly figure of
a man or woman, whom they asked for the life of the sick person. If
the idol moved, it was a sign of death, just as remaining still was
a sign of life and health. They made the same tests in the water,
by putting a boat in it, and observing from a distance its state of
quietness or motion.

During the time that those barbarous obsequies lasted, it was
unlawful for anyone to go to any place where the deceased had gone,
or where he had bathed, under penalty of the culprit's losing
his life immediately. After the days for the mourning had been
completed, they covered the eyes and mouth of the corpse with sheets
of gold. They carried it to the field in a coffin, and into distant
caves or sepulchers among themselves; and buried it, together with
a male servant if the deceased was a man, or a female servant if the
deceased was a woman, so that such person might serve them, as they
thought that that was necessary in the other life. Thus did the dead
and living go hand in hand, without any recourse or dispensation. Such
servants of the deceased were set apart for that purpose from their
childhood, and were called _atabang_. If the deceased was rich, a
greater number of servants was added. This is confirmed by the event
that was rumored in the island of Bohol shortly before Miguel Lopez
de Legaspi arrived at Zibù; for those people placed seventy slaves
in the sepulcher of one of those barbarians, all arranged in order
in a little ship, which they call _caracoa_--which was provided with
anchors, rigging, and everything else, even arms and food, as if it
had been launched in the sea.

Of the aforesaid, it is well known that that people believed in the
error that the soul went with the body, and that they were maintained
in the other life as in this. Consequently, they placed the most costly
clothes in the sepulchers. The relatives added others, and even arms,
if the deceased was a man, and the instruments of her domestic labor
if a woman, together with all the other dishes and jewels of the house
(not even excepting gold and precious jewels), in accordance with
their taste, so that these might be enjoyed in the other life. The
food was carried to them for the space of one year, and it was placed
on an adorned table every day. When it was taken there, the food of
the preceding day was taken away. That they threw into the water, and
no one dared to touch it, as it was a sacred thing. They generally
built a hut over the grave, so that the deceased should not suffer
from the inclemency of the weather.

If the death were by violence, vengeance pertained to the children,
and in default of children to the nearest relative. The sign of that
obligation was to place certain armlets on the arms, as for instance,
twigs of osier, more or less according to the station of the dead. Upon
killing the first man whom they encountered--even though he were
innocent--one armlet was removed; and thus they continued to kill
until all the rings were removed from the arms. The avenger did not
eat anything hot, or live in a settlement, during that wicked and
barbarous vengeance.

Each year every relative punctually celebrated the obsequies, and that
was a very festive day. They gathered a great quantity of food and
beverages; they commenced many joyful dances; they stuffed themselves
with what was prepared, taking some to their houses, and reserving the
greater portion to offer to the _divata_, and to the deceased, in the
following manner. A small bamboo boat was prepared, with much care,
and they filled it with fowls, flesh, eggs, fish, and rice, together
with the necessary dishes. The baylan gave a talk or a prolix prayer,
and finished by saying: "May the dead receive that obsequy, by giving
good fortune to the living." Those present answered with great shouting
and happiness. Then they loosed the little boat (sacred, as they
thought), which no one touched, and whose contents they did not eat,
even though they were perishing; for they considered that a great sin.

§V

_Vices of the inhabitants of that island_

The vices of that people were indeed enormous. They were never lovers
of peace among themselves, and always were anxious for continual wars,
which they carried on at the slightest excuse. All their desire was to
rob and capture on land and sea, although they had in their ancient
times condemned theft severely. Their arms consisted of a lance;
a long, narrow shield which covered the entire body; and a dagger
resembling a broad knife, with which they easily cut off the head of
him whom they conquered, which was their greatest delight. They also
used bows and steel-pointed arrows with skill.

Their greed was insatiable, although they were lazy and slothful; and
for that reason they practice unheard-of usury. There is no trace of
reason or justice in them. If one lent another a short measure of rice,
the debtor was obliged to return it in a certain time. If he did not
have the wherewithal to return it, he became a captive, and had no
redress; for the judges, who should have prevented that oppression,
were the first to practice that offense. That was the practice between
peers. If the business were with any chief, the poor wretch remained
a slave forever, even though the sum were for only four reals. They
made a distinction in those captivities; for if one were born of a
slave woman, and a free father, or the contrary, such a one remained
a half slave. Consequently in order for the accomplishment of his
service to his master, it was sufficient for him to serve for six
months scattered along through the twelve of the year. If he were the
child of parents both half slave, he was obliged to serve one month,
remaining free the three following; then he served another month,
continuing in this manner his servitude. Likewise, when a freeman
and a slave had many children, the chiefs were wont to set some free,
while the others remained slaves forever.

Their intoxication and lust went to excess. They had what wives they
could support, and did not exempt among them their sisters and their
mothers. Marriage consisted in the will of the parents of the bride,
and the suitor paid them the dowry, although it was not handed to them
until after they had children. If either of the parents were dead,
the dowry was given to the nearest relative. They were divorced with
ease, but it was on condition that if the husband solicited it he lost
what was given to his parents-in-law; but if the wife procured it,
the dowry was restored. If adultery were proved, the aggressor and the
aggrieved [husband] came to terms--the same being done in the case of
the wife--in regard to the sum that was agreed upon, after considerable
haggling, and they generally remained fast friends. Consequently,
some husbands were wont to make a business of that, such was their
barbarism, arranging tricks, and providing occasions for their wives
to repeat their adulteries, in order that they might derive infamous
gains. If the culprit had nothing with which to pay, he became a
captive or lost his life. Divorce was very frequent, and agreement was
made to divide the children between husband and wife for their support.

They gloried in knowing charms and in working them, by consulting the
devil--a means by which some made themselves feared by others, for
they easily deprived them of life. In confirmation of this assertion,
it happened, according to the recital of one of our ministers, that
while he was preaching to a great assembly one Indian went to another,
and breathed against him with the intent of killing him. The breath
reached not the Indian's face, however, but an instrument that he
was carrying, the cords of which immediately leaped out violently,
while the innocent man was left unharmed. The philosophy of such
cases is that the murderer took in his mouth the poisonous herb
given him by the devil, and had another antidotal herb for his own
defense. Then, exhaling his breath in this manner, he deprived of
life whomever he wished. They used arrows full of poison, which
they extracted from the teeth of poisonous serpents. They wounded
and killed as they listed, by shooting these through a blowpipe,
which they concealed between the fingers of their hands with great
dissimulation, blowing the arrows so that they touched the flesh of
their opponent. They practiced consultation with the devil by means
of their baylans, in order to ascertain natural causes, especially
in their illnesses. Consequently, they were very great herbalists,
knowing above all the preservatives from the poisons with which
they attacked one another on slight occasions--especially the women,
who are the more passionate and more easily aroused.

§ VI

_Treats of the government of those islanders_

The government of those people was neither elective nor hereditary;
for he who had the greatest valor or tyranny in defending himself was
lord. Consequently, everything was reduced to violence, he who was most
powerful dominating the others. When one went to the chief to plead
justice, the latter delivered his sentence without writing anything;
and there was no appeal, whether the sentence were just or unjust. The
rich treated the poor and the plebeians as useless brutes, so that
those poor wretches flung themselves upon the rocks to die, as they
were unable to endure so hard a yoke. If he who was less did not pay
homage to him who was more influential, he was declared as his slave
only because the other wished it. They also deprived those miserable
beings of life for such reasons. Such was their iniquity and madness.

If any criminal received protection in the house of a chief and the
latter managed his affair, the one protected became a perpetual slave,
together with his wife, children, and descendants, in return for the
protection. Because once while some boats were sailing some drops
of water fell on a chief woman, through the carelessness of him who
was rowing, it was considered so serious an offense that the poor
wretch was condemned to perpetual slavery, together with his wife,
children and relatives. However, our religious destroyed that practice
by spreading the holy gospel in that country.

The nobility of those Indians was personal. It consisted in one's own
deeds, without reference to those of others. Accordingly, he who was
more valiant and killed most men in war was the more noble. The sign
of that nobility consisted in wearing the cloth wrapped about the head
(of which we have spoken above), of a more or less red color. Those
nobles were exempt from rowing in the public fleets (and that although
they were slaves), and ate with their masters at the table when they
were at sea--a privilege which they gained by their exploits. In
that custom of killing they reared their children and taught them
from an early age, so that beginning early to kill men, they might
become proud and wear the red cloth, the insignia of their nobility.

§ VII

_Governor Don Juan de Silva declares war against those Indians,
and our religious enter to preach the gospel faith._

We have extended the relation of the barbarous customs of those
Indians, in order that the reader might know the great difficulty in
subjecting them to the law of reason, and (what is more) to the mild
law of the holy gospel. Some Spaniards, accompanied by evangelical
ministers, had penetrated those provinces at times from the year
1597, with great zeal; but they could not remain there because of the
ferocity of the natives, and for other casualties, which make those
provinces less habitable, notwithstanding that they abound in many
things that are necessary to life and advantageous to commerce.

For these and other reasons, Don Juan de Silva, governor and president
of Manila, called various meetings of commanders, and experienced
captains, in which it was determined to make energetic war on those
barbarians. Charge of the war was given to General Don Juan de Vega,
son of Doctor Don Juan de Vega, auditor of Manila. He with a fine
fleet of four hundred Spaniards and other Indians sailed to humble
the pride of those barbarians. The latter were not unprepared for
resistance; for, joining their forces, they entrenched themselves so
that there was considerable doubt as to the undertaking. Both sides
fought with great valor, and there were many killed and wounded. But
at last our troops were victorious, as their zeal was to the service
of God and the increase of His worship. More than one thousand five
hundred Christian captives were liberated, and a presidio and fort
[48] was erected as a warning for the future. That effort was not
sufficient to quiet those Caraghas islanders; for within four years
three thousand of them assembled and, surrounding the redoubt,
placed it in great straits. They were repulsed by our men with so
great valor that, having retired to the sea, they vented their fury
by inflicting severe injuries on some villages friendly to us. And,
our men also getting a good reenforcement that was sent us from
Manila, those men returned to their homes--where, treating afterward
for articles of peace, they were pardoned for their past boldness,
and their subjection was arranged with the mildness of the gospel yoke.

Affairs were in that condition, when the most illustrious Don Fray
Pedro de Arce, bishop of Zibù, most worthy son of our Augustinian
order, with his great zeal of gaining souls for God conceded to
our Reform the office of catching them with the net of the gospel
preaching. When the reënforcement of missionaries had arrived from
España that year [_i.e._, 1622], as is said in volume i, last chapter,
eight of our religious were appointed for that purpose. Stimulated
by the pity that they had at learning that so many souls were being
lost in the blindness of their idolatry, these missionaries set out in
great fervor from Manila, after having received the blessing of their
superior, and not without the holy envy of the other religious, who
would have liked to spend their lives in that holy employment. These
apostolic men landed at Zibù, where they received the blessings of
the most zealous bishop and many kindnesses with which he wished to
load them. He despatched them with promptness, and in a short time
they reached the redoubt of Tanda, which was the name of the fort
that had been erected there by our Spaniards.

Then commenced the greatest felicity of that land; for our religious,
having as their object the welfare of those barbarians, tried to
gain their good-will by gentle measures. For that purpose, father
Fray Miguel de Santa Maria, the superior of that spiritual squadron,
refused to settle in the said fortress of Tanda; for, since those
heathen had a horror of it, they would not go to it. Consequently,
despising his life, and exposing it to manifest danger, he determined
to enter the country one legua further, and to build a dwelling-place
on the shores of a river. His design did not succeed badly, for,
attended by good fortune, he continued to attract and gain the
affections of those fierce Indians by making them understand their
illusions and errors. His other associates were not idle amid so much,
for, having separated among the environs (after having left a priest
in the redoubt as chaplain, who was not slothful in his gaining of
souls), they worked fervently in scattering the light of the faith,
in the midst of the darkness of that blind people, without excusing
themselves from great perils and hardships. They chose their residence
in the village of Yguaquet, [49] on the bank of another river where
the country people generally met. Those gospel workers were divided
and separated from one another, in order that they might attend with
greater convenience to the different districts.

One cannot imagine the toil of our religious in cultivating that wild
forest of barbaric people. They catechised, instructed, and baptized
many, so that what was before a brutish wickedness, where the devil
reigned, began to be a beautiful fragment of the Church. They endured
great suffering, because of the intractability and fierceness of the
islanders, who were hostile to peace and to human intercourse; for
they had so little affection for even their brothers and sons that
they killed them or abandoned them to die, on but slight pretext. But
everything surrenders to the grace of God, and to the earnest zeal of
His ministers, who consider only the honor of His Divine Majesty--from
whom those pious workers received so great strength, that great wonder
is caused by the consideration that people so given to witchcraft,
cruelty, and injustice should have received the worship of the true
God with so great affection and devotion. To see them so surrendered
to the obedience of the Catholic Church, and so fond of the churches
that were soon built by the care and solicitude of Ours, edifies and
consoles one. There are celebrated the feasts of Christ and His most
holy mother, and those of the other saints, in which they show a very
steadfast faith. Finally those people learned some arts and trades,
by which they live in great comfort.

We cannot avoid mentioning a very notable conversion in that province
of Caraghas. There was a chief, named Inuc, so celebrated and feared
that through his power and cunning he was absolute master of a
considerable territory, and the shores of a river that afterward took
his name. That barbarian was not satisfied with tyrannizing within
his own boundaries, but entering those of others, sailed through
the gulfs and along the coasts, in search of whom he might rob,
capture, and kill. It is said of that man that he had made more than
two thousand persons slaves, and killed innumerable men with his own
hand. Consequently, he was feared in the neighboring islands; while
no vessel dared to go to his lands--especially one of Spaniards,
whom he hated beyond measure, so that he would never agree to make
treaties of peace or of profit with them.

The perdition of that man and the injuries and offenses that he
committed against God and his neighbors, caused great anguish to
father Fray Juan de la Madre de Dios, [50] a native of Villa-Bañez
in old Castilla, and one of the eight who went to Caragha. He took it
upon himself to subdue this man without other aid than confidence of
that of God. In order to achieve it, he prepared himself by special
fasting and prayers. He went alone to look for him; having found
him--to the great surprise of Inuc himself, who thought that the
religious had great boldness in coming into his presence--the latter
talked to him so fittingly and fervently, that the tyrant, having first
pardoned the father's coming without his leave, thanked him for the
holy admonitions that he gave to him. Showing him great affection,
Inuc admitted trade between his countrymen and the Spaniards;
then he consented that the holy gospel might be preached in his
territories. He gave his vassals an example by being baptized; by
sending away his numerous wives and marrying the first according to the
rites of the Church; by freeing his captives; and by issuing an edict
allowing those aggrieved to come to him to receive reparation for the
injuries which he had inflicted on them. He fulfilled that exactly,
binding himself by two judges, namely, our religious and the captain
of the fort of Tanda. They settling and sentencing with all equity,
restored to those interested whatever appeared to be theirs. Thus did
he who was before a haughty tyrant become a humble sheep of the flock
of the Church, and a faithful vassal of the kings of Castilla. News
of that conversion spread throughout those districts, and following
his example, many heathen submitted to the yoke of our holy law.

Our missionaries were greatly encouraged by that fortunate success,
so that they were not dismayed at the work that they had undertaken,
although its difficulties were many. They were confirmed in their
intent by another case that happened in a village called Ambagan
on that coast of Caragha. A religious was resting one night when an
Indian, instigated by the devil, called together two other companions,
who formed a rearguard for him; while he, entering the house, tried
to kill the innocent man who was asleep. It was at midnight, the time
that he thought most opportune. He left those who accompanied him at
the foot of the house, while he mounted the ladder. At the entrance
of the room of the gospel minister, a venerable old man accosted
him and asked him in his own tongue: "Where art thou going? Seest
thou not that I am watching this man who is asleep, and who is my
son?" Notwithstanding that, the Indian persisted in his evil intent
of entering. But at that juncture the old man raised a staff of gold
which he held in his hand, and threatening the aggressor, scared him
so that, turning his back to descend the ladder, he could not find
it in order to escape, notwithstanding his eager search for it. Thus
did he spend the remainder of the night in great anxiety, and in the
morning he was discovered by the people who lived there. The Indian,
conscience-stricken, demanded that they inform the father, to whom
with great sorrow he related all that had happened, giving him leave
to publish it. He declared also who were his associates--who, growing
tired of waiting, and seeing that day was dawning, had returned in
order not to be discovered. The bystanders were astonished at hearing
the circumstances; and it was believed that that venerable old man
was our father St. Augustine, who defended his religious son with
the pastoral staff.

§ VIII

_Our religious preach in the province of Butuan_

The province of Butuan--so called from the river of that name which
flows through it and renders to the sea the tribute of its so abundant
waters, while the sea enters the land for one-half legua--has wide
borders and plains where numerous people live who resemble the Caraghas
in their customs and ceremonies. However they are not so rude in their
behavior, perhaps because they were softened by the evangelical law,
which they once enjoyed. However, they abandoned that law because
the ministers abandoned them. [51] That holy conquest was undertaken
with great resolution by father Fray Juan de San Nicolàs, one of the
eight, who with a spirit apostolically bold planted the standard of
the cross in the town nearest the seashore. He subdued its inhabitants
by his gentleness, and attracted them to the bosom of the Church by
sermons in their own language. Those sermons produced a great fruit,
not only among those country people, but also among the traders who
came from other districts to traffic.

With such auspicious beginnings, Ours continued to penetrate the
province, and, going up and down that river, sowed the divine word. It
fell to the lot of father Fray Jacinto de San Fulgencio, also one of
the eight above mentioned--who regarded but lightly the hardships
that were represented to him, with unfortunate examples, as having
encountered other ministers of the gospel--to journey more than fifty
leguas, preaching the faith of Jesus Christ to the villages. He had
serious and frequent difficulties in making himself heard; for the
devil appeared in a visible form to the Indians, persuading them not
to admit those fathers into their country, because of whom, so they
said, dire calamities and troubles must happen to them. But, as it
was the cause of God, all the deceits and cunning of that common
enemy remained only threats.

It was no little work to make the Indians leave so many wives as each
one had, obliging them to marry the first, and to free their slaves
whom they miserably oppressed. But he attained it with his mildness,
the inoffensive method by which our religious succored the weakness
of those Indians. Thus did they obtain permission to travel through
the shores of that river, gaining souls for heaven, and building a
dwelling in the village of Linao. [52]

In that did the superb zeal of father Fray Jacinto de San Fulgencio
excel wonderfully. For having resolved to go up the river together with
some Butuan Indians, already Christians, and arriving at the said place
of Linao, and seeing that its inhabitants were gentler and more docile,
he erected an altar in a chosen house, where he placed the images--from
which the heathen received great joy, praising their beauty. Then he
assembled the chief men of the district, and preached them a sermon,
in which he informed them who the true God is, and bade them abandon
the customs and rites of the devil. They jested at such a proposition,
but were soon subdued--especially one, who declared the location of
their god or _divata_. Father Fray Jacinto was overjoyed at that, and
schemed how he might see such place of worship, which was located on
the other side of the river. Commending himself, then, to Jesus Christ,
whose cause he was advancing, he ordered a boat to be launched and went
to look for the idol. Some Indians went out to meet him, brandishing
their lances in order to prevent his entrance. Others more humane,
persuaded him that he should abandon that undertaking, saying that,
if he wished to build a church there, they would give him a better
location. The father answered mildly that that house was very much
to his purpose because it was large, and all could gather in it in
order to be instructed in the mysteries of the faith. The Indians who
accompanied the pious father feared that a quarrel was about to ensue,
and that fear went with them even to the door [of the house]. The
father entered the place of worship boldly, to the wonder of all. He
saw various altars on which they sacrificed to the idol, which was
placed on a higher altar covered with curtains. The father carefully
avoided giving any attention to the said idol, and, having assembled
the chiefs, addressed them in regard to erecting an altar to the true
God. All agreed to it. On going out, the father purposely turned his
gaze to the image, and asked who was that who had so much reverence
there. No one replied, whereupon the zealous father seized the image,
which was a fierce devil, made of wood covered with black paint,
which made it altogether ugly and frightful. The barbarians were as
if thunderstruck, for they thought that no one could touch that god
without losing his life, and they could not cease their surprise
that that father had been able to capture their divata. Thereupon
the fervent missionary took occasion to make them understand their
blindness, and to persuade them of the offense which was committed
against the true God in worshiping the devil. After so notable an
action, he returned triumphant, with the protection of heaven, to
his boat, taking the idol with him without any one preventing him. On
the next day the Indians offered a considerable quantity of gold to
ransom their little god. The father paid no attention to it. On the
contrary, he diverted them, and leaving them to forget it, descended
to the convent of Butuan. There the people went to look for him,
proclaiming the little or no value of their god, and saying that they
wished to receive the true God. That was a matter of great consolation
to the father at seeing how well his pains had been recompensed.

The divine pity approved the holy zeal of our religious by the
experience of that village of Linao, which was located on the shores
of the river, forty leguas away from the sea--that while before they
were molested by crocodiles, which killed numerous people, as soon
as the fathers made a settlement there they suffered no persecution
from those fierce animals. They all attributed it to the most holy
cross now set up, and to the voice of the gospel. Numerous conversions
were made in that country. Very famous is that of an Indian woman who,
having received our holy faith, died shortly afterward on the eve of
St. Catalina, virgin and martyr, at the first watch of the night. On
going next day to deliver her to the fathers in order that they might
bury her, and the grave being already opened, they came from the house
of the deceased woman to say that she was alive. Wondering at the news,
the fathers went to verify the matter, and found it to be truth. For
the deceased talked before them all, declaring that God had permitted
her to return to this life, so that, inasmuch as she had concealed a
very grave sin in confession, she might confess and be saved. She did
so immediately, and the instant when she was absolved she expired;
while Ours gave many thanks to our Lord for the pity that He had had
toward that soul, and to the others, since they became more inclined
to our holy Catholic religion because of that prodigy.

Also it is worth while to narrate what happened in the province of
Ambongan and the lake of Compongan through the preaching by Ours of
the faith of Jesus Christ. An Indian woman was very near the end of
her life, and her husband and children were sad because at the time
there was no father there to administer the sacraments; for Ours were
at Butuan, whence they could not come without considerable delay. The
sick woman, seeing their sadness, told them to console themselves;
for the most holy Virgin, their advocate, had appeared to her very
beautiful and shining, and had told her to rejoice, for she would not
die until a father should have come to confess her and give her all the
other sacraments of the church. That very thing happened, for within
a month a missionary priest arrived there to visit and console those
villages. The sick woman heard of it, and had herself carried to the
church, where she received the sacraments of penitence, the eucharist,
and extreme unction, in the presence of that village. She returned to
her house, embracing a cross, to which she spoke innumerable tender
words. She died about midnight, leaving behind strong indications of
having gone to enjoy the eternal rest.

§ IX

_Ours preach in Calamianes, and Cuyo_

The fervor of our religious did not rest with what was accomplished
in the provinces above mentioned. Having obtained some associates,
they determined to preach in Calamianes, islands which remained
in their blindness and idolatry. Their inhabitants were wild, and
great sorcerers and magicians, who knew many herbs. They used the
latter to kill by means of the breath or expiration infected with a
poisonous herb, as we have said above. They are poor, not because of
the sterility of the country, but because the Borneans, Camuzones,
and others of their neighbors plunder them.

Those islands lie west of the island of Panai, which is one of the
largest of the Filipinas, being eighty leguas long, but narrow in its
breadth, and extends north and south from ten to twelve and one-half
degrees. They are small, for they are only four to six leguas in
circuit, and that which is largest is twenty. The chief islands, those
most frequented by Ours, number nine. In that of Butuagàn [_sic_],
the climate is not suited to deer; for they are not raised there;
and if they are taken there they die very soon, without the reason
being known, for all the Filipinas contain many of them.

That of Coròn is also notable, as it is a ledge or rock, very high
and rugged, which is fortified naturally by the crags that girdle
it. Its ascent is steep and intricate. The Indians retire there as
to a sacred place. It cannot be taken except by hunger or thirst,
and the crag or island is dry and barren, so that not a drop of water
can be found on it. Numerous birds resort thither, and there are
also a great number of beehives [53] amid the hollows of the rocks,
and a quantity of honey is produced, as well as wax, without its
costing any care or labor. The Indians gather that harvest, and,
carrying it to other places, obtain the things needful for life.

All those islands are defended by reefs, which makes the navigation of
those seas very dangerous, even in the time of fair weather. Within
their boundaries there are a number of different kinds of animals,
of rare form. There was one the size of a cat, with the head and feet
of a tiger, and the eyes, nostrils, and hands of a man, and entirely
covered with soft down. There is another little animal seen, which,
as it has no teeth, because these never grow, lives on maggots. To get
them it sticks out its tongue, which is very long, where those little
animals congregate; and, when the tongue is full of them, it draws it
back and swallows them. [54] The forests abound with many incorruptible
woods, such as ebony, cypress, cedar, and small pomegranate trees.

Those islanders had never had a gospel minister to draw them from
their ignorance. Our discalced, pitying their wretchedness, resolved
to send five religious for that undertaking. Their superior was
father Fray Juan de Santo Tomas. He, not fearing any dangers, and
armed with the divine strength, planted the tree of the cross in the
island of Cuyo. That island is called "the garden of nature," because
of the singular pleasantness and beauty that it enjoys, in which it
is more fortunate than the other islands of that famous sea. It is
six leguas in circuit, as are two others its near neighbors, which
rival it in beauty. It abounds in rice, and very savory fruits. The
mountains are full of fragrant flowers, and shelter a great number
of wild boars. There are many species of birds, and fowls are reared
in considerable abundance.

Although those islands were densely populated, the people were so
barbarous that they seemed not to possess reason. For that cause
our religious wished to cultivate that forest in order to sow the
seed of the gospel. Notwithstanding [their savagery], father Fray
Francisco de San Nicolás, accompanied by another priest, named Fray
Diego de Santa Ana, and a lay brother, went to the chief island of the
Calamianes. Treating the inhabitants with gentleness, they instructed
and persuaded them to live gathered into villages--a thing that
they utterly abominated, both because of their natural fierceness,
and because they were greatly harassed by the enemies who generally
infested those islands. Much was suffered in the attainment of that,
but it was accomplished, with the most severe toil on the part of
Ours; and they baptized many of those Indians, whose number we shall
declare below, when we treat of the convents which were built in
those islands in spite of the devil and all hell, who opposed them
with all their forces.

Although it will be somewhat of a digression, we cannot help saying
something of the barbarous customs of those heathen Calamianes. They
recognized a first cause, which governed what was visible. They
attributed good or evil events to fortune and to the star of each
one. They adored a deity who resembled Ceres, to whom they commended
their fields and offered their fruits. They worshiped another petty
deity who resembled Mars, in order to gain his protection in their
battles. They believed in the _humalagar [i.e._, soul of an ancestor]
(as we said of the Charaghas)--whom they summoned in their sicknesses
by means of their priestesses. The priestesses placed a leaf of a
certain kind of palm upon the head of the sick man, and prayed that it
[_i.e._, the soul] would come to sit there, and grant him health. They
also venerated the moon, asking that it would aid them at the time of
death. They celebrated the obsequies of the dead during the full moon.

Their priests were highly revered, and were called _mangaloc_. The
devil showed them what they asked from him, in water, with certain
shadows or figures. They practiced circumcision, and had ministers
assigned for it. They had as many concubines as they could support. If
the first wife committed adultery, the penalty was to repudiate
her for a certain time. When anyone wished to have a share in the
inheritance of the dead, he laid a piece of his garment upon the
corpse, and thereby acquired that right, but he was obliged to aid the
deceased's children. They had no fidelity among themselves, whence many
conflicts arose. In order to clear themselves of calumnies or charges,
they invented various tricks. At times, divine Providence, breaking
their entanglements, defended the innocent and punished the guilty.

Their arms consisted of bows and arrows. On the point of the arrow they
fitted a fish spine, with a certain poison that was so effective that
it was mortal even if it only slightly touched the flesh. They used
short spears and certain shields which they called _carazas_. They
carried certain knives with two sharp edges, which were short, like
daggers. They used jackets or doublets of well-twisted cord, and under
those others of rattan, a kind of osier. By means of these they turn
aside the sharp, keen bamboos which, of the length of two brazas,
are hurled in naval battles, with which they do great harm. [55]

Wonders were not wanting in the conversions of those people. The
Christian parents of an Indian woman brought her into the presence of
father Fray Juan de San Joseph, and, as she was suffering grievously
from a violent fever, begged him to baptize her, for they feared lest
she die without that sacrament. The father instructed and catechised
her, and told her to have confidence, and that baptism would save
her, soul and body. The heathen woman received that instruction
so thoroughly that when she was baptized, she was as well from her
illness as if she had never had it, God rewarding her faith, and
encouraging others so that they should receive baptism.

Another Indian woman was at the extremity of death, and without
baptism. The father was summoned, but he, thinking that she was not in
so great danger, and that more time was necessary to instruct her in
the mysteries of the faith, wished to postpone her baptism. However,
God put a strong impulse into his heart not to leave the sick woman
in danger; and at last catechising her very briefly, scarcely had he
baptized her when she died happy.

The devil grieved mightily because the fathers were taking away so many
souls from his captivity, and tried to drive them from that province
of Calamianes. He availed himself of a witch and her son, appearing
in person to them, and ordering them to use all the delusions and
witcheries that they knew, in order to frighten the Spanish soldiers
who were in a fortress near by, so that the gospel ministers should by
this means be induced to depart to Manila. The sorcerers began their
deceits, and one night they seized the soldier on guard and bore him
through the air to the top of a hill more than a legua away. When the
period of his watch was over, others went to relieve him; as they
could not find him, the captain thought that he had deserted, and
sent another soldier to look for him. He was found crying out like a
madman. He was taken manacled to the fortress, and, recognizing that
it was the devil who had maltreated him, they summoned father Fray
Benito de Santa Monica, a native of Sevilla, and a powerful minister,
who had grace to cast out devils. The father began the exorcisms
of the church; and the evil spirit talked--a thing that he had not
done before--and said many things in many languages. Consequently,
the father ordered him not to talk unless he were questioned; the
spirit obeyed, and, finally urged by the exorcisms, made known all
the said trick, and left the body of the soldier.

The next night the devils entered into eight soldiers, afflicting them
with the same accidental madness as the other. Thus did they continue
to multiply their cases of possession, to the great fear of all the
others. And although our religious did not cease in their exorcisms and
prayers, the infernal spirits were stubborn and pertinacious. Fears
grew greater when legions of devils were seen in the air at night
in most horrible guise. On that account the most holy sacrament was
exposed in the fort. Yielding to its sovereign presence, the demons
fled in confusion to their eternal dungeons, with the ruin of their
deceits; for the Catholics mended their lives, the faith was confirmed,
and the infidels were more inclined to receive it.

§ X

_Preaching of Ours in the river of Cagaìang_

Let us leave those islands for a moment and return to Mindanào, where
Ours were fervently attending to their ministry. After having put
Christianity on the best footing possible along the shores of Butuan,
they went forty leguas farther on by sea, to look for another river
called Cagaìang, as they had been told that its inhabitants were a
people more docile than the other inhabitants, in order to enlighten
them with the light of the gospel. The lord of that land was an Indian
named Salangsang. He lived on a steep and inaccessible rock, which is
a peninsula called Himologàn. It had no other approaches or mode of
ascent than certain ladders made of rattans [_bexucos_], which resemble
strong osiers. When those were removed it was fortified and protected
from the invasions of enemies. The customs of those people are like
those related of the inhabitants of Caraghas. The path opened for
that undertaking was that Doña Magdalena Bacuya, a Christian Indian
woman (the grandmother of the above mentioned Indian, Salangsang),
being moved by zeal for the honor of God, and compassion for the
blindness of those people, went to see her grandson. Although with
difficulty, she succeeded in gaining admittance for our ministers,
who were at that time staying at the island of Camiguì without being
able to accomplish that which they wished. Finally, fathers Fray Juan
de San Nicolàs and Fray Francisco de la Madre de Dios arrived there
[at Himologàn], and found the chief in the presence of five hundred
Indians who lived in that place. That site, perched on its summit,
was a very agreeable residence capacious enough for that people to
live in a house resembling a cloister, so large that they lived in
it with all their families. These had communication on the inside,
while it was strongly enclosed on the outside. In the middle of it
was the _divatahan_ or temple dedicated to the devil. It was a little
house and dirty, as was he who was worshiped there. The prince received
the ministers with some show of affection, for he gave them a little
buffet on the cheek, as a sign that he received them as friends.

Those people wondered at seeing those ministers in their lands, and
joked about them, taking them for madmen, since they entered without
weapons or other defense, to seek their death. But as those fathers
had God on their side, whose cause they were serving, His sovereign
Majesty ordained that the chief, showing them kindness, should give
them a small corner in his house, so that they might live securely,
although very uncomfortably. For no one gave them anything, and,
in order to live, they had to go fishing and to carry wood and water
on their backs. They suffered considerably from that, but in joy and
gladness, for they were serving the Lord, to whom they were attempting
to offer those barbarous people by means of the preaching of the faith.

The fathers obtained permission to celebrate the holy mystery of the
mass, although it had to be done outside that rock, the dwelling-place
of the Indians. They selected the shore of a small river near the
sea. There with their own hands they raised an oratory and an altar,
where they celebrated mass with great labor, because they had to carry
on their shoulders all the things necessary for the work, without any
one aiding them. Then they went up, and locked themselves in their
little lodging, which served them as cell and choir, going out only
to discuss with the leading Indians the knowledge of the true God. By
that good example, they steadily gained great love, and the people
presented to them some food. Ours repaid them by fervently preaching
our holy faith to them. The Indians brought their little children
so that they might be taught the holy mysteries and the Christian
doctrine; and these made no poor beginning in this, although the old
fathers, accustomed to their vices, were unwilling to accept it.

Those Indians were vassals of King Corralat (of whom we shall speak
later) to whom they paid tribute. Collectors came yearly along the
level land from his court to the river to collect the tribute. That
king was a Mahometan, and consequently hostile to Christians. He
learned that our religious were in the lands of his dominion as
guests, and ordered that they be killed without any objection. More
than one thousand men came to do that, but they were not bold enough
to execute the order of their king, for the natives had acquired so
great affection for Ours that they went out in their defense. The
matter was arbitrated and it consisted in the gospel workers paying
tribute to the king. They gladly assented to it, for the charity of
the fathers extended to all things. The payment of the tribute cost
them great trouble, as it was large, and they had to work with their
hands, as they had no support from other directions.

Corralat did not become quiet with that, or rather it was the
devil who, angry at the great fruit that Ours were gathering in the
vineyard of the Lord, was trying by that means to drive them out
from it. The Mahometan king proclaimed war against the villages of
that river. During it the religious suffered great frights, pains,
and hardships, fleeing to different parts, in dangerous boats,
laden at times with the sacred ornaments; hiding in caves, in need
of food and without comforts; and guarding themselves for a better
occasion, in order to employ their lives in the service of God and
the spread of His faith. His [Divine] Majesty was not displeased
with that earnest zeal, for he freed them all from those dangers;
while the Indians were so energetic in their defense that they refused
obedience to the tyrant king, and begged aid from the Spaniards who
were established at the fortress of Caragha and from those at Zibù,
which was given them immediately. Beyond doubt that was a plan of
the divine pity to enlighten those heathen with the light of truth,
and to withdraw them from the captivity of Satan. For the Indians,
having been defended by the arms of Castilla and instructed by the
religious, became so fond of them that they delivered to them their
_divatahan_, where they built a church, in order to administer baptism
to those who were converted. Salangsang, together with his wife, was
the first to receive baptism in the church, and many others followed
their example. That prince, having become a Christian, became a
willing subject to the kings of Castilla. He built a stronghold
with sufficient ramparts to defend himself against the stratagems
of Corralat. Finally Ours erected the convent called Cagaiang, where
the Indians began to build houses for their dwellings.

He who labored most in the conversion of those people was father
Fray Augustin de San Pedro, a son of the convent of Valladolid, and a
Portuguese by nationality. He not only took care of the teaching of
the faith, but also instructed the Indians in civilized ways. Thus
did they seem to have been transferred from wild beasts into men. It
happened in a memorable assault that some nearby Indians made at dawn
on the village of Cagaiang, with the intention of killing the fathers
(that was an attempt of the devil, and he instigated the Indians to do
it, in order to break the friendship which those villages had made)
that father Fray Jacinto de Jesus Maria was alone in his cell. The
barbarians entering the house killed eight persons who were guarding
it. Making themselves masters of the door, they fought with their
campilans and other weapons, aiming thrusts, cuts, and strokes in
all directions, so that in the darkness Ours might not hide from
them. But the said father, trusting in God, went out through the
midst of them all, without receiving the slightest blow. It is not
difficult for the divine omnipotence to work those miracles, and He
is wont to perform them often in order to defend His ministers. The
father hid in a thicket, until after the fury had subsided, when he
could place himself in safety.

§ XI

_Foundation of the convents of the above-mentioned provinces_

We cannot excuse ourselves, for the glory and honor of God, from
referring to the souls whom Ours drew from the darkness of heathenism
into the light of the Christian religion, in the provinces of Caragha,
Butuan, Calamianes, and Cagaiang--for whose conservation it was
thought necessary to found convents, whence the religious set out to
overrun the country, administering sacraments, consoling some, subduing
others, and always gaining souls for the Lord. We have not been able
to ascertain with certainty in what year they were established, but
that amounts to but little. The order in which they are mentioned in
the records of the provincial chapter held at Manila in the year one
thousand six hundred and fifty is as follows:

_Tandag_

1. The convent of Tandag, head of those in the province of Caragha,
where there is a presidio of Spaniards, is one hundred and fifty leguas
distant from Manila. It has to its account seven hundred Christian
families. It was founded by father Fray Miguel de Santa Maria. At first
it was more than one legua up the river but was afterward removed
to the seashore for certain reasons of convenience. It has a devout
confraternity of the most holy Virgin, and another of the girdle of
our father St. Augustine, which has been already established in the
other convents.

A captain (whose name is carefully suppressed) having been buried
in the church of that house, the prior noted one day that his grave
was higher than the others. Attributing it to the carelessness of
the sacristan, he ordered the latter to level it. That was done;
but on the following day, it was seen to be in the same shape as on
the preceding day. It was leveled again, and a quantity of earth
taken away, but still the grave did not discontinue rising. That
novelty caused much talk, and at last the said prior ascertained
that the said captain had died excommunicated. He ordered the body
to be exposed, and then, absolving it in the manner that the holy
Roman church orders, they buried it again without the earth after
that making any more show of casting him out. By such demonstrations
does God give us to understand the respect and fear that should be
extended to the censures of the Church.

_Butuan_

2. The convent of Butuan is situated on the shore of the river. That
village numbers one thousand five hundred Christians. The convent was
founded by father Fray Francisco de San Nicolàs a native of Portillo,
and a son of the house of Valladolid. He was a most zealous minister
and preacher to those people.

_Cuyo_

3. The convent of Cuyo, in the island of that name, has to its account
two thousand Catholic families.

_Cagaiang_

4. The convent of Cagaiang governs and teaches one thousand eight
hundred faithful persons.

_Sidargào_

5. The convent of Sidargào, [56] which is an island ten leguas distant
from the fort of Tanda, has two thousand Christian families. According
to the testimony of persons of credit, certain manikins, small and
beautiful, resembling pigmies in appearance and size, were seen in
the said island on a certain occasion. They fled with great swiftness
through the thickets of the forests, so that, notwithstanding the
efforts made, they could not be caught. However, it is said that some
of them were caught in former times, but that they died of fright
in a few hours. A cross is preserved near the village of Sapào,
on top of a rock of the size of two dedos above the stone, which
has certain letters. Those letters cannot be read now, as they have
been obliterated by the lashing of the sea, which beats against it
continually. It is a tradition that the first Spanish discoverers of
that gulf made that cross, although it is not known when.

That islet is five or six leguas in circuit, and lies in nine degrees
of latitude. It is well supplied with food and good water, of which
there are many springs, called _bito_. They are always in the same
condition, and do not increase with the rains, nor diminish with the
dryness of the seasons. It is remarkable for one thing--in which it is
different from that coast of Caragha, and the other islands--namely
that no monkeys are reared there nor can they be reared if brought
there, for they die immediately. During the rainy season, the earth
turns red, and is so sticky that when one walks it tears the shoes from
the feet. There is a remarkable tree that is called _nono_. It springs
from the root of another large and shady tree. As it increases in size,
it embraces it, and by sucking the moisture and nourishment from it,
becomes strong. When it becomes so strong that it can grow alone,
it casts away that tree, and despises that which was its staff, thus
treating it badly until it withers--a living image of the children
of this age.

Coming to the peculiarities of that coast, we cannot fail to mention
one, namely, that there are trees of the hugest size, so tall that one
would believe that they are trying to reach up into the clouds. The
Indians are wont to make their dwellings in them, specially those
Indians called _cimarrones_. [57] They pay no tribute, so that
their trees serve them as a fort in which to defend themselves from
the Spanish soldiers of the fort of Caragha. The manner of building
those dwellings is as follows: They look out a very stout, high tree;
they trim off all the branches up to the height where the floor of
the house is to be. They put in some cross-bars, which cross on the
trimmed-off branches. They fix them with large timbers in the manner
of an enclosure, with which the trampling-ground is made. Then they
enclose that floor with the same timbers, in the manner of a parapet,
and cover it with a little nipa. The branches above are also protected
from the rain and inclemencies of the weather. Thus the house is
made so strong that it resists any invasion. It has often cost our
soldiers considerable trouble to get those people; for those houses
have no approach except certain light ladders made from rattans
tied together. In those houses they keep all their possessions,
and there live their children and wives, who all help to fight. They
have made a place by which to retire when pursued closely, preparing
a passage from branch to branch in order to escape. Those houses are
so capacious that one of our religious lay brothers, who had been a
soldier in the presidio of Caragha, said that he had seen one that
would hold sixty persons. On climbing into another out of curiosity,
he saw three women hanging--a mother and her daughters. As well as
could be guessed, the mother had hanged the girls and then herself,
in order not to fall into the power of the Castilians. [58]

_Calamianes or Taitai_

6. The convent of Calamianes, or, as it is called, Taitai, where there
is a presidio of Spaniards, and where one thousand six hundred souls
are directed. That convent has another confraternity of our Lady,
the Virgin.

_Bislin or Bislig_

7. The convent of Bislin or Bislig governs two thousand families. There
died most happily father Fray Juan de San Augustin, a son of the
province of Castilla. He was a grand minister of the gospel, and knew
the Bisayan tongue very well. He lived apostolically, and gave a fine
example with his virtues, which made him very lovable to the Indians
themselves, as was seen in the rising of the coast of Caragha, from
which it was necessary to withdraw him and keep him from perils to
the life that he would have lost through the fury of the enemies. His
abstinence was remarkable, for, although the toil of his ministry
was so vast, as he went continually through rugged places, forests,
rivers, and seas, he ate nothing but herbs, and sometimes small fish,
when he was especially fatigued. He was very humble and poor, bearing
himself with the Indians as if he were the meanest of them. By these
and other virtues he gathered great fruit in this life, which will
doubtless have gained him eternal rest.

_Baldad, Dignes,and Iaquet_

8, 9, and 10. Our most reverend father, Fray Pedro de Santiago,
preacher of Felipe Fourth, examiner of writings for the supreme council
of the Inquisition, vicar-general of our congregation, chronicler of
the kingdom of Aragòn, bishop of Solsona, and afterward of Lerida,
referred many times to the convents of Baldad, Dignes, and Iaquet,
in a relation that he published on the going of our religious to the
Indias. However, father Fray Andres del Santo Espiritu, provincial of
Filipinas, in another manuscript relation, calls one of them Iguaquet,
which is thought to be that mentioned as Iaquet. In that convent there
are eight hundred Christian families. It was founded on a river in
the northern part of this coast of Caragha by father Fray Juan de San
Nicolàs, a native of the Algarbes in Portugal, who took the habit in
Manila. He was a grand minister and knew the language of the Caraghas
[59] perfectly. He preached with great spirit, and succeeded in making
many miraculous conversions, among both the heathen and the Christian
sinners, who left his sermons so contrite, that they anxiously went
to seek the salvation of their souls in the sacrament of penance.

11. Another convent is also mentioned as being in certain islets
not far from Iguaquet, in which another eight hundred families of
Christians were cared for.

_Laylaia_

12. The convent of Laylaia (which sounds the same as [the name of]
the river above), is forty leguas distant from Butuan. There was a
presidio of Spaniards there, which from the indications seems to be
that of Linao. It has in charge one thousand six hundred souls.

_Caviscail_

13. That of Caviscail, in the Calamianes Islands, was abandoned because
of the murder committed on one of our religious, an able minister of
that village, by the Indians.

_Calagdan_

14. Father Fray Felipe de la Madre de Dios, provincial of Castilla,
and chronicler, mentions another--in the _Noticias Historiales_,
that he left in manuscript--at Calagdan. He assigns to it seven
hundred families that were converted to the faith.

_Binalgavan_

15. That of Binalgavan, in the island of Negros, with one thousand
five hundred families. That convent was left in the hands of the
fathers of the Society of Jesus, for reasons that existed for such
action. We cannot avoid mentioning some matters that happened there
when it was in charge of Ours.

A certain Indian chief had a son two years old, who was very sick. He
made the usual sacrifices to the devil for his health. As he did not
get what he was after, he begged father Fray Jacinto de San Fulgencio
for a little water passed through the chalice. The father gave it to
the sick child, and the latter was instantly cured. With that occasion,
it was the will of the divine mercy that the child, his parents,
and their household should be baptized and leave their darkness.

On another occasion they brought an Indian from a mountain with a
leg already rotting; and as he was being treated in the house of the
alcalde-mayor, at an unseasonable hour of the night he called loudly
for baptism. The father went to him, and, upon seeing him, the sick man
said: "Baptize me, Father, since God has brought me into the power of
the Christians for that reason." The religious minister baptized him
immediately, and scarcely had he finished administering the sacrament
to him when the Indian, invoking the most sweet name of Jesus, expired.

Finally a converted Indian woman, having been convicted of a grave
sin, in order to deny it cursed, saying: "May a crocodile eat me
before I reach my house, if what I said was untrue." God punished
her immediately, for while near her native place, called Passi, in
the island of Panai, a crocodile attacked her, and seizing her in its
mouth, dragged her into the river, and swallowed her. At that time,
father Fray Juan de San Joseph was prior of that convent.

_Tagho_

16. The convent of Tagho, so called from a river that bathes it,
has in charge the care of nine hundred families of Christians.

_Dinai_

17. In Calamianes, the convent of Dinai, with seven hundred families,
was removed to Linacapan in order to avoid the continual raids of
the pirates.

_Damaràn_

18. The convent of Damaràn had charge of four hundred baptized persons.

Father Fray Jacinto de San Fulgencio, commissary and procurator of that
province of San Nicolàs of Filipinas, while at this court of Madrid
gave a relation of other houses, in addition to those enumerated,
which are as follows:

_Layavan_

19. The convent of Layavan, with seven hundred families in its charge.

_Camigui_

20. That of Camigui, with the bay of Liangàn, has six hundred families.

_Baqua_

21. That of Baqua has charge of one thousand two hundred families
divided among six villages.

_Parasao_

22. That of Parasao governs eight hundred families who live in
that place.

_Bagangan_

23. That of Bagangan, with eight hundred other Christian families.

_Tuggaban_

24. That of Tuggaban has in charge one thousand three hundred families.

_Banton_

25. That of Banton, with one thousand two hundred families.

_Divàil_

26. That of Divàil cares for one thousand three hundred families.

_Paràva_

27. That of Paràva administers one thousand families.

_Sampongan_

28. That of Sampongan governs six hundred families.

_Surigao_

29. That of Surigao another six hundred.

_Casteèl_

30. That of Casteèl, a like number.

Father Fray Christoval de Santa Monica, father of the said province,
commissary and procurator-general, added:

_Gura_

31. That of Gura.

_Baler_

32. That of Baler.

_Binangonan_

33. That of Binangonan.

In other records and documents which have come from the said province
is found the relation of:

_Abucaì_

34. That of Abucaì.

_Dagat_

35. That of Dagat.

_Tebastlan_

36. That of Tebastlan.

Many of the said convents are no longer in existence now, either
through lack of religious, or for other accidental reasons; because
these have occurred, it has been deemed advisable to abandon
them--although the churches are still standing and are cared for,
and our religious visit those villages, preserving them in the faith,
so that the spiritual food is not wanting to them.

§ XII

_Mention of some hardships which Ours have suffered in the spread of
the Catholic faith_

It would be beyond our powers to tell what Ours suffered in spreading
the gospel truth, and in drawing the souls of so many barbarians
and heathen from their blindness and errors; for, as they have cared
more for gaining the reward of heaven than of earth, what is known
of it is little or almost nothing. We trust in God, who can reward
those who serve Him, and that He will have given great glory to
those who have suffered so much for the extension of His honor, by
bringing so many people to recognize Him. Let us, then, relate that
the father-provincial of the above named houses visits them three
times during the term of his office--and that with so great perils
by land and water that the preservation of his life seems a special
providence of heaven. Father Fray Onofre de la Madre de Dios was met
on one of those occasions by more than twenty caracoas of pirates
and was obliged to cast himself into the water, together with his
secretary. They went to an island, where, naked and without food,
they suffered those miseries that can be imagined.

Another provincial father, Fray Andrès del Espiritu Santo, suffered
a violent tempest, in which a number of persons perished. The boat
having overturned, as neither he nor three other religious who
were accompanying him knew how to swim, they seized hold of the
keel. They remained there two days and one night, expecting death
every instant. But God was pleased to have them reach a beach amid
rocks and reefs. There, bruised and full of wounds, they found no
other comfort than to seek roots with which to support themselves
for many days, until unexpected aid came to them from another part.

Father Fray Nicolàs de Tolentino visited the province of Caragha. He
was wrecked three times, and suffered most the last time; for, the boat
having broken, he had nothing to eat in seven days. Having reached an
uninhabited place by dint of his exertions, he went overland through
rough paths and through mountains, at the risk of being eaten by
crocodiles, until he found a little boat, that carried him and his
companion to Manila. They were so weak and hurt that they could not
recover their health for a long time.

Brother Fray Francisco de San Nicolàs, a native of Cadiz, coming from
the island of Negros to attend to certain things of the church service,
suffered so terrible a whirlwind that the boat was driven upon some
rocks and broken into splinters. Its occupants were drowned, and our
lay brother, not knowing how to swim, went to the bottom. Without
knowing how, he found himself in the hollow of a rock which had an
opening at the top. He managed to creep through, by the help of God,
who protected him. Climbing to the top he saw that he was on a rocky
islet of one-half legua in circuit, and remained there until his
cries and shouts brought some passing Indians, who, surprised at so
novel an occurrence, took him off in their boat.

The captivities and oppressions suffered by Ours would take long to
recount, and so I shall give only one. Jolo is an island that lies
between those of Burnei and Mindanao. It is very famous in that
archipelago, not for its size, but for the warlike daring of its
caciques or petty kings, who have made themselves feared by their
robberies and cruel deeds throughout those seas. While their fleet,
then, was at Calamianes, father Fray Juan de San Joseph, a native
of Granada, was captured. He was then prior of the convent of Cuyo,
and was visiting those villages which had been converted to the
faith, administering the sacraments and the word of God to them--the
employment of those gospel ministers. They took him to their island,
being greedy for the ransom. The amount of it was discussed, but as
the sum demanded by those barbarians was large, and the poor religious
could not collect it in a short time, it was necessarily delayed for
some time. During that time the Mahometan islanders began to persuade
the father to abandon the faith and adopt their vile worship, promising
him great riches and comfort, and marriage with a sister of the lord
or petty king of the island. That would have been a powerful temptation
to one who was not so firm in the law of Jesus Christ, and assisted by
His divine favor. Our religious resisted that strong and troublesome
battery mightily; but those barbarians, seeing themselves despised,
turned the leaf, converting those flatteries into threats of death,
and placed before him many cruel methods of depriving him of life. That
was not what the good father feared most, since he desired to lose his
life for the faith which he professed. The petty king had conceived an
affection for the father, and left untried no means in his power in
order to break down the strength of the religious. To such an extent
did he carry his madness that one of the wives of the barbarian, a
beautiful and unbridled woman, visited our prisoner often, accompanied
by beautiful women of high rank, in order that they might achieve
success in winning him to their disgraceful love; for, had he been
taken in that net, the chaste man would have remained ensnared. That
trick, it is well known, is one of the most persuasive that the devil
furnishes. For he makes war by the affection for the object, and with
the vehement incentives of the appetite. But divine grace was very
well fortified in the soul of the gospel minister. Consequently,
the shots of the devil, the world, and the flesh were weakened and
destroyed. The women returned in confusion, after hearing him preach
of the mysteries of our sacred law. He understood the Bisayan language
very well, and consequently learned the one peculiar to that island
in a short time. Although the instruction did not take root in their
minds, at least they recognized a certain element of grandeur that
aroused their veneration. Father Fray Juan passed considerable time
in those struggles, comforting the Christians who were there, and
obtaining many triumphs for himself. Finally, on the arrival of the
time for his ransom, he returned to his convent at Cuyo, joyous at
having suffered for God, although not well satisfied at not having
given his life for his holy law. But we can declare that if the
barbarians lacked the determination to condemn him to martyrdom,
our Catholic soldier did not want the courage to receive it.

We shall give an end to this year of twenty-two, by giving a brief
memorial of father Fray Diego de Santo Tomàs, a native of Nueva-España,
a creole of Cholula, and the son of Diego Garcia de Leon and Doña
Inès Carrillo. He went to Filipinas when very young, where, leaving
the deceits of the world, he betook himself to the port of religion,
taking our holy habit in the convent of San Nicolàs of Manila. He
professed in the year 1610. When he saw the so great fervor of
the religious for the spreading of the faith, he took the call so
effectively into his breast that the superiors, employing him in that
exercise, ordered him to become sub-prior. He was afterward prior
of Masinglo, and lastly of Dinai. In the exercise of those duties,
he was careful to employ all his strength in caring for the sheep
reduced to the flock of the church. He went through the Calamianes
Islands, preaching, converting, and confirming those converted in the
faith. And as his cares were prodigious, and he became weakened by
his hardships, his strength failed him; tired out, he became sick,
and died on a desert beach, without any human presence. However the
divine presence would not fail him. Happy soldier, whom death overtook
while fighting in the campaign of the Church of God!

Let us give a companion to this father, and let him be father Fray
Juan de la Anunciacion. He was born in Madrid, in the parish of
San Gines. His parents were Diego del Castillo and Felipa Manuel de
Benavides. He took our holy habit in the year 1613, while father Fray
Juan Bautista Altaraque was master of novitiates. He professed the
following year under father Fray Augustin de San Gabriel, prior of
the convent of the said town. He went to the Indias, being desirous of
employing his life in the service of God and the welfare of souls. He
thoroughly understood the languages of the Indians. Entering the
rudest of the islands, he preached with great fervor, and converted
many heathen. He spent some years in that employment, and finally his
life, without anyone being present at his death. He died worn out,
and for lack of nourishment. He lived much, since as long as life
lasted for him he employed it in the service of the holy church and
the conversion of the infidels. His body was found and very reverently
given honorable burial.

[Most of the third chapter is concerned with affairs in Japan. A
short description of that country is followed by the efforts of the
Recollects to gain entrance to its inhospitable shores in 1623. Fired
by the news of the persecution waged against the Christians, two
fathers, Francisco de Jesus and Vincente de San Antonio, disguised
as merchants, set out from Manila to preach the gospel to the
Japanese. But many misfortunes overtake them: their boat, old and weak,
opens at the bow and compels them to put in at the island of Babuyanes;
shortly after setting sail once more, a fierce storm drives them to
the Chinese coast, whence they narrowly escape shipwreck and then
death at the hands of the people, who prove hostile. However, forty
days after leaving Babuyanes, they reach Japan, on June 20. Shortly
begins their journey toward Nangasaqui, which they reach October 14,
1623, noting Japanese customs on the way. There it is reported that
disguised priests are in the city, and an edict published by the
emperor banishes all the Spaniards from the country. Both the fathers,
however, escape the banishment. A section on the life of Father Juan
de la Madre de Dios, a noted laborer in the missions of Mindanao,
and who was buried at the fort of Caragha, follows; and the chapter
closes with a reference to affairs at large connected with the order,
and the obtaining of certain papal decrees.]

Chapter Fourth

_The first provincial chapter is celebrated in Filipinas in the convent
of Manila; and in España the first intermediate general chapter of
Portillo. Certain servants of God finish their lives happily._

§ I

_Election of the first provincial of Filipinas, at the convocation
of the first chapter of that province Year 1624_

The religious of those islands had been governed since the time
of their arrival there by vicar-provincials, either elected by the
priests who were in the convents or missions, or appointed by the
superior prelate of España, according to the letters and patents
which father Fray Pedro de la Madre de Dios and father Fray Rodrigo
de San Miguel had obtained for it. The first vicar-provincial was the
venerable father Fray Juan de San Geronimo, who governed until the
year 1608. Father Fray Geronimo de Christo followed him, but, as he
died very soon, the chapter was convoked; and, in the following year
of six hundred and nine, the same father Fray Juan de San Geronimo was
elected. When the latter returned to España, the chapter was convoked
in the year six hundred and ten, and father Fray Andrès del Espiritu
Santo elected. He governed until the year twelve, when father Fray
Pedro de la Madre de Dios came from España with the appointment. But,
his patents having expired, the chapter was convoked, in which the said
father was elevated to the same office, and he ruled until the year
15. That year, the chapter having been convoked, father Fray Andrès
del Espiritu Santo took the government a second time, until the year
of eighteen, when father Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel came from España
with the appointment. He had it in charge until the year twenty-two,
when, as he returned to España, he was succeeded by the said father,
Fray Andrès del Espiritu Santo, who had come that same year from
España with religious. He governed until the year twenty-three, in
which father Fray Pedro de la Madre de Dios came from España, having
been appointed by the venerable father vicar-general. He convoked
a chapter, in order that a separate provincial might be elected in
that province, as was done in the others. The patents were as follows.

"His Holiness, our most blessed father Gregory Fifteenth (may God
preserve him), with the desire that is his of aiding the reformed
orders, at the instance made him by his Majesty and our order--who
petitioned him that a vicar-general be given us, and permission that
the convents of our order, with the title and name of province, might
divide into several provinces--conceded a brief for the aforesaid,
which was carried out. For that purpose a chapter was convoked in this
convent of the city of Madrid on November twenty of the following year,
the past year of 1621, in which I was elected vicar-general. The
convents possessed by the order in España in those islands were
divided into four provinces. Consequently, that the orders given
by his Holiness and by the general chapter may be executed, I am
sending the messages, so that a provincial chapter may be held. In
that chapter the orders of our Latin constitutions and those of the
new ordinances of our aforesaid general chapter shall be observed.

"In regard to time, I declare that it shall be held within four months
of the time when your Reverences shall receive the messages and when
the religious who bear them, and who sail in this trading-fleet,
shall arrive at that convent of the city of Manila--so that [there
will be no haste] in case that it should not be a suitable time when
the religious arrive, or it should be necessary to arrange anything
for the celebration; but if time should allow, and the necessary
things should be arranged, it may be held within a month, and not
before. I warn your Reverences that, on receiving and opening the
messages and despatches that I am sending, the form that I order
be observed. And inasmuch as when your Reverences receive these
despatches, two years will have passed of the sexennium--according
to the order laid down in the new ordinances, decreeing that now
and henceforth provincial chapters shall be held, so that those
who are to come to take part in the election of a new vicar-general
may be elected every six years--your Reverences shall take one year
from this first triennium, and this election shall be, but for this
time only, a biennium. Thus shall be done with both the provincial
and definitors, and the rest of the priors and the other offices,
so that in the following provincial chapter of that province, the
definitor and discreto may be elected--who shall come, in its name,
for the new election of vicar-general that is to be made (if our Lord
be so pleased), at Pentecost of the year 1627.

"The coming shall be arranged in such manner that they may not come
late, nor leave before it is necessary. As soon as the definitor and
discreto (or those who may be elected to fill their places on account
of their death, or for any other legitimate impediment) are elected,
your Reverences shall advise the vicar-general by the first boat, if
they cannot arrive in time. I have chosen to advise your Reverences
of this, so that you might know what you ought and must do; and so
that everything may be done with prudence, devotion, and virtue,
in which may our Lord give us many increases. From this convent of
the discalced of our father St. Augustine, of the city of Madrid,
June 12, 1622. Your Reverences' brother,

_Fray Geronimo de La Resurreccion_"

Accordingly, when this order arrived with the other despatches, the
priors of San Nicolàs of Manila, of Zibù, of Cabite, of Masinglo,
of Amò, of Bolinao, of Calumpan, of Tanda, of Butuan, of Iguaquet,
of Tibastlan, of Cuyo, of Linacapan, and of Cagaiang assembled. Under
the presidency of the said father Fray Pedro de la Madre de Dios, they
unanimously elected the venerable father Fray Onofre de la Madre de
Dios, provincial, on the sixth of February of that year twenty-four,
the time that the present history has reached.

The election was very suitable, as he who was elected was deserving
of other and greater posts. He was a native of Perpiñan, in the
county of Rosellòn, and a son of the convent of Zaragoça, in Aragòn,
where he studied arts and theology. He was prior of the convent of
Zuera, and afterward master of novitiates in that of Madrid, where he
furnished a great example of observance and virtue. He went to the
Indias with the zeal of preaching the faith of Christ our Lord. He
filled some posts worthily, with so much satisfaction to the religious
that he deserved to be the first provincial of that province. He
completed the suitable ordering and economical régime of the houses,
the methods that he practiced being continual presence at the choir,
steadfast application to the divine worship, and the decoration of
the churches. He was modest in his actions, which he adapted to all;
mild in his intercourse, by which he made himself loved; skilful
in business management; extremely poor, and given to continual
mortification. The definitors were father Fray Andrès del Espiritu
Santo, father Fray Diego de San Bernardo, father Fray Joseph de San
Augustin, and father Fray Juan de Santo Tomàs, chosen men indeed.

The acts passed are reduced to the following points: "That the
religious living at the missions or villages of the Indians maintain
all the regular observance of the convents, especially in rising at
midnight for matins, and in the two hours of mental prayer morning and
afternoon, even though there should be no more than one priest. That
authority be given to the missionary fathers to carry some books that
are conformable to their profession; and that they be prohibited from
wearing hempen garments, especially since the heat of the country is
contrary to that harshness. That the ministers learn the language of
the Indians within one year; and that, in order to avoid disturbance,
they do not receive guests in their convents, unless it be bishops,
religious, governors, or alcaldes-mayor.

[A section on the first intermediate general chapter of the Recollects,
which was held at the convent of Portillo, follows. Section iii
treats of the life and death of brother Fray Juan de San Nicolàs,
who had professed at Manila, December 21, 1622. The malice of certain
Indians who were taking him up the river from the convent of Iguaquet,
to aid in one of the missions, causes his death; for they overturn
the boat, leaving him to drown while they swim safely to shore. The
chapter ends with an account of the life of Bishop Don Fray Gregorio
de Santa Catalina Alarcòn who after having been appointed bishop of
Nueva Cáceres, in the Philippines, by King Felipe IV, is appointed
almost immediately afterward to the bishopric of Santiago de Cuba at
Habana. His death occurs at sea while on his way to assume the latter
office. This chapter completes the annals for the year 1624.]

GENERAL HISTORY OF THE PHILIPINAS BY FRAY JUAN DE LA CONCEPCION [60]

Volume IV

Chapter VII

_Arrival at these islands of a new mission of the discalced Recollects,
the reformed branch of the Hermits of the order of the great father
St. Augustine_.

[Through the solicitations of Felipe II, the supreme general of the
Augustinian order, Gregorio Petrochini, furthers the founding in
Spain of a reformed branch of the order. Accordingly the beginning
is made in the convent of Talavera, from which beginning the branch
gradually grows, although with several set-backs, until the Recollects
(their distinctive name) obtain separation from the regular branch of
the Augustinians. A province is formed, and elections held, at which
Juan de San Geronimo is chosen provincial. After his term of office,
he is created bishop of Chiapa; but, burning with the mission fever,
offers himself and twelve companions as volunteers for the missions
of the Indias.]

34. So noble a proposition edified the king, who recognized it as
made by a whole and free spirit. The king had information that the
orders appointed for the conquest of Philipinas were not sufficient
for the total conversion and reduction of the many pagans; and,
even if they were sufficient, that they had not exerted all their
strength, distracted by other and less important cares. The
proposition of the father provincial was very much in keeping
with the royal intentions. Accordingly, without any delay, it was
decreed that the father and his associates should prepare to go to
the Philipinas Islands, and executive orders to his ministers for a
speedy despatch were formulated without delay. The venerable father
kept these to himself until the formal session of the chapter, in
whose assembly he presented the decree. It was punctually obeyed,
all of them considering this laborious expedition as a great service
for God. They determined to grant him all the necessary documents,
and appointed as vicar-provincial with full powers father Fray Juan de
San Geronimo himself, with the limitation of recognizing as superior
the father provincial of the province of Castilla.

35. With this arrangement, and the royal decrees which contained
the permission for their embarcation, and general royal authority
to make as many establishments as possible in these islands, and as
those new missionaries should deem proper (to which were added other
concessions for spiritual matters conceded by the papal legate),
and fortified with all these patents and despatches, the good father
chose his associates, men like himself. Most of them were graduated,
and most of them eminent men of the Reform. He well comprehended that
such new plantations required, since they were to be conspicuous before
all, men of learning and eminent virtue. Having assembled at Madrid,
they set out for Sevilla on the fifteenth of May, in great harmony and
modesty. There they rested somewhat from the fatigues of their journey,
and then continued it to San Lucar de Barrameda. They waited there
until a large trading-fleet sailed, which left the bay of Cadiz for
Nueva España, and those religious embarked in one of its ships. The
confessions that they heard, and their exhortations to the sailors,
were a great comfort to the latter, and they did not neglect charitably
to assist the sick. Thus did they acquire unusual estimation throughout
the fleet. The commander-in-chief approached them in his ship, the
flagship, when the weather permitted, to inquire after their health,
and to offer them what they needed, commending himself to their holy
prayers, and placing in their care the prosperous voyage of the fleet.

36. They reached the port of Vera Cruz with perfect safety, where
the ships were sheltered. They disembarked, and, passing through the
town of Los Angeles, went to Mexico. There they were received in
the college of San Pablo by its rector, father maestro Fray Diego
de Contreras, who was afterward archbishop of Santo Domingo, the
primatial church of the Indias. He kept them with his hospitable aid
until the vicar-provincial rented a comfortable house, in order to
avoid receiving favors, which their strict regulations forbade. While
awaiting the opportunity to go to the port of Acapulco, their mode
of life was retired and edifying. Many noble and wealthy persons
began to entreat them to remain there, and to establish themselves,
offering them their favor and most abundant alms; and they asked that,
if that should not be granted, a competent number would remain and
establish themselves. The father maestro Contreras encouraged these
solicitations, and promised them to allow them to become discalced,
and to give credit to the new institute.

37. The president Fray Juan considered those so liberal propositions
as annoying temptations, to which, through the motive of their zeal,
not one of his could consent. He considered it advisable to avoid them
by flight, and resolved upon his voyage to the port of Acapulco. There
was already a ship there about to sail to Philipinas on the day of
the invocation of the Holy Ghost. Having embarked on it, they set
sail on the twenty-second of February, one thousand six hundred and
six. They had their terrors on the voyage; the ship caught fire,
and the fire was already quite near the powder-barrels that were
reserved in the "Santa Barbara." [61] Warning was given of this
(which is one of the greatest of dangers), in sufficient time to
enable them to extinguish the fire. Had it reached the powder,
the worst ruin would have surely followed. I think that there is
no peril of the sea so horrible. Another danger happened on a calm,
clear night, when the cry of "Land, land!" came from the bow. That
danger startled the pilots, who had no shoals down on their charts
there. They were aware of them by the breakers in the water, and
the vessel was so engulfed in them that it could neither bear away,
nor put in, without the same risk. As the breaking of the waters
was getting nearer the ship, they considered all their efforts vain,
and without any urging, allowed themselves to be carried in the same
path. They tried to make soundings, but the plunging of the boat and
the violent dragging of the sounding-line on the reefs did not permit
them to make an accurate calculation of the depth. In such a contest,
the hopes of all were already weak, besides which they were entering
amid the breakers. The ship sailed a long distance without meeting
accident, and later they found themselves in the deep sea, free from
so dangerous a fright. That shoal was marked down accurately on the
charts, and was noted on other voyages. It was a rocky islet surrounded
with many covered reefs. They considered it a marvelous occurrence
that they should pass over them without meeting with accident on
them. Father Fray Andres de San Nicolas fell sick near the islands
of the Ladrones, and, recognizing that his attack was serious, he
sought consolation in the holy sacraments. During his last hours he
fervently exhorted all to persevere in the undertaking that had been
begun, promising them a happy result. He yielded up his spirit to God
amid tender colloquies. Those of the ship wished to keep his body in a
well-sealed wooden casket, in order to give it decent burial on shore;
but in order to avoid innovations, the venerable superior, Fray Juan,
did not consent to this. Accordingly, having been placed in a casket,
he was cast into the sea, accompanied with the usual obsequies.

38. They continued from that moment their voyage prosperously, after
an almost general epidemic of fever, safe and sound. By special orders
they anchored in the port of Zebu. That most venerable prelate, Don
Pedro de Agurto, received the new missionaries with a procession. They
were lodged in the convent of the Augustinian fathers, who received
them as brethren. Much did that illustrious man desire the propagation
of the gospel. He begged and insisted that they stay in his bishopric,
and offered them a foundation to their liking, if they would only
remain for the conversion of the infidelity that was obstinately
persevering for the lack of ministers. He suffered greatly from this,
for so necessary was the remedy. It was impossible for the newcomers
to consent to so favorable arrangements, or to listen to so urgent
and compelling entreaties. Their journey to Manila was unavoidable, in
order to present the royal decrees and despatches to the governor. They
thanked his Excellency fittingly, and all offered to put themselves
at his disposal after the performance of so necessary business. They
set out from that place to execute it, as soon as opportunity
offered. They reached the capital city of Manila without any accident,
then celebrating the victories obtained by their governor, Don Pedro
de Acuña, in the expedition of Terrenate. They were accommodated in
a small house for the time being, where the most influential people
of the city came to visit them. Everyone offered them a more decent
lodging, the orders distinguishing themselves by offering them their
convents. To all they humbly excused themselves, only accepting the
infirmary of the Dominican fathers, for the treatment of some of their
sick, where they were treated with a most benign charity. The governor
arrived, triumphant from his expedition; and as soon as he heard of
the arrival of those new religious, leaving the magnificent trophies,
deigned to be the first to visit them. He consoled and regaled them
as a noble knight. But being eager to finish the despatch of the
ships to Acapulco, and going quickly to Cavite, he could not examine
the royal despatches; nor could he do so afterward, for, as we have
already stated, death attacked him while engaged in this affair, and
laid its spoils in the sepulcher. Thus was suspended his recognition
of the royal decrees; they were presented to the royal Audiencia, who,
recognizing them as authentic, gave them the requisite attention. In
virtue of these, permission was given to the father vice-provincial,
Fray Juan de San Geronimo, to preach the gospel wherever he thought
best, and to establish his houses wherever he should consider it
most advisable.

Chapter VIII

_This Mission establishes itself at Bagumbayan, and they begin their
evangelical labors_

1. The deceased governor, Acuña, had already finished a country-seat or
summer-house for his retirement from the cares caused by so extensive
a government, at a location called Bagumbayan, three hundred paces
distant from the walls of the city. At the death of that gallant
governor they began to try to dispose of this house. The new
missionaries thought that retreat very suitable for their purpose,
and tried to buy it because it was already offered for sale. For
that purpose they went through the city begging alms of its citizens,
accompanied by certain persons of influence, and in two afternoons they
collected more than three thousand pesos. With them they immediately
paid the price asked, the authorized guardian of estates, Captain Don
Pedro de Ortega, lowering its just price considerably. Licentiate
Don Rodrigo Diaz Guiral, then filling the office of fiscal of the
royal Audiencia, was a zealous and influential party in everything,
and took especial interest in facilitating that accommodation. They
converted the house of recreation into a convent. They assigned a
location for a public church, which they dedicated on the tenth of
September to the glorious St. Nicolas de Tolentino, to whom they had
consecrated themselves by a special vow when they left the coasts
of España. That function was very solemn. His Excellency of Zebu,
Don Pedro de Agurto, performed the pontifical office; while the
very reverend father maestro, Fray Pedro Solier, of the Order of
St. Augustine of the Observance, a person distinguished by his merits
and position, preached. He was then provincial of the province of
Santissimo Nombre de Jesus in these islands, bishop of Puerto Rico,
and afterward archbishop of Santo Domingo. The royal Audiencia, the
ecclesiastical and secular cabildos, the orders, and the nobility and
citizens of Manila were present and lent honor to the function With
such favorable beginnings, those evangelical ministers were greatly
consoled and very happy. They were most happy with the favorable
horoscope in which that new province was born, in having St. Nicolas
for their patron. There was some altercation [over this matter] with
the Augustinian fathers of the Observance; the devotion to this saint
had now grown very extensive in their church, in a special chapel,
and they foresaw that worship there would be decreased on account of
this new advocacy. It was not an occasion for a suit, and they tried
modestly to avoid litigation. Although possession could not give better
right, the Recollects yielded, and accommodated themselves to a change
of title, commending to God this serious matter. The calmness of Señor
Agurto was seen in that, at whose direction they cast lots to settle
the controversy satisfactorily. Many other saints took part in the
lots, and in them the said St. Nicolas had success the first, second,
and third time when the cast was repeated. Thus was the will of God
powerfully confirmed, resistance ceased, and they resigned themselves
to it peacefully. They extended the protection of the new church to
the province, which was already in its beginnings. The said first
feast was celebrated with the greatest harmony between the parties,
and unity of minds.

2. They were not useless in that location, for, accommodating the
active life to the contemplative one, they applied themselves with
fervid ardor to spiritual help in the administration of sacraments and
in gospel preaching to many different peoples, who needed that same
assistance, especially at night, when the city gates were locked. As
there were no parish churches near, many were the sudden calls that
disturbed their rest, for all of which they were very ready and
prepared, as one should be in a matter that concerns the salvation of
the soul. Their zeal could not be restrained here; more arduous was
the obligation which had brought them, and the acquiring of some one
of the many languages which are spoken in these islands. Without that
diligence their application would be useless; without such intercourse,
men must necessarily consider one another as barbarians. Since the
Tagál language is the most general, their most careful study was given
to it. Their eagerness was emulative, and made them rapid in their
haste. He who most quickly penetrated the language was father Fray
Miguel de Santa Maria, native and son of the convent of Zaragoza,
a person of resolution and vigorous mind, and of no common abilities.

3. With these arrangements they tried to make a beginning in their
apostolate. On discussing where they would better employ themselves,
they thought that they would better not separate far then, since they
were so few. Quite near by, eight leguas distant, was the village
of Marivelez, which had no ministers. The other ministers had left
it because of the insalubrity of its climate and the brutishness
of its natives, who were very obstinate in their superstitions. The
voices of the missionaries did not at all soften them, wherefore with
comfortable maxims they had left them in their obstinacy, shaking
off secretly the dust from their sandals. Truly their religion
was ridiculous. They had their groves or reserved places in the
forest. There were their peculiar penates or minor gods, to whom they
made their sacrifices. Certain old deluded and ceremonious persons