Read Ebook: The Philippine Islands 1493-1898: Volume 31 1640 Explorations by early navigators descriptions of the islands and their peoples their history and records of the Catholic missions as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts showing the political ec by Aduarte Diego Bourne Edward Gaylord Commentator Blair Emma Helen Editor Robertson James Alexander Editor

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On the eleventh of April in this year there arrived at Manila some religious from the number of those who were brought from Espa?a to this province by father Fray Gabriel de Quiroga. He died on the voyage before he reached Mexico, and most of the others were scattered, and remained in Nueva Espa?a. Father Fray Gabriel was a son of our convent at Oca?a. He was a great preacher, and had come to this province in 1594. He was in the ministry to the Chinese; being unable to learn the language on account of his advanced age, and being in ill health, he returned to Espa?a. Here he felt scruples at having left the province of the Philippinas, and asked permission of the most reverend general to return to it with a company of religious. In 1607 he gathered a company in Sevilla, but was unable to come for lack of a fleet. Later in the same year, learning that six pataches were being prepared for the voyage, he arranged to reassemble the religious and to take them in these vessels, though he had already been appointed bishop of Caceres. He quickly got together thirty associates, taking the risk of sailing in December. The storms were so furious, and the asthma from which the bishop suffered was so severe, that he departed this life on the way. Of all those who came with him only eight completed the voyage which they had begun.

The religious, being exiled and expelled from the kingdom of Satzuma, are admitted to other kingdoms.

One day's journey up the river from Abulug, in the province of Nueva Segovia, there is a village named Fotol in the midst of a number of other smaller villages, as is customary among the mountains. When these villages were visited for the purpose of collecting tribute, the religious was accustomed to go along that he might be there conveniently to give them some knowledge of the law of God, and strive to bring them to a love of the faith by which they might be saved. This diligence, although it was exercised so seldom--only once a year--was yet not in vain; for the words of the gospel sown in the hearts of these heathen took root and caused them to go down , voluntarily, for the purpose of seeking a preacher to live among them, to teach, direct, and baptize them. Father Fray Miguel de San Jacintho, vicar of Abulug, sent there father Fray Diego Carlos. The Spaniards did not dare to visit the village when they collected the tribute, except in numbers and with arms. On this account, and because they were surrounded by mountaineers who were heathen, untamed, and ferocious, it seemed to the Christian Indians of Abulug that the religious ought not to go without a guard to protect his life; but since the order given by our Lord Jesus Christ is not such, but directs that His preachers should go as sheep among wolves, father Fray Diego would not receive the advice given him by these Indians, though they were friendly; and departed alone with his associate, as a preacher of peace and of the law of love. All the Indians, great and small, came out to receive them with great joy; and the religious immediately began to preach to them and to teach them. In a short time they did a great work, and baptized not only those of this village, but also those who dwelt near there. They left their old sites and, gathering in this one, formed a new settlement. The church was built under the patronage of our Lady of the Rosary, and here the Christian faith went on flourishing until the devil, hating so much good, disturbed them and caused them to fall away for a time--to their great harm, spiritual and temporal; though afterward, recognizing their error, they returned to their obedience to their Creator, as will be told hereafter. Almost in the same manner, and following the same course, another church was built at this time in the high region at the head of the great river, six days' journey from the city of the Spaniards, in a village named Batavag. Here father Fray Luis Flores, who was afterward a holy martyr in Japon, gathered together seven little hamlets, making one very peaceful one. He preached to them, taught them, and baptized many, without receiving any other assistance in all this than that which the Lord promises those who, for love of Him and from zeal for souls, go alone, disarmed, and in gentleness among heathen. To such no evil can happen, since, if the heathen hear the teaching and are converted, all is happiness and joy both in heaven and for the preachers, since the sinners are converted; while if they refuse to admit them, or if, when the preachers are admitted, the heathen do not become converts, the preachers have a certain reward, as the Lord has promised. This reward will be much greater if the heathen, in addition to refusing to be converted, treat them ill, or take their lives from them, for the sake of the Lord whom they preach. Therefore in this as in all the other conversions the religious have always gone alone, unarmed, and in poverty, but sure that they are to suffer no evil. The results in Batavag were very good, although they did not last many years because, desirous of a greater laxity of life than the divine law permits, the natives went up into the neighboring mountain, apostatizing from the faith which many of them had professed in baptism.

In the mountains of Ytui, which are not far from Pangasinan, father Fray Juan de San Jacintho went on a journey at this time, accompanied by only two Indians. Here he taught, settled their disputes, and brought them to the faith. These people were a race of mountaineers, among whom other religious had not been safe even with an escort of many soldiers; but the gentle manners of father Fray Juan caused them to become calm, and many of them came sometimes to Pangasinan to ask that religious might be given to them. Many years passed before it was possible to provide them with religious; but the father provincial had, as minister of Pangasinan, seen their pious desires and wished to give them the religious. For this he requested the sanction of the ordinary, and asked the governor for the royal patronage. When the fathers of St. Francis learned this, they came and said that this conversion belonged to them, because it was very near to the ministry and the convent which they had in Baler. The order instantly yielded without any dispute, permitting the fathers of St. Francis to take charge of these Indians. This they did, but very soon abandoned them, since the region was not one to be coveted, but was very unhealthy. As a result these Indians remained for some time deprived of the ministry of the holy gospel; and, what caused greater regret, they were morally certain to apostatize, like many other Christians among heathens, since they were children among idolatrous parents and kinsmen, without religious and without instruction.

In this year the most reverend general of the order, seeing how many great things were wrought by the medium of the divine grace through the religious of this province, and condemning the silence with which they hid and covered them, without giving any account of them even to the general head and superior of the order, issued a mandate to the provincials that they should every year, on pain of incurring mortal sin, give him information of what took place in this province of the Philippinas, Japon, and China in the conversions of the heathen and the extension of the holy Church, the service of the divine Majesty, and the edification of the people of Christ. In addition to this, they were to give an account of the state of our order in each province, declaring how many and what convents it included, how many religious it possessed, and of what virtue, sanctity, learning, and good example they were; telling if any of them, after having done illustrious things, had died gloriously; and recounting all other matters which might be an honor to God, a source of comfort to the religious, and an adornment and decoration of our religious order. Together with this mandate, he wrote with his own hand the following letter, from which may be seen the high esteem in which he held this province. The letter is in the archives of the convent of Manila.

"Very reverend Father Provincial: Father Fray Alonso Navarrete has given me good news of the great devotion, spirit, and continual preaching in this new province. In this I have felt very great satisfaction; but it would be desirable that I should receive more detailed reports with regard to matters there, and particularly with regard to what has been done for the conversion of the heathen, by the grace of our Lord, in those kingdoms of China and Japon. This knowledge would be of great service to our Lord, great edification to our fellow-men, and great honor to our holy religious order. On this account and in order that you, very reverend Father, may have the merit of obedience, it has seemed good to me to send you the enclosed mandate. This is sent, however, still more that it may serve as a memorandum for the fathers provincials who may succeed your Reverence in that province, because I know that there may be some carelessness in this respect. Orders have already been given that friars religious shall go to that province to preach and assist your Paternities in the conversion of the heathen. Would that it might please our Lord that I might go with those for whom our Lord has prepared so great rewards in heaven. Your prayers, very reverend Father, and the prayers of all that province I beg for myself and for my associates. Palermo, June 18, 1609. Your Reverence's fellow-servant in God,

Fray Agustin Galaminio,

master of the Order of Preachers."

The venerable father Fray Bartolome de Nieva, and brother Fray Pedro Rodriguez

Father Fray Luis Gandullo, his entrance upon the religious life, and his coming to this province

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DATA

NOTES

i.e., "The holy synod commands parish priests and other preachers to the Indians to instruct them often and earnestly in the doctrine of this mystery;" and, "To those whom the parish priest shall regard as sufficiently instructed, and made fit by the correctness of their lives, he shall not fail to administer the holy eucharist, on the first Easter following."

Francisco Blancas de San Jos? was a native of Tarazona, and entered the Dominican order at Alcal? de Henares. He came to Manila with the mission of 1595, and was sent to Bata?n; afterward he spent several years in the Manila convent, preaching to Indians and Chinese, as well as Spaniards. He also gave especial attention to the instruction of the negroes and slaves there, of whom there were many thousands. He also labored in Cagay?n and in Mindoro and Balayan. In 1614 he sailed for Spain, but died on the voyage, before reaching Mexico.

Jacinto de San Jer?nimo came to the islands with the mission of 1604. The rest of his life was spent mainly in the missions of Cagay?n; near its end, he went to the new mission of Ituy , where he died in 1637.

Probably referring to the expedition sent from Mexico early in 1559, to conquer Florida, under command of Tristan de Luna y Arellano; it included 500 Spanish soldiers and a considerable number of Indian allies. This attempt proved unsuccessful, and most of the Spaniards were slain by the warlike Florida Indians.

The sketch of Salazar's life given in Rese?a biogr?fica states that he obtained permission to carry twenty religious with him to the Philippines, all of whom he procured from the convent at Salamanca. But twelve of them died before reaching Mexico; and the others were so prostrated by sickness that they could go no farther.

i.e., "Reprove, entreat, rebuke, in all patience and doctrine."

Cantaro : the name of a large earthen or metal receptacle for liquids, hence for the amount contained in it; also, a measure for wine, varying in different parts of Spain. The cantaro of Portugal is equivalent to nearly 2 1/5 or 3 1/3 U. S. gallons in Lisbon and Oporto respectively.

Referring to the cultivation of their rice, usually in fields more or less under water.

i.e., the fifth Sunday in Lent.

The island of Lubang, southwest of Manila; a dependency formerly of the province of Cavite, but now of Marinduque.

Pulo Obi--that is, Obi Island; it lies near Cape Cam?o , the southernmost point of Cochinchina.

It is difficult to identify this town with exactness, but it is probably the same as the modern Pnom-penh on the great river Me-khong . The usurper of Langara's throne was Anacaparan .

That is, the usurper Anacaparan. According to Morga, he resided at Sistor, which probably was the modern Udong.

Tiuman Island is off the eastern coast of the Malay peninsula; it is about ten miles long and five broad, and is a mass of rock, rising into heights of 2,000 to 3,000 feet.

Pedro de Ledesma, although an old man when he came to the islands, lived until 1625, after having filled several offices in his order--mainly at Manila, where he died. He brought seven missionaries with him .

See Morga's account of this expedition . Another relation is presented in a MS. document conserved in the Archivo general de Indias, with the pressmark: "Simancas-Secular; Cartas y expedientes del gobernador de Filipinas; a?os 1600 ? 1628; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 7."

According to the MS. mentioned in preceding note, this officer was Pedro de Beaztegui .

Spanish, Avia yo andado todas estas esta?iones: an allusion to the "stations" which represent, in a Roman Catholic church, the stages in Christ's sufferings; and to the devotion which consists in making the circuit of these stations.

Apparently meaning here, "the country of the Irrayas," rather than the name of any distinct district. The Irrayas are in modern times a heathen tribe, of mixed Malay and Negrito blood, dwelling in the southern part of Isabela province, Luz?n, on the western slopes of the Palanan range, and on tributary streams far up the Rio Grande de Cagay?n.

The Angatatan River, on which is situated the hamlet of Magaldan; it falls into Lingay?n Gulf.

Thus in Aduarte's text, but misprinted for Guadaira. Alcala de Guadaira is a small town in the diocese of Sevilla.

According to Morga's account, this friar was a Dominican.

The Dominicans made their first establishment at the City of Mexico in 1526; nine years later, their houses were organized into the province of Santiago de Mexico. In 1550, Chiapas and Guatemala were separated therefrom, and formed into a new province; and in 1592 permission was given to cut out still another, the province of Oajaca. Alonso de Vayllo was its second provincial . See account of the Dominican order in Nueva Espa?a in the sixteenth century, in Bancroft's Hist. Mexico, ii, pp. 724-733.

i.e., "Christ became, for our sake, obedient even unto death."

Tom?s Hern?ndez was sent, soon after his arrival at Manila , to the Japan mission; but at the end of four years he returned with broken health, which compelled him to cease his labors. He lingered, however, until 1642, when he died at Manila.

See list of these missionaries in Rese?a biogr?fica, i, pp. 307-319. Thirty-one arrived at Manila, besides the two who died on the way.

One of the year-periods used in Japanese chronology . The Keicho period is 1596-1615.

All these priests became martyrs, except Hernandez; the fate of the lay brother is unknown.

One of the Koshiki Islands, lying west of Satsuma, and belonging to that district.

Konishi Yukinaga Tsu-no-Kami, a noted general, was converted in 1584, and took the name of Augustin. In 1592 he commanded the main army sent by Taik?-sama for the conquest of Korea. Konishi won renown in that enterprise, in which he was engaged until Taik?-sama's death caused the recall of the Japanese troops from Korea. Opposing Iyeyasu, Konishi was among the prisoners taken at the battle of Sekigahara , and was beheaded at Kioto. See Rein's Japan, pp. 284-288, 290, 299.

Owotomo Bungo-no-Kami , the most powerful feudal lord in Kiushiu, was one of the first daimi?s in Japan to accept Christianity, and was the main support of the missions in their early years. He died in 1587. The family of this prince were deprived, under Iyeyasu, of their possessions, which were divided among the latter's adherents. See Rein's Japan, pp. 273, 519.

This was a soldier named Joan Diaz . Cf. Morga's account of this Dominican mission .

Jer?nimo de Bel?n, a Portuguese by birth, came in the mission of 1595, from Puebla de los Angeles, Mexico. He ministered at Bata?n, Manila, and Cavite respectively; in 1603 went on the Camboja mission, and on its failure returned to Manila. He died in 1642, in Pampanga.

Sketches of the lives of all these friars are given in Rese?a biogr?fica, i, pp. 320-327.

This friar came in 1604; he died at Nasiping, July 16, 1611.

Pedro Muriel came to the islands in 1615, and was sent to the Cagay?n missions, where he seems to have spent most of his remaining years. He died at Manila, about 1642.

Itaves is a district south of central Cagay?n, on the waters of the Rio Chico de Cagayan . It has over 15,000 inhabitants, contained in more than a hundred villages; these people are mainly Calauas, and are heathen Malays. See U. S. Gazetteer of Philippine Islands, p. 561; also Smithsonian Report, 1899, p. 535.

Juan de Naya spent most of his missionary life in Cagay?n. Finally being ordered to Mexico, he died on the voyage thither, January 27, 1620.

Andres de Haro, a native of Toledo, made his profession at Cuenca in 1613. He came to the Philippines in 1615, and spent more than forty years in the Cagay?n missions. At various times he filled important offices in Manila, among them, that of commissary of the Inquisition. He died in that city, September 19, 1670, at the age of seventy-six years.

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