CHAPTER X

Our religious propagate the Catholic faith in Zambàles, a province of

Philipinas. Two religious die in España, with great marks of holiness.

The year 1670

§ I

Information is given of the preaching of Ours in Zambàles; and that

many Indians came newly to the Church.

396. ...Some people here in España imagine that the first illustrious

champions of our reformed order who went to those countries [i.e., the

Philippines], reared and finished the sightly structure of that Church,

and that the missionaries, their successors, have been and are quite

comfortable, and have no other occupation than to maintain what the

first ones built. It is a fact that, according to the philosophic axiom

that the conservation is equivalent to a second production, that would

not be doing little even did they do no more. But as a matter of truth

it must be said that if so holy a province rests in the conservation

of the conquests acquired, it also labors without end in the building

and planting of other new conquests. To this point the history has

shown many of them, [26] and I shall narrate others below. But this

year we have the profitable and difficult expedition which our ever

tireless and laborious province made into the Zambàles Mountains,

for the sake of obtaining not little growth for the Christian faith.

397. The mountains called Zambàles extend a distance of fifty

leguas from Mount Batàn to the plains of Pangasinàn in the island of

Luzòn. They are peopled by an innumerable race, who defend themselves

from the Spanish arms almost within sight of Manila, because of the

roughness of the ground, and maintain along with their heathenism,

their barbarous customs. Who these people are can be seen in volume i,

to which we refer the reader, [27] We only warn him that the Indians

of whom that volume talks, inasmuch as they live in the beaches and

plains extending from Marivèlez to Bolinào, and being, consequently,

needed in the trade with Spaniards and civilized Indians, are not

so ferocious as those who without these mitigating circumstances,

inhabit the rough mountains of which we speak. Not a few natives of

several nations are found in that place. Some of them are born in the

dense thickets and are reared in the most barbaric infidelity. Others

are called Zimarrònes, and have apostatized from the Catholic faith,

after having fled from the nearby Christian villages. There is also an

incredible number of blacks who, without God, without king, without

law, without civilization, without settlement, live as though they

had no rational soul. All of those Indians, notwithstanding that they

wage most bloody wars among themselves, generally unite to oppose

the Spanish arms, when the Spaniards have attempted their conquest,

and stake their greatest reputation in shedding human blood.

398. The evangelical ministers have always fought with the sword of

the divine word against that wild forest of men almost unreasoning,

and with all the means dictated by charitable prudence, in order to

convert it into a pleasant garden by means of the Catholic faith. The

Dominican fathers stationed in the district of Pangasinàn, and in

the villages called El Partido, which are located on the opposite

side of Manila Bay, have always cast their net, and obtained not

few hauls of good fish. The Observantine Augustinian fathers have

also done the same from their missions in Pampanga, which border

the above-mentioned mountains. The fathers of the Society have done

the same from the village of San Mathèo, which is situated almost on

the brow of the said mountains on the Manila side. And our discalced

Recollects, equally with those who have done most, have labored in

this undertaking at all times, without despising occasions. They have

great opportunity for doing that, for, as a general thing, ten or

twelve laborers live in the fifteen reduced villages of the Zambals,

who occupy all the coast for a distance of forty leguas from Bolinào

to Marivèlez, and surround all the above-mentioned mountains by the

sea side.

399. Thence, then, did the illustrious champions of our holy reformed

order generally issue in order to overrun the rough territory of

the mountains so that they might seize multiple spoils from the

enemy of souls, and direct them to eternal life. As those people

are very ferocious and difficult to convert, it was necessary to use

gentle methods there, making use of caresses rather than of noise and

din. Notwithstanding, on several occasions very many conversions of

Indians, Zimarrònes and heathen, who were reduced to villages formed by

the indefatigable solicitation of our religious, were obtained. Then,

as appears from four letters of the definitory of that holy province,

which were written to our respective fathers vicars-general--the first,

June 20, 1646; the second, July 2, 1655; the third, June 14, 1658; and

the fourth, July 4, 1668--more than one thousand five hundred souls (at

the date of the last letter) had been drawn from the mountains, freed

from the darkness of the heathen, and illumined with the splendors

of the Catholic faith. And it has been impossible to discover who

were the illustrious laborers who obtained so wonderful trophies,

in order to enrich history with their names.

400. But the most abundant season of those fruits was seen to be during

the triennium of April 21, 1668, to 1671. Our father, Fray Christoval

de Santa Monica, governed the province during those three years. He

having heightened and ennobled the missions of Zambàles, when other

superior employments gave him the opportunity, had placed there the

whole of his affections. On that account, in addition to the great

zeal that he had for the salvation of souls, from the very chapter,

he made up his mind that during the term of his government, the utmost

effort should be made to unfurl the standard of the faith in the

Zambàles Mountains, and to have salvation carried to its inhabitants

on the wings of charity. For that purpose he managed to have father

Fray Joseph de la Trinidad, a native of Zaragoza, a religious born,

one would say, for the missions, elected prior of Bolinào. Later he

appointed him vicar-provincial of the jurisdiction of Zambàles. That

man, then, together with fathers Fray Martin de San Pablo, prior

of Masinloc, Fray Agustin de San Nicolàs, prior of Marivèlez, and

six other religious, who were appointed as helpers, fought against

idolatry so tenaciously, that our holy faith was incredibly advanced.

401. He arranged the attack upon that proud Jericho (more impregnable

because of the obstinacy of its inhabitants, than by the wall of its

inaccessible mountains) by ordering that it be assaulted at the same

time by several parts by different soldiers of so holy a militia

with the bugles of the divine word. One began the conquest by the

side of Bolinào, another at Masinloc, two by Playahonda, and two

others by Sùbig and Bagàc. The father vicar-provincial went to all

parts in order to direct actions, and to fight in person with his

accustomed success. The father provincial also, with his secretary,

then father Fray Diego de la Madre de Dios, made it a point of honor

to take part in so dangerous a field, whenever the tasks of his office

permitted, and they both fought as valiant soldiers. For the expenses

which were heavy for the maintenance of many missions and for the

other things which accompany like expeditions, the province acted as

proxy, for they did not wish to have recourse to the royal treasury

which generally supports such undertakings. And to the labors which

are indispensable in wars of that quality, and which were excessive

there, those illustrious warriors set their shoulders, well armed

with endurance, for they had already been exercised in other conquests

and had always been victorious.

402. Thus did they work constantly until the end of the year 1670,

and with so good result, that they converted that bitter sea of

idolatries and superstitions in great part into a leafy land of

virtues. On account of the insurrections which so great acts of

wickedness caused in Pangasinàn, Zambàles, and Pampànga, as I have

already written in chapter i of this decade, many whole families

had fled from the Christian villages to the mountains, together with

a very great number of Indians, who having abandoned the faith and

subjection, lived there as the declared enemies of God and of the

king. Of those it appears that more than two thousand souls were

reduced, and another great number, which is not specified by the

relations, of other people of several nations, who had either been

born in heathendom, or had formerly deserted the Catholic camp. The

evangelical workers were greatly elated with that fruit and rewarded

for their unspeakable labors, and were encouraged beyond all manner to

follow up such conquests and even to undertake other new ones. For,

it is a fact that when the fruit of one's preaching can be seen, it

causes such joy in the missionaries, and gives them so great courage

for other undertakings that that alone can serve as a worthy reward

in this life and infuses valor for other more difficult enterprises.

403. Those zealous laborers formed anew from the people whom they

allured from the mountains, the villages of Iba, or as they are

also called, Paynavèn, Cavangaàn, Sùbig, and Mòrong. In addition

to this the ancient villages increased in population. Until the

present time, there was not along all that coast, that belonged to

our administration, more than three convents or ministries--one even

in Bolinào, another in Masìnloc, and the third in Marivèlez--with

the exception of that of Cigayàn, which was destroyed. But now two

new convents were established, which were necessary for the greater

convenience of the spiritual administration--one in Paynavèn, under

the title of Nuestro Padre San Agustin, to which were assigned three

annexes or visitas; a second in Bagàc with the advocacy of Our Lady

of the Pillar of Zaragoza (which was moved to Mòrong some years later

under the same title), and to it were assigned three other villages as

visitas. All the above was completely accomplished in the year 1670,

with which this history is concerned. That year can be marked by a

white stone by that holy province and indeed by our whole Recollect

congregation, because of the so great progress that was obtained in

the propagation of the faith, the only aim to which their desires were

expended. Next to God, successes so happy are due to the tenacity with

which these zealous missionaries worked, for they trampled all dangers

under foot, and to the good arrangements and holy wisdom of the father

provincial, Fray Christoval de Santa Monica, as well as to the zeal,

courage, and care of his vicar, father Fray Joseph de la Trinidad.

404. In order to conclude this matter we must add that the same

activity proceeded in the immediate years with equal fruit. For,

as in the chapter of 1671, father Fray Joseph de la Trinidad was

elected definitor, he besought the father provincial, Fray Juan de

San Phelipe, very urgently, to allow him to make a mission to the

Zambàles Mountains. Permission having been obtained, he went to the

convent of Paynavèn and gave a new beginning to the conquest on the

side toward Babàyan with results so favorable that he tamed the wild

and inhuman hearts of many Zimarrònes and heathens. Hence, during the

three years of his definitorship the recently-created villages were

greatly increased by a considerable number of souls who were allured

from the mountains and brought into the Church. As payment for this

service, and in consideration of his many merits, he was elected

provincial in the chapter celebrated in the year 1674. The first care

of his successful government was to see that those missions should be

kept up. He sent two of the best religious to continue that undertaking

and finished the leveling of so impenetrable and rough thickets.

405. Those laborers (whose names will be written in the book of life,

since, due to the omissions of the relations, they are lacking in the

book of history) penetrated into the mountains of Zambàles in such

manner, that they arrived within a short time at the contrary part of

them toward Manila Bay. By so doing their approach to the villages of

the district of Batàn, the administration of which, as we have already

stated, belongs to the Dominican fathers, was indispensable. The

latter, reasonably, as they thought, took what had been done ill,

saying that Ours were sowing the seed in a field whose territory did

not belong to them; for, in these bodies of militia, more than in

any other, it is easily perceived that triumphs are taken from the

hands of the one to advance others in their obligations. Their father

provincial, Fray Phelipe Pardo (later archbishop of Manila), assumed

charge of that litigation, alleging before the royal Audiencia,

that the conquest of that part of the mountains belonged to his

province, as it was contiguous to their ministries. He petitioned

that our discalced religious be ordered to retire. But our father,

Fray Joseph de la Trinidad, opposed that demand so energetically that

justice was compelled to decide that if the extension of the Catholic

flock followed, it mattered very little which instruments were used,

whether these or those ministers.

406. Divine Providence usually permits such rivalry, certainly holy

in itself in the holy squadrons that serve the God of armies for

the spiritual conquest of the world. Whenever judicial authority

has determined in this way, experience has demonstrated that great

progress follows in favor of the Catholic faith. For each side with

the incentive of the other, dares to undertake greater enterprises,

and repeated triumphs are obtained. So was it now; for seeing the door

locked to their demand in the above-said court, the father provincial,

Fray Phelipe Pardo, resolved to assign two religious of his order,

so that they might, with the zeal that he infuses in all of his

holy institute, make a mission thither by way of Mount Batàn. They

began that mission in the month of October, 1675, as is affirmed in

his history of Philipinas by father Fray Balthassar de Santa Cruz,

although he says nothing as to the reason for the expedition. [28]

Accordingly Ours went to another part, thus leaving a sufficient

field for the Dominican fathers, for truly, there is room enough

for all. This strife being the origin of the obstinate work of the

missionaries of both families, who labored with all their might, they

reduced many Zambals to the bosom of our holy faith, and filled their

respective villages with new converts. Had so laudable a rivalry

continued, excellently founded hopes that so glorious a conquest

would be ended would have been conceived. But it was God's will to

have all the territory of Zambàles shortly after left for several

years in charge of the fathers of St. Dominic, while our laborers

went to the territory of Mindòro, as we shall relate in chapter ix

of the following decade. Thereupon the strife entirely ceased, and

even the fruit, so far as our reformed order is concerned.

407. Father Fray Joseph de la Trinidad finished his provincialate

in April, 1677, and then immediately went in person to continue

the expedition that cost him so great anxiety. He penetrated the

mountains on foot in various places in order to seek sheep there

whom he might convey into the flock of Christ. Exposing himself to

the will of their barbaric natures, without any fear of the perils

or caring for the dangers to himself, he persevered there until he

had to retire two years later for the reasons given above. As we do

not possess the necessary manuscripts, we cannot state the number of

souls that were drawn down from the mountains from the year 1671 to

that of 1679. The relations which we follow only assure us that as

it was not considered advisable at that time to form settlements in

the wildnesses of the mountains many reduced families were withdrawn

thence, in order to live in the coast villages. Those villages have

been augmented in tributes and inhabitants, to such a degree that those

ministries were constituted with a great abundance of people and were

the most flourishing of the province, as they were so thickly populated

by souls who embraced the Catholic faith with fervor. In due time

(decade 13, in the year 1741) this history will show forth another

most fruitful expedition, which was made into the same mountains by

our Recollect family, founding there villages and convents in order

to attend to whatever pertained to them in the conversion of those

Indians. Now we shall end this relation by giving due thanks to God,

for He has in all times infused into our brothers a spirit fervent

in undertaking, and in proceeding in such obligations.

[The second and last section of this chapter deals entirely with

Recollect affairs in Spain.]

DECADE NINE

[The first four sections of the first chapter which covers the year

1671 deal with the life of the father lector, Fray Miguèl de Santo

Thomàs. Nothing is known of his early life, not even his birthplace

or his family name, nor the date or convent of his profession. By

some he is called Miguèl de San Agustin. His life in the Philippines

was almost all spent in the province of Caraga. He shunned publicity,

although he did fill several priorates. He worked in the villages of

Bislig, Tàndag, Siargào, and Butuàn where he accomplished much, and

where he was greatly beloved by the natives. He endeavored to induce

industrious habits in the natives, and reclaimed many of them from

the apostasy into which they had fallen, besides strengthening old

Christians and converting heathen. He was especially devoted to the

Virgin, to St. Augustine, and to St. Nicholas of Tolentino. He is said

to have been the object of several marvelous occurrences which can be

traced to his devotion. To him also was vouchsafed at times the gift

of prophecy. He labored fearlessly in the insurrection of Linao and

surrounding districts, braving death more than once in his endeavors

to pacify the Indians. The sexual sin which was offered him failed to

move him as did all other dangers. His death occurred in Butuàn and he

was buried in the church there. The remainder of this chapter does not

concern Philippine affairs. The first section of chapter ii contains a

notice of the eleventh general chapter of the order held in Calatayud

convent in 1672. Fathers Fray Alonso de la Concepcion and Fray Joseph

de la Circuncision were elected definitors for the Philippines; and

fathers Fray Manuel de San Agustin, and Fray Lucas de San Bernardo,

discreets. The remainder of chapter ii and the following chapter do

not contain Philippine matter.]

CHAPTER IV

The Catholic faith makes new progress in Philipinas through the

preaching of our religious. Death of some religious in España of

great reputation.

§ I

A great multitude of heathen Tagabalòyes who lived in the mountains

near the district of Bislig, is converted in the island of Mindanào

by the preaching of our tireless laborers.

600. [The author draws a parallel between the capture of Jericho by the

Hebrews and the evangelization of the Philippines. When God pleases,

the walls of idolatry must fall.] This maxim has followed our reformed

order in the Philipinas, and has been proved many times. For contending

almost continuously with paganism fortified in the mountains contiguous

to the districts reduced to their administration, although they were

disappointed by not few fatigues, without being able to sing victory,

they were at last crowned with triumphs when it appeared fitting to

divine Providence. We have seen and shall see several activities that

prove this truth. At the present we are offered the feats performed

in the mountains of Bislìg.

601. The district of Bislìg, which is the last and most distant from

Manila among those possessed there by our reformed order, is located in

Carhàga, in the island of Mindanào and consists of five villages. These

are Bislìg, which is the chief one, Hinatòan, Catèl, Bagàngan, and

Carhàga. At its beginning the province was named from the last one, as

it was then the settlement of the greatest population. Two religious

only are generally designated for the spiritual administration of

this district, and they have too much work in the exercise of it. For

the villages are located at great distances from one another, the

people are especially warlike, they are contiguous to the Moros,

those irreconcilable enemies, while the sea of those districts on

which they have to travel from one village to another, is extremely

boisterous, rough, and at times impassable, and on its reef in the

dangers already mentioned, several religious have lost their lives,

as will be patent further on in this history. But, notwithstanding

that the two religious assigned to those villages can scarcely attend

fully to the direction of the Christian Indians, and although because

of the dearth of religious from which our reformed order almost always

suffers in those islands, but rarely could more subjects be employed

there, those few following the maxim practiced there of one doing

the work of many, they did not cease to solicit ever the conversion

of the surrounding heathens, who are very numerous in those mountains.

602. There is especially so great a number of heathen Indians and

barbarous nations in certain mountains that extend along the coast,

from opposite Carhàga near Bislìg (a distance of about twenty-five

leguas, while it is not known how far they extend inland), that even

the Christian Indians do not know them all. The nearest nation to our

villages is that of the Tagabalòyes, who are so named from certain

mountains which they call Baloòy. They live amid their briers without

submission to the Catholic faith or to the monarchy of España. Those

Indians are domestic, peaceable, tractable, and always allied with the

Christians, whom they imitate in being irreconcilable enemies of the

Moros. They are a very corpulent race, well built, of great courage

and strength, and they are at the same time of good understanding,

and more than half way industrious. That nation is faithful in its

treaties, and constant in its promises, as they are descendants,

so they pride themselves, of the Japanese, whom they resemble in

complexion, countenance, and manners. Their life is quite civilized,

and they show no aversion to human society. All those of the same kin,

however extensive, generally live in one house, the quarters being

separated according to the families. Those houses are built very high,

so that there are generally two pike lengths from the ground to the

first floor. The whole household make use of only one stairway, which

is constructed so cunningly, that when all are inside they remove it

from above, and thus they are safe from their enemies. Many of those

Tagabalòyes live near the Christians, and those peoples have mutual

intercourse, and visit and aid one another. They do not run away from

our religious, but on the contrary like to communicate with them,

and show them the greatest love and respect. Hence any ministers can

live among them as safely as in a Christian village.

603. It is now seen how suitable are all these districts to induce

so docile a nation to receive our holy faith. But for all that, very

little progress was made in their reduction until the year 1671, and

then it was that the care and the continual preaching of Ours obtained

it. Besides the will of God, whose resolutions are unsearchable, there

were several motives of a natural order, which made the attempts of

the evangelical ministers fruitless. The first was the continual wars

with the Moros. That fact scarcely permitted the Christians and even

the Tagabalòyes to let their weapons out of their hands. With the din

of arms the Catholic religion, always inclined to quiet and peace,

can generally make but little progress. The second consisted in

the little or no aid rendered in this attempt by the alcalde-mayor,

the military leaders of Catèl, and even some chiefs of the subject

villages. All of the above were assured of greater profits in their

trade and commerce, if those Indians were heathens than if they were

Christians; and it is very old in human malice that the first objects

of anxiety are the pernicious ideas of greed, and the progress of

the faith is disregarded if it opposes their cupidity.

604. But the strongest reason for the failure of the desired fruit

was the third. This reason is reduced, as we have already mentioned,

to the fact that there were but two religious generally in the said

district, and of those no one could be in residence at the villages

of Catèl or Carhàga, the nearest ones to the said mountains, and they

only went thither two or three times per year. Consequently, although

they wished never so strongly to labor in the conversion of the heathen

Indians, they could not obtain the fruit up to the measures of their

desires. It happened almost always that the minister was detained a

fortnight at most, in the said villages, the greater part of which

was necessarily spent in instructing the Christians. And although,

by stealing some hours from sleep, the minister employed some of them

in catechizing the heathens, since his stay was so short, he could

not give the work the due perfection, and left it in its beginning,

as he had to go to the other villages. He charged some Christians to

continue in preparing and cultivating those souls so that they might be

ready on his return to receive baptism. But human weakness, united to

the sloth, which almost as if native to him, accompanies the Indian,

was the reason that when the religious returned after an interval of

four or six months, instead of finding the work advanced, he found that

which he himself had done in it lost. And idolatry always triumphed,

notwithstanding that he did not cease to make vigorous war upon it.

605. Thus time rolled on, and the Church obtained very little increase

in those mountains, for the three above-mentioned reasons. The order

could not conquer the two first, and there was less possibility

for the third. For however much the order desired to apply on its

part the only means whereby the desired fruit could be obtained,

namely, the assignment of a religious to reside in the said places,

who should look after the reduction of the Tagabalòyes, without

attending to any other thing, it was continually unable to effect that,

for in Philipinas the harvest is very great and the laborers few. I

have detained myself in the consideration of these obstacles, which

threaten the total devastation of the heathendom of Philipinas, and

are transcendental to all the holy orders, who are striving to spread

the faith in the said islands. For some believe (and more than two have

expressed as much to me here in España in familiar conversation) that

the reason why the heathenism of those countries has not been ended,

is because the missionaries do not work with the same spirit as they

did at the beginning. But they are surely deceived, for in addition to

the many other reasons that may be assigned, the three above-mentioned

suffice to render the most laborious efforts vain. The same tenacity,

zeal, and courage of the first laborers accompanies those who have

succeeded them. Let the obstacles be removed, and one will see that

(as has been experienced many times) Belial having been destroyed

and cut into pieces, although many render him adoration, the Catholic

faith triumphs in the ark of the testament. This happened at the time

of which we treat in the mountains of Bislìg.

606. The year, then, of 1671 came, in which that holy province held

their chapter and father Fray Juan de San Phelipe, a native of Nueva

España, who had taken our holy habit in the convent of Manila, was

elected provincial. That religious had lived for some years in Bislìg,

and had known by experience how necessary it was for a missionary to

live in residence near the mountains, where so great infidelity was

fortified, in order to establish there the health-bringing dogmas

of our Catholic religion. Scarcely was he elected superior prelate,

since he had a sufficient number of subjects in order to attend to all

parts, when he resolved to place one of them in residence at Catèl,

and to order such an one solemnly that he should from there procure

the reduction of those heathens by all means without engaging in other

cares, however useful they seemed to him. He also gave very rigorous

orders to the father prior of Bislìg to the effect that whenever

they could without any omission in the spiritual administration of

the other villages, he or his associates should go to reside in the

village of Carhàga, and be there in residence as much as possible, all

three religious concurring in that great work and aiding one another

mutually for the attainment of so well conceived desires. Finally he

arranged matters with so much acumen that if the lack of religious

had not rendered it impossible after such ideas had been put into

practice, it is probable that they would have subdued all the heathens

of those mountains.

607. In August 1671 that project was begun to be put into operation;

and although we have not yet been able to get detailed information of

the laborers, who were employed in it, on account of which we cannot

place their names in this history, we shall have the consolation of

knowing that they will not be omitted from the book of life. It is

certain that all three religious conspired together in bringing to the

delicious net of the Church those misguided souls, and they shirked

no toil that might help in their object. They made raid after raid

into those mountains; one from Catèl, one from Carhàga, and one from

Bislìg, penetrating to their highest peaks, and their deepest valleys

in all their extent from the promontory of Calatàn nearly to the cape

called San Agustin. All three of them at the same time were careful to

assist the Christians in the spiritual administration. They preached,

catechized, attracted the people by argument, by art, by prudence. And

as some truce occurred in the war with the Moros at that time, and

as they obtained at the same time a very Christian alcalde-mayor who

aided them and caused all his subordinates to aid them in so holy zeal,

so much fruit was obtained that when the father provincial went on

his visit in February 1673, he found that they had already baptized

more than three hundred adults without reckoning those who had been

purified in the waters of grace in sickness and had immediately

died. The latter were as many as one hundred counting great and small.

608. Thus did the above-mentioned father provincial, Fray Juan de San

Phelipe, write to our father vicar-general under date of July 5, of

the same year. And after, on June 26, 1674, he adds that, according

to the relations sent to the chapter by the father prior of Bislìg,

that district had increased by two hundred tributes. This, according

to the reckoning in vogue there, means eight hundred souls. They

had all been allured from the mountains and from the horrors of

their paganism to become inhabitants of the villages already formed,

and to live in civilized intercourse among the pleasant lights of

the Christian name. This well premeditated idea has since then been

followed as has been possible by the successors of our father, Fray

Juan de San Phelipe, whenever the small number of religious has not

rendered it impossible. For in some chapters of that holy province,

repeated determinations are seen to place a minister in residence at

Catèl, so that he may exercise the means conducive to that end. Hence

it is that father Fray Juan Francisco de San Antonio has inserted

the following narrative in his seraphic chronicle. He says: "Some

of the Tagabalòyes are living now in old villages who have become

Christians, and others are being reduced by the zeal and cultivation

of the discalced Augustinian fathers, who hold them as inhabitants of

Bislìg." [29] And it is confirmed that although the district of Bislìg

was formerly one of the smallest in the number of its parishioners,

it is now one of the largest in Mindanào, and there is no other reason

for its increase.

[The two following sections of this chapter detail several miraculous

happenings that aided not a little in the conversion of the region

inhabited by the Tagabalòyes. In 1662 when the Spaniards abandoned the

island of Ternate, because of the Chinese pirate Kuesing, one of the

religious images taken away with them was of the Virgin. That image

was given by the governor of Ternate to the alcalde-mayor of Caraga,

who in turn gave it to the garrison of Catèl. From its position there

it was known as "La Virgen de la Costa" or, the Virgin of the hill,

"for costa in the language of the country, is the same as castillo

[i.e., redoubt]." The influence of this image was far reaching and

it distributed many blessings and favors to its devotees in times of

drought, in plagues of locusts, and during epidemics, and performed

other miracles that gave it lasting fame. Another image of the Christ

crucified was revered in a village near Bislìg, and was later given

a place in the Recollect church at Manila. It was a small ordinary

image such as was used on the altar during mass. As it was very

ugly and misshapen the priest determined to bury it, ordering some

of the natives to perform that task. But when the hole was dug,

and they went to get the image, in its place they found the most

beautiful and symmetrical image that they had ever seen, and nailed

to the same cross. The transformation was announced to be of divine

origin, and this image was accordingly revered as miraculous; and

it proved itself to be so in the future. On account of the miracles

that occurred in the Caraga district the people became more devout

Christians and many abandoned their ancient practices. The remainder

of this chapter does not deal with Philippine matters; as do neither

of the two following chapters.]

CHAPTER VII

The Catholic faith is advanced by the preaching of Ours in various

places in the Philipinas. The death of two religious in Talavera de

la Reyna with great reputation.

The year 1677

§ I

The evangelical trumpet resounds in various territories of Philipinas,

and especially in the ridges of Linao, and in the mountains of Cagayàn,

in the island of Mindanào, by the means of our missionaries; and many

heathens are converted to the Christian religion.

714. It has ever been a very common complaint among historians of the

order, and all make it, of time the destroyer of all things and of

the neglect in leaving advisory news thereof. There is no doubt that

for these two reasons the memory of many valiant deeds of excellent

religious, who have filled our discalced Recollect order with honors in

the Philipinas Islands, who have extended the Catholic faith untiringly

at the cost of unspeakable hardships, and destroyed the abominable

altars of heathen blindness, have been lost. But never more than at

present does that complaint appear justifiable, when we begin to treat

of the progress of Christianity in the districts of Linào and Cagayàn,

villages of the island of Mindanào, one of the Philipinas. There was

the evangelical trumpet heard by dint of members of our reformed order,

with memorable fruit.... Let us pass then to mention what we have been

able to bring to light from the confused memories which time excused.

715. In the year 1674, father Fray Joseph de la Trinidad, a native of

Zaragoza, was elected provincial in Philipinas. That apostolic laborer

had always had great zeal for the conversion of souls. Agitated

by that sacred fire that burned without consuming his heart which

fed it, he worked in his own person, as much as he who did most,

so that all the heathens of that distant archipelago should embrace,

believe, and reverence the faith of the true God, in whose name only

is found salvation. For that purpose he went not only once into the

highest peaks of Zambàles, in order to illumine their darkness with the

Catholic light or to lose his life in so heroic an act of charity. He

desired with unspeakable anxiety to be given the opportunity to

make a sacrifice of his blood by shedding it in so good warfare,

in confirmation of the truth which he was preaching. "When shall

I have the desirable happiness," he exclaimed to his pious fellow

countryman, San Pedro Arbuès, "of being made a good martyr from a

bad priest by the merciful God?" That desire we see already had made

him leave every fear; and consequently, without any horror of death,

notwithstanding that it represented itself to him as to all, full of

bitterness, he placed himself in excessive dangers, in order that he

might whiten with the water of baptism the souls of the inhabitants

of those ridges, so that in their darkened bodies they might obtain

the beauty of grace. Thus was his practice throughout his life,

not only in the above-mentioned district, but also in other places

of the many which are entrusted to us in those vast territories,

and if he did not effectively obtain the crown of martyrdom, yet the

merited reward will not be lacking to such prowess.

716. He did that when he was not the superior prelate, but afterwards

when he became provincial, he flew with his cares to undertakings

of almost infinite breadth. He beheld very near the great empire

of China, peopled by an incredible multitude of souls, almost all

of them seated in the shadows of death, and their acute intellects

ignorantly disturbed in the obscure darkness of their errors. The

mission so often craved by our reformed order to those countries,

was the first object of his zealous heart. He could not be satisfied

with trying to send others as evangelical laborers, but he tried with

the greatest seriousness to abandon the glory of the provincialate,

in order that he might be employed personally in an expedition so much

to divine service, and his inability to accomplish it cost him many a

bitter sob. He became a sea of tears, when he thought of the distant

kingdoms (also almost in sight) of Japòn, Bornèy, Sumàtra, Tunquìn,

Cochinchina, Mogòl, Tartària, and Persia; for most of those who

have their wealth and amenities live but as mortals basely deceived

by their brutish worships, in order to die eternally in the more

grievous life. To some of those places and especially to Japòn, he had

practical ideas of sending missionaries, and even of going thither

in person, and he made the greatest efforts for that purpose. And

although he did not obtain the end of his desires, because of the

obstructions which the common enemy is wont to place to such works,

such eagerness cannot but be praised very highly; and consequently,

they will have been rewarded with great degrees of glory, because of

what he was trying to communicate to the souls of others.

717. Since, then, he could not accomplish so well conceived love

which extended itself to the salvation of the whole world, he set

in operation the maxims which his burning charity dictated to him in

regard to the extensive limits entrusted by the Lord of the vineyard of

the Philipinas for the cultivation of our holy discalced order, with

a so visible utility to the Church. In the first place he arranged

with admirable prudence that certain missionary religious should

incessantly travel through the villages of our administration, like

swift angels or like light clouds in order to preach the obligation

of their character to the Christian Indians. They were to advise them

at the same time to take the sacraments frequently, of the horror

of idolatry, of the love of the faith, of obedience to the Church,

and to the appreciable submission to the Catholic king from which

so many blessings would follow to them, and by which they would be

delivered from innumerable evils. For that purpose he assigned two

religious of the Visayan language, one of the Tagálog, and one of

the Zambal--all of the spirit that such an occupation demanded. He

ordered each one of them to make continual journeys through the large

and small settlements of the district of his language, preaching the

mission with the same formalities that they are wont to observe in

Europa. He also ordered the father priors of the respective districts

to give such fathers every aid for that apostolic ministry, both

temporal and spiritual, as such was for the service of God and the

greater purity of our Catholic faith.

718. The profits and good effects that followed that undertaking

happily instituted, and reduced to fact with rare success, cannot

be easily explained. Oh would that the lack of religious almost

transcendental in all times in that province did not prevent the

prosecution and perpetuity of so holy a custom by which unspeakable

harvests of spiritual blessings were obtained, although some temporal

riches should be spent in it. It is true that the ministers of parish

priests of our said order who live continually in the villages,

attend to those duties without avoiding any toil. But since they

always live among their parishioners, and treat them so near at

hand, and since they exercise over them a certain kind of authority,

greater than that which the curas in España possess, it will not be

imprudent to observe (considering human weakness, and the cowardice

of the Indians), that some will not go to confess to those said

parish priests without great fear, the common enemy infusing them

with fears lest the parish priests perhaps will punish them for the

sins that they might confess. Let us add to this that there are no

other confessors on whom to rely, especially in the districts which

are at some distance from Manila. Also it is almost impossible as

our ministries are located, for the Indians to go from one village to

another for that purpose. For these reasons, I myself have experienced,

and I have heard it asserted by many curates that too many sacrilegious

confessions are made, for sins are kept hidden out of shame, to the

deplorable ruin of souls. All the above impediments cease undeniably

so far as the missionaries are concerned. Hence one can infer the

great fruit that would be gathered in spiritual matters by means of

the profitable idea which was invented by our father Fray Joseph and

put in practice in his time with the utmost ardor.

719. Besides that, by causing his subjects to multiply, since not

in number, at least in their courage for work, the vigilant superior

ordered those who were in the ministries to perform with the utmost

effort what they had always done, namely, that they should not be

content with directing the souls of the faithful to heaven, but should

strive with might and main for the conversion of the heathen. And

since the fire of love as regards God, their provincial, and their

neighbors, burned with intensity in those gospel laborers, one can

not imagine how greatly the activity of that fire, strengthened with

the breath of the exhortation of so worthy a prelate, was increased

and worked outside. We can assert without any offense to anyone else

what has already been suggested in other parts of this history,

namely, that our discalced religious in the Philipinas Islands,

outstripped all the other religious in the so meritorious quality

of suffering hardships. [30] The villages most distant from Manila,

those that offer less convenience for human life, those with the most

ferocious people, and all surrounded by Moros, by heathens, and by

other barbarous Indians, in regard to whom any confidence would be

irrational, are the ones in our charge. And adding to this that one

minister generally has charge of many settlements, which are at times

located in distinct islands, one can easily see how many fatigues,

sweatings, and how much weariness will be caused by the spiritual

administration of those who are enlisted in the Catholic religion. What

will all that be then, if they have to attend also to the reduction

of so great a number of souls, who live lawless in idolatry in sight

of the law of grace! I repeat that our Recollects, equal in their zeal

to the other gospel laborers, exceed them there without difficulty in

the necessary opportunities for suffering. Moreover, if our brothers

have the advantage at all times in this regard of other missionaries,

those of the triennium of which we are speaking, excelled themselves,

for they labored more than ever in the administration of the faithful

and in the conversion of the heathen.

720. But the greatest efforts that the venerable father provincial

put forth, and the places where the religious assigned for that work

labored with excessive fervor, were in the districts of Butuàn and

Cagayàn, which are located in the island of Mindanào. There was a

heathen Indian called Dato Pistig Matànda, who had been living for

many years on the banks of the river Butuàn between the villages

of Linào and Hothìbon. He was of noble rank, a lord of vassals,

and had great power and a not slight understanding, although he was

corrupted with an execrable multitude of vices. He, instigated by

the devil, had caused all the efforts of the evangelical ministers

to return fruitless for many years; for idolatry maintained not only

in the castle of his soul, but as well in all the territory of his

jurisdiction, the throne which it had usurped, and the continual

assaults which were made without cessation against that obstinate

heart by the members of our discalced order had no effect. Several

religious had endeavored to make him submit to the sweet yoke of

the evangelical law, and they availed themselves with holy zeal of

all the stratagems which, as incentives, generally attract the human

will to reason and open the door to grace in order that it may work

marvels. Especially did the holy father Fray Miguèl de Santo Thomàs,

make use of all the means that he considered fitting to reduce the

Indian chief to the true sheepfold as well as those who were strayed

from it in his following, during the whole time that he graced that

river by his presence. But experience proved that God reserved the

triumph solicited on so many occasions for the happy epoch of which

we are treating at present, for his own inscrutable reasons. At

that time then the divine vocation working powerfully and mildly,

and availing itself as instruments of our religious who resided in

Butuàn and in Linào, softened that erstwhile bronze heart and he not

only received baptism, but also tried by all means to have his vassals

do the same. Hence, leaving out of account a great number of children,

the adults who were reëngendered in the waters of salvation and became

sons of God and heirs of glory, exceeded three hundred.

721. At the same time another father, who had a residence in the

village of Linào, notably advanced our Christian religion in places

thitherto occupied by infidelity. The mountains of that territory are

inhabited by a nation of Indians, heathens for the greater part called

Manòbos [31]--a word signifying in that language, as if we should

say here, "robust and very numerous people." When those Indians are

not at war with the Spaniards, they are tractable, docile, and quite

reasonable. They have the very good peculiarities of being separated

not a little from the brutish life of the other mountain people

thereabout; for they have regular villages, where they live in human

sociability in a very well ordered civilization. Although the above

qualities, as has been seen, are very apropos for receiving the faith,

notwithstanding that fact, although some of them are always reduced,

they are very few when one considers the untiring solicitude with which

our missionaries unceasingly endeavor to procure it. The reasons for so

deplorable an effect are the same as we have mentioned in regard to the

conversion of the Tagabalòyes Indians. But during the provincialate of

our father Fray Joseph de la Trinidad, either because those obstacles

ceased, or because divine grace wished to extend its triumphs, the

results were wonderful. A very great number of those Manòbos were

admitted into the Church--how many is not specified by the relations

which we have been able to investigate, but we only see that they were

many; for it is asserted that while the district of Butuàn, to which

Linào belonged, consisted before that time of about three thousand

reduced souls, its Christianity increased then by about one-third, the

believers thus being increased for God and the vassals for the king.

722. In the mountains of Cagayàn, shone also the light of

disillusionment, without proving hateful but very agreeable to rational

eyes, for it caught them well disposed. The zealous workers of our

Institute, shaken with the zeal of the venerable father provincial,

devoted themselves to felling that bramble thicket which was filled

with buckthorns of idolatry and even with thorns hardened in the

perfidious sect of Mahomet. Three religious, who glorified that

district, attended to so divine an occupation, stealing for it from

the rest of the moments that were left to them from the spiritual

administration which was the first object of their duty. They extended

their work toward the part of Tagalòan, and even penetrated inland

quite near the lake of Malanào through all the mountains of their

jurisdiction. There like divine Orpheuses they converted brutes into

men by the harmonious cithara of the apostolic preaching and those who

were living, in the most brutish barbarity to the Christian faith,

which is so united to reason. Thus did they reduce more than one

hundred tributes to the villages of the Christians. That was a total

of five hundred souls who were all drawn from their infidelity or

apostasy. That triumph was so much more wonderful as at that time

the war of the Malanào Moros against the presidio of Cagayàn was

more bloody, and it is verified by experience that in all contests,

the Catholic faith generally advances but little amid the clash of

arms. But their increases, which we have related (as obtained in the

triennium of the venerable father, Fray Joseph de la Trinidad, which

was concluded in April, 1677) appear from several letters written

in Manila by the most excellent religious in June and July of the

above-mentioned year, and directed to our father the vicar-general,

Fray Francisco de San Joseph, which have been preserved in the archives

of Madrid.

[Section ii of this chapter relates a number of miraculous

occurrences in the villages of Butuàn, Linào, and Cagayàn, and their

districts--miracles which were greater than the recovery of health on

receiving baptism, at the reading of the gospels, or after drinking

the water left in the chalice after the sacrament, all of which were

very common and little regarded. Those miracles had great weight

in reducing those people to the Christian faith. For instance the

dato above mentioned, Putig (or Pistig) Matanda, was converted after

the successful exorcism of demons that had troubled his village. It

is related in this section that "for reasons that seemed fitting,

the convent and church of Butuàn were moved to the beach from their

previous location; but it was afterward reëstablished there, one

legua from the sea upstream." One of these years also the village

of Cagayàn suffered greatly from the scourge of smallpox which was

formerly so common in the Philippines. Section iii treats of Spanish

affairs. Section iv deals with the life of Fray Melchor de la Madre de

Dios who died in the Recollect convent of Talavera de la Reyna, Spain,

May 30, 1677. He was born in Nueva Segovia or Cagayan in Luzón, his

father being Juan Rodrigues de Ladera. While still young his parents

removed to Manila where he studied until the age of twenty the subjects

of grammar, philosophy, and theology. Although he was apt, he found

himself below others not so clever as himself because the pleasures

of the world appealed to him too strongly. Consequently, he quit his

studies in disgust, and gave himself to trade, "the occupation of

which is not considered disgraceful there to people of the highest

rank." But his evil courses still prevailed and during his several

trips to Acapulco he succeeded only in wasting his money. Returning

to Manila after his final voyage, he gave up some of his worst vices,

but still kept a firm grip of the world. He must have taken up his

neglected studies again, but almost nothing is known of him until

he reached his thirty-third year. It is said by some that he became

a priest before joining the Recollect order, but there is a lack of

definite knowledge on that score. At any rate he did not abandon his

rather loose way of living. In the midst of his vices he had always

been greatly devoted to St. Augustine, and his conversion finally

occurred on the eve of that saint. Then a vision of the saint who

appeared to him caused his conversion and an enthusiasm that never left

him. He became a novitiate in the Recollect convent of Manila that same

year 1639 and professed in 1640. After preaching with great clearness

and force in Manila which had been the scene of his excesses, he was

sent as missionary to the Visayan Islands, where he worked faithfully

and well. But breaking down in health because of his strenuous life

in the snaring of souls, he was compelled to retire to the convent

of Cebú and then to that of Manila. It being impossible for him to

accomplish much work longer in the Philippines because of his health,

he begged and received permission to go to Spain for the remainder of

his life. When he went is uncertain, but it was after 1656, for that

year he was in Siargao in the province of Caraga. After his arrival

at Madrid he was assigned to the convent of Talavera de la Reyna,

where his memory was revered after death for his good works.]

[Chapter viii notes the twelfth general chapter of the Recollect

order held at the convent at Toboso. Philippine votes were lacking,

due probably to the non-arrival of delegates in time. The remainder

of the chapter does not concern the Philippines.]

CHAPTER IX

Our province of Philipinas takes charge of the spiritual administration

of the island of Mindòro where several convents are founded. Several

religious venerated as saints, end their days in España.

The year 1679

§ I

Description of the island of Mindòro, and considerations in regard to

its spiritual conquest, which was partly obtained before our discalced

order assumed its administration.

... 785. Mindòro is located in the center of the islands called

Philipinas. It is surrounded by all those islands, and is encircled

by them in a close band as the parts of the human body do the

heart. It has a triangular shape whose three ends are three capes

or promontories, one of which is called Burruncàn and looks to the

south, another looks to the north and is called Dumàli, while the

third which looks to the west is called Calavìte. In regard to its

extent, Mindoro comes to be the seventh in size among all the islands

of that great archipelago. [32] It is about one hundred leguas in

circumference. Its climate is very hot, although the continual rains

somewhat temper its unendurable heat. In its rains it exceeds all

the other nearby islands. However this relief bears the counterpoise

of making the island but little favorable to health, because of the

bad consequences of the heat accompanied by the humidity. But for

all that it is a very fertile land, although unequally so because

of its rough mountain ranges, and the thick forests. There are many

trees of the yonote, [33] and of the buri, from which sago is made,

which is used for bread in some places. There are also wax, honey,

the fruits of the earth, flesh, abundance of fish, and rice where

the people do not neglect through laziness to plant it. That island

was formerly called Mainit, but the Spaniards called it Mindòro from

a village called Minòlo which is located between the port of Galeras

and the bay of Ilòg. [34]

786. Its inhabitants had sufficient courage to cause all their

neighbors to fear them. Especially at sea were they powerful and

daring as was lamented at different times by the islands of Panày,

Luzòn, and others, when they were attacked by the fleets of Mindòro

which they completely filled with blood and fire. But at the same time

they showed a very great simplicity, which was carried to so great an

extreme, as is mentioned by father Fray Gaspàr de San Agustin, that

when they saw the Europeans with clothes and shoes--a thing unknown

among them--they imagined that that adornment was the product of nature

and not placed through ingenious modesty. [35] That simplicity produced

in them the effect of their not applying themselves to the cultivation

of the earth, but of contenting themselves with wild fruit and what

they could steal as pirates, or better said, robbers. The sequel of

that so far as their laziness is concerned, has lasted even to our

own times; for as says father Fray Juan Francisco de San Antonio,

all who have discussed the matter, agree that they are the laziest

people and the most averse to work of all the inhabitants in those

islands, notwithstanding that they are corpulent enough. [36] However,

my experience of the Philipinas obliges me to say that so blamable

a peculiarity is only too common to all of them, almost without any

distinction of more or less. Neither could that courage of theirs

save them from subjection to España, and if they earlier considered

that subjection unfortunate in the extreme, now they regard it with

the light of the faith as their greatest fortune.

787. A beginning in its conquest was made on the Mambùrao side in the

year 1570 by Captain Juan de Salcèdo. [37] That conquest was completed

so far as the seacoasts are concerned from the cape of Burruncàn

to that of Calavìte at the beginning of the following year by the

adelantado, Miguèl Lopez de Legazpi. The balance of the island has

been subdued gradually by dint of the evangelical laborers with the

exception of the mountains which are located in its center. From that

time, then, the seacoast Indians of that island have been subject to

the mild yoke of the Spanish crown, and have given signs of extreme

loyalty. For, although the great Chinese pirate Limaòn attacked the

Philipinas in the year 1574, in order to seize them if possible,

there were some signs of insurrection in Mindòro, which was put down

very quickly, even before one felt its effects which are generally

very painful in popular uprisings. That good fortune was due to the

moderation of the natives and to the temperance of Captain Gabriel de

Ribera, who knew how to sweeten with very pleasing acts of kindness

the bitter crust of justice. For that reason of the Indians being

entirely well inclined to the Spaniards, the encomiendas of that great

island were very desirable to the primitive conquistadors. In spiritual

matters the island belongs to the archbishopric of Manila. In regard

to civil matters, it is governed by a corregidor and captain of war,

who generally has residence in it and extends his jurisdiction to

the neighboring islands of Marindùque and Lucbàn.

788. Let us now speak of its spiritual conquest, which is the principal

object of our consideration. In the year 1543 the Observant religious,

the sons of the best beloved Benjamin, our common father, San Agustin

(to whom fell the first and greater part of the possession for the

conversion of the heathen, so far as that archipelago is concerned)

made the Philipinas Islands happy by their presence by commencing

to establish their apostolic preaching; [38] and later in the year

1565, they settled in order to complete what they had begun. Like

stars rain-laden with the evangelical doctrine those most zealous

ministers fertilized their Philipinas inheritance with their voluntary

showers. So much did they do so, that when the new laborers, the sons

of the seraph Francisco arrived at the field, there was scarce an

island which had not produced most abundant fruit for the granaries

of the Church because of the work of the first sowers; as is shown in

several places of his history by father Fray Gaspàr de San Agustin;

[39] and that lover of truth, father Fray Francisco de San Antonio

confesses it, thus honoring as he ought the Augustinian Hiermo

[sic]. The island of Mindòro also shared in this good fortune. In

its cultivation were employed fathers Fray Francisco de Ortèga and

Fray Diego de Mòxica. They, after having founded the village of Bàco,

endured innumerable misfortunes in a painful captivity, hoping for

hours for that death, which they anxiously desired in order to beautify

their heads with a painful martyrdom. But in order that one might see

that although the former worked above their strength, much remained

to be done by their successors, I shall cite here the exact words of

father Fray Gaspar de San Agustin in his Historia. "The convent,"

he says, "that we had in that island [of Mindòro: added by Assis]

was in the village of Bàco. Thence the religious went out to minister

to the converted natives. The latter were very few and the religious

suffered innumerable hardships because of the roughness of the roads

and the bad climate of some regions." [40]

789. The discalced sons of St. Francis (minors for their humility,

but greatest [maximos] by the fires which they could cast from

themselves in order to burn up the world) arrived in Manila in the

year 1577. Thence like flying clouds, whose centers were filled with

very active volcanoes, they were scattered through various parts of

the islands. They were received with innumerable applauses of their

inhabitants, who regarded them as persons who despised the riches of

earth, and thought only of filling the vacant seats of glory. One of

the places where their zeal for the salvation of souls was predominant

was the land of Mindòro which had been ceded by the calced Augustinian

fathers. There, not being content with what had been reduced, they

extended the lights of the Catholic faith at the expense of great

efforts, in the direction of Pola and Calavìte. Those who labored

most in those places to communicate the infinite blessing to souls

were fathers Fray Estevan Ortìz and Fray Juan de Porras, who were

great leaders among the first religious of the seraphic discalced

order who went to Philipinas. [41] But since the fire is kept up

in matter in proportion as it abounds in commensurate inclinations,

various fields having been discovered in other parts which were full

of combustible dry fuel most fitting to receive the heat of charity,

which gives light to the beautiful body of the faith; and seeing that

that rational fuel of Mindòro would not allow themselves to be burned

for their good, with the quickness that was desired: they thought

it advisable to abandon the little for the much, and to go first to

Ilòcos and secondly to Camarines where they hoped for more abundant

fruits in return for their holy zeal.

790. In the year 1580 the religious of the holy Society of Jesus

arrived at the islands. They, in the manner of swift angels ennobling

and glorifying those hidden plains, expanded the habitation of Japhet,

in order that he might possess the famous tents of Shem. Immediately,

or very near the beginning, the superior detached excellent soldiers

of that spiritual troop for the island of Mindòro, so that they might

with the arms of the preaching destroy the altars dedicated to Belial

by giving roots to the healthgiving sign of the cross. They obtained

much; for after having penetrated the roughest mountains in search of

heathens and Cimarrones they founded the village of Naojàn, with some

other villages annexed to it. They enjoyed that ministry a long time

with their accustomed success. The one who excelled in the missions

of that island was Father Luis de Sanvictores, whose glorious memory

and reputation for sanctity was conserved for many years among those

Indians. They, notwithstanding the rudeness of their style, never

spoke of him without praise. But that father having retired in order

to begin the conquest of the islands of Ladrones (which were afterward

called Marianas), where he with glorious martyrdom gave the utmost

encouragement, although others followed his attempts in Mindòro with

great zeal; the Society finally abandoned that island into the hands of

the archbishop. [42] We cannot give the exact time of their resolution

or the reasons which could move so zealous fathers to it, although we

regard it as certain that they did it in order to employ themselves

in other places where the evangelical fruit was more plentiful.

791. His Excellency the prelate immediately formed two curacies of

the entire island, which he handed over to the secular clergy so that

they might aid those souls. Later as the two could not fulfil that,

a third cura had to be appointed. They carefully maintained what had

been conquered, a territory that included the coasts along the north

side extending from Bongabong to Calavìte. But because there were

very few Christians, since it is apparent that they did not exceed

four thousand, who were scattered throughout various settlements or

collections of huts along a distance of eighty leguas of coast, it was

not to be supposed that those missions would produce enough income

for three ministers. Consequently, they had necessarily to be aided

with other incomes, which were solicited from the royal treasury,

and with other pious foundations. Neither was that enough, so that

at times it was very difficult to find seculars to take charge of

those districts. Those ministries were, it is true, scarce desirable,

both because of the smallness of their stipends, because they carried

with them unendurable hardships, and because of the unhealthfulness of

the territory. But finally, moved, either by charity or by obedience,

there was never a lack of zealous seculars who hastened with the bread

of the instruction to those Indians. The curacies were consequently

maintained there until the year 1679, when our discalced order took

charge of the whole island for reasons which we shall now relate.

§ II

Being obliged to abandon the ministries of Zambàles by force, our

province of Philipinas assumes possession of the ministries of Mindòro,

and obtains rare fruit with its preaching.

792. In the year 1606, that grain of mustard arrived in Manìla,

and although it was small, it produced the tree of most surpassing

magnitude. I speak of our first mission which was composed at its

arrival of a small number of religious. By preaching the glory of

God and announcing the works of His power, so few men founded the

greatness of that holy province among the illuminations of blind

heathenism. It cannot be denied that by that time the sound of the

word of God had reached all the Philipinas Islands, which had been

announced by the illustrious champions who had preceded us in that

vast archipelago, to wit, the calced Augustinians, the discalced

Franciscans, the Jesuits and the Dominicans. But there cannot be

any doubt either that, notwithstanding that all the above orders had

worked in the conversion of souls, with the most heroic fervor, some

new locations in which they could enter to work were not lacking to

Ours. The harvest was great and the laborers few; and since, however

much those destined for that cultivation sweated in continual tenacity,

they could not go beyond the limited sphere of man, hence it is that

the Recollects on reaching that great vineyard at the hour of nine,

equaled in merit those who gained their day's wages from the first

hour. And in truth this will appear evident if one considers that even

now, after so many years in which the sacerdotal tuba of the apostolic

ministry has been incessantly exercised, not a few places are found

in the said islands where the individuals of all orders are employed

in living missions, and struggle with the most obstinate paganism.

793. The district where Ours first spread the gospel net was in the

mountain range called Zambàles, in the middle part of which extending

from Marivèles to Bolinào they obtained fish in great numbers, as

has been told already in the preceding volumes. Those villages of

Zambàles are located between ministries of the reverend Dominican

fathers. For, since the latter held along the great bay of Manìla

on the side called El Partido almost at the foot of Mount Batàn,

several missions contiguous to Marivèles and on the other side of

Bolinào, the best portion of the alcaldeship of Pangasinàn, they also

included in their midst the settlements of the Zambals now reduced to

a Christian and civilized life by the missionaries of the Augustinian

reformed order. For that reason the Dominicans had desired and even

claimed without going beyond the boundaries dictated by courtesy and

good relationship that our prelates yield that territory to them,

as it was suitable for the communication of the Dominicans among

themselves between Pangasinàn and Manìla and would make their visits

less arduous. But since that was a very painful proposition to those

who governed our discalced order, namely, the abandonment of certain

Indians who were the firstborn of their spirit, and a land watered by

the blood of so many martyrs, the claim could never be made effectual,

however much it was smoothed over by the name of exchange, our province

being offered other ministries, in which was shown clearly the zeal

of its individual members.

794. The one who made the greatest efforts in this direction was

father Fray Phelipe Pardo, both times that he held the Dominican

provincialate in the years 1662 and 1673. Although all of his efforts

were then frustrated, he obtained great headway by them to obtain

his purposes later. For May 30, 1676, his Majesty presented him for

the office of archbishop of Manìla. Thereupon he formed the notion

that the new marks of the ecclesiastical dignity would be sufficient

to add authority to argument. For, because of the respect to his

person, surely worthy of the greatest promotion, we did not dare to

condemn his attempt as unjust; and more even, when he obtained it,

making amends to our reformed order for the wrong we received by a

recompense which was fully justifiable in his eyes. A chance offered

him a suitable occasion for his project in the following manner. Don

Diego de Villatoro represented to the Council of the Indias that

the island of Mindòro was filled with innumerable heathens all

sunk in the darkness of their paganism; and that if its conquest

were entrusted to any order, it would be very easy to illumine its

inhabitants with the light of the faith. Therefore a royal decree

was despatched, under date of Madrid, June 18, 1677, ordering the

governor of the islands, together with the archbishop, to entrust the

reduction of Mindòro to the order which appeared best fitted for it,

before all things settling the curas who resided there in prebends

or chaplaincies. That decree was presented to the royal Audiencia of

Manìla by Sargento-mayor Don Sebastian de Villarreal, October 31, 78,

and since his Majesty's fiscal had nothing to oppose, it was obeyed

without delay, and it was sent for fulfilment to the said archbishop,

December 14 of the same year. On that account, his Excellency formed

the idea of taking Zambàles from us in order to augment his order

and give the island of Mindòro to our discalced order.

795. He began, then, to discuss the matter without the loss of

any time, and he did not stop until his designs were obtained,

notwithstanding that he had to conquer innumerable difficulties. For,

in the first place, our provincial, then father Fray Joseph de San

Nicolàs, opposed it very strongly. The latter alleged that it would

be a violation of the municipal constitutions of the Recollects to

abandon the ministries of Zambàles, for the constitutions expressly

stated that none of the convents once possessed should be abandoned

except under certain conditions, which were not present in the case

under consideration. Besides that the Indian natives of Mindòro,

both Christians and infidels, scarcely knew that there was a question

of giving them minister religious and begged Jesuit fathers with

great instance, for they preserved yet the affection that they had

conceived for them, since the time that the latter had procured for

them with their preaching at the cost of many dangers their greatest

welfare, omitting no means that could conduce to their withdrawal

from the darkness of their paganism. And when the Zambals heard that

the Recollect fathers were to be taken from their villages, in order

to surrender them to the Dominicans, they declared almost in violent

uproar that they would not allow such a change under any consideration,

for they were unable to tolerate, because of the love which they

professed for their spiritual ministers, to be forever deprived of

their company, by which they had obtained so great progress in the

Catholic faith.

796. But the archbishop found means in the hidden recesses of his

prudence by which to conquer such obstacles. For in unison with Don

Juan de Vargas Hurtado, governor and captain-general of the islands,

he softened the provincial, Fray Joseph de San Nicolàs, and obliged

him to agree to the exchange. He quieted the natives of Mindòro by

means of their corregidor, so that they might receive the ministers

of our discalced order, and availing himself of the services of the

alcalde-mayor of Pangasinàn, he silenced the Zambal Indians so that

they should take the privation of their Recollects gracefully, and

lower the head to the admission of the Dominican fathers. Thereupon,

the sea of opposition having been calmed, and after the three

seculars who were administering to Mindòro had been assigned fitting

competencies, which were provided for them in Manìla, an act of the

royal Audiencia provided that our reformed order should be entrusted

with the administration of the said island, with absolute clauses

which established it in the said royal decree, and without the least

respect the abandonment of the Zambal missions. Then immediately

preceding the juridical surrender of them, which was signed by the

above-mentioned father provincial, although it was protested by only

the father lector, Fray Joseph de la Assumpcion, and father Fray

Francisco de la Madre de Dios, a second act was passed by which the

missions were assigned to the fathers of St. Dominic. Thus did the

archbishop have a complete victory.

797. By virtue of those decrees, which were announced to our

provincial, April 17, 1679, that holy province was dispossessed of all

the Zambal mountain range, which then contained eleven villages. They

were also dispossessed of the missions which father Fray Joseph de la

Trinidad was then fomenting in the nearby mountains by the far-reaching

fruits of his apostolic preaching, as we have mentioned worthily in

another place. [43] The individual members of the province of Santo

Rosario hastened to take charge of the ministries and missions of

the Zambals which had been surrendered to them by Ours without the

least disturbance being observed publicly, although almost all of

those governed by the said Father Trinidad threatened violence. Those

juridical measures, with what was done in Manìla, served much later

for the recovery of Zambàles without the loss of the new possessions

of Mindòro. The necessary papers were also despatched directed to

the corregidor of Mindòro, ordering him to deliver the ministries

of that island to the discalced Augustinians. Without loss of time,

the father definitor, Fray Diego de la Madre de Dios, assumed charge

of the district of Bàco, while the bachelor Don Joseph de Roxas who

possessed it left it. The curacy of Calavìte was taken possession

of by father Fray Diego de la Resurreccion, who took the place of

Licentiate Don Juan Pedrosa. The parish of Naoyàn was taken charge of

by the father definitor, Fray Eugenio de los Santos, the bachelor,

Don Martin Diaz, being removed. All that was concluded before the

end of the year 1679 without disturbance, lawsuits, or dissensions.

798. The above-mentioned religious were accompanied by three others

of whose names we are ignorant. Immediately did that holy squadron

commence to announce the testimony of Christ, with sermons founded on

the manifestation of virtue, spirit, and example, and not on illusory

persuasion which is built on naught but words, which are confirmatory

of human wisdom. They considered especially that they had to give

strict account of those souls whose direction had just been given

them. Consequently, they watched over their flock, hastening to their

sheep with the right food, without avoiding the greatest fatigue. Hence

could one recognize the great good fortune of the island of Mindòro,

for in the territory where three seculars at most, and generally only

two, lived formerly, six evangelical laborers had enough to do. They

were later increased to eight, and that number was never or but rarely

decreased. Each of them on his part produced most abundant fruits at

that time, and under all circumstances the same has been obtained. For

although the common enemy diffused much discord during the first tasks

of their apostolic labor in order thereby to choke the pure grain of

the divine word by making use therefor of a man, namely, Admiral Don

Joseph de Chaves, encomendero of almost the entire island, at last by

Ours exercising their innate prudence and their unalterable patience,

the grace of God was triumphant, while the attempts of Satan were

a mockery.

799. Father Fray Juan Francisco de San Antonio remarked very forcibly

of our discalced religious that, "although they were the last gospel

laborers in Philipinas, they have competed in their apostolic zeal

with the first laborers in the fruits that they gathered from their

labors in the reduction of the most barbarous islanders." [44] And

the father master, Fray Joseph Sicardo, adds very fittingly, that

"our discalced religious having received the great island of Mindòro,

increased the Christianity of its natives by means of so zealous

ministers." [45] Then, as appears from juridical instruments before me,

although the Christians throughout the island when our reformed order

assumed charge of it did not exceed four thousand, in the year 1692

they already exceeded the number of eight thousand, and in the year

1716 arrived to the number of twelve thousand. It is a fact that the

persecution by the Moros happening afterward (of which something was

said incidentally in volume three, [46] and which will in due time add

much to this history) the number of believers was greatly lessened;

for some retired to other islands, where the war was not so cruel,

others were taken to Jolò in dire captivity, and others surrendered

their lives to so great a weight of misfortune. Notwithstanding that,

in the year 1738, when father Fray Juan Francisco de San Antonio

printed his first volume, it appeared by trustworthy documents that

Ours administered seven thousand five hundred and fifty-two souls

in the various villages, visitas, missions, and rancherías in that

island. [47] Hence, one may infer that our zealous brothers have

labored there especially in destroying paganism and reducing the many

Zimarrònes or apostates who, having thrown off all obedience, had built

themselves forts in those mountains. And if not few of both classes

remain obstinate, it does not proceed certainly from any omission

that has been found in our zealous workers, but from other causes

which are already suggested in other parts of this present volume.

800. Neither can one make from this progress of the Catholic faith

which was attained by the preaching of our religious, any inferences

against the other laborers who began to subdue the island, or against

the secular clergy, who administered it afterward. The Observant

fathers, as a rule, employed there no more than one missionary or at

the most two. The number of the fathers of St. Francis was no larger,

and they had charge at times of the district of Balayàn as well as

of Mindòro. Since the fathers of the Society had so much to attend

to in so many parts, two or three of them took care of Mindòro and

Marinduque. Consequently, one ought not to be surprised that so small

a number of laborers did not do more, but, that they had done so much

must surely astonish him who considers it thoroughly. In the same way

the parish priests, who succeeded them, were very few, and since the

reduced Indians occupied so extensive a coast, they had scarce enough

time to administer the bread of the doctrine to the Christians, so that

they had none left to penetrate into the mountains in search of the

Zimarrones or of the heathen Manguiànes. [48] But, on the contrary,

from the time that that island was delivered to our teaching, the

number of missionaries has been doubled or tripled. It is evident

that victories must generally increase in proportion to the increase

of the soldiers in the campaign, even in what concerns spiritual wars.

801. This argument has more force, if it be considered that the

evangelical laborers having increased afterward with so great profit,

they asserted that at times the greatest strength accompanied by

gigantic zeal was given up as conquered, by the continual toil

indispensable in the administration of the faithful, for to that

task was added the care of the conversion of the heathen. That toil

was so excessive that the night generally came without the fathers

having obtained a moment of rest in order to pay the debt of the

divine office. At times they had to neglect the care of their own

bodies in order to attend to the souls of their neighbors. They were

always busied in teaching the instruction to children and adults;

in administering the holy sacraments, although they had to go three

or four leguas to the places where the dying persons were; and in

penetrating the rough mountains in the center of the island, in

order to allure the heathens and apostates to the healthful bosom

of the Church. To all the above (which even now is, as it were,

a common characteristic of all our missionaries in Philipinas) is

added the extreme poverty there, and the lack of necessities that

they endured. For, the reduced product from those villages, in regard

to the ecclesiastical stipend, which was formerly insufficient to

support two or three curas with great misery, was now sufficient to

support six or more religious. Consequently, they endured it with

the greatest hardship.

§ III

Information of the convents which were founded in that island, and

the miracles with which God confirmed the Catholic religion which

Ours were preaching.

802. Trampling under foot, then, the above discomforts and others

which are omitted, those illustrious champions attended to the exact

fulfilment of the spiritual administration, employing themselves in

the exercise of missionaries in order to reduce the heathens to the

Catholic sheepfold. In the belief that it would be very conducive

to the extension of the Christian religion to establish convents

in the new territory which they were cultivating, they began to set

their hands to the work. The first foundation which they established

was in the village of Bàco, where the corregidor was residing at

that time, although that convent was later moved to Calapàn. Two

religious were placed there in residence, and they looked after the

spiritual administration in several rancherías. Those rancherías have

increased with the lapse of time to a great number of Christians, and

have become villages that are not to be despised, having been formed

anew by the zeal of our apostolic laborers. The villages comprehended

in that district in the year 1733 are the following: Calapàn, which

is the chief one, where the convent is located; Bàco, Subàn, Ilog,

Minòlo, and Camoròn, which are annexed villages or visitas, as they

are called there. Our church of Calapàn is enriched with an image

of Christ our Lord, which represents Him in His infancy; and on that

account it is called the convent of Santo Niño [i.e., Holy Child]. That

image is conspicuous in continual miracles and is the consolation of

all the Indians of Mindòro. For a long history might be written by

only relating the marvels which the divine power has worked by it;

now giving health to many sick unto death; now freeing villages from

locusts which were destroying the fields, now succoring not a few

boats which driven by violent storms were running down the Marinduque

coast, whose sailors were in the greatest danger of being drowned in

the water, or the ship of grounding on the shoals of the land.

803. [One miracle is related of a Recollect in Calapàn who having

acquired two hundred pesos determined to send it home to Spain to his

mother who was very poor, without saying anything to the provincial

as he was in duty bound to do. Being very observant in his outward

duties, he said mass before the image just previous to sending the

money to America on a ship which appeared opportunely, but the image

turned its back on him. Thereupon, being convicted of sin, he burst

into tears, and was thereafter free from such temptations.]

804. The above case happened years after when the convent was

established in Calapàn. Let us now examine other marvels, which

happened at Bàco, near the beginning, which were of great use for

the extension of the Catholic name. The father definitor, Fray Diego

de la Madre de Dios, who was the founder of that house, was surely a

holy man, and was venerated as such in Manìla. Notwithstanding that,

however, a corregidor took to persecuting him by word and deed. The

servant of God bore the personal insults with great patience, although

it pained him to the soul to see that the corregidor's contempt was

resulting in prejudice to the Catholic religion. He practiced several

secret efforts ordered by charity in order to restrain the corregidor's

tongue, but seeing that they were insufficient, generally chided in

a sermon the evil employment of sacrilegious mouths which, taking

the gospel laborers as the object of their detractions, prevent the

fruit of their preaching, although they should aid in the attainment

of so holy an end. The chief culprit was present, toward whom without

naming him the father directed his aim; and since, after one has once

left the hand of God, he precipitates himself easily from one abyss

to another (angered by the pain which was caused him by the medicine,

which was being applied prudently in order to cure him of his pain and

indiscreetly abusing the authority which resided in his person), he

rose in anger, with the determination to impose silence on the father

who (if he was talking) it was, for his own [i. e., the corregidor's]

good. "Sacrilegious preacher" he exclaimed, but when he attempted

to continue his face was suddenly twisted, and he could not utter

a word, and he was extremely disfigured and was attacked by most

intense pains. He was taken to his house, where the venerable father

attended him, and by his only making the sign of the cross above the

corregidor's mouth the patient was restored to his former state of

health in body, while in soul he was completely changed. The courage

to make public penitence for his public crimes, and to return his

credit entirely to so holy a religious did not fail him.

805. [The same father although very sick with fever did not hesitate,

aided by spiritual forces, to go to a distance to administer to a sick

person who had urgently requested his presence--a fact that conduced

not a little to the conversion of the natives round about.]

806 [and 807]. The second convent was founded in the village of Naojàn

by the father definitor, Fray Eugenio de los Santos, and St. Nicholas

of Tolentino was assigned it as titular. Besides the said principal

village, it had in its charge six annexed villages of visitas, namely,

Pòla, Pinamalayàn, Balente, Sumàgay, Maliguo, and Bongàbong. However,

with the change of the district of Mangàrin, of which we shall

speak later, there was some variation in the distribution of those

settlements. That ministry is one of the first in authority in the

island, because of the great number of parishioners to which it has

increased, because a great multitude of heathen Manguiànes who have

been converted to our holy faith, have gone thither to live, as well

as a not small number of apostate Christians, who were wandering

at liberty through those mountains. All that was obtained by the

preaching of our laborers by whose efforts three of the said villages

were reëstablished. [Two prodigies or miraculous occurrences which

are related aided in the christianizing of this convent.]

808 [and 809]. Another and third convent was established in the convent

of Calavìte by the efforts of father Fray Diego de la Resurreccion,

and its titular was Nuestra Señora del Populo [i.e., Our Lady of the

People]. It has the annexed villages of Dòngon, Santa Cruz, Mambùrao,

Tubìli, and Santo Thomàs. Of those settlements, those that are on the

coast which extends from Calavìte to Mangàrin, have been founded for

the most part by dint of the zeal of our religious. They formerly had

many Christians, although at present they have suffered a remarkable

diminution because of the persecutions of the Moros which we have

already mentioned. [An epidemic that was raging throughout this

district when the convent was founded was checked miraculously. In

the same district, a heathen Manguian chief who had opposed the new

faith surrendered to the personal solicitation of Fray Diego de la

Resurreccion, and became a good Christian, and afterward aided in the

conversion of many others. The district was miraculously cleared of

the pest of locusts which were destroying all the fields.]

810 [and 811]. The fourth convent was erected in the village of

Mangàrin under the advocacy of our father, St. Augustine. Its

prior also governed the villages of Guàsig, Manàol, Ilìlin, and

Bulalàcao. However, the provincial chapter of 1737 ordered that house

removed to Bongàbong, for reasons that they considered most sufficient,

namely, because Mangàrin was ruined by the continual invasions of the

Moros, and because of its poor temperature, which put an end to the

health of almost all the religious. For that reason, the distribution

of the annexed villages of Naojàn, Mangàrin, and Calavìte in another

manner was inevitable, so that the correct administration of the

doctrina might be more promptly administered. But the convents above

mentioned always were left standing, and serve as plazas de armas,

where those soldiers of Jesus take refuge in order to go out in the

island to war against the armies of Satan. It can be stated confidently

that the district of which we have been speaking, has been conquered

by our reformed order; for when we entered Mindòro, scarcely was the

name of Christ known there, while at present there are many souls

there who follow the banners of the cross, and all the power of hell,

incited by Mahometan infidelity, has not availed to destroy the deep

roots of its faith. On the contrary we have wondered greatly at the

power of the divine grace in those neophytes, for after their belief

has been proved many times, as gold in the crucible, in the fire of

the most raging persecution it has gone up [a number of] carats in

value and purity. [This district was also the scene of a miracle or

prodigy that showed the force of God and the faith.]

812. Besides the above-mentioned convents, a mission was begun some

years later in the mountains of Mindòro for the purpose of reducing

the Manguiànes heathen. Although many of them had been converted,

allured by the zeal of various religious, still not a few remained

in the darkness of paganism for lack of ministers, who could busy

themselves without any other occupation in busying themselves in

illumining them with the evangelical light. That was so abundant a

field that it could keep many laborers busy. Thus the project was

formed by the province to keep at least three subjects busy in it,

so that each one, so far as he might be able, might put his hand

to the plough, and without turning back, cultivate so extensive a

land, which was capable of producing an infinite amount of fruit for

the table of glory. But since the missionaries maintain themselves

there at the cost of the royal treasury, which is almost always in

a state of too great exhaustion, so well conceived a desire had to

be satisfied with one single preacher, whom the superior government

assigned for that purpose, although the province assigns others at

its own expense, when its too great poverty does not prevent, or the

lack of men, so usual there. The residence of those missionaries in

the village of Ilog was determined upon and a suitable convent was

established there. From that place, entering the mountains frequently,

they began to fell their rational thickets, in order to fertilize

them with the waters of irrigation of the divine grace, so that

the seed of their apostolic preaching might be received. By means

of the laborious eagerness of the sowers who have succeeded them,

a great portion of that arid desert has been transformed into the

most charming garden. When I left Philipinas in the year 1738, it

still existed as a most fruitful mission and there were well founded

hopes that if Apollos water the plants established by Paul, it will

receive the most abundant increase from God. [49]

813. [The way was blazed also in the mountain mission with miraculous

occurrences that proclaimed the true God.] It appears impossible that

their inhabitants should not come to know God and should not run

breathless after the odoriferous delicacias of His goodness. There

is still much to do in this regard, for a great number of infidels

still live in the said mountains, and if thirty missionaries were

assigned there, they would not lack employment. But let us praise God

for what has been accomplished, petitioning Him to crown so memorable

beginnings with a good end.

[The fourth section of this chapter does not treat of the Philippines.]

CHAPTER X

The province of Philipinas again receives the ministries of Calamiànes,

which it had previously abandoned. Abundance of fruit is gathered

there. Some religious die in España.

The year 1681

§ I

Our religious begin again to preach the faith in the islands of

Calamiànes; and the great fruit which they gather in the conversion

of many heathen.

823. [The Recollect missionaries of Philipinas can rightly be called

apostolic because of their zeal.]

824. In the year 1661, the Chinese pirate Kuesing sent an embassy to

the Philipinas Islands, demanding nothing less than the vassalage

of them all, and threatening the Spaniards who did not comply with

what he called their obligation that they would feel all the weight

of war on themselves. We have already treated of this matter in

another place. [50] So far as we have to do with the matter here,

various measures were taken in the islands because of the fears

caused by the threat, in order that they might be defended in case

that Kuesing fulfilled it. One of those measures was the abandonment

of the presidios of Terrenàte, Zamboàngan, Calamiànes, and others,

in order that they might be able to employ their troops, artillery,

and munitions of war in defending the most important places. That

decree was opposed very strongly, but the objections although

they were thoroughly based on reason could not prevent such action

being taken. Consequently, at the end of 1662 or at the beginning

of 63 the presidios were actually withdrawn, and the Christian

villages were left more exposed than ever to the invasions of the

Moros. That so fatal resolution was also necessarily accompanied by

the withdrawal of the evangelical ministers, for the fathers of the

Society abandoned Zamboàngan and other sites, and our Recollect family

the Calamiànes. Although no special regret was shown for that action

at that time by the superior government of Manìla, to whom belongs

the duty of furnishing spiritual ministers to the subject villages,

yet years afterward the wrong was recognized, and the remedy was

procured in due manner.

825. The most fruitful preaching of Ours in the islands of Calamiànes

has been already related in volume II; [51] as has also the conversion

of their inhabitants, until then heathens; the marvels which divine

Omnipotence worked there; the convents which were established for

the extension of the Catholic faith; and the hardships endured by the

missionaries in spreading it. Now, then, it must be noted that eight

religious were well employed in all the islands of that jurisdiction,

who looked after the spiritual administration of the Christian

Indians and the conversion of the idolaters who were not few. But

when they withdrew, only two remained in charge of the islands

of Cuyo and Agutàya while the six betook themselves to Manìla or

wherever their obedience assigned them. The place occupied by the six

(where they labored to excess, as there were many Indians and they

were spread out into many islands and settlements) was given to one

single secular priest. He having his residence in Taytày, did as much

as he was able in the other villages. But it is more than certain

that he could do very little, if he did perchance succeed in doing

anything. In this regard one can visibly see the spiritual wrong which

followed those vassals of the king. Even an undeniable loss resulted

to the royal treasury, for in a few years the Indian tributes were

lessened almost by half. But notwithstanding that, neither Governor

Don Diego de Salcedo nor the bishop of Zebù, to whom it belonged in

its various aspects to supply the remedy of one and the other wrong,

would manifest that they understood it.

826. Thus did things go on for seventeen years until the year 1680,

when the Indian chiefs of Calamiànes having united among themselves,

presented a memorial to Governor Don Juan de Bargas Hurtado. In it,

after mentioning the wrongs above mentioned, and the love which they

always professed to our religious, their first ministers, they urgently

petitioned that the Augustinian Recollects be assigned them as parish

priests. The fact that the cura, Don Antonio de Figueròa, the only

missionary in Calamiànes, in addition to having been presented for

the curacy of Tabùco in the archbishopric of Manìla, had now been sick

for two months and unable to administer the sacraments, lent force to

that representation. On that account he petitioned with double justice

that a successor be sent to him, but no secular ecclesiastic could

be found who knew the language of the country, nor would risk the

mission which was now of but very small profit. For those reasons,

the abovesaid governor despatched an order to our provincial on May

11 of the said year, asking and charging him, and even ordering him

in the king's name, to assign religious of his order, in order that

they might go to reassume possession of the villages of Calamiànes,

so that they might attend to its spiritual administration. He hoped

that by means of their wonted zeal, that province would be restored

to its former splendor through their direction and teaching, and that

the number of the Christians would increase in the proportion desired.

827. But notwithstanding that, the father provincial negotiated with

his definitory in order to interpose a supplication in regard to

the said act, and refused to send evangelical laborers, the total

cause of such action being the lack of religious. He alleged, then,

that since his province had assumed charge of the ministries of the

Contracosta and of Mindòro, where many subjects were employed; and in

consideration of the lack of men which the discalced order suffered

there, which could not be helped: not only was it clearly impossible

for him to assign missionaries to Calamiànes, but also that he saw that

it was necessary for the reformed branch to reiterate his petition

made previously to the royal Audiencia, in regard to withdrawing the

two ministers who were occupied in the island of Cùyo, as there was a

notable lack in other villages. That allegation was sent by decree of

the superior government to Don Diego Antonio de Viga, of the Council of

his Majesty and his fiscal in the Audiencia of Manìla. On the sixteenth

of the same month and year, he maintained that notwithstanding the

representation made by the father provincial (since no other order

contained ministers who understood the language of the Calamiànes),

the necessary provision must be despatched, in accordance with the

second and last warning, ordering the Recollect province to establish

missionaries in Calamiànes and not to withdraw those of Cùyo. He was

confident in the apostolic zeal with which they have ever applied

themselves to the ministry, that notwithstanding their small number

they would accomplish the task which demanded many laborers.

828. The governor conformed to the plea of the fiscal. Consequently,

on the same day he despatched in due form a second decree in the

king's name, ordering the superior prelate of our province, in

consideration of the extreme necessity of the islands of Calamiànes, to

immediately establish the necessary ministers therein for the spiritual

consolation of those Indians. He added that Don Fray Diego de Aguilar

of the Order of Preachers, the bishop recently appointed for Zebù

(to whose miter the said islands belonged) despatched ex-officio

his decree also charging our province with the administration of all

the Christian villages established in Calamiànes, or that were to be

established in the future; and says that he does so in consideration

of the apostolic zeal of our reformed order and the spirit that

always assists them in trampling under foot the greatest fatigues,

so that many souls might be gathered into the flock of the Catholic

church. Thereupon the father provincial, Fray Thomàs de San Geronimo,

could offer no more resistance and sent father Fray Nicolàs de

Santa Ana as vicar-provincial of Calamiànes, with two associates. The

alcalde-mayor of the said province, Don Diego Bibièn Henriquez, placed

them in possession of the ministry of Taytày (which is the chief one

of them all) on the first of November, 1680, to the universal joy of

the Indians. The latter showed by extraordinary festivals their joy

at seeing that the direction of their spirits was in charge of the

same fathers who had engendered them through the gospel. The king,

by his decree dated December 24, 1682, confirmed the said possession

at the petition of the father commissary of Philipinas, Fray Juan de

la Madre de Dios, with great signs of his royal pleasure.

829. Of the three religious newly assigned, father Fray Nicolàs

established his residence in Taytày; the second was located in the

island of Dumaràn; and the third in the village of Tancòn. From those

places they labored according to their strength, until the arrival

at Philipinas of the band of missionaries which was conducted by

the father commissary, Fray Juan de la Madre de Dios, which entered

Manìla in October 1684, when a greater number of missionaries could

be assigned, as was very necessary for the direction of so many

Indians. For the extensive territory which was formerly administered

by only one cura, has later given worthy employment to five, six,

or seven of our religious, to say nothing of the two at the least,

who have been stationed continually in the islands of Cùyo. Hence

one may infer how much the Catholic faith has been extended there,

now by reducing into the villages the many natives who had fled

to the mountains, after abandoning almost entirely their Christian

obligations; now by undeceiving others who lack but little of becoming

Moros, because of their nearness and intercourse with those people; and

now by penetrating into the roughest mountains of Paràgua in order to

draw the souls from the darkness of paganism to the agreeable light

of the Christian religion.

830. In regard to these particulars, we consider it necessary to

reproduce at this point a portion of a letter written May 28, 1683,

to our father vicar-general, Fray Juan de la Presentacion, by the

recently-elected father provincial of those islands, Fray Isidoro de

Jesus Maria, a person well known in Europa for the literary productions

which he has published. He speaks, then, as follows: "The urgings

of the Indians of the province of Calamiànes to the ecclesiastical

and secular government and to my predecessors, have availed so much,

that this province has judged that the precept of Christian charity

demands us to return to that administration, trusting in God our Lord

for the relief of the very great disadvantages which had compelled our

religious who had administered and reared that field of Christendom

from its beginning, to withdraw from that province. At the present

it has increased by more than two thousand souls who have been drawn

from the mountains in less than three years, as can be seen from the

relations sent to the chapter. Greater fruits are hoped for, because

in the past year of 82, the ambassador of the king of Borney in the

name of his prince, arranged with the governor of these islands for

the cession of a not small amount of land and number of settlements,

which are subject to the said Bornèy--one in the island of Paràgua,

one of the islands of Calamiànes. The confirmation of the pact with

his ambassador is awaited from Bornèy, so that that district may

really be incorporated with the rest which is subject to the king our

sovereign; and consequently, to introduce by means of our religious,

the Catholic faith among those new vassals of his Majesty."

831. Then he goes on to treat of the unsupportable hardships suffered

in Calamiànes by the evangelical ministers. I have thought it best

not to omit his relation, in order that one may see how much merit is

acquired in the promulgation of the faith amid such anxieties. "But

the devil," he continues, "who watches that he may not lose the souls

of which he finds himself in quasi possession, has raised up at this

time a cloud of dust, by which he has prevented and is preventing

in many of these remote parts the obtaining of many souls and is

occasioning the loss of others. For as I am advised by the letters

of the religious of Calamiànes, under date of the eighteenth of the

current month and of the twenty-second of the past month of April,

that the alcaldes-mayor who have governed that jurisdiction (and

even more he who is governing it at present, who is a lad of 21,

a servant of the governor and of these islands) cause so great and

continual troubles both to the father ministers and to the natives of

the country, that the latter, although Christians, have retired from

their villages of Taytày, Dumaràn, and Paràgua to the mountains in

order to escape their intolerable oppression. They exclaim that they

are not withdrawing from obedience to his Majesty and that they do

not intend to abandon their profession as Christians, but that they

do not dare to live in the more than enslaved condition in which

the alcaldes-mayor, carried away by their insatiable greed, confine

them. The father prior of Taytày writes me that he has entered the

mountains with every danger from the enemy, in search of his terrified

and scattered sheep; and notwithstanding all the efforts and warnings

that he has made and given them he has not been able to succeed in

getting them to return to their villages, unless another alcalde-mayor

be assigned to them, and relief offered for the extreme oppression

that is offered to them. They answer the arguments of the father by

telling him not to tire himself, 'for we can ill hope,' they say,

'that he who tramples on the sacred dignity of a priest, will have any

moderation with regard to us.' They assert this because they saw that

the last alcalde-mayor lifted his cane against father Fray Domingo

de San Agustin, and struck him while he was putting on his clerical

robes to say mass; and that the present alcalde-mayor treated the

religious with indignity even to the point of taking from them the

one who takes them their necessary support, so that they have had to

find for themselves the water that they drink. He has taken from them

the sacristans and other servants of the Church without leaving them

even anyone to aid them in the mass. He has forbidden the Indians to

enter the convent or to assist in any of the things to which they

are obliged. He has forbidden them to go out as they ought to the

visitas, and to confess, preach, and catechize. It is all directed

to the end that the Indians might not be busied in anything else

than in getting wax for the alcalde-mayor. Hence this is the source

and beginning of the troubles suffered by the poor Indians. They are

not only not permitted to make use of their natural right, but are

prevented from giving the due execution to his Majesty's orders, from

entering and going out, from trading and trafficking one with another,

and one village with another, for if they have anything to buy or to

sell, it must be entirely for the alcalde-mayor. These notices are

necessarily communicated in the lands of the infidels. Just consider,

your Reverence, what will be the condition of their minds, when

we try to reduce them to the knowledge of our good God, and to the

obedience of the king our sovereign. I have informed the governor in

regard to this, and since I do not expect any relief from his hand,

I entreat your Reverence to procure it from the royal piety with the

memorial and documents adjoined. If not we shall have to appeal to

God, for such troubles are of very frequent occurrence in various

parts of these islands. We never cease to wonder when we see some

Spaniards here who are so destitute of Christian considerations,

and so clothed in greed, God so permitting by His lofty judgments, in

exchange for the martyrdoms that are lacking to us religious in Japòn."

832. We believe, although we are not altogether sure, that the suitable

relief was given on one and the other side, for in the following

years, we find that the Catholic faith made very extraordinary gains

in Calamiànes. This is proved by the reëstablishment of the ancient

convents and ministries. It appears that the chapter of 1686 erected

a new mission in the village of Tancòn which was later moved to the

village of Culiòn. The chapter of 1695 established another distinct

mission in the island of Dumaràn, and that of 1698 a third one in

the island of Lincapàn; and we see that that of 1746 has added two

other ministries, the first in the island of Alutaya, and the second

in the village of Calatàn. That is sure proof of the increase of the

Christians, when the evangelical laborers are so increased. In regard

to the above we must mention what appears from acts and judicial

reports which the superior government of Manìla sent to the Council

of the Indias, and which are conserved in its secretary's office in

the department of Nueva España; namely, that when our province of

Calamiànes was again given to us, all the islands contained only

4,500 Christian souls, but that in the year 1715 they amounted to

18,600. And even after the continual and furious persecution, which is

mentioned briefly in the third volume [52] had intervened, with which

it is undeniable that the number of believers had decreased greatly,

father Fray Juan Francisco de San Antonio notes in the history of his

province of San Gregorio de Philipinas [53] that there were 21,076

Christian souls in the islands of Calamiànes and Romblòn in the

year 1735. Hence subtracting about five thousand from that number

for those of the island of Romblòn, there is a remainder of about

sixteen thousand for Calamiànes. [54] Let us give praises to God who

thus maintains the zeal of those fervent laborers and crowns their

fatigues with so abundant fruits.

[Section ii of this chapter mentions the virtues and holiness of some

of the Indians of the missions of Calamiànes. The first mentioned

was one Joseph Bagumbàyan, a native of Taytày, who was reared in

the convent of that village by the Recollects. The rearing of such

children is described as follows: "The holy orders of Philipinas

are wont to take account of the sons of the chief Indians of the

villages under their charge, in order to teach them good morals from

childhood, and rear them with those qualities which are considered

necessary to enable them to govern their respective villages afterward

with success, since the administration of justice is always put in

charge of such Indians. They live in the convents from childhood

in charge of the gravest fathers. The latter are called masters,

although in strictness they are tutors or teachers who would right

gladly avoid such service. In this meaning, and in no other, must

one understand whatever is said about our religious having servants

in the Philipinas. I have heard scruples expressed here in España

over this bare kind [of service], when it ought to be a matter for

edification to see that in addition to the truly gigantic toils that

our brothers there load upon their shoulders, they voluntarily take

this very troublesome one of rearing a few children who serve only to

exercise the patience." Joseph strove to imitate the fathers as much

as possible, in self sacrifice and austerity, and desired to become

a donné, "which was the most to which he could aspire, since he was

only an Indian." That, however, being denied him, he was enrolled

in the confraternity of the Correa or girdle, and admitted as a

spiritual brother of the Recollect order. He acted as teacher of boys

for over fifty years, teaching them reading, writing, arithmetic,

and music. At his death he was buried in the Recollect church at

Taytày. One of the boys taught by Joseph was Bartolomè Lingòn. At

the age of fifteen he was appointed to assist Fray Alonso de San

Agustin or Garcias, who arrived in Philipinas in 1684 and was sent

immediately to Calamiànes. Although he desired to remain unmarried,

he was married at the request of the missionaries to a devout woman

named Magdalena Ilìng. He acted as the chief sacristan of the Recollect

church in Taytày, ever taking great delight in the service of the

church and his duties therein. He survived his wife three years, dying

in January 1696. His wife had been born in Laguna de Paràgua but had

lived in Taytày most of her life with a Christian aunt. Although she

wished to devote her life exclusively to religion she was persuaded

by the religious to marry Bartolomè. Her devotion led her to teach

the girls of the village without pay. Of a gentle disposition she

was yet unyielding on occasions of necessity and although tempted by

an alcalde-mayor who was enamored of her beauty and made improper

proposals to her, she ever maintained her virtue. At her death by

cancer of the breast, she was buried in the Recollect church. The

last two sections of this chapter have nothing on the Philippines.]

DECADE TEN