_This Chapter doth treat of certaine rites and
ceremonies, and other signes and tokens which be
found, and do show that they haue had notice of the
holy law of the Gospel._
[Sidenote: Salamina where S. Thomas was martred.]
Such ceremonies as vnto this day haue bin seene amongst the people of
this kingdom, are gentilicas,[83] without any mixture with the Moores,
nor with any other sect: yet there is found amongst them, that is a
sufficient indition,[84] that they haue had in some time past, some
particular notice of the euangelical law, as is plainly seene by
certaine pictures which haue beene found and seene amongest them,
whereof we haue made particular mention, the which they beleeue was
knowen by the preaching of the Apostle S. Thomas, who passed through
this kingdome when as he went vnto the Indians, and from thence to the
city of Salamina,[85] which, in their language, is called Malipur,
whereas he was martyred for the name and faith of Jesus Christ: of whom,
at this day, they do remember in that kingdome, by the tradition of
their antecessors, who said, that many yeares past there was in that
kingdome a man that did preach vnto them a new law, whereby they might
goe vnto heauen: who, after that hee had preached certaine daies, and
saw little fruit thereof (for that they were all occupied in ciuill
wars) he departed from thence vnto the Indians. But first he left
certaine disciples behind him that were baptised and well instructed in
matters of faith, that they might preach vnto them whenas occasion did
serue for the same. In many places they do worship the diuell, only for
that he should do them no harme; and so the said fryer did tell me, for
that hee was diuers times in presence whereas they did obsequies of
certaine Chinos that lay a dying: and he saw that they had painted
before the dead man a furious diuell, having in his left hand the sunne,
and in his right hand a dagger, with the which he made a show as though
he would strike him. This picture was put before him at the point that
hee should yeelde vp the ghost, strengthening him that he should put
great trust thereon.
[83] The original Spanish word, meaning "pagan", left untranslated.
[84] From the Spanish _indicio_, "proof".
[85] More properly Calamina. Tillemont upon this subject says: "Les
Portugais pretendent qu'il y a une ancienne inscription à Maliapur dans
les Indes, où l'on apprend entre autres choses que Saint Thomas fut
percé d'une lance au pié d'une croix près de cette ville. C'est peutêtre
ce qui fait dire aux auteurs nouveaux que Calamine est la même ville que
Maliapur."
And as the fryer did demand of them what reason they had to do the same,
some of them answered and saide, because the diuell should do no harme
vnto the dead man in the other world they put his picture before him,
that he might knowe him, and take him for his friend.
That which is vnderstood of these Chinos is, that although they haue
amongst them many errors of the Gentiles; yet with great ease they would
be reduced vnto our faith, if they might haue libertie for to preach,
and they to receiue it.
[Sidenote: Giuen to delights.]
When as the sunne and the moone is in eclypse, they beleeue verily that
the prince of the heauen will destroye them, and for verye feare they
put them selues in that colour: the people generally doo worshippe vnto
them, and beleeue verily that the sunne is a man, and the moone a woman.
And therefore, when as they beginne to bee eclypsed, they make great
sacrifices and inuocations unto the prince afore said, desiring him not
to kill nor destroy them, for the great necessitie they haue of them.
All generally beleeue the immortalitie of the soule; and that in the
other world they shall be rewarded or punished according as they liued
in this worlde, in company of the bodie. And therefore they do vse to
make in the fields sepulchres, wherein they command themselues to be
buried after they bee dead. When they should be buried, they command to
kill all their seruants or their wiues, those that best he loued in his
life, saying, that they do it that they should go with them to serue
them in the other world, whereas they beleeue they shall liue eternally
and die no more. They put with them into their sepulchres things to be
eaten and great riches, beleeuing that they do carry the same into the
other world, and there to serue their necessities. In this error were
the Indians of the Peru of old antiquity, as the Spaniards haue seene by
experience. There is in this kingdom many vniuersities and colleges,
wherein is taught philosophie, both naturall and morall, and the lawes
of the countrie, for to learne to gouerne by them; vnto the which the
king doth send ordinarily visitors to see and vnderstand the order that
is amongst them, and to reward or punish the students according vnto
the desert of eyther of them. They are greatly ashamed when they see any
euil thing committed, although they bee not punished for the same, and
are people that do permit with ease correction, as the father Ignacio
and his companions did see by experience; who going alwayes as condemned
men to die, yet at all times when they did see them do reuerence vnto
their idols or vnto the diuell, or any other euill thing, they did
reprehend them with great liberty, who did not onely seeke to hurt them
for the same, but did greatly reioyce to heare their reasons wherewith
they did prohibite or forbid them. The said frier did tell me that, one
day, passing by an hermitage, whereas dwelled an hermite who had, vpon
the altar in the same, an idoll for his saint: before whom was there a
Chino, a principall man, worshipping the same; the saide father, without
any feare, went vnto him, and began to reprehende him, and to spit at
the idoll, and caused him therewith to leaue off his worshipping,
whereof he was greatly amazed, both he and all the rest of his companie,
to see with what boldnes it was done, and no harme done vnto him for the
same, eyther they supposed that the Chino did thinke him to be a mad
man, or else (which is most to be beleeued) that God did worke with his
seruant whereby he would giue him his reward for that which he had done,
in returning for his honour, in mittigating the furie of that man, and
to giue him vnderstanding that he was reprehended with reason. There are
many Chinos conuerted to the faith as well in the Ilands Philippinas, as
in the citie of Machao, and they baptise of them daily, who giue tokens
and outwarde showes to bee good Christians, and say that the greatest
difficultie for to conuert all the whole kingdome, will be in them that
doo gouerne in the same, for they had neede of a particular ayde and
helpe of the mercie of God to bring them vnto the faith; for that they
are had in reuerence and obeyed as Gods vpon the earth. Besides this,
they do giue themselues to all delightes that any humaine creature can
imagine, for that they put all their felicitie therein, and doo it with
so great extremitie, that it is supposed there is no people in all the
worlde that may be compared vnto them.
[Sidenote: Their women are chast, but their men are vicious.]
For besides that they are alwayes carried in little chayres, and vpon
mens shoulders, which are covered with silke and golde; yet are they
giuen much vnto bankets, wherein they haue so many different sortes of
meates as their appetites doo require. And it is greatly to be maruailed
at, that the women of this kingdome are marveilous chast and secret as
any whatsoeuer; and to the contrarie the men are as vicious, but in
especiall the lords and gouernors: and for that our faith do reprehend
with rigor and terror the excesse of these thinges, it is to be beleeued
that it will be a great impediment to the entrie of the Gospel amongst
them: yet God may so touch them, and in such sort, that there will be no
difficultie. Amongest the common people there will be no such
impediment; but rather they will embrace with great content our holy
law, for that it will be an occasion to cleare and set them at libertie
from the tyrannie of the diuell, and from their iudges and lords, who do
intreate them as slaues. This is the opinion of all them that haue
entred into this kingdome, and haue intreated of this matter with the
Chinos. They haue amongest them some good thinges, and woorthie to be
imitated and folowed, of the which I will here set downe two, which are
thinges of great purpose to my iudgement. The one is, that vnto none
they do giue the office to gouerne, by no manner of wayes nor meanes,
although they be suborned by friendship, but onely by his owne merites
and sufficient abilitie. The seconde, that none can be viceroy,
gouernours, nor iudge of a prouince or citie, in the which hee is
naturall borne, the which they say is done to take away the occasion of
dooing any iniustice, beeing carried away or led by parentes or
friendshippe. All other thinges of this kingdome I do remit vnto that
which hath bin before declared, for to passe vnto the rest, the which
in this Itinerario is promised to be mentioned and declared.