_Our religious reach Luzon, after the death of Father Andres de San
Nicolas in sight of the islands. They found the convent, which is
located outside the walls of Manila, and undertake the conversion
of the barbarous Zambàles, in which three of their men die from the
hardships, and father Fray Alonso de la Anunciacion at the house
of Portillo._
We left father Fray Joan de San Geronimo and his twelve associates,
anxious to finish their journey, continuing their road from Mexico
to the port commonly called Acapulco, because it was necessary to
embark once more in order to reach Philippinas, where God our Lord
had prepared many souls who, oppressed by the demon, had no ministers
to lighten their darkness. There was already in the said port a ship
ready to sail, called "Espiritu Santo," and they were accordingly
detained but a short time. They finally set sail on the twenty-second
of February, that year of one thousand six hundred and six, in all
safety, and all being overjoyed at seeing themselves nearer the land
that they were seeking. Some incidents happened on that voyage which
were afterward regarded as miracles, and all attributed them to the
good company of so notable religious whom they carried. The first
one was that, the ship being all but sent to the bottom by burning,
the fire having approached near some barrels of powder, warning was
given in so good time that it could be extinguished, when if there had
been but little more delay, this would have been impossible. The second
seemed more prodigious; for on a certain very clear and serene night,
shouts came from the bow from those who were stationed there, crying,
"Land! land!" The pilot and sailors were thunderstruck as soon as they
saw themselves upon some shoals or sunken rocks, and already lost
beyond all remedy. Thereupon bewailing their misfortune, they tried
to seek confession, as quickly as possible. They thought that all
efforts were useless; therefore they cared for nothing else. However
they tried to cast the line, but uselessly, for their lines were cut,
and they the more confounded by their slight hopes of life. The ship
went ahead into that chasm [_rebentaçon_]--as it is called--as if
it were passing through a strait; and after having sailed a goodly
stretch without accident, among so many reefs, they found themselves
on the high sea, free from everything.
Father Fray Andres de San Nicolas had preached the previous afternoon
with great energy against the great licentiousness and shameless
conduct of the passengers and the other people, who had no fear of
God. He severely censured their excesses, and the little anxiety
that they showed in that time of greatest danger. With burning words,
he exhorted them to do better, representing to them their danger and
begging them, finally, to confess, since they did not know what was
to happen that night. The fruit that proceeded from that sermon was
large, for, his audience becoming terrified and contrite, many of
them confessed, and others proposed to do the same by having their
entangled consciences examined as soon as possible. After a few hours,
what is described above was experienced, whereby all thought that the
good preacher had had a revelation of that event; and they could not
thank our Lord sufficiently for having granted to them the company
of so good religious, but more especially the company of him who
preached to them of their danger--whom they regarded as a distinguished
servant of God, as he was. Some certified afterward that that place
through which the boat had passed had been a rocky islet, and that
they had seen it on other voyages; and they were astonished at having
escaped on that occasion with life, attributing it, beyond doubt, to a
manifest miracle, which the Lord wrought at the intercession of those
fathers. They desired, therefore, to listen to their teaching daily,
and especially to that of the father who announced to them what we
have seen. Consequently, not sparing themselves at all, the fathers
gave in alternation their inspired discourses, which were the health
and medicine of the many who were there--the ship so conforming itself
to these that it seemed a reformed convent, where before it had been
a house of confusion and bluster, with soldiers, mariners, and seamen.
The same father, Fray Andres, among the continual sermons, preached
a very fervent one on a certain day, and gave them to understand that
he would live but a short time, and that he was not to reach the land
of promise, for his faults and defects. That happened so, for not long
after, he fell sick, before sighting the islands called Ladrones. His
sickness increasing, when he was told that the islands were in sight,
he arose from his bed, and looking at them, through a porthole of his
cabin, immediately lay down again, saying, "Nunc moriar lætus." [33]
His weakness was already very great, and, as he had already received
the holy sacraments, and was in great resignation and joy of soul,
and all our fathers were present, he begged father Fray Joan de
San Geronimo to have the passion of Jesus Christ our Lord read to
him very slowly. That was done, in the manner that he desired. He,
holding an image of the same crucified Lord in his hands, broke
out into very glowing utterances of love, and shed many tears during
those moments. After the passion was finished--which lasted until near
dawn, on account of so many pauses--he begged pardon of all for his
omissions and neglect. He asked them to remember him in their masses
and prayers. They recited the penitential psalms and other prayers,
at the end of which, the sick man, very happy, conversed with his
brethren with great affability. He charged them to keep their vows
and the observance of the rules of the order. He persuaded them to
persevere steadfastly in their purpose, and to be mindful of the
zeal with which they had been ready to leave their fatherland for
the welfare and conservation of many souls. He encouraged them to
place their confidence in God, for His Sovereign Majesty had especial
providence and care over that small flock. Accordingly, they were
not to become disconsolate with the thought that they had no house
or convent in Philipinas, for already a lodging suitable for their
purposes was being prepared for them. He concluded by urging them
to commend their souls to Him, and then became very calm. All obeyed
him, surprised, and desirous of such a death; and, at the end of the
prayer, that chosen spirit went out in peace and quiet from the waves
and shipwrecks of this world, and reached the safe and calm harbor
of glory.
Upon beholding his death, one cannot imagine the grief of both
religious and laymen; for, venerating him as a father, they bewailed
him universally, and, in all truth, there was not one who did not show
great affliction. The corpse remained in such manner that it caused
gladness to all who looked at it. Various opinions were expressed as
to whether they should bury it in the sea or not. The laymen promised
that they would deposit it in a fitting place, until they should cast
anchor in the islands now near. Father Fray Joan de San Geronimo did
not consent to this, in order to avoid innovations--and especially when
they were going to countries where they had no home, and where they
knew no one. Therefore, placing the body in a closely-sealed wooden
box, with an inscription written on a certain sheet of lead, which
denoted his name, country, and virtues, amid their lamentations and
tears the body was cast into the sea, without having added the weight
which is used to draw the body to the bottom of the water. On account
of that carelessness the box should have remained on the surface of
the water, without being able to sink at all; but on that occasion the
Lord permitted that the waves should receive such deceased without any
violence. As the ship was in a calm, consequently, all were witnesses
that it settled to the bottom very gradually, and easily. Certain
violent fevers were raging in that vessel, from which about forty
had already died, at the time that the noted Aragonese and observant
religious finished the navigation of his life. But from that instant
all had health, becoming better and recovering very soon. That was
attributed to his prayers in heaven in fulfilment of the word that he
gave them, during the last moments of his life, namely, that he would
commend them to God in glory, provided that he went there, as he had
good hopes of doing. After the conclusion of the services for a death
so fortunate and so bewailed, they soon arrived--May tenth--at the
islands that they were seeking. Having disembarked first, according to
the order that they bore, on the island of Zibù, the discalced were
lodged in the convent of our calced fathers, the venerable bishop,
and that example of prelates, Don Fray Pedro de Agurto, as we saw
in his life, having gone out to receive them in procession. That
most illustrious man desired that the new missionaries should not
go further, and offered them a foundation and whatever they wished,
in order to exercise themselves in the conversion and salvation of
the infidels. It was impossible to assent to so many kindnesses,
for their immediate passage to Manila was unavoidable, in order that
the governor might see the despatches and the decrees from España,
which it was necessary to present to him. After having given the
bishop the thanks due, they had to set out as soon as possible.
Before proceeding with our relation, it will not be out of place
to tell our readers, although in few words, something about the
island of Luzòn and the city of Manila, as it is the metropolis of
the kingdoms that the crown of Castilla has there. It was given that
name, then, since the Spaniards have owned it, from a chief village
so named, distant two leguas from Manavilis, which is corruptly called
Marivelez. It was also called Nueva Castilla. It is the largest island
in the Philippinas, and extends farthest north of all those islands. It
is the most populous in nations and tribes, who exceed the others, both
in bravery and in the light of reason, with well-known advantages. Its
least altitude is scant thirteen degrees, and its greatest ten or nine
and one-half. Its circuit, without taking into account certain bays,
comprehends four hundred and twelve leguas. Those who make it three
hundred are in error, for they do not consider its position. It is
all very fertile, and has many large rivers, that of Cagayan or Nueva
Segovia being more swollen than the others. They are all navigable,
more or less. Ships enter that of Manila at full tide with one-half
their cargo, but the galleys enter it generally without any trouble. It
furnishes a location for the aforesaid city, on a certain very pleasant
and beautiful site on the shores of the sea. It is a point made by the
Pasig River in sight of the bay. That bay is affirmed to be one of the
largest and best that men can see in all the world, for it is thirty
leguas in circumference, and has an island of six miles at its mouth,
where a sentinel is always stationed. It sustains more than one hundred
thousand persons daily with fish, counting the Sangleys and Japanese,
and the villages that are settled on its shores. When Adelantado
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi took it by force of arms, May nineteen, one
thousand five hundred and seventy, ten thousand houses beautified it,
and it was the court of the king, Ladya [_sic_] Solìmàn, a follower
in part of the religion of Mahomet. The same general rebuilt the
city, and left it its former name of Manila--also the proper name
of the island--in the following year of seventy-one. He made it the
capital of the rest of the archipelago, as it was very suitable for
the concourse and commerce of China. Its streets are pleasant and
spacious, and without crossways or turns; for they are all straight,
and have beautiful buildings of stone, which vie with those of España
that are considered well made. It is strong by art and by nature,
because of the many creeks and swamps that surround it, together with
the great wall of stone built according to the style of the moderns,
with not a few ramparts. It is well defended with artillery, and has an
excellent and important fortress, supplied with all that is necessary,
even as the most noted forts that are renowned in Europa. Finally,
it is now the finest and richest city of all those of its class that
are known in the world. It enjoys a cathedral with its archbishop,
a royal Chancillerìa, a presidio with numerous soldiers, and in short,
all the products that the regions of the Orient yield for the pleasure,
health, and comfort of this life, without having to envy anyone for
anything. That city alone makes the name of España very glorious and
formidable there; and what is more, it is that city which maintains the
Catholic religion in those very remote and out-of-the-way hemispheres.
Writing this brief relation in order to give a beginning to the
entrance of Ours, we shall go after them immediately, and shall
find them safe at the gates of Manila, after a journey of four
thousand eight hundred leguas by the course that they pursued from
España. That country was then very joyful over the good news of
the success that their governor, Don Pedro de Acuña, had had in the
capture of Terrenàte, one of the enviable islands of Malùco. They were
sheltered in a small house, until they found better accommodations;
and although the whole city, upon hearing of their arrival, came
in throngs to visit them and offer them more suitable lodging,
as also did the holy orders already settled there, with singular
affection, they refused to accept it--except the infirmary, which
they consented to take for some [sick men], in the convent of the
most exemplary Dominican fathers, who immediately gave it with the
greatest charity. At this juncture the victorious governor arrived,
and amid all his victories and triumphs, as soon as he heard of Ours,
he went to visit them and to regale them, as he was so Catholic and
devout a gentleman. Time was wanting to present the royal despatches
to him, for while he was in the height of his glories, sudden death
assaulted him, brought him to his feet, and cast him into the gloom
of a sepulcher. For that reason the recognition of the decrees and
orders was suspended for some time. But at last, having been examined
and ordered by the royal Audiencia and other officials to be observed,
permission was freely given to father Fray Joan de San Geronimo to
erect the establishments that he wished.
_Foundation of the first convent of Manila_
The announcement made by father Fray Andres de San Nicolas while on his
deathbed to his brethren was fulfilled without any failure--namely,
that they should not despair, for divine Providence was already
arranging a house for them, which would give great pleasure to all. The
fact was that, in verification of his words, on the same day on which
the despatches for their voyage were made in España, the deceased
governor began to build a very fine summer-house, which had its garden
and its ponds, in a site called Bagunbaìàn, only three hundred paces
from the walls. It was just being finished when he returned from his
conquest, and when he ended the pleasures and joys of this life. The
retreat and pleasantness of this place were very welcome to Ours;
consequently they tried to buy it, and did so--having collected the
alms in two afternoons. During that time two religious went through
the city, accompanied by certain influential persons, [and collected]
more than three thousand pesos, with which they paid the sum asked,
a great portion of what they should have given having been forgiven to
them. Accordingly, they immediately took possession of their convent
on the day of St. Nicolàs de Tolentino, to whom they dedicated it by
a special vow, which all took at the beginning of their navigation
from the shores and coasts of España. Under such good horoscope
was born the happy province of the Philipinas Islands. And thus we
should not wonder at the great luster that it has cast, shedding its
rays by its zeal through the darkest and most forgotten districts,
where a notable number of pagans, who were living like wild beasts
in a blind barbarism, received the truth of the faith which we profess.
The apostolic men first settled the firm foundation of their
house--not in the material of it but in the direction of their solid
virtues. They lived in the greatest poverty and contempt of [earthly]
things, without other end than the seeking of God in prayer, and in
making Him known and loved in their talks and examples. There was
some opposition on the part of our calced fathers in regard to the
title that they gave to the new church, that of the miraculous Father
San Nicolàs de Tolentino; for his devotion was practiced in a chapel
of the principal convent and was very popular, and they thought that
it would be lessened or be done away with altogether. Ours, being so
good men, disapproved greatly of litigation; and, although with great
grief, they talked of consenting to change the title, commending the
matter to our Lord very earnestly, with the intervention of peculiar
penances and exercises. The matter was left to be decided by lot,
in which many saints took part, not excluding their own dear one. He,
then, was chosen, the first, second, and third time; and the will of
God was thus made plain. Not only did they confirm what was already
done, but they also placed under his protection the province which was
now in its beginning, and gave it his name. In accordance with this
a very solemn feast was made, that venerable prelate and bishop of
bishops Don Fray Pedro de Agurto saying the first mass. He had come
to Manila from Zibù to be the rainbow [_Iris_] that announced peace
and true brotherhood to calced and discalced, whom we ought to hold
as sons of a good father. Father Fray Pedro Solier--a chosen shoot of
the convent of Salamanca, and afterward provincial of those islands,
bishop of Puerto Rico, and lastly archbishop of Santo Domingo and
primate of the Indias--preached in glowing terms in praise of the
Reform, in the presence of the royal Audiencia, the ecclesiastical
and secular cabildos, the orders, the nobility, and all the people
of Manila--who from that time made greater progress in the veneration
and worship of that saint. The good-will that the city began to have
for the new evangelical ministers was vast. Consequently, the city
desired to shelter them within the girdle of its walls, on noting the
discomfort that they were suffering; and that was done by moving the
convent of San Nicolas, as we shall see.
It seemed hard for the religious to leave their first foundation, not
so much for the material of the house as for the service that they
were performing for our Lord in that suburb, in administering the
holy sacraments to the not few persons who were living there. Those
people, especially at night, were deprived of spiritual aid, for
it was necessary that the gates of the city be tightly shut and the
necessary guards posted. It was a true inspiration from heaven not to
abandon that convent (now that of San Joan Baptista), since--as was
within a very short time made evident, through the care and presence of
Ours--so great a number of Christians came so frequently from all parts
to confession and to holy communion that four ministers daily have
not been sufficient. They numbered some Spaniards and many negroes,
both free and slave, and more Indians of different nations, who came
to seek in that refuge relief from their sins and failings. They found
that convent always open day and night and the religious ever ready
to give them the health and life of their souls. After several years
the province determined that that house should be made a college,
and accordingly that was carried out. The arts and theology were
studied there, for, although instruction and piety join hands, it
was not advisable that the college and the house be in one place. In
that place rest three incorruptible bodies of the first founders,
and no one knows who they are. All are surprised that they can remain
so well preserved in a country so damp and hot, and it is regarded
by all as a miracle. That college, besides the aforesaid, possessed
a great treasure in the image of our Lady of Health. On bringing it
from Mexico, that image gave proofs of her favors not a few times on
the sea, and perfecting and increasing them in the islands through her
mercy. Her installation was celebrated with great pomp and ostentation
in the presence of the royal Audiencia and the city, which made very
Catholic and pious demonstrations in the feast. The church was filled
in a short time with vows and memorials which the faithful offered. A
brotherhood was founded under the title of Transito de Nuestra Señora
[_i.e._, "Transit of our Lady"], whose chief procession may be seen
and is solemnized on the third Friday of Lent, with the greatest
ostentation and display that one could express in writing or in
speech. The members of the confraternity march clad in very neat white
tunics with blue escapulars, bearing the attributes of the queen of
the skies on pendants of the same color and embroidered at a great
cost--with a numerous accompaniment of children dressed as angels,
who at intervals march along singing praises to the Virgin. It is
not an easy task to count the large tapers and lighted candles;
for, as is said, it is one of the best functions that are seen in
the Philippinas. Then follows the bed of the always glorious and
most pure Virgin, which the most devout and most noble women adorn
with the wealth of the city. The bed is surrounded with a group of
children, also dressed as angels, which is a cause for surprise every
year. Lastly, go about one thousand bleeding penitents; and there many
votive images, which move innumerable persons to compunction, who come
from the neighboring provinces to enjoy that day without fear of any
trouble. Thus has the fitting reverence of that image increased until
it is one of the greatest in the Philippinas; as has been experienced
on various occasions, especially when they put it within the city (for
fear of the Sangleys who revolted) in order to make a novena, in which
took part the royal Chancillería, the archbishop, and the cabildos,
for the health of the Catholic army which was very sick. From that
prayer resulted not only the attaining of the convalescence of the
soldiers, but also the peace and quiet that was sought. That college
suffered a great blow in the time of a certain governor, whose name,
in order not to cast infamy on him purposely, we suppress. He,
under pretext that its building was a great obstacle to the wall,
rigidly made them demolish it, driving our religious thence, contrary
to justice and the permission of the city and cabildo; they opposed
him until they could do no more, as they saw that he did that, being
desirous of not conducting himself well, for it is said that such
was his custom. But when the end of his office came, the church and
cabildo brought suit for the injury received from that illegal act;
and they sentenced him to twenty-five thousand pesos, notwithstanding
that it is said that the damage exceeded fifty. Thereupon the college
was rebuilt, and the image again placed there.
_Preaching of Ours in the province of Zambales and of Tugui_
Eagerly had the apostolic men left España in search of misguided
and lost souls whom they might lead to the knowledge of God and into
the flock of His Church. When once they had set foot on the destined
land they could not be kept from turning their eyes and their desire
to all parts. The first task was to learn some one of the many
languages which are spoken among so many and so barbarous nations,
in order to have the means to convert the people that should happen
to fall to their lot. Accordingly, after well considering the matter,
they determined to study Tagál, as it was the most general tongue,
and the one that was talked as native in Manila and its environs. All
immediately applied themselves to one language with no little desire
and diligence. He who learned it first was father Fray Miguel de
Santa Maria, who was called Bombàu. Discussing with him in what part
it would be better to begin their missions, they thought that it was
not advisable to go far from Manila, since they were so few. At that
juncture a very good opportunity came to their hands in the shape of
a village quite near by, now called Marivelez. [34] Its inhabitants
had no ministers, no one of them wishing, although many were at its
very doors, to abide in it--both because of the insalubrious climate
of its location, and because of the bad disposition of the Indians,
who were like brutes in their intercourse and in their customs. The
vicar-provincial stumbled over none of these obstacles, because of his
firm zeal. Accordingly, he sent the said father, Fray Miguel de Santa
Maria, accompanied by father Fray Pedro de San Joseph--who, although
of the Observance, had discalced himself--together with a lay-brother,
named Fray Francisco de Santa Monica, who also went with both of the
former, all of them being skilled in the aforesaid language. They
invoked in common the grace of the Holy Spirit, and, after a fervent
prayer, they took their farewells--these anxious to accomplish their
desires, and the others sick at heart at seeing themselves left behind
them. They were not long in arriving at the lairs of the wild beasts,
who lived eight leguas from Manila, and were desirous to subdue and
soften them, together with the rest of the coast of Zambàles and of
Tugui, which extends for a little more than thirty leguas to Bolinào.
The customs and ceremonies of those people must be touched upon
briefly, not so much for the diversion that they may afford as that
we may certify to the labor of Ours in changing them according to law
and reason, and putting them into a suitable condition. The worship
with which they then reverenced their false deities they were wont
to perform not in the villages, but outside them in the mountains,
or the part nearest to their fields. They had certain little houses
there like chapels, in which they all assembled. But that did not
prevent them from having gods--penates, or idols, which they called
_anìtos_. The priesthood was exercised by certain old men, ceremonious
in the extreme, and not less by old women called _catalònas_--witches,
superstitious creatures, diviners, and casters of lots--who were
esteemed and so thoroughly believed that whatever they said, although
lies, was taken as an infallible oracle. The manner of their sacrifices
(which they called by the name _maganìtos_), on meeting to make them
in the place that we have spoken of above, was none other than that,
having prepared an unclean animal, very well grown--or for lack of
it, a large cock--they offered it to the devil by means of one of
those witches, with peculiar and curious ceremonies. For, dancing
to the sound of a bell, she took in her hands a small idol, made to
imitate the form in which the father of deceit was wont to appear
to them at times; it was of human form, with very ugly features, and
a long beard. She spoke certain words to it, invoking its presence,
whereupon the iniquitous spirit came, and entered into her miserable
body in order to dictate to her the deceits that are its custom in
such acts. After having declared their false notions to those present,
they ate the animal or bird, and they drank to intoxication, whereupon
the wicked sacrifice was brought to an end. Besides that adoration
which they gave to the devil, they revered several false gods--one,
in especial, called _bathala mey capal_, whose false genealogies
and fabulous deeds they celebrated in certain tunes and verses like
hymns. Their whole religion was based on those songs, and they were
passed on from generation to generation, and were sung in their feasts
and most solemn assemblies. Those who were ignorant of the teachings
of Mahomet adored not less the sun, the moon, the rainbow, birds,
and animals--but especially the cayman or crocodile; a blue bird
closely resembling the thrush; the crow; rocks placed on the shores
of the sea, and those that they see in the sea, such as sunken rocks
and shoals. [35]
Their ancestors also enjoyed that worship, and more especially those
who had been famous in arms, and in the virtues native to their mode
of belief; and they believed that reward was the lot of the good,
and punishment that of the wicked. From this arose among them the
knowledge of the immortality of the soul. Accordingly, when anyone
died, they bathed the body and buried it with benzoin, storax, and
other aromatic substances, and clothed it then in the best of its
possessions. Before burying the body, they bewailed it for the space
of three days. They anointed the bodies of those of high rank with
certain confections, which kept it from corruption better than do
our unguents of Europa. They did not bury them except in the lower
part of their houses, having placed and deposited them in a coffin
of incorruptible wood. They placed some bits of gold in the mouth,
and on the body the best jewels that they had. To that preparation
they added a box of clothing, which they placed near them, and every
day they carried them food and drink. They did not take especial pains
that, if the dead had possessed more property, everything should be
left to him; but slaves, both men and women, were presented to them
to serve them in the other life (which they no doubt imagined to
be similar to the present life). The custom that they observed with
those slaves was, to behead them immediately after having fed them
sumptuously, so that they might not fail the service and company of
such influential men, since the latter needed them, as they said. In
confirmation of that, it happened that, on the death of a chief of
that race, they killed all the sailors necessary for a boat's crew,
in order that servants, and rowers befitting his station might not
be lacking to him in the life that they ignorantly imagined for such
a person. After the conclusion of those honors, they gave themselves
up to extensive revelry and feasting, which they interspersed with
their mourning, observing a notable silence in the nearest houses
and in the streets. No one worked, just as during a festal occasion;
nor did he have to navigate under any consideration. He who opposed
the aforesaid usage did not escape death, which was inflicted on him
with rigor and without recourse.
Among all the above and many other follies, they believed that
the world had a beginning, and they had some notion of the flood;
but it was confused with the greatest nonsense and lies. They did
not doubt the fact of there having been in its time a creation of
man, but they believed that the first one had emerged from a bamboo
joint and his wife out of another, under very ridiculous and stupid
circumstances. They did not consider homicide as wrong, and the
taking of as many lives as possible was a great honor. Consequently,
the valiant and those who were feared set the heads of those who
perished at their hands on the doors of their houses, as a proof of
their deeds; for he who hung up the greatest number, in the sight
of his other countrymen was most esteemed and applauded. It was an
abuse of obligation that, a father or mother having died, the son
who inherited should retire from the village into the mountains and
forests until he had despoiled at least two persons of the common
light--even though it should be, as one can well judge, at the risk
of losing the light that he himself was enjoying. When they had more
children than they desired, or than they could support as they wished,
they generally buried them alive. In what pertains to political
government, they had no greater superiority than that which the most
powerful usurped in the matter of life and death over those who were
not powerful, disposing of them as they wished. Accordingly they made
them slaves for very slight reasons and occasions. When any suits
and quarrels arose in regard to criminal or civil matters, their old
men assembled, and composed these difficulties or passed sentence in
them, and no one could appeal or petition from their decisions. They
proved causes orally, examining witnesses and investigating doubts
verbally. Their laws were only traditions and very old customs, but
they observed these carefully--not so much for fear of punishment,
as because they believed that he who violated them would be instantly
killed, or at least become afflicted with the disease of leprosy,
and that another part also of his body would become corrupt.
Our three religious opposed themselves to so profound darkness as
this, with the light of the gospel, and without taking other arms than
the cross and the scourge of penance, by which all the wretchedness
and misfortunes there were changed into delights and comforts. The
suffering of great hardships was inevitable; for since those brutes
were intractable and ferocious, they did not show the fathers any
hospitality, that had any mark of reason and sense. The fathers
sought them through the thickets and fields where they were living,
and, alluring them with loving words, gave them to understand their
error and the blindness of their souls. They preached to them with
the ardor that came from their hearts of the Triune and One Lord,
who governs the universe, and told them their obligation to love Him
and to bow to the mild yoke of His law; but those people preferred to
condemn themselves forever to the pains of hell. The fathers retired
at night to some very small huts that they had made, in order to take
the necessary refreshment, which consisted only of beans [_frijoles_],
and at most a little rice, which they obtained but seldom. Then they
gave some rest and repose to their weakened and fatigued bodies. That
rest was, however, broken by three cruel disciplines, which all
took every two hours, in order to soften and mollify the diamond
hearts of those barbarians with their blood. With that efficacious
medicine and their tireless care, they continued gradually to soften
those rocks--although from the wretched life that they were living,
and their immense toil in going by day through those rough mountains,
seeking the sheep whom they desired to corral with the flock, within
the sheepfold of the Church, and from the worse sufferings in their
nights, they sickened and died.
[Accounts of the pious deaths of Fathers Miguel de Santa Maria,
and Pedro de San Joseph, and Brother Francisco de Santa Monica, the
three laborers in this first mission, follow in this same section. The
first named had long been renowned for his asceticism, both in Spain
and in the islands, having been one of the first to join the new
order. The second had been a calced Augustinian, but had transferred
his allegiance to the Recollects after their arrival in the islands,
and was very useful on this mission because of his thorough knowledge
of Tagal. The narrative continues:]
By the death of those three religious, the others might well fear
to go to complete the reduction of Marivelez, and to prosecute what
was already begun with the perfidious Zambales. But being full of the
love of God, and of zeal for souls, each of them offered himself, just
as if it were to obtain the greatest comfort and abundance that men
generally seek; and all demanded it anxiously, each as best he could,
as their most ambitious desire to go up there and be honored. The city
opposed it, for they thought that it meant to send those fathers to
their death--and all the more as they saw that, since Ours were so
few and so pious, they could serve more usefully in more secure and
healthful places. The holy obstinacy of those who would not consent
to abandon the post conquered. Accordingly, the first lot fell to
father Fray Rodrigo de San Miguel. He disposed the minds of those
heathen in such manner that, completing their reduction and leading
them to the yoke of the Lord, and to a civilized and Christian life,
he built a convent in a village called Bacag, adding to it that of
Luzòn, which gave name to the island of Manila--through the error
or misunderstanding of the first Spaniards, who discovered it, when
examining and questioning the Indians whom they met in a boat. They
removed afterward to a better site, in the said Marivelez, and that
place has seven other villages, in a distance of twelve leguas, which
it administers as annexes. The persons who were converted to the faith
by the energy and labor of Ours reached one thousand five hundred.
That fort having been assured against the power and empire of
the devil, the door was opened wider for passage inside, and the
tyrannized souls of the Indians of Zambàles were gained. The latter,
confident in their fierceness, were divided along the sea-coast,
and exercised themselves in the chase, by which they sustained
themselves--together with some fish--only zealous in killing men,
which was the greatest glory among them. Consequently, no boats dared
to go to their lands, unless with great risk of the occupants losing
their lives. With such brutality, the mountains of difficulties which
father Fray Rodrigo had to conquer in softening the harshness of those
beasts; and the sweat and labor that it would cost him to make them
comprehend the dictates of reason (from which they were very far),
while he was suffering extreme penury in all things necessary to life,
can be imagined. His food was only wild herbs and some fruit, which
was not on all occasions accompanied by a mouthful of biscuit, sent
as a great treat, if possible, from Manila. His rest, day and night,
was so little, and was so liable to surprises that scarcely could he
rest a moment without the expectation of death before him all the time,
which the heathen, instigated by the devil, promised to give him. He
went through their thickets and along their shores, crying out and
endeavoring to conquer the coldness of those men. By virtue of the
cross, he was finally able, little by little, to soften the insolence
of their fierce breasts, and to render them more tractable, although
they seemed like rocks in the hardness of their obstinate hearts.
God our Lord decreed that, in order to conquer their obstinate
resistance, it should happen one day that this same father, Fray
Rodrigo, on passing through a thicket consecrated to their devils
(where, as their rites said, it was sacrilege to cut or touch any
branch--besides the great fear that they had conceived that if anyone
should have the audacity to do so, or to take the least thing, he
would surely die immediately), saw a tree covered with a certain fruit
which they call _pahos_, [36] that resemble the excellent plums that
we know in Europa. As it was so ripe and mellow, he ordered them
to climb the tree and get some of the fruit. Those accompanying
him refused roundly, but he insisted on his desire. They finally
explained, and said that they would do it under no consideration;
for, beyond all doubt, those who dared to offend the respect for
that place would die very suddenly. Upon hearing that, the father was
inflamed with zeal for the honor and worship of the true God whom he
was preaching. Asking them whether all trees around about had that
quality of inflicting death on him who touched them, accidentally or
designedly, they answered "Yes." Then elevating his voice, he gave
them a fervent discourse against the delusion under which they were
laboring; and concluded by intimating to them that he himself would
get and eat the fruit, as well as cut down the trees, so that they
might see that one would not die, and so that they might thereby be
freed from the error and blindness of their ancestors. The Indians
were very sorrowful because father Fray Rodrigo had decided to eat
of the fruit, and they accordingly begged him earnestly and humbly
not to do it. But the good religious, arming himself with prayer
and with the sign of the cross, and repeating that antiphony, _Ecce
crucem Domini: fugite partes adversæ. Vicit leo de tribu Juda,_ [37]
began to break the branches and to climb the tree, where he gathered
a great quantity of the fruit. He ate not a little of it before them
all, in detestation of their wicked superstitions and ill-founded
fears. The Indians looked at his face, expecting every moment to see
him a dead man. But they immediately recognized the truth of what
he told them. He charged them not to tell anyone what they had seen
him do there. On arriving at the village, he divided the rest of the
fruit that he brought, and kept for that purpose, among the other
chiefs and influential persons, who ate it with gusto, esteeming it
as a present from that father. The next day, after assembling them
(much to their pleasure), he execrated their ignorance in a long
sermon, and told them the secret of the fruit. Thereupon, all of them,
convinced and surprised, not one of them being wanting, followed him
axes in hand, and felled that thicket, casting contempt on the devil;
and many infidels ended by submitting to the knowledge of the truth.
Encouraged by so good an outcome, Ours proceeded with the conversion
of those peoples. They were not stopped by the manifest danger to
their lives, nor by the famines or other bodily privations that it was
necessary for them to suffer, in lands new, rough, and productive of no
relief for their so many hardships and miseries. However, the divine
providence made all these, and as many more as might be very mild,
by giving the fathers inward consolation, as well as outward aid on
not a few occasions. One of those occasions, experienced by the same
father, Fray Rodrigo, during a trip on the sea, was notable. At that
time, a sudden squall overtaking him, his boat was driven on certain
rocks and knocked to pieces, so that those aboard it were drowned,
although they knew how to swim well. Only the said father, by the
will of God and the beneficent miracle of a wave, which bore him safe
and sound to a rocky islet or reef, escaped. He remained there until
next day, in the fright that one can imagine, but hoping in God our
Lord that He would continue his rescue by conveying him to a place
of safety. That happened after twenty-four hours, for an Indian who
had seen him from a distance swam out to him and took him upon his
shoulders; and he gave thanks to heaven for so great mercy.
More marvelous was the case of father Fray Joan de la Ascension, who,
while sailing along the coast of Zambàles, was struck by a very violent
storm, and the boat in which he was embarked, and all the Chinese who
were accompanying him, were lost, without one of them being saved. The
boat keeled over--as they say--and was turned completely bottom up. The
father remained in the hull of the boat, but so that he could hold
only his arms and head clear of the water, while the rest of his body
was under water. He supported himself in that darkness with his hands
tightly clasping a beam. For the space of three days did he remain
thus, while the hull tossed hither and thither. At the end of that
time, as some Indians were passing through that region and saw the
wreck, they drew nigh to see whether they could find anything. They
thought that they would surely find some pillage, and therefore began
to break open the boat in the part open to view. Consequently, when
they had made a small hole, the pitiful voice of the religious who
was crying for aid was heard. The greedy Indians were frightened,
and were about to flee from the terror caused them by so unexpected
a petition. But proceeding, after the encouragement given them by one
of their number who was bolder, they discovered the said father, who
was already half dead. Getting him out as quickly as possible, they
took care of him and gave him some food, whereupon he recovered, and
told them of his accident. It was told and wondered at, with reason,
in Manila and in other places; and all who heard of it attributed it
to nothing less than a prodigy never seen.
[Lives of Fathers Alonso de la Anunciacion and Francisco de los Santos,
and Brother Bernardo de San Augustin, follow in the succeeding three
sections of this chapter, which concludes with a section on the]
_Foundation of the convent of Masinglo_
With just reason can this house be [regarded as] the most precious and
esteemed jewel that the Augustinian Reform venerates, as it was the
fort that was raised against the devil in the lands of the infidels,
which the devil had usurped from the cross and the gospel, when our
religious, after so many labors and sufferings, tamed the untamable
Zambàles. That village, before called Masinloc, was suitable for
the foundation, as it was in a location from which they could attend
quickly to the service of God our Lord and of souls. Accordingly, they
chose it, although its inhabitants were more ferocious than the rest
of their neighbors because they had no one to drive away their errors
and illumine their darkness. Father Fray Andres del Espiritu Santo,
then, accompanied by two other religious, planted that holy bulwark
to oppose all hell. With great care and helpfulness they tried first
to adorn it with the example of their virtues, so that the neophytes
should become fonder of the law which we profess. At that time the
recently baptized amounted to eight hundred, with whom great efforts
were exerted in separating them from their former evil habits, more
especially that of idolatry, to which was joined that of intoxication;
they were given to these in excess, by the habit that they had acquired
in both things from childhood. With the lapse of time the converted
have surpassed two thousand, because of the reduction of certain more
terrible Indians who lived in the mountains, without houses and away
from the coast. The latter were continually at war with others who
are called Negrillos [_i.e._, "little blacks"], for they seem to be
such, and they are very black. One may now consider the vigilance it
must have cost to attract those brutes, in order to make them live a
social life in accordance with reason, in peace and quiet--things that
were never seen among them until our religious undertook to tame them
and to bring them into rational intercourse. The jurisdiction of that
convent has extended fourteen leguas, and it has ten visitas which are
villages. The missionaries generally go to those villages to care for
their souls, and do not allow them to continue their former wickedness.
It happened in that village of Masinglo that, an Indian woman finding
herself at the end of her days, they summoned father Fray Bernardo de
San Lorenço so that he might baptize her, for she was then asking for
it. He went to her house, and as he thought that she was but slightly
sick, he judged that it would be well to delay the sacrament until
she knew her prayers well and the other mysteries that any Christian
must know in order to be confessed. He began to instruct her, and
to persuade her with efficacious reasons to hate her idolatries and
to have sorrow for her sins. He tried to leave her in this way until
next day, but she, crying out and moaning, said to him: "Baptize me,
Father, baptize me, immediately; do not leave me or permit me to die
and lose the blessings which thou hast told me that I will obtain by
becoming a Christian." The religious consoled her and answered that
he would baptize her in due time. She continued to urge him to wash
away her sins without delay. Consequently, seeing so much faith,
he baptized her, and left her and her children very happy. And,
although she did not appear sick, she died shortly afterward without
anyone having any warning of it. Upon another occasion another woman
also came to the convent, and urgently requested the same father for
baptism. He asked her why she desired it so urgently. She answered
that one of her eyes pained her, and that she was very much afraid of
dying suddenly without having the health to save herself. The father
performed his duty in catechising her as well as he was able, and
immediately administered the sacrament; she was very glad of this,
and returned to her house, where they shortly afterward found her
dead, without knowing that she had other illness or cause for death
than the above mentioned pain in that eye.
Thus when a beginning was given to that convent, the religious
discussed, as was unavoidable, the regulation of a new method by
which it, as well as the other convents that should be founded in
the lands and villages of the reduced Indians, should be governed. It
could not be perfected at one time, for experience, that mistress of
seasons, was, little by little, showing what was most advisable for
them. Accordingly, they have established efficient laws in various
assemblies and provincial and private chapters, so that those houses
have shed a luster in the example of their virtues--even though they
do not have an excessive number of religious, because of the lack that
they generally suffer of those who are necessary. It was, therefore,
ordered, in the first place, that all the laws and statutes of our
congregation be observed, without violating the most minute points of
the rules and regulations in force in España--especially in regard
to the two hours of mental prayer and the matins at midnight--even
should there be but one religious; since he could say them with
the Indian singers who reside and always live in the enclosure or
within the walls of the convent. Each of the religious was prohibited
strictly, and under well-imposed penalties, from engaging in any
trade or commerce, directly or indirectly, however slight it might
be. In addition, it was ordered that no one should use any piece
of silver or gold, even though it should be a medal, because of the
suspicion that it might arouse in the Indians who should see them,
when they were preaching gospel poverty. They were forbidden to
beg the loan of money, or to ask their stipends in advance from the
encomenderos, contenting themselves with the little that they had;
and living with the greatest possible frugality, in order that their
lives might conform to their discalcedness and their abstraction from
earthly things. The priors were not to leave their districts under any
pretext; and they were not to send their associates and subordinates
unless there were urgent necessity, and after a consultation, to be
registered in the books of the convent. The religious were not to enter
the houses of the Indians, except to administer the sacraments in the
necessary cases; and no one could employ himself in this office until
he should be well acquainted with the language of the land. They were
not to acquire possessions, or more income than the one hundred pesos
of their stipend; and necessity was to be the standard and rule that
they were to seek, as those who were truly poor. They were not to
entertain secular persons, and much less governors, alcaldes-mayor,
or encomenderos; for, if they did so, it would be very prejudicial
to the fitting retirement and strict observance advisable for the
Reform. The Christian doctrine was to be preached and explained to
the young people every morning in the churches, but to everyone on
feast days, with especial care and personal attendance. In order to
conduct the divine worship, they were to endeavor to have music in
all the convents, by teaching the youth not only to sing but also
to play the sweetest and best instruments that we use in Europa,
so that the new Christians might become very fond of frequenting the
sacred offices. They were to be admonished straitly to attend to the
devotion of the most holy Virgin, our Lady, having her rosary recited
every afternoon in the church; and on Saturday mornings they were to be
present at the mass, and before nightfall at the "Hail Mary," holding
their lighted candles in their hands. The religious also made other
resolutions pertaining to the protection and defense of the Indians,
in case that anyone should transgress by trying to do violence to them,
so that, as true fathers, they might oppose themselves courageously
to any annoyance that the malice of the soulless men of this age,
always iniquitous, might attempt. In short, they applied the needed
and fitting preservatives, with the desire of maintaining the good
name and reputation of religious who were seeking the safety of those
souls, and hating that which might have the appearance of love for
temporal things--in consideration of which no earthly interest had
transported them from España to Philippinas.