Of the foundation of this venerable brotherhood, and the circumstances
attending it
The foundation of this venerable brotherhood was April 16, 1594,
the following being assembled and congregated in the church of the
holy Society of Jesus of this city: his Excellency, Don Luis Perez das
Mariñas, knight of the Order of Alcantara, governor and captain-general
of these islands for the king our sovereign; the very reverend father,
Fray Christoval de Salvatierra, of the Order of St. Dominic, governor
of the bishopric for his Excellency, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar,
its bishop, who at that time was in the kingdoms of Castilla; the
venerable dean, Don Diego Basquez de Mercado; the judiciary and
municipal body of this noble city; the master-of-camp of the royal
army of these islands, Don Diego Ronquillo; and the majority of the
nobility and citizens of the city. And they having been informed of
the so holy end for which this venerable brotherhood and confraternity
is instituted (in regard to which matter, a devout talk was given by
the very reverend father rector of the college of the said Society of
Jesus, Antonio Sedeño, who with the ardor of his spirit, informed them
of the importance that the foundation of the venerable brotherhood,
whose institution they were discussing for the spiritual and temporal
welfare of their neighbors, would be in the time of their greatest
calamities and miseries); in view of all of which, having conferred
with mature deliberation and due reflection concerning the seriousness
of the matter: they unanimously and harmoniously decided upon the
foundation of so holy a brotherhood. From that time it was considered
as established with the fixed resolution to begin the exercise of works
of charity, in accordance with the rules which were made for the better
government of the brotherhood, the original of which are conserved
in the first book of records. Then immediately their Excellencies,
the ecclesiastical and secular governors, who were present, each one
for himself, in the part that pertained to him, confirmed all the
abovesaid and affixed their signatures. It was agreed for the time
being that this venerable brotherhood of our Lady of Charity should
be established in the college of Santa Potenciana in this city.
The first brothers who composed the financial board [mesa]
of this brotherhood, numbered thirteen: the purveyor Don Luis
Perez das Mariñas, knight of the Order of Alcantara, governor and
captain-general of these islands; its secretary, Don Estevan de
Marquina; its treasurer, Don Juan de Esquerra; the deputies, Don
Juan Ronquillo, Don Christoval de Azqueta, Don Antonio de Cañedo,
Don Francisco de Poza, Don Diego del Castillo, Don Juan de Alzega,
Don Juan Arseo, Don Hernando Nuñez de Peñalosa, Don Juan de la Lara,
and Don Thomas de Machuca. Those gentlemen in the meeting held May 11,
1594, enacted that this venerable brotherhood should militate under
the protection and favor of that of Lisboa, since that is the head of
all the brotherhoods which are founded in the districts of España and
of India, so that recognizing this brotherhood as its offspring, they
might establish a mutual correspondence and a perpetual brotherhood,
and, as faithful brothers aiding one another, obtain the chief
end of their institute which is directed to the exercise of works
of charity and mercy. On this matter, having written to the said
venerable brotherhood, the latter responded without the least delay,
congratulating it on having obtained in its foundation and brothers
the limit of its desires, and despatched the rules of that house
which were received by this brotherhood in 1596. And in order that
they might be observed more fittingly and performed in accordance
with the condition and state of the land, it was necessary to revise
some of them, although only a few, but only after great thought
and consideration by very learned persons. Those which today are in
force were ordained January 14, 1597, in a meeting called for that
effect. They were given to the press in 1606. At the same time this
brotherhood succeeded in being admitted and recognized as an offspring
by the brotherhood of the Misericordia of the city of Lisboa.
It is not outside the present matter to mention at this place,
although briefly ... the governors and captains-general for the king
our sovereign, who have been brothers and purveyors of the house of
the Misericordia of this city, as well as the archbishops, ministers
of the royal Audiencia, the venerable deans, masters-of-camp, and
others, who will be named later, in the chronological order in which
they became brothers. It is as follows.
[These names are as follows: Luis Perez das Mariñas; Doctor Antonio
de Morga; Licentiate Christoval Telles de Almazan, auditor; Francisco
Tello; Fray Miguel de Venavides, archbishop; Luis de Bracamonte,
master-of-camp; Doctor Juan de Vibero, dean of the Manila cathedral;
Doctor Diego Basquez de Mercado, dean, vicar-general, and archbishop;
Miguel Garsetas, chanter and purveyor; Diego Ronquillo, master-of-camp
and purveyor; Juan Juares Gallinato, master-of-camp; Doctor Juan
Fernandez de Ledo, purveyor; Manuel de Madrid y Luna, auditor;
Doctor Alvaro de Mesa y Luna, auditor; Juan de Balderrama, auditor;
Alonzo de Campos, archdeacon; Alonso Faxardo, governor and purveyor;
Mathias Flores Delgado, auditor; Geronimo de Legazpi, auditor; Antonio
Alvarez de Castro, auditor; Sebastian Cavallero, royal fiscal; Doctor
Alonso Zapata, schoolmaster; Alvaro Garcia de Ocampo, auditor; Doctor
Francisco Samaniego, royal fiscal; Licentiate Juan de Volivar y Cruz,
royal fiscal; Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, governor and purveyor;
Sabiniano Manrique de Lara, governor and purveyor; Lorenso de Olazo,
master-of-camp; Francisco Pasqual de Pano, auditor; Augustin de
Cepeda, master-of-camp and purveyor; Thomas de Endaya, master-of-camp
and purveyor; Francisco de Atienza y Vañes, master-of-camp; Doctor
Diego Camacho y Avila, archbishop; Doctor Francisco Rayo Doria,
dean, commissary of the Holy Crusade and purveyor; Doctor Domingo de
Valencia, bishop of Nueva Cazeres and purveyor; Conde de Lizarraga,
Martin de Ursua y Arismendi, governor and purveyor; Doctor Joseph de
Torralva, auditor, governor, and purveyor; Doctor Phelipe de Molina,
bishop of Nueva Cazeres; Doctor Manuel Antonio de Osio y Ocampo,
dean, vicar-general, and commissary; Doctor Juan de la Fuente Yepez,
schoolmaster; Marquez de Torre Campo, governor and purveyor.]