General Antonio Nieto returned from Macán, leaving the affairs of
the commerce with these islands regulated, as well as the entrance
of missionaries into China by that door--although it never has been
assured, because the Portuguese allege that such entrance is opposed
to the right of patronage of their king, with other absurdities which
only excite a smile; for it is a fact that many of the more southern
provinces of China fall within the demarcation of Castilla, in proof of
which not much mathematics is needed. Moreover, the Portuguese do not
hold a palmo of conquered land on which they have erected churches, or
founded bishoprics, with the right of patronage; for in that very city
of Macán the emperor of China possesses as much authority as in Cantón,
and they pay him customs, duties and other royal tributes. And within
that same city, while General Antonio Nieto was there, an incident
occurred which would cause shame [even] to a nation less Catholic
than the Portuguese, whom no other people outdo in that respect.
In that city the Chinese make their idolatrous processions, and
commit other abominations, as they do in every other part of their
lands. It happened that in one of these processions, at that time,
they carried an idol, a figure of a beautiful woman with a child in
her arms, whom they call Sanpuerstsa; this is the idol to which they
pay most devotion, for they call her "Mother of Mercy." This confirms
what is told by the traditions in China, which declare that our holy
faith was preached in that country; and that when it was forgotten some
images of saints remained which were made idols. Captain Nicolás Pérez
looked closely at the idols, and asked a Chinaman in the procession
what image that was; and the Chinaman replied, "Here, like St. Mary
at Manila." Nicolás Pérez, hearing this, raised his hand, and gave
the Chinaman a heavy blow in the face. The procession was thrown
into confusion, and the Chinese and the whole city disturbed; the
aggressor was seized; and it cost Nicolás Pérez and General Nieto
many pesos and much effort to leave the Chinese satisfied, and the
Portuguese free from their fear that their city and all their royal
patronage would be destroyed.
When Antonio Nieto returned to Manila, he was accompanied by three
clerics, who came to be ordained as priests, as at that time they had
no bishop in Macán. One was Antonio Melo, the son of a rich Portuguese
of much repute in Macán named Basco Barbosa; and the others were people
of the country, that is, mestizos of Portuguese and Chinese blood. They
were ordained by the bishop of Zebú, Don Fray Diego de Aguilar;
and soon afterward they returned to Macán in a patache belonging
to that city, accompanied by two priests of the Society of Jesus,
mathematicians, who had come in the year 1679 with Father Francisco
Salgado, assigned by their general to the mission of China. This
vessel sailed about October, which is the time of the monsoon that
is unfavorable to this voyage; and no information whatever has been
received about it, or how or where it was lost, although great efforts
have been made for this by the citizens of Macán.
[Here follows an account of a punitive expedition against the Zambals,
which we have already given; see VOL. XXXVIII, pp. 226-228.]
The galleon "San Antonio," which had sailed in the previous year in
charge of General Don Francisco Enrique de Losada, reached Acapulco,
although it encountered heavy gales in the high latitudes, and returned
prosperously to these islands. It had not the good-fortune to come in
as far as the point of Cavite (a piece of luck which seldom occurs),
on account of the vendavals having set in steadily; and therefore it
made port in Solsogón. In this galleon came the following persons: The
father master Don Fray Ginés Barrientos, of the Order of Preachers,
and preacher to his Majesty, consecrated as bishop of Troya, to
be assistant for the archbishopric of Manila. He was a son of the
convent of Peña de Francia, and native of a place in Sayago called
Barroco Pardo; he was a very learned scholastic, a great preacher,
and a very observant religious. The father master Don Fray Juan Durán,
of the Order of Mercy, and a native of Lima; he came as consecrated
bishop of Sinopolis, and assistant to the bishop of Zebú; he was very
learned, and of very handsome figure and lofty stature. The entreaties
of his Majesty had obtained from his Holiness these two auxiliary
bishops, with two thousand pesos of income from his royal treasury,
and with the right of future succession to assume the government
of the vacant sees as they might occur. They brought the bulls and
pallium for the archbishop Don Fray Felipe Pardo, who in virtue of
these was consecrated on October 28; this was performed by the bishop
of Zebú, Don Fray Diego de Aguilar and the bishop of Troya, with
the assistance of the dean, Master Don Miguel Ortiz de Covarrubias,
who carried the mitre.
Presentation came as bishop of Nueva Segovia to Doctor Don Francisco
Pizarro de Orellana, the archdeacon of Manila, and a native of that
city; [the see was vacant] by the death of Master Don Lucas de Arqueros
de Robles, a native of Vigan in Ilocos; and a son of Lorenzo Arqueros,
so renowned in the revolt of the Zambals and in their destructive
raid into Ilocos. [The said archdeacon] was a priest of lofty virtue,
the fame of which had secured for him this dignity--which he did not
enjoy, as he lived but a short time, and died before the bulls for
his consecration arrived.
[Others also] arrived: Doctor Don Cristobal Herrera Grimaldos,
a native of Méjico--who was a professor in the university there, and
dean of the faculty of law, and had been counselor of the archbishop of
Méjico, the viceroy of Nueva España, Don Fray Payo de Rivera, of the
order of our father St. Augustine--who came as auditor of this royal
Audiencia of Manila. Doctor Don Pedro Sebastian de Bolívar y Mena,
a native of Méjico--a son of Licentiate Don Juan de Bolívar y Cruz,
a former auditor of Manila [sic] and Clementina [84] professor--also
an auditor of this royal Audiencia. Also Doctor Don Lorenzo Esteban
de la Fuente Alanis, a native of Murcia--a professor in Granada and
Sevilla, and competitor for positions in Salamanca--as fiscal of the
Audiencia. All were able lawyers, and the fiscal not only surpassed
the rest, but was very skilful in music; and he excelled all who had
been here in the rare art of playing well the guitar [vihuela], [85]
an instrument handled by many, but understood only by him. Besides
these came Licentiate Don Miguel de Lanama Altamirano, an advocate of
this royal Audiencia; he was a married man, as also were the auditors,
and they brought their wives with them. Don Miguel was a lawyer of much
ability, and held important positions in his profession. An appointment
came for Don Francisco Montemayor y Mansilla as alcalde for criminal
cases in Méjico; he sailed for that country in the second year, with
his son, Don Felipe Mansilla Prado, and died on the voyage. His son
is still living--a knight of the Order of Santiago--as also is Father
Antonio Mansilla, of the Society of Jesus.
The bishop of Troya was accompanied by father Fray Alonso García,
a native of Tamanes in Sayago, a religious of the order of our father
St. Augustine, who had been left in Mexico, belonging to the mission
of the year 1679; he was a son of the convent at Ciudad Rodrigo,
and was twenty-five years old; he was a minister in Tagalos, and
died in the convent at Bulacán, in the year 1704. [With him was]
also father Fray José de Andrada, a Portuguese, a native of Lisboa,
and a son of the congregation of Eastern India. Having spent several
years in this province, and desiring to be adopted into it, but
not being able to secure that privilege for lack of the consent
and permission of his Majesty and of our very reverend general,
he went by land to Roma and Madrid--going to Surrate, and thence to
Alepo and Venecia--and obtained a warrant from our father general,
and a decree from his Majesty, ordaining that he be received into
this province, but with a clause which stated that this should not
be regarded as a precedent. This religious was an excellent minister
in the province of Ilocos, where he died at an advanced age in the
year 1705. He deserves that record be made of him, since his adoption
into this province cost him so many peregrinations and hardships;
for to obtain it he made the entire circuit of the terraqueous globe.
This galleon brought one of the best and most copious reënforcements
of soldiers that had been received here; for they numbered more
than three hundred Europeans, and came from Nueva España, without
the stigma of being convicts or men taken from the jails. [86]
This accession was very timely for filling up the military forces
in Manila, which was accomplished by removing many colored men and
replacing them by Spaniards; for in this Don Juan de Vargas took
great pains, showing himself an able soldier. Thus in the time of no
governor since Don Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera was the garrison of
Manila in so fine a condition as in that of Don Juan de Vargas. The
baton of master-of-camp was given to General Don Fernando de Bobadilla
(who was castellan of Santiago), in place of Don Francisco de Ardilla
[sic], who held it ad interim. The scene began to change with the
coming of so many bishops and of auditors and lawyers--an event
which, it seems, tended rather to augment the forces so that the
shock of battle might be more violent and fierce for both sides,
the winds again returning for the fearful commotions which were to
disturb the peace and tranquillity which the commonwealth of Manila
had enjoyed. For although the government of Don Juan de Vargas did
not prove to be what the citizens of Manila desired, on account of
his natural harshness and his excessive devotion to his own private
interests, nevertheless, as he did not rob any one of anything, and
was only a hindrance to the merchants gaining the profits of the trade
more to their own satisfaction; and as, on the other hand, the islands
were in a Nourishing condition, the commerce with China and India was
very firmly established, and wealth was not diminishing, there was
[something] for all if their desires were not excessive, and for the
governor more than all together. But, as covetousness is the root of
all evils, ... from this resulted the greatest troubles and Calamities.
Time had passed agreeably for the people with some festivities that
were celebrated at the dedication of the church of Santa Potenciana,
on May 19, which were very diverting and ingenious. There were
poetical competitions, which were arranged for that celebration by
the cleverness of Don José de Castellar, who had been the secretary
of Governor Don Manuel de León--at whose posthumous expense had
been rebuilt that church and royal seminary. In these exercises the
geniuses that are in Filipinas showed that in that remotest corner
of the world is hidden much that could shine in the principal courts
of Europa; for the poems that were presented therein, both Latin and
Castilian, might have been a credit to the leading universities. And
certainly there was verified the saying and opinion of some critics
who assert that Filipinas is composed of quintessences, [87] for many
of these are found there, not only of good but of evil; and therefore
in the pulpits as well as in theology (both scholastic and moral)
there never lack stars of the first magnitude; and in all the rest
"a hair is cut in the air," [88] as the common saying goes.
The first misfortune which was felt was the return to port of the
galleon "Santa Rosa," in command of General Tomás de Endaya; it is
these losses which are most deeply felt, since all are interested in
the prosperous voyages of the galleons; and it is one of the greatest
troubles of these islands, if not the worst, that all are dependent
on two bits of wood, [89] and those entrusted to the fickleness
of the sea--the one that goes [to Acapulco], and the other that
is expected. The sad news of its return came late in December,
about Christmas, and caused general sorrow. The year 1682 began
with the melancholy feeling which was inspired by seeing that we
were deprived for that year of having a galleon from Nueva España,
which is the artery that communicates the blood and the life for the
preservation of these isolated islands--that is, the silver which,
like a lodestone, attracts the most remote nations to the commerce and
trade; and by the lack of the silver [which comes] with the galleon
commercial transactions are greatly retarded.
Now, it seems, the two camps had made ready their opposing forces for
one of the most sanguinary battles which for many generations had been
waged in these islands; and its consequences lasted many years, and
its echo was a scandal to the universe. The auditors began the duties
of their office with great care and attention, for they were all very
erudite men, who had filled chairs in the universities of España;
but, as the true wisdom is the fear of God, when this is lacking
all human knowledge is useless.... In the Indias a great source of
disputes is the desire which some ministers have for extending the
royal privileges [regalias], expecting through this channel greater
advancement--as if kings, and especially those who are so Catholic
and pious as are ours of España, would be willing to do anything
else than to render to God that which is God's, content with what is
rendered to them, which is Cæsar's. The great privileges of the royal
patronage are not opposed to the integrity of the episcopal dignity and
ecclesiastical hierarchy; rather, they are in accord with each other,
and both use their powers to promote the greater prosperity of the
faith.... And, since the greatest privileges of the patronage of the
Indias are pontifical concessions, how can they be used against the
power of him who concedes them, who necessarily must be relatively
greater?... Therefore, there neither is nor can be wrong in such
privileges, which are founded in justice and right, and there is no
opposition between those which are pontifical and those which are
royal, as there is not and cannot be any between the virtues. The
fault is in those who interpret these privileges as they do the laws,
for they say that they give their mind to them, as if they no longer
had any mind, and were now mente captas. [90]... Excellent and learned
officials were all the auditors who at that time were members of
the Audiencia of Manila; but, to judge by results, self-will greatly
blinded their good understandings, and therefore occurred to them the
lot of those whom our father St. Augustine mentions (treatise 4 on
[the gospel of] John): Temporalia perdere timuerunt, et vitam æternam
non cogitaverunt; ac sic utrumque amisserunt. [91] The infinite mercy
of God probably did not permit that, although all met very painful and
some very sudden deaths--except Doctor Don Diego Calderón y Serrano,
who died as a good Christian, who did not choose to entrust the safety
of his soul to opinions. But at the least we saw them lose temporal
prosperity, when they were confidently expecting even more. [Here
follows (pp. 751-766) Diaz's account of the Pardo controversy,
which we omit, since it has been sufficiently used for annotation of
other documents relating to that subject, for which see VOL. XXXIX,
pp. 149-275.]