History of the Philippine IslandsMorga, Antonio de
History
History of the Philippine Islands
Morga, Antonio de
Philippines -- History
and on the sixt day of Nouember following, we went into an harbour,
which is called by the Spaniards, Aguada Segura, or Puerto Seguro."
During the division of the booty, a mutiny broke out, especially in
the ship "Content," but was quelled. The Spaniards, to the number
of one hundred and ninety men and women, were set ashore. Ammunition
and arms were left them, and the English departed: taking with them
however from the Spanish boat two clever young Japanese, three boys
born in Manila, a Portuguese, and one Thomas de Ersola, a pilot from
Acapulco. The "Santa Ana" was burned on the nineteenth of November,
and the English turned toward home. That same night the "Content"
vanished and was seen no more. January 3, 1588, the Ladrones were
reached. They had the experiences with the natives that are so often
described by the Spaniards, iron being the usual article bartered
by the English. The natives are described as "of a tawny colour, and
maruellous fat, and bigger ordinarily of stature then the most part of
our men in England, wearing their haire maruellous long: yet some of
them haue it made vp, and tyed with a knot on the Crowne and some with
two knots, much like vnto their Images which we faw carued in wood,
and standing in the head of their boats, like vnto the Images of the
deuill." January 14, they reached the Philippines at Cabo del Santo
Espiritu, "which is of very great bignesse and length .... and it is
short of the chiefest Island of the Philippinas called Manilla, about
sixtie leagues. Manilla is vvel planted and inhabited with Spaniards,
to the number of sixe or seuen hundred persons: vvhich dvvell in
a tovvne vnvvalled, which hath three or foure Blocke-houses, part
made of vvood, and part of stone, being indeed of no great strength:
they haue one or tvvo small Gallies belonging to the Tovvne. It is
a very rich place of Gold, and many other commodities; and they haue
yeerely traffique from Alcapulco in Nueva Espanna, and also twenty or
thirtie shippes from China, and from the Sanguelos, which bring them
many sorts of marchandize. They bring great store of gold vvith them,
vvhich they traffique and exchange for siluer, and give vveight for
vveight. These Sanguelos are men of maruellous capacity, in deuising
and making all manner of things, especially in all handiecrafts
and sciences: and euery one is so expert, perfect, and skilfull in
his facultie, as fevv or no Christians are able to go beyond them
in that vvhich they take in hand. For drawing and imbroidering vpon
Satten, Silke, or Lavvne, either beast, fovvle, fish, or vvorme, for
liuelinesse and perfectnesse, both in Silke, Siluer, Gold, and Pearle,
they excell. Also the fourteenth day at night we entred the Straits
between the Island of Luçon, and the Island of Camlaia." The natives
imagining them Spaniards willingly traded their food with them. At
an anchorage Thomas Ersola, the Spanish pilot, was hanged for trying
to inform the Spanish of the English.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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