The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 — Volume 02 of 55: 1521-1569; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 — Volume 02 of 55: 1521-1569; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
I, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, governor and captain-general for his
majesty the king Don Felipe, our sovereign, over his people and his
royal fleet for the discovery of the islands of the West--in reply
to the rejoinder made by the very illustrious captain-general of the
Portuguese fleet, to the response which I made to his first summons,
do now confirm my response aforesaid, which is absolutely true, as
said and declared therein; and this will be proved and established
with true and sufficient evidences and proofs, at any and all times,
as it shall prove necessary. And I do not feel bound to reply to
many of the things contained in his rejoinder, inasmuch as they are
utterly irrelevant, and have nothing to do with the business here
concerned--tending, as they do, to attribute fault, and cause for
slander, where there is none; many of them, also, being untrue, and
unworthy of a person in so serious and important a station, and of so
illustrious and Christian blood as the said captain-general claims
to possess. And thus denying it, in all and for all, and coming
to the essential points, I declare and affirm that my entrance in
this island was occasioned by the reasons and causes contained in my
response; that it was forced and necessary, and without my knowing
that I had passed the line of demarcation. And this I neither knew
nor understood until the said captain-general assured me of it in his
letters. And likewise I affirm that I was detained, and remained here
against my will, through my inability to leave in any way for lack
of ships and provisions; and not intentionally or purposely to harm,
in any way whatsoever, the very illustrious and puissant sovereign,
the king of Portugal, or any of his possessions, or to harm any third
party. Nor had I the intention of taking anyone's property away from
him, as may be proved by those principal persons of this camp by whom
his grace declares himself to be informed of the contrary; for, if
put upon their oaths, they will, as Christians, be unable to escape
the necessity of telling the truth. And, as a man who has desired,
and still desires, to depart hence, the first time when Antonio Rumbo
da Costa and Baltasar de Soza came here, I informed them that what
I needed for that purpose was ships, and that ships were on their
way; and so I have informed his grace many times. In this necessity,
however, he has up to the present time given me neither remedy, aid,
nor favor--which I expected from friends and vassals of a sovereign
so related by kinship and blood with his majesty; and as I would have
done for them, if I had found them in the plight in which they find
me. It is no valid objection to say that I have had ships in which
I could have left--such, for example, as the "Capitana" and the
"San Juan," which went to Nueva España--for the "Capitana" carried
about two hundred persons, and the _patache_ "San Juan" seventy,
which number was the utmost that they could carry, on account of
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