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
_Fourth summons_: Replying to this third answer of the very illustrious
Miguel Lopez de Leguazpi, general of the fleet and people of Nova
Espanha, I declare, as I have already said in my reply, that actions
speak louder than words. Up to this point I have acted in a way
pleasing both to God and to the kings our lords, being bound to serve
both equally well, on account of the close and long enduring union
which, always existing between the former sovereigns of Castella and
Purtugual, does now likewise exist between these present rulers. And,
understanding from the instructions which his highness [of Portugal]
gives to his captains for such cases, that he orders them to serve
the interests of his royal majesty, King Don Felipe, in every
possible way not at variance with his own interests, I have in all
respects thus carried out his commands and all the stipulations of
the treaty; while his grace has violated the same in so many ways,
principally in making traffic, on behalf of Nova Espanha, of gold
and drugs from this region within our demarcation--a thing forbidden
in specific terms in the treaty. This does not harmonize with what
his grace says about stress of weather and the lack and necessity
of ships--for one who has been engaged in traffic knows the remedy
for such cases, and his grace did traffic in our gold and drugs,
and sent for reënforcements, by the fleet--a thing which, likewise,
does not harmonize with his affirmations. For, the fewer people the
ships contained on coming from Nova Espanha, the better could his grace
lodge himself therein with all his camp, there being none in the whole
voyage to obstruct his way provided they had sufficient crews. But
God exists, and heaven cannot be covered with a sieve; nor are there
diseases of the eye so serious as to be able to hinder the perception
of a thing so evident. His grace is condemned by his own captains for
his transgressions against the treaty, while he himself admits that
his instructions forbid him to enter our demarcation. And although,
in view of the above, I was released from obligation to do him any
favor, yet I have been begging him for a considerable time to make
use both of me and of this fleet, since he himself possesses none,
and to depart therein upon his way. Nor is it reasonable that his
grace should depart alone in any of these ships; and he must be out
of his senses, after staying here four years, to undertake to wait
four more in this land of the king, our lord--for that is the least
time in which ships can be constructed in Nova Espanha for him to
depart in; and this season there could reach him only the _patache_
"San Joan," and some ship or other from Peru, a very small conveyance
for so large a camp. Wherefore I beg him as a favor, and summon him,
once and many times, to depart in this fleet belonging to the king,
our lord,--or, better, to his majesty--together with all the people
of his highness, inasmuch as this tends to the latter's service; for
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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