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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 11 of 55: 1599-1602; 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 Close of the Nineteenth Century

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 11 of 55: 1599-1602; 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 Close of the Nineteenth Century

Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources

of the knowledge that they had of my preparation. At the same time
I finished the galizabra and launched it; and I fitted out another
vessel, belonging to private persons, which lay there. I armed both of
them and set sail in thirty days with a number of volunteer troops,
men of quality, who were resolved to accompany me on the service of
your Majesty on such an occasion (all at their own cost), as the enemy
was well established at the mouth of the bay, waiting for the ships
of the Chinese and the vessels from Nueva España with the silver,
in order to capture them. When the governor saw the state in which
I had put things, and at so little cost to your Majesty's exchequer,
and that the troops with which the expedition must be made would not
do so, or even go in the fleet if I did not go as its leader, and
realized the great importance of promptness, he ordered me in the name
of your Majesty to make the expedition immediately. He told me that in
no other wise on this occasion could I serve your Majesty. I obeyed,
and made ready to go where I was ordered, without seeking any pay of
profit. I spent more than four thousand pesos of my scanty property
to procure the necessaries for the expedition, some reenforcements, an
outfit of arms, and other things. I risked my person, honor, property,
and the support of ten children whom God has given me, and a good wife,
solely for the service of God and your Majesty; for it is certain that
no other interest or profit could take me from my house, where I was
in quiet and safety, since I never sought or asked for this thing.

This resolution was distasteful to the said Don Juan Ronquillo de el
Castillo and his retainers--chief of whom are the factor, Francisco
de las Missas [49] and the licentiate Tellez Almaçan, auditor of this
Audiencia. These men quite openly proposed to the governor to give
Don Juan the expedition, as he was the commander of the galleys;
and other things to this purpose, which satisfied the governor but
little. It seemed best to him not to change the design if I should
desire it, or at least should not be burdened by it.

I sailed with the two armed ships in quest of the pirate, from the port
of Cabite, on the twelfth of December. On Thursday, the fourteenth
of the same month, I came to close quarters with him, and the battle
resulted as your Majesty will learn more at length by the relation
which accompanies this.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 11 of 55: 1599-1602; 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 Close of the Nineteenth Century

Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources

of the knowledge that they had of my preparation. At the same time
I finished the galizabra and launched it; and I fitted out another
vessel, belonging to private persons, which lay there. I armed both of
them and set sail in thirty days with a number of volunteer troops,
men of quality, who were resolved to accompany me on the service of
your Majesty on such an occasion (all at their own cost), as the enemy
was well established at the mouth of the bay, waiting for the ships
of the Chinese and the vessels from Nueva España with the silver,
in order to capture them. When the governor saw the state in which
I had put things, and at so little cost to your Majesty's exchequer,
and that the troops with which the expedition must be made would not
do so, or even go in the fleet if I did not go as its leader, and
realized the great importance of promptness, he ordered me in the name
of your Majesty to make the expedition immediately. He told me that in
no other wise on this occasion could I serve your Majesty. I obeyed,
and made ready to go where I was ordered, without seeking any pay of
profit. I spent more than four thousand pesos of my scanty property
to procure the necessaries for the expedition, some reenforcements, an
outfit of arms, and other things. I risked my person, honor, property,
and the support of ten children whom God has given me, and a good wife,
solely for the service of God and your Majesty; for it is certain that
no other interest or profit could take me from my house, where I was
in quiet and safety, since I never sought or asked for this thing.

This resolution was distasteful to the said Don Juan Ronquillo de el
Castillo and his retainers--chief of whom are the factor, Francisco
de las Missas [49] and the licentiate Tellez Almaçan, auditor of this
Audiencia. These men quite openly proposed to the governor to give
Don Juan the expedition, as he was the commander of the galleys;
and other things to this purpose, which satisfied the governor but
little. It seemed best to him not to change the design if I should
desire it, or at least should not be burdened by it.

I sailed with the two armed ships in quest of the pirate, from the port
of Cabite, on the twelfth of December. On Thursday, the fourteenth
of the same month, I came to close quarters with him, and the battle
resulted as your Majesty will learn more at length by the relation
which accompanies this.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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