The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 20 of 55: 1621-1624; 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 20 of 55: 1621-1624; 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
and that they shall not sail after that. In that way, since it will
be known that they have to sail, all those interested in the cargo,
even though it be the most influential persons, the governors, will
have their despatches ready. But they will not do it in any other
way, for although your Majesty says that they shall not sail late,
the governors do what they wish in this matter. Will your Majesty be
pleased to order your pleasure.
6. The sixth is that your Majesty orders the Audiencia to send a
relation of what occurred in certain crimes at Santa Potenciana. Since
the Audiencia writes it through its president, namely, the governor,
scarcely could he refrain from telling the truth in order not
to lie. Consequently I think it advisable to answer that in this
letter. What passes, Sire, and it is the truth, is that the seminary
called Santa Potenciana is a house of retreat, not for religion but
for single or married women, and almost without retirement, as it has
relaxed considerably. For that reason it is a cause for wonder that
there are men who some years are willing to leave their wives there
during their absence. Consequently, the majority of women there are
mestizas. It happened perchance that Lucas de Vergara Gaviria left his
wife there when he went to Terrenate as governor, as did another who
went later, namely, Sargento-mayor Antonio Carreño de Baldes. It was
said (and not covertly, but quite openly) that the governor solicited
the wife of Lucas de Bergara, but that he was angered at her purity
and virtue. Also it was said that the same thing occurred with the
wife of Carreño de Baldes, although she is not considered a person of
so great virtue as the other woman. And this being so, they say that
Licentiate Hieronimo de Legaspi, while I was on that occasion in bed
indisposed, proceeded against one Juan de Mohedano, because it was said
that he had entered Santa Potenciana to hold carnal communication with
a married woman. Upon my recovery, and when I went to the Audiencia, I
found that Juan de Mohedano was presenting a petition challenging their
jurisdiction by saying that he was a soldier. When I learned the cause,
I wondered, for the woman was married and one of the chief women here,
namely, the wife of the said Antonio Carreño de Baldes, who was in
Terrenate. I resolved to investigate the matter, as it was only verbal,
so that it might not become public. The Audiencia had made a judicial
writ and secret information and merits, by a secret and outside method,
without arresting Mohedano in order to exile and punish him, so that it
might not be known; for by any other way it would have been contrary
to law, and would have meant the irreparable loss and deprivation
of the honor of an influential woman and to the blamelessness of
her husband if perchance she has secretly committed certain acts
of imprudence, or written papers, or made pretensions, and I do not
know whether such were more than indications. At that juncture the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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