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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 23 of 55: 1629-30; 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 23 of 55: 1629-30; 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

are daily growing worse, for they are losing fear. Daily utterances
are made against the religious that they cannot punish them, and
should not do it. This reacts against the Spaniards themselves, for,
once aroused, the Indians will rebel when least expected; and they
know already how to wield a sword and use an arquebus.

It is quite true that the religious do not mix in things of importance
belonging to other tribunals, and the fathers provincial are careful
to advise them on this matter; but the opposition to them in their
ministry is the cause of the devil and his work. Some persons,
under the pretext of piety, try to destroy the religious, saying
that the Indians are free, and protected in their liberty, and that
their liberty must not be taken away, but that they may wander as
they will. For the aim of the fathers is to have the Indians live in
villages. All this means harm to the Indian, for he is naturally lazy
and a friend of sloth. If he is allowed, he wanders about aimlessly
like a vagabond without working; and, at tribute-paying time, he
has not the wherewithal to pay. He begs a loan of the tribute, and
thus he becomes a slave. This would not happen, were he forced to
perform the work from which he flees. Thus in not allowing him to
become a vagabond, his own good is sought. We know well that there
are constables in Espana who arrest and search out the idle. Is that
contrary to the liberty in which we are born? Certainly not, for
idleness is the mother of all the vices, as St. Gregory insinuates,
when he names it as the chief cause of the destruction of Sodom:
_fuit iniquitas sororis tutu superbia, abundantia et otium._ [119]
Then, how can what is not opposed to liberty in Espana be opposed to
liberty here in a country which rears so remarkable natives? Therefore
for his own good much care must be taken of the Indian. What the
Indian should be, he would become with the knowledge of the priors,
so that they may make him settle down, and perform the work that is
to make him a Christian, support him, pay his tribute, and make him
a man of reason and judgment. [120]

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

Opening the text

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 23 of 55: 1629-30; 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

are daily growing worse, for they are losing fear. Daily utterances
are made against the religious that they cannot punish them, and
should not do it. This reacts against the Spaniards themselves, for,
once aroused, the Indians will rebel when least expected; and they
know already how to wield a sword and use an arquebus.

It is quite true that the religious do not mix in things of importance
belonging to other tribunals, and the fathers provincial are careful
to advise them on this matter; but the opposition to them in their
ministry is the cause of the devil and his work. Some persons,
under the pretext of piety, try to destroy the religious, saying
that the Indians are free, and protected in their liberty, and that
their liberty must not be taken away, but that they may wander as
they will. For the aim of the fathers is to have the Indians live in
villages. All this means harm to the Indian, for he is naturally lazy
and a friend of sloth. If he is allowed, he wanders about aimlessly
like a vagabond without working; and, at tribute-paying time, he
has not the wherewithal to pay. He begs a loan of the tribute, and
thus he becomes a slave. This would not happen, were he forced to
perform the work from which he flees. Thus in not allowing him to
become a vagabond, his own good is sought. We know well that there
are constables in Espana who arrest and search out the idle. Is that
contrary to the liberty in which we are born? Certainly not, for
idleness is the mother of all the vices, as St. Gregory insinuates,
when he names it as the chief cause of the destruction of Sodom:
_fuit iniquitas sororis tutu superbia, abundantia et otium._ [119]
Then, how can what is not opposed to liberty in Espana be opposed to
liberty here in a country which rears so remarkable natives? Therefore
for his own good much care must be taken of the Indian. What the
Indian should be, he would become with the knowledge of the priors,
so that they may make him settle down, and perform the work that is
to make him a Christian, support him, pay his tribute, and make him
a man of reason and judgment. [120]

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

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