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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 30 of 55, 1640: 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 centuryAduarte, Diego

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 30 of 55, 1640: 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

Name: The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 30 of 55, 1640: 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
Author: Aduarte, Diego

Aduarte, Diego

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

This great prelate went to España, reaching the court in the year
1617. The report that he gave was such that in virtue thereof,
and because of other reasons stated in the general chapter held by
our order at Paris, 1611 [sic] the following ordinance was passed,
among those which pertained to this province: "It is with great joy
that we learn, by certain report, that the Philippine province of the
Holy Rosary has been most successful in the conversion of the tribes
of that region. It goes on daily advancing; in it the observance of
the rule flourishes in the highest degree. Though the number of the
brethren is small, and they are widely scattered among those tribes,
yet they have recently stretched out their branches to the kingdom of
Japon. The harvest reaped there can be learned from the fact that some
of the Japanese who were taught by them, though but recently converted
to the holy faith, have advanced to such a pitch of devotion that they
gave up their lives for their belief, as we learn from a trustworthy
printed report. Not contented even yet, they gird up their loins to
send on some of their number to the very populous kingdom of China,
whither they are called by the most illustrious Don Fray Juan de
Piedad, bishop of Macan a Portuguese member of our order." Immediately
afterward follows the case of our convent in Macan, and the direction
to restore it to this province--although, on account of the opposition
of the Portuguese, the order has not been carried into execution.

A third piece of testimony is a letter written to the king our
sovereign by the cabildo of the city of Manila. This letter thanks the
king for sending so many religious of all orders to the Philippinas,
but in particular for those in the Dominican order, as being men
already formed by their studies, and therefore prepared to be of
immediate use as soon as they have learned the language. The letter
represents that, as they live without income and entirely upon alms,
whatever his Majesty should see fit to give them would be very
acceptable to the Lord. This letter bears date July 7, 1607.

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