The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 32, 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.Aduarte, Diego
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 32, 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.
Aduarte, Diego
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
It is their custom when they are rowing their boats, or when many
are gathered together on any occasion, to sing in order to beguile
and relieve their labors. As they had no others, they used their old
profane and even pernicious songs. He composed many songs in their
language, after their own manner of verse, but on sacred themes--for
he had a particular gift for this--and introduced these among them,
so that they might use them on such occasions. He hoped in this way
to make them forget their old ballads, which were useless or noxious,
without taking from them their pleasure--rather, indeed, to increase
their delight by the devout sentiments of the new songs. He wrote
many books of devotion for them; and since there was no printing in
these islands, and no one who understood it or who made a trade of
it, he planned to have the printing done by means of a Chinaman,
a good Christian. This man, seeing that the books of father Fray
Francisco were sure to be of great use, bestowed so much energy upon
this undertaking that he finally succeeded with it. He was aided by
some who told him what they knew, and thus in time learned everything
that was necessary to do printing; and he printed these books. [9]
[The good father so delighted in seeing the fruit of his teaching
among the Indians that when he was directed to come back to the city,
to preach to the Spaniards, it was a severe penance for him. However,
he did so, especially in Lent. He was very severe in rebuking vice,
and it gave him pain to be obliged to preach to vicious Spaniards,
as it seemed to him that he was toiling in sterile soil. He usually
came down from the pulpit bathed in sweat, but continued to wear his
heavy tunic and to observe the rules of the order rigorously. Although
he had seemed to be of delicate constitution in España, his health
was always very good, so that for more than twenty years during which
he was in this province he did not even have a headache, except once,
when he struck himself by accident. He spoke with intense energy, in a
grave, sententious, and clear manner. He learned the Chinese language,
in addition to the other two in which he preached; and he took as his
especial charge the duty of teaching the many negroes and slaves in
Manila. He was most humble, in spite of his great abilities. When
he was vicar-provincial of Manila, he received a letter from the
provincial, who was making a visitation in the province of Nueva
Segovia. He asked father Fray Francisco, as vicar-provincial, to see
if some of the religious in his district could not be spared for that
needy region. Father Fray Francisco, thinking that he was himself
the least necessary person in the district of Manila, took with
him one father as his companion, and set out for Nueva Segovia. In
the year 1614 he was sent to España as procurator of the province,
but died on the voyage to Mexico. Just before and after his death
his body gave signs by the beauty of its appearance of the sanctity
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