The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 37, 1669-1676: 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 37, 1669-1676: 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
One of the first precautions was to send Don Francisco de Atienza
y Báñez, a native of Toledo and a soldier of excellent judgment,
as governor to Zamboanga, so that he might by his prudence procure
a settled peace with the Mindanaos--who, being domestic enemies,
had greatly diverted the Spanish arms in curtailing their pride. A
peace was easily obtained with the Moro king, Corralat, for he had
been greatly frightened by the past successes of the Spaniards. The
forts of Joló were in great part occupied by soldiers, but the
batteries were not in condition to be deserted, for it was presumed
that the Dutch were about to assault them--as happened afterward in
June of the year 1648, although with less benefit than they believed
they would have in the beginning. Consequently, it was necessary to
preserve them on that occasion, although peace had been obtained in
the year 1646 with their natives by means of the same Captain Don
Francisco de Atienza. Thus the Spanish arms were somewhat more free
for anything that might happen. However, when the Moros afterward
beheld us involved in greater anxiety with our defense against the
Dutch (who were so hostile to us during the years of 1646 and 47),
they began again to invade the islands with their piratical raids, and
infested the province of Pintados, where they pillaged and captured.
[In 1645 occurred the death of the prominent Augustinian, Pedro de
Arce, who had arrived in the Philippines shortly after 1580 in a
mission brought by Andrés de Aguirre. The remainder of the chapter
is taken up with his life.]
CHAPTER II
Events of the year 1645, and of the band of religious who came
to this province, and of the earthquakes which occurred that year.
The year 1645 was disastrous for these islands--so much so, that to
this day the misfortunes with which that year ended are bewailed;
and together with that the beauty of the edifices that made Manila
celebrated among the most sightly cities, as its ruins, the shapeless
skeleton of its beauty, proclaim it at present. The origin of those
misfortunes is reserved alone for the divine judgment, but much
could be conjectured if one saw the hold that vices had taken on
this community. However, let us venerate the divine decrees, and not
examine the secrets of His divine justice.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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