The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 38, 1674-1683: 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 38, 1674-1683: 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
As Don Sabiniano understood the desire which led them, he spoke to
them with affected severity, and despatched a courier to give them
orders that they must immediately send him the two generals (whom
they had detained to secure a settlement favorable to their fears),
with their weapons, furnishings, and clothing, without a thread being
missing. He said that if any one of these articles should be lacking,
a duel would be enacted in honor of it, which would be satisfied
[only] with the fire from weapons that were already intolerable in
the hands [of the soldiers]; and that, if their valor could ill endure
the bridle of clemency so ill recompensed, if they did not accept it
he would now proceed to exchange it for severity. At the distance of
a few paces the courier met Generals Sebastian Rayo Doria and Juan
Enriquez de Miranda, whom the rebels had set at liberty through the
persuasions of the father ministers. As their fear was not quieted by
any means whatever, they made haste to the safety which imagination
suddenly presented to them; they feared that the illegal detention of
the Spanish generals would add fire to our indignation. The governor,
seeing our honor thus satisfied, and discretion triumphant, turned
to the alcalde-mayor of that province, and told him that on the
following day he must surrender to him its chief men. Those who were
present looked at one another in surprise, wondering that the governor
should not know the condition in which the chiefs still were, united
and armed in so great a number that their submission was not to be
expected at a mere summons. It is a fact that in the excuses which
the chiefs had given for their resolution they cast the blame on the
villages, attempting thus to confuse their own malice with [that of]
the multitude. Accordingly, it was expedient that the governor should
follow their usage, by making them think that he had not fathomed their
purposes, so that they could not guess that he was dissimulating. The
result corresponded to the ingenious scheme, skill obtaining what
guile had concealed. For the chiefs, seeing that their excuses were
so readily received, attempted to carry them further; and therefore at
one o'clock at night they arrived, with all the people of the revolted
villages, in eighty vessels, at the village of Macabebe. The military
officers felt anxiety, not only at their coming at a suspicious hour
of the night, but at the multitude, a great impediment to negotiations
for peace; in view of this the governor deferred until the next day
giving them audience. But as there are cases in which confidence is
safer than mistrust, especially when one is intent on giving security
to distrust and calming fear, the governor commanded that all should
enter his presence, and that our armada and troops should, without
any outcry or demonstration of anxiety, watch very attentively the
actions of these people. It was the effect of fear, which is with
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