The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 - Volume 40 of 55, 1690-1691: 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 40 of 55, 1690-1691: 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
92. It is better, in selecting servants among the Indians for the
inside of the house, to see that they be the sons of caciques or
chiefs. They must be shown neither love nor familiarity. They must
indeed always be treated well, but with uprightness and seriousness
of face. It must be considered that in proportion as they are
better caressed and clothed, the worse and more insolent they will
become. This is the teaching of the Holy Spirit in Proverbs xxiv,
21: Qui delicate a pueritia nutrit servum suum, postea sentiet eum
contumacem. They must be taught their duties, and must always be
ordered to perform them with prudence and circumspection, for otherwise
they will come gradually to lose respect for their master, and for
the character which God presents to them in the Spaniard in order to
dominate them; and then will result the same thing that happened to
the log which, Æsop says, was placed in the lake by Jupiter to be king
of the frogs. But the frogs, seeing after a time that it did not move,
made sport of it, and jumped on top of it, etc. Not many things should
be ordered of them at one time; for their memories are very poor, and
they will only keep the last one in mind. The keys of the pantry or
to the money must not be entrusted to them, for that would be placing
opportunity and temptation in their hands, and they never resist
it. Good instruction and subjection in the house, and, above all, the
good example of life which they see in their masters, instil much into
them; and under such conditions they generally become good servants,
especially those of the Pampango nation. On the other hand, also,
one must not expect a good servant in the house of a bad master. [293]
93. One must not exhaust them or squeeze them much beyond what they
can give of themselves, as we do with the lemon, for all that will be
pressed out will be bitter, as says the proverb of the commentary;
qui nimis emungit, solet extorquere cruorem. [294] Neither is it
well or proper to go about visiting the caciques or going up into
their houses, except when necessity requires it; for immediately
the whole village will be filled with envy and complaint, and the
esteem of the father ministers will suffer considerably. Besides,
their stench and vice do not render this diversion desirable. [295]
94. When [296] they are sent with a message to any place, one must
very patiently await some notable failure caused ordinarily by their
natural sloth and laziness. [297] Sicut acetum dentibus, et fumus
oculis, sic piger his qui miserunt illum (Proverbs, x, 26). [298]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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