"One day a friend of mine ordered a servant in my presence to go to a certain house to ask in his name for the last gazettes from Europa. I advised my friend to give the servant a note, since the latter would doubtless give expression to some bit of nonsense. He took no notice of me, and sent the servant. In fact, the man understood "aceite" [i.e., "olive oil"], for "gaceta" [i.e., "gazette"], and returned with a bottle of olive oil. His master was very much put out, while I burst into a roar of laughter. A peculiar thing is often observed in servants, namely, when one of them is ordered, 'Go to the house of Don Antonio,' before the message is finished the servant begins to go; and one has to call him back and say to him, 'But, man alive, where are you going?' and, if he is allowed to go, he reaches his destination and says that he has been sent there, and then returns whence he came, or utters some foolish remark." (Mas, p. 133.) [298] In the Vulgate, the last word of the Latin in this citation is eum. [299] i.e., "at least in passing." This is not in M. [300] M. reads "denude themselves of their customs." [301] M. reads: "For the Indian who is ordained does not give himself a trade because of the more perfect estate." [302] M. has instead of "from the oar," "from handling a bolo." [303] Spanish, la cuña del mismo palo; another application of an old Spanish proverb. [304] M. adds "and those farthest from Manila, where also the remedy is very far away." [305] Spanish, sobre quítame allá esas pajas--literally, "regarding 'carry away these straws from me,'" defined by the Academy's dictionary as, "about a thing of little importance or value." [306] Picota: "a column [the insignia of jurisdiction] or gibbet of stone, which is usually placed at the entrances of towns or villages; on which are ignominiously exposed the heads of persons executed or of criminals" (Bárcia, Dicc. etimológico). [307] M. adds "to the father cura." The reason for this letter may be found possibly in this paragraph, in the hostility of the religious orders to admitting the Filipinos to the priesthood. [308] M. reads "How well it could be subdued and composed." [309] M. adds "in his happiness." [310] M. reads: "And while they were all gallantly seated in the hall, and she was, very finely adorned with jewels, in the room, surrounded by many ladies." [311] M. reads: "The bride spied the mouse from a long distance, and, not being able to restrain herself out of respect for that function, she arose and began to run the length of the hall. She overthrew the people, and they were unable to restrain the fair bride, and cause her to desist from her undertaking. The angry groom said to them." [312] The rest of this sentence reads in M., "even though they should become bishops." [313] Matthew xxv, 21. [314] i.e., "The priesthood is the apex of all good things which exist among men."