The Philippine Islands: A Political, Geographical, Ethnographical, Social and Commercial History of the Philippine Archipelago, Embracing the Whole Period of Spanish RuleForeman, John, F.R.G.S.
History
The Philippine Islands: A Political, Geographical, Ethnographical, Social and Commercial History of the Philippine Archipelago, Embracing the Whole Period of Spanish Rule
Foreman, John, F.R.G.S.
Philippines
In 1703 a vessel arrived in Manila Bay from India, under an Armenian
captain, bringing a young man 35 years of age, a native of Turin,
who styled himself Monseigneur Charles Thomas Maillard de Tournon,
Visitor-General, Bishop of Savoy, Patriarch of Antioch, Apostolic
Nuncio and Legate _ad latere_ of the Pope. He was on his way to China
to visit the missions, and called at Manila with eight priests and
four Italian families.
Following the custom established with foreign ships, the custodian
of the Fort of Cavite placed guards on board this vessel. This act
seems to have aroused the indignation of the exalted stranger, who
assumed a very haughty tone, and arrogantly insisted upon a verbal
message being taken to the Governor (Domingo Sabalburco) to announce
his arrival. In Manila these circumstances were much debated, and
at length the Governor instructed the custodian of Cavite Fort to
accompany the stranger to the City of Manila. On his approach a salute
was fired from the city battlements, and he took up his residence in
the house of the Maestre de Campo. There the Governor went to visit him
as the Pope's legate, and was received with great arrogance. However,
the Governor showed no resentment; he seemed to be quite dumfounded by
the Patriarch's dignified airs, and consulted with the Supreme Court
about the irregularity of a legate arriving without exhibiting the
_regium exequatur_. The Court decided that the stranger must be called
upon to present his Papal credentials and the royal confirmation of
his powers with respect to Spanish dominions, and with this object a
magistrate was commissioned to wait upon him. The Patriarch treated
the commissioner with undisguised contempt, expressing his indignation
and surprise at his position being doubted; he absolutely refused to
show any credentials, and turned out the commissioner, raving at him
and causing an uproarious scandal. At each stage of the negotiations
with him the Patriarch put forward the great authority of the Pope,
and his unquestionable right to dispose of realms and peoples at his
will, and somehow this ruse seemed to subdue everybody; the Governor,
the Archbishop, and all the authorities, civil and ecclesiastical, were
overawed. The Archbishop, in fact, made an unconditional surrender to
the Patriarch, who now declared that all State and religious authority
must be subordinate to his will. The Archbishop was ordered by him
to set aside his Archiepiscopal Cross, whilst the Patriarch used his
own particular cross in the religious ceremonies, and left it in the
Cathedral of Manila on his departure. He went so far as to cause
his master of the ceremonies to publicly divest the Archbishop of
a part of his official robes and insignia, to all which the prelate
meekly consented. All the chief authorities visited the Patriarch,
who, however, was too dignified to return their calls. Here was,
in fact, an extraordinary case of a man unknown to everybody, and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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