The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898. Volume 19 of 55. Unknown

1

The twelve-year truce between the States-General and Spain, signed in 1608.

2

This squadron was sent for the succor of the Philippines, in December, 1619; but soon after its departure it encountered a severe storm, which compelled the ships to take refuge in the port of Cadiz. Learning of this, the royal Council sent imperative orders for the ships to depart on their voyage; the result was that they were driven ashore and lost on the Andalusian coast, January 3, 1620, with the loss of one hundred and fifty lives. Among the dead was Fray Hernando de Moraga, O.S.F., who had come to Spain some time before to ask aid for the Philippine colony and the missions there. A council assembled by the king, after discussing the matter, recommended that Spain abandon the islands as costly and profitless; Moraga’s entreaties induced the king to disregard this advice, and to send a fleet with troops and supplies, in which embarked Moraga with thirty friars of his order. See La Concepción’s account, in Hist. de Philipinas, v, pp. 474–479.

Another letter from Otaço, dated February 18, 1620, says: “There has been a very heated discussion (which still continues) regarding aid for the Philipinas, between the lords of the Council and all the procurators and agents of those islands.”

3

Translated: ”[This blow upon us], beyond measure, still we are the Lord’s and He is just, and His judgment is upright.”

4

So in the MS., but apparently a copyist’s error for Leatum, the form given in later pages; apparently a phonetic blunder for Liao-tung, the name of the province where the contest between Russia and Japan is now centered (May, 1904).

5

W. Winterbotham gives, in his View of the Chinese Empire (London, 1796), ii, pp. 6–8, an interesting account of the “mandarins of letters,” the chief nobility of the empire. He says: “There are only two ranks in China, the nobility and the people, but the former is not hereditary … China contains about fifteen thousand mandarins of letters, and a still greater number who aspire to that title … To arrive at this degree, it is necessary to pass through several others; such as that of Batchelor (sie, or tsai), of licentiate (kiu-gin), and of doctor (tsing-tssëe). The two first, however, are only absolutely necessary; bur even those on whom the third is conferred obtain for a time only the government of a city of the second or third class. There are eight orders of [these] mandarins … In short, the whole administration of the Chinese empire is entrusted to the mandarins of letters.”

6

Referring to the Manchu chief Noorhachu (see Vol. XVIII, note 63). His grandfather was named Huen.

7

Gabriel de Matos was born at Vidigueira, Portugal, in 1572, and entered the Jesuit order at the age of sixteen. He spent twenty years in the Japan missions, and later was provincial of Malabar; and he filed in January, 1633, either at Cochin or at Macao (according to differing authorities).

8

Nicolas Trigault was born at Douai, France, in 1577, and became a Jesuit novice when seventeen years old. As a student, he made a specialty of Oriental languages, and in 1610 entered the China mission, of which he was long in charge—meanwhile becoming versed in Chinese history and literature, concerning which, as well as the Jesuit missions there, Trigault wrote various books and memoirs. He died November 14, 1628, at either Nanking or Hang-tcheou.

9

Matheo de Curos was born at Lisbon in 1568, and became a Jesuit when fifteen years old; three years later, he left Europe for Japan, where during many years he occupied high positions in his order. He died at Fuscimo (Fushimi?), October 29, 1633.

10

Dairi (“the great interior”), an appellation of the mikado of Japan, also of his palace in the city of Kiôto (anciently called Miako), The temple referred to is the Daibutsu (“great Buddha”), located not far from the palace. See Rein’s Japan, pp. 442–470, for account of Buddhism and other religions in Japan, and description and plan of Kiôto.

11

Cf. Jesuit Relations, (Cleveland reissue) xxvii, p. 311, and xxxv, p. 277 (and elsewhere), for mention of these helpers (Fr. dogiques) in the Jesuit missions of New France.

12

Probably referring to St. Francis Xavier, who had been, seventy years before, so prominent a missionary in Japan and India. The word “saint,” however, is here used by anticipation, as Xavier was not canonized at the time of this document. That ceremony was performed, for both Xavier and Ignatius de Loyola, on March 12, 1622; they had been beautified on July 27, 1609.

13

The two Latin phrases read thus in English respectively: “in the bowels of Jesus Christ,” and “that I may be counted worthy of suffering reproach [or ignominy] for the name of Jesus.”

14

This is a reference to the celebrated scholastic Duns Scotus.

15

The text reads thus: Junto al estandarte que lleuoua el Pe Guardian yba un fraile lego llamado fr. Junipero y es tenido por s^to sencillo como el otro vaylando y diciendo mil frialdades a lo diuino.

16

The Order of Theatins was founded in 1524, by St. Cajetan of Chieti or Teate (whence Theatinus) and three others, one of whom later became Pope Paul IV. Their vows were very strict, for they were even forbidden to solicit alms. They were the first congregation in the Church of regular clerics or canons regular (clerici regulares or canonici regulares). On account of the early renown for piety which they acquired, it became usual to style any devout person a Theatino or Chietino. They were also sometimes called Tolentines, from the name of their principal church dedicated to St. Nicholas of Tolentine. Their dress being similar to that of the Jesuits, they were through ignorance often mistaken for them. The term was also applied to some of the Jesuits who had been in Florida and afterward went to Manila; to the Jesuit missionaries in Japan; and to the first Jesuits in the Philippines. Paul IV wished to unite his order with the Jesuits, but his request was not acceded to by St. Ignatius Loyola. The Theatins were never widely known outside of Italy.—The editors are indebted for this note to Revs. José Algué, S.J., Manila Observatory, E.I. Devitt, S.J., Georgetown College, and T.C. Middleton, O.S.A., Villanova College. See also Addis and Arnold’s Catholic Dict., pp. 792, 793.

17

The preachers of Charles V said to the Council of the Indias, in speaking of the repartimiento system in America: “We

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