The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; 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, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 36]

1649-1666] RECOLLECT MISSIONS, 1646-60

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general of war and assessor of the governor of Manila. He declared in favor of the Indian slaves, and
freed them all. The wretched Indians were overjoyed at the decree, but they were troubled because
they had no one to solicit their freedom for them by
attending to the necessary expenses of the court; consequently, they regarded the day of their redemption
as a thing impossible to attain. They did not dare
to ask the aid of the Recollect fathers, as they thought
that the latter were angry at them, as they had
murdered a religious in that insurrection. But since
the Recollect fathers regarded that as [the vicissitude of] fortune, they took the part of the Indians
and did considerable in their defense.
267. Father Fray Agustin de San Pedro was
secretary of that province, who was known by the
name of Padre Capitan because of his military feats
which will be explained in part in recording his life.
He had illumined those Indians with the light of the
gospel, for which they held him in great affection.
Therefore, he made a list of the slaves who were in
Manila, and its environs, giving the name and surname of each, and the village where he lived. In the
list he included many others who were not contained
in the processes. He presented that list to the governor and asked him to order the slaves to be set at
liberty. Such a writ was despatched very promptly,
and the father went with the notary through all the
houses in order to place the order in execution. That
was a work that caused him great fatigue, and produced violent contentions. For since those who had
paid their money for slaves were deprived of them,
scarcely did he arrive at a house where some insult
was not heard. The expenses were increased, but he