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. 13]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 13

interest, to say about them. I will only say this, that
the excellent example set by the religious orders in
the Filipinas is a most efficacious means for the conversion of those souls; and likewise serves to stimulate
and maintain the Christian spirit of former times
among our Spaniards. Among these there are men
and women who may serve as examples of virtue and
piety from whatever point this may be considered,
and who both profess and exercise piety with the utmost sincerity, and in perfection. I observed and
noted in those people, without distinction of good and
bad, three habitual virtues: they do not blaspheme,
they hear mass every day, and they are present at
every sermon. As for confession and communion, I
may affirm that there is not a feast-day appointed
during the year when they do not, almost every one,
confess and receive communion; indeed, we hardly
have leisure to administer those sacraments to them,
for no sooner is one communion concluded than we
must prepare for the next one. And this piety is displayed not only by select Christians, of recognized
virtue, but by almost all the people of the city; and
they are constrained thereto by the saintly labors,
example, and teaching of these holy religious orders.
These, not to mention other virtues which make them
conspicuous in that country, possess two which are
especially notable: first, the strictness of religious
observance and the purity of life which they all teach,
and which, in truth, they exercise with great consistency; second, the peaceable and fraternal relations
which they maintain among themselves - a virtue
which is born from the first. For the likeness between them in this respect awakens and kindles, in the
minds of their members, a readiness to esteem and