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. I3

pagans that I might baptize them. During this
visit and the next that I made there, I baptized one
hundred and thirty-seven persons, who were children
and old people. I was in Alangalang and was much
pleased with the people there; indeed, everything in
that island seemed to me to be from heaven. I cannot
sufficiently thank our Lord for the signal favor that
He has granted me in bringing me to this land, and
employing me in this Catholic ministry - of which I
feel myself most unworthy, often acknowledging this
before our Lord, with tears and humiliation. I regard
it as most lavish pay for many faithful services that
our Lord should consent to employ one in these missions, and that one may behold His mercy toward
these new Christians. I have just visited the people
of Ugyao, and to live among them, enjoying the mercies which God confers upon them, seems to me like
Paradise."
Such is the father's general account; I will illustrate the details by only two instances. While a
father was sojourning in one of those seacoast villages, there arrived in a little boat a solitary Indian,
to the astonishment of all, as he had neither feet nor
hands. But God and his good angel aided him to
steer the boat, and so he reached that place where the
father was, and urgently asked him for baptism.
The reason for this was, that he had heard a Spaniard
say that those who were not Christians went to hell.
The father baptized him with great satisfaction, and
gave praises to our Lord that He had preserved this
man on the sea, and had guided that little vessel and a
man who was alone, and bereft of hands and feet.
There were some persons - especially a Spaniard in
whose charge he was - who earnestly desired that a