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. 40]

I690-1691] NATIVES OF SOUTHERN ISLANDS

I47

his father he makes his own mother his slave. Even
if, while they are at peace, these points are not
cleared up, and the inner tyranny employs external
civility, yet, if dissensions alter these relations, and
they are divided, the men avail themselves of those
rights, and subject their mothers to whatever they
choose, and do not allow them to leave their houses.
Thus do they come to be served by their mothers
at all times. In regard to those who descend from
them, there is even less shame; and among another
kind of relations is an utter disregard of nature in
this respect, for their own nephews are the slaves
of their uncles, and, vice versa, uncles are slaves of
their nephews.
They do not know what charity is. Consequently,
whatever benefits they confer are all placed on account as debts, which their tyranny estimates wholly
to their own satisfaction. Unfortunate he whom
abandonment or orphanage has flung into the house
of another, for now for his sustenance, and again for
his rearing, he must become a slave. Kindness is
shown at the cost of liberty. Although that was general throughout the islands, in this island it is excessive, as it is a tenet of the perfidious sect of Mahomet; and its cruelty has left no liberty that it has
not opposed. Therefore, there is not in this nation
the middle class that is found in the others which
forms the common people out of the freemen; for
there are no freemen, nor any mean between chiefs
and slaves. Their community is composed of but
two extremes, so far separated. It is a fact that there
are many ways by which to reduce men to such a
condition, and there is no escape from the injury.
For, since self-interest is the advantage of those who