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]

1690-I69I] NATIVE PEOPLES AND CUSTOMS

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CHAPTER XLIV
Of the former government and social customs of
these Indians
462. I have already said that our brother and venerable father Fray Juan de Plassencia wrote in the
convent of Nagcarlan and signed (October 24, 1589)
a relation describing all the old customs of these Indians, in obedience to a request and charge of the
superior government. That relation appeared to all
a very truthful statement, as, in order to make it,
his examination and vigilance were rigorous.
463. Of this relation I have already used what
I thought ought to be set down in their fitting
places. Now I shall say in substance what he tells
when speaking of the social customs of the Indians
and their old-time government, with some additions
which serve for the better understanding of the
matter.
464. These Indians were not so lacking in prudence in the olden time that they did not have their
economic, military and political government, those
being the branches derived from the stem of prudence. Even the political government was not so
simple among all of them that they did not have their
architectonic rule -not monarchic, for they did not
have an absolute king; nor democratic, for those
who governed a state or village were not many; but
an aristocratic one, for there were many magnates
(who are here called either maguinoos or datos),
among whom the entire government was divided.
465. In the olden days, when, as most of them
believe, the Malays came to conquer these islands,
they called the boat or ship by the name of barangay,