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. 44]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 44

considered these matters in the Lord, in order that
some means may be employed to make up for the
distance [from Madrid], and to place some check on
the despotic sway which, on account of the distance,
the governors of these islands possess; for, as I said
above, not only do they act more despotically than
could the king and the pope if those rulers were at
the same time united in one being, but also they are
the whole [government] and all the offices, since
every one must do and does only what the governor
desires, with reference to the offices which the king
entrusts to him.
It is clear that, for the object that is desired, that
which will contribute most of all is the judicious
choice of the governor and the other officials, [who
should be] worthy, upright, unprejudiced, disinterested, having the fear of God, and zealous for His
honor and the service of the king-as well as for
their own honor, which is established by this very
effort. But qui sunt hi, et laudavimus eos?48 I see
it, forsooth. On this I will only say that the governor in any case should be a soldier, honorable and
experienced, to whom the government is given on
account of his merits; and not one who may be a
merchant or trader. Still less should he be one who
has secured the post of governor with money, and
not with merits. [In order to secure] for the other
officials men worthy by their merits, fitted for their
positions, having the fear of God, and honorable, an
important means, without doubt, is care in their
selection.
48 Thus in Ventura del Arco; but the indicative form in the
second clause seems hardly satisfactory. One would rather expect a subjunctive with ut, making it read, "Who are they, that
we may praise them?"