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]

44

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 44

ministry [at Old Cavite] was then small, but difficult to administer, on account of the people being
scattered, and far more because of the corruption of
morals; for, lacking the presence of the pastor, and
the wolves of the nations who come here from all
parts for trade, being so near, it might better be
called a herd of goats than a flock of sheep-this
village being, as it were, the public brothel
[lupanar] of that port; and there was hardly a house
where this sort of commerce was not established.
This was a matter which at the beginning gave the
ministers much to do, but with invincible firmness
they continued to correct this lawless licentiousness;
and by explaining the doctrine, preaching, and aiding the people with the sacraments, they made Christians in morals those who before only seemed to be
such in outward appearance and name. Ours continued to reclaim these people to the Christian life,
and today this village is one of the most Christian
and best instructed communities in all the islands; it
has a beautiful and very capacious church of stone,
dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen, and a handsome
house [for the minister]. There are in this village,
besides the Tagalogs (who are the natives), some
Sangleys and many mestizos, who live in Binacayan,
which is a sort of ward of the village.
[Fol. 31 b:] Ardently did the apostle of the
Indias desire to go over to China for its conversion;
but he died, like another Moses, in sight of the land
which his desires promised to him. Since then, without looking for them, thousands of heathen Chinese
have settled in these islands. As soon as the Society
came to these shores, Ours applied themselves, in the
best manner that they could, to the conversion and