The people of the Philippines, their religious progress and preparation for spiritual leadership in the Far East,

162 THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES

to have produced results in the Philippines which have not
yet disappeared.
One of the recipients of this disguised scripture was a
Spanish Dominican friar in Manawag in the province of
Pangasinan, named Marique Alonzo Lallave. He became so
heterodox that he was brought to Manila under accusation of
heresy, excommunicated, and ordered to return to Spain.
Whether he ever would have reached home is doubtful had
not friends spirited him away to England. There he became an Episcopal minister. Later he returned to Spain,
where he wrote a Bible dictionary which is still used in that
country. He also translated into Pangasinan all of the New
Testament, excepting the Apocalypse.
Meanwhile a wild young Spaniard named F. de P. Castells
had been chased from his home by his irate parents, and had
taken refuge in the home of Dr. Eric Lund, in Barcelona,
where the lad became an ardent Christian. A fast friendship
sprung up between Lallave and Castells. Burning to serve
their Lord they determined to try to introduce the Bible into
the Philippines. With a stock of complete Bibles in Spanish,
and of the Four Gospels and Acts which Lallave had translated into Pangasinan, they reached Manila, in March, i888.
Nine Bibles they adroitly smuggled through, but the rest of
the books were detained in the Manila Customs House. The
two men were treated kindly by apparently friendly friars,
who secured a boy to aid them at their headquarters in the
Hotel Oriente. Both fell violently ill within a week, with
symptoms of poisoning. Father Lallave died. Castells fortunately became the patient of an English physician who saved
his life by the use of antidotes. Whether the poisoning was
accidental or intentional is unknown.
The surviving member of the heroic pair disposed of seven
Spanish Bibles, one Spanish Testament, and one Bible in
Chinese, before he faced the inevitable arrest. He was accused
of propagating a faith not of the State. Through the influence of Masons he was released on condition that he would
leave the Islands.3
'British and Foreign Bible Society Report 1890, pp. 227, 229.