Fernando Riquel.)
(Response: This is the copy of a response which the very illustrious Miguel Lopez de Leguaspi sent to Guoncallo Pereira, captain-general in these regions of the south for the king our lord. I, Pero Bernaldez, notary-public of the said fleet, copied the same from the original at the request of the said Miguel Lopez de Leguaspi.)
I, Miguel Lopez de Leguaspi, governor and captain-general for his majesty King Don Felipe, our lord, of his people and royal fleet for the discovery of the islands of the West: in response to the summons of the very illustrious Gonzalo Pereira, captain-in-chief of the Portuguese fleet, served on me the twenty-seventh day of this present month of October I declare that it is true, as contained in his summons, that "actions speak louder than words," as also do offers without actions—which in his case we have seen to be very different. For it is manifest and known to all that his actions have been, and are, very different from good words; since on the twentieth day of this month, without any cause or legitimate reason, or without the removal of the assurances given by one to the other, or without making or giving any warning or information, his grace ordered his galleys and small vessels to make an attack on certain fortifications and defenses of ours. And they attacked and fired many cannon and arquebuse-shots at the people on the shore and bank near the fort aforesaid, without any artillery being fired at them in return from this camp, which could do them harm, until the outcome of the affair was seen. On the contrary, astonished at the treatment afforded us when we had not given any occasion whatsoever for the same, I wrote to his grace that very day. He, without any reply to what I had written, sent, the next morning, two galleots and a pinnace to take up a position in the other entrance of this harbor (where they now are), in order to prevent us from receiving any supplies or provisions. He has blockaded us upon all sides; and, what is most intolerable of all, the galleys and pinnaces aforesaid have sacked, fired, and burned all the neighboring villages, and killed the natives and inhabitants, without exempting even women and children, in the towns of Gavi, Cotcot, Diluan, Denao, and Mandavi—for the sole reason, and no other, as I understand, that they had been at peace with us, and had supplied and sold us provisions for our money. All this cannot be denied, inasmuch as we have seen it all with our own eyes. This may well be called deeds, and not words: and he has answered with a war of incredible cruelty. And in view of this, it is not surprising that we should have taken or that we do take some precautions, since he has made war so openly, and now tries to do us so open violence and injury. As far as the pleasing of God and of our rulers is concerned, it is of very little service, or none at all, to say that we should go to his fleet; for this cannot be done without violating his majesty's orders, to which I shall not expose myself. Moreover, all possible justifications have been offered on my side for not departing from this land and leaving it free; and, if necessary, I now offer them again. And it has no bearing on the subject to say that I have been here four years and desire to remain four years more; for my intention and desire has not been, nor is, to remain here even one year, but to depart as soon as I receive despatches and ships from his majesty—which, at latest, will be here with the next northeast wind. And as for his saying that only the patache "San Juan" and one ship can reach me, that is all nonsense; for his majesty, if he desire, can send one, six, ten, or twenty ships from Nueva España, for they have them in the South Sea there. And, what is more, I offer to depart with those that come, whether they be few or many, this being the easiest, shortest, and quickest remedy for what his grace says he wishes and desires—namely, that I should leave this land free and unembarrassed. And in this way he will receive full satisfaction very shortly, without loss, damage, or injury whatsoever to the one side or the other, unless his grace himself chooses to give occasion therefor. And, if he do this, he will do his duty, and what he is bound to do in the service of God and of our sovereigns, and will obviate the necessity of shedding Christian blood—as well as an infinite number of damages and annoyances which might otherwise ensue and come to pass now or in the future. And if, in the event of his grace's not being willing so to do, any further damage, loss, or scandal should ensue, then I declare that he shall be guilty of it all; and that he shall be considered to have acted criminally in all respects and be obliged to give an account of his deeds to God and to our sovereigns and rulers. And I ask and summon him—once, twice, thrice, and as many more times as I am required by law—not to permit violence to be done me, or any injury or warlike action such as he has undertaken, much to the displeasure of God and of our sovereigns and lords. And I protest, in all ways in which I have already protested, and all others in which, on his majesty's behalf, I am bound to request, declare, affirm, and allege—all of which, although not specified in detail, is fully expressed herein. And as for what he says about its being better to join his fleet in the work of propagating our holy Catholic faith, and destroying the sect of Mahomet in Maluco, Java, and Achen, in compensation for the many occasions on which the sovereigns of Portugal aided those of Castilla against the Moros—I say that if his highness or he, in his royal name, wage war against the pagans in these islands, and have need of other people's assistance, I am ready and prepared to give him soldiers to help, and to go with him to the places above-mentioned, in the service of the very illustrious and puissant King of Portugal, conformably to the instructions and orders which I have from his majesty, provided that his grace give them ships and supplies, and such other securities as may be reasonable from one party to another. Regarding what he says of the clauses of my instructions, the unequivocal, holy, and sincere intention of his majesty stands clearly forth therefrom, and should be received and admitted as such; and likewise the fact that I myself have fulfilled his royal orders, and have no intention of injuring any one or taking other people's property from them. For I offer and stand ready to depart, just as soon as possible, from everything which his grace declares to belong to his highness, without any further summons; and to pay for all the years of my stay here. This—being, as it is, the truth—is sufficient satisfaction for all that his grace has said or may say in the matter; for I desire to follow his instructions provided it be within my power, and depart from this land and leave it free and unembarrassed. And therefore I declare that I will do this, as I have said—refusing at the same time to admit his allegations, and basing myself upon those which I have made on my own part, which are true and certain. Given in this settlement and camp on the twenty-eighth day of October in the year one thousand five hundred and sixty-eight.
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi.
(Notification: In the galley "San Francisco" of the royal fleet of Portugal, on the twenty-eighth day of October in the year one thousand five hundred and sixty-eight, I, Christoval Ponze, notary, read and made known this response and summons of the very illustrious Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, governor and captain-general of the fleet for the discovery of the islands of the West, to the very illustrious Gonzalo Pereira, captain-general of the royal fleet of Portugal, in his own person, de verbo ad verbum, in such a way that he understood it. He responded that he heard and would make answer to the same, witnesses being Don Duarte de Meneses, admiral of the said fleet, Antonio Lopez de Sequeyra, Mendornellas de Vasconcellos, and the factor Alonso Alvarez Furtado, all of whom signed here their names. Don Duarte de Meneses, Antonio Lopez de Sequeyra, Mendornellas de Vasconcellos, Alfonso Alvarez Furtado.)
(This copy was carefully collated with the original by me, Pero Bernaldez, notary-public of this fleet, without there being found any interlineation or erasure which would cause doubt—although there is an erasure of the word no ["not">[ which was made without deceitful purpose. At this comparison was present the said Fernaõ Riquel, who signed here with me, together with Baltesar de Freitas, notary of the fleet, who placed here his approval on this twenty-ninth day of December, in the year one thousand five hundred and sixty-eight.
Pero Bernaldez.)
(This copy was compared before me, Baltesar de Freitas, notary of this fleet, on the day aforesaid.
Baltesar de Freitas.)
(I was present at the correction and comparison of this copy on the month, day, and year aforesaid.