[27] Marginal reference: "I Maccabees, 6."
[28] Marginal reference: "St. Ambrose, De officiis clericorum, i, chap. 40."
[29] Equivalent to about twenty-eight feet, U.S. measure.
[30] He left Cavite on the seventh day of July, in the vessel "San Antonio," which was built in the island of Panámao. This vessel was lost in 1604, while making its second voyage from Cavite to Acapulco.—Pablo Pastells, S.J.
[31] Juan Manuel Hurtado de Mendoza y Luna, Marques de Montesclaros, who held an important office in Sevilla, was made viceroy of Nueva España, arriving at Mexico in September, 1603. This office he held until 1606, when he was made viceroy of Peru. He died in 1628.
[32] Spanish, Recoletos: the barefooted branch of the Augustinians, known also as Descalzos in Spain and its former colonial possessions. The origin of this brotherhood is due to a reform movement in Spain in the sixteenth century, started by the Venerable Thomas de Jesús, who was for many years a captive among the Moors in Africa. He, with other lovers of primitive observance of the Augustinian rule, essayed to reintroduce divers customs no longer common among the brotherhood, as frequent fasts, midnight prayers, wearing beards, and going with uncovered heads. In 1588. at a chapter of these brethren held at Toledo (the general of the order presiding), Luis de Leon, the famed scholar and poet, was commissioned to draw up constitutions for the observants, and these were approved by Rome. In 1614, the new branch known now (as then) as "discalced" were freed from dependence on the general of the order; and in 1622 Pope Gregory XV approved their constitutions. In 1589, the reform movement (as above) spread to some of our nunneries; these sisters were, like their brethren, established as Descalzas, with their first house at Madrid under Madre Maria de Jesus (or Covarubias) as Superioress—the first house of the Recoletos being at Tatavera de la Reyna. In 1606, the Recoletos entered the Philippines, where their first house was at Bagungbayan, with the title of S. Juan. In 1602, by decree of November 16, the general of the Augustinians, Fulvius of Ascoli, sanctioned the division of the Philippine fathers of the order into two provinces—those who held with the old rule to be known as Augustinians of the province of Santísimo Nombre de Jesús; the Discalced, or Recoletos, as those of the province of San Nicolas de Tolentino; so when the Recoletos went to the Philippines they bore the name of their home province with them to Malaysia. In Manila the famous Puente de España ("Bridge of Spain") was projected and built under the superintendence of a Recoleto father. (Thus Zamora, in Las Corporaciones en Filipinas, p, 358.) In 1726, the Discalced were dispensed from wearing beards; in 1746, from going barefooted. Their earliest form of dress resembled the Capuchin habit, except that its color was black. In 1736, the beaterio of S. Sebastián at Calumpang, in Luzón—which seventeen years previous had been established by four Indian maidens, who were devout to Nuestra Señora de Carmel—was handed over to the care of Recoleta sisters; it is not known when these first came to the islands. The province of the Recoletos in the Philippines bears the title of San Nicolas de Tolentino. In Spain the Recoleto study-houses of their Philippine missionaries are (or were in 1897), at Alfaro, Monteagudo, Marcilla, and San Millan de la Cogolla.—Rev. T.C. Middleton, O.S.A.
[33] Cf. the document in Vol. XI, "Grant to Jesuit school in Cebú," dated December 11, 1601. See note thereon regarding translation of colegio.
[34] Referring to the fund arising from the fourth part of the tributes in encomiendas where no religious instruction was given; this fourth was reserved for the benefit of the Indians. See Vol. VIII, pp. 29, 160.
[35] In legajo 2637, sec_a_, de est_o_. of the Simancas archivo is a document recording the proceedings at a session of the Council of State on July 20, 1604; among the questions discussed was this one of trade between the American and the Oriental colonies. The councilors gave their opinions separately. Their conclusion was that the prohibition of trade in Chinese goods then in force between Peru and Nueva España be made general; and that a period of only six or eight months be allowed for the consumption of such goods already on hand, instead of the two years recommended by the Council of the Indias. "It is desirable to do this promptly and rigorously; but merchandise brought for use in the churches and in Divine worship should be excepted from this prohibition—save that in the future neither this nor any other exception should be considered, but the door to this trade should be closed by all means. The Marques of Montesclaros was recommended as the proper person to carry out these instructions, as he had not been concerned in that trade. One of the councilors advised that the appointments of the commanders on ships in the Philippine trade be retained by the viceroy of Spain, rather than given to the governor and archbishop at Manila.
[36] Literally, "average;" a certain duty levied on merchandise in the India trade.