The galleon “San Antonio,” which had sailed in the previous year in charge of General Don Francisco Enrique de Losada, reached Acapulco, although it encountered heavy gales in the high latitudes, and returned prosperously to these islands. It had not the good-fortune to come in as far as the point of Cavite (a piece of luck which seldom occurs), on account of the vendavals having set in steadily; and therefore it made port in Solsogón. In this galleon came the following persons: The father master Don Fray Ginés Barrientos, of the Order of Preachers, and preacher to his Majesty, consecrated as bishop of Troya, to be assistant for the archbishopric of Manila. He was a son of the convent of Peña de Francia, and native of a place in Sayago called Barroco Pardo; he was a very learned scholastic, a great preacher, and a very observant religious. The father master Don Fray Juan Durán, of the Order of Mercy, and a native of Lima; he came as consecrated bishop of Sinopolis, and assistant to the bishop of Zebú; he was very learned, and of very handsome figure and lofty stature. The entreaties of his Majesty had obtained from his Holiness these two auxiliary bishops, with two thousand pesos of income from his royal treasury, and with the right of future succession to assume the government of the vacant sees as they might occur. They brought the bulls and pallium for the archbishop Don Fray Felipe Pardo, who in virtue of these was consecrated on October 28; this was performed by the bishop of Zebú, Don Fray Diego de Aguilar and the bishop of Troya, with the assistance of the dean, Master Don Miguel Ortiz de Covarrubias, who carried the mitre.
Presentation came as bishop of Nueva Segovia to Doctor Don Francisco Pizarro de Orellana, the archdeacon of Manila, and a native of that city; [the see was vacant] by the death of Master Don Lucas de Arqueros de Robles, a native of Vigan in Ilocos; and a son of Lorenzo Arqueros, so renowned in the revolt of the Zambals and in their destructive raid into Ilocos. [The said archdeacon] was a priest of lofty virtue, the fame of which had secured for him this dignity—which he did not enjoy, as he lived but a short time, and died before the bulls for his consecration arrived.
[Others also] arrived: Doctor Don Cristobal Herrera Grimaldos, a native of Méjico—who was a professor in the university there, and dean of the faculty of law, and had been counselor of the archbishop of Méjico, the viceroy of Nueva España, Don Fray Payo de Rivera, of the order of our father St. Augustine—who came as auditor of this royal Audiencia of Manila. Doctor Don Pedro Sebastian de Bolívar y Mena, a native of Méjico—a son of Licentiate Don Juan de Bolívar y Cruz, a former auditor of Manila [sic] and Clementina[45] professor—also an auditor of this royal Audiencia. Also Doctor Don Lorenzo Esteban de la Fuente Alanis, a native of Murcia—a professor in Granada and Sevilla, and competitor for positions in Salamanca—as fiscal of the Audiencia. All were able lawyers, and the fiscal not only surpassed the rest, but was very skilful in music; and he excelled all who had been here in the rare art of playing well the guitar [vihuela],[46] an instrument handled by many, but understood only by him. Besides these came Licentiate Don Miguel de Lanama Altamirano, an advocate of this royal Audiencia; he was a married man, as also were the auditors, and they brought their wives with them. Don Miguel was a lawyer of much ability, and held important positions in his profession. An appointment came for Don Francisco Montemayor y Mansilla as alcalde for criminal cases in Méjico; he sailed for that country in the second year, with his son, Don Felipe Mansilla Prado, and died on the voyage. His son is still living—a knight of the Order of Santiago—as also is Father Antonio Mansilla, of the Society of Jesus.
The bishop of Troya was accompanied by father Fray Alonso García, a native of Tamanes in Sayago, a religious of the order of our father St. Augustine, who had been left in Mexico, belonging to the mission of the year 1679; he was a son of the convent at Ciudad Rodrigo, and was twenty-five years old; he was a minister in Tagalos, and died in the convent at Bulacán, in the year 1704. [With him was] also father Fray José de Andrada, a Portuguese, a native of Lisboa, and a son of the congregation of Eastern India. Having spent several years in this province, and desiring to be adopted into it, but not being able to secure that privilege for lack of the consent and permission of his Majesty and of our very reverend general, he went by land to Roma and Madrid—going to Surrate, and thence to Alepo and Venecia—and obtained a warrant from our father general, and a decree from his Majesty, ordaining that he be received into this province, but with a clause which stated that this should not be regarded as a precedent. This religious was an excellent minister in the province of Ilocos, where he died at an advanced age in the year 1705. He deserves that record be made of him, since his adoption into this province cost him so many peregrinations and hardships; for to obtain it he made the entire circuit of the terraqueous globe.
This galleon brought one of the best and most copious reënforcements of soldiers that had been received here; for they numbered more than three hundred Europeans, and came from Nueva España, without the stigma of being convicts or men taken from the jails.[47] This accession was very timely for filling up the military forces in Manila, which was accomplished by removing many colored men and replacing them by Spaniards; for in this Don Juan de Vargas took great pains, showing himself an able soldier. Thus in the time of no governor since Don Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera was the garrison of Manila in so fine a condition as in that of Don Juan de Vargas. The baton of master-of-camp was given to General Don Fernando de Bobadilla (who was castellan of Santiago), in place of Don Francisco de Ardilla [sic], who held it ad interim. The scene began to change with the coming of so many bishops and of auditors and lawyers—an event which, it seems, tended rather to augment the forces so that the shock of battle might be more violent and fierce for both sides, the winds again returning for the fearful commotions which were to disturb the peace and tranquillity which the commonwealth of Manila had enjoyed. For although the government of Don Juan de Vargas did not prove to be what the citizens of Manila desired, on account of his natural harshness and his excessive devotion to his own private interests, nevertheless, as he did not rob any one of anything, and was only a hindrance to the merchants gaining the profits of the trade more to their own satisfaction; and as, on the other hand, the islands were in a Nourishing condition, the commerce with China and India was very firmly established, and wealth was not diminishing, there was [something] for all if their desires were not excessive, and for the governor more than all together. But, as covetousness is the root of all evils, ... from this resulted the greatest troubles and Calamities.
Time had passed agreeably for the people with some festivities that were celebrated at the dedication of the church of Santa Potenciana, on May 19, which were very diverting and ingenious. There were poetical competitions, which were arranged for that celebration by the cleverness of Don José de Castellar, who had been the secretary of Governor Don Manuel de León—at whose posthumous expense had been rebuilt that church and royal seminary. In these exercises the geniuses that are in Filipinas showed that in that remotest corner of the world is hidden much that could shine in the principal courts of Europa; for the poems that were presented therein, both Latin and Castilian, might have been a credit to the leading universities. And certainly there was verified the saying and opinion of some critics who assert that Filipinas is composed of quintessences,[48] for many of these are found there, not only of good but of evil; and therefore in the pulpits as well as in theology (both scholastic and moral) there never lack stars of the first magnitude; and in all the rest “a hair is cut in the air,”[49] as the common saying goes.
The first misfortune which was felt was the return to port of the galleon “Santa Rosa,” in command of General Tomás de Endaya; it is these losses which are most deeply felt, since all are interested in the prosperous voyages of the galleons; and it is one of the greatest troubles of these islands, if not the worst, that all are dependent on two bits of wood,[50] and those entrusted to the fickleness of the sea—the one that goes [to Acapulco], and the other that is expected. The sad news of its return came late in December, about Christmas, and caused general sorrow. The year 1682 began with the melancholy feeling which was inspired by seeing that we were deprived for that year of having a galleon from Nueva España, which is the artery that communicates the blood and the life for the preservation of these isolated islands—that is, the silver which, like a lodestone, attracts the most remote nations to the commerce and trade; and by the lack of the silver [which comes] with the galleon commercial transactions are greatly retarded.
Now, it seems, the two camps had made ready their opposing forces for one of the most sanguinary battles which for many generations had been waged in these islands; and its consequences lasted many years, and its echo was a scandal to the universe. The auditors began the duties of their office with great care and attention, for they were all very erudite men, who had filled chairs in the universities of España; but, as the true wisdom is the fear of God, when this is lacking all human knowledge is useless.... In the Indias a great source of disputes is the desire which some ministers have for extending the royal privileges [regalias], expecting through this channel greater advancement—as if kings, and especially those who are so Catholic and pious as are ours of España, would be willing to do anything else than to render to God that which is God’s, content with what is rendered to them, which is Cæsar’s. The great privileges of the royal patronage are not opposed to the integrity of the episcopal dignity and ecclesiastical hierarchy; rather, they are in accord with each other, and both use their powers to promote the greater prosperity of the faith.... And, since the greatest privileges of the patronage of the Indias are pontifical concessions, how can they be used against the power of him who concedes them, who necessarily must be relatively greater?... Therefore, there neither is nor can be wrong in such privileges, which are founded in justice and right, and there is no opposition between those which are pontifical and those which are royal, as there is not and cannot be any between the virtues. The fault is in those who interpret these privileges as they do the laws, for they say that they give their mind to them, as if they no longer had any mind, and were now mente captas.[51]... Excellent and learned officials were all the auditors who at that time were members of the Audiencia of Manila; but, to judge by results, self-will greatly blinded their good understandings, and therefore occurred to them the lot of those whom our father St. Augustine mentions (treatise 4 on [the gospel of] John): Temporalia perdere timuerunt, et vitam æternam non cogitaverunt; ac sic utrumque amisserunt.[52] The infinite mercy of God probably did not permit that, although all met very painful and some very sudden deaths—except Doctor Don Diego Calderón y Serrano, who died as a good Christian, who did not choose to entrust the safety of his soul to opinions. But at the least we saw them lose temporal prosperity, when they were confidently expecting even more. [Here follows (pp. 751–766) Diaz’s account of the Pardo controversy, which we omit, since it has been sufficiently used for annotation of other documents relating to that subject, for which see VOL. XXXIX, pp. 149–275.]