[2] See VOL. XXVIII, p. 118, note 57. [↑]
[3] See documents concerning the Camacho controversy, in VOL. XLII, pp. 25–116. [↑]
[4] This título, containing fifteen laws, is entitled, “Of colleges and seminaries.” Law ii dated Segovia, June 8, 1592, reads as follows: “Our royal arms shall be placed in college seminaries, and shall have the most prominent place, in recognition of the universal patronage which belongs to us by right and apostolic authority throughout the state of the Indias. We permit prelates to place their arms in an inferior location.” [↑]
COLLEGE OF SAN JUAN DE LETRAN
Of the removal of the college of San Juan de Letran of Manila
On May 8 of this same year, 669, the college of San Juan de Letran was moved to the site on which it is even yet located. It had its first beginning in the house of a pious Spaniard, called Juan Geronimo Guerrero, who had dedicated himself, with Christian piety, to gathering orphan boys in his house, where he raised, clothed, and sustained them, and taught them to read and to write, and much more, to live in the fear of God.[1] His piety was aided by many citizens, who offered him abundant alms. Especially was the governor, Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, earnest in aiding him and helping him by giving him, in the name of the king our sovereign, some portion of the cost for so holy a work. Among other things, he gave him an encomienda,[2] in order to sustain the orphans with its products; and a bit of homestead or arable land, one hundred brazas long and fifty wide in the alcaycería or Parián of the Sangleys, in order that they might erect shops therein without paying any land tax to the city. Both concessions were afterwards confirmed by the king our sovereign and his royal Council.[3]
While that good man was employing himself in so holy a work, a lay-brother religious, a porter of our convent of Manila, called Fray Diego de Santa Maria, a man of example, virtue, and perfection, was doing the same also. He gathered orphan and abandoned boys in the said porter’s lodge of the convent, and reared them in holy and praiseworthy customs. He clothed and sustained them with alms, which some devout persons gave him, and taught them their first letters; and, if any were inclined to study grammar, he sent them to our college of Santo Thomas which is very near the said convent. So many were the boys who were gathered that a congregation was formed of them. The said lay-brother religious gave that congregation the name of San Pedro y San Pablo; for all were clothed in one single manner, and all kept one form of life, with so great example to all the city that the admiration of all its citizens was won. And this is not much, since that work of charity was so agreeable to the eyes of God, who, in order that one of His servants might see and wonder at it, worked a prodigious miracle. It happened that a citizen of Manila made a journey to the city of Lima, where resided the venerable brother, Martin de Porres, in our convent of El Rosario; and as that servant of God was so charitable, he was very much pleased to have others so. That citizen of Manila, by name Francisco Ortiz, told him that he knew a lay-brother religious, a laborer of this place of Manila, a man of most holy life, who supported with alms twenty-four orphan boys, whom he had gathered, and was teaching them to read and write. And the most especial thing which was admired in him was that he never went forth from the convent in search of those alms, but that our Lord directed them to him in order that he might carry forward the work of charity, which he was doing with the said poor boys. The servant of God hearing that gave him to understand that he desired greatly to know and to treat with that holy lay-brother, who lived in this city of Manila at a distance of three thousand leguas from the city of Lima. After three days, Francisco Ortiz returned to visit the servant of God, whom he found very cheerful and happy. Smiling the latter gave him to understand that he had already seen and talked with the said lay-brother religious of Manila, and had encouraged him to proceed in so pious a work. What most astonished Francisco Ortiz was to hear the servant of God talk the Chinese language, which the Sangleys of this country used, as will be related more in detail in the life of the servant of God, Martin de Porres.
The pious Juan Geronimo Guerrero, founder of the college of San Juan de Letran, reached old age, and even a decrepit old age. Consequently, he became incapable of governing the orphan boys whom he had gathered. For, lacking and fearing but little the punishment which youth demands for its better direction, they took it upon themselves to leave the house whenever they wished, and to run away, contrary to the pleasure of their patron. Consequently, he was left finally with only three, who either from love to their master, or because of a better natural disposition, did not follow the others. In order that they might not be lost, he entrusted them to our brother, Fray Diego de Santa Maria, with whom he had a very close familiarity, inasmuch as he saw him engaged in his same employment. In order that the brother might take care of them, and of his own children, he gave him an allowance and gift in the form of the concessions which the king, our sovereign, had conceded to him. That cession was accepted by the governor of the islands, and afterward confirmed by the king our sovereign. The same favors were conceded to our order so that it might take charge of the rearing of those orphan and abandoned boys. Juan Geronimo Guerrero, finding himself free now and exempt from that occupation, thought only of preparing himself for a good death, and accordingly begged the father prior of our convent to receive him, and to take care of him in his infirmary. Not only was that conceded to him, but, seeing him with the desire to adopt the habit of our order, gave it to him as lay-brother, and he died as a professed religious of our order.
This province finding itself pledged with the prosecution of the rearing of those orphan boys, assigned for them some low quarters which were near the porter’s lodge of our convent of Santo Domingo. That site already had the form and name of a college with the title of San Pedro y San Pablo, which it had had from the beginning. Under this title the college was confirmed by our most reverend father master general, Fray Thomas Turco. But inasmuch as the concessions of the king our sovereign were made under the title and name of the ancient college of San Juan de Letran, founded by Juan Geronimo Guerrero, and had been accepted under that title by the king our sovereign, who received it by various royal decrees under his royal protection, on that account even yet it has conserved the title of San Juan de Letran.[4] However, it also recognizes as patrons the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. For the government and direction of this college, the venerable father, Fray Sebastian de Oquendo,[5] prior at that time of the convent of Santo Domingo, who had charge of the college then, made them some very holy, but very strict statutes, for they were taken quite exactly from the rule of our father St. Augustine. But, since they were not obliged to attain so great perfection, and still being but boys, were not able to show so much, after some years, the said statutes were revised in a provincial chapter of this province. Thus did that college maintain itself for some years in the low quarters of our convent of Santo Domingo of this city. So greatly did the number of those boys increase that they sometimes surpassed two hundred, and since there were so many, and they were boys, one can understand the racket that they must have made, which could not but be an obstacle to the regularity of a religious convent. Consequently, the province discussed the question of placing them in a separate house, which was located opposite the church of the said convent. They arranged in that house all the necessary rooms for a college, and its church, and belfry, in order that they might there celebrate the divine offices; for thus it was conceded expressly in the licenses of the ordinary, government, and city, which were made for the foundation of that college.[6]