The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803/Volume 4/Ordinance

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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Volume 4
edited by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson

Ordinance restricting departure from the islands

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3971865The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Volume 4 — Ordinance restricting departure from the islandsEmma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson

ORDINANCE RESTRICTING DEPARTURE FROM THE ISLANDS

At the city of Manila, in the Filipinas islands of the West, on the second day of the month of March of the year one thousand five hundred and eighty-two, the most illustrious Don Gonçalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa, governor and captain-general for his Majesty of these said islands, said that, inasmuch as he had been informed that about three years ago Fray Pedro de Alfaro, custodian of the descalced religious of the order of St. Francis, had left these islands secretly, taking with him other religious, and that he went without order or license therefor from his Majesty or the governor, to the kingdom of China, where he now is;^[1] and inasmuch as Fray Pablo de Jesus, a custodian, and other religious did the same thing a few days ago, causing thereby much scandal and talk in this commonwealth: in order to correct the aforesaid as is very necessary and to inform your Majesty thereof, he declared that he was ordering (and he did so order) that it be publicly proclaimed in this city that no person of any quality or condition whatsoever should dare to leave this said city or any other places where said religious may be, accompanied by any persons whatsoever, by land or sea, or in any other manner whatsoever, except with express permission from the governor and captain-general of these islands. This shall be under penalty of incurring confiscation of all property by the exchequer of his Majesty, and proclamation as a traitor and rebel against the royal crown. Moreover, proceedings will be instituted against such person with all due severity. Thus he provided; and, under the said penalties, no one shall dare to give such persons ships or conveyance by which they may leave, without said permission.

Given ut supra:

Don Goncalo Ronquillo de Penalosa

By command of his Lordship:

Alonso Beltran

↑ "A fleet on which were some Franciscan missionaries being at Sevilla in 1576, ready to sail for the Solomon Islands, Felipe II obtained permission from Pope Gregory XIII that they should be sent to evangelize the Philippine Islands—where they arrived on June 24, 1577. They were received in Manila with enthusiastic demonstrations of joy, and soon founded a religious province, which they named San Gregorio Magno ["St. Gregory the Great"—named in honor of Pope Gregory I (A.D. 590-604)]. The marshal, Don Gabriel de Rivera, built for them the convent of San Francisco in that same year, 1577."—Algue (Archipiélago filipino, i, p. 250).
On June 24, 1577, fifteen religious of St. Francis arrived at Manila, under the orders of Fray Pedro de Alfaro, the father custodian of the province. On June 15, 1579, Alfaro left Luzón (secretly, as our text declares, because Sande refused to permit him to go), to establish a mission in China; he was accompanied by the friars Juan Bautista, Sebastian de San Francisco, and Agustin de Tordesillas. The last-named wrote a detailed account of their journey and their experiences in China up to November 15 of that year; this relation is published in Mendoca's Hist. China, part ii, book ii.

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[p312-1] "A fleet on which were some Franciscan missionaries being at Sevilla in 1576, ready to sail for the Solomon Islands, Felipe II obtained permission from Pope Gregory XIII that they should be sent to evangelize the Philippine Islands—where they arrived on June 24, 1577. They were received in Manila with enthusiastic demonstrations of joy, and soon founded a religious province, which they named San Gregorio Magno ["St. Gregory the Great"—named in honor of Pope Gregory I (A.D. 590-604)]. The marshal, Don Gabriel de Rivera, built for them the convent of San Francisco in that same year, 1577."—Algue (Archipiélago filipino, i, p. 250).
On June 24, 1577, fifteen religious of St. Francis arrived at Manila, under the orders of Fray Pedro de Alfaro, the father custodian of the province. On June 15, 1579, Alfaro left Luzón (secretly, as our text declares, because Sande refused to permit him to go), to establish a mission in China; he was accompanied by the friars Juan Bautista, Sebastian de San Francisco, and Agustin de Tordesillas. The last-named wrote a detailed account of their journey and their experiences in China up to November 15 of that year; this relation is published in Mendoca's Hist. China, part ii, book ii.

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