Noli me tángere. English

by José Rizal

  GLOSSARY

  _aba_: A Tagalog exclamation of wonder, surprise, etc., often usedto introduce or emphasize a contradictory statement.

  _abaka_: "Manila hemp," the fiber of a plant of the banana family.

  _achara_: Pickles made from the tender shoots of bamboo, greenpapayas, etc.

  _alcalde_: Governor of a province or district with both executiveand judicial authority.

  _alferez_: Junior officer of the Civil Guard, ranking next belowa lieutenant.

  _alibambang_: A leguminous plant whose acid leaves are used in cooking.

  _alpay_: A variety of nephelium, similar but inferior to the Chineselichi.

  _among_: Term used by the natives in addressing a priest, especiallya friar: from the Spanish _amo_, master.

  _amores-secos_: "Barren loves," a low-growing weed whose small,angular pods adhere to clothing.

  _andas_: A platform with handles, on which an image is borne ina procession.

  _asuang_: A malignant devil reputed to feed upon human flesh, beingespecially fond of new-born babes.

  _ate_: The sweet-sop.

  _Audiencia_: The administrative council and supreme court of theSpanish regime.

  _Ayuntamiento_: A city corporation or council, and by extensionthe building in which it has its offices; specifically, in Manila,the capitol.

  _azotea_: The flat roof of a house or any similar platform;a roof-garden.

  _babaye_: Woman (the general Malay term).

  _baguio_: The local name for the typhoon or hurricane.

  _bailuhan_: Native dance and feast: from the Spanish _baile_.

  _balete_: The Philippine banyan, a tree sacred in Malay folk-lore.

  _banka_: A dugout canoe with bamboo supports or outriggers.

  _Bilibid_: The general penitentiary at Manila.

  _buyo_: The masticatory prepared by wrapping a piece of areca-nutwith a little shell-lime in a betel-leaf: the _pan_ of British India.

  _cabeza de barangay_: Headman and tax collector for a group of aboutfifty families, for whose "tribute" he was personally responsible.

  _calle_: Street.

  _camisa_: 1. A loose, collarless shirt of transparent material wornby men outside the trousers.

  2. A thin, transparent waist with flowing sleeves, worn by women.

  _camote_: A variety of sweet potato.

  _capitan_: "Captain," a title used in addressing or referring to thegobernadorcillo or a former occupant of that office.

  _carambas_: A Spanish exclamation denoting surprise or displeasure.

  _carbineer_: Internal-revenue guard.

  _cedula_: Certificate of registration and receipt for poll-tax.

  _chico_: The sapodilla plum.

  _Civil Guard_: Internal quasi-military police force of Spanish officersand native soldiers.

  _cochero_: Carriage driver: coachman.

  _Consul_: A wealthy merchant; originally, a member of the _Consulado_,the tribunal, or corporation, controlling the galleon trade.

  _cuadrillero_: Municipal guard.

  _cuarto_: A copper coin, one hundred and sixty of which were equalin value to a silver peso.

  _cuidao_: "Take care!" "Look out!" A common exclamation, from theSpanish _cuidado_.

  _dalag_: The Philippine _Ophiocephalus_, the curious walking mudfishthat abounds in the paddy-fields during the rainy season.

  _dalaga_: Maiden, woman of marriageable age.

  _dinding_: House-wall or partition of plaited bamboo wattle.

  _director, directorcillo_: The town secretary and clerk of thegobernadorcillo.

  _distinguido_: A person of rank serving as a private soldier butexempted from menial duties and in promotions preferred to others ofequal merit.

  _escribano_: Clerk of court and official notary.

  _filibuster_: A native of the Philippines who was accused of advocatingtheir separation from Spain.

  _gobernadorcillo_: "Petty governor," the principal municipal official.

  _gogo_: A climbing, woody vine whose macerated stems are used as soap;"soap-vine."

  _guingon_: Dungaree, a coarse blue cotton cloth.

  _hermano mayor_: The manager of a fiesta.

  _husi_: A fine cloth made of silk interwoven with cotton, abaka,or pineapple-leaf fibers.

  _ilang-ilang_: The Malay "flower of flowers," from which the well-knownessence is obtained.

  _Indian_: The Spanish designation for the Christianized Malay of thePhilippines was _indio_ (Indian), a term used rather contemptuously,the name _Filipino_ being generally applied in a restricted sense tothe children of Spaniards born in the Islands.

  _kaingin_: A woodland clearing made by burning off the trees andunderbrush, for planting upland rice or camotes.

  _kalan_: The small, portable, open, clay fireplace commonly usedin cooking.

  _kalao_: The Philippine hornbill. As in all Malay countries, this birdis the object of curious superstitions. Its raucous cry, which maybe faintly characterized as hideous, is said to mark the hours and,in the night-time, to presage death or other disaster.

  _kalikut_: A short section of bamboo in which the _buyo_ is mixed;a primitive betel-box.

  _kamagon_: A tree of the ebony family, from which fine cabinet-woodis obtained. Its fruit is the _mabolo_, or date-plum.

  _kasama_: Tenants on the land of another, to whom they render paymentin produce or by certain specified services.

  _kogon_: A tall, rank grass used for thatch.

  _kris_: A Moro dagger or short sword with a serpentine blade.

  _kundiman_: A native song.

  _kupang_: A large tree of the Mimosa family.

  _kuriput_: Miser, "skinflint."

  _lanson_: The langsa, a delicious cream-colored fruit about the sizeof a plum. In the Philippines, its special habitat is the countryaround the Lake of Bay.

  _liam-po_: A Chinese game of chance (?).

  _lomboy_: The jambolana, a small, blue fruit with a large stone.

  _Malacanang_: The palace of the Captain-General in Manila: from thevernacular name of the place where it stands, "fishermen's resort."

  _mankukulan_: An evil spirit causing sickness and other misfortunes,and a person possessed of such a demon.

  _morisqueta_: Rice boiled without salt until dry, the staple food ofthe Filipinos.

  _Moro_: Mohammedan Malay of southern Mindanao and Sulu.

  _mutya_: Some object with talismanic properties, "rabbit's foot."

  _naku_: A Tagalog exclamation of surprise, wonder, etc.

  _nipa_: Swamp-palm, with the imbricated leaves of which the rootsand sides of the common Filipino houses are constructed.

  _nito_: A climbing fern whose glossy, wiry leaves are used for makingfine hats, cigar-cases, etc.

  _novena_: A devotion consisting of prayers recited on nine consecutivedays, asking for some special favor; also, a booklet of these prayers.

  _oy_: An exclamation to attract attention, used toward inferiorsand in familiar intercourse: probably a contraction of the Spanishimperative, _oye_, "listen!"

  _pako_: An edible fern.

  _palasan_: A thick, stout variety of rattan, used for walking-sticks.

  _pandakaki_: A low tree or shrub with small, star-like flowers.

  _panuelo_: A starched neckerchief folded stiffly over the shoulders,fastened in front and falling in a point behind: the most distinctiveportion of the customary dress of the Filipino women.

  _papaya_: The tropical papaw, fruit of the "melon-tree."

  _paracmason_: Freemason, the _bete noire_ of the Philippine friar.

  _peseta_: A silver coin, in value one-fifth of a peso or thirty-twocuartos.

  _peso_: A silver coin, either the Spanish peso or the Mexican dollar,about the size of an American dollar and of approximately halfits value.

  _pina_: Fine cloth made from pineapple-leaf fibers.

  _proper names_: The author has given a simple and sympathetic touchto his story throughout by using the familiar names commonly employedamong the Filipinos i
n their home-life. Some of these are nicknamesor pet names, such as Andong, Andoy, Choy, Neneng ("Baby"), Pute,Tinchang, and Yeyeng. Others are abbreviations or corruptions ofthe Christian names, often with the particle ng or ay added, whichis a common practice: Andeng, Andrea; Doray, Teodora; Iday, Brigida(Bridget); Sinang, Lucinda (Lucy); Sipa, Josefa; Sisa, Narcisa; Teo,Teodoro (Theodore); Tiago, Santiago (James); Tasio, Anastasio; Tika,Escolastica; Tinay, Quintina; Tinong, Saturnino.

  _Provincial_: Head of a religious order in the Philippines.

  _querida_: Paramour, mistress: from the Spanish, "beloved."

  _real_: One-eighth of a peso, twenty cuartos.

  _sala_: The principal room in the more pretentious Philippine houses.

  _salabat_: An infusion of ginger.

  _salakot_: Wide hat of palm or bamboo and rattan, distinctivelyFilipino.

  _sampaguita_: The Arabian jasmine: a small, white, very fragrantflower, extensively cultivated, and worn in chaplets and rosaries bythe women and girls--the typical Philippine flower.

  _santol_: The Philippine sandal-tree.

  _sawali_: Plaited bamboo wattle.

  _sinamay_: A transparent cloth woven from abaka fibers.

  _sinigang_: Water with vegetables or some acid fruit, in which fishare boiled; "fish soup."

  _Susmariosep_: A common exclamation: contraction of the Spanish,_Jesus, Maria, y Jose_, the Holy Family.

  _tabi_: The cry of carriage drivers to warn pedestrians.

  _talibon_: A short sword, the "war bolo."

  _tapa_: Jerked meat.

  _tapis_: A piece of dark cloth or lace, often richly worked orembroidered, worn at the waist somewhat in the fashion of an apron:a distinctive portion of the native women's attire, especially amongthe Tagalogs.

  _tarambulo_: A low weed whose leaves and fruit pedicles are coveredwith short, sharp spines.

  _teniente-mayor_: Senior lieutenant, the senior member of the towncouncil and substitute for the gobernadorcillo.

  _tikas-tikas_: A variety of canna bearing bright red flowers.

  _tertiary brethren_: Members of a lay society affiliated with aregular monastic order, especially the Venerable Tertiary Order ofthe Franciscans.

  _timbain_: The "water-cure," and hence, any kind of torture. Theprimary meaning is "to draw water from a well," from _timba_, pail.

  _tikbalang_: An evil spirit, capable of assuming various forms,but said to appear usually in the shape of a tall black man withdisproportionately long legs: the "bogey man" of Tagalog children.

  _tulisan_: Outlaw, bandit. Under the old regime in the Philippines thetulisanes were those who, on account of real or fancied grievancesagainst the authorities, or from fear of punishment for crime,or from an instinctive desire to return to primitive simplicity,foreswore life in the towns "under the bell," and made their homesin the mountains or other remote places. Gathered in small bands withsuch arms as they could secure, they sustained themselves by highwayrobbery and the levying of blackmail from the country folk.

  _zacate_: Native grass used for feeding livestock.

  NOTES

  [1] Quoted by Macaulay: _Essay on the Succession in Spain_.

  [2] The ruins of the _Fuerza de Playa Honda, o Real de Paynaven_, arestill to be seen in the present municipality of Botolan, Zambales. Thewalls are overgrown with rank vegetation, but are well preserved, withthe exception of a portion looking toward the Bankal River, which hasbeen undermined by the currents and has fallen intact into the stream.

  [3] _Relation of the Zambals_, by Domingo Perez, O.P.; manuscriptdated 1680. The excerpts are taken from the translation in Blair andRobertson, _The Philippine Islands_, Vol. XLVII, by courtesy of theArthur H. Clark Company, Cleveland, Ohio.

  [4] _"Estadismo de las Islas Filipinas, o Mis Viages por Este Pais_,por Fray Joaquin Martinez de Zuniga, Agustino calzado." Padre Zunigawas a parish priest in several towns and later Provincial of hisOrder. He wrote a history of the conquest, and in 1800 accompaniedAlava, the _General de Marina_, on his tours of investigation lookingtoward preparations for the defense of the islands against anotherattack of the British, with whom war threatened. The _Estadismo_,which is a record of these journeys, with some account of the rest ofthe islands, remained in manuscript until 1893, when it was publishedin Madrid.

  [5] Secular, as distinguished from the regulars, i.e., members ofthe monastic orders.

  [6] Sinibaldo de Mas, _Informe sobre el estado de las Islas Filipinasen 1842_, translated in Blair and Robertson's _The Philippine Islands_,Vol. XXVIII, p. 254.

  [7] _Sic_. St. John xx, 17.

  [8] This letter in the original French in which it was written isreproduced in the _Vida y Escritos del Dr. Jose Rizal_, by W. E. Retana(Madrid, 1907).

  [9] _Filipinas dentro de Cien Anos_, published in the organ of theFilipinos in Spain, _La Solidaridad_, in 1889-90. This is the moststudied of Rizal's purely political writings, and the completestexposition of his views concerning the Philippines.

  [10] An English version of _El Filibusterismo_, under the title _TheReign of Greed_, has been prepared to accompany the present work.

  [11] "Que todo el monte era oregano." W.E. Retana, in the appendix toFray Martinez de Zuniga's _Estadismo_, Madrid, 1893, where the decreeis quoted. The rest of this comment of Retana's deserves quotationas an estimate of the living man by a Spanish publicist who was atthe time in the employ of the friars and contemptuously hostileto Rizal, but who has since 1898 been giving quite a spectaculardemonstration of waving a red light after the wreck, having become hismost enthusiastic, almost hysterical, biographer: "Rizal is what iscommonly called a character, but he has repeatedly demonstrated verygreat inexperience in the affairs of life. I believe him to be nowabout thirty-two years old. He is the Indian of most ability amongthose who have written."

  [12] From Valenzuela's deposition before the military tribunal,September sixth, 1896.

  [13] _Capilla_: the Spanish practise is to place a condemned personfor the twenty-four hours preceding his execution in a _chapel_, ora cell fitted up as such, where he may devote himself to religiousexercises and receive the final ministrations of the Church.

  [14] But even this conclusion is open to doubt: there is no proofbeyond the unsupported statement of the Jesuits that he made a writtenretraction, which was later destroyed, though why a document sointeresting, and so important in support of their own point of view,should not have been preserved furnishes an illuminating commentaryon the whole confused affair. The only unofficial witness present wasthe condemned man's sister, and her declaration, that she was at thetime in such a state of excitement and distress that she is unable toaffirm positively that there was a real marriage ceremony performed,can readily be accepted. It must be remembered that the Jesuits werethemselves under the official and popular ban for the part they hadplayed in Rizal's education and development and that they were seekingto set themselves right in order to maintain their prestige. Add tothis the persistent and systematic effort made to destroy every scrapof record relating to the man--the sole gleam of shame evidenced inthe impolitic, idiotic, and pusillanimous treatment of him--and thewhole question becomes such a puzzle that it may just as well be leftin darkness, with a throb of pity for the unfortunate victim caughtin such a maelstrom of panic-stricken passion and selfish intrigue.

  [15] A similar picture is found in the convento at Antipolo.--_Author'snote_.

  [16] A school of secondary instruction conducted by the DominicanFathers, by whom it was taken over in 1640. "It had its first beginningin the house of a pious Spaniard, called Juan Geronimo Guerrero,who had dedicated himself, with Christian piety, to gathering orphanboys in his house, where he raised, clothed, and sustained them, andtaught them to read and to write, and much more, to live in the fearof God."--Blair and Robertson, _The Philippine Islands_, Vol. XLV,p. 208.--TR.

  [17] The Dominican friars, whose order was founded by Dominic deGuzman.--TR.

  [18] In the story mentioned, the three monks were the old Roman godBacchus and t
wo of his satellites, in the disguise of Franciscanfriars,--TR.

  [19] According to a note to the Barcelona edition of this novel,Mendieta was a character well known in Manila, doorkeeper atthe Alcaldia, impresario of children's theaters, director of amerry-go-round, etc.--TR.

  [20] See Glossary.

  [21] The "tobacco monopoly" was established during the administrationof Basco de Vargas (1778-1787), one of the ablest governors Spainsent to the Philippines, in order to provide revenue for the localgovernment and to encourage agricultural development. The operationof the monopoly, however, soon degenerated into a system of "graft"and petty abuse which bore heartily upon the natives (see Zuniga's_Estadismo_), and the abolition of it in 1881 was one of the heroicefforts made by the Spanish civil administrators to adjust the archaiccolonial system to the changing conditions in the Archipelago.--TR.

  [22] As a result of his severity in enforcing the payment of sumsdue the royal treasury on account of the galleon trade, in whichthe religious orders were heavily interested, Governor Fernando deBustillos Bustamente y Rueda met a violent death at the hands of amob headed by friars, October 11, 1719. See Blair and Robertson,_The Philippine Islands_, Vol. XLIV; Montero y Vidal, _HistoriaGeneral de Filipinas_, Vol. I, Chap. XXXV.--TR.

  [23] A reference to the fact that the clerical party in Spain refusedto accept the decree of Ferdinand VII setting aside the Salic lawand naming his daughter Isabella as his successor, and, upon thedeath of Ferdinand, supported the claim of the nearest male heir,Don Carlos de Bourbon, thus giving rise to the Carlist movement. Somewriters state that severe measures had to be adopted to compel manyof the friars in the Philippines to use the feminine pronoun in theirprayers for the sovereign, just whom the reverend gentlemen expectedto deceive not being explained.--TR.

  [24] An apothegm equivalent to the English, "He'll never set anyrivers on fire."--TR.

  [25] The name of a Carlist leader in Spain.--TR.

  [26] A German Franciscan monk who is said to have invented gunpowderabout 1330.

  [27] "He says that he doesn't want it when it is exactly what hedoes want." An expression used in the mongrel Spanish-Tagalog'market language' of Manila and Cavite, especially among thechildren,--somewhat akin to the English 'sour grapes.'--TR.

  [28] Arms should yield to the toga (military to civil power). Armsshould yield to the surplice (military to religious power),--TR.

  [29] For _Peninsula_, i.e., Spain. The change of _n_ to _n_ was commonamong ignorant Filipinos.--TR.

  [30] The syllables which constitute the first reading lesson inSpanish primers.--TR.

  [31] A Spanish colloquial term ("cracked"), applied to a native ofSpain who was considered to be mentally unbalanced from too longresidence in the islands,--TR.

  [32] This celebrated Lady was first brought from Acapulco, Mexico,by Juan Nino de Tabora, when he came to govern the Philippines in1626. By reason of her miraculous powers of allaying the storms she wascarried back and forth in the state galleons on a number of voyages,until in 1672 she was formally installed in a church in the hillsnortheast of Manila, under the care of the Augustinian Fathers. Whileher shrine was building she is said to have appeared to the faithful inthe top of a large breadfruit tree, which is known to the Tagalogs as"antipolo"; hence her name. Hers is the best known and most frequentedshrine in the country, while she disputes with the Holy Child of Cebuthe glory of being the wealthiest individual in the whole archipelago.

  There has always existed a pious rivalry between her and theDominicans' Lady of the Rosary as to which is the patron saint of thePhilippines, the contest being at times complicated by counterclaimson the part of St. Francis, although the entire question would seemto have been definitely settled by a royal decree, published about1650, officially conferring that honorable post upon St. Michael theArchangel (San Miguel). A rather irreverent sketch of this celebratedqueen of the skies appears in Chapter XI of Foreman's _The PhilippineIslands_.--TR.

  [33] Santa Cruz, Paco, and Ermita are districts of Manila, outsidethe Walled City.--TR.

  [34] John xviii. 10.

  [35] A town in Laguna Province, noted for the manufacture offurniture.--TR.

  [36] God grant that this prophecy may soon be fulfilled for the authorof the booklet and all of us who believe it. Amen.--_Author's note_.

  [37] "Blessed are the poor in spirit" and "blessed are thepossessors."--TR.

  [38] The annual celebration of the Dominican Order held in October inhonor of its patroness, the Virgin of the Rosary, to whose interventionwas ascribed the victory over a Dutch fleet in 1646, whence thename. See _Guia Oficial de Filipinas_, 1885, pp. 138, 139; Monteroy Vidal, _Historia General de Filipinas_, Vol. I, Chap. XXIII; Blairand Robertson, _The Philippine Islands_, Vol. XXXV, pp. 249, 250.--TR.

  [39] Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, whose chiefbusiness is preaching and teaching. They entered the Philippinesin 1862.--TR.

  [40] "Kaysaysay: A celebrated sanctuary in the island of Luzon,province of Batangas, jurisdiction, of Taal, so called because thereis venerated in it a Virgin who bears that name ....

  "The image is in the center of the high altar, where there is seen aneagle in half-relief, whose abdomen is left open in order to afford atabernacle for the Virgin: an idea enchanting to many of the Spaniardsestablished in the Philippines during the last century, but which inour opinion any sensible person will characterize as extravagant.

  "This image of the Virgin of Kaysaysay enjoys the fame of being verymiraculous, so that the Indians gather from great distances to hearmass in her sanctuary every Saturday. Her discovery, over two and ahalf centuries ago, is notable in that she was found in the sea duringsome fisheries, coming up in a drag-net with the fish. It is thoughtthat this venerable image of the Filipinos may have been in some shipwhich was wrecked and that the currents carried her up to the coast,where she was found in the manner related.

  "The Indians, naturally credulous and for the most part quitesuperstitious, in spite of the advancements in civilization andculture, relate that she appeared afterwards in some trees, andin memory of these manifestations an arch representing them waserected at a short distance from the place where her sanctuary isnow located."--Buzeta and Bravo's _Diccionario_, Madrid, 1850, butcopied "with proper modifications for the times and the new truths"from Zuniga's _Estadismo_, which, though written in 1803 and notpublished until 1893, was yet used by later writers, since it waspreserved in manuscript in the convent of the Augustinians in Manila,Buzeta and Bravo, as well as Zuniga, being members of that order.

  So great was the reverence for this Lady that the Acapulco galleons ontheir annual voyages were accustomed to fire salutes in her honor asthey passed along the coast near her shrine.--Foreman. _The PhilippineIslands_, quoting from the account of an eruption of Taal Volcano in1749, by Fray Francisco Vencuchillo.

  This Lady's sanctuary, where she is still "enchanting" in her "eaglein half-relief," stands out prominently on the hill above the townof Taal, plainly visible from Balayan Bay.--TR.

  [41] A Tagalog term meaning "to tumble," or "to caper about,"doubtless from the actions of the Lady's devotees. Pakil is a townin Laguna Province.--TR.

  [42] A work on scholastic philosophy, by a Spanish prelate of thatname.--TR.

  [43] The nunnery and college of St. Catherine of Sienna ("SantaCatalina de la Sena") was founded by the Dominican Fathers in1696.--TR.

  [44] The "Ateneo Municipal," where the author, as well as nearly everyother Filipino of note in the past generation, received his earlyeducation, was founded by the Jesuits shortly after their return tothe islands in 1859.--TR.

  [45] The patron saint of Tondo, Manila's Saint-Antoine. He is invokedfor aid in driving away plagues,--TR.

  [46] Now Plaza Cervantes.--TR.

  [47] Now Plaza Lawton and Bagumbayan; see note, _infra.--_ TR.

  [48] The Field of Bagumbayan, adjoining the Luneta, was the place wherepolitical prisoners were shot or garroted, and was the scene of theauthor's execution on December
30, 1906. It is situated just outsideand east of the old Walled City (Manila proper), being the location towhich the natives who had occupied the site of Manila moved their townafter having been driven back by the Spaniards--hence the name, whichis a Tagalog compound meaning "new town." This place is now calledWallace Field, the name Bagumbayan being applied to the drivewaywhich was known to the Spaniards as the _Paseo de las Aguadas_,or _de Vidal_, extending from the Luneta to the Bridge of Spain,just outside the moat that, formerly encircled the Walled City.--TR.

  [49] Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.--TR.

  [50] We have been unable to find any town of this name, but many ofthese conditions.--_Author's note_.

  San Diego and Santiago are variant forms of the name of the patronsaint of Spain, St. James.--TR.

  [51] The "sacred tree" of Malaya, being a species of banyan that beginslife as a vine twining on another tree, which it finally strangles,using the dead trunk as a support until it is able to stand alone. Whenold it often covers a large space with gnarled and twisted trunksof varied shapes and sizes, thus presenting a weird and grotesqueappearance. This tree was held in reverent awe by the primitiveFilipinos, who believed it to be the abode of the _nono_, or ancestralghosts, and is still the object of superstitious beliefs,--TR.

  [52] "Petty governor," the chief municipal official, chosen annuallyfrom among their own number, with the approval of the parish priestand the central government, by the _principalia_, i.e., persons whoowned considerable property or who had previously held some municipaloffice. The manner of his selection is thus described by a Germantraveler (Jagor) in the Philippines in 1860: "The election is heldin the town hall. The governor or his representative presides, havingon his right the parish priest and on his left a clerk, who also actsas interpreter. All the cabezas de barangay, the gobernadorcillo, andthose who have formerly occupied the latter position, seat themselveson benches. First, there are chosen by lot six cabezas de barangay andsix ex-gobernadorcillos as electors, the actual gobernadorcillo beingthe thirteenth. The rest leave the hall. After the presiding officerhas read the statutes in a loud voice and reminded the electors oftheir duty to act in accordance with their consciences and to heedonly the welfare of the town, the electors move to a table and writethree names on a slip of paper. The person receiving a majorityof votes is declared elected gobernadorcillo for the ensuing year,provided that there is no protest from the curate or the electors,and always conditioned upon the approval of the superior authorityin Manila, which is never withheld, since the influence of the curateis enough to prevent an unsatisfactory election."--TR.

  [53] St. Barbara is invoked during thunder-storms as the specialprotectress against lightning.--TR.

  [54] In possibility (i.e., latent) and not: in fact.--TR.

  [55]

  "For this are various penances enjoined; And some are hung to bleach upon the wind; Some plunged in waters, others purged in fires, Till all the dregs are drained, and all the rust expires."

  Dryden, _Virgil's Aeneid_, VI.

  [56] "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."--Luke xxiii, 43.

  [57] It should be believed that for some light faults there is apurgatorial fire before the judgment.

  [58] Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth.--Matt, xvi, 19.

  [59] Even up to purgatory.

  [60] Dream or reality, we do not know whether this may have happenedto any Franciscan, but something similar is related of the AugustinianPadre Piernavieja.--_Author's note_.

  Fray Antonio Piernavieja, O.S.A., was a parish curate in the provinceof Bulacan when this work was written. Later, on account of allegedbrutality similar to the incident used here, he was transferredto the province of Cavite, where, in 1896, he was taken prisonerby the insurgents and by them made "bishop" of their camp. Havingtaken advantage of this position to collect and forward to theSpanish authorities in Manila information concerning the insurgents'preparations and plans, he was tied out in an open field and left toperish of hunger and thirst under the tropical sun. See _Guia Oficialde Filipinas_, 1885, p. 195; _El Katipunan o El Filibusterismo enFilipinas_ (Madrid, 1897), p. 347; Foreman's _The Philippine Islands_,Chap. XII.--TR.

  [61] The Philippine civet-cat, quite rare, and the only wild carnivorein the Philippine Islands.--TR.

  [62] The common crowd is a fool and since it pays for it, it is properto talk to it foolishly to please it.

  [63] "The schools are under the inspection of the parishpriests. Reading and writing in Spanish are taught, or at least itis so ordered; but the schoolmaster himself usually does not knowit, and on the other hand the Spanish government employees do notunderstand the vernacular. Besides, the curates, in order to preservetheir influence intact, do not look favorably upon the spread ofCastilian. About the only ones who know Spanish are the Indians whohave been in the service of Europeans. The first reading exerciseis some devotional book, then the catechism; the reader is called_Casaysayan_. On the average half of the children between seven and tenyears attend school; they learn to read fairly well and some to writea little, but they soon forget it."--Jagor, _Viajes por Filipinas_(Vidal's Spanish version). Jagor was speaking particularly of thesettled parts of the Bicol region. Referring to the islands generally,his "half of the children" would be a great exaggeration.--TR.

  [64] A delicate bit of sarcasm is lost in the translation here. Thereference to _Maestro Ciruela_ in Spanish is somewhat similar to amention in English of Mr. Squeers, of Dotheboys Hall fame.--TR.

  [65] By one of the provisions of a royal decree of December 20,1863, the _Catecismo de la Doctrina Cristina_, by Gaspar Astete,was prescribed as the text-book for primary schools, in thePhilippines. See Blair and Robertson's _The Philippine Islands_,Vol. XLVI, p. 98; _Census of the Philippine Islands_ (Washington,1905), p. 584.--TR.

  [66] The municipal police of the old regime. They were thus describedby a Spanish writer, W. E. Retana, in a note to Ventura F. Lopez's_El Filibustero_ (Madrid, 1893): "Municipal guards, whose duties areprincipally rural. Their uniform is a disaster; they go barefoot;on horseback, they hold the reins in the right hand and a lance inthe left. They are usually good-for-nothing, but to their credit itmust be said that they do no damage. Lacking military instruction,provided with fire-arms of the first part of the century, of which onein a hundred might go off in case of need, and for other arms bolos,talibons, old swords, etc., the cuadrilleros are truly a parody onarmed force."--TR.

  [67] Headman and tax-collector of a district, generally includingabout fifty families, for whose annual tribute he was personallyresponsible. The "barangay" is a Malay boat of the kind supposed tohave been used by the first emigrants to the Philippines. Hence, atfirst, the "head of a barangay" meant the leader or chief of a familyor group of families. This office, quite analogous to the old Germanicor Anglo-Saxon "head of a hundred," was adopted and perpetuated bythe Spaniards in their system of local administration.--TR.

  [68] The _hermano mayor_ was a person appointed to direct theceremonies during the fiesta, an appointment carrying with it greathonor and importance, but also entailing considerable expense,as the appointee was supposed to furnish a large share of theentertainments. Hence, the greater the number of _hermanos mayores_the more splendid the fiesta,--TR.

  [69] Mt. Makiling is a volcanic cone at the southern end of the Lakeof Bay. At its base is situated the town of Kalamba, the author'sbirthplace. About this mountain cluster a number of native legendshaving as their principal character a celebrated sorceress orenchantress, known as "Mariang Makiling."--TR.

  [70] With uncertain pace, in wandering flight, for an instantonly--without rest.

  [71] The _chinela_, the Philippine slipper, is a soft leather sole,heelless, with only a vamp, usually of plush or velvet, to holdit on.--TR.

  [72] "All hope abandon, ye who enter here." The words inscribed overthe gate of Hell: Dante's _Inferno_, III, 9.--TR.

  [73] "Listening Sister," the nun who acts as spy and monitor
overthe girls studying in a convent.--TR.

  [74] "Mas sabe el loco en su casa que el cuerdo en la ajena." The foolknows more in his own house than a wise man does in another's.--TR.

  [75] The College of Santo Tomas was established in 1619 through alegacy of books and money left for that purpose by Fray Miguel deBenavides, O. P., second archbishop of Manila. By royal decree andpapal bull, it became in 1645 the Royal and Pontifical Universityof Santo Tomas, and never, during the Spanish regime, got beyond theThomistic theology in its courses of instruction.--TR.

  [76] Take heed lest you fall!

  [77] Ferdinand and Isabella, the builders of Spain's greatness,are known in Spanish history as "Los Reyes Catolicos."--TR.

  [78] These spectacular performances, known as "Moro-Moro," oftencontinued for several days, consisting principally of noisy combatsbetween Moros and Christians, in which the latter were, of course,invariably victorious. Typical sketches of them may be found inForeman's _The Philippine Islands_, Chap. XXIII, and Stuntz's _ThePhilippines and the Far East_, Chap. III.--TR.

  [79] "The Willow."

  [80] The capital of Laguna Province, not to be confused with the SantaCruz mentioned before, which is a populous and important district inthe city of Manila. Tanawan, Lipa, and Batangas are towns in BatangasProvince, the latter being its capital.--TR.

  [81] "If on your return you are met with a smile, beware! for itmeans that you have a secret enemy."--From the _Florante_, being theadvice given to the hero by his old teacher when he set out to returnto his home.

  Francisco Baltazar was a Tagalog poet, native of the province ofBulacan, born about 1788, and died in 1862. The greater part of hislife was spent in Manila,--in Tondo and in Pandakan, a quaint littlevillage on the south bank of the Pasig, now included in the city,where he appears to have shared the fate largely of poets of otherlands, from suffering "the pangs of disprized love" and persecutionby the religious authorities, to seeing himself considered by thepeople about him as a crack-brained dreamer. He was educated in theDominican school of San Juan de Letran, one of his teachers being FrayMariano Pilapil, about whose services to humanity there may be somedifference of opinion on the part of those who have ever resided inPhilippine towns, since he was the author of the "Passion Song" whichenlivens the Lenten evenings. This "Passion Song," however, seems tohave furnished the model for Baltazar's _Florante_, with the pupilsurpassing the master, for while it has the subject and charactersof a medieval European romance, the spirit and settings are entirelyMalay. It is written in the peculiar Tagalog verse, in the form of a_corrido_ or metrical romance, and has been declared by Fray ToribioMenguella, Rizal himself, and others familiar with Tagalog, to bea work of no mean order, by far the finest and most characteristiccomposition in that, the richest of the Malay dialects.--TR.

  [82] Every one talks of the fiesta according to the way he fared at it.

  [83] A Spanish prelate, notable for his determined opposition inthe Constituent Cortes of 1869 to the clause in the new Constitutionproviding for religious liberty.--TR.

  [84] "Camacho's wedding" is an episode in _Don Quixote_, wherein awealthy man named Camacho is cheated out of his bride after he hasprepared a magnificent wedding-feast.--TR.

  [85] The full dress of the Filipino women, consisting of the _camisa,panuelo_, and _saya suelta_, the latter a heavy skirt with a longtrain. The name _mestiza_ is not inappropriate, as well from itscomposition as its use, since the first two are distinctly native,antedating the conquest, while the _saya suelta_ was no doubtintroduced by the Spaniards.

  [86] The nunnery of St. Clara, situated on the Pasig River just eastof Fort Santiago, was founded in 1621 by the Poor Clares, an order ofnuns affiliated with the Franciscans, and was taken under the royalpatronage as the "Real Monasterio de Santa Clara" in 1662. It is stillin existence and is perhaps the most curious of all the curious relicsof the Middle Ages in old Manila.--TR.

  [87] The principal character in Calderon de la Barca's _La Vidaes Sueno_. There is also a Tagalog _corrido_, or metrical romance,with this title.--TR.

  [88] The Douay version.--TR.

  [89] "Errare humanum est": "To err is human."

  [90] To the Philippine Chinese "d" and "l" look and sound aboutthe same.--TR.

  [91] "Brothers in Christ."

  [92] "Venerable patron saint."

  [93] _Muy Reverendo Padre_: Very Reverend Father.

  [94] Very rich landlord. The United States Philippine Commission,constituting the government of the Archipelago, paid to the religiousorders "a lump sum of $7,239,000, more or less," for the bulk ofthe lands claimed by them. See the _Annual Report of the PhilippineCommission to the Secretary of War_, December 23, 1903.--TR.

  [95] _Cumare_ and _cumpare_ are corruptions of the Spanish _comadre_and _compadre_, which have an origin analogous to the English "gossip"in its original meaning of "sponsor in baptism." In the Philippinesthese words are used among the simpler folk as familiar forms ofaddress, "friend," "neighbor."--TR.

  [96] Dominus vobiscum.

  [97] The Spanish proverb equivalent to the English "Birds of a featherflock together."--TR.

  [98] For "filibustero."

  [99] _Tarantado_ is a Spanish vulgarism meaning "blunderhead,""bungler." _Saragate_ (or _zaragate_) is a Mexican provincialismmeaning "disturber," "mischief-maker."--TR.

  [100] _Vete a la porra_ is a vulgarism almost the same in meaningand use as the English slang, "Tell it to the policeman," _porra_being the Spanish term for the policeman's "billy."--TR.

  [101] For _sospechoso_, "a suspicious character."--TR.

  [102] _Sanctus Deus_ and _Requiem aeternam_ (so called from theirfirst words) are prayers for the dead.--TR.

  [103] Spanish etiquette requires that the possessor of an objectimmediately offer it to any person who asks about it with theconventional phrase, "It is yours." Capitan Tiago is rather overdoinghis Latin refinement.--TR.

  [104] A metrical discourse for a special occasion or in honor of somedistinguished personage. Padre Zuniga (_Estadismo_, Chap. III) thusdescribes one heard by him in Lipa, Batangas, in 1800, on the occasionof General Alava's visit to that place: "He who is to recite the _loa_is seen in the center of the stage dressed as a Spanish cavalier,reclining in a chair as if asleep, while behind the scenes musicianssing a lugubrious chant in the vernacular. The sleeper awakes andshows by signs that he thinks he has heard, or dreamed of hearing, somevoice. He again disposes himself to sleep, and the chant is repeatedin the same lugubrious tone. Again he awakes, rises, and shows thathe has heard a voice. This scene is repeated several times, until atlength he is persuaded that the voice is announcing the arrival of thehero who is to be eulogized. He then commences to recite his _loa_,carrying himself like a clown in a circus, while he sings the praisesof the person in whose honor the fiesta has been arranged. This _loa_,which was in rhetorical verse in a diffuse style suited to the Asiatictaste, set forth the general's naval expeditions and the honors hehad received from the King, concluding with thanks and acknowledgmentof the favor that he had conferred in passing through their town andvisiting such poor wretches as they. There were not lacking in itthe wanderings of Ulysses, the journeys of Aristotle, the unfortunatedeath of Pliny, and other passages from ancient history, which theydelight in introducing into their stories. All these passages areusually filled with fables touching upon the marvelous, such as thefollowing, which merit special notice: of Aristotle it was said thatbeing unable to learn the depth of the sea he threw himself into itswaves and was drowned, and of Pliny that he leaped into Vesuviusto investigate the fire within the volcano. In the same way otherhistorical accounts are confused. I believe that these _loas_ wereintroduced by the priests in former times, although the fables withwhich they abound would seem to offer an objection to this opinion,as nothing is ever told in them that can be found in the writingsof any European author; still they appear to me to have been suitedto the less critical taste of past centuries. The verses are writtenby the natives, among whom there are many poet
s, this art being lessdifficult in Tagalog than in any other language."--TR.

  [105] "The old man of the village," patriarch.--TR.

  [106] The secular name of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of theFranciscan order.--TR.

  [107] A Spanish official, author of several works relating to thePhilippines, one of which, _Recuerdos de Filipinas_ (Madrid, 1877 and1880), a loose series of sketches and impressions giving anything buta complimentary picture of the character and conduct of the Spaniardsin the Islands, and in a rather naive and perhaps unintentional waythrowing some lurid side-lights on the governmental administrationand the friar regime,--enjoyed the distinction of being officiallyprohibited from circulation in the archipelago.--TR.

  [108] "_Magcanta-ca!_" "(You) sing!"--TR.

  [109] Europea: European woman.--TR.

  [110] In 1527-29 _Alvaro_ de Saavedra led an unsuccessful expedition totake possession of the "Western Isles." The name "Filipina," in honorof the Prince of the Asturias, afterwards Felipe II (Philip II), wasfirst applied to what is probably the present island of Leyte by RuyLopez de Villalobos, who led another unsuccessful expedition thitherin 1542-43, this name being later extended to the whole group.--TR.

  [111] A barrio of Tanawan, Batangas, noted for the manufacture ofhorsewhips.--TR.

  [112] The actors named were real persons. Ratia was a Spanish-Filipinowho acquired quite a reputation not only in Manila but also inSpain. He died in Manila in 1910.--TR.

  [113] In the year 1879.--_Author's note_.

  [114] A similar incident occurred in Kalamba.--_Author's note_.

  [115] "The Maid of Saragossa," noted for her heroic exploits duringthe siege of that city by the French in 1808-09.--TR.

  [116] A region in southwestern Spain, including the provinces ofBadajoz and Caceres.--TR.

  [117] Author of a little book of fables in Castilian verse for theuse of schools. The fable of the young philosopher illustrates thethought in Pope's well-known lines:

  "Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace."--TR.

  [118] Bones for those who come late.

  [119] According to Spanish custom, a matron is known by prefixingher maiden name with _de_ (possessive _of_) to her husband's name.--TR.

  [120] The marble-shop of Rodoreda is still in existence on CalleCarriedo, Santa Cruz.--TR.

  [121] There is a play on words here, _Campanario_ meaning belfry and_Torre_ tower.--TR.

  [122] The Roman Catholic decalogue does not contain the commandmentforbidding the worship of "graven images," its second being theprohibition against "taking His holy name in vain." To make up the ten,the commandment against covetousness is divided into two.--TR.

  [123] The famous Virgin of Saragossa, Spain, and patroness of SantaCruz, Manila.--TR.

  [124] In 1883 the old system of "tribute" was abolished and in itsplace a graduated personal tax imposed. The certificate that thistax had been paid, known as the _cedula personal_, which also servedfor personal identification, could be required at any time or place,and failure to produce it was cause for summary arrest. It thereforebecame, in unscrupulous hands, a fruitful source of abuse, since any"undesirable" against whom no specific charge could be brought mightbe put out of the way by this means.--TR.

  [125] Tanawan or Pateros?--_Author's note_. The former is a town inBatangas Province, the latter a village on the northern shore of theLake of Bay, in what is now Rizal Province.--TR.

  [126] The Spanish Parliament.--TR.

  [127] _Lasak, talisain_, and _bulik_ are some of the numerous termsused in the vernacular to describe fighting-cocks.--TR.

  [128] Another form of the corruption of _compadre_, "friend,""neighbor."--TR.

  [129] It is a superstition of the cockpit that the color of the victorin the first bout decides the winners for that session: thus, the redhaving won, the _lasak_, in whose plumage a red color predominates,should be the victor in the succeeding bout.--TR.

  [130] The dark swallows will return.

  [131] General Carlos Maria de let Torte y Nava Carrada, the first"liberal" governor of the Philippines, was Captain-General from 1869to 1871. He issued an amnesty to the outlaws and created the CivilGuard, largely from among those who surrendered themselves in responseto it.--TR.

  [132] After the conquest (officially designated as the "pacification"),the Spanish soldiers who had rendered faithful service were allotteddistricts known as _encomiendas_, generally of about a thousandnatives each. The _encomendero_ was entitled to the tribute from thepeople in his district and was in return supposed to protect them andprovide religious instruction. The early friars alleged extortionategreed and brutal conduct on the part of the _encomenderos_ and madevigorous protests in the natives' behalf.--TR.

  [133] Horse and cow.

  [134] Fray Gaspar de San Agustin, O.S.A., who came to the Philippinesin 1668 and died in Manila in 1724, was the author of a historyof the conquest, but his chief claim to immortality comes from aletter written in 1720 on the character and habits of "the Indianinhabitants of these islands," a letter which was widely circulatedand which has been extensively used by other writers. In it thewriter with senile querulousness harped up and down the whole gamutof abuse in describing and commenting upon the vices of the natives,very artlessly revealing the fact in many places, however, that hisobservations were drawn principally from the conduct of the servantsin the conventos and homes of Spaniards. To him in this letter isdue the credit of giving its wide popularity to the specious couplet:

  El bejuco crece (The rattan thrives Donde el indio nace, Where the Indian lives,)

  which the holy men who delighted in quoting it took as an additionalevidence of the wise dispensation of the God of Nature, ratherinconsistently overlooking its incongruity with the teachings of Himin whose name they assumed their holy office.

  It seems somewhat strange that a spiritual father should have writtenin such terms about his charges until the fact appears that the letterwas addressed to an influential friend in Spain for use in oppositionto a proposal to carry out the provisions of the Council of Trent byturning the parishes in the islands over to the secular, and hence,native, clergy. A translation of this bilious tirade, with copiousannotations showing to what a great extent it has been used by otherwriters, appears in Volume XL of Blair and Robertson's _The PhilippineIslands.--_ TR.

  [135] The Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion Concordia, situatednear Santa Ana in the suburbs of Manila, was founded in 1868 forthe education of native girls, by a pious Spanish-Filipino lady,who donated a building and grounds, besides bearing the expense ofbringing out seven Sisters of Charity to take charge of it.--TR.

  [136] The execution of the Filipino priests Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora,in 1872.--TR.

  [137] The fair day is foretold by the morn.

  [138] _Paracmason_, i.e. freemason.

  [139] Scholastic theologians.--TR.

  [140] And yet it does move!

  [141] I am a man and nothing that concerns humanity do I considerforeign to me.

  [142] A portion of the closing words of Virgil's third eclogue,equivalent here to "Let the curtain drop."--TR.

  [143] "Whatever is hidden will be revealed, nothing will remainunaccounted for." From _Dies Irae_, the hymn in the mass for the dead,best known to English readers from the paraphrase of it in Scott's_Lay of the Last Minstrel_. The lines here quoted were thus metricallytranslated by Macaulay:

  "What was distant shall be near, What was hidden shall be clear."--TR.

  [144] A common nickname. See the Glossary, under _Nicknames.--TR_.

  [145] The Marianas, or Ladrone Islands, were used as a place ofbanishment for political prisoners.--TR.

  [146] "Evil Omen," a nickname applied by the friars to General JoaquinJovellar, who was governor of the Islands from 1883 to 1885. It fellto the lot of General Jovellar, a kindly old man,
much more soldierthan administrator, to attempt the introduction of certain salutaryreforms tending toward progress, hence his disfavor with the holyfathers. The mention of "General J----" in the last part of theepilogue probably refers also to him.--TR.

  [147] A celebrated Italian astronomer, member of the Jesuit Order. TheJesuits are still in charge of the Observatory of Manila.--TR.

  [148] "Our Lady of the Girdle" is the patroness of the AugustinianOrder.--TR.

  [149] This image is in the six-million-peso steel church ofSt. Sebastian in Manila. Something of her early history is thus givenby Fray Luis de Jesus in his _Historia_ of the Recollect Order (1681):"A very holy image is revered there under the title of Carmen. Althoughthat image is small in stature, it is a great and perennial springof prodigies for those who invoke her. Our religious took it fromNueva Espana (Mexico), and even in that very navigation she was ableto make herself known by her miracles .... That most holy image isdaily frequented with vows, presents, and novenas, thank-offeringsof the many who are daily favored by that queen of the skies."--Blairand Robertson, _The Philippine Islands_, Vol. XXI, p. 195.

  [150] The oldest and most conservative newspaper in Manila at thetime this work was written.--TR.

  [151] Following closely upon the liberal administration of La Torre,there occurred in the Cavite arsenal in 1872 a mutiny which wasconstrued as an incipient rebellion, and for alleged complicity in itthree native priests, Padres Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora, were garroted,while a number of prominent Manilans were deported.--TR.

  [152] What do I see? ... Wherefore?

  [153] What do you wish? Nothing is in the intellect which has not firstpassed through the senses; nothing is willed that is not already inthe mind.

  [154] Where in the world are we?

  [155] The uprising of Ibarra suppressed by the alferez of the CivilGuard? And now?

  [156] Friend, Plato is dear but truth is dearer ... It's a bad businessand a horrible result from these things is to be feared.

  [157] Against him who denies the fundamentals, clubs should be usedas arguments.

  [158] Latin prayers. "Agnus Dei Catolis" for "Agnus Dei qui tollis"(John I. 29).

  [159] Woe unto them! Where there's smoke there's fire! Like seeks like;and if Ibarra is hanged, therefore you will be hanged.

  [160] I do not fear death in bed, but upon the mount of Bagumbayan.

  [161] The first part of a Spanish proverb: "Gifts break rocks, andenter without gimlets."

  [162] What is written is evidence! What medicines do not cure, ironcures; what iron does not cure, fire cures.

  [163] In extreme cases, extreme measures.

  [164] Do you wish to keep it also, traitress?

  [165] Go, accursed, into the fire of the kalan.

  [166] The first part of a Spanish proverb: "Cria cuervos y te sacaranlos ojos," "Rear crows and they will pick your eyes out."--TR.

  [167] Believe me, cousin ... what has happened, has happened; letus give thanks to God that you are not in the Marianas Islands,planting camotes. (It may be observed that here, as in some of hisother speeches, Don Primitivo's Latin is rather Philippinized.)--TR.

  [168] The original is in the _lingua franca_ of the Philippine Chinese,a medium of expression _sui generis_, being, like, Ulysses, "a partof all that he has met," and defying characteristic translation:"No siya osti gongon; miligen li Antipolo esi! Esi pueli mas con tolo;no siya osti gongong!"--TR.

  [169] "Si esi no homole y no pataylo, muje juete-juete!"

  [170] The Spanish battle-cry: "St. James, and charge, Spain!"--TR.

  [171] The "wide rock" that formerly jutted out into the river justbelow the place where the streams from the Lake of Bay join theMariquina to form the Pasig proper. This spot was celebrated in thedemonology of the primitive Tagalogs and later, after the tutelardevils had been duly exorcised by the Spanish padres, converted intoa revenue station. The name is preserved in that of the little barrioon the river bank near Fort McKinley.--TR.

  [172] A Christmas carol: "Christmas night is coming, Christmas nightis going."--TR.

  [173] Public Opium-Smoking Room.

  [174] January 2, 1883.--_Author's note_.