The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898. Volume 26 of 55. Unknown

father Fray Domingo Gonzalez, the Dominican provincial, and other dignitaries, went to the lord archbishop, and asked him not to change anything which had been done by the said bishop of Camarines. The lord archbishop would not consent to this, as it was all void, and opposed to conscience. But on the prayer and supplication of grave religious, who besought his permission for this until his Majesty should send a remedy sufficient for so many evils as had occurred, his illustrious Lordship thereupon consented to this; and he entered this city on the sixth of June, amid the general rejoicing of all, for thereby the church was freed from schism and the administration of an excommunicated bishop. In short, in order to remove greater evils things remain thus, without anything being changed; we hope that God our Lord and his Majesty will redress this, and that persons will be sent to punish the guilty according to their crimes.

      Pasquin que se Pusso A la puerta del gouern^or de manila Don seuastian Vrtado de Corquera

      Quien la yglesia vitupera—Corcuera

      y quien la Birtud maltrata—Çapata

      y quien se çisca de miedo—Ledo

      segun esso llorar Puedo

      yglesia tu triste suerte

      Pues Bienen a darte muerte

      Corcuera Çapata y Ledo

      Quien la birtud a dejado—Collado

      quien obliga a tal trayçion—ambizion

      y quien sigue tal de miedo—Pinedo5

      de que an labrado rezelo

      vna orca como aman

      do rabiando moriran

      Collado ambiçion Pinedo

      quien apresta desatinos—tiatinos

      en que encubren excesos—en quesos

      pues de quesos que se espera—cera

      no entiendo aquesta quimera

      mas si es cosa de ynteres

      quemarlos a todos tres

      tiatinos quesos y cera

      quien dixo el vien por el mal—vn probinzial

      quien la fe dixo sin tino—vn tiatino

      y quien su ser tubo en poco—vn cojo

      pues a llorar me prouoco

      viendo vn tiatino casado

      y que fue Por su pecado

      probinzial tiatino y cojo

      Arcidiano sin razon—Jiron

      obispo con poco estudio—Camudio

      excomulgado notorio—tenorio

      Bien merezen Purgatorio

      de ynfierno estos tres amigos

      Pues son de Dios enemigos

      Jiron Camudio y tenorio

      A quien aorco de vn madero—vn arti^o

      en que razon se fundaua—Por la esclaua

      que le quita el omizido—la uida

      ynjustam^te. Perdida

      fue pero ya me lamento

      que perdiese en vn momento

      artillero esclaua y vida

      quien bio Pagar de los frutos—tributos

      y quien aorcando Peros—yeros

      quien dar yço a las mulatas—natas

      todas estas papanatas

      an de uenir a parar

      en que el diablo a de lleuar

      tributos yeros y natas

      No ay para tanta malizia—Justizia

      ni p^a tantos agrauios—labios

      ni para tantas locuras—Curas

      todas estas desuenturas

      los Cristianos Padezemos

      Pues que ya sin fuerça bemos

      Justicia labios y curas

      Que resulta en conclusion—Resoluzion

      y destas cosas no buenas—Penas

      y de tanto descontento—tormento

      No en bano yo me lamento

      Viendo la yglesia sinzera

      a ques otra por corquera

      Pasion penas y tormento.

      Pasquinade affixed to the door of the governor of Manila, Don Sevastian Vrtado de Corquera 6

      Who vituperates the Church?—Corcuera.

      Who abuses Virtue?—Çapata.

      Who soils himself through fear?—Ledo.

      Therefore, I can weep

      Thy sad fate, O, Church!

      For they come to deal thee death—

      Corcuera, Çapata, and Ledo.

      Who has abandoned Virtue?—Collado.

      What leads him to such treason?—Ambition.

      Who imitates that one through fear?—Pinedo.

      Hence I fear that they have prepared

      A gallows as did Aman,7

      On which raging will die—

      Collado, Ambition, Pinedo.

      Who are preparing lawless acts?—The Theatines [i.e., Jesuits].

      Wherein do they hide their violations of law?—In cheeses.

      Therefore, what can be expected from cheeses?—Wax.8

      I do not understand such an extravagant idea;

      But if it is a question of profit,

      It would be best to burn them all three—

      Theatines, cheeses, and wax.

      Who said “Good” instead of “Bad”?—A provincial.

      Who explained the faith without discretion?—A Theatine.

      And who set little value on his own existence?—A cripple.

      Therefore am I moved to tears

      To see a Theatine who is married;

      And who was, because of his sin—

      Provincial, Theatine, and cripple.

      Archdeacon with no right—Jiron.

      A bishop with little learning—Çamudio.

      A notorious excommunicate—Tenorio.

      Right well they deserve the Purgatory

      Of Hell, these three friends;

      For they are the enemies of God—

      Jiron, Çamudio, and Tenorio.

      Who was hanged from a beam?—An artilleryman.

      On what was that action based?—On the slave-girl.

      Of what did the homicide deprive him?—His life.

      Unjustly lost

      It was; but still I lament

      That he should lose in one moment—

      That artilleryman—his slave-girl and his life.

      He who thought to pay from his profits—tributes;

      And he who in hanging dogs saw—fetters;

      And

5

So in the manuscript, probably a transcriber’s error; but it evidently refers to the Dominican Pinelo.

6

The Editors are indebted to Rev. T. C. Middleton, O.S.A., of Villanova College, and father Fray Juan but no Mateos, of the same order, of the Escorial, but now (May, 1905) at Villanova, for valuable help in the translation of this pasquinade. As much of the subject matter of the lampoon is local tit-tat, and as many of the meanings (although they would be perfectly apparent to the Manila populace) are purposely veiled, assurance cannot be given that the present interpretation is correct in every detail. There are also evident plays upon words and phrases, which can only be guessed at. Hence, the original is given partly for that reason.

The poetical form in which this pasquinade is written dates from an early period in Castile. Cervantes has a poem of this class in Chapter xxvii of the first part of Don Quijote; while Lope de Vega has also employed it. The second, fourth, and sixth lines form a sort of echo to the first, third, and fifth lines (the six lines being, however, written as three in the pasquinade). See Clemencin’s edition of Don Quijote (Madrid, 1894), iii, pp. 7–9.

7

See the book of Esther. This is the Hamah of the King James Bible.

8

Father Fray Juan Mateos says of this passage: “The author seems to use the word ‘quesos’ [cheeses], alluding to ‘casos’ [cases] (a practical question of moral theology). I imagine that the text refers to the accusation made against those fathers of being casuists or adapters of the moral doctrine to their own convenience. From the context, one can deduce that ‘cera’ [wax] is used in the meaning of ‘dinero’ [money], and the meaning in that case might be, that the Jesuits were trying to get money by fitting up the consciences of men with moral doctrines easy of fulfilment.”