o expose the inner life, the arrogance,
and the despotism of the friars in their relations with the natives. On
his return to the Islands, a year after the publication of this work,
we met at the house of a mutual friend and conversed on the subject of
"Noli me tangere," a copy of which he lent to me.

As an oculist Rizal performed some very clever operations, but he
had another mission--one which brought upon him all the odium of the
clerical party, but which as quickly raised him in popular esteem in
native circles. He led a party in his own town who dared to dispute
the legality of the Dominican Order's possession of a large tract of
agricultural land. He called upon the Order to show their title-deeds,
but was met with a contemptuous refusal. At length prudence dictated
a return to Europe. I often recall the farewell lunch we had together
at the Restaurant de Paris, in the _Escolta_. During his absence his
own relations and the chief families in his town became the objects
of persecution. They were driven from the lands they cultivated and
rented from the Religious Order, without compensation for improvements,
and Spaniards took their holdings. In 1890 Rizal saw with his own eyes,
and perhaps with envy, the growing prosperity of Japan; but the idea
of annexation to that country was distasteful to him, as he feared
the Japanese might prove to be rather harsh masters. On his return to
Europe he contributed many brilliant articles to _La Solidaridad_, the
Madrid-Philippine organ mentioned on p. 363; but, disgusted with his
failure to awaken in Spain a sympathetic interest in his own country's
misfortunes, he left that field of work and re-visited London, where he
found encouragement and very material assistance from an old friend of
mine, a distinguished Filipino. Rizal's financial resources were none
too plentiful, and he himself was anxious for a position of productive
activity. It was proposed that he should establish himself in London
as a doctor, but with his mind always bent on the concerns of his
country he again took to literary work. He edited a new edition of
Dr. Antonio de Morga's work on the Philippines [180] (the original
was published in Mexico in 1609), with notes, and wrote a new book in
the form of romance, entitled "El Filibusterismo," [181] the purpose
of which was to show how the Filipinos were goaded into outlawry.

About this time two priests, C---- and C----, who had seceded from
the Roman Catho