ife, July 26, 1657. See the original documents presented by
Pastells (Colin, iii, pp. 806-810).

[18] Mateo Bermudez was one of the Dominican mission that arrived
in the islands in 1626. He ministered in Formosa, and in the Parian
of Manila; and was afterward procurator at Madrid and Rome, and
visitador to the American provinces. In 1658 he returned to Mexico,
remaining there until his death (1673), at the age of eighty.

[19] In the MS. this latter clause is separated from the preceding one,
but obviously refers to it. The argument of Solana is: The Dominican
school requires the teachings of St. Thomas, "the Angelical Doctor,"
to be maintained. But St. Thomas opposed the belief and doctrine of
the immaculate conception of the blessed Virgin Mary. In Solana's day
the dogma of the immaculate conception had not yet been defined by the
Church; it then was a moot question. But in that day the belief in and
teaching of the immaculate conception was common, though not (as said)
of duty--Dominicans only, one may say, holding to the contrary. The
pupils, then, of Santo Tomas had to swear to uphold what was not common
belief, although it was not then heretical.--Rev. T. C. Middleton,
O.S.A.

[20] Many passages in this document are very involved and elliptical,
and in some places the sense is not at all clear. The translation
is necessarily somewhat free, at times, in wording; but it is
believed that the author's meaning is, as a rule, accurately
rendered.--Rev. T. C. Middleton, O. S. A.

[21] This description of the Philippines appears in a manuscript
book of an itinerary of the district of the Inquisition of Mexico,
made by the order of the bishop of Plasencia, Diego de Arce Reynoso, a
member of his Majesty's Council and inquisitor-general of his kingdoms
and seigniories, and given to Pedro de Medina Rico, visitor of the
Inquisition of the City of Mexico and its districts. The Philippines
have place in this itinerary, as they were under the Inquisition
of Mexico. This general visit or itinerary was to include a general
review of all things affecting the Inquisition, its establishments
and employees.

[22] That is, along the bay shore in the other direction--northward
from the city of Manila.

[23] This is a misstatement, for the three islands of Samar, Negros,
and Panay are larger than Paragua, the areas of the four islands in
square miles being respectively, 5,031, 4,881, 4,611, and 4,027. See
Census of Philippine Isla