Page:The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803 (Volume 05).djvu/14

 imagination and poetic fancy. They have various deities, and their priests are usually women; their religious traditions are preserved in songs. Their mortuary and mourning customs are described. A chapter is devoted to the institution of slavery among these peoples—its nature and causes, and the value and status of the slave. Their marriage customs are described at length, with the status of women among them, the penalties for unfaithfulness, the causes for divorce, etc. There is considerable curious information regarding the fauna and flora of the islands, Loarca then proceeds to relate similar particulars about the Moros of Luzón; they adore a divinity called Bathala, "the lord of all," or Creator. His ministers, who are deities of rain, harvest, trees, the sea, etc., are called anitos, and worshiped and invoked accordingly; they intercede for the people with the great Bathala. These Moros are governed by chiefs, who enact and administer such laws as seem necessary for the preservation of good order—adultery, murder, and theft being the chief crimes, which are punished by a system of fines, or by the enslavement of those who are without means to pay them.

The recently-arrived bishop, Domingo de Salazar, writes (June 20, 1582) to the king, imploring redress for the wrongs and sufferings endured by the Indians, who are continually oppressed by the Spanish officials placed over them. An affidavit made by some Indian chiefs relates their grievances. As a result of this ill-treatment, the native villages are rapidly being depopulated.

A letter from the royal factor in the Philippines, Juan Baptista Roman (June 25, 1582), relates the encounter of the Spaniards with some Japanese