CHAPTER VIII[Later, doubts arose as to the exercise of the right and title of patronage which was reserved to the Misericordia in the foregoing agreement; and certain individual members of that association, “moved (as it is inferred) by pious although very indiscreet zeal,” stirred up these doubts and made officious inquiries. Although they did no harm, it was thought best to consult the heads of the Jesuit university in regard to the objections thus raised; and their opinion (undated) is given by Maldonado. Those learned professors declared in favor of the hospitalers, saying that any official visitation and inspection of their work could be made only by the archbishop of the islands; the officers of the Misericordia might visit the hospital, but could not, even as its patrons, exercise any legal authority or compulsionover the brethren of St. John, or bring against them any legal claim. The Jesuits refer to such a stipulation in the original document transferring the hospital (chap, vii); they also remind the Misericordia of the wretched condition in which the hospital was when that association gave it up—for this purpose citing the inventory made at that time of the property thus transferred. Some curious particulars are found therein. The old hospital had but one ward, under which was “the old chapel, where the dead were buried.” One of the items is, “Twelve head of slaves, most of them more than fifty years old, and some past sixty.” Its equipment of bedding, etc., comprises “four old tents of medriñaque; seven mattresses, made of Ilocos blankets, with their outside badly worn; ten pillows, with their covers of medriñaque, old; two tables, with tablecovers, with six napkins, old; twelve sheets of Ilocos weave.” Various articles for the use or adornment of the altar in the church are listed, most of them characterized as “old;” while an image of St. Joseph and the Holy Child is “old and battered.” There are “nine old cots for beds;” “a large chest, old, without any key;” “an old wooden table, on which the food is distributed;” “two old chairs for seats;” “four large cots, for Spanish women;” “two old books which treat of medicine” (evidently those asked for by the Franciscans in 1619); “one hundred and twelve porcelain vials, empty;” “sixty-one gallipots of Chinese porcelain, empty;” “two stone kitchen mortars, without handles;” and some few other articles suitable for hospital use, that are presumably in good condition. In view of these facts, there is no ground for bringing complaints againstthe brethren of St. John, especially since they were not obliged by the document of donation to conform to any given standard in their management of the hospital, nor was any provision made therein for summoning them to give account thereof to the ordinary. The labors of conducting the hospital and providing means for its support are quite arduous enough for the order, without imposing upon it the burden of keeping accounts of all the receipts and expenses—a charge which it probably would not have accepted, and which cannot be now imposed upon it. The income of the institution from the property surrendered with it—a legacy from the late Captain Nicolas de Luzurriaga—does not exceed a thousand pesos, which is a very inadequate endowment for meeting all the expenses which must be incurred for the patients sent to the hospital by the Misericordia, even if these number no more than eight; and its scantiness prevents that association from making any just claim to the exercise of authority over the hospital. Indeed, the Jesuits censure the Misericordia for having done so little for the institution since they surrendered it to the brethren of St. John. Further: “Apparently the mistake of the Board [of the Misericordia] consists in their being surprised that the sick are not better treated or regaled in the said hospital, when they see that the Order of St. John of God has an encomienda granted by his Majesty the king (whom may God preserve), a ranch of cattle and cultivated lands, some lots occupied by shops in the Parian outside the walls of Manila, and other considerable revenues—which, as evidently appears, are all considered as possessions of the said hospital of the Misericordia, of whichthey are patrons—[a mistake which arises] from seeing that all these are possessed by the religious of St. John of God, but not making a distinction in regard to what belongs to that order as an order, for the support of its brethren. Such is the ranch; when, in the year 49, Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete lay sick in the hospital for convalescents at Bagumbaya, without the walls of this city, he made a donation, by a clause of his last will and testament, of the said farms to the said religious order. Suit having been brought by Captain Geronimo Fuentes for a sum of money which the said Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete owed, the aforesaid properties were placed at public auction, and the said religious order secured in the said auction, for a bid of 12,100 pesos, the said ranch and some shops in the Parian—nineteen of them upper, and twenty lower; and eight other shops for the peddlers, with their lodging-rooms above. The said order also obtained at public auction eight residence lots in the locality of La Hermita and Santiago de Bagumbaya (which were the ones where they started their work), and some others which they bought. The site and locality where the church and convent of the said order are at present built were the houses which belonged to Captain Don Alonso Parrilla; these also were secured at auction, for the price of 3,000 pesos, by paying in cash (as it did) 2,650 pesos, and the remainder of the 3,000 was left in a mortgage that could be paid up, the said order paying the amount due every year to this same Board of the holy Misericordia. Another [resource is] a chaplaincy of masses to the Holy Ghost and the Conception, which was founded by Doña Hypolita de Zarate y Osseguerra.These incomes have nothing to do with the hospital as a hospital; and therefore, in accordance with this, the members of the Board cannot require that these revenues be subjected to official investigation, any more than in the case of other contributions and incomes which other benefactors had left to the said hospital, even though the proceeds of these are handled, and surrendered to the said religious, by this same Misericordia as administrators for the said benefactors; for the members of the Board have no rights as patrons over any of these, as is clearly stated in the agreement made in the conditions of donation.” “From all this, the fathers rector and masters of this university of the Society of Jesus conclude that only with the gravest scruples of conscience, and at the risk of defaming the said religious order by accusations of omission or negligence in fulfilling their obligation to render assistance to the said sick persons, can the members of the Board on this pretext demand before the illustrious archbishop that the said religious be visited, and account be demanded from them of the expenses and receipts, and of other matters pertaining to the said assistance—not only in regard to all the incomes which the hospital order, as such, possesses, noting down the contributions from all the benefactors of it; but as little even the proceeds which by the said donation the religious received from this same brotherhood of the holy Misericordia—since that is expressly contrary to the agreement made with the said religious order in the instrument of donation, and would be a very heavy and onerous new burden upon it, if imposed now, after sixty years, on a donation which was originally free, complete, and irrevocable.”This opinion is signed by Joseph Hernandéz, Antonio Arias, Pablo Clain, Nicolas de Zarate, and Joseph de Bobadilla.4It brought about a cessation of the controversy, and afterward, the hospital and its labors grew in public esteem and many favors were bestowed on it.]Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, in Religiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, inReligiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)[From copy in collection of Eduardo Navarro, O.S.A., at Colegio de Filipinas, Valladolid]
CHAPTER VIII[Later, doubts arose as to the exercise of the right and title of patronage which was reserved to the Misericordia in the foregoing agreement; and certain individual members of that association, “moved (as it is inferred) by pious although very indiscreet zeal,” stirred up these doubts and made officious inquiries. Although they did no harm, it was thought best to consult the heads of the Jesuit university in regard to the objections thus raised; and their opinion (undated) is given by Maldonado. Those learned professors declared in favor of the hospitalers, saying that any official visitation and inspection of their work could be made only by the archbishop of the islands; the officers of the Misericordia might visit the hospital, but could not, even as its patrons, exercise any legal authority or compulsionover the brethren of St. John, or bring against them any legal claim. The Jesuits refer to such a stipulation in the original document transferring the hospital (chap, vii); they also remind the Misericordia of the wretched condition in which the hospital was when that association gave it up—for this purpose citing the inventory made at that time of the property thus transferred. Some curious particulars are found therein. The old hospital had but one ward, under which was “the old chapel, where the dead were buried.” One of the items is, “Twelve head of slaves, most of them more than fifty years old, and some past sixty.” Its equipment of bedding, etc., comprises “four old tents of medriñaque; seven mattresses, made of Ilocos blankets, with their outside badly worn; ten pillows, with their covers of medriñaque, old; two tables, with tablecovers, with six napkins, old; twelve sheets of Ilocos weave.” Various articles for the use or adornment of the altar in the church are listed, most of them characterized as “old;” while an image of St. Joseph and the Holy Child is “old and battered.” There are “nine old cots for beds;” “a large chest, old, without any key;” “an old wooden table, on which the food is distributed;” “two old chairs for seats;” “four large cots, for Spanish women;” “two old books which treat of medicine” (evidently those asked for by the Franciscans in 1619); “one hundred and twelve porcelain vials, empty;” “sixty-one gallipots of Chinese porcelain, empty;” “two stone kitchen mortars, without handles;” and some few other articles suitable for hospital use, that are presumably in good condition. In view of these facts, there is no ground for bringing complaints againstthe brethren of St. John, especially since they were not obliged by the document of donation to conform to any given standard in their management of the hospital, nor was any provision made therein for summoning them to give account thereof to the ordinary. The labors of conducting the hospital and providing means for its support are quite arduous enough for the order, without imposing upon it the burden of keeping accounts of all the receipts and expenses—a charge which it probably would not have accepted, and which cannot be now imposed upon it. The income of the institution from the property surrendered with it—a legacy from the late Captain Nicolas de Luzurriaga—does not exceed a thousand pesos, which is a very inadequate endowment for meeting all the expenses which must be incurred for the patients sent to the hospital by the Misericordia, even if these number no more than eight; and its scantiness prevents that association from making any just claim to the exercise of authority over the hospital. Indeed, the Jesuits censure the Misericordia for having done so little for the institution since they surrendered it to the brethren of St. John. Further: “Apparently the mistake of the Board [of the Misericordia] consists in their being surprised that the sick are not better treated or regaled in the said hospital, when they see that the Order of St. John of God has an encomienda granted by his Majesty the king (whom may God preserve), a ranch of cattle and cultivated lands, some lots occupied by shops in the Parian outside the walls of Manila, and other considerable revenues—which, as evidently appears, are all considered as possessions of the said hospital of the Misericordia, of whichthey are patrons—[a mistake which arises] from seeing that all these are possessed by the religious of St. John of God, but not making a distinction in regard to what belongs to that order as an order, for the support of its brethren. Such is the ranch; when, in the year 49, Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete lay sick in the hospital for convalescents at Bagumbaya, without the walls of this city, he made a donation, by a clause of his last will and testament, of the said farms to the said religious order. Suit having been brought by Captain Geronimo Fuentes for a sum of money which the said Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete owed, the aforesaid properties were placed at public auction, and the said religious order secured in the said auction, for a bid of 12,100 pesos, the said ranch and some shops in the Parian—nineteen of them upper, and twenty lower; and eight other shops for the peddlers, with their lodging-rooms above. The said order also obtained at public auction eight residence lots in the locality of La Hermita and Santiago de Bagumbaya (which were the ones where they started their work), and some others which they bought. The site and locality where the church and convent of the said order are at present built were the houses which belonged to Captain Don Alonso Parrilla; these also were secured at auction, for the price of 3,000 pesos, by paying in cash (as it did) 2,650 pesos, and the remainder of the 3,000 was left in a mortgage that could be paid up, the said order paying the amount due every year to this same Board of the holy Misericordia. Another [resource is] a chaplaincy of masses to the Holy Ghost and the Conception, which was founded by Doña Hypolita de Zarate y Osseguerra.These incomes have nothing to do with the hospital as a hospital; and therefore, in accordance with this, the members of the Board cannot require that these revenues be subjected to official investigation, any more than in the case of other contributions and incomes which other benefactors had left to the said hospital, even though the proceeds of these are handled, and surrendered to the said religious, by this same Misericordia as administrators for the said benefactors; for the members of the Board have no rights as patrons over any of these, as is clearly stated in the agreement made in the conditions of donation.” “From all this, the fathers rector and masters of this university of the Society of Jesus conclude that only with the gravest scruples of conscience, and at the risk of defaming the said religious order by accusations of omission or negligence in fulfilling their obligation to render assistance to the said sick persons, can the members of the Board on this pretext demand before the illustrious archbishop that the said religious be visited, and account be demanded from them of the expenses and receipts, and of other matters pertaining to the said assistance—not only in regard to all the incomes which the hospital order, as such, possesses, noting down the contributions from all the benefactors of it; but as little even the proceeds which by the said donation the religious received from this same brotherhood of the holy Misericordia—since that is expressly contrary to the agreement made with the said religious order in the instrument of donation, and would be a very heavy and onerous new burden upon it, if imposed now, after sixty years, on a donation which was originally free, complete, and irrevocable.”This opinion is signed by Joseph Hernandéz, Antonio Arias, Pablo Clain, Nicolas de Zarate, and Joseph de Bobadilla.4It brought about a cessation of the controversy, and afterward, the hospital and its labors grew in public esteem and many favors were bestowed on it.]Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, in Religiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, inReligiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)[From copy in collection of Eduardo Navarro, O.S.A., at Colegio de Filipinas, Valladolid]
CHAPTER VIII[Later, doubts arose as to the exercise of the right and title of patronage which was reserved to the Misericordia in the foregoing agreement; and certain individual members of that association, “moved (as it is inferred) by pious although very indiscreet zeal,” stirred up these doubts and made officious inquiries. Although they did no harm, it was thought best to consult the heads of the Jesuit university in regard to the objections thus raised; and their opinion (undated) is given by Maldonado. Those learned professors declared in favor of the hospitalers, saying that any official visitation and inspection of their work could be made only by the archbishop of the islands; the officers of the Misericordia might visit the hospital, but could not, even as its patrons, exercise any legal authority or compulsionover the brethren of St. John, or bring against them any legal claim. The Jesuits refer to such a stipulation in the original document transferring the hospital (chap, vii); they also remind the Misericordia of the wretched condition in which the hospital was when that association gave it up—for this purpose citing the inventory made at that time of the property thus transferred. Some curious particulars are found therein. The old hospital had but one ward, under which was “the old chapel, where the dead were buried.” One of the items is, “Twelve head of slaves, most of them more than fifty years old, and some past sixty.” Its equipment of bedding, etc., comprises “four old tents of medriñaque; seven mattresses, made of Ilocos blankets, with their outside badly worn; ten pillows, with their covers of medriñaque, old; two tables, with tablecovers, with six napkins, old; twelve sheets of Ilocos weave.” Various articles for the use or adornment of the altar in the church are listed, most of them characterized as “old;” while an image of St. Joseph and the Holy Child is “old and battered.” There are “nine old cots for beds;” “a large chest, old, without any key;” “an old wooden table, on which the food is distributed;” “two old chairs for seats;” “four large cots, for Spanish women;” “two old books which treat of medicine” (evidently those asked for by the Franciscans in 1619); “one hundred and twelve porcelain vials, empty;” “sixty-one gallipots of Chinese porcelain, empty;” “two stone kitchen mortars, without handles;” and some few other articles suitable for hospital use, that are presumably in good condition. In view of these facts, there is no ground for bringing complaints againstthe brethren of St. John, especially since they were not obliged by the document of donation to conform to any given standard in their management of the hospital, nor was any provision made therein for summoning them to give account thereof to the ordinary. The labors of conducting the hospital and providing means for its support are quite arduous enough for the order, without imposing upon it the burden of keeping accounts of all the receipts and expenses—a charge which it probably would not have accepted, and which cannot be now imposed upon it. The income of the institution from the property surrendered with it—a legacy from the late Captain Nicolas de Luzurriaga—does not exceed a thousand pesos, which is a very inadequate endowment for meeting all the expenses which must be incurred for the patients sent to the hospital by the Misericordia, even if these number no more than eight; and its scantiness prevents that association from making any just claim to the exercise of authority over the hospital. Indeed, the Jesuits censure the Misericordia for having done so little for the institution since they surrendered it to the brethren of St. John. Further: “Apparently the mistake of the Board [of the Misericordia] consists in their being surprised that the sick are not better treated or regaled in the said hospital, when they see that the Order of St. John of God has an encomienda granted by his Majesty the king (whom may God preserve), a ranch of cattle and cultivated lands, some lots occupied by shops in the Parian outside the walls of Manila, and other considerable revenues—which, as evidently appears, are all considered as possessions of the said hospital of the Misericordia, of whichthey are patrons—[a mistake which arises] from seeing that all these are possessed by the religious of St. John of God, but not making a distinction in regard to what belongs to that order as an order, for the support of its brethren. Such is the ranch; when, in the year 49, Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete lay sick in the hospital for convalescents at Bagumbaya, without the walls of this city, he made a donation, by a clause of his last will and testament, of the said farms to the said religious order. Suit having been brought by Captain Geronimo Fuentes for a sum of money which the said Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete owed, the aforesaid properties were placed at public auction, and the said religious order secured in the said auction, for a bid of 12,100 pesos, the said ranch and some shops in the Parian—nineteen of them upper, and twenty lower; and eight other shops for the peddlers, with their lodging-rooms above. The said order also obtained at public auction eight residence lots in the locality of La Hermita and Santiago de Bagumbaya (which were the ones where they started their work), and some others which they bought. The site and locality where the church and convent of the said order are at present built were the houses which belonged to Captain Don Alonso Parrilla; these also were secured at auction, for the price of 3,000 pesos, by paying in cash (as it did) 2,650 pesos, and the remainder of the 3,000 was left in a mortgage that could be paid up, the said order paying the amount due every year to this same Board of the holy Misericordia. Another [resource is] a chaplaincy of masses to the Holy Ghost and the Conception, which was founded by Doña Hypolita de Zarate y Osseguerra.These incomes have nothing to do with the hospital as a hospital; and therefore, in accordance with this, the members of the Board cannot require that these revenues be subjected to official investigation, any more than in the case of other contributions and incomes which other benefactors had left to the said hospital, even though the proceeds of these are handled, and surrendered to the said religious, by this same Misericordia as administrators for the said benefactors; for the members of the Board have no rights as patrons over any of these, as is clearly stated in the agreement made in the conditions of donation.” “From all this, the fathers rector and masters of this university of the Society of Jesus conclude that only with the gravest scruples of conscience, and at the risk of defaming the said religious order by accusations of omission or negligence in fulfilling their obligation to render assistance to the said sick persons, can the members of the Board on this pretext demand before the illustrious archbishop that the said religious be visited, and account be demanded from them of the expenses and receipts, and of other matters pertaining to the said assistance—not only in regard to all the incomes which the hospital order, as such, possesses, noting down the contributions from all the benefactors of it; but as little even the proceeds which by the said donation the religious received from this same brotherhood of the holy Misericordia—since that is expressly contrary to the agreement made with the said religious order in the instrument of donation, and would be a very heavy and onerous new burden upon it, if imposed now, after sixty years, on a donation which was originally free, complete, and irrevocable.”This opinion is signed by Joseph Hernandéz, Antonio Arias, Pablo Clain, Nicolas de Zarate, and Joseph de Bobadilla.4It brought about a cessation of the controversy, and afterward, the hospital and its labors grew in public esteem and many favors were bestowed on it.]Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, in Religiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, inReligiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)[From copy in collection of Eduardo Navarro, O.S.A., at Colegio de Filipinas, Valladolid]
CHAPTER VIII[Later, doubts arose as to the exercise of the right and title of patronage which was reserved to the Misericordia in the foregoing agreement; and certain individual members of that association, “moved (as it is inferred) by pious although very indiscreet zeal,” stirred up these doubts and made officious inquiries. Although they did no harm, it was thought best to consult the heads of the Jesuit university in regard to the objections thus raised; and their opinion (undated) is given by Maldonado. Those learned professors declared in favor of the hospitalers, saying that any official visitation and inspection of their work could be made only by the archbishop of the islands; the officers of the Misericordia might visit the hospital, but could not, even as its patrons, exercise any legal authority or compulsionover the brethren of St. John, or bring against them any legal claim. The Jesuits refer to such a stipulation in the original document transferring the hospital (chap, vii); they also remind the Misericordia of the wretched condition in which the hospital was when that association gave it up—for this purpose citing the inventory made at that time of the property thus transferred. Some curious particulars are found therein. The old hospital had but one ward, under which was “the old chapel, where the dead were buried.” One of the items is, “Twelve head of slaves, most of them more than fifty years old, and some past sixty.” Its equipment of bedding, etc., comprises “four old tents of medriñaque; seven mattresses, made of Ilocos blankets, with their outside badly worn; ten pillows, with their covers of medriñaque, old; two tables, with tablecovers, with six napkins, old; twelve sheets of Ilocos weave.” Various articles for the use or adornment of the altar in the church are listed, most of them characterized as “old;” while an image of St. Joseph and the Holy Child is “old and battered.” There are “nine old cots for beds;” “a large chest, old, without any key;” “an old wooden table, on which the food is distributed;” “two old chairs for seats;” “four large cots, for Spanish women;” “two old books which treat of medicine” (evidently those asked for by the Franciscans in 1619); “one hundred and twelve porcelain vials, empty;” “sixty-one gallipots of Chinese porcelain, empty;” “two stone kitchen mortars, without handles;” and some few other articles suitable for hospital use, that are presumably in good condition. In view of these facts, there is no ground for bringing complaints againstthe brethren of St. John, especially since they were not obliged by the document of donation to conform to any given standard in their management of the hospital, nor was any provision made therein for summoning them to give account thereof to the ordinary. The labors of conducting the hospital and providing means for its support are quite arduous enough for the order, without imposing upon it the burden of keeping accounts of all the receipts and expenses—a charge which it probably would not have accepted, and which cannot be now imposed upon it. The income of the institution from the property surrendered with it—a legacy from the late Captain Nicolas de Luzurriaga—does not exceed a thousand pesos, which is a very inadequate endowment for meeting all the expenses which must be incurred for the patients sent to the hospital by the Misericordia, even if these number no more than eight; and its scantiness prevents that association from making any just claim to the exercise of authority over the hospital. Indeed, the Jesuits censure the Misericordia for having done so little for the institution since they surrendered it to the brethren of St. John. Further: “Apparently the mistake of the Board [of the Misericordia] consists in their being surprised that the sick are not better treated or regaled in the said hospital, when they see that the Order of St. John of God has an encomienda granted by his Majesty the king (whom may God preserve), a ranch of cattle and cultivated lands, some lots occupied by shops in the Parian outside the walls of Manila, and other considerable revenues—which, as evidently appears, are all considered as possessions of the said hospital of the Misericordia, of whichthey are patrons—[a mistake which arises] from seeing that all these are possessed by the religious of St. John of God, but not making a distinction in regard to what belongs to that order as an order, for the support of its brethren. Such is the ranch; when, in the year 49, Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete lay sick in the hospital for convalescents at Bagumbaya, without the walls of this city, he made a donation, by a clause of his last will and testament, of the said farms to the said religious order. Suit having been brought by Captain Geronimo Fuentes for a sum of money which the said Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete owed, the aforesaid properties were placed at public auction, and the said religious order secured in the said auction, for a bid of 12,100 pesos, the said ranch and some shops in the Parian—nineteen of them upper, and twenty lower; and eight other shops for the peddlers, with their lodging-rooms above. The said order also obtained at public auction eight residence lots in the locality of La Hermita and Santiago de Bagumbaya (which were the ones where they started their work), and some others which they bought. The site and locality where the church and convent of the said order are at present built were the houses which belonged to Captain Don Alonso Parrilla; these also were secured at auction, for the price of 3,000 pesos, by paying in cash (as it did) 2,650 pesos, and the remainder of the 3,000 was left in a mortgage that could be paid up, the said order paying the amount due every year to this same Board of the holy Misericordia. Another [resource is] a chaplaincy of masses to the Holy Ghost and the Conception, which was founded by Doña Hypolita de Zarate y Osseguerra.These incomes have nothing to do with the hospital as a hospital; and therefore, in accordance with this, the members of the Board cannot require that these revenues be subjected to official investigation, any more than in the case of other contributions and incomes which other benefactors had left to the said hospital, even though the proceeds of these are handled, and surrendered to the said religious, by this same Misericordia as administrators for the said benefactors; for the members of the Board have no rights as patrons over any of these, as is clearly stated in the agreement made in the conditions of donation.” “From all this, the fathers rector and masters of this university of the Society of Jesus conclude that only with the gravest scruples of conscience, and at the risk of defaming the said religious order by accusations of omission or negligence in fulfilling their obligation to render assistance to the said sick persons, can the members of the Board on this pretext demand before the illustrious archbishop that the said religious be visited, and account be demanded from them of the expenses and receipts, and of other matters pertaining to the said assistance—not only in regard to all the incomes which the hospital order, as such, possesses, noting down the contributions from all the benefactors of it; but as little even the proceeds which by the said donation the religious received from this same brotherhood of the holy Misericordia—since that is expressly contrary to the agreement made with the said religious order in the instrument of donation, and would be a very heavy and onerous new burden upon it, if imposed now, after sixty years, on a donation which was originally free, complete, and irrevocable.”This opinion is signed by Joseph Hernandéz, Antonio Arias, Pablo Clain, Nicolas de Zarate, and Joseph de Bobadilla.4It brought about a cessation of the controversy, and afterward, the hospital and its labors grew in public esteem and many favors were bestowed on it.]Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, in Religiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, inReligiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)[From copy in collection of Eduardo Navarro, O.S.A., at Colegio de Filipinas, Valladolid]
CHAPTER VIII
[Later, doubts arose as to the exercise of the right and title of patronage which was reserved to the Misericordia in the foregoing agreement; and certain individual members of that association, “moved (as it is inferred) by pious although very indiscreet zeal,” stirred up these doubts and made officious inquiries. Although they did no harm, it was thought best to consult the heads of the Jesuit university in regard to the objections thus raised; and their opinion (undated) is given by Maldonado. Those learned professors declared in favor of the hospitalers, saying that any official visitation and inspection of their work could be made only by the archbishop of the islands; the officers of the Misericordia might visit the hospital, but could not, even as its patrons, exercise any legal authority or compulsionover the brethren of St. John, or bring against them any legal claim. The Jesuits refer to such a stipulation in the original document transferring the hospital (chap, vii); they also remind the Misericordia of the wretched condition in which the hospital was when that association gave it up—for this purpose citing the inventory made at that time of the property thus transferred. Some curious particulars are found therein. The old hospital had but one ward, under which was “the old chapel, where the dead were buried.” One of the items is, “Twelve head of slaves, most of them more than fifty years old, and some past sixty.” Its equipment of bedding, etc., comprises “four old tents of medriñaque; seven mattresses, made of Ilocos blankets, with their outside badly worn; ten pillows, with their covers of medriñaque, old; two tables, with tablecovers, with six napkins, old; twelve sheets of Ilocos weave.” Various articles for the use or adornment of the altar in the church are listed, most of them characterized as “old;” while an image of St. Joseph and the Holy Child is “old and battered.” There are “nine old cots for beds;” “a large chest, old, without any key;” “an old wooden table, on which the food is distributed;” “two old chairs for seats;” “four large cots, for Spanish women;” “two old books which treat of medicine” (evidently those asked for by the Franciscans in 1619); “one hundred and twelve porcelain vials, empty;” “sixty-one gallipots of Chinese porcelain, empty;” “two stone kitchen mortars, without handles;” and some few other articles suitable for hospital use, that are presumably in good condition. In view of these facts, there is no ground for bringing complaints againstthe brethren of St. John, especially since they were not obliged by the document of donation to conform to any given standard in their management of the hospital, nor was any provision made therein for summoning them to give account thereof to the ordinary. The labors of conducting the hospital and providing means for its support are quite arduous enough for the order, without imposing upon it the burden of keeping accounts of all the receipts and expenses—a charge which it probably would not have accepted, and which cannot be now imposed upon it. The income of the institution from the property surrendered with it—a legacy from the late Captain Nicolas de Luzurriaga—does not exceed a thousand pesos, which is a very inadequate endowment for meeting all the expenses which must be incurred for the patients sent to the hospital by the Misericordia, even if these number no more than eight; and its scantiness prevents that association from making any just claim to the exercise of authority over the hospital. Indeed, the Jesuits censure the Misericordia for having done so little for the institution since they surrendered it to the brethren of St. John. Further: “Apparently the mistake of the Board [of the Misericordia] consists in their being surprised that the sick are not better treated or regaled in the said hospital, when they see that the Order of St. John of God has an encomienda granted by his Majesty the king (whom may God preserve), a ranch of cattle and cultivated lands, some lots occupied by shops in the Parian outside the walls of Manila, and other considerable revenues—which, as evidently appears, are all considered as possessions of the said hospital of the Misericordia, of whichthey are patrons—[a mistake which arises] from seeing that all these are possessed by the religious of St. John of God, but not making a distinction in regard to what belongs to that order as an order, for the support of its brethren. Such is the ranch; when, in the year 49, Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete lay sick in the hospital for convalescents at Bagumbaya, without the walls of this city, he made a donation, by a clause of his last will and testament, of the said farms to the said religious order. Suit having been brought by Captain Geronimo Fuentes for a sum of money which the said Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete owed, the aforesaid properties were placed at public auction, and the said religious order secured in the said auction, for a bid of 12,100 pesos, the said ranch and some shops in the Parian—nineteen of them upper, and twenty lower; and eight other shops for the peddlers, with their lodging-rooms above. The said order also obtained at public auction eight residence lots in the locality of La Hermita and Santiago de Bagumbaya (which were the ones where they started their work), and some others which they bought. The site and locality where the church and convent of the said order are at present built were the houses which belonged to Captain Don Alonso Parrilla; these also were secured at auction, for the price of 3,000 pesos, by paying in cash (as it did) 2,650 pesos, and the remainder of the 3,000 was left in a mortgage that could be paid up, the said order paying the amount due every year to this same Board of the holy Misericordia. Another [resource is] a chaplaincy of masses to the Holy Ghost and the Conception, which was founded by Doña Hypolita de Zarate y Osseguerra.These incomes have nothing to do with the hospital as a hospital; and therefore, in accordance with this, the members of the Board cannot require that these revenues be subjected to official investigation, any more than in the case of other contributions and incomes which other benefactors had left to the said hospital, even though the proceeds of these are handled, and surrendered to the said religious, by this same Misericordia as administrators for the said benefactors; for the members of the Board have no rights as patrons over any of these, as is clearly stated in the agreement made in the conditions of donation.” “From all this, the fathers rector and masters of this university of the Society of Jesus conclude that only with the gravest scruples of conscience, and at the risk of defaming the said religious order by accusations of omission or negligence in fulfilling their obligation to render assistance to the said sick persons, can the members of the Board on this pretext demand before the illustrious archbishop that the said religious be visited, and account be demanded from them of the expenses and receipts, and of other matters pertaining to the said assistance—not only in regard to all the incomes which the hospital order, as such, possesses, noting down the contributions from all the benefactors of it; but as little even the proceeds which by the said donation the religious received from this same brotherhood of the holy Misericordia—since that is expressly contrary to the agreement made with the said religious order in the instrument of donation, and would be a very heavy and onerous new burden upon it, if imposed now, after sixty years, on a donation which was originally free, complete, and irrevocable.”This opinion is signed by Joseph Hernandéz, Antonio Arias, Pablo Clain, Nicolas de Zarate, and Joseph de Bobadilla.4It brought about a cessation of the controversy, and afterward, the hospital and its labors grew in public esteem and many favors were bestowed on it.]Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, in Religiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, inReligiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)[From copy in collection of Eduardo Navarro, O.S.A., at Colegio de Filipinas, Valladolid]
[Later, doubts arose as to the exercise of the right and title of patronage which was reserved to the Misericordia in the foregoing agreement; and certain individual members of that association, “moved (as it is inferred) by pious although very indiscreet zeal,” stirred up these doubts and made officious inquiries. Although they did no harm, it was thought best to consult the heads of the Jesuit university in regard to the objections thus raised; and their opinion (undated) is given by Maldonado. Those learned professors declared in favor of the hospitalers, saying that any official visitation and inspection of their work could be made only by the archbishop of the islands; the officers of the Misericordia might visit the hospital, but could not, even as its patrons, exercise any legal authority or compulsionover the brethren of St. John, or bring against them any legal claim. The Jesuits refer to such a stipulation in the original document transferring the hospital (chap, vii); they also remind the Misericordia of the wretched condition in which the hospital was when that association gave it up—for this purpose citing the inventory made at that time of the property thus transferred. Some curious particulars are found therein. The old hospital had but one ward, under which was “the old chapel, where the dead were buried.” One of the items is, “Twelve head of slaves, most of them more than fifty years old, and some past sixty.” Its equipment of bedding, etc., comprises “four old tents of medriñaque; seven mattresses, made of Ilocos blankets, with their outside badly worn; ten pillows, with their covers of medriñaque, old; two tables, with tablecovers, with six napkins, old; twelve sheets of Ilocos weave.” Various articles for the use or adornment of the altar in the church are listed, most of them characterized as “old;” while an image of St. Joseph and the Holy Child is “old and battered.” There are “nine old cots for beds;” “a large chest, old, without any key;” “an old wooden table, on which the food is distributed;” “two old chairs for seats;” “four large cots, for Spanish women;” “two old books which treat of medicine” (evidently those asked for by the Franciscans in 1619); “one hundred and twelve porcelain vials, empty;” “sixty-one gallipots of Chinese porcelain, empty;” “two stone kitchen mortars, without handles;” and some few other articles suitable for hospital use, that are presumably in good condition. In view of these facts, there is no ground for bringing complaints againstthe brethren of St. John, especially since they were not obliged by the document of donation to conform to any given standard in their management of the hospital, nor was any provision made therein for summoning them to give account thereof to the ordinary. The labors of conducting the hospital and providing means for its support are quite arduous enough for the order, without imposing upon it the burden of keeping accounts of all the receipts and expenses—a charge which it probably would not have accepted, and which cannot be now imposed upon it. The income of the institution from the property surrendered with it—a legacy from the late Captain Nicolas de Luzurriaga—does not exceed a thousand pesos, which is a very inadequate endowment for meeting all the expenses which must be incurred for the patients sent to the hospital by the Misericordia, even if these number no more than eight; and its scantiness prevents that association from making any just claim to the exercise of authority over the hospital. Indeed, the Jesuits censure the Misericordia for having done so little for the institution since they surrendered it to the brethren of St. John. Further: “Apparently the mistake of the Board [of the Misericordia] consists in their being surprised that the sick are not better treated or regaled in the said hospital, when they see that the Order of St. John of God has an encomienda granted by his Majesty the king (whom may God preserve), a ranch of cattle and cultivated lands, some lots occupied by shops in the Parian outside the walls of Manila, and other considerable revenues—which, as evidently appears, are all considered as possessions of the said hospital of the Misericordia, of whichthey are patrons—[a mistake which arises] from seeing that all these are possessed by the religious of St. John of God, but not making a distinction in regard to what belongs to that order as an order, for the support of its brethren. Such is the ranch; when, in the year 49, Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete lay sick in the hospital for convalescents at Bagumbaya, without the walls of this city, he made a donation, by a clause of his last will and testament, of the said farms to the said religious order. Suit having been brought by Captain Geronimo Fuentes for a sum of money which the said Captain Don Pedro Gomez Cañete owed, the aforesaid properties were placed at public auction, and the said religious order secured in the said auction, for a bid of 12,100 pesos, the said ranch and some shops in the Parian—nineteen of them upper, and twenty lower; and eight other shops for the peddlers, with their lodging-rooms above. The said order also obtained at public auction eight residence lots in the locality of La Hermita and Santiago de Bagumbaya (which were the ones where they started their work), and some others which they bought. The site and locality where the church and convent of the said order are at present built were the houses which belonged to Captain Don Alonso Parrilla; these also were secured at auction, for the price of 3,000 pesos, by paying in cash (as it did) 2,650 pesos, and the remainder of the 3,000 was left in a mortgage that could be paid up, the said order paying the amount due every year to this same Board of the holy Misericordia. Another [resource is] a chaplaincy of masses to the Holy Ghost and the Conception, which was founded by Doña Hypolita de Zarate y Osseguerra.These incomes have nothing to do with the hospital as a hospital; and therefore, in accordance with this, the members of the Board cannot require that these revenues be subjected to official investigation, any more than in the case of other contributions and incomes which other benefactors had left to the said hospital, even though the proceeds of these are handled, and surrendered to the said religious, by this same Misericordia as administrators for the said benefactors; for the members of the Board have no rights as patrons over any of these, as is clearly stated in the agreement made in the conditions of donation.” “From all this, the fathers rector and masters of this university of the Society of Jesus conclude that only with the gravest scruples of conscience, and at the risk of defaming the said religious order by accusations of omission or negligence in fulfilling their obligation to render assistance to the said sick persons, can the members of the Board on this pretext demand before the illustrious archbishop that the said religious be visited, and account be demanded from them of the expenses and receipts, and of other matters pertaining to the said assistance—not only in regard to all the incomes which the hospital order, as such, possesses, noting down the contributions from all the benefactors of it; but as little even the proceeds which by the said donation the religious received from this same brotherhood of the holy Misericordia—since that is expressly contrary to the agreement made with the said religious order in the instrument of donation, and would be a very heavy and onerous new burden upon it, if imposed now, after sixty years, on a donation which was originally free, complete, and irrevocable.”This opinion is signed by Joseph Hernandéz, Antonio Arias, Pablo Clain, Nicolas de Zarate, and Joseph de Bobadilla.4It brought about a cessation of the controversy, and afterward, the hospital and its labors grew in public esteem and many favors were bestowed on it.]
Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, in Religiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, inReligiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)[From copy in collection of Eduardo Navarro, O.S.A., at Colegio de Filipinas, Valladolid]
Church of San Juan de Dios, Manila, inReligiosa hospitalidad, by Juan M. Maldonado de Puga (Granada, 1742)
[From copy in collection of Eduardo Navarro, O.S.A., at Colegio de Filipinas, Valladolid]