Documents of 1592

Opinions of the religious communities on the war with the Zambales.  Juan de Valderrama, and others; January 19-20.  Letter of congratulation to the bishop, clergy, and people of the Philippines.  Clement VIII; March 25.  Letter to Felipe II.  G.P.  Dasmarinas; May 31.  Rules for the Manila hospital.  G.P.  Dasmarinas; [May 31].  Expedition to Tuy. [Luis Perez Dasmarinas]; June 1.  Two letters to Felipe II.  G.P.  Dasmarinas; June 6, 11.  An embassy from Japan.  Hideyoshi, and others; 1591-92.  Three letters to Felipe II.  G.P.  Dasmarinas; June 20, July 6.  Luzon menaced by Japanese. [G.P.  Dasmarinas; 1592?].

Sources:  All these documents are obtained from original MSS. in the Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla.

Translations:  In the first document, the opinion of the Augustinians is translated by Joseph Fitzgerald; that of the Franciscans, by Victoria G. Peacock; the remainder, by James A. Robertson.  The second document is translated by Rev. T.C.  Middleton, O.S.A., Villanova College; the third, by Jose M. and Clara M. Asensio.  In the eighth document, the first letter is translated by Helen E. Thomas; the third, by Mary F. Foster.  The remaining documents of this group are translated by James A. Robertson.

Opinions of the Religious Communities upon Waging War with the Zambales

Opinion of the Augustinians

Your Lordship orders us to give our judgment whether it be lawful to make war on the Zambales, in view of the many injuries that they have been and daily are inflicting upon our people; and, if so be that the war is lawful and righteous, what measures may be taken to attain the end proposed therein, security.

In reply to this we say that, according to all the authorities, divines as well as canonists and jurists, three conditions are required in a war to make it a righteous one; and on these we will rest the justification of the war at present under consideration.

The first condition is that he who begins the war shall have authority; the second, just cause for making war; and third, righteous intention.

The first requires that he who begins the war and by whose order it is waged be a public person, as St Augustine declares, Contra Faustum Manichaeum; cited by Gratian (23 qu.  I. c. Quid culpatur):  Ordo naturalis mortalium paci accommodatus hoc poscit, ut susctpiendi belli authoritas atque consilium penes principes sit.  Whence it is clear, as St. Thomas says (2a 2ae, q. 40, art.  I), [10] that a private person cannot lawfully make war; for, if he is aggrieved, he should resort to his superior for satisfaction; and it is as little within the right of a private individual to collect such a body of men as is requisite to carry on a war.  The difficulty is to understand what is meant by “public person”