other near relatives, not by the common appellations of such relationship, but by others more intimate and personal, which signify a like connection.  This is but another illustration of the fertility, elegance and courtesy of the Tagal language, which we described in chapter 16.  The children of those natives were reared in such respect and reverence for the names belonging to their parents that they never called them by these, whether the parents were living or dead; they believed, moreover, that if they uttered these names they would fall dead, or become leprous.

At first, I was much often annoyed at these superstitions, because, as I did not know the secret, I would upon occasions of affability or flattery, or necessity or obligation, inquire of the son for his father; and, as he gave me no answer, I remained confused and abashed.  But, with the aid of Divine grace, this and other bad customs and errors were banished and forgotten; and we played a game—­our fathers, and the little children, and even the adults—­in which each one told the name of his father, I also telling them the name of mine.  Not only this, but anyone would name the parents of another—­a thing which they consider a great incivility and insult.

It is a general custom among all these nations not to have any special family names, titles, or surnames; using, as I have before said, but one appellation.  Now, besides the Christian name, Juan or Pedro, they use as a surname that which the mother gives them at birth—­although there are mothers so Christian and civilized that they will not use this latter name, but prefer that both Christian name and surname be conferred in baptism; this we often do.  The wretched “Don” has filled both men and women with such vanity that every one of them who has a tolerably good opinion of himself must place this title before his name; accordingly, there are even more Dons among them than among our Spaniards.

The visit which the right reverend bishop of Sebu made to Bohol, and the fervor and growth of those Christians.  Chapter LXXXI.

The right reverend bishop of Sebu, in the course of his visits among his flocks, determined to go for this purpose to the island of Bohol—­which, as we have said, is about eight leguas to the south of the island of Sebu—­taking as his companion Father Francisco Gonzalez of our Society.  We learned of the outcome of this visit through that father’s account of it in one of his letters, as follows:  “I think that your Reverence knows of the visit which his Lordship made to the island of Bohol; but, as it was my lot to accompany him, I shall relate to your Reverence, if only in outline, something of what befell us there.  He visited in the island of Bohol eight villages which are instructed by the fathers of the Society, and confirmed therein three thousand Christians, spending about twenty days in the visit.  Most remarkable was the fervor which resulted from it, for the Christians made excellent