the natives did not adorn themselves with titles; but now "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 bishop of Cebú visits the island of Bohol, accompanied by a
Jesuit missionary who briefly relates something of their experiences
in this journey. The bishop confirms, in the Jesuit missions, about
three thousand Christians, and wins their hearts by his paternal
love and benevolence. The fervor of these converts is very great,
and even the little children are full of zeal to learn the Christian
doctrine. The people are all well disposed toward the faith, and
"the whole island would now be converted" if they had missionaries to
give them instruction. There are islets adjacent to Bohol, where the
people are going to hell for lack of religious aid; but the Jesuits
cannot take care of them for lack of ministers. This difficulty is
especially encountered in the island of Samar; a journey of Father
Juan de Torres to a needy mission station is described at some
length. At Catubig a flourishing mission is established (1601);
the headman of that village is converted, and shows his faith by
many pious works. Various instances of encounters with crocodiles,
and some miraculous deliverances from danger or death, are related
as occurring at Catubig. Chirino closes his narrative with an appeal
for more laborers to be sent to the Philippines, as a field where so
great a harvest of souls awaits them.

Permission is given (February 23, 1604) for the Augustinian Recollects
to establish themselves in the Philippines. On June 3 the king sends
orders to Acuña to repress the high-handed proceedings of some of the