with soldiers, collecting the tribute. The rest of the time they usually left the natives to themselves. There were a few just and kindly men, like Juan de Salcedo, who were loved by the natives they ruled. Many of the encomenderos, however, made the Filipinos pay a tax not only for themselves, but also for each of their children, and even for their slaves. Some natives did not marry on account of the burden of the tribute. Others killed their children to avoid the tax on them. Some burned their houses and fled to the mountains when the tax-collector

came.

Often the tax-collectors deceived the natives. The collector of Sagami, in Leyte, used a steel yard that required double the proper weight to weigh the tribute of wax. At times, instead of collecting the tax when rice or wax was plentiful and cheap, the encomendero waited till these articles were dear so he could sell them at a high price.

Early Revolts. The first insurrections against Spanish rule were caused by the hardships of the tribute which the encomenderos forced from the natives. In 1589 there were revolts in the Cagayan Valley and in Ilocos Norte, in which tax-collectors were killed.

The Protest of Rada. Father Rada, the provincial of the Augustinians, wrote to Governor Lavezaris, in 1574, to say that he and other friars thought it wrong to ask so much tribute of the natives. He said:

"Most of the owners of encomiendas have stocks in which they keep as prisoners the chiefs or freemen who do not supply the amount of tribute from their slaves when they themselves can not obtain it from the latter."

He said that the reason the friars consented to the encomienda system was, "To avoid greater injuries and robberies which are done without any remedy when there are no encomiendas."

Answer of Lavezaris.-The governor answered this protest by saying that the natives who did not pay the tax were too lazy to work, or that they spent their time in drunkenness and feasting. He also said that the increase of trade which the Spaniards brought had made the encomiendas a benefit to the natives. Above all, he said the encomiendas were necessary, because without them the soldiers would rob the natives. This shows us why one Filipino said he did not wish to become a Christian because there were Spanish soldiers in heaven.

King Philip Forbids Encomiendas. In 1574 Philip wrote to Governor Lavezaris :

"As for what you ask concerning encomiendas of Indians —namely, that you have them because you were discoverers of these Islands such a thing has appeared to me unsuitable."

Governor De Sande in 1576 ordered the encomenderos to

"hold those encomiendas as the royal property, make collections, and have the natives instructed in the teachings of our holy Catholic faith."

In spite of this decree the encomenderos continued their rule for fifty years longer. Only a portion of the encomiendas were transferred to the king.

Oppression of the Encomenderos.-The Council of Manila wrote to King Philip II. in 1586 about the encomenderos. They said:

"When gold is plentiful and reals are scarce they ask for reals; when the latter are plentiful and there is a scarcity of gold they ask for gold. When crops are plentiful they ask for money, but when not they ask for produce, such as rice

-even all that the Indians have. Thus where the tribute is eight reals, some collect fifteen and others twenty, twentyfive, thirty, and more. Through this the Indians endure so great oppression and distress that on this account several provinces have revolted, and others will not pay except by force and with much disturbance."

It was the duty of the encomenderos to see that their natives had religious instruction. Yet some of them let the people of their encomiendas live for twenty years without priests.

Progress of Religion. By 1586 over two hundred and fifty thousand Filipinos had become Christians, about one-half the total population of the Islands then. The friars had established monasteries in forty different places. Yet there were in this same year one hundred encomiendas. So it can

be seen that there were many who did not have religious teachers. The Council wrote to King Philip: