After the islands had been conquered by the sovereign light of the
holy gospel which entered therein, the heathen were baptized, the
darkness of their paganism was banished, and they changed their own for
Christian names. The islands also, losing their former name, took--with
the change of religion and the baptism of their inhabitants--that
of Filipinas Islands, in recognition of the great favors received
at the hands of his Majesty Filipo the Second, our sovereign, in
whose fortunate time and reign they were conquered, protected, and
encouraged, as a work and achievement of his royal hands.

Their discovery, conquest, and conversion were not accomplished without
great expenditure, labor, and Spanish blood, with varying success,
and amid dangers: these things render the work more illustrious,
and furnish a spacious field of which historians may treat, for such
is their office. Certainly the subject matter is not scanty, and
contains both serious and pleasant elements sufficient to be worthy
of attention, so that it will not depreciate historians to treat of
Indian occurrences and wars, which those who have not experienced
undervalue. For the people of those regions are valiant and warlike
nations of Asia, who have been reared in continual warfare, both by
sea and by land, and who use artillery and other warlike implements,
which the necessity of defending themselves against great and powerful
neighboring kingdoms, taught them to use skilfully; and--although
somewhat imperfectly--they have gained dexterity and have completed
their education in the school of Espana, which recently brought war to
their gates--thus sharing the experience of other provinces of Europe,
who also had formerly been ignorant and careless of the use of arms.

Some painstaking persons, to whom--for lack of time and means--I have
given and delivered many papers and relations which I possessed, have