Note 4 — Two Letters from Gomez Perez Dasmariñas to Felipe II

It has been generally supposed that the first book printed in the Philippines was the Arte y reglas de la lengua Tagala (Bataan, 1610). J.T. Medina cites the Historia eclesiastica of Fray Alonso Fernandez (Toledo, 1611—but he cites p. 100 of edition of 1693), to show that in 1602 a book was published at Manila concerning Our Lady of the Rosary. But this letter of Dasmariñas proves conclusively that printing in the islands goes back to at least as early a date as 1593. It was published by Retana in Política de España en Filipinas (October 23, 1899); and in part by Medina, who conjectures that the “Christian Doctrine” there mentioned was composed by Fray Juan de Plasencia. Aduarte states explicitly (Historia, ed. 1640, i, p. 108, and ii, p. 16) that the first printer in the islands was Juan de Vera, a Chinese convert, in the Dominican convent at Manila; and that he was incited to do this work by the Dominican friar Francisco de San Joseph. But he also states that the latter came to the Philippines with Benavides (1595). For further accounts of printing in the islands, see Medina's Imprenta en Manila (Santiago de Chile, 1896), pp. v–lxxvi; Retana's Zúñiga, ii, pp. 93*–100*; and Middleton's Notes on Bibliography of Philippines (Philadelphia, 1900), pp. 27—37.