vast erudition,
for, having written your books, Retractationum, and Confesiones;
and since you are so different from your sons who try, when defending
themselves, to make black appear white, and white green, I will state
my complaints, so that you, as their Father, may put a stop to it all.

"'There exists on earth an unfortunate, who, amongst many foolish acts,
has committed the following:

"'1st. He holds solidary of all that I have said during my earthly
life, an Indian called Rizal, only because said Indian has quoted
my words in a book that he wrote. As you can see, should we follow
such a system of reasoning, Rizal would also agree with the views
expressed by friars, policemen, etc., and you, yourself, Holy Doctor,
would also be solidary of all that you ascribe to heretics, Pagans,
and above all, to Manichees.

"'2nd. He wants me to think as he himself does, since he quotes me
as saying 'The Bible and the Holy Gospel.' It may be well that he,
as all fanatics, should believe that these are one and the same
thing. But I, having studied the original Hebraic Bible, know,
that it does not contain the Gospel. That the Jewish Bible, being
a history of creation, treasure and patrimony of Jewish people,
the Jews, who do not accept the Gospel, should be authority. That as
the Latin translation is incorrect, the Catholics could not lay down
the Law, notwithstanding their habit of appropriating everything to
themselves, and of misconstruing to their advantage the translation of
the original text. Besides, the Gospels, with the exception of that
written by Saint Mathew, were written in Greek later than the Bible,
and conflict in every respect with the Law of Moses, as proved by the
enemity between Jews and Christians. How, then, could I, knowing all
this, express myself as a fanatic, or as an ignorant monk? I do not
exact from any monk the speech of a free-thinker and therefore, they
should not exact that I express myself as a monk would. Why do they
want me to consolidate under one name two distinct things, which, to
a certain extent contradict each other? Let the Christians do so, but
I must not, and cannot. If I call them separately, it is in accordance
with the thought inspiring two works, two legislations, two religions,
on which they want to found the Catholic Religion. Your son, moreover,
reasons finely, when he says: 'I did not know that the Gospels were
different from the Bible, and not a principal part of it.' Te