e crowing of the cock, and the laying time of the hens,
and several other enigmas which are still employed in the Tagalog
speech. To keep account of the changing of seasons, they knew when it
was winter or summer by the trees, and their leaves and fruit. They
knew of the division into months or years by moons. Consequently, in
order to designate the date of payment, they said "in so many moons,
in so many harvests, or in so many fruitings of such and such a
tree." These were the methods employed in their trading and government.

485. The days were reckoned by the name of the sun, namely, arao. Thus
the Tagalogs now reckon ysang arao, "one day;" dalauang arao, "two
[days]," and so on until they have the difference of weeks, which
they call by the name Domingo, saying "so many Domingos." [355] The
night is called gab-i; and the day arao, from the name of the sun. The
months were named and reckoned by the name of the moon, namely, bovan
in Tagalog. Thus did they divide the seasons after their own manner,
and in their own speech. Only there are no terms to indicate the
hours of the clock [in their speech]; and now the Castilian [names of]
hours are Tagalized, in order to indicate the hours of time. They call
the clock horasan, that is, "a thing in which one sees the hours;"
whether in its place or in the instrument made for it.

486. They expressed "the year" in their old speech by the word taon. It
is metaphorical, for it really means "the assembling of many," and
that they have joined together months to make one year. They had a
word to signify seasons and climates, namely panahon. But they never
knew the word "time" [tiempo], in its general sense, and there is
no proper Tagalog word for it; but they use the Spanish word only,
corrupted after their manner, for they make it tiyempo.

487. Their business and contracts were for the greater part illegal,
filled with usury, interest, and tricks; for each one thought only
of increasing his own profits, and paid no attention to his nearest
relatives. Consequently, loans with interest were very common and
generally practiced (and even yet this archipelago is not free from
this abuse, nor have the difficulties experienced in the confessional
ceased); and the interest increases to a very high figure, the debt
doubling and increasing for so long a time as the debt is delayed,
until it results that the debtor, his wealth, and his children, are
all slaves. Their general business was