ages. For just as in the primitive multiplication of languages
which took place in the tower of Babel, the doctors observe that the
languages equaled the number of the families of the descendants of
Noah, so among the barbarous nations each one lives to itself alone
without any recognition of or subjection to public laws. They are
always having petty wars and dissensions among themselves; and, since
they lack communication, they forget the common language, and each
one has so corrupted its own language that it cannot understand the
others. We observed in some districts that one language was spoken at
the mouth of a river and another one at its source. That is a great
hindrance to the conversion and instruction of those peoples.

96. The polish and courtesy, especially of the Tagalogs and those
near them, in speech and writing are the same as those of very
civilized nations. They never say "tu" [i.e., "thou"] or speak in the
second person, singular or plural, but always in the third person:
[thus], "The chief would like this or that." Especially a woman when
addressing a man, even though they be equal and of the middle class,
never say less than "Sir" or "Master," and that after every word:
"When I was coming, sir, up the river, I saw, sir, etc." In writing
they make constant use of very fine and delicate expressions of regard,
and beauties and courtesy. Their manner of salutation when they met one
another was the removal of the potong, which is a cloth like a crown,
worn as we wear the hat. When an inferior addressed one of higher rank,
the courtesy used by him was to incline his body low, and then lift
one or both hands to the face, touch the cheeks with it, and at the
same time raise one of the feet in the air by doubling the knee, and
then seating oneself. The method of doing it was to fix the sole of
the feet firmly, and double both knees, without touching the ground,
keeping the body upright and the face raised. They bent in this manner
with the head uncovered and the potong thrown over the left shoulder
like a towel; they had to wait until they were questioned, for it
would be bad breeding to say anything until a question was asked.

97. The method of giving names was the following. As soon as a
child was born, it was the mother's business to name it. Generally
the occasion or motive of the name was taken from some one of the
circumstances which occurred at the time. For example, Maliuag, which
means "difficult,"