on, in speaking of him to a third
person calls him _ang amaco_, that is, "my father." But the son in
addressing his father directly does not call him _ama_, but _bapa_,
which is a more intimate and affectionate term; nor does he address
his mother as _ina_, but _bai_. On the other hand, the father and
mother in familiar intercourse call their sons, brothers, uncles,
and other near relatives, not by the common appellations of such
relationship, but by others more intimate and personal, which signify
a like connection. This is but another illustration of the fertility,
elegance and courtesy of the Tagal language, which we described in
chapter 16. The children of those natives were reared in such respect
and reverence for the names belonging to their parents that they
never called them by these, whether the parents were living or dead;
they believed, moreover, that if they uttered these names they would
fall dead, or become leprous.

At first, I was much often annoyed at these superstitions, because,
as I did not know the secret, I would upon occasions of affability
or flattery, or necessity or obligation, inquire of the son for
his father; and, as he gave me no answer, I remained confused and
abashed. But, with the aid of Divine grace, this and other bad
customs and errors were banished and forgotten; and we played a
game--our fathers, and the little children, and even the adults--in
which each one told the name of his father, I also telling them the
name of mine. Not only this, but anyone would name the parents of
another--a thing which they consider a great incivility and insult.

It is a general custom among all these nations not to have any special
family names, titles, or surnames; using, as I have before said, but
one appellation. Now, besides the Christian name, Juan or Pedro, they
use as a surname that which the mother gives them at birth--although
there are mothers so Christian and civilized that they will not use
this latter name, but prefer that both Christian name and surname be
conferred in baptism; this we often do. The wretched "Don" has filled
both men and women with such vanity that every one of them who has a
tolerably good opinion of himself must place this title before his
name; accordingly, there are even more Dons among them than among
our Spaniards.

The visit which the right reverend bishop of Sebu made to Bohol,
and the fervor and growth of those Christians. Chapter LXXXI.

The right re