The Reign of Greed

The Reign of Greed - El
Filibusterismo

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Title: The Reign of Greed El Filibusterismo
Author: Jose Rizal
Release Date: January 11, 2004 [EBook #10676]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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REIGN OF GREED ***

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THE REIGN OF GREED
A Complete English Version of El Filibusterismo from the Spanish of
José Rizal
By
Charles Derbyshire
1912

Translator's Introduction
El Filibusterismo, the second of José Rizal's novels of Philippine life, is

a story of the last days of the Spanish régime in the Philippines. Under
the name of The Reign of Greed it is for the first time translated into
English. Written some four or five years after Noli Me Tangere, the
book represents Rizal's more mature judgment on political and social
conditions in the islands, and in its graver and less hopeful tone reflects
the disappointments and discouragements which he had encountered in
his efforts to lead the way to reform. Rizal's dedication to the first
edition is of special interest, as the writing of it was one of the grounds
of accusation against him when he was condemned to death in 1896. It
reads:
"To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old),
Don José Burgos (30 years old), and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old).
Executed in Bagumbayan Field on the 28th of February, 1872.
"The Church, by refusing to degrade you, has placed in doubt the crime
that has been imputed to you; the Government, by surrounding your
trials with mystery and shadows, causes the belief that there was some
error, committed in fatal moments; and all the Philippines, by
worshiping your memory and calling you martyrs, in no sense
recognizes your culpability. In so far, therefore, as your complicity in
the Cavite mutiny is not clearly proved, as you may or may not have
been patriots, and as you may or may not have cherished sentiments for
justice and for liberty, I have the right to dedicate my work to you as
victims of the evil which I undertake to combat. And while we await
expectantly upon Spain some day to restore your good name and cease
to be answerable for your death, let these pages serve as a tardy wreath
of dried leaves over your unknown tombs, and let it be understood that
every one who without clear proofs attacks your memory stains his
hands in your blood!
J. Rizal."
A brief recapitulation of the story in Noli Me Tangere (The Social
Cancer) is essential to an understanding of such plot as there is in the
present work, which the author called a "continuation" of the first story.
Juan Crisostomo Ibarra is a young Filipino, who, after studying for
seven years in Europe, returns to his native land to find that his father, a
wealthy landowner, has died in prison as the result of a quarrel with the
parish curate, a Franciscan friar named Padre Damaso. Ibarra is
engaged to a beautiful and accomplished girl, Maria Clara, the

supposed daughter and only child of the rich Don Santiago de los
Santos, commonly known as "Capitan Tiago," a typical Filipino
cacique, the predominant character fostered by the friar régime.
Ibarra resolves to forego all quarrels and to work for the betterment of
his people. To show his good intentions, he seeks to establish, at his
own expense, a public school in his native town. He meets with
ostensible support from all, especially Padre Damaso's successor, a
young and gloomy Franciscan named Padre Salvi, for whom Maria
Clara confesses to an instinctive dread.
At the laying of the corner-stone for the new schoolhouse a suspicious
accident, apparently aimed at Ibarra's life, occurs, but the festivities
proceed until the dinner, where Ibarra is grossly and wantonly insulted
over the memory of his father by Fray Damaso. The young man loses
control of himself and is about to kill the friar, who is saved by the
intervention of Maria Clara.
Ibarra is excommunicated, and Capitan Tiago, through his fear of the
friars, is forced to break the engagement and agree to the marriage of
Maria Clara with a young and inoffensive Spaniard provided by Padre
Damaso. Obedient to her reputed father's command and influenced by
her mysterious dread of Padre Salvi, Maria Clara consents to this
arrangement, but becomes seriously ill, only to be saved by medicines
sent secretly by Ibarra and