11 December 1884

Manila

Manila, 1l December 1884

MY DEAR SON,

María[1] and I are at the house of our beloved and she is the one looking if my pen writes, on account of the weakness of my eyes.

Your Uncle Antonio read to me your two letters to him and I understood that you were resentful for not having received letters from us. Don’t expect me to write you often, for you know how difficult it is for me to do it.

You don’t know the sadness that I feel every time I hear about you from people with whom I talk, so that I request you again and again not to meddle in things that will distress me. Well, I leave it to you to take pity on me.

All of us were exceedingly happy about your graduation. At the same time I’m thanking our Lord for having bestowed on you an intelligence surpassing that of others.

I was going to write you then, but I could not do so on account of our numerous tasks and our care for the children, your nephews, who got sick and finally died, as your Aunt Betang wrote you.

Now, what I earnestly ask you, my son, first of all, is not to fail in your duties as a true Christian, which is sweeter to me than for you to become exceedingly learned, because learning sometimes leads us to greater dangers. Perhaps this will be my last letter to you, so that remember this very well, which is my greatest desire.

Your mother who wishes to embrace you soon and wishes you to be a good Christian.

Teodora Alonso de Rizal

Note:

This is the copy of your mother’s letter that I have copied, lest you may not understand some of the words in her letter, though neither do I have good penmanship nor is the letter well written, for I could not understand well some words whose meaning I don’t know. It is enclosed herewith.

Taimis

Mr. José Rizal y Mercado

Letter of your dear mother Mrs. Teodora Alonzo.

01-112 [Family]