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Title: The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume XXXI, 1640
Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the
islands and their peoples, their history and records of
the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books
and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial
and religious conditions of those islands from their
earliest relations with European nations to the close of
the nineteenth century
Author: Diego Aduarte
Editor: Emma Helen Blair
James Alexander Robertson
Release Date: March 24, 2013 [EBook #42399]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ***
Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed
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Gutenberg.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898
Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and
their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions,
as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the
political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those
islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the
close of the nineteenth century,
Volume XXXI, 1640
Edited and annotated by Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson
with historical introduction and additional notes by Edward Gaylord
Bourne.
The Arthur H. Clark Company
Cleveland, Ohio
MCMV
CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXXI
Preface 9
Historia de la provincia del Sancto Rosario de la Orden
de Predicadores (continued)
Diego Aduarte, O.P.; Manila, 1640 23
Bibliographical Data 301
ILLUSTRATIONS
Title-page of Historia de la provincia del Santo Rosario
de Filipinas, tomo primero, by Diego Aduarte, O.P.
(Zaragoca, 1693); photographic facsimile from copy in
library of Harvard University 21
Map showing portions of Cochinchina and the Philippine
Islands; photographic facsimile of Dutch parchment MS.
map (in colors; undated, but of eighteenth century), in
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris 177
Map of Ituy and other provinces in northern Luzón, ca.
1641; photographic facsimile from original MS. map in
Archivo general de Indias, Sevilla 289
PREFACE
The present volume is devoted to a further installment of Aduarte's
Historia, begun in Vol. XXX--which work will be completed in our
next issue. The part here given covers the years 1596 to 1608 in the
history of the Dominican order in the Philippines.
Resuming Aduarte's account of the missions carried on by his order
among the Indians of Cagayán, in northern Luzón, the pious and
devout acts of their converts, and the joy and gratitude of the
religious thereat, are recounted at length. In 1596, news comes to
the islands of the death of Bishop Salazar in Spain. Aduarte describes
in detail the life, achievements, and virtues of that prelate. He was
distinguished--not only in the Philippines, but during a long residence
in Nueva España--as the friend and protector of the Indian natives. His
mode of life was most simple and austere; he was charitable and
generous to the full extent of his limited means. By nature choleric
and quick-tempered, he trained himself to patience and forbearance;
and the slanders of the evil-minded against him only roused his
compassion. He was public-spirited, and foremost in all enterprises
for the good of the community. To him are attributed the royal grant
to the Jesuits for maintaining a school, and the establishment and
much of the endowment of the hospital for sick Indians.
Bishop Salazar's journey to Spain enables him to secure for
his cathedral important aid, and the division of his diocese,
so that its manifold duties may be more satisfactorily performed;
soon afterward, he dies at Madrid. During his absence, his see is
directed by his vicar-general, Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, to
an account of whose exemplary life, valuable labors, and apostolic
virtues a chapter is devoted. He protects the Indians, and does much
to reform the morals of the Spaniards. Among other things, he compels
the Chinese to cease such of their theatrical performances as contain
idolatrous and superstitious matter; and obliges the Spaniards to give
up attendance at these comedies. It is he who begins the spiritual
conquest of the Cagayán region, and he goes on other expeditions;
and he assumes charge of the Bataán mission until missionaries come
for that field. At his death, he appoints two Dominicans to assume his
duties as vicar-general; but they are so opposed by the ecclesiastical
cabildo that they resign the office to the latter. Next comes a
biographical sketch of the younger Juan de Castro, who is assigned
to the toilsome and difficult mission of Pangasinán. In December,
1593, he accompanies an embassy to China; on the return voyage, the
ship is wrecked. Castro escapes to land, but soon afterward dies as
a result of the shock and exposure thus suffered.
Aduarte recounts, with much detail, the expedition of 1596 to Cambodia,
which is accompanied by himself and another Dominican, Fray Alonso
Ximenez. Velloso's junk is driven ashore by a storm, and the men, after
much privation and suffering, make it over into a shallow oared vessel,
and row along the coast in search of water and inhabited places. When
reduced to the last extremity, they accidentally find fresh water,
and thus are saved, finally making their way to a fort where some
Cambojan soldiers are stationed. From these the Spaniards learn that
the king who was friendly to them has been driven out by a usurper,
and that one of their consorts in the Spanish fleet has reached that
country. They join this ship, and soon afterward, learning that the
king is plotting to destroy them all, and coming to blows with the
Chinese traders who have come to Chordemuco, the Spaniards attack
the Cambojans at night and defeat them, killing the usurper of that
throne. The Spanish commander Gallinato arrives, and decides to
return to Manila; but contrary winds force them to land at Malaca,
after twice encountering enemies. Nearly a year later, they succeed
in reaching Manila, without other result of their journey "but that
of having suffered for the gospel."
In 1596, Fray Bernardo de Santa Catharina is elected provincial; under
his rule, the conversion of the natives greatly increases. A new band
of missionaries arrives soon afterward, most of whom go to the Cagayán
field. In Cambodia Velloso and Blas Ruiz, Spanish adventurers, have
aided the lawful king to regain his throne, and they persuade him to
send to Manila requesting soldiers and the return of the two Dominican
friars. Luis Pérez Dasmariñas offers to make this expedition at his own
cost, and Aduarte and Ximenez accompany him. A fierce storm scatters
the ships; that of Dasmariñas is driven upon the coast of China,
and that in which Aduarte sails is wrecked on one of the Babuyanes
group. He sends word of this misfortune to Manila; the governor orders
the Spaniards to proceed to China, on which coast they again suffer
shipwreck, but find Dasmariñas--who has met a like disaster there,
and is enduring great privations. Aduarte has meanwhile returned
to Manila; but word of Dasmariñas's misfortune reaches that place,
and Governor Tello sends him a ship with aid, and orders to return at
once to Manila. Aduarte accompanies this vessel. He goes to Canton,
to obtain the viceroy's permission for Dasmariñas's return to Manila;
but there falls into the hands of a greedy and corrupt official, who,
thinking to extort money from the friar, has him tortured. Finally,
Aduarte is placed in prison with the Spanish sailors, but is soon
bailed out by a Chinese friend. He makes his escape, and joins
Dasmariñas; the latter returns to Manila, but Aduarte's health is
so injured that he is obliged to halt at Macao. Fray Alonso Ximenez
dies at that place, as a result of his hardships and sufferings in
the Camboja expedition; a sketch of his life and virtues is given.
In 1597 another mission arrives at the islands, with Bishop
Benavides. The intermediate chapter of the Dominican province is in
session, and the new arrivals are therefore assigned to the needy
missions; various incidents in those of Cagayán and Pangasinan
are related. Biographical sketches of Antonio de Soria and other
pioneer missionaries are given. Two of these are sent (1598) on a
politico-religious mission to Camboja, with a Spanish officer named
Mendoza; they are attacked by Malays, and most of the Spaniards
are slain. The rest escape to Siam, but are attacked there also,
with further loss of life. Among the dead are the two Dominicans
and Mendoza.
At the chapter-session of 1600, Juan de Santo Thomas is elected
provincial. The Cagayán missions are extended further into the
interior; and the religious zealously pursue and destroy any trace
of idol-worship. At the intermediate chapter of 1602, the house of
San Juan del Monte, without the city, is established as a retreat for
convalescent brethren of the order. At that time occurs a miraculous
healing of a friar possessed by an evil spirit; also, a large band of
missionaries arrives from Spain, being divinely aided to escape various
dangers of pestilence and shipwreck. With these friars all the convents
in the province are supplied, and some even go to Japan. Aduarte
explains the reason for Dominican missionaries being called to that
country, and describes their first establishment, which is in Satsuma.
In 1603 the new king of Camboja asks the Manila government for soldiers
and missionaries. Three Dominicans are sent, with a few soldiers as
guards, and letters to the king. They are well received; but two
of them die, and the factions in that country and the fickleness
of the natives induce the remaining friar to return to Manila. In
April, 1604, occurs the great conflagration in Manila, and, in the
succeeding autumn, the revolt and massacre of the Chinese in and near
that city--which have been fully described in previous volumes.
At the chapter of 1604, Fray Miguel de San Jacinto is elected
provincial, and several new churches in heathen communities are
received. These are supplied with ministers from a new company that
arrives that year from Spain. Some account is given of the journey
of these friars, with its hardships and dangers--among these being
an attack made upon them by hostile Indians at Guadalupe Island,
in which six friars are slain and three wounded. Many of these new
missionaries are sent to the Cagayán missions--some to the Itaves
Indians, who were considered fierce and untamable by the Spaniards
(some of whom, having oppressed the natives, were slain by them)
until "the holy gospel declared by the Dominican religious changed
them from bloodthirsty wolves to gentle sheep." Aduarte declares
that wonderful results were thus achieved, rendering those Indians
moral and obedient, and achieving this entirely by kindness and
gentleness. The Indians even consent to change their abodes to the
mission reductions. The fathers are almost worn out by these tasks,
and one dies; but they are encouraged by the wonderful results of
their labor and by miracles which the Lord vouchsafes them.
Aduarte presents a long biographical account of Archbishop Benavides,
Salazar's immediate successor. He is distinguished in Spain, both
as a student and as an instructor. Coming to the Philippines, he
immediately undertakes to learn the Chinese language, that he may
minister to the men of that nation who come to Manila; and founds
a hospital for the poor sick Chinese there. Benavides goes to China
(as previously narrated), and afterward to Spain. There he does good
service in refuting the opinion prevalent there that conquest must
precede conversion, and soldiers clear the way for missionaries. He
also procures the recall of a papal brief authorizing the bishops to
visit the friars in charge of the Indians, the same as if they were
parish priests; and accomplishes other important business, especially
in behalf of the Indians, winning golden opinions of his abilities,
good judgment, and virtue. Returning to the islands, Benavides takes
charge of the diocese of Nueva Segovia, where he labors zealously
for the moral improvement of the Spaniards, but most of all for the
protection of the Indians from Spanish rapacity. After Salazar's
death, Benavides takes charge of the vacant see, and is finally
appointed archbishop; but his mode of life is always as simple and
austere as that of the poorest friar, and he spends all his income in
almsgiving. At his death, he bequeaths the little that he possesses to
his brethren, for the founding of a college at Manila. Biographical
accounts of other friars are presented. One of these, Jacinto Pardo,
dies suddenly, it is supposed from poison given him by hostile
Indians. Another, Juan de la Cruz, is a notable linguist.
In 1605, a papal brief (obtained by the Jesuits) forbids any religious
to go to Japan except by way of India; but it is revoked three years
later. This, in the interim, causes the friar orders much trouble;
and Japan, moreover, is greatly unsettled and disturbed by various
political matters. In 1606 an intermediate chapter is held at Manila,
at which the religious of the order are directed to collect materials
(of which Aduarte has availed himself) for a history of the Dominican
province. The great victory of Acuña at Maluco, which occurs about
that time, is ascribed to the agency of our Lady of the Rosary,
to whom the Dominicans have a special devotion; a confraternity in
her honor had been founded in Acuña's army, and the captured town is
dedicated to her. In this same year, another company of religious
arrives from Spain; one dies before reaching Manila. At this time,
a Dominican mission is established in the province of Hizen, Japan.
In 1605 the mission in Pangasinan is extended to the village of
Manáoag, farther inland; and, "within a few months, there was not a
heathen in the village." A chief in a neighboring village is also
converted, to whom a miracle occurs. In 1607, two new churches
are established in Cagayán. In Nalfotan the Indians, led by their
excellent chief, build a church even before a missionary is sent to
them; and all is prospering when a priestess of the old idols stirs
up the people, against the new faith, and the villagers take to the
hills. Later, they burn the church; but the good chief saves the
missionary's life. Another revolt occurs in that province, caused
by the cruelty of an encomendero. Troops are sent from Manila; their
commander finds that the Indians had cause for revolt, and sends the
people of Nalfotan home with their pastor. This mission prospers, and
the chief is its mainstay during his life--a function long continued
by his pious sister.
The provincial chosen in 1608 is Baltasar Fort. Some account is given
of the persecution of Christians in Japan; they are banished from
Satsuma, but many find shelter in Nagasaki. The Dominicans accomplish
much in Hizen. They also extend their missionary labors among the wild
mountaineers of northern Luzón, gathering many scattered hamlets into
larger villages, and converting many of their heathen inhabitants. In
Ituy they attempt to open a mission, but the Franciscans claim that
as their territory; the Dominicans yield, but regret to see these
Indians abandoned soon afterward by their Franciscan teachers. In 1609
the general of their order commands the provincials of the mission
provinces to report every year the work and achievements of the
missionaries, with information regarding the numbers and condition of
the order in each province. Several friars die in that year, of whom
biographical sketches are presented. One of these, Pedro Rodriguez,
has rendered special and distinguished service in the hospital for
Chinese at Manila.
The Editors
August, 1905.
HISTORIA DE LA PROVINCIA DEL
SANCTO ROSARIO DE LA ORDEN
DE PREDICADORES
(Continued)
By Diego Aduarte, O.P.; Manila, 1640.
Source: Translated from a copy of the above work in the
possession of Edward E. Ayer, Chicago.
Translation: This is made by Henry B. Lathrop, of the University
of Wisconsin. The present instalment covers pp. 167-384 of book i
of the Historia (which will be concluded in Vol. XXXII).
HISTORY OF THE DOMINICAN PROVINCE OF THE HOLY ROSARY
By Fray Diego Aduarte, O.P.
(Continued)
CHAPTER XXXVIII
The advance made by the Indians of this province in virtue, and their
attendance upon the sacraments
Even if the religious in this province of Nueva Segovia had done
no other good than bringing to an end or preventing so many sins of
idolatry as these Indians used to commit, every day and every hour,
by adoring the devil and offering him superstitious reverence in
all the ways which have already been described, a very great service
indeed would have been done to the Lord, to whom all such actions as
these are directly offensive. In these idolatrous acts His honor is
taken from Him, and His divine supremacy is overthrown and given to
His greatest enemy. To prevent one of these offenses to God would be
of much more merit than to prevent any homicide whatsoever, for that
is a direct offense only against a man; while idolatry is directly
against God, and takes from Him His divine honor, which is much more
valuable than the life of a man. If this be true, how high is the
merit of having prevented the innumerable acts of idolatry which used
to be committed daily by those Indians, and having brought to an end
the multitude of sins which followed upon this one--constant wars,
murders, robberies, drunkennesses which surpassed one another, lewd
actions, and all the other vices which were committed--without the
rulers of those people concerning themselves the least in them or
punishing them, except when they personally were wronged. And this
they did, not out of zeal for justice, but as their personal act of
revenge, so that they sinned more in the excess of the punishment
than the delinquents had sinned in the faults for which they were
punished. Now all these evils came to an end, as the result of the
preaching of the religious, to the great glory of God. Hence, if they
had done no more than this, very great indeed would the service have
been which thereby they wrought and continue to work for the Creator of
all and the universal Lord. But this was not all; for when these evil
growths had been rooted out, there were planted in the hearts of these
Indians the opposite virtues. By the aid of the Lord they began so
soon to bear flowers and fruit that the first bishop of this province,
Don Fray Miguel de Venavides, a holy and most learned prelate, wrote
to his Holiness Clement VIII, who at that time governed the church,
the following report, in which he gives a faithful account of the
establishment of his bishopric, with the accuracy to which his office
and dignity obliged him. "This province," he says, "is very new in the
preaching of the gospel, for it is only three years since there were
ministers of the Order of St. Dominic in it. Before that time there
used to be seen now and then a priest in the place where the Spaniards
lived. As for preaching to the Indians, there was no idea of such a
thing. This province is very near Great China, being distant from it
less than seventy leguas; so that now the faith of the Lord appears
to be approaching their powerful and great kingdom. The native race
of the province is a very spirited one, whom it has cost the Spaniards
many efforts and the lives of many men to subdue. As soon as the Order
of St. Dominic came into this region, they immediately went to live
among the Indians; and they built their churches and houses, which
were more like huts built to last two days. They employed upon them
very few laborers, and had no teacher or journeymen. The Indians would
have died before they admitted them to their villages (and, as it was,
there was some difficulty about it), if the good name of those who had
been in Pangasinan had not reached these Indians also--who in this way
learned how the religious treated the Indians as if they were their
own children, and defended them against those who wronged them. When
they began to consider the mode of life followed by the religious,
their patience and labors, their avoidance of flesh food, their many
fasts, continual prayers, great poverty--for the poverty of the Order
of St. Dominic here is very great--and the gentleness and love with
which they treated the natives, God was pleased that in those villages
where there are missionary religious, all the inhabitants desired
to be Christians. They have not only become very devout toward God,
but very friendly to the Spaniards; thus the religious have put peace
and security where they were not before. As a result, in regions where
soldiers and garrisons used to be necessary, there now are none, and
the country is very peaceful. Every evening the men gather together and
recite prayers before a cross, which is usually set up in the plaza
of the village, the women doing the same by themselves in another
place. Baptisms in the heathen villages are constantly increasing,
while those for whom there are not missionaries enough ask for them
with all their hearts, and are so desirous to become Christians that
we ought therefore to offer thanks to God. [Some chiefs invited the
missionaries to their village, saying that they all wished to become
Christians. A Spaniard who had command in one village where they were
building a church, directed the soldiers to interfere with the work,
which would have injured his private interests; but within a short
time all those men died horribly. The fathers drive out devils from
those who are possessed by them. It is only for lack of missionaries
that the whole country is not filled with churches."
The report is very short, and it is therefore necessary for us to
expand upon it, making use of the reports of the founders and first
missionaries themselves. In addition to what has already been said,
they report as follows. Great as was the labor of bringing these souls
from darkness to light, they have come to understand their duties,
worshiping the Lord with great devotion, and regularly attending
His holy sacraments. They go beyond the commandments of God and of
His church to do additional works of devotion--especially the women,
for they can more easily come to be instructed, and can more easily
do what they are told, as they are less occupied than the men are with
things to distract their minds and thoughts. Some of them are so devout
that they walk always in the presence of God, doing nothing without
an inward prayer to Him. In Tular, or Abulug, a village of more than
a thousand inhabitants, in which there were more communicants than
in the other villages, the religious taught many of them to strive to
meditate every day upon some of the mysteries of the rosary. This was
an exercise to which the first founder of the province, father Fray
Juan de Castro, was very much given, and in which many of his disciples
and subjects have followed him. Thus these Indians day by day meditate
upon one after another of the fifteen mysteries of the rosary. Other
Indians lay aside part of their daily food for charity. Bringing
about these results requires from the minister much labor, teaching,
assistance, perseverance, and prayer; for without these there is very
little or nothing that they can do of themselves, without books or
any other guide to direct them. As it is, the Indians have advanced
wonderfully--visiting and caring for their sick, especially when
they are poor; taking discipline at night in their houses; fasting
beyond what they are required; frequenting the churches; and offering
their prayers at dawn and at evening. There were some of them who,
at the very beginning of their Christian career, went through the
fields looking for the little children of poor people who could not
take them to town; and, bringing these to be baptized, they acted as
their sponsors, making gifts to them afterward of swaddling-clothes
or some such thing. Heavy as are the labors of the religious, their
joy in them is still greater.
Very great difficulty was found, at first, in bringing the Indians
to confess. They regarded it as a shameful thing for them to report
to the confessor all the evil things they had done and thought, and
they also feared to give the religious power to annoy or blame them by
means of their confession. "When a dozen persons were gathered together
for their first confession, there was not one of them who was willing
to begin, for everyone wished the other to make the experiment. At
last the fathers summoned an Indian who came from Pangasinan, and
who had longer been a Christian and was better acquainted with the
fathers. The Indians asked him many questions about the matter,
all of which he answered well, encouraging them greatly; he told
them that in his country the Christians confessed without any evil
results following. At last one Indian woman, more courageous than
the rest, ventured to go to make her confession where the father
was patiently waiting in the church--commending the matter to God
with all his heart, because it was very plain that the hesitation
of the Indians was on account of the fear they felt. She confessed,
went away very well satisfied, and, returning to the rest, told them
what had happened. They asked her a thousand new questions, especially
if the father was angry when she told her sins, and whether he had
scolded her. She answered 'No,' and that, on the contrary, he had
treated her very kindly and lovingly; so they all determined to make
their confessions, and began them heartily." So they come now and make
their confessions; and in general it is not necessary to summon them,
for they anticipate the confessors, and sometimes even beg that their
confessions may be heard, as a penance. They showed the greatest faith
and sincerity in their confessions, striving to be reconciled with all
their enemies before making their confession. The religious generally
encouraged them to make their confessions on the day of their patron
saint; and one Indian woman, named for St. Anne, was unwilling to
confess on that saint's day. When the father asked her the reason,
she answered that she had had a quarrel with one of her neighbors,
and that they did not speak to each other; and she begged the father
to reconcile them. After he had done that, she very readily made her
confession. It frequently happens that a man accused in a court of
law denies the accusation, and that the religious is unable to draw
anything else from him; while in confession the same man will clearly
accuse himself of the same fault which he had previously denied, and
will deny again if the same question is asked him on another trial. It
not infrequently happens that if they have any ill-will against the
religious, or have said anything against him, they confess to that
very man, telling him of the ill-will that they have felt against him.]
CHAPTER XXXIX
The devotion with which these Indians approached the holy communion,
and some events which give much glory to the Lord.
[Since the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist is so high and
difficult a thing to teach a people whose heathen state makes them
opposed to ideas so lofty, the religious in this region spend a great
deal of effort upon teaching the Indians this supreme mystery.] At
first, only very few and very carefully chosen persons were admitted
to the communion, according to the ordinance of a provincial council
of Lima, confirmed by the Apostolic See, which in Act ii, chapter
20, says, [1] Precepit sancta sinodus parochis, ceterisque Indorum
praedicatoribus, ut saepe ac serio, de fide huius mysterii eos
instituant; and, later, Quos autem parochus, et satis instructus,
et correctione vitae idoneos iudicaverit, iis saltem in paschate,
Eucharistiam administrare non praetermittat. It is true that the
Indians of these regions have much greater capacity than those of Peru,
of whom this council spoke; yet because they were so new in the faith,
and so badly fitted by their ancient customs for this supreme mystery,
the holy communion is not given to them indifferently at Easter, but
is given to those whom the minister judges to be properly prepared. At
the beginning, greater attention and caution were necessary. Hence,
after they had been thoroughly instructed in the mysteries of the
faith, and in particular in the doctrine of this holy mystery,
and when they showed a desire to receive the holy communion, they
were examined as to their lives, habits, and reputation, the most
credible witnesses in the village being called in to testify. If
they were found prepared, they were admitted to this supreme meal,
to this holy table. A week before they communicated, unless they
were occupied--and they generally gave up their occupations for this
purpose--they went to church and heard spiritual addresses every
day. [On these days they prepared themselves with more than ordinary
prayer, and rose at midnight to pray and to take their discipline. If
they were married, they separated their beds at least on the eve
and the day of the communion. Many of the men went to the convent,
and followed the hours with the religious. On the day of receiving
communion, they followed the same customs as did the members of our
order, dedicating the whole day to God, and keeping in it the silence
which we observe in our convents on the day when those religious who
are not priests communicate. They were taught to say something after
mass in order to give thanks to the Lord; for since they cannot read,
and have no books, the ministers have to teach them everything of
this kind--especially at the beginning, for afterward there are many
of them who teach the others. At the same time, they receive what the
minister tells them with greater respect. Many extraordinary examples
of piety have been exhibited by the communicants.] In the village
of Pata there was an Indian chief, a man of great valor, named Don
Francisco Yringan, of whom mention has several times been made. He,
being governor there, had as a guest in his house a Spaniard who
was traveling that way. He treated him kindly and entertained him as
well as he could. The guest, not being content with this, asked him
to find an Indian woman, that he might sleep with her; and gave him
some trinkets with which to gratify her. But the Indian refused to
accept them and to do what the Spaniard asked him, saying that this
was wicked and that no one ought to do such a thing, least of all a
communicant. This was a reply with which the old Christian ought to
have been put to confusion, and which should have made him correct
his desires; but it was not so; on the contrary, he grew angry at
the answer, and threatened to cane the Indian unless he did what
he was told. The Indian turned his back and bending his head said,
"Give me as much of a caning as you please, for I am not going to do
what you ask." The Spaniard was so intemperate and discourteous that
he vented his anger upon him and caned him, the Indian suffering with
great patience, as if he had received from God not only faith in Him,
but the power of suffering because he refused to offend Him. This is
a grace which the Apostle praises, urging the Philippians to esteem
it highly; and now it was found in a Philippine Indian. The Indian
who suffered this was a man who could have employed lawyers against
him who wronged him, though he was alone; and, if he had shouted to
his followers, they would have cut the Spaniard to pieces. But, as he
was a communicant, he would neither be an accomplice in the sin of the
Spaniard, nor would he avenge himself; nor would he even make use of
a just defense, as was taught in the counsel of Paul quoted above,
Non vos defendentes carissimi [i.e., "Not defending yourselves,
beloved"]. On another occasion when a great insult was offered to
this same Indian, a religious comforted him and encouraged him to
patience. The Indian answered: "O father, how good it would be if we
all served God with truth. If it were so, that wrong which has been
done to me would not have been done. If this thing had happened in
the days of our heathendom, it would have sufficed to cause me and
my followers to make war to the death against this town; but now that
we are Christians, patience!" He said nothing more and uttered not a
word of indignation, but passed over his sufferings and endured the
insult, although he felt it keenly and was ashamed (though in a very
Christian manner). Thus he gave proof that his virtue was enduring,
because such a blow could not overthrow it. There was one poor Indian
slave woman whom a Spaniard, who had communicated a few days before
in that village, tried to violate. She resisted him with spirit; and,
as if horrified at the lack of respect which by his actions he showed
to the Lord, whom he had received, she said to him: "How is it that,
being a communicant, you dare to commit such a sin?" In this way may
be seen how some of the new Christians surpass others who are old
in the faith, going beyond them in virtue, devotion, and the fear
of God. [In the village of Masi, which is near to that of which we
have been speaking, there was an Indian, a communicant, the fiscal
of the church, who was of blameless life. His name was Sebastian
Calelao. His sown rice had not sprouted on account of the drought;
but, in response to his prayers, God sent rain so that his crop
was saved. In Pilitan there was an Indian woman, named Ysabel Pato,
a faithful Christian. When she was about to receive the viaticum,
the priest found that the Lord had anticipated him. Other marvels and
instances of virtue have been exhibited among these Indians.] Some
Indian women accused themselves of having eaten buyos on fast-days,
but not on Fridays. When the confessor asked them if they had
fasted on other days than Friday--for the Indians are not obliged
to fast on the other days in Lent--they answered that they fasted
the whole of Lent, performing these fasts as works of devotion; for
the holy Apostolic See has excused them from this fast, because of
their weakness and the scantiness of their food. When the religious
thought that this was excessive, and told them that they could not
do so much, they answered that by the favor of God they could do
so, as they had already fasted during the whole of Lent on previous
occasions. The buyo is an aromatic leaf, shaped like an ivy-leaf,
which the Indians are accustomed to chew with a sort of wild acorn
and a little bit of lime. Even some of the Spaniards in this country
very commonly use it, though they do not swallow it, so that only the
juice reaches the stomach; it invigorates the stomach, and preserves
the teeth. To carry some buyos in their mouths, if there were not
many of them, would not break their fast; but in spite of all this,
these Indian women made a scruple of taking it in their fasts, out of
pure devotion and in an entirely voluntary way. [Visions of demons
are frequent among the Indians. One such happened in a part of this
province called Ytabes, of which the order took charge in 1604. The
Indian concerned had a vision of demons driven away by persons whom
he did not know, but who were clothed with white underneath and with
black cloaks. This was something which the Indian had never seen,
because the religious rarely wear their cloaks in the Indian villages,
assuming them only when they go into the pulpit to preach. At that
time the Christians there were so few that the sermons were not
delivered from the pulpit, but from a seat, the cloak not being put
on for the purpose. Frightful visions of the anito drove the father
of Don Francisco Tuliau to baptism. In Camalaniugan father Fray Gaspar
Zarfate drove out several demons who were tormenting Indian women.]
CHAPTER XL
The great comfort which the religious commonly felt in their ministry
both in life and in death
[In spite of the sufferings of the religious in this region--the heat,
the strangeness, the homesickness, the poverty of their life--they had
great joy in their work. The aniteras, or priestesses of the devil,
who became Christians, often told them that as soon as they came to
heathen villages the devil left the houses in which he was worshiped,
which were wretched little hovels. They dreamed that they saw their
anitos in the form of carabaos, or buffaloes, and of black men;
and that they likewise suffered greatly at such times, because the
devil was so much their owner that he used to enter them visibly--one
of them, who was the mistress of the others, saying that he entered
her in the form of a shadow, and in that way gave his oracles. The
aniteras were, as the Indians said, beside themselves and out of
their minds at such times. Many miracles were wrought by the fathers,
and they had great joy in the marvels which the Lord showed them
in permitting them to save by holy baptism children and others who
were at the point of death, from eternal damnation. The bishop of
Nueva Segovia, Don Fray Diego de Soria, writing to his great friend,
father Fray Bernardo de Sancta Cathalina, or Navarro, on March 24,
1608, said that when they had come from the province of Ylocos, they
had been detained in a port for two weeks by as heavy a storm as if
they had been in Segovia itself, and that they had suffered much on
the road; but that now they felt consoled by what they had found in
the province, which was a perfect picture of Pangasinan. He reported
that in the mountains of Fotol and Alamonag they had confirmed more
than six hundred Indians; and that even the little boys and girls knew
the definition of the sacrament of confirmation. He reports that the
religious of the province are very harmonious, especially those who
came from the college of Alcala, to which they purpose sending a golden
cup worth a thousand pesos, hoping that the college may pay for it with
missionaries, which will not be simony. He goes on to say that he had
been three days in the village, and that they had already confirmed
eight or nine thousand Indians. The cup of gold was sent, but never
reached its destination. His remarks with reference to the college
of Alcala are due to the fact that several of the religious who came
over on various expeditions had been supplied by that college. Among
them were some of the most devoted of the missionaries--for instance,
the bishop himself, father Fray Bernardo de Sancta Cathalina, and
father Fray Juan Cobo. The report of this father may well be followed
by that of father Fray Francisco de San Joseph, or Blancas, [2] who
wrote from this province of Nueva Segovia to the father provincial,
father Fray Miguel de San Jacintho. His letter is given in full by
Aduarte; the substance of it is as follows: "I have seen with my own
eyes something of what I have read in the letters of your Reverence
with regard to the great need of ministers here, and to the desire of
the people for them. We found the inhabitants kindly and peaceful, and
delighted to see us. When we disembarked at one of the heathen villages
on the way, some of the children ran to kiss our scapulars. Some of
the boys ran before us, reciting the prayers very well, not because
they had been taught, but because they had picked them up from a
couple of our boys whom they had seen several times. Yet in spite of
all this they will be lost and damned, for lack of friars. The wife
of the governor of this village was very ill; and desiring to die
a Christian, she had herself carried to the village of Pia, which
is a Christian village about a day's journey from hers. Father Fray
Pedro was at Pipig, a village near there, at the time, so that he was
in time to baptize her." In another letter to the same provincial,
he said: "Your Reverence might see here this morning a company of
old men learning the doctrines of Christianity; another of girls;
another of married women; another of young boys--giving praises
to God like so many choirs of angels, proclaiming His doctrine and
learning it to prepare themselves for baptism." Father Fray Jacintho
de San Geronimo, [3] who is still living, writes a letter to a friend
of his in Nueva España, which is dated on the last day of the feast
of the Resurrection, in 1607. It is substantially as follows: "I am
at present in the province of Nueva Segovia, in great happiness to
see the desire of the people to become Christians. Our poverty and
disinterestedness have caused them to have great confidence in us. I
would not change my lot for any other in the world, in spite of the
hardness of our life here." The same father wrote another letter to
a friend in Manila, to the following effect: "There are more than
four thousand souls in this village, not the eighth part of whom are
Christians, though all desire to become so. On Holy Saturday three of
us baptized six hundred persons." The date of this letter was April 2,
1607. Although this father had been but a short time in the province,
he had already learned enough of the language for such great results,
and could rejoice in the fruit of his labors. From all this it is
plain that the missionaries in this region who are busied with the
ministry of souls have no need of España nor of anything Spanish
for their comfort, except companions to help them in the work. As
there is no rule without an exception, it must be so in this case;
but if any missionary is unhappy here, it is generally because he has
failed in his obligations and become lukewarm in his devotions. Those
that can speak the language and thereby convert souls are happy
in their work; and those who cannot learn the language should
accordingly be unhappy. But the Lord is not so poor as that, as will
be sufficiently shown by a letter from father Fray Garcia de Oroz,
written from Nueva Segovia to a brother at Manila: "Though I have been
told that I would be very unhappy and discouraged by the difficulty of
learning the language, and though I find that it is very difficult to
me because of my age and lack of memory, I am not disconsolate; because
merely to be in company with a father who is a master of the language,
and to act as his confessor, will greatly serve our Lord. This region
is a pleasant one, and my health is good in it during the winter, which
lasts from the beginning of October to March. It resembles the climate
of Valencia during the same period, having cool and fresh nights. A
great part of the country is very open, and the mountains are not high
or rugged. Some of the convents are on the shore of the sea; others,
on the bank of a copious river, which is navigated by canoes for a
distance of sixty leguas up the river. No one has reached the head of
it, or knows where the spring is." The happiness of the missionaries
in their work will be plain from what has been said. As a result of
having lived devoted lives they died happy deaths, rejoicing in their
firm hope that they were going to enjoy the Lord whom they had served,
and for whom they had abandoned their parents, kinsmen, native lands,
and the ease which they might have enjoyed in España.]
CHAPTER XLI
The servant of God, Don Fray Domingo de Salaçar, first bishop of
the Philippinas
By the ships which came to these islands from Nueva España in 1596,
arrived the sad news of the death of their father and first bishop,
Don Fray Domingo de Salaçar. This was one of the greatest losses
which they could have met with at that time, for they lost in him a
most loving father and a most faithful defender. In their defense
he had not hesitated to set out on a long and perilous journey to
España, and that in his very last years, when his great age would
have excused him from such excessive labors. But the fervent love
which he had for his sheep would not permit him to offer any excuses,
when he saw them in so great need as they were in at that time. There
was in these regions no place from which he could obtain relief for
them, nor could he have obtained relief from España if he had not
gone there in person to get it, for he had tried all other means. He
had sent a procurator; and he had written most urgent letters, and
had learned by experience that they did not bring about the results
desired. In fine, these islands lost a shepherd and a holy bishop;
and when this has been said, everything has been said. The Order of
St. Dominic, which had been so recently established in these islands,
suffered the greatest loss in this general affliction, for it had
in him a father and a brother who loved it most affectionately;
and a continual benefactor, who, though he was poor in the extreme,
seemed rich and generous in the benefits which he conferred upon the
order. Without them it would have suffered much, because the religious
came as apostolic preachers, in the greatest poverty, and in the
greatest need of the favor which they always received from this pious
bishop. Don Fray Domingo de Salacar was born in La Rioja in Castilla,
and had assumed the habit in the distinguished convent of San Estevan
at Salamanca, where he was contemporary with some who afterward became
famous professors of theology in this illustrious university--the
father masters Fray Domingo Bañes and Fray Bartholome de Medina
[Fray Domingo de Salacar was not inferior to them in scholarship,
but his heart was set more on sanctity than on learning; and hence
he desired to go to the province of Santiago de Mexico, which seemed
to have renewed the primitive austerity of the time of our father
St. Dominic. When he reached Mexico, though he wished to labor among
the Indians, the orders of his superior kept him from doing so, and
he became a teacher, and finally a master of theology, the highest
degree of this kind which can be reached in the order. His virtue was
such that during all the time while he was in Nueva España (namely,
forty years), he never broke any of our sacred constitutions in any
point. As one of the popes has said, a religious who thus follows the
constitutions of our order, has done enough to be canonized. When the
directions of his superiors at last permitted him to give the reins
to his desire, he devoted himself to missionary work among the Indian
tribes in the province of Vaxac. He suffered deeply from every wrong
that the Spaniards did to the Indians; and his suffering was doubled
because he could not remedy their wrongs. However, he did what he could
for those that were under his charge by comforting them and encouraging
them to patience; and it is no small consolation for the unfortunate
to see that there is someone who pities them and sympathizes with their
suffering. So desirous was father Fray Domingo of laboring for the Lord
that he joined the expedition to Florida, [4] accompanying the holy
Fray Domingo de la Anunciacion in the hardships which he endured,
which he felt the more because he could not make the conversions
which he hoped for among those Indians. Before beginning his journey,
he asked the superior to bless all the waters of the streams and
rivers from which he should have to drink, that he might not break
the constitution which directs us not to drink without permission and
a blessing. The want of food from which they suffered was such that
they were obliged to boil the leather straps of their helmets and of
the other parts of their armor that they might have something to keep
them alive, or to delay death a little. When they had exhausted this
supply they ate roots and the bark of wild trees. On this journey our
Lady of the Rosary showed her favor to father Fray Domingo by assisting
him in a remarkable way on several occasions. Once she enabled him
to save the life of a poor soldier who had been condemned to death,
and once gave him grace to change the heart of a man who intended to
commit suicide. Although he desired to give himself to work among the
Indians, he was obliged by the orders of his superiors and by his
vow of obedience to assume several honorable posts in the province
of Mexico, becoming prior and vicar-provincial, and finally the chief
consultor of the Holy Office; but he gave up these positions as soon
as he could to devote himself to the work which he preferred among
the natives. He spent thirty-eight years in laboring for those poor
people, teaching them, and protecting them against wrong. He was at
one time sent to España by his superiors on matters of important
business connected with the missions to the Indians. Here he met
many difficulties, as vested interests and great wealth were arrayed
against him; and on one occasion the nuncio of his Holiness, to
whom he had complained, commanded him not to visit the palace. But,
though he did not attain the end for which he set out, he made a
great impression upon his Majesty, who appointed him first bishop of
the Philippinas.] His Majesty felt a particular affection for these
islands, because their conversion had begun in his time and as a
result of his initiative. As they had received their name from his,
he desired also to give them a bishop with his own hand. He chose a man
whose learning, virtue, and deep zeal for the good and the protection
of the Indians qualified him to be the father and first shepherd
of regions so new and so remote from the presence of their king. In
such regions it is very easy for the wrongs which the powerful do to
the weak to be more and greater than in others; hence they needed a
valiant defender, and a strong pastor and master to contend with the
great difficulties which are always met with in new conquests. At
first father Fray Domingo did not venture to accept the bishopric,
and consulted learned and able religious. They all advised him to
accept it, as being a very heavy charge, but one in which he could do
great service to God and be of great advantage to the Indians. They
suggested that, if he were the bishop of the Indians, he could
help them better in the great sufferings which it might be expected
that they would have to endure, as all newly-conquered people have
endured them. These sufferings he saw and deplored when he went to his
bishopric; and he strove to remedy them as completely as he could. He
accepted the dignity for the labor and the banishment which it offered
him, knowing well that there was no honor and profit to be expected
from it. At this time he strove to bring with him religious of his own
order, feeling that they would be more closely allied to him and under
greater obligations to him; and that thus they would help him to carry
his burden. His Majesty granted them to him, and they reached Mexico;
[5] but here there were so many who died or fell ill that he had left
but one companion, father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra--who was a
wonderfully helpful associate, and aided him greatly in the government
of his bishopric, as well as in everything else which had to be done;
and these additional duties were neither few nor pleasant. He went to
the city of Manila and built in it his cathedral church, assigning
prebends and arranging everything necessary for the service of the
cathedral--although poorly, because he had no ecclesiastical income,
and because the royal income in these islands was very small. He found
his bishopric like sheep without a shepherd, and strove to gather them
together and bring them to order; but, as they had learned to live
without control, they took his efforts very ill. Some of them broke
bounds entirely, one of them going so far that he dared to tell the
bishop to his face that he would better moderate his enthusiasm; for
that if he did not, the speaker could hit a mitre at fifty paces with
his arquebus. But the good bishop in these and similar cases followed
the commands of St. Paul to his disciple St. Timothy: Argue, obsecra,
increpa, in omni patientia et doctrina. [6] The good prelate put his
shoulder and his breast to the wheel against all these difficulties,
and with all his heart strove to reform the morals of the colony. By
his example he animated the preachers and confessors to tell the
truth with greater clearness and courage than before; and, that
this might be the better and more effectively done, he called a
conference, or quasi-synod, composed of the superiors from all the
religious orders and of the learned men who were in the land, both
theologians and jurists. This conference sat for a long time. In it
there were also six captains who had had experience in that country,
and in the conquests which had been made there. These officers were
added to the conference that they might give information with regard
to many matters of fact upon which the determination of justice and
conscience in the case depended; and that the truth and righteousness
of the proceedings of the conference might be more apparent. It was
hoped that in this way the decisions of the conference would be better
received. In this assembly the holy bishop showed his great capacity,
his great knowledge and the clearness of his mind; and skilfully
directed and disposed of a great variety of matters which were there
very effectively decided. Many questions were there propounded and
settled; and from the decrees of the conference there resulted a
sort of general list or set of rules by which the confessors were
to govern themselves in assigning penance to all sorts of people
in that country. These rules affected the governor, the auditors,
the royal officials, the alcaldes, the corregidors, those who had
taken part in the conquest, the encomenderos, the collectors of
tributes, and people of all ranks--in a word, all the inhabitants
of the country. It had validity for what had been done as well as
for what was to come. This was a very helpful matter, because it
dealt with affairs which offered no precedents, did not regularly
happen, and could not be understood by everyone because of their great
difficulty. On this account those who understood them best, and desired
to deal with them as truth and reason required, were not respected by
those who were most concerned. The latter, in order that they might
avoid their obligations, ordinarily tried to find confessors who would
show leniency, to their own harm and to that of their penitents. But as
soon as these decrees appeared, having been voted by so many learned
and holy men, they were such that neither confessors nor penitents
dared oppose them. This conference was accordingly a very important
one; and in a few days it was possible to see the new light which had
come to these islands and to perceive how thoughtful and careful,
and how full of knowledge, was the new shepherd and spouse of this
church. The holy bishop afforded much edification with his teaching,
his addresses, and his sermons, for he was a learned theologian and an
excellent preacher; but he did very much more by the example of his
admirable life. The sermons which he preached in this way had great
power over the souls of those who looked upon this noble example,
and even hardened hearts could not resist them. He did not alter his
habit, his bed, or his diet. His habit was of serge, as was customary
in Nueva España. He wore a woolen shirt, and slept upon a bed which
was even poorer than that of the poorest religious. His food was eggs
and fish; his dwelling had no paintings or adornments in it. He rose
at midnight to recite matins, and after this he offered his mental
prayer. That he might not trouble anyone to give him a light, he
always kept a tinder and flint, and struck and kindled his own light
without having any servant to attend upon him when he went to bed or
when he rose. He was especially devoted to our Lady of the Rosary,
whose grace and favor he had many times experienced; and he desired
to see this same devotion well established in all. When he spoke upon
this matter, he seemed to surpass himself; and some believed that our
Lady spoke in him, because of the grandeur of the heavenly ideas which
he uttered on this subject. When our religious reached this country,
he entertained them in his dwelling, as has been said; and he kept
and cherished them there for many days, gave them extraordinary alms,
and bought a site for their convent. He helped very much in the
building of the convent, without ever feeling poor for this or for
similar objects--though he was really in extreme poverty on account
of the smallness of the salary which he received, without having
any other source of income. Although the salary was small, it never
failed him when the poor required it, to whom belonged everything
that he acquired. Thus he was always consuming his income, without
ever lacking something to give.
CHAPTER XLII
A more detailed account of the virtues of the servant of God, Don
Fray Domingo de Salaçar
The conformity of the good bishop with the divine will, and his desire
to be approved before the pure eyes of that heavenly Lord with whom he
always desired most intimately to unite himself, and the knowledge that
he could not attain this approval without striving with all his heart
to imitate His virtues, and by means of them to acquire something of
His likeness, made the bishop endeavor constantly with great solicitude
to attain these virtues--although to attain them it was necessary for
him to strive manfully to conquer his own nature; in so far as it was
opposed to them; and to multiply, in order to attain this victory over
himself, penances and austerities, to the end that his nature might
surrender and be subjected. The virtue of patience, which is in all
circumstances very desirable, and no less difficult to acquire and
maintain, was that which the bishop most needed, for at every step
occasions offered themselves for the exercise of this virtue. Since
he was by nature wrathful and hot-tempered, and was always engaged
in defending the right, it cost him much to control himself and to
be patient. However, he had so restrained himself and so become lord
of his nature, that he did not permit it to display itself. This
was not only in cases where he had time for consideration and for
preparation, but in those sudden and unexpected accidents in which
those who are wronged are accustomed to lose control of themselves,
if the virtue of patience is not well rooted within their souls or has
not reached perfection. He was often obliged to hear many insulting
words from soldiers who were angry because he had interfered with their
excesses; but he kept silent, and walked on as if he had not heard
them, attending to his business without taking any account of things
which did not belong to it. Since the Indians suffered from the abuses
which were inflicted upon them, he went in one day to speak on their
behalf to the governor who was then in office. He was not permitted
to proceed with his business without hearing many insulting words
from the governor, who even put his hands upon his breast and gave
him a push. The bishop did not change countenance; and, following the
counsel of St. Paul, who bids us give place to wrath, he left the hall
that he might not more inflame the wrath of this man. After a while,
when he thought it was time, he went in again, and with great serenity
of countenance and with gentleness of heart and words, he said to him:
"Bend your knees, because my heart does not permit me to leave you
under so heavy a condemnation;" and he added: "By virtue of a brief
of the Supreme Pontiff which I have for this purpose, I absolve you
from the most dreadful excommunication which you have incurred." When
he had done this, he went out again; and even commanded the cleric
who accompanied him not to reveal to anyone what had happened, under
penalty of excommunication. On another occasion another ecclesiastic
whom he rebuked said to him, very angrily: "How badly you treat me,
though you know that I am better than you are." The bishop answered,
with great calmness, that he was delighted to have in his bishopric so
honorable a person. With this gentleness he suffered the blows of those
who exercised his patience, leaving his cause to God, as God commands
us. The Lord assumed the care of his cause, and rigorously chastised
those who spoke evil of him. Some people wrote letters against him to
España; and, before the answer came back, they were called upon to give
their answer before the tribunal of God, ending their lives in sudden
and dreadful death. He took great pains to preserve his chastity and
the purity with which he was born, esteeming it highly like a precious
jewel, and performing many penances to defend it from the assaults of
the enemies who hated its beauty and ever strove to destroy it. Two
priests have borne witness that he was a virgin: father Fray Diego
de Soria, late bishop of Nueva Segovia, to whom he made a general
confession in his old age, at the time when he was about to embark
on the last voyage which he made to España. The other priest was a
clergyman to whom he had confessed more than two hundred times, and
who was well acquainted with the state of his conscience. This priest
confirmed his testimony with an oath. In spite of this, the world
is such that the chaste bishop found it necessary to defend himself
against accusations in regard to this matter, and to bear testimony
to the purity of his own conscience. At a public celebration of the
holy sacrifice of the mass, with the divine sacrament in his hands, he
affirmed, because necessity required it, that he hoped this celestial
food might be his eternal damnation if he was conscious of any fault
of such a kind. If those who spoke against him in this matter had
been only laymen, angry because they had been corrected and forcibly
drawn from such vices, and mad with passion--for such persons will
not forgive those who are most holy--if this accusation had proceeded
from such as these, it would have been matter for sorrow, but would
not have been intolerable; but there were even some ecclesiastics
who saw that the bishop took great pains to seclude abandoned women,
and who ventured to make themselves defenders of these persons of
disorderly life. They declared that a man who gathered in so many
of these women of evil life (some of them handsome), shut them up,
and heard them at their trials, would be sure to put out his hand and
select those who pleased him. This reached the ears of the bishop;
and the vengeance which he took was to commend them to the Lord in
prayer with all his heart--pitying them as being persons who were
really worthy of compassion; since, without comparison, the harm that
one who speaks evil does to himself is greater than the harm done to
him who is wronged. The Lord heard these pious prayers, and touched
their hearts. They acknowledged the evil that they had spoken, and
very repentantly came to beg his pardon, at the episcopal residence,
in the presence of those who lived there. The bishop received them
with open arms and with abundance of tears, and had them that day
as companions at his table. The vengeance which the saints desire to
take upon their enemies is, to have them repent for their faults when
they become conscious of their errors.
He was very compassionate, and felt the utmost pity for the sufferings
of his neighbor. Of this a marked example was given on the voyage from
Nueva España to Manila. There were in the same ship more than twenty
Augustinian religious, and, while they were at sea, their water gave
out. This is one of the greatest hardships which may be suffered on a
voyage. The bishop took pity upon them; and, although he had not enough
to supply the necessity of so many, he preferred suffering with the
others to seeing them suffer while he was comfortable. Accordingly
he offered them the opportunity to drink from what he carried in
his martabana, which is a large jar holding twenty cantaros [7]
of water. Their need would not permit them to refuse what was thus
offered them voluntarily; and, though they all drank of it, the Lord
was pleased that it should last until they landed on the islands,
as the servant of God had prayed. It is no new or rare thing for the
Lord to multiply food and drink, that it may not be lacking to those
who bring themselves to need out of pity. This same virtue caused
the bishop to watch over this municipality of Manila, by taking care
that in the houses of the fathers of the Society [of Jesus] there
should be religious to give instruction in profitable learning to
those who desired to study it. That this might be made permanent,
and that there might not be any failure in it, he brought it about
that his Majesty gave command that the religious should receive an
allowance to be spent upon the teachers. The answer of his Majesty is
contained in the royal decree given at Barcelona the eighth [sic] of
fifteen eighty-three. The document runs as follows: "To the reverend
father in Christ, Fray Domingo de Salacar, bishop of the Philippinas
Islands. Three letters from you have been received from my Council,
etc. Considering the good report which you give of the great results
which have followed and which are likely to follow from the maintenance
of the Order of the Society of Jesus, and considering that to this end
it is necessary that the Society should receive from me what is needed
for the support of the religious who desire to teach and instruct in
Latinity, sciences and good morals, those who come to them, I have,
until some one shall come forward to undertake this business, granted
the decree enclosed. In pursuance of this decree, the president of
the Audiencia and you will together determine how this object may
be carried out," etc. From this same spirit of compassion arose the
benevolence which he displayed toward all the natives by building
a hospital in Manila in which sick Indians might be cared for. He
gave so much energy to this that he not only was the chief person
who concerned himself with it, but he gave the first and the chief
contribution to establish and endow it. At the very beginning of
the hospital he did something worthy of his virtue and prudence. The
sick in this hospital were cared for by religious of the order of the
seraphic father St. Francis, and particularly by a brother named Fray
Juan Clemente. The infirmity for which they were ordinarily treated
was buboes, which are very frequent on these poor Indians because
they ordinarily have to walk in the water in their grain-fields. [8]
The brother had much to suffer with the Indian men, and still more
with the Indian women, the care of whom was in general not very
consonant with decency. On this account, the religious determined
to give up this duty, and actually asked the bishop for permission
to leave the hospital. The bishop, who was well acquainted with the
conscience of Fray Juan, and who saw the reason for his unhappiness,
encouraged and consoled him; and exhorted him not to give up, on
account of these temptations, the good work and the service which he
had begun there. He gave the brother holy and devout reasons for this,
and finally said: "My son Fray Juan, fast for three days in the week;
give yourself a discipline, and keep your hour of prayer. As for the
rest, I will charge myself with it, and will take the responsibility
upon myself." The result was marvelous, for, because of the good
advice which had been given him and the prayer which the bishop made
for him, Fray Juan found himself so much consoled and changed that he
no longer felt the least difficulty or disquiet in the world; and,
as if he had cast all these difficulties upon another person, he no
longer perceived them in himself. Yet before this he had found himself
so much oppressed by them that, in order not to fall, he had desired to
flee. In a case of this kind, to take flight is to conquer--but not so
nobly as when the Lord puts forth His hand that His servants may handle
such serpents as these without being harmed by them, which happened
in this case as the result of the prayer of His servant the bishop.
The many virtues which this servant of God possessed were higher in
degree as a result of the fire of charity which dwelt in his breast,
which, as a queen of all the rest, held the highest place in his
soul and governed all. He could not eat or drink in comfort without
dividing with the poor; and therefore every day he set aside a part of
his food, and, placing it on the corner of the table, said: "You know
for whom this is"--namely, the poor, as his servants understood. This
was given to them, and not only this, but other alms. That the matter
might be the better attended to, they kept, by order of the bishop,
a memorandum of the poor and needy of the city. He directed his
servants that whenever the poor women who asked alms were Spaniards,
they should indicate the fact by saying, "Here is a lady that asks
alms;" if they were Indians or mestizas, they should say, "Here is a
woman." In this way, without seeing them, he would be able to tell
their station, and to aid them conformably thereto. Still, when he
was told about some such matter, he often went down with the servant;
and, if it was the first time that she came, he used to say to her:
"Come, good friend, what is the matter now? Beware not to offend God,
nor to be tricked by the devil into doing any base act for need or
for selfish interest. Trust in God, who will aid you; and I for my
part will assist with all my heart." In order that she might see that
these were not merely good words, he used to give her some assistance
and to write her name with the rest, so that he might aid her with the
care required by her need, and by that of her children, if she had
any. Every week he visited the prisons and the hospitals, generally
assigning Fridays for that purpose. He encouraged and consoled the
prisoners and the sick with kindly words and with alms, according
to the need of each one. The money which he could get together from
restitutions and confirmations he kept with the greatest care, that
not a real might be lost; and, as if he were the most miserly man in
the world, he took care of it for the poor alone, without permitting
the members of his household or anyone else to take anything from the
confirmations, as is customary. He used to say that this belonged to
the poor, and that it was not proper that one who was not poor should
share with them. From some of these alms, and from what he could add
from his own poor income, he bought some lots near the Franciscan
convent, and some cattle, with which he established a stock-farm,
and gave it for the establishment of a hospital for the care of the
natives. The hospital was built and still exists, having been very
greatly increased by the care of the Franciscan fathers, who attend
to it with the greatest charity. To exalt the hospital still more, the
bishop obtained for it a liberal concession of plenary indulgence for
the Sunday of Lazarus, [9] as he did for the hospital of the Spaniards
on Palm Sunday. So great was his charity and his desire to do good to
the poor that once, when he was without money to give them, he sold
his pectoral cross, which was worth one thousand eight hundred pesos,
and gave it to them in alms. In the same way went his table silver;
and his silver pontifical ornaments were almost always in pawn. His
steward used to try to excuse himself when he was told to give alms,
saying that he had not the means. The bishop, calling him to one side,
would say to him, "Tell me the truth; how much money have you?" He
commonly said that there was not in the house more than eight reals
for the daily expense, and sometimes only four. The bishop then
made him give half of what he had, saying that it was sufficient
good-fortune to have some money in the house all the time, so long as
the Lord would provide more; and the Lord to whom he gave took care
that he should never lack, sending him what he needed for himself
and for his poor from some source from which he had never expected
it. When he got it, he would show it to the steward, or give it to
him, and say: "Trust in God, father, and know that even if you had
given me all that you had, the Lord would have sent us more." It was
a common saying among the people of his household that the Father of
the poor provided money miraculously, in order that the bishop might
give them alms. A person of rank was once obliged by necessity to ask
alms from him. The bishop was much grieved, as this person seemed to
be an honorable one; and he directed the steward to give him all the
money there was in the house. As he found no more than eight reals,
the bishop gave this to him, and asked the man to pardon him, saying
that there was no more at that time, but that, as soon as he had any,
he would be sure to come to his aid. The Lord did not delay assisting
him who had not only given alms from his superfluity, but had given
all that he had for the maintenance of himself and his household. For
on that very night He touched the heart of a man who had laid upon
him for ten years the duty of the restitution of four hundred pesos,
and caused him, without waiting till morning, to embark at night and
to come from Cavite to Manila; and in the morning he gave the money to
the bishop without the bishop's ever having spoken to him. The bishop
had desired that his penniless condition should be cared for wholly by
the Lord, who was called upon to relieve the urgent need of him who
was in such need as a result of aiding the poor. When the bishop saw
himself suddenly enriched with four hundred pesos, he gave thanks to
the Lord, from whose hand he had received them rather than from the
hand of him who had brought them hither. He instantly summoned the
person to whom he had given only one peso the day before, because he
had no more, and said to him: "For the little which I have given you
and the much which you desired, the Lord has sent me some money. Take
these fifty pesos and give me that one which I gave you yesterday;
for it is that which attracted all this. Be sure that you spend well
that which I give you; and, when you shall see yourself in prosperity,
take care to be liberal to the poor." The good man promised this;
and in a short time God, in fulfilment of what the bishop had said
to him, gave him so much money that he brought four hundred pesos,
and gave them to the bishop to be distributed among the poor. The rest
of what the bishop had received he did not spend on his household,
though it was so poor; but published in the church that he had some
money to distribute, and summoned the poor to his residence. Among
them he distributed it (as he wished to) very quickly; and, showing
them the eight-real piece which he had given in the first place,
he said to them with much happiness and joy: "Just this peso is for
me, because it is that which attracted so many." When the bishop
was at his meal, having with him at the table the first founders of
this province, who had recently come to the city, a man came to beg
alms. The bishop gave him a peso; and, as it seemed to the beggar
too little, he showed it to the bishop, and said that he had not
given him as much as he needed. This conduct appeared to those who
were present bold, and even insolent; so they told the bishop that he
ought to send the man away, because he had received sufficient alms,
and that it was impossible at one time to succor every necessity. The
bishop agreed; but before long his heart was moved to compassion
at the thought that the poor man had gone away dissatisfied; and,
with his eyes moist with tears, he said: "Call that poor fellow back
again. His need must be very great, because it has forced him to be
importunate." The beggar came back; and the bishop, augmenting the
alms so that the beggar should be contented, was contented himself,
and sent him away with his blessing. Once it happened that he went
to bed with fifteen pesos, which, though for persons of his dignity
it was a mere nothing, for him who gave everything to the poor it
was great riches; and in the morning before nine o'clock he had not a
penny, because the poor had taken it all. He used to say: "The riches
of bishops are in caring for the poor, who are their proper purses;
and, so long as my money is not in them, they will suppose that I have
appropriated it." This did not appear only in his words, but he was
so certain of the truth of it that he carried it out in practice; and
it often resulted that he did not have money for the ordinary expenses
of his household. He was obliged to set sail from Manila to España on
important business; and one of the chief supplies which he ordered to
be laid in was a provision of chickens and of conserves--things which
he never tasted, and which were so foreign to his way of living that
he ate nothing but fish, as if he had been in the refectory of an
extremely austere convent. They got together three hundred chickens
for him; but before he had left port two hundred of them were gone;
while with the conserves and other things that he took he was all
the time feasting and making presents to the poor and needy, so that
nobody could even induce him to taste a chicken. [On the road from
Mexico to San Juan de Ulua, though very ill, he charitably undertook
the ordination of some candidates for the priesthood, who had been
caught in a flood on their way to be ordained at Jalapa.]
CHAPTER XLIII
The marvels wrought by our Lord for His servants while in this life,
and the happy death of the bishop.
[It is not strange that the Lord should have honored the virtues of
the bishop by working many marvels through him. Many of these have
fallen into oblivion because he strove to keep them concealed, and
also because there has been no one to keep a record of them. Several
times his prayers have saved men in imminent danger of death; among
these was father Fray Miguel de Venavides, who fell overboard on the
voyage from Manila to Nueva España.]
When he reached España it is said that his Majesty at first was vexed
on account of his return, because his bishopric would need him during
his absence. But afterward, when he saw him, his Majesty was greatly
pleased with him, and carried out the wishes of the bishop in regard
to the principal matters which had brought him there. The income of
the church was greatly augmented, his Majesty bestowing upon him a
large gift, and greatly increasing the small income assigned for the
prebendaries. He succeeded in augmenting the number of prebends so that
the church might be better served. A single bishop was not sufficient
to attend to the confirmations and other episcopal acts in all the
islands, still less to watch over the conversion of so many provinces
as are contained in them, practically all of them being at that time
heathen. Hence the bishop succeeded in having his bishopric divided
among four prelates--an archbishop and three suffragan bishops--and
he marked out the limits of each bishopric. He succeeded in gaining
in Roma what he desired, and was himself appointed archbishop. This
promotion did not suffice to alter the ordinary mode of life of this
servant of God, and made no more change in him than if he had never
been promoted. It is even said that he did not care to be informed
or assured with regard to it; that as his soul had other purposes and
more elevated desires, he cared little for these things. He was right
in doing so, since he was soon to see how little substance there is
in them; for he was attacked by a severe infirmity which, before the
bulls for his archbishopric were despatched from Roma, despatched him
to heaven, ending his labors and commencing his eternal rest. He had
no need to make a will, for he distributed all that he could get among
the poor. In the hour of his death, he had no more than six reals;
and though he had a poor sister, he never gave her a real, because of
his helping those who were in greater need. This came to the knowledge
of his Majesty, and it pleased him so much that he displayed his royal
generosity toward her, as indeed our Lord does command, who takes upon
His own shoulders the obligations which His disciples fail to fulfil
because of their love for Him. [These facts attracted great attention
in the court, and the small estate of the bishop of the Indias became
famous. He was buried in his convent of San Thomas at Madrid. The day
before, the archbishop of Toledo had died, Don Gaspar de Quiroga; he
was cardinal, and the richest prelate in Christendom. As he was to be
buried on that same day, the counselors of the king did not know which
funeral to attend; and his Majesty directed that they should go to
that of the poorest. His epitaph states that he died December 4, 1594.]
CHAPTER XLIV
Father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, associate of the first bishop
of the Philippinas and governor of his bishopric.
There was but a short space of time between the death of the first
bishop of this region of which we have just spoken, and that of his
associate and vicar-general, father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra. The
bishop, when he went to España, had selected him as governor of his
bishopric--having by many years' acquaintance come to know that he was
worthy, not only of this charge, but of much greater ones, because of
his great and well-established virtue, his marked ability, singular
prudence, watchful zeal for the honor of God, indomitable spirit,
and the other noble qualities which he had found in father Fray
Christobal. All these were necessary for the duties of vicar-general
and governor of this bishopric at such times as these, which were so
near to the first conquest of these islands. Even though the conquest
had continued for some time, the very great difficulties encountered
in their spiritual government will be evident. It will be even better
understood by any one who has any knowledge of the conquests of the
Indias; for though it did not involve so many cruelties as others,
it was still impossible to avoid many evil deeds which wars always
bring with them, however well justified they may be. This is still
more the case against poor Indians, who cannot defend themselves,
and sometimes who cannot even complain of the wrongs that have been
done to them, since these are committed by those from whom their
redress should proceed. Since there had not been in the islands,
before the coming of the first bishop and his vicar-general, any
bishop to govern them as their own prelate, the two ecclesiastics
found them abounding in vices which by inveterate custom had put
out such roots and obtained such strength that it was not possible
to destroy them without great difficulty and labor, much vigilance,
and a courageous spirit, in order to meet the thousand peril which
these duties brought with them at this time. God, who never fails the
government of His church, provided for these offices persons with such
endowments as were possessed by father Fray Christobal. He was a son
of the distinguished convent of San Esteban at Salamanca; and showed
that he was so, not only by words, which often perish on the wind, but
by works--and by noble works, which he had learned in that so prominent
school of virtue and letters. He left his convent, intending to become
one of the pioneers assembled by the bishop for this province. The
number of these, as has been stated, was thirty. When they reached
Nueva España, many died and others fell sick. The rest of them,
daunted by the voyage which they had already taken, and attracted by
the agreeable climate of Mexico, remained there. The good bishop was
unable to persuade any of them to come to these regions except father
Fray Christobal, who, like an immovable column, was always firm in his
opposition to these temptations, never abandoned the company of the
bishop, and remained constantly at his side--not only in this tempest,
in which all the others fell away, but in all the other and greater
tempests which afterwards fell upon them. He was greatly aided in this
by the conformity that there was in the natures of the two men. They
were both grave and prudent, intrepid of soul in the performance of
the right, and fearful of everything that not only might be evil, but
might even seem so. Above all, they were of one mind in their efforts
to attain virtue--devout, chaste, charitable, religious; zealous for
the honor of God, in themselves and in others; and ready for this
cause to undergo hardships or dangers of any kind. Hence, though the
dangers through which they had gone had conquered all the others and
discouraged them, father Fray Christobal was always firm and faithful
to his promise; and he accomplished it by persevering with constancy
in that which he had begun, even until death. This he did to his own
great good and to that of his neighbors, serving the Lord not only as
one good religious, but as if he had been many. He was like another Aod
[i.e., Ehud], working with both hands, and having spirit, courage, and
industry for every undertaking of importance that offered itself. He
carried on together the offices of vicar-general and of missionary
to Bataan, at a day's journey from Manila, where he was obliged to
reside. Withal, he filled the functions of these two positions,
which seemed incompatible, with such perfection and vigilance,
that he has left for each one of them eternal fame behind him. As if
this was but little in itself, whenever any military expedition was
undertaken he accompanied the soldiers, in the capacity of chaplain,
as if he had been the most unoccupied person in the province. He gave
his greatest energies to the office of vicar-general, which he filled
with the greatest justice and watchfulness, and in which he offered
a very edifying example. He was greatly loved by the good and feared
by the bad; for his only purposes were to do good to all, to adjust
their disputes, and to make friendships, or to unmake them when they
were bad. He defended and protected the Indians, as being a race in
the greatest need of defense and protection. When it was necessary,
he chastised them, but like a loving father. Hence he was much loved
by them, and was feared both by them and the Spaniards--even by the
Spaniards in official positions, because, when there was a question as
to making restitution for the honor of God, he pardoned no one. The
zeal which he displayed in rooting out vices and scandalous sins
was extraordinary. He never hesitated at any labor in this cause,
however great it might be; he never feared any danger which appeared in
the prosecution of his holy purpose, not even the danger of death. He
was at one time threatened with death itself; for a desperate man
entered his very room with the purpose of taking his life, at a time
when he was careless and not expecting any such evil intention. But the
Lord, to whom he left his defense, protected him; and the malevolent
man was unable to carry out his purpose and to conquer the constancy
of Fray Christobal. The latter knew that whatsoever hardship or
death befell him in this way would surely be for his own greater
glory; and hence, certain that no evil could happen to him that was
really an evil, he did his duty with courage in opposing all the
wicked, fearing no one, but feared by all. This was the case not
only when he was present in the city or village where people were
living scandalously, but even when he was at a distance from them;
because without any warning he would appear, like a ray of light,
in any place where he was needed. He would be at night in the city,
and in the morning ten or twelve leguas away, following the track of
those who were living in concubinage. When they seemed to themselves
to be most safe, he caught them in flagranti delicto. He used to take
out wicked women from any house, no matter how prominent it was,
and no matter to what insults he might be exposed. Nothing of this
kind daunted him, or held him back, or harmed him; nay, it did him
much good, for, armed with patience for any wrong to himself, he was
able to overcome any opposition to his holy zeal, and came out always
victorious and with the upper hand. He knew the women of evil life so
well that they were not able to escape him, or to conceal themselves
from him. The punishment which he gave them was very appropriate,
because he shut them up in a secure place and forced them to work
to earn their living; and this, on account of their licentiousness
and idleness, was the worst punishment that could be inflicted upon
them, while for the holy purposes of Fray Christoval, it was the most
efficacious remedy which could be applied. By being shut up they were
kept from the sins which were caused by their being at large; while
by their bodily labor they paid for something of what they wasted
in their idleness. Hence in the time of this father this wretched
class of people fled to the mountains, without daring to appear
in the city. The Spaniards feared and hesitated to do many things
which after his days began to be very common. All of these actions
of the father were accompanied by such prudence, purity of life
and manners, and by such love and such good works for the people,
that although at the time those who were blinded and carried away
by their passions suffered greatly, and were very angry with the
man who interfered with their vices, still afterwards, when their
minds became calmed, they could not fail to recognize the goodness
of father Fray Christobal. He even gained the hearts of these people,
and forced them to love and esteem them. Wherever he went, he received
information from the most honorable people of what needed a remedy;
and being sure that they were persons who would not deceive him,
he immediately applied the remedy, with the least possible cost to
the delinquents. He knew them all very well, and knew how to treat
them. Hence with some he used no more rigorous means than looking at
them, and letting them know that he was acquainted with their faults;
and this was enough to bring about their improvement, which was what
he purposed and desired. But when more severe measures were requisite,
he was not slow or hesitating in employing them. Accordingly he was
very useful to God in his office by attacking many sins and scandals,
and by preventing others (which is an act of higher prudence). For
the juridical acts which he performed as an ecclesiastical judge he
accepted no fees, and he moderated as much as possible the fees of
the officials of his jurisdiction. Since he understood the language
of the Indians, he had no need of an interpreter, a matter of great
importance and the means of avoiding much injury, deceit, and expense
in the suits of the Indians. Since their means are very small, it is
very easy to distort justice by bribing them, unless the activity
of the judges prevents this evil. Even when this does not happen,
the expenses of suitors are always very large. The vicar-general
was desirous of avoiding these expenses, and therefore employed no
interpreter, as in everything he took care that all might plead and
gain their rights at small expense. This is an evidence that the great
fear which he caused was not due to the fact that he was quarrelsome
or litigious, but because he was zealous for the honor of God and the
good of the souls that were in his care. So long as the bishop was
in the islands, he had some comfort and defense; but as soon as the
bishop had gone to España the father, being the sole governor of the
bishopric (which at that time included all the islands), could not fail
to suffer from the great increase of his labors, and greatly feel the
want of the bishop's support. The thing to which he gave the greatest
amount of attention and in which he found the greatest difficulty,
was the prohibition to the Chinese heathen of the comedies that they
performed, and to Spanish men and women attendance on those comedies,
on account of the manner in which they were performed, which was full
of superstition and idolatry. Up to the time when our religious had
come, there was no one who understood their language and customs, so
no one paid any attention to this point. The Chinese felt sure that
no one but themselves could understand their comedies, and performed
them as in China, full of superstitions and idolatries. This was found
out by Father Juan Cobo when he had learned their language, letters,
and customs. He gave notice thereof to the vicar-general, who ordered
the comedies to cease, as being superstitious. The Chinese were greatly
grieved, and so were the Spaniards--the latter because, although they
did not understand the comedies, they enjoyed seeing them for the sake
of the actions and representations which the Chinese make in a very
realistic way; and the Chinese, because they are devoted to this kind
of entertainment. So every one, including the governor, was opposed
to the vicar-general. He, because he did not understand the evil in
the thing, took the side of the Chinese; but the vicar-general was
certain that these comedies were an offense to the Lord, as well for
the reason stated as because they were performed by night, and many
other evil results used to follow. They were attended at night by
Spanish men and Spanish women and their female servants, and by other
Indian women--who, covered by the dark cloak of night, did many things
which ought not to be done in Christian lands. But the vicar-general
put his shoulder to the difficulty, and commanded that no one, on
pain of excommunication, should go to see the comedies. Since the
governor was of the opposite opinion, there was no one who dared to
publish the excommunications; so the vicar-general himself went and
fastened them on the church-doors, accompanied only by his friars,
since there was no one else who ventured to accompany him. At last,
although it cost him much and much evil was said against him, he
brought this evil practice to an end. Since that time Spanish men,
and many more Spanish women, do not go to see these comedies; and no
permission is given for their performance until they are first looked
over and approved by a religious who understands the language, and
who sees that they are not superstitious but are historical, or have
plots which are not idolatrous. This is what ought to be done in the
realms of a Catholic prince, although the comedies are performed by
heathens and idolaters; for as the latter are not permitted to perform
their idolatries, they ought not to be permitted to play superstitious
comedies made in honor of false gods, for such comedies are part of the
idolatry, which is forbidden to them. It would be supposed that father
Fray Christobal, being so busy and so usefully occupied, would have no
time to attend to anything else except to his position as governor and
vicar-general of this diocese. Yet this was not the case, but whenever
the opportunity was offered--as was not often, there being then so few
whom he could employ--he took advantage of it to leave his duties for
the time. Hence when the first Spaniards went to the pacification or
conquest of Nueva Segovia, he went as chaplain of the soldiers, and
was with them in all the conflicts which they had with the Japanese,
which conflicts have already been described. He was the first priest
that entered that country--as it were, to take possession of it for the
friars of his order, who afterward converted it to the law of God and
to His gospel. In the same way, when another expedition was made to
Maluco, he embarked as chaplain, purposing in both expeditions to do
the greater service to his king and lord by restraining the soldiers,
by his authority and by the respect which they had for him, from the
disorders which the inconsiderate are likely to be guilty of under
such circumstances as these. This same desire of being useful in all
things caused him to take charge of the district of Bataan, which,
although it contained many Christians, had no minister and no one to
take pity upon them or to assume the charge of them. This aroused great
compassion in him; and though these Indians were a day's journey by sea
from Manila, where he was obliged to reside, he assumed the ministry
to them and cared for them with great solicitude and love and with
no less labor. [The situation of that district made the labor of the
ministry very great. Father Fray Christobal went on foot through all
the lakes and swamps, attending to the needs of all the Indians, for
whom the four religious who succeeded him were scarcely able to do the
work. He did all this labor in spite of a painful ailment from which
he suffered. Among the things which afflicted him was the necessity of
sleeping in his clothes for the little time when he could repose. This
is no small discomfort in so hot a country. His love for the Indians
was such that, although his labors caused him this painful infirmity,
he devoted himself to them up to the time of the coming of the other
missionaries; and even after they came he used to take his holidays
by visiting these Indians as his beloved sons. He greatly assisted the
first religious to learn who were and who were not Christians, for the
absence or loss of records had brought everything into confusion. He
was very charitable, especially to the Indians. To the Spaniards he
was a father and a master, assisting them in all their necessities
in peace and in war. He showed his zeal for the honor of God and
for the rooting out of vice in the very last hours of his life,
by writing to the governor, Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, the request
that he would have a bad woman taken from a captain's house which he
indicated; and that he would send three soldiers to arrest a cleric
of whom the report was spread that he was leading an evil life. The
asthma from which he had so long suffered finally brought his life
to an end. He died in the hospital of the Sangleys, in the midst
of the brethren of his order.] He was mourned by the whole country,
and especially by the religious of all the orders who were in it. All
declared that there would never again come to this region such a friar,
such a governor of the diocese, such a father of the poor, such a
zealot for the honor of God, a man of such gifts for everything. When
he died, the need of him was exhibited by the public way in which
those vices which, so long as he lived, dared not appear or lift up
their heads, began to prevail in the country. He received a solemn
interment, attended by the ecclesiastical chapter and by all the
religious orders, to all of whom he had done many friendly acts,
and by all of whom he was therefore heartily beloved. At this very
day his fame is as much alive as if he had died but yesterday. He
appointed to be governors of the diocese, by the authority which he
had received therefor from the bishop (whose death was not yet known),
father Fray Alonso Ximenez, provincial of this province, and father
Fray Juan de San Pedro Martyr, or Maldonado. The ecclesiastical chapter
resisted; and although the nominees plainly had right on their side,
and the governor, Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, offered to put them in
possession, they were unwilling to obtain the control of the bishopric
by lawsuits. They renounced or did not accept the appointment, and left
the government to the chapter, as something which should not be sought
or even received except as the result of compulsion or sheer necessity,
not for one's own advantage, but for the common weal--which very seldom
is attained when the entry upon such offices is obtained by lawsuits.
CHAPTER XLV
Father Fray Juan de Castro, one of the first founders of this province
[When father Fray Juan de Chrisostomo went to Rome to get the documents
necessary for founding the new province, he carefully looked in every
one of the convents that he visited for men of the devotion, prudence,
and holiness which he regarded as necessary for a firm establishment
of the new province. In it the rule and the constitutions were to
be punctually observed, and the religious were not to be contented
with observing them as others do, for we all profess to observe them
as they were written. He purposed to make this province one of such
virtue that it should be not only holy in itself, but should have
power by the aid of the Lord to fix holiness and virtue in the souls of
persons so alienated from them as were these Indians, who had always
been in the service of the devil. Among those upon whom father Fray
Juan Chrisostomo turned his eyes was father Juan de Castro, of the
convent of Sancta Cathalina in Barcelona. He was from the city of
Burgos, and was the nephew of the other father, Fray Juan de Castro,
the provincial of this province. God always shows His power in His
saints; but to be superior among many saints, to shine with special
glory among shining stars, is a much more marvelous effect of the
divine grace. Such was father Fray Juan de Castro in this convent,
which of itself has the name of being a very religious one; and
father Fray Juan Chrisostomo selected him for the high end which
he designed. Christ our Lord did not need to seek for holy men. His
divine power was such that He could make apostles of great sinners,
like St. Matthew or St. Paul; but Father Juan Chrisostomo, being a
man, was obliged to choose, for the foundation of the province upon
which he had begun, persons whose holiness was already formed. In
order to obtain father Fray Juan de Castro, he caused the general
of the order to assign him by name to the new enterprise. In this
way the convent of Barcelona, much as they regretted losing Father
Juan de Castro, were obliged to let him go to the Philippinas. His
uncle, having been appointed to the leadership of this company, sent
his nephew to the most laborious, but most meritorious part of the
work--namely, to the province of Pangasinan. Father Fray Juan, to
save the other fathers from hardship, carried water from the river,
brought and split the wood, kindled and stirred the fire, and was,
in a word, the servant of the rest; he anticipated all the others
in these works and labors, so that the rest of the religious might
not be wearied out, and that the Indians might not be annoyed, or
feel ill-will toward the preachers of the gospel, by being forced,
against their declared intention, to bring what was necessary for
the services of the church and of the poor convent. He suffered the
lack of food with special content and joy. He took great care of the
neatness and cleanliness of the church and the altar. In spiritual
things he distinguished himself as he did in these material labors;
yet his uncle did not appoint him to any place as superior, but gave
him that which he most delighted in, the position of the greatest
labor and the lowest honor. When the heaviest part of the duty in
Pangasinan was over, the Lord ordained that he should seek labor
somewhere else. It was decided to send an embassy to China after the
death of the governor, Gomez Perez das Mariñas. He had been killed
by some Chinese traitors, who had afterwards made their escape with
the galley, in which was the royal standard, much good artillery,
and other things of value. The purpose of the embassy was to demand
justice upon these traitors. On account of father Fray Juan Cobo's
success in the embassy to Japan, it was decided to select religious
of the same order for the present embassy. Father Fray Luis Gandullo
was accordingly chosen, and named as his associate father Fray Juan de
Castro. As secular ambassador went Don Fernando de Castro, cousin of
the governor who sent the embassy, and nephew of the dead governor. A
storm blew them out of their course toward the province of Chincheo,
to which they had intended to go, and drove them to the province of
Canton, one of the thirteen into which the Chinese realm is divided. As
the Chinese there had had no dealings with the people of Manila, they
did not receive the ambassadors with the respect due their office,
or with the kindness which ought to be shown to men who had suffered
so from the storms of the sea. They were arrested on the charge of
piracy, but, by giving two hostages, they obtained somewhat better
treatment. They were finally permitted to go to Macan, and afterward
proceeded to Chincheo, but could not find a trace of the galley which
they were looking for. The traitors had not gone back to their own
country, but to a neighboring kingdom which was less civilized and had
less justice. Some of them, not expecting to be recognized, afterward
ventured to go to Malaca, and paid for their crime with death. At
last the ambassadors returned, without having obtained any of the
results which were desired from the embassy. The fathers, however,
had at least carried the sweet savor of the Christian religion to
those regions. On the return journey, they met with such a storm that
the vessel was lost, and the people aboard her had to save themselves
by swimming. Father Fray Juan de Castro was carried by a plank to the
coast of Pangasinan, a day's journey from the coast of Bolinao, where
the wreck occurred. The exposure brought on a severe illness. Father
Fray Juan was taken to Manila and died in the hospital of the Chinese,
passing away serenely and devoutly.]
CHAPTER XLVI
The journey made by the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez to
Camboxa
[After father Fray Alonso Ximenez had completed his provincialate,
he went to Camboxa to preach the gospel there. Circumstances seemed
to make this absolutely necessary. In 1595 there came to the city
of Manila as ambassadors from the king of Camboxa two soldiers--a
Portuguese, named Diego Velloso; and a Castilian, a native of La
Mancha, named Blas Ruiz de Fernan Goncales. The kingdom of Camboxa
is on the mainland, like China and like Spain. The king asked the
governor of Manila for soldiers to assist in the defense of his kingdom
against the king of Siam, his neighbor; and also for Dominican friars,
to preach the law of God in his kingdom. The people of Camboja have
special knowledge of our order because of some religious, from the
India of Portugal, who lived there a long time. [10] One of them, named
Fray Silvestre, was so highly esteemed by the king that he had him
about his person continually. The Portuguese, however, were unwilling
to attempt the conversion of this region, because they thought,
and quite properly, that they could not carry it on to advantage
from India. The governor, in spite of the small force of soldiers
which he had, and the religious order, although likewise they had
but few laborers, decided to do what they could to fulfil the wishes
of the king. The order accordingly appointed the father provincial,
who was within a few months of the end of his term. The governor gave
him the title of ambassador, associating with him in the embassy
the commander of the forces, Captain Juan Xuarez Gallinato. Great
difficulty was found in providing an ecclesiastical companion for the
father provincial, as those who were at first suggested could not be
spared from their duties. Finally I was appointed, accepting this duty
in accordance with my vow of obedience. Three vessels were prepared
for the expedition, one of them of Spanish build, the other two of
the sort used in this country which are known as juncos. These are
large boats, and carry a great deal of freight; but they are weakly
built to meet the storms, and have very little rigging on their
masts, and accordingly are easily lost in bad weather. A hundred and
thirty soldiers were collected, most of them without permission of
the governor, who had given his license for only forty. There were
also some Japanese, who are too much given to rashness in war; and
some Indians of this country, who on occasions of honor are very
good auxiliaries. The leader of the expedition [i.e., Gallinato]
commanded the frigate; Diego Velloso, the smaller junk, in which we
religious went; and Blas Ruiz de Fernan Gonçalez, the larger, which
contained most of the forces. [11] January 18, 1596, we set sail
from the harbor of Manila, badly equipped and worse accommodated,
as usually happens on such occasions. We went to the island of Luban,
[12] fourteen leguas from the fort, to finish our preparations for the
voyage, which, though it is but a short one (only two hundred leguas in
length), is across a treacherous sea; for the best-fitted vessels often
suffer severely upon it, much more so those which are poorly equipped,
as were ours. The frigate and the smaller junk made port that night;
but the larger junk was unable to enter, and was not to be seen in
the morning. We assumed, as was true, that it had taken advantage of
the favorable wind and proceeded with its journey. We were, however,
anxious; because it was not well supplied with food or water, though
it was better supplied than the other vessels. Two days afterward,
we set sail; but on a calm sea, and with the wind fair, our mainmast
snapped as if it had been made of candy. It was all rotten; and we
were left like a cart on the water, with nothing but our foresail,
and that very small. The flagship took us in tow and we towed a
small boat with four Chinese sailors, which was the cause of no
little trouble. We sailed in this way for eight days, the sea being
calm. One night at the end of this time, the boat cable broke. The
sailors that were in the boat called out for us to wait for them;
and the flagship hove to, and began to sound while we were waiting
for the boat. Finding bottom in forty brazas, they perceived that we
were near the country of Camboja. In order to reach port early on the
following day, they left us, thinking that in spite of the smallness
of our sail we could reach there on the same day. The result, however,
was not as was expected; for by bad navigation we had gone many leguas
to leeward of the port. To make our way back there we had to sail
against the wind. A storm arose soon after, and the flagship was
obliged to run before the wind; it made port in Malaca, more than
two hundred leguas to leeward of its destination, and was unable to
return for three months. Our vessel could not make sail against the
sea, being entirely unequipped, and good for nothing but to ask for
the mercy of God. Under these circumstances fell the night between
the eighth and ninth of February. We all supposed that this was the
last of our days, and no man expected to see the next morning. The
force of the wind drove us aground more than two leguas from shore; we
had to cut away the stump of the mainmast, which was still standing,
and to throw into the sea the rudder and everything there was in
the ship. The boat, which might have saved us, was swamped; and the
sailors who were in it got aboard the ship. The waves broke over the
vessel, but could not sink it because it was already fast aground.] I
sat all that night in the waist (for it was impossible to stand),
confessing the Christians and catechizing the heathen. I baptized
twenty-two of them, feeling that the great danger in which we were,
authorized the act. When they had all received the sacraments,
I encouraged them to the work which was necessary to keep us from
perishing. Several times I went into the poop to confess myself,
and to receive the confession of the holy old man, my provincial,
who was there waiting for death--at the point of which we now were,
with the rope, as they say, about our necks. We could do nothing but
put up supplications and appeal from the justice to the mercy of God,
by whom sentence of death seemed to have been issued upon us. It was,
however, only a sentence of warning; and He accepted our prayer for
the time, giving us hope that with His aid we might atone for our
transgressions. The efficacy of God's mercy we almost felt with our
hands on this occasion; for death appeared to be actually upon us,
making execution upon the lives of those who were there. We were
somewhat encouraged by the hope of reaching the land which was so
near to us; but we did not know what it was, and what we were to
expect from it. If we had known, we would have preferred to die in
the sea; for our sufferings in this way would have been less than
those which we underwent by reaching the land. We were like those
of whom Jeremiah speaks in his Lamentations, for whom it would have
been better to have the lot of those who died with the sword at one
stroke than of those whose lives were brought to an end by hunger;
for the latter died a prolonged and painful death, being destroyed
by the barrenness of the land. The barrenness of this coast was such
that it greatly exceeded that of which Jeremiah speaks. It was such
that no one would go to it, even to escape death, unless, like us,
he was not acquainted with it. Finally those waves which were on their
way to burst upon the shore pushed on the ship, which was practically
empty, and went along as if it had been a dry stick. This was a result
of the coming in of the tide, and when the tide ebbed afterwards,
we were left aground, a cannon-shot from the sea; and we saw in the
mud (of which all this coast is composed) the track of the ship like
a trench, for the force of the sea as it rose had pushed it along,
breaking a road in the very ground. On this same day the tide came in
again with such fury, because it was a spring-tide, that it carried
the ship up to the trees and even buffeted it about there with such
violence that we were obliged to disembark for fear of perishing
in it. When we were on shore, exploring parties went off in various
directions. After they had made an arduous march, they brought back
the news that it was a wilderness inhabited only by wild beasts,
without any trace of a river or a spring, at least near the coast;
and that the country within proved to be inaccessible because it was
overflowed and very thickly overgrown. This news made us feel that
the sea was less evil for us than such a land, and that the tortures
which we had endured were slight compared with those to which we were
exposed by this desired but unhappy landing. Since eating and drinking
are a necessary and a daily obligation, and as our supply of food
and drink was very small, while we were more than a hundred persons,
we put forth all our energies to search for some remedy. As thirst
was that from which we suffered most, we dug wells in the dryest
parts we found, and when we met water, it was more salty than that
of the sea. I declare, as one who has found out by experience, that
the very dew which appeared in the morning on the leaves of the wild
trees there, was salt. Hence since the land denied us the sustenance
which we required, we determined to return to the sea, which had at
least granted us our lives, and which now gave us greater hopes than
the land of being able to preserve them. For this it was necessary to
help ourselves by means of the unlucky ship which was stranded on the
shore, for it had remained there after the spring tide was over. It
had no masts, or sails, or rudder, or anything that could be used,
because between losing them and perishing there had been no choice. To
supply these, it was necessary to put our hands to the work, until
it was finished. The most necessary thing to be done to the ship was
to cut it down and fit it so that it would draw but little water, and
might be rowed along the coast. Our relief was to be sought on land,
but he who should find it had to seek for it by sea. We were not now
planning for conquests or embassies, but for getting water--for which
we would have given all that has been yielded by the hill of Potosi,
if it had been ours. We spent ten days in getting the ship ready. We
cast overboard all the upper works and a good part of the under
works. We fitted to it twelve oars. In this way it was like a badly
made galliot; rudder, masts, and sails we replaced by rowing. While
some of us were at this work, others went to explore the country,
doing their utmost in the search for water. Some of these came back
very joyful, with good news, saying that about four leguas up the
coast from there a great river ran up into the land; that where it
flowed into the sea the water was salt, but that it must be fresh
above. They also said that they had seen the footprints of men on the
shore. The work was hurried on in the hope of satisfying our thirst,
which was increased by it, and still more by the heat of that region;
for we were in the most torrid part of the torrid zone, and had
practically no defense or covering against the heat. The vessel,
being of so light a draught, was easily launched; and embarking in
it all that we had left of provisions and clothes, which was very
little, we put forth one evening and entered the bight of the river
of which we have spoken, reaching its mouth in the morning by hard
rowing. We entered it with great delight, which was increased by the
sight of a hut on the bank not far from the ocean. Though there was
no one in it, we promised ourselves large towns when we saw it, and
even assured ourselves of certain news of our companions, of whom as
yet we knew nothing, nor they of us. But within a few days we found
out the deceit and lost our joy in it. After going for three days up
the river, we constantly found the water salt like that of the sea,
whose arm it was, and not a river. Upon its banks on either side
there was nothing but impassable undergrowth. At last we reached a
point from which we could not go further up, because the seeming river
divided into so many little creeks that the ship had not room in any
of them. The change from the false hope of water and of towns, which
had possessed our minds, served to redouble our misery; since now, as
it seemed to us, we had lost the hope of relief by land or by sea. Our
necessity had now reached such an extreme that the food was distributed
by ounces, and the drink almost by drops--though the labor of rowing,
each man in his turn (from which no one was excused), was such as to
require much food; and the heat was so excessive that even if we had
been in idleness we should have needed much to drink. But at last,
having confidence in the Father of mercies--who, though He distresses,
does not overwhelm; and, though He chastises, does not slay--we
returned to the sea by which we had come. At sight of it we left the
vessel, in order to rest a little from the labor which we had endured
to attain that for which we were hoping; and I went on land with my
four Chinese (with whom I was very intimate), and had them build a
little boat of four planks--fastened together by some twigs, so to
speak, for we had no nails; and calked with clay, for we had no tow,
or any other thing better than the clay. This made a sort of canoe. If
awkwardly handled, it filled with water. But, such as it was, I had
two of the soldiers get into it--for if they kept close to shore they
would run no risk--and told them to go up to the hut that we had seen
to discover whether there were any people there; because perhaps they
had hidden themselves, from fear of our vessel, when they saw it on
the way up the river. They did so, and at nightfall they discovered
two grown Indians and a boy. They made their way up to them, little by
little; and when they got near them they found that they were asleep
on the shore, not expecting anything to happen to them. They caught
the Indians, and bound them. When the rest of us came by soon after
in our ship, they called out from the land, telling us what they had
done. Our joy was so great that to render thanks the holy old man
and I sang a Te Deum laudamus; and at this hour, which was midnight,
half a cuartillo [i.e., pint] of water was served out to the troops
in token of joy. The soldiers came on board with their captives,
treating them gently and showing them all sorts of kindness. It
seemed to us that God had sent them to us as angels to guide us,
as He sent St. Raphael to Tobias. We began to put questions to them
by an interpreter, asking what country this was, what population it
had; and where they had come from, and where they ate and drank. They
answered that they were from Camboxa, and that the country along this
coast, and inland for many leguas, was uninhabited; and that to go
to the towns we should have to enter a large river and to sail up
for eighty leguas. They said that large vessels went up the river,
and that it was many leguas to windward of this place. They declared
that they were natives of that country, slaves of one of its chief
lords; and that, because of the ill treatment which they had received,
they had fled from him, and had come hither where no man had ever
landed. They said that they ate nothing except shell-fish, which
they caught with their hands, and wild cocoanuts, that grew there;
and that they had no other water except what fell from heaven. When
it rained they caught what they could and kept it in some large reeds
to drink afterward. They said that two years had passed since they
had come there. The effect of such sad news upon the hearts of men
who had suffered as we had may easily be imagined. They also told
us that some days' journey further there was a port; but that, if
we meant to go inland, where the king was, it would be necessary to
leave the vessel at the port, because there was no river that entered
inland. Since our desire was only not to die of thirst, any means by
which we could get water seemed easy and light to us. We accordingly
set out by sea in search of this port, taking these Indians with us,
not with the purpose of increasing consumers when we had so little
to consume, but to have guides. We went along the coast, running
up to it very often wherever we thought we saw any signs of water,
and sometimes digging wells, but always in vain, for the land could
not give what it did not have. On the day of St. Matthew the Apostle,
we discovered a high island in the sea, named Pulonubi. [13] It was
about six leguas from land. We laid our course toward it in search
of water, thinking that doubtless it would have some, being high and
mountainous, and having a sandy shore; but as the equipment of the
ship was fastened on with pins, as the saying is, our rudder broke,
when we had gone out a legua to sea. Being buffeted by the slight sea
which was running, we had to return to land, and even to run aground,
in order to mend the rudder. The Lord seemed to have declared that He
intended to bring death upon us, because the sustenance necessary for
our life was entirely consumed; for since we had no water, we were
not only without drink, but also without food, our provision being
rice, which cannot be eaten unless it is boiled in water. For lack
of water, some ate it parched, which dried their entrails. Others
ate it imperfectly boiled in the steam of salt water, putting it
in a little basket over a pot of this water on the fire, so that by
the steam thus sent out it might be softened. The water was so salt
that it made the rice like itself, and left it uneatable. There were
some who, even after this fine example of cookery, drank sea-water,
which increased the thirst they were so impatiently desiring to
remedy. Others distilled it over the fire and got some fresh water,
but very little, at the expense of much wood and with the necessity
of keeping up fire day and night, which dried them more than the
water that they got moistened them. All this taught us the great need
in which we live, with our life on a thread, and the Lord many times
threatening to cut it short. When we had mended the rudder as well as
we could at the time, we went on up the coast, being disillusioned,
so that we would not have thought of going out to sea even if the
ocean had been as smooth as milk. Three days later, the twenty-seventh
of February, which was Shrove Tuesday, we took our hands from the
oars and placed ourselves in those of God, despairing of life. The
remedy came to us as from God's own hand without our expecting it,
when we were overcome by labor, and dying of hunger and thirst, and
had given up ourselves to death. Thus it is most certain that the Lord
comes to the aid of him who calls upon Him when all things created
fail him--blessed be God's holy name. We had reached such an extremity
that of that sorry ration of water which we had now had about a month,
and which was less than half a cuartillo daily for each person, there
was only enough for two days. We were not now thinking of making
any effort to find any, but had our minds wholly turned to preparing
ourselves for death, when the Lord of life ordained that the waves
of the sea should drive us into a little inlet which the land formed
there, where we went on shore with the intention of never leaving the
place, but of ending in it our voyage and our lives. It happened that
one of the Indians in the ship went to bathe in the water, to relieve
the great heat from which he suffered, and somewhat to moderate the
thirst which was destroying us. He swam to land, and there right on the
shore (which was muddy, like all of that along which we had coasted),
his feet sank in at the foot of a wild palm-tree. Feeling that they
had gone into water, he drew them out, applied his lips to the hole
which he had made, and found that the water was fresh. The thirst
from which he suffered not permitting him to wait until it settled,
he drank mud and water until he was satisfied. He shouted to us to
tell us what he had discovered, but no one believed him. At last,
the Indian persisting in his affirmation, all hurried to the water
to look upon this marvel, which might be compared to that which God
performed in drawing water from a rock that His people might drink in
the desert; for no less miraculous appeared to us this fresh water
in a marsh so near the ocean. We gave God a thousand thanks, and
rejoicing in the feast, we forgot the labor and the fasting which
we had undergone in the long vigil. We easily dug a well, for the
whole soil was muddy, and on the next morning we filled all our casks
with the water, which had now settled. We set sail to look for food,
and even aspired to greater things. [In a few days we reached the
port, where there was a garrison of Indians against their neighbors,
the Siamese. All the news which we obtained about our comrades, and
about the country to which we had come, was bad. The flagship had
not been heard of, and the other ship was at Churdumuco, which is a
large town eight leguas from the port and eighty from the sea. [14]
We were told that the king who had sent for us from Manila, and
whose name was Langara, was not in the country; but that his place
in the kingdom had been taken by his chief vassal, because of the
following circumstances. The king of Sian had made war against the
king of Camboja, with eight hundred thousand men. This number should
not astonish anyone, because the kings could make war almost at no
expense, their vassals providing their own arms and food. The king
of Camboja did not dare to wait for so great a multitude of enemies,
and retreated up the river to another kingdom known as that of the
Laos. The king of Siam made himself master of the country, and after
burning it all returned to his own country, being harassed by hunger,
which made more war upon him than did the king his enemy. The army
being in disorder, one of the chiefs of Camboja, with those who had
retreated to the mountains (about thirty thousand men), attacked
his rearguard, thus obliging him to hasten his retreat. This chief,
having conquered him who had conquered his king, took possession of
the kingdom. The new king regarded those who had come at the request
of the previous king as allies of his enemy, and therefore as his own
enemies. This news alarmed us greatly, as we were without our comrades,
our commander-in-chief, and our ships. However, being obliged to
disembark, and to put ourselves into the hands of the rulers of the
country, we made an honest man of the thief, as the proverb goes,
and decided to send a soldier to him as an ambassador--offering to
him our aid and service, on the ground that we had come to help the
king of this country, and found no other king in it but him. The king
received him kindly, saying that he only held the kingdom as a regent,
and that he was ready to restore it to the lawful king when he should
return. He sent an order to the mandarin of the coast where we were,
to provide us with boats and carts. The soldier on his return met the
Spaniards of the other ship, and learned from them that all that the
king had said was false and that his purpose was to kill us at his
ease. They advised us to join them in their ship, dissimulating in
regard to our affairs, and keeping on our guard. The father provincial
sent me ahead to confess those in the ship, because it was Lent,
and they had sent to him to ask for a confessor. I was on foot and
suffered much, although some things that I saw on the journey afforded
me some alleviation of these hardships. I one day reached a village
where there was a monastery of religious of their sort, of whom there
are many in this kingdom. I went to it and talked to a venerable old
man, who was as it were the superior of it. He was seated on a little
platform about a palm's breadth in height, with a small mat on it,
and the others sat on the ground. Without saying anything, I sat down
next to the old man--at which they smiled, thinking that I had done
so because I did not understand the custom of the country, which did
not permit that. We both showed each other much courtesy by signs,
and I by using some words of their language which I knew, although,
because I did not put them together properly, they laughed much. They
gave me a collation of some fruits; and the sacristan immediately took
me to his temple, which was at some distance from the house. It had a
sort of cemetery about it, surrounded by some slightly raised stones
which divided it from the rest. The door to the temple was small, and
the temple itself was arched, round, and small. (Here follows a full
account of the appearance of the temple. Some description of their
prayers and of their religious customs is also given. Aduarte states,
upon the authority of the Portuguese religious, that these native monks
are vicious and licentious in the extreme.) I finally reached the ship
of our people, and on both sides we told each other what had happened.]
CHAPTER XLVII
The wars which followed in the prosecution of this embassy
[By the sufferings and danger which we had passed through, the Lord
had prepared us to endure those which were to follow. To protect the
ship, some of the men had encamped on a little sand island in the
middle of the river. On one bank was the town (i.e., Chordamuco)
of the natives, near which there were about two thousand Chinese,
some settled here, others who had recently come from China as traders,
with their merchandise, in five large vessels, which they kept in the
river near the town. They had controlled the natives, and resented
the coming of the Spaniards, thinking that the latter had come to
disturb or take away the superiority which they had. So they sought
for an opportunity to quarrel with them, seeing that the Spaniards
were few and that they were many. Whenever the men on the ship went to
buy food on land, the Chinese tried their patience by annoying them
without any reason. By orders of the captain, Blas Ruyz de Fernan
Goncalez, they endured this annoyance, though sorely against their
will. The captain sent a message to the king asking him to bring the
Chinese to order. The king spoke fair words, but did nothing. Finally,
the anger of our men got beyond their control. On the Sunday after
Easter, when all had received communion, three or four were in the
town with the captain's permission. One of them came back with his
sword drawn, saying that the Chinese had chased and abused them, and
that they had not dared to violate the captain's orders. The troops
armed themselves, and, breaking away from all restraints, went to take
vengeance on the Chinese. I went along to calm the Chinese, if I could,
by speaking to them in their language, which I understood. They were
all armed with their catanas (a sort of hanger), and languinatas, or
long knives drawn to a point. I dared not put myself in their hands,
because I was told that they would be better pleased to get me than
anyone else. Soon after, sixty of our men in two companies, with some
of our Japanese and Indians, came ashore and instantly attacked the
Chinese. As our bullets took effect at such a distance that the latter
could not attack our troops hand to hand, the Chinese were routed;
and our men followed, killing them, until they had driven them out of
the town. The natives of the country took no part in the conflict on
either side. I saved as many lives as I could. The soldiers, seeing
themselves masters of the field, pursued the Chinese to their ships,
into which the Spaniards were able to shoot from the high banks. In
this way they soon got control of the ships, which was necessary,
because with these large ships they would easily have overcome our
smaller vessel, and thus all hope to escape from the anger of the
king would have been taken away from us. The king [15] was in great
wrath. To send a message to him, and to carry a statement of the
case, the father provincial, Fray Alonso Ximenez, was chosen. He
went accompanied by half of the forces, the rest of us remaining in
the ships. Several days were passed in sending messages backwards and
forwards, but the king would not receive the ambassadors in person. It
was plain that the king was planning to take all our lives. The demands
which he made would have put us entirely in his power; and, when the
father provincial asked permission to return and discuss them with the
rest of the forces, the king refused permission for anyone to return
except the father provincial alone. The intention of the king was to
wait for a rainy day, so that our powder should be moistened and we
be unable to use our arquebuses. When the father provincial came back,
he asked me if I would venture to go to the camp, confess the soldiers
and encourage them, and carry to the king our response declining to
follow his wishes. When I reached the forces near the palace of the
king, we did not consider the question of taking any answer to him,
but discussed two plans of escape. One was to withdraw in good order,
defending ourselves on the way; the other to attack the palace of
the king by night and strive to capture him, his son, or his wife,
whom we might use as hostages. Captain Diego Velloso declared that
if we should attack these Indians boldly they would retreat to the
mountains, and leave the field to us; but that if we should retreat
they would all attack us. He had had experience in this part of the
world, and what he said was confirmed by others, so that his plan was
accepted. That night I confessed the men and told them what under the
circumstances it was lawful for them to do, enjoining them to commit no
unnecessary violence, and to take no lives except in self-defense. The
attack was planned carefully, the troops being divided into a front
and a rear guard, and some of the soldiers being left with a barge
in the river near where we were encamped, with orders to capture
two Indian boats as soon as they should hear the noise of conflict,
so that we could make use of them in our retreat. I should have been
glad to remain with the barge in order to avoid being present at
the conflict, which promised to be sanguinary.] However, it seemed
necessary for me to accompany the rest, and, armed as they were,
and wearing no part of my habit except my scapular, I accompanied the
troops who advanced against the palace. We were immediately detected,
but succeeded in reaching the royal dwelling--which was built of wood,
like the other houses in the town, but was very large. We broke in
the doors, but the people all escaped through other doors; and thus,
though we gained control of the palace, it was empty and we had failed
in our purpose. I restrained the troops from burning the palace;
but we lighted some bonfires, so that we might see each other. One
of these saved my life, for as an Indian on an elephant was charging
upon me and was already very close to me, so that I looked around
at hearing the noise, the beast fled in alarm, being scared away
by the fire. The Indians were not frightened by our daring, as we
had falsely imagined that they would be, but gathered in a large
square near the palace to face us. Everything, however, was noise
and confusion among them, surprised as they were, and there was no
less among us; for the number of our opponents was so much greater
than theirs that, if darkness had not protected us, they could have
buried us in handfuls of sand. [Like Joshua, I would have held back
the dawn if I could. At daylight we were all in disorder. When the
Indians could distinguish us from themselves and saw how few we were,
they began to rain arrows upon us, several being wounded, Captain
Diego Velloso having one leg pinned to another, so that he could not
walk. Our troops were in entire confusion, some calling out that we
ought to come to an understanding with the Indians, others finding
fault with the plan that we had followed, until God was pleased to
give me courage that I might give courage to the others, and I took
upon myself the office of captain. Our last day, as we expected it
to be, was bright and clear. A body of courageous Indians charged
down the street at us, and their captain almost reached our line. I
confess that I wished to leap out upon him, not that I might kill him,
but that I might be the first to die, and not see the carnage which
I feared--or the worse than carnage, if we were taken alive. But
wisdom ruled me, and I ordered Captain Blas Ruiz to attack him with
his halberd; with one blow he thrust the Indian through, shield and
body. The death of their captain somewhat abated the courage of the
rest. God was pleased that one of our bullets should strike the king,
who was in the rear, unseen by us, animating his troops. We did not
learn of this for some days afterward, but we could see that the
Indians attacked us with less ardor. The Indians cut off our retreat
to the barge, and we were obliged to leave the soldiers who were with
it and to make our way, back by the road. As we marched along, we were
obliged to defend ourselves on all sides, and especially against the
crowd of Indians which followed in our rear. We could go but slowly,
burdened as we were with our arms, and being obliged to carry our
wounded.] Two arrows struck but did not wound me, one being caught by
a coat of mail which I wore, and the other by my shield. We suffered
greatly from hunger and thirst. When we came to some puddles with
rain-water in them (which was more mud than water), all drank of them,
and when I came there, though I was one of the last, I did the same;
and though the best had already been drunk, and the rest was mixed
with mud, it tasted better to me than any water that I ever drank in
my life. Under all these circumstances, we marched on this day, which
was the twelfth of May, four leguas by four o'clock in the afternoon,
[when we were obliged to halt because we had reached the bank of a
river. The Indians and we ourselves supposed that we should never
be able to cross. Here some of our men urged that we ought to give
ourselves up to the Indians as slaves for life; others declared that
we ought to attack them, and force them to kill us. At nightfall, rain
began; and the Indians, supposing that our powder would be moistened,
prepared to attack us. I passed along the line, confessing some and
encouraging all, though I must admit I was in great fear myself lest
before midnight we should be cut into bits, that each one of our
enemy might have his piece, as is the custom of Indians when they
are victorious. The storm ceased before they dared to attack, but
the river was still before us. There were two fords, one narrow and
deep; the other, wide and shallow, and at about ten o'clock at night I
decided that we ought to make the venture, and learn whether we were
to live or die. We chose the longer and shallower ford, marching as
quietly as we could, and leaving behind us a number of burning bits
of the matches that we used for firing our guns, tied on the bushes,
in order to make the Indians suppose that there was a large number
of troops there. Our retreat was covered by six courageous men with
two arquebuses each. When we entered the river, our vanguard, which
was already in the middle, began to retreat upon us, fearing the
people who were on the other bank, and their elephants, which they
said they were driving into the water. I succeeded in reanimating
them, and they fired a volley from the middle of the stream, where
the water reached the beards of many of them. The enemy fled, and
our passage was impeded only by the difficulty of dragging ourselves
through the mud. We marched on for the rest of the night very slowly,
with our clothes sticking to our bodies. On the morrow we found
some fruit-trees and broke our fast of two nights and one day. We
had great difficulty in carrying our wounded. One of the men being
left behind by all, I had to carry him myself with his arms over my
shoulders, for he was taller than I, until, after his wound began to
grow feverish, he was able to walk a little himself. Not long before
sunrise we reached the great river in which the ships were, but at a
distance of two leguas from us. We put three of the wounded who were
the hardest to carry into a little boat there, and ordered them to
row down the river and carry the news of what had happened, and to
direct the others to bring the ship near the bank where we were. In
the meantime we cut some trees and made a breastwork; and when the
Indians (who are not accustomed to attack by night) prepared to make
their last rush and overwhelm us, our ship came up and, approaching
the bank as closely as possible, played on the Indians with some
artillery, and fired at them with arquebuses. Under this protection
we succeeded in getting to the ship, being carried in two boat-loads.]
CHAPTER XLVIII
Our departure from the kingdom and the events which happened during
our return to Manila
[On the same day on which we reached the ships, Captain Juan Xuarez
Gallinato arrived. He was told of our experience with the Chinese
and with the Cambodians, and of the good-will displayed in this
kingdom for its conversion, and also for the temporal ends proposed
in the service of his Majesty. Captain Gallinato showed that he
disbelieved much of what was told him, and that what he did believe
impressed him badly. In spite of all that was done to persuade him
to wait a few days, he was resolved to depart immediately; so we
sailed to Cochinchina for provisions. Here we were at first very
well received. Then Gallinato sent Captain Gregorio de Vargas as
ambassador to visit the king, and to ask him for the royal standard,
the galley, and the artillery, and the other things which had been
carried to that kingdom by the traitors who murdered Governor Gomez
Perez das Mariñas. The king took this demand so ill that he tried
to kill the ambassador, who barely escaped with his life. The king,
partly because of his rage, and partly from fear that the news of his
treatment of the ambassador would be carried back by the Spaniards,
sent two fleets and a large land force to destroy us. We here got
news of the death of the tyrant who had ruled over the kingdom of
Camboja and of the plan of a number of loyal chiefs to reinstate the
lawful king with the assistance of the Spaniards, to whom they meant
to offer great rewards. The Spanish ships were just putting out to
sea when the Indians reached the shore with the purpose of giving
them this invitation. It was known that the kingdom of the Laos
(to which the king of Camboja had withdrawn) was very near that of
Cochinchina; and Captains Blas Ruyz and Diego Velloso asked permission
to go by land and find the king. Gallinato permitted them to do so,
and I accompanied them to the city of Sinoa, where a son of the king
acted as viceroy. Some Augustinian friars who were in that country
begged father Fray Alonso Ximenez to go with them and celebrate the
feast of St. Augustine. During his absence, the rumor that the Indians
intended to murder us treacherously kept increasing; so that we all
went aboard, in order to be able to defend ourselves better. The time
for sailing to Manila had come, of which we had to take advantage
without waiting for either father Fray Alonso or the captain, because
we should otherwise have been obliged to winter there. On the third
of September, a multitude of people suddenly appeared on the hills,
and a fleet came sailing up into the cove where we were. There were
many galleys and small boats, and among them there were fifteen larger
two-masted vessels, fastened together three by three, with no one on
them but a steersman. These were loaded with wood and fagots, to set
fire to us; while, if we took refuge in the water, the people in the
small boats were ready to receive us. The men on the hills began to
shoot at us with their arquebuses, which they used skilfully, aiming
well, though they were slow in taking aim. The bullets, however,
fell short. Our two smaller vessels set sail, and by the aid of a
light breeze moved out into the middle of the bay. The ship in which
I was was larger; and, though we tried to do as the other boats did,
the wind was too light for us, and the fire-boats came upon us and
gave us a great deal of trouble. They came so near that from the top
of our poop we could see the steersmen, some of whom our men shot,
while others took refuge in some little boats which they towed. When
the fire-boats were left without anyone to steer them, they followed
the current of the water, and left us in peace. At this point father
Fray Alonso Ximenez reached the shore. They took off his habit and
dragged him, with nothing on but his breeches, before the viceroy,
who had come as general of this enterprise. He told him to put on his
habit again, and talked of his ransom; but our captain was so angry
at their treachery that he sent back a very wrathful answer. Thus
father Fray Alonso Ximenez was left a prisoner, but was not ill
treated. He received permission to live with the Augustinian fathers,
and at last was permitted to go to Macan without being obliged to pay
a ransom. From there he came back to this country at the end of a year
and a half. On the next day we set sail for Manila. There are shoals in
the midst of this gulf running for eighty leguas directly across the
straight course for Manila; and to pass these shoals it was necessary
to round one of the two ends of the chain--one in latitude nine, the
other in latitude seventeen. The latter being nearer the direct line,
we governed our course by it; and the flagship, sailing well against
the wind, rounded it. The vessel in which I was, being a poor sailer,
went by the other end, but got out of its course. We were becalmed
one night, so near the coast of the Philippinas that the people were
already beginning to prepare their clothes for going on shore. In the
morning we found ourselves in the midst of reefs which were not on
the charts. To make our way out from them, we were obliged to sail
back on our course; and after we had made our way out the wind was
against us, and we were obliged to sail toward the country which we
had left. We decided to land at Malaca, that we might at least escape
with our persons, for we cared little for anything else.] We reached
an island named Pulotimon, [16] which is forty leguas from Malaca. The
Indians here told us that there were some pirates in that sea; that
they were anchored about five leguas off, and that we should have
to pass them. This news greatly disquieted us, because our vessel
did not sail well or answer the helm well, which is the worst thing
that can be in a sea-fight. But it was not possible to escape this
danger, because there was greater danger in every other direction
where we wished to go. So we continued our voyage and met with the
pirates, as they had told us. They had five ships, four of them small,
and one of them large, strong, and well equipped, and provided with
nettings. On these boats there were many little flags, which, we were
told, were tokens of the prizes that they had taken. They were of a
tribe called China-patan, descendants of Chinese who have colonized
the kingdom of Patan. They had learned this business [of piracy],
because it is easier than others; and they had now sailed out to
practice it. That we might not show fear, but might excite fear in
them, we passed close to their ships, with our flag flying and our
drum beating. They failed to see that our invitation was feigned,
accepted it, and, weighing their anchors, followed us all night, giving
us chase till morning. The small vessels surrounded us, and with the
large one attacked us. Their arms at close quarters were pikes and
javelins with points hardened in the fire [tostadas]. The arms which
they used at a distance were culverins and arquebuses. In using our
arquebuses we did not waste a bullet, for there were many on whom to
employ them. [We were alarmed by the explosion of a keg of powder, but
fortunately only one man was killed. I was standing alone on the poop,
watching for the result of the fight; and at first the enemy did not
notice me, since the waist was full of their pikemen. At last, one of
them perceived me and flung a pike at me, giving me a wound of three
dedos in depth. I descended from the poop; but, before I reached the
deck, one of the fire-hardened lances struck me in the right jaw,
leaving its point and innumerable splinters in the flesh. With my
two hands upon my two wounds I went to confess some wounded men
who were in danger. At last when the enemies saw that their prize
cost them much, they left us and went away without our being able to
follow them, because our vessel was so unfit. We afterward learned in
Malaca that out of two hundred pirates (which was their total number)
more than half had been killed. Most of us were wounded, and two or
three died--besides two others, who were shot by accident by their
own friends. After we had escaped this danger we came, two days later,
upon a surprise which was equally great. In the strait of Sincapura,
by which we were obliged to pass, we found a fleet of eighty large
galleys, with heavy artillery amidships and along the sides. This
was the fleet of the king of Achen, who was going to do what injury
he could to the king of Jor [i.e., Johor] to whom belongs the country
of that strait. The latter had sixteen galleys for its defense, which
were in the mouths of the rivers to prevent his enemy from entering
them. Malaca is between these two kingdoms. There was at that time an
agreement that neither of these kings should be assisted with men,
but only with provisions and ammunition, one side receiving the
one and the other the other, but neither receiving both. We passed
ourselves off to them as Portuguese; and when they called upon us to
enter their galleys we excused ourselves, because of the aforesaid
agreement, and went on in peace to Malaca. I went to our convent,
where the religious were surprised at my coming, partly because it
was the middle of November, when they did not expect a vessel from
any direction, and partly because they saw me in so coarse a habit,
very different from that which they wore. Besides that, I was very
dirty and very lean, and had my body and face all bound up because
of my wounds. Although my appearance was so strange, they were so
discreet (or I had better say so charitable) that, without asking any
questions they arranged to take care of me, called in the surgeon,
and brought me underwear and a habit after their fashion. After I
was cared for and clothed, they asked me whence I came and how I had
been brought there. I was charmed with the kindness which they had
shown me, and told of my wanderings and of the sufferings which I had
endured, by which they were greatly astonished. I remained there for
six months. My cure took three months, and from the wound in my face
every day two or three splinters were discharged, some larger and
others smaller, until at least a hundred had come out. Though the
wound closed, two remained within, which came out two years later,
two dedos below the wound. I was much inconvenienced during those
three months, because I could only open my mouth a little way; and
hence it was very painful for me to eat until, by exercise, my jaw
came back to its former usefulness. Of the soldiers who came with me,
some went to India and twelve to Camboxa, supposing that the rightful
king was now probably there. They found on the throne his son,
who with a great army given him by the king of the Laos, and with
the captains of whom I have spoken, had returned to his kingdom of
Camboxa and pacified it. Here they remained for a considerable time,
though they were disappointed in everything. I and the others returned
to Manila. The voyage is one of five hundred leguas, and it took us
fifty days because of the many calms.] One calm night, when there
was no one at the helm, the binnacle, or three-wicked candle which
lights up the compass, fell down from the quarterdeck; and the flame
instantly burst out through a hatchway which was over it, frightening
all of us--for there is nothing more dreadful at sea than fire, for
everything in a ship is like tinder. In this ship, although it was
small, there were more than three hundred slaves, men and women. All of
them raised their cries to heaven. The captain, whose duty it was to
encourage them, immediately fell on his knees to make his confession,
as if things had already gone beyond remedy, but I pushed him away a
pace and a half, saying that it was not time for that yet, and that
he ought to look out for the fire first. I am almost certain that if
he had been permitted to confess to me we should all have burned to
death, because, however little our safety might have been delayed
by confessions, there would have been no remedy afterwards. We put
all the clothes there were there into the water, to soak them, and
then threw them down the hatchway, one on top of another. In this way
God was pleased that the fire should be put out; and we were left as
much amazed by this sudden and dangerous accident as people are who
are waked out of their sleep by a beam of light falling on them. We
at last reached Manila by St. John's day at the end of a year and a
half of this tedious and painful journeying. Soon after, father Fray
Alonso Ximenez arrived by way of Macan from Cochinchina, where he had
remained a prisoner. After all our hardships, afflictions, dangers,
and wounds, we brought back no other fruit but that of having suffered
for the gospel. Our only intention was to go to preach in that kingdom,
having been invited by its king, and influenced by his promises to that
end. These were great, though he was unable to fulfil them, since he
had been despoiled of his kingdom when we reached it, as has been said.
CHAPTER XLIX
The election as provincial of father Fray Bernardo de Sancta Catharina
or Navarro, and the churches which were incorporated in the province
On the fifteenth of June, 1596, the fathers assembled in the convent
of Manila to elect a provincial, because father Fray Alonso Ximenez
had finished his term. The definitors (who, as they afterward were
to confirm the provincial, were elected first) were: father Fray
Diego de Soria, second time prior of the said convent; father Fray
Bartholome de Nieva, a religious of very superior virtue, as will be
narrated in due time; father Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas, or Ormaca;
and father Fray Juan Garcia--all persons of conspicuous devotion to
their religious duties, and of noble example. Several times they
cast votes for the provincial without result. Because there were
many who deserved the office, and because the votes were divided
among them, no one had the number necessary for election. Those who
had the largest number of votes were father Fray Diego de Soria and
father Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas. These same persons endeavored to
persuade everyone to vote for father Fray Bernardo de Sancta Catharina,
who was accordingly elected. The election was a very satisfactory
one, for, in addition to being a very holy man, he was very wise
and learned, and most devoted to the ministry and preaching of the
holy gospel--in which, and in patience, and in the endurance of the
most severe hardships which befell him for this cause, no one ever
surpassed him, and he surpassed many. During his time he had seen
the province greatly favored by the Lord, by a very great spread of
the Christian faith among the Indians who were under his care. Many
of them in the villages where there were religious were baptized;
and, where there were no religious, they were desirous and eager
to receive baptism. Accordingly, at this chapter not only were new
churches admitted which had been built in the towns where there were
already religious--as, among the Chinese, the church of San Gabriel
at Minondoc; and, in Bataan, the church in the village of Samal,
besides others--but it also seemed good to admit heathen villages,
although they had no religious, and there were none in the province so
that teachers could be provided for them. Yet in this way they strove
to comfort those who asked and desired them, and raised in them the
hope that in this way they would receive religious when they came from
España. Thus were received the church of San Vicente of the village
of Buguey, afterward called Sancta Anna; Sancta Catarina of Nasiping,
afterward called San Miguel; and others like them--to which, in the
course of time, religious were sent when they came to the islands.
Soon after this provincial chapter had come to an end, another
shipload of religious arrived from España. They had been gathered
with great care and diligence by the new bishop of Nueva Segovia,
Don Fray Miguel de Venavides, whose new dignity had not sufficed to
diminish the love which he felt for his associates. He gave to this
matter more than ordinary attention, because he knew how greatly
needed were good workmen to aid in the great harvest which the Lord
had placed in their hands, ready to be gathered by the means of
baptism into this church militant, that the faithful might pass from
it to the church triumphant. The Indians themselves asked to have
preachers sent to their villages, and were grieved that these could
not be given to them. This not a little afflicted the religious, who
desired to satisfy them by the fulfilment of their just desires, but
were unable to do so on account of their own small number--too small
even for that which they had undertaken, and much more to go to the
aid of new regions. Besides this, the careful bishop was influenced
by the need of his own sheep; for nearly everything to which we
ministered fell within the bishopric of Nueva Segovia, which was
under his direction. Accordingly, taking advantage of his authority
as a bishop, and of the reputation which he had as a learned and holy
religious, he gathered the second shipload, and afterward the third
(with which he came). Father Fray Pedro de Ledesma [17] happened
to be in Castilla when the shipload which the good bishop sent was
about to sail. His presence was very convenient for his superior,
because he was an old and venerable father who had been many years
in the Indias in the very religious province of Guatimala, and who
therefore knew what was needed for the voyage. He was also of a very
gentle disposition, which is of great importance for such purposes
as his. The bishop laid upon this father the charge of conducting
the religious who had been gathered for this province; and he, being
inclined to all good, readily accepted the office, although he knew
that it was a very troublesome one. It not only required him to go
on business to the office of accounts--and, to him who knows what
that is, it is not necessary to say anything more--but he had also
to keep in contentment many religious who, as it was the first time
when they were at sea, were seasick, miserable, and very much in need
of someone to comfort them, bear with them, and encourage them. For
all this father Fray Pedro was very well suited, and conducted them
as comfortably as possible through the two long voyages which have
to be made on the way from España here. He did not shrink from the
great labor which this duty brought with it, that he might serve the
Lord, and aid in the preaching of His gospel and in the conversion of
these heathen. They arrived in the month of July in this year of 1596,
and were received with great joy; and with them those missions which
were in need of religious were strengthened.
Captains Blas Ruiz de Fernan Goncalez and Diego Velloso, who (as
has been stated in the preceding chapter) went from Cochinchina to
the kingdom of the Laos to look for the king of Camboja, met with
success. They found his son (for the king was already dead), and
told him all that the Spaniards had already done to help him, and how
they had slain the tyrant who had undertaken to establish himself in
the kingdom and had usurped it. They told him that they had come to
seek him that they might put him in quiet possession of his kingdom,
and other things of this kind, and roused his courage so that he put
himself in their hands. Depending upon them, he returned to Camboja
with a tolerably large army, which the king of the Laos gave him; and
the Spaniards fulfilled their word and established him in his royal
throne and palace, causing the largest and best part of the kingdom
to be obedient to him. The king in reward of services so faithful
and useful gave them lands and vassals in his kingdom. To Blas Ruiz
he gave the province of Tran; to Diego Velloso that of Bapano, with
titles very honorable in this kingdom. The two captains in their
new favor did not forget God, to whom they had so especial reasons
to be thankful; or their natural king and lord, from whom also they
had received rewards. They informed the king of Camboja of the great
good that it would be to his kingdom to know and reverence God by
entering into His service through holy baptism, and to have the king
of España for his friend. For the first purpose, father Fray Alonso
Ximenez and myself were proposed. They urged the great devotion,
virtue, and prudence of the holy old man, and the many sufferings
which we had both undergone from favoring the king's own cause; and
they said that, if he sent to call us back, we would very readily
come to preach the holy gospel. As for the second purpose they said
that he ought to send an embassy to the governor of Manila; and, as
a sign of the beginning of this friendship, that he ought to ask for
some soldiers, by whose aid he might easily complete the pacification
of his country. The king assented to all this, and sent his embassy
with letters to the governor, telling him that his principal reason
for asking for soldiers was that his vassals might be baptized with
greater certainty and less difficulty. To father Fray Alonso Ximenez
he wrote another letter, in the language and characters which those
people use, and sealed with his royal seal, of a red color. In the
Castilian language its tenor was as follows: ["Prauncar, king of
Camboja, to father Fray Alonso Ximenez of the Order of St. Dominic:
Greeting. From what I have heard from the captain Chofa Don Blas
Ruiz of Castilla, and from the captain Chofa Don Diego of Portugal,
with regard to the conduct of father Fray Alonso Ximenez when the
Spaniards slew Anacaparan, I have conceived a great affection for
father Fray Alonso Ximenez. Now that I am in my kingdom I beg father
Fray Alonso Ximenez to come to it, and to bring with him father Fray
Diego. I promise to build them churches and convents, and to give
permission to all in my kingdom to become Christians. Though I have
shown the two chofas [18] great favor and wish to keep them in my
kingdom, they are unwilling to stay, because there are no religious
here." The two captains wrote in the same strain to the fathers,
begging them to come and reunite this kingdom with the Church.
The governor of Manila saw how much could be done for the service of
the king by sending the soldiers for whom the king of Camboja asked;
but they were in such need of men and money that they could not well
meet his desires. For this reason, a knight of the Habit of Calatraba
who had been governor of these islands, by name Don Luis Perez das
Mariñas, promised to pay the expenses of the expedition from his own
fortune. The enterprise thus being made possible, we two religious
of the order for whom the king of Camboja asked were obliged to go;
and with us some religious of the Order of St. Francis, who were
much beloved by Don Luis. There were equipped for the expedition two
vessels of Spanish build, of moderate tonnage, and a galleot. The
preparations were made (as preparations usually are made by the
hand of servants of the king) slowly and faultily, as was seen by
the results. We did not set out for some months, and our ships were
so badly equipped and so weak that they began to leak as soon as the
voyage began--a forewarning of the evils that we afterwards suffered,
in which the poor knight Don Luis was disappointed, while all of us
who accompanied him paid for the inadequacy of the preparation. [19]
Since we were so late, the pilots decided to follow the course by
the gulf of Haynau to go round the shoals by the end in latitude
seventeen, because in that way the wind would be favorable; while if
they rounded the end in latitude nine, which was the regular course,
the wind would be adverse. They left Manila September 17 [1598], with
one hundred and fifty soldiers and sailors. In the flagship Don Luis,
who went as commander, took with him father Fray Alonso Ximenez and
the two Franciscan fathers. He directed me to go in the ship of the
second in command, [20] giving that officer orders to govern himself
by my advice. Within six days the vessels were scattered in the storm
and were all lost, no one knowing anything of the rest, and each one
supposing that the others were continuing their voyage in safety. The
galleot met with the best fortune, for, although damaged, it reached a
friendly port, was repaired, and continued its journey. The flagship
was obliged to cut away the mainmast, and sailing under its foresail,
ran aground in China on the eve of St. Francis. All who were on board
had to save themselves by swimming, and lost even their clothes. In
the ship of the second in command, in which I was, the mainmast broke
close to the deck, fortunately falling over the side so as not to
injure the vessel or to kill any of the men. The mizzenmast, being
badly wedged, began to topple, and had to be cut away. We sailed
on under the foresail, hoping to reach a port. But the fury of the
tempest and the force of the waves were such as to break the gudgeons
of the rudder. Some of our men flung themselves into the sea after
it and brought it back, but it was lost again; and we steered the
vessel with two long spars fastened to the side of the boat with a
cable. The ship was so strained that the boards on the sides began to
play up and down like organ-keys; but we threw cables about her, and
drew them taut with arquebuses. Then the bow began to work loose, from
the weight of the foremast and bowsprit, and we were forced to bind it
firmly with cables to the poop. All that we could do against the storm
and the wind was like the strength of a child exerted to restrain the
fury of a mad bull. In fear of another storm, we took refuge upon an
island which we encountered, one of the group called the Babuyanes. We
found a harbor, ran the bow ashore, and dropped two anchors from the
poop. We put the ammunition and the provisions that we had on shore;
and had hardly begun to dry our clothes, on the eve of St. Francis,
when the storm broke upon us with such violence that it seemed to me to
try to swallow us. The ship was broken in pieces; but the keel, and the
artillery which was carried as ballast, being too heavy for the deck,
were buried in the sand. We protected ourselves from the storm--which
lasted two days, and was one of both wind and rain--in some huts, which
we built on the beach of branches.] After the storm was over we dug up
the artillery, which consisted of four medium-sized cannon, mounted,
and set them up in a little fort which we made of logs, because there
were many Indians on the islands, and we did not know whether they
were friends or enemies. In a short time many of them appeared in a
troop on the shore, with their weapons. These consisted of two lances,
one for hurling, and the other large like a pike, with iron points;
both were made of ebony, of which there is much here. For defensive
armor they had sheets of the bark of trees, resembling cork. We sent
to them a man as a hostage and mark of peace, and they made signs to
him from a distance to put down his arms. He laid them at one side
and went to the Indians; and then they sent to us one of their own
number, whom we treated kindly, and after giving him some trinkets,
sent him back to his comrades; agreeing with him that they should
bring us provisions at a just price. They did this for two days,
although very scantily; and on the third day they broke the peace
by killing one of our Japanese, and badly wounding another who had
come in our company. He came back with his arm pierced, and with a
wound a span long above the pit of his stomach, but not entering it;
but he was very well satisfied because, by throwing himself forward
by the pike, he had killed the Indian who had wounded him--so proud
is that race. Now that our supplies were cut off, we were obliged,
since food is necessary, to take it by force, where we could find it,
since they would not sell it willingly; so for several mornings a
troop of our Indians went out under escort of our soldiers, gathered
what they could from the fields, and brought it back as food for
all. At one time when they were engaged in this, they thought that
they had discovered a great treasure; for they found some jars of
moderate size covered by others of similar size. Inside they found
some dead bodies dried, and nothing else. In that shipwreck we had
had the good luck to bring the boat ashore, and thus to save it. This
we intended to make use of by sending it to ask for aid from Nueva
Segovia, which was only twenty leguas distant. In order to do this,
it was necessary to lengthen the keel a braza, and to raise the sides
about half a vara. Both these things were done, though there was no
one among us who understood more carpentry than that best teacher,
Necessity, had taught them. We all thought that it was best that the
pilot and two men and I should go in it, because they believed that,
if I went, more effectual aid would be sent. We did so, and then,
when we sailed around the island we gave thanks to the Lord for His
kindness in having brought us to this little bay; for on any of the
other sides of the island we should certainly have been drowned in
the ocean, or, if any of us had escaped, should have perished at
the hands of the Indians. The Lord gave us a favorable wind, which
was needed by our tiny boat in that rough ocean, and we reached the
river of Nueva Segovia, which is very large; the distance from the
mouth to the city is three leguas. The alcalde-mayor immediately set
about the rescue, appropriated two fragatas, and had them prepared
to go to our people who were in the islands. At the same time I wrote
to Manila to the agents of Don Luys to send a ship, ship-stores, and
everything else required for continuing the voyage. I also wrote to my
superior, giving him an account of what had happened. The answer to my
letters was made plain, both on the island and in Manila. The governor
commanded that the voyage should be continued, all of the expenditure
being made anew, while my superior directed me to return to Manila;
and so I did, although my companions were greatly grieved. In truth,
by failing to go with them I caused their destruction; because, as they
were sailing toward the coast of China, they saw a Chinese ship, and,
against the will of the pilot and some few others, the rest determined
to pursue and plunder it. The ship fled, turning toward the coast of
its own country, which was all sown with shallows, well known to them
but not to our men. So eagerly did the Spaniards chase after them
in their greed for the prize, which they now regarded as certain,
that our ship ran aground and broke into two parts. The men were all
thrown into the sea, where some of them were drowned immediately,
and others, who took refuge on shoals, were drowned when the tide came
in. Some few only escaped, with the pilot, in a raft which they made of
planks from the ship. Even of those few some died of the cold, which
was very great, and was still more severe for them because they were
all wet. At last those who escaped reached the coast, with difficulty
enough. They were seized by the Chinese, and carried about for many
leguas from one judge to another. In this way they learned that Don
Luis was on the same coast, and that he had been wrecked on the same
day of St. Francis, and at the same time with us. They learned that
he was twenty leguas from there, on an island called Lampacao. They
received permission to join him; and in spite of their miseries they
forgot their ills in their pity for the poor knight and his men,
who kept themselves alive with shellfish, which they found there
and ate in small quantities. They all suffered patiently, because
of the example of their commander--who, that he might not offend
[the people of] the land, never allowed his men to ask for anything,
even what necessity almost compelled them to request.
CHAPTER L
I am commanded to go to China; events there, and the death of father
Fray Alonso Ximenez
[In spite of the wretched state of the noble knight Don Luis, the
Portuguese of Macan, who were only seven leguas away, were so far
from pitying him that they rather made bloody war against him. He
accordingly decided to send the pilot of the second in command,
with eight other men, to Manila in a small boat, to ask for what was
needed to escape from that labyrinth. They arrived after great peril,
and delivered their letters which were filled with the innumerable
complaints of those who remained there. They moved all the city to
great compassion, but our religious more than the others, who always
had a very tender regard for the good knight, Don Luis, both for his
virtue, and for his great love toward us. He never forsook us or our
churches, where he received all the sacraments, and went to hear all
the masses that were said, to the great edification of the village
of Minondoc--where he lived, near to our house. Consequently, I was
charged with the immediate care of procuring what was needed for the
relief of the present trouble, since the past troubles had none. My
superior notified me that I should go to take the relief to Don Luis,
and ordered me to attend to that matter with the greatest possible
despatch, since delay meant manifest danger. With all that care he was
unable to get the help out within four months, and notwithstanding
that I exercised very great earnestness in it, and attended to
the equipment of the ship that was assigned, which I had fitted
up so that it would stand any storm--having taken warning from the
previous ships, which had proved deficient in the first storm that
came upon us. By such diligence, we set sail, with suitable relief,
on September six. Arriving with it in less than twenty days, we were as
well received, as we were so heartily desired. We also found bad news
from Camboja, which had been brought by some ships that had returned
from that country. That news was that all the Spaniards there--both
those of our galliot, and all the others--had perished at the hands
of the Indians themselves, because of quarrelsome persons among
them, who were intolerable to the natives. Since it was impossible
to go thither as friends, and since our forces were very few to go
in any other manner, consequently, a general council having been
held, it resulted that we should return to Manila. To carry that
into effect, it was necessary to go to the court of the viceroy at
Canton to get permission, for we could not leave his port without
it. It was determined that I should go to get the permission. I was
accompanied by two soldiers and an Indian up a large river with most
beautiful and refreshing banks, which contained some very densely
populated villages. Arrived at Canton, we were lodged in a house
in the suburbs, as foreigners were not allowed to live in the city,
nor even to enter it without express permission from the judge who is
in charge. Guards are stationed for that reason at all the gates, so
that they may refuse admittance without such permission. It happened
that there was a eunuch of the king there at that time, as inspector
of that province. Within his palace the king of China is served only
by eunuchs, and many are castrated, in order to be eligible to serve
the king; and as they alone have access to his person and ear, they
persuade him of whatever they wish, and derive immense bribes from
the judges throughout the kingdom. The latter give them the bribes,
so that the inspectors may hand in a good report of them. That year
the eunuchs got for themselves the inspection of the provinces of that
kingdom, as a great harvest was offered therefrom, not only to the king
but also to the others who remained at his side in order to perpetuate
their acts of injustice with security, the gates to the complaints
that could have been uttered against them having been closed. Then
was it my unhappy lot that I should fall into the hands of one of
them, called Liculifu, who had charge of the visit to Canton, and
who, under pretext of the visit, was making haste to impoverish the
country and the inhabitants; for his charge there also comprehended
the inspection of a pearl-fishery for the king in the gulf of Haynao,
which was situated about one hundred leguas farther along the coast. It
was said that he had borrowed one thousand ships for that purpose,
and that he was in haste; but that he wanted first what fish he
could get on land--for which he had innumerable parasites at his
side who were wont to seek out means by which, rightly or wrongly,
he could employ them, by which they were always the gainers; and who,
in addition, always flattered him by showing him such means of gain,
by which he considered himself as well served, and rewarded those
most who were most advantaged by it. Certain of those creatures,
ferreting us out, immediately went to denounce us, not as evildoers,
but as men absolutely rolling in silver; for that is their opinion
of the Spaniards, even though they see them going naked. Therefore,
it suited him to employ his greed on us, although asking silver from
us was equivalent to asking pears from the elm tree. The inspector,
believing that we had maliciously concealed the silver, tried to get
it by force; but instead of silver he drew blood. Acting upon that
information he had us summoned before him, a day or two after our
arrival. We entered the gate used by foreigners, and there is only
one such gate. The guards registered us there, so carefully do they
watch and guard their city, although so rare are the foreigners who
enter it. We approached the inspector's court, but before we entered
it I had the inspector notified, by an interpreter whom I had with
me, that I would not kneel before him, as such was not the custom of
Castilians--whether religious or captains--even were it before the
kings of that land. He had me told that I should do so, but I answered
to the contrary twice more. However, finally paying greater heed to
the advantage that he expected [to derive], than to his honor and
courtesy which he claimed, he had me told that the soldiers should
kneel and that I should make him the bow and reverence that I was
wont to make to my king. Thereupon we entered, and found him seated
in great state at his desk, on which were the instruments used in
writing, according to their usage. Many servants stood near him, in a
chapel-like place that faced a large open court, whence those having
business entered as he summoned them. Placed on their knees between
two rows of executioners with frightful visages--twelve to the side,
who stood there--their cases were disposed of, and they were punished
there immediately, as soon as he ordered it, without further appeal
or recourse. The soldiers and the interpreter knelt before them,
while I remained upright, after having made him a very deep bow. He
received us well, and addressed some pleasant words to us. I thanked
him heartily, and made him a present of a piece of scarlet cloth
and a large and excellent mirror, with its silver chain by which to
hang it up, which had been given me for that purpose by General Don
Luis. The latter already was aware that no business was transacted
without a present. The inspector received the present very gladly,
as it consisted of articles that were scarce in that country. He
expressed many scruples in regard to it, so that it might not appear
that he was receiving it as a bribe, and said that it would be taken
as part payment of the duties due and to be paid by the ships; and that
he had a conscience and kept his gaze on the heavens, so that he might
not commit any unjust act. But in truth, although I thought that he
would be satisfied with that present, he regarded it as the beginning
of what we had to give and waited for the rest. I asked him to send
someone to measure the ships and receive the duties, for it was now
time for us to leave. He did so immediately, and sent officials like
himself. Those officials declared, because they were not bribed at
the beginning, that the duties amounted to one thousand eight hundred
ducados. Don Luis, having been advised of what ought to be done,
asked that the measurements be made a second time; and after he had
given them their bribe, they took off the thousand ducados, and the
duties remained at only eight hundred. Believing that the inspector's
greed was satisfied, I delayed two or three days in going to see him;
but he, as his appetite had been whetted for the desire of more with
the taste that he had received, took my delay very ill, and had only
the two soldiers and the interpreter summoned, but ordered me not to go
to him. On seeing them, he broke out into great anger because they had
not treated him according to his dignity. He ordered the interpreter
to be beaten as the most guilty, since, knowing the custom of the
country, he had not advised us thereof. They actually administered
five blows to him, and the blows that they give are always few, but
very severe. Those blows accordingly formed great wounds on the upper
part of his legs, that being where they are administered. He ordered
the soldiers to be all but lashed. They were thrown to the ground,
and their legs bared, while the executioner stood near them with his
lash raised. That instrument is made from a very large bamboo (such
as grow there), split in two and weighted somewhat with lead, and
having many slits, whose edges cut like knives. And as the executioner
stood thus, waiting for the order to strike the blow, he ordered him
to stay his hand, being satisfied to see them thus fearful. Then
he ordered all three to be taken prisoners to a public prison,
which was located at a considerable distance from his house. While
on the way thither they had me summoned, and bribed the officials
to stop in an idol temple. I went there alone, although with great
difficulty. They implored me again and again not to leave them in
custody, for they would die in prison. I promised them not to leave
that place until they were liberated, or else I would share the same
fortune with them. I well understood that those blows were directed
at me, rather than at them; and that, although given to others,
were a threat to me so that I should tremble and give the inspector
what he desired, or he would cause me also to suffer such things,
or even greater. I knew already that his parasites had informed him
of the esteem in which the Spanish hold their priests and religious,
and that they would redeem by weight of silver whatever insult he
might try to inflict on me; and that if he wished to fill his hand
well, he should make what extortions from me his tyrannous and greedy
taste dictated. I had no silver to satisfy his desire, nor, even had
I desired to supply that lack by any efforts, did I have any method
or means to do so. It even cost me very dearly to enter the city,
and I could not go on that account. I was persecuted by children, who
accosted me as did the children of Bethel the holy prophet Elisha;
while not one of the men had compassion on me, for they do not know
what compassion means toward their own countrymen, however afflicted
they see them to be. And further, if they behold them persecuted by
the more influential men, then in such case they flee from the sight
of them, in fear lest they receive a portion of the punishment, as
being accomplices in the guilt. The soldiers, as they were afflicted,
attributed the slowness of the relief to my neglect, and the inspector
to obstinacy. Finally he endeavored to satisfy his greed by making
open proof of my patience. Therefore, he summoned me on All Saints'
day. I heard of his resolve some days beforehand, and prepared for it
by saying mass--for which I had the opportunity, as the Portuguese
from Macan happened to be there at that time, by virtue of their
ordinary permission to go to Canton twice each year, to purchase
the articles that they need in certain fairs which are held there
at that time. However, they are not permitted to live in the city,
but must remain in their own boats in the river. As that purchasing
(which lasts many days) is a matter of consequence, the Portuguese
bring a priest, who says mass to them, in a little house near the
river. At that time there were three fathers of the Society there,
one of whom was acting in the capacity of chaplain for the traders,
while the other two were about to enter the interior with Father Matheo
Riccio, who had lived there for years. One of those two fathers, one
Lacaro Catanio, had lived with the above father for some years; and,
having gone to Macan on business, was then returning with another
Spaniard named Diego Pantoja. Both of them dressed themselves,
on the afternoon of the eve of All Saints, in Chinese habits, in
order to make their journey with some guides that they had with
them. Father Lacaro Catanio, as he had been a long time in China,
had long hair and beard, but the other father, having only recently
arrived, did not; and consequently he was in some danger, as he did
not follow the customs of the country in everything. By way, then,
of those fathers I was enabled to say mass. Scarcely had I concluded
it, when I was accosted by an official of the inspector, with his
chapa (or summons) to take me before the inspector. I went thither,
and found him in his courtroom, as at the first time. Although I
intended to show him the same courtesy as the first time, he made me
kneel down, besides going between those two files of executioners, who
appeared to me like demons. The inspector began then to shout at me,
in his treble voice, and poured forth a torrent of words, which were
explained to me by a Chinese who understood some Portuguese. He charged
me in his speech with being a spy, as I had not observed my duty. At
the end of the speech came his deeds. At the inspector's order one
of those executioners threw me to the ground, and, baring my legs,
raised himself in a position to lash me. While in that position,
the inspector repeated many times his assertion that I must be a
spy. Thereupon I drew a report from my bosom that I brought from
the Chinese who were living in Manila, both Christians and heathens,
which told of the great good that the members of my order had done
there to all of their nation--how we cared for their sick, supported
the poor, and defended them all from injuries which were attempted
against them. It was written in their own characters, on a sheet of
paper one braza long, and was folded within a covering, also made of
paper, after their manner and custom. I had come prepared with that
for whatever might happen, and accordingly I presented it at that so
pressing moment. The inspector read it, while I was kept stretched out
and bared ready for the lash, and the executioner awaiting only the
sign to chastise me. As the letter was not to the inspector's liking,
he paid no heed to it. However, he did not carry out the execution
[of the punishment], but ordered me to rise and adjust my clothing
and come to his desk. I thought that it was to make peace, but it
was only to vary the mode of affliction by changing the torture,
which he ordered to be given me between the fingers, while placed on
my knees before him with folded hands. For that purpose some little
rounded sticks were brought, in which there were some small grooves
at each end and in the middle. Those sticks were placed between the
fingers of both hands and were then pressed together by some cords,
tighter and tighter as the inspector ordered--until, when I fell as if
in a faint, he ordered the torment to cease. He ordered me to be gone,
and said that, if I did not give him a thousand taes of silver on the
morrow (each tae being equivalent to ten reals, thus all amounting to
about one thousand ducados), he would kill me. I left his presence,
with the bad treatment that I have described, and went to my lodgings
as best as I could, where I found an order from the inspector not to
receive me. I knew not where to go, for all fled from me, being fearful
lest some blow should come upon them by reason of me. I determined to
go to the ship where the fathers were. Then the merchants returned,
much earlier than was their custom, saying that all the city had
risen against them, because I had gone to their ship. They besought
me not to do so evil an act, for they feared a serious danger from
that. As they refused to receive me, I returned to the shore, where
a Chinese trader who had been in Manila on various occasions received
me into his house. He got me the loan of one hundred taes of silver,
payable with interest; and that night I went clad as a Chinese,
so that I might not be recognized, to the Portuguese ships. On my
word--which I pledged on that of General Don Luis, in whose cause
I was acting--they lent me two hundred more. I sent that whole sum
to the inspector next day by my host, who was a man of esteem in
the city; I also had him ask that the inspector would be satisfied
with that amount, as I had borrowed it as an alms, and could find
no more, and that he would be pleased to liberate the prisoners,
and grant us permission to go to our ship. That was a just petition,
but it was ill received and worse despatched; for although I thought
that that gift would soften that heart of stone, I discovered that it
had been like throwing a little water on the forge which blazes all
the fiercer. The inspector sent a constable with his chapa to summon
me that afternoon. It was necessary to go; and, thanks to my host,
who accompanied me, they took me to the entrance by another gate of
the city, as it was nearer his house. But when the guards saw me they
refused to allow me to enter, and although the constable showed them
the chapa of the inspector, they declared that that concerned me, and
not them; accordingly, they refused me entrance. It was necessary for
the constable to go to his master, and report the matter to him. The
latter gave another chapa for the gatekeepers, and they, taking it,
copied it and allowed me to enter. I did not find the inspector in his
court, but in a lodging nearer the center of the city. He was the only
one seated, while all his officials were standing. The money which I
had had sent to him was on a desk. I knelt down, at a considerable
distance from him, whereupon he began to chide me, and to say many
things to me that I did not understand. It seemed to me that he was
asking questions of me, and I only answered Purhiautet--that is to say,
"I do not understand." He rose from his chair, and came toward me,
in order to address me from a shorter distance. It seemed from his
actions that he meant to scratch out my eyes with his fingers (they
are great men for such deeds, the more when they are angry). He finally
satisfied his wrath by ordering me to be taken straight to the prison
where the soldiers were. An iron chain was therefore quickly put about
my neck, and fastened with a padlock; and one of the executioners,
holding the end of it, walked before me, obliging me thus to follow
him as a captive. The prison was at a considerable distance, and was
under the orders of another mandarin, to whom he sent me, so that
the latter might incarcerate me. In such guise, I crossed all those
streets, which swarmed with people, at four o'clock in the afternoon,
and appeared before this mandarin--who was in his tribunal, into which
the door of the prison opened. When the soldiers saw me through the
door, they began to weep. [I fell on my knees before him, and he asked
me through my interpreter the cause of my imprisonment. I replied,
and the cause seemed to him bad: but he told me that no one could
undo what the inspector did. He said that he would try to satisfy the
inspector, because the latter was obliged to go off very quickly on
his inspection, and, if he left me a prisoner here, no one else had
the authority to release me. With this he ordered the chains to be
taken off, and sent me into the prison. When I saw myself in prison
with the soldiers I was without anxiety, because for their sake I
had made all these stations, [21] and after all without succeeding in
rescuing the prisoners--though I could have taken refuge in our ships
if I had chosen, as I afterwards did; while now, by adventuring the
same fortune with them, I left God to watch over all. There were in
this prison some three hundred prisoners, many condemned to death,
but permitted to work during the daytime in order to earn their
food. I suffered in the prison, because I had little protection and
the weather was very cold. God delivered me within only three days;
my host became my security for a thousand taes. As I was about to
leave the prison, all the servants crowded about me asking for plata
(silver), for they already knew its name in our Castilian. There were
so many that, even if I had had much to give, there would have been
little for each one. As I had nothing to give, I gave them nothing,
and they paid me with hard words and blows. It was very late; and we
were obliged to go to the house of the inspector, and from it to that
of the guarantor outside of the city, in which we were not permitted
to sleep. All this was to be done before they closed the gates. We
were kept waiting in the courtyard of the inspector for some time. In
addition to falling on our knees before him, he made us bow our heads
and then turned us over to our bondsman. When we reached the latter's
house, we had to enter by leaping over a lighted fire which they said
was the ceremony of security. The poor guarantor immediately began
to suffer persecution, for all the servants and attendants of the
inspector, though they had in no way intervened in our business, came
to beg money from him from that which they said he must have received
from me, to persuade him to become my security. The man brought all
these demands to me; but I answered him that nothing more was to be
paid than the thousand taes, and these we should get from Don Luis. He
was unwilling to go to Don Luis, and took great care to prevent us from
escaping. We, fearing that Don Luis and his soldiers might be forced
by our delay to leave us in this embarrassment, determined to save
ourselves. We agreed with a Chinaman, for ten taes to help us escape,
letting us out through a secret door opening upon a creek that flowed
into the large river, and taking us down in a boat. We sailed down
stream that night and the next day, no one appearing on the boat in
the daytime except the Chinese sailors. We succeeded in eluding all
the vessels that might have wished to inspect us, and reached our
ships. As soon as our sailors received their pay they ran away. A
few hours later, my guarantor appeared with an armed vessel. He was
unable to find out who had helped us, and was satisfied with receiving
the amount of money for which he had been pledged. We then set sail,
Don Luis and the rest to Manila, and I to Macan, for I was in such a
condition of ill health as a result of hardship and exposure that I did
not dare to undertake the voyage to Manila. At this time father Fray
Alonso Ximenez died in Macan. His death was caused by the hardships
and exposure which he had undergone in endeavoring to evangelize the
kingdom of Camboja. Though he was almost seventy years of age when
he set out on the expedition, he endured everything that befell him
with patience and courage, consoling the others, though he had always
himself the most to suffer. He was very devout, never omitting his
daily hours of prayer on his journeys or voyages. When in Cochinchina,
his captivity was comforted by the opportunity given him to convert
two condemned criminals. The failures of his attempts to reach the
kingdom of Camboja and to convert the people there did not discourage
him or diminish his enthusiasm. When Don Luis and his men were
cruelly attacked by the Portuguese of Macan, father Fray Alonso
went to Macan to interpose his authority, and to act as mediator
between the Portuguese and the Castilians. Father Fray Alonso had
great difficulty in pacifying the Portuguese, and was obliged to
encounter much vituperation; but he received more joy in the baptism
of two sick persons at the point of death than he had lost in all
the sufferings which have been narrated. He died in our convent at
Macan, to the great sorrow of the religious about him at the loss of
so holy an associate. General Don Luis and all of the troops that he
had brought with him attributed to the loss of father Fray Alonso
all the sufferings which they were obliged to undergo afterward;
while they ascribed to his presence and his prayers the rescue of
their ship in the dreadful storm which they had experienced on the
day of St. Francis. On that day they had been in the midst of shoals,
and had seen many Chinese vessels wrecked about them; and the wind had
been so violent that it had thrown down many strongly-rooted trees
on land. Father Fray Alonso was a son of the convent of S. Esteban
at Salamanca. Desirous for the conversion of the Indians, he passed
his youth in the devout province of Guatemala. Having retired
to his convent, to take up the works of Mary after he had done
those of Martha, he heard of the foundation of the province of the
Philippinas. When many were turned back by the difficulties in Mexico,
father Fray Alonso was always firm and constant. When he reached
Manila, the ministry of Batan fell to his lot. In spite of his age, and
the great difficulty which he had in learning the Indian language, he
at length succeeded. In this ministry he suffered the hardships which
have been described already. He was especially kind and serviceable
to sick Indians, preparing dishes of meat or eggs for them, and even
putting the food in their mouths, with his own hands. Being taken
severely ill as a result of all the hardships to which he was exposed,
he was carried to the convent of Manila. Scarcely did he feel better,
when he left his bed and began to work at the building of the church,
turning his hand to this manual labor with the greatest skill. When
he was elected prior, he had no assistance in the convent except one
priest and one lay brother; but, few as they were, they performed all
the offices of a community. As he had a sonorous voice and understood
music well, he would sing the whole mass alone; then leave the choir
to go to the pulpit and preach, and then return to the choir, though
he had been hearing confessions all the morning. This he did without
failing to make his regular daily prayer. Even when alone he used to
say matins aloud, and on some feast-days would sing a great part of
them. He was elected provincial from this office of prior; and in his
provincialate he made many excellent ordinances for the ministry to
the Indians, which are still observed and esteemed as if they had been
ordained yesterday. During his time the province was greatly extended,
the whole of the province of Nueva Segovia being admitted, and many
new churches and missions being established in that of Pangasinan. It
was his desire also that the kingdom of Camboxa should be added to
it; and in the glorious enterprise of extending the gospel to that
kingdom he ended his life.]
CHAPTER LI
The coming of some religious to the province, and the transactions
of the intermediate chapter
Though the procurator whom this province had in España [i.e.,
Benavides] had become bishop of Nueva Segovia, he gave his main
attention to the augmentation of the province, having seen with
his own eyes the service done by the religious here to the Lord,
and their service to their neighbors. So, though he had sent off
two shipments [of missionaries], he prepared to send a third, whom
he should accompany when he went to his bishopric. So greatly had
the hearts of the religious of all the provinces in España been
moved that sixty were found gathered and assembled together, having
been designated by Father Juan Volante. They were all far advanced
in religion and letters, which are the excellences that the order
desires and strives for in its sons, that they may fulfil the command
of its institutes, by laboring not only for their own salvation,
but for that of others. It happened at this time that the English
found the city of Cadiz unguarded and unprepared, and sacked it. [22]
This aroused a great excitement in all the ports of Andalucia; and
the announcement was made that in that year there would be no fleet
for Nueva España. Though all these religious were at that time in or
near Andalucia, they returned to their provinces of España and Aragon
whence they had set out, with the exception of some few who waited
to see the end of this matter. Although it was true that there was
no fleet, a rumor spread that some ships were being fitted out for
the voyage. Hereupon the bishop--who had come on foot from Madrid,
but had been several days on the return journey because of the
misfortune which had happened--took courage and went to the port a
second time, reassembling the religious as well as he could. With
these, and with some others who offered themselves, he made up a
reasonable number. When they reached the port they found that the
ships which were about to sail were only some galizabras, with troops
who were going to guard the silver which came from Peru and Nueva
España. It seemed that for a second time the purpose of the bishop
and the religious had been frustrated and their labor wasted; but God
sent them a patache or fragata, with only one deck, which was to carry
the baggage and the ship's stores; but it had no accommodations for
passengers, and was not designed to carry them, because of its small
size. In spite of this, their willingness to suffer even greater
evils for God made them despise the hardships which they might
suffer by making so long a voyage on so uncomfortable a vessel, and
they determined to sail in it. They spread the only tarpaulin which
there was, that they might have some defense from the sun and the
rain. They could not place it high enough for them to stand under it,
and whenever the sea was rough the waves dashed over it; but, as there
was no better ship, the bishop and the religious had to take advantage
of this one. The Lord felt such compassion for their discomfort as
to give them fair weather, so that during the sixty days of their
voyage it only rained twice: thus they were able to sleep on deck,
and at least to enjoy the coolness of night if they could not avoid
the heat of the day. During the voyage, they acted as if they were in
a very well-organized convent. The bishop filled the place of reader;
and upon what he read they held daily conferences, and very frequent
sermons and spiritual discourses. On the great feasts they had, as
it were, literary contests, composing verses in praise of God and of
His saints. Being thus very well occupied, they felt the discomfort
of the ship less; and as a result of the fair weather they were all
cheerful. The bishop alone was silent--so much so that his religious
became anxious, and felt obliged to ask him the reason. He answered:
"I am afraid, fathers, that the Lord does not look upon us as His
own, so much happiness does He grant us in so cramped a ship. Such
fair weather, and not more than one religious sick; we are not what
we ought to be, for the Lord has sent us no hardships. My coming was
sufficient to prevent you from receiving that blessing." When they
reached Mexico, he planned to buy a house where the religious who came
to this province from that of España might be cared for. He wished to
avoid scattering them among the towns, the evil results of which had
already been learned by experience. He found someone to make a gift
of a piece of land suited for the purpose, with the obligation of
building a church upon it named for St. Just and Pastor. The writings
were already made out; but afterward, because of difficulties which
arose, the agreement went no further and had to be given up.
The voyage which they made from Acapulco to Manila was very
prosperous. The religious having been divided between the two ships,
those who embarked in the flagship, called "Rosario," were unable
to get their ship-stores on board because of the great hurry of the
commander, Don Fernando de Castro. But God provided for them from the
ocean; for every day without exception they fished from that ship,
and thus the food of the religious was supplied. This is something
which never happened before or since that voyage to any ship. Being so
extraordinary, it caused astonishment, and gave reason for reflecting
upon and praising the divine Providence, which with so free a hand
comes to the aid of those who depend upon it in their need. The
intermediate provincial chapter was in session when the bishop and
the religious reached Manila; and thus they were received joyfully
and gladly, and the meeting was enriched by their presence. Religious
were assigned to the conversion of villages which, though they had been
admitted for their own comfort and for the sake of somewhat encouraging
the holy desires with which they so eagerly begged for missionaries,
could not hitherto obtain them, because of the lack of missionaries
to send. In the convent of Manila a regular school of theology and
arts was established. The chapter appointed as preacher-general father
Fray Diego de Soria in place of father Fray Miguel de Venavides, who
had hitherto held this place and had now become bishop. Because of the
small number of religious and of convents up to this time, it had been
customary that some should be designated from the distant provinces
to come and vote in the provincial chapters, although they were not
superiors. Now, however, as there was a sufficient number of convents
and of superiors, vicariates were designated, the vicars of which were
to be in the place of priors. These and no others were now to have a
vote in the provincial chapter, in conformity with the constitutions
and privileges of the provinces of the Indias. It was also ordained
that the confirmation of the newly-elected provincial should belong
to the eldest definitor, according to the privilege of Nueva España,
which is likewise that of this province. At this chapter there were
received: in Nueva Segovia the village of Dumon, the church of which
at that time was called San Antonino; the villages of Gatarang and
Talapa, with the church of Sancta Catalina; and the village on the
estuary of Lobo, the church of which was San Raymundo. The title of
vicariate was given to San Pablo of Pilitan in Yrraya. [23] In this
place it seemed that another climate had been found, different from
that of the rest of this province, other fields and spacious meadows,
another temperature, and another race of people. The country is very
fertile, and abounds in game. It is very well watered, very pleasant
and very healthful, although at first it did not seem so for the
religious. The first vicar straightway died, and those whom he took
as associates were afflicted with severe illness. For this reason
and because of the distance from the other convents, it seemed to
many that it would be best to abandon it; but the desire prevailed to
go to the aid of those souls, though at the cost of health and life,
since on no occasion could these be better offered. [The devil greatly
resented their coming, and complained and uttered frightful howlings
through the mouths of his priestesses or aniteras. The coming of the
missionaries and the building of churches forced him to show himself
in his true light to his deluded followers. He often appeared to them
in dreams, bidding them resist and not become Christians. When they
reminded him that he did not resist, he answered that he could not
endure the sight of "those barbarians with white teeth." He called
the religious "barbarians," because of their little knowledge of
the language at the beginning; and he spoke of their white teeth
because the Indians regard this as a blemish, and make their own teeth
black.] In this mission of Pilitan the fathers found a madman with a
child, whom they desired to baptize as other children generally were
baptized; the father feared that they wished to take it away, and
never left it. He ate with it, slept with it, and went to the bath
with it. He did all he could to give it pleasure, but as a madman
would. Hence, often, in bathing it, he plunged it down so far under
the water that he drew it out half dead. The religious was in great
anxiety, fearing some disaster, and finally baptized it. Soon after,
the father caught a venomous serpent, ate it, and caused his child
to share in the meal. They both died, but the child to live forever,
thanks to the care of the missionary in baptizing it so as to give it
grace and glory. [From the last village which at that time had been
discovered, which was named Balisi, an Indian came with his family to
that of Pilitan to spend a few days. He brought with him his little
daughter, who was only six years old. She was so bright and charming
that all who saw her loved her. She grew so fond of the church that,
though she was a heathen, she wept bitterly when she was obliged by
her father to return to their own village. Soon after, falling sick
to death, she was baptized by a Spaniard named Alonso Vazquez, who
happened to be there. The Lord showed His kindness in several other
striking or marvelous instances of baptism. In one case a little girl
was very ill and the father had given his permission for baptism,
but the relatives and all the rest of the village resisted. Father
Antonio de Soria went there and asked him that they would let him
look at her to cure her. Spreading over her a moist cloth which he
had brought purposely, he cured her soul, which was soon to taste
the joys of eternal salvation.
To the province of Pangasinan there was added by this chapter a church
and village, that of San Jacintho, which was formed here of people
from different regions, on a very pleasant river named Magaldan,
[24] the inhabitants gathering to it from several villages and some
from the mountains of the region. The Lord showed His kindness to
one woman by striking her with blindness when she purposed to run
away from the baptism which she had promised to receive, and by thus
bringing her back to the salvation of her soul.
At this time the Lord took to himself father Fray Antonio de Soria,
one of the first missionaries of Nueva Segovia. He did not enter upon
the religious life, as generally happens, when he was in boyhood or
youth, but in mature manhood. He had been left a widower; and though
he had sons to care for, he provided for them in such a way that
he was no longer needed to attend to them. Being thus left free for
the service of God alone, he determined to become a religious, and
was accepted in the convent of our order at Puebla de Los Angeles,
in Nueva España. Most persons of this age and condition, especially
when they have lived in the luxuries which are common in Nueva España,
find it difficult to accommodate themselves to the severities of
religious life, both in little and in great things. Father Antonio
was not such. He began with the greatest humility to study Latin,
and became a master of the tongue. He entered upon greater studies,
following them with such success that he was made lecturer in arts
and a director of students. And as he was so superior not only in
his learning, but also in virtue, he was also appointed master of
novices, which is the same thing as being a teacher of the religious
life. He joined the fathers who came to these islands in 1595, and
became one of the first missionaries to the province of Nueva Segovia,
there suffering all the want, discomfort, and hunger which have been
described. The first results of his mission were at Camalaniugan, where
he drove a demon out of a woman who was possessed. In the following
provincial chapter, he was appointed superior of Nueva Segovia, to
preach to and teach and guide the Spanish, who in these new conquests
need the best of teachers. For his consolation they gave him the care
of the villages of Camalaniugan and Buguey. Not satisfied with all
this, he also took charge of the village of Daludu.] There lived in
that city Captain Alonso de Carvajal, encomendero of Pilitan, which
is distant from the city five or more days' journey. He collected
his tribute from the natives, and desired to give them a minister,
as he was obliged; but he was unable to find anyone who was willing
to undertake the mission. He accordingly urged father Fray Antonio
to go to visit these Indians and their country, called Yrraya, to
see if he could attract them to the law of God and the belief in
His holy gospel. The journey was long and hard, not only because it
was up the river, but because there were enemies on the road; and,
besides, there was no religious to leave in his place. Yet the desire
of converting heathen was so strong in father Fray Antonio that he
overcame all these obstacles and went to this new spiritual conquest,
in which all of the rest of the religious soon aided him. He preached
the holy gospel, and the Lord gave him such favor with that tribe,
that he led them by his command like tame sheep. The credit which they
gave to his teaching was such that long after, when Christianity was
more settled in Yrraya, and there was some difficulty in rooting out
some superstition which had remained among them, the old people said:
"If father Fray Antonio had commanded us that, there would not now
be a trace of it, or anyone to contradict him." To build the church
in the village of Pilitan, he threw down the hut of an old woman, a
noted anitera, by whom the devil gave answers to the questions which
were asked him. As this was done in this hut, the devil regarded it
as his own, and therefore greatly resented the overthrow of it. This
he said on many occasions, and he even sometimes said that he had
killed the father for tearing down his hut. But in this the Father
of Lies should not be credited; for, as he often confessed, he was
not able to appear before the religious; how much less, then, to kill
them. The manner of living followed by this father among these Indians
was exemplary, and such as to cause wonder among them. He suffered
and endured many hardships, and hunger and want, that he might not
inconvenience them. He was at once the master and the servant, at the
house. In order that a boy who served him by preparing his food might
not be offended at the work, the father went to the river and carried
the water that he had to drink; he was the sacristan who cared for the
church, the porter who closed and opened the doors of the house. He
it was who attended to everything that was needed, that he might not
trouble any persons by making them serve him. It was a journey of
a day and a half from Pilitan to the village of Nalavangan. He went
there and built a church, and baptized many; for the spirit of Fray
Antonio was to undertake much, and he was never contented with that
which would have seemed excessive to others. While he was engaged in
these holy exercises, the time of the intermediate chapter arrived,
and he was obliged to go to it to Manila. Here he was definitor,
and gave an account of the good work which was being wrought by
the Lord in the conversion of Yrraya. The chapter, feeling that the
Lord had chosen him therefor, appointed him as first vicar of San
Pablo at Pilitan. He returned in great contentment, because he was
going where he would have more to do than in other places, much as
there was to do everywhere, since all of these were new conversions,
where the labor is great and the ease very little. When he was among
his children he gave himself with such devotion to the labor of the
ministry that within six months he was attacked by a mortal disease,
which obliged him to return to the city to be cared for. Here, when he
had received the holy sacrament, he gave up his soul to his Creator,
to the great sorrow of all the religious, who were greatly afflicted
to lose such a father and associate. He made some compositions in
the language of the natives, which served as a guide to those who
followed him; but the greatest guidance that he gave was that of his
life spent and consumed in these so holy exercises.
CHAPTER LII
Fathers Fray Pedro de Soto, Fray Juan de San Pedro Martyr, and Fray
Pedro de la Bastida who died at this time.
[Father Fray Pedro de Soto was a native of Burgos, and assumed the
habit in the convent of San Andres at Medina del Campo, where he
professed, and whence he went to study in the distinguished convent of
San Pablo at Valladolid. Here he showed signs of his great ability and
the subtlety of his mind, soaring above his fellow-students as does a
royal eagle above all other birds of less flight. In him the fathers
hoped that they were to have a third Soto, in addition to the other two
famous ones whom that province has had. He exhibited as much virtue as
learning. When the religious for this province began to be gathered,
his superiors were planning that he should become a professor. The
devotion and the severity of the discipline, and the opportunity to
save souls, attracted father Fray Pedro; he was also influenced by
the example of his two masters, Fray Miguel de Venavides and Fray
Antonio Arcediano, who had left their chairs of theology to enter
the new province, as had also two other fathers, lecturers in arts
at the same convent. The father master Fray Hernando del Castillo,
who was then prior, strove by all means to prevent him from going;
but the calling and inspiration of God prevailed in the heart of father
Fray Pedro. He arrived at Manila July 23, and on the day of our father
St. Dominic, less than a fortnight later, they asked him to hold some
public discussions of theology in the main church. Father Fray Pedro
avoided display of his knowledge and ability; but, on occasions when
necessity required him to speak, he made evident the great superiority
of his mind and his great learning. In the first distribution of the
religious, he was assigned to Pangasinan. The people of this region
still lived in their ancient villages and rancherias in the hills and
mountains, without civilization, order, or system, any more than if
they had never known Spaniards. Father Fray Pedro lived among these
tribes for three years, suffering the hardships and perils which
have been already described. He was constantly in danger of death,
being particularly hateful to the hostile natives because he was
the first one who learned the language of the Indians. When some of
them began to accept the faith, he offered money for information as
to those who continued to sacrifice to the devil. Keeping secret the
source of his information, he immediately went] in haste to the place,
sometimes alone, and caught the sacrificers in the very act. Without
waiting an instant, he upset everything, and broke the dishes and
bowls and other vessels which they used in their rites; poured out
their wine; burned the robes in which the aniteras or priestesses
dress themselves on such occasions, and the curtains with which
they covered up everything else; threw down the hut, and completely
destroyed it. In this way he made them understand how little all those
things availed, and how vain were the threats which the devil uttered
against those who would not venerate him; and, in brief, that this
was all falsehood and deceit. Many were thus aroused and undeceived;
while others, and not a few, were angry, so that it was a wonder
that he was not slain. [The rest of the fathers followed his plan;
but father Fray Pedro led them all, following the track of this chase,
in which his scent was so keen that nothing could escape him. At his
death, father Fray Pedro was able to say that he was sure of the two
aureoles of virgin and of doctor, and that he had almost succeeded
in gaining that of martyr. The village of Magaldan was the most
obstinate of all these villages in their errors. They had striven to
kill a father of the Order of St. Francis, insomuch that the dagger
was already lifted above him for that purpose, and he had fled. They
had refused to admit the fathers of the Order of St. Augustine, and
they would not listen to a secular priest who was assigned to them,
although the alcalde-mayor fined and punished them. It was these
Indians whom father Fray Pedro de Soto came to conquer with patience
and Christian charity. The Indians said that he never employed a
word of their language wrong. He was engaged for a whole year in
translating the gospel into this language, and translated some lives
of saints and instances of virtue--which though they were composed in
the very beginning, are still esteemed and are greatly prized, because
of the propriety of the words and the elevated style with which he
treated these matters. He was devoted to the study of theology and
sacred letters, and was continual in both mental and vocal prayer,
to which he added fasting. Being taken to Manila to be treated for
the fever from which he suffered, he died there.
In spite of the failure of the two previous expeditions to Camboja,
the governor, Don Francisco Tello, judged it desirable to send another
ship with troops, and asked the order to send some of their friars with
it. The father provincial directed that father Fray Juan de S. Pedro
Martyr (or Maldonado) and father Fray Pedro Jesus (or de la Bastida)
should go. Father Fray Juan was then commissary of the Holy Office. He
was a native of Alcala de Guadiana, [25] and belonged to a rich and
honorable family. He studied canon law at Salamanca, and assumed
the habit in the illustrious convent of San Pablo at Valladolid. The
influence of Father Juan Chrisostomo attracted him to the new province
to be established in the Philippinas Islands. When he was about to set
forth, a certain Doctor Bobadilla, a canon in the church in Valladolid,
took him to one side and assured him that he was to die a martyr;
and this prophecy was corroborated by another devoted monk. It was
on this account that he changed his name of Maldonado to that of
S. Pedro Martyr. He spent his first year in the Philipinas in Manila;
and in his second year was sent as vicar to a village in Pangasinan,
which was at that time the most difficult in the province. From that
place he was transferred to the vicariate of Bataan, the language of
which he learned very well. When Father Juan Cobo went as ambassador
to Japon, father Fray Juan was assigned to the mission to the Chinese,
being thus required to learn a third language in addition to the two
which he already knew. He learned more words of the Chinese language
than any other member of the order, though he was not successful
with the pronunciation. He assisted the Chinese so much that they
named him as their protector; and he was, as it were, the advocate
of their causes, so that they became very much attached to him, and
listened with good-will to his preaching and his corrections. During
the absence of the father provincial in Camboja, the province could
find no one more suitable to govern it in his place, and accordingly
father Fray Juan was nominated as vicar-general. In the following
provincial chapter he was appointed lecturer in theology, for there
was nothing which the province did not find him competent to do. He
made no objection to carrying out any orders that were given him,
although they dragged him about hither and thither, causing him to
learn so many languages and immediately to drop them again. This is a
great evidence of his obedience and subjection to his superior. His
reputation outside of the order was very great.] The tribunal of
the Holy Office of Mexico appointed him commissary-general of the
Philippinas, which office he filled with the prudence and strength
of mind which the Lord has given in these regions to the sons of the
first inquisitor-general, our father St. Dominic. Don Luis Perez das
Mariñas, a wise and holy knight, refused to accept the governorship of
these islands until Fray Juan persuaded him to do so, stood security
for him, and undertook the duty of confessing him and of aiding him
with his good advice, that he might the better fulfil the office. This
he did in spite of the fact that this was certain to be, as it was,
to his own damage; for suitors who did not receive what they desired
immediately threw the blame on Father Juan, whom they well knew that
the governor consulted as to the appointments which he made. Father
Fray Juan knew all this well, but accepted it very readily, in order
that he might undertake the direction of so upright a man as Don
Luis. In spite of the fact that the esteem which was felt for Father
Juan within and without the order was very great, the counterweight
of humility and the consciousness of his own inferiority which he had
was much greater. He regarded himself as the most useless in all the
province, and treated himself as such. Hence, when he was named for
vicar-general of the province, he managed that this title and office
should be given to father Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas. [In the same way,
when he was nominated prior of the convent of Manila at the time when
father Fray Diego de Soria went as procurator to España, he succeeded
in bringing about the election of another religious. He likewise strove
to resign the office of commissary in favor of father Fray Bernardo de
Sancta Cathalina, or Navarro. Such was the character of father Fray
Juan de San Pedro Martyr, whom the province was willing to spare for
the mission to Camboja. They would have spared an even more perfect
religious if they could, well knowing that he who had to preach the
gospel in a heathen kingdom like this should be such as father Fray
Juan was, or even greater in all things. The companion of father
Fray Juan, father Fray Pedro de Jesus or de la Bastida, a religious
of great virtue, had come to the islands in the previous year, 1591,
with the rest who were brought from España by father Fray Francisco de
Morales. He had displayed high qualities in the mission to Bataan, to
which he had been assigned. He had come from the very devout province
of Aragon, of which he was a son. When they reached the great river
of Camboja, father Fray Juan endeavored to carry out his mission,
both for the conversion of those tribes and as an ambassador of
the king our lord. He was contemptuously treated by the king, [26]
the son of that king who had sent to ask for religious. The present
king was wholly in the hands of Mahometan Malays, who persuaded him
that the embassy involved some evil to him. When father Fray Juan
asked his permission to return to the ship which they had left in
the port, the king refused to grant it, and thus showed that he
was plotting treachery. Father Fray Juan saw no opportunity for
preaching the gospel, as the country was disturbed and in arms; and
as the two captains, Diego Velloso and Blas Ruiz de Fernan Goncalez,
were in a difficult situation because their comrades were so few,
and the Malays, their enemies, were in such favor. The captain of
the ship [i.e., Mendoza] attempted to secure peace between these
factions, but did not disembark from his vessel. The same thing was
done by the captain of a fragata that had come from Sian. The Malays,
seeing that they had the advantage because their vessel was larger and
stronger than ours, made an attack and shot contrivances of fire and
powder to burn the Spaniards and the Japanese. The ship caught fire,
and those on board had to leap into the water to escape. Father Fray
Pedro de Jesus was unable to swim, and took refuge from the fire on
the poop. Here the Moros came out in small boats and thrust lances
at him. He fell into the water and died of his wounds, or was drowned
by the hands of the Moros. This vessel had done no harm to the Moros,
and had not even tried to aid the Spanish captains in the kingdom. The
only reason for attacking it was the desire of the Moros to prevent the
preaching of the gospel; and hence father Fray Pedro died a glorious
martyr. Father Fray Juan succeeded in reaching the fragata commanded
by Juan de Mendoça. In it father Fray Juan made his escape to Sian,
being wounded in the throat by a shot which had passed obliquely
through it; and thus half of the prophecy had been fulfilled that he
and his comrade were to die the death of martyrs. Father Fray Juan
went to Sian that he might be near to the kingdom of Camboja. The king
of that country was a cruel and barbarous tyrant; he took delight in
causing men to be thrown to wild elephants, who tore them to pieces
with their trunks. He caused others to be fried with a very small
quantity of oil, and their flesh to be torn off from them with pincers
while they were thus tortured, and to be thrust into their mouths,
that by force of the pain which they suffered they might bite and eat
their own flesh. When there were no criminals, he used to perpetrate
these cruelties solely for his own recreation; and that not to one,
or a few, but to a thousand at a time. Only a few days before, he had
had four or five Portuguese fried alive for some trifling offense,
for which they had already paid a fine to him. There were here at this
time a Portuguese religious, Fray Jorje de la Mota, [27] and several
other Portuguese who were now trying to escape from the country. The
force of the tides is so great that, when the tide is coming in, it
is impossible to make head against it; and as they were fifty leguas
from the sea, it was easy to follow and catch them. Overjoyed with
the possibility of escape offered by the coming of Father Juan, they
prayed him for the love of God to rescue them in his boat without the
knowledge of the king. The Spaniards planned to do so; but, because
of the too great haste and anxiety of the Portuguese, the vessel was
followed and found before it had made its escape into the sea. The
king was mad with rage, and sent three separate expeditions after
it. They surrounded the boat and fired at it with small cannon,
arquebuses, arrows, and lances. There were about twenty persons,
Castilians and Portuguese, on the ship, and they had about a dozen
muskets and a few arquebuses to protect themselves with. So long as
the tide was going out, they managed to defend themselves fairly well,
because they could manage to engage a part of the enemy only at one
time. When the tide came in they were obliged to anchor, and they
were like a target for the Sianese. After three days of this torture,
they managed to get to sea. The pilot had been slain by a shot; and
the captain, Juan de Mendoca, and father Fray Jorje de la Mota were so
badly wounded that they afterward died. The arm of father Fray Juan
de San Pedro Martir was broken by a shot from a small culverin. As
they had lost all their drinking-water in the combat, the sufferings
of father Fray Juan were very great. He saw that his hour was come,
and confessed to father Fray Jorje. He wrote to the fathers in this
province an account of the fortunes of this voyage; and expressed
his joy in dying on an expedition carried out by the command of his
superior for the purpose of preaching the gospel, in which he had saved
those poor Portuguese from dreadful danger to both their lives and
their souls.] Almost at the end of the letter which he sent he wrote:
"What we have in this province is good, and God is greatly served in
the province. Let us strive to keep what we have, by observing those
things which we have established; for I am sure that God will show us a
thousand favors. The arms of Saul do not fit all men; nor is preaching
in these regions suitable to any but a very holy man." [They buried him
on land near the port of Cochinchina, on an island called Pulocatovan,
at the root of a tree--not daring to set up a cross, for fear of the
derision of those heathen. He had set out upon this voyage certain
to meet his death in it; and at the beginning of the expedition he
had shown the perfection of his obedience in several ways.]
CHAPTER LIII
The election as provincial of father Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas,
and the death of father Fray Damian Valaguer.
[On the second of June, 1600, the electors assembled in the
convent of Manila to elect a successor to father Fray Bernardo de
Sancta Cathalina. The example of father Fray Bernardo was so grand
that it was difficult for his successor to reach the same pitch of
excellence. Although all felt that father Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas,
or Ormaca, was fitted for the position by character and abilities,
there was some doubt whether his ill-health would permit him to fill
the office as it ought to be filled. He was constantly under the
necessity of receiving dispensations from the severity of the rules;
and though this did no harm in a private friar, it was most unfortunate
in a superior. It was also feared that he would be physically unable
to perform the duties of the situation. One of the best physicians
of the city was called in, without the knowledge of father Fray Juan,
to express his opinion as to the ability of father Fray Juan to fulfil
the duties of the office. His judgment was favorable, and father Fray
Juan was elected. The election was a most fortunate one, for father
Fray Juan was able, learned, and holy; and his nature was so gentle
that the vicar-general, Fray Juan de Castro, who had a gift from heaven
of special insight into character, chose him as his usual associate,
and appointed him to the first position as superior in a mission to
Indians. He filled the office well, and not only lived out the four
years of his provincialship, but has seen ten other elections of
provincials since his own; and he is still alive while this is being
written, in the year 1637. Since he is still living, let us content
ourselves with what has been said--leaving the rest till the time
when, after the end of his life, it may be discussed with greater
freedom. During his term, the Lord opened the gates for the entrance
of the order to Japan, as will be narrated later; this was a great
reward for the hardships suffered by the religious of this province,
and by him in particular, from the perils and miseries of travel by
land and by sea. Many new convents were admitted at this chapter,
both in Pangasinan and Nueva Segovia; for the duties of the ministry
in these regions were constantly increasing, and the religious kept
constantly reaching out to new places. Many excellent ordinances were
passed for the exercise of the ministry to the Indians, and also for
the better maintenance of the rules affecting us--especially in the
matter of showing ourselves disinterested, and careful not to annoy
the Indians.
In the province of Nueva Segovia the religious labored hard in the
search throughout mountains and valleys, and other secret places,
for the huts where the devil had been adored, to which those people
used to make pilgrimages in search of health or other favors,
giving offerings of bits of gold, or of stones regarded by them as
precious. The natives dared not take anything from those places, or
cut a reed or a tree from the natural growth of the earth in them,
for fear of death, with which the devil had threatened them. In the
villages on the coast many such little huts were found, with many
little figures and idols in them. The religious burnt and broke the
boxes with the offerings; took the gold and the stones, and all the
other offerings; and burnt and ground to dust everything, and cast it
into the sea, that it might not remain to be a stumbling-block to the
Indians. When the heathen saw that the threats of the devil were not
being carried out, their eyes were opened and they were very eager
to be baptized. Great aid was received from an epidemic of smallpox
which attacked a whole region. In this way the Lord took to himself
many souls, especially of children; for there were many newly baptized
in the province of Pangasinan and in that of Nueva Segovia.] Many of
those who seemed to be near their end recovered after they received
the water of baptism. All, therefore, came to be baptized, and the
Lord, by means of those who recovered, gave authority to the baptism;
while of the vast number who died baptized He peopled heaven with
new angels. This brought great comfort to the missionaries, who,
although worn out and greatly fatigued by going from house to house
baptizing and confessing, and giving the sacraments to sick persons,
saw their labors successful and rewarded by the sending to heaven of
so many souls, and also by the strengthening of their hope that they
should go to accompany those souls in glory; for it is not possible
that these should not be grateful, and pray and strive to obtain
salvation for those who labored, with such zeal, to give it to them
by the means of baptism, without which it cannot be obtained.
[Soon after the provincial chapter, one of the definitors, father
Fray Damian Balaguer, died. He had lived but a short time in the
province, but had gained great reputation in it; and his early death
was much mourned. He was a native of the kingdom of Valencia, and had
two brothers in the same order--one, the present Fray Pedro Martyr de
Balaguer; and the other master Fray Andres Balaguer, at one time bishop
of Albarracin and afterward of Origuela. Father Fray Damian took the
habit in the convent of the Preachers in Valencia, which has been happy
in giving saints to the church. During all his novitiate, the master of
the novices never had occasion to discipline him, even for the merest
trifle--although by the advice of another father he assigned him some
discipline, without any fault on the part of Fray Damian, but not
without a cause; for it is necessary for the novices to be initiated
in these punishments of the order, that they may not afterward be new
and strange to them. He was constant in prayer and fasting, given to
speaking of the things of God, and to mortification. For many years he
was accustomed to repeat the whole of the Psalter of David daily, in
imitation of St. Vincent of Ferrara. He studied at Origuela, becoming a
lecturer in arts in the same college, and afterward in theology--having
a singular grace given him to declare with clearness the gravest and
most profound difficulties of this holy science. He was an excellent
and a moving preacher, having the power to change the hearts of many
of his hearers, who selected him as their spiritual guide. Whenever
he left the convent, which he did only on important occasions, he
was followed by a troop of his disciples, who gathered not only to
honor him, but to profit by what they heard him say. He showed all
his life the greatest humility, and from day to day did not change,
except by the augmentation and advance of his virtue. Being eager for
the conversion of souls, he went to Mexico with master Fray Alonso
Bayllo, who was going out to Mexico with authority to divide the
province of Vaxac from that of Santiago. [28] For the space of two
years he directed the schools in the city of Vaxac; but, as that was
not the end which he had intended, he was dissatisfied. When he heard
that many ministers of the holy gospel were needed in the Philippinas,
he took advantage of the arrival in Mexico of father Fray Francisco
de Morales to ask that he would take him to the islands with the
rest of the company whom he was bringing over. Arriving in 1598,
he was assigned to Nueva Segovia, where in a short time he learned
enough of the language to be able to hear confessions. Father Fray
Damian was first vicar and superior of the mission of Abulug. As such,
he was a definitor in the provincial chapter, and returned to Nueva
Segovia as vicar of the village of Pata. He died greatly mourned.
At this time there died in the same province of Nueva Segovia brother
Fray Domingo de San Blas, a lay religious of much virtue and known
sanctity, a son of the convent of San Pablo at Sevilla, who came to
these islands in the year 1594. He was of much use to the Indians,
of whose language he learned enough to be understood by them and to
teach them to pray, to attract the Christians to the church, and to
teach the heathen the knowledge of the doctrine of Christianity. He
was fervent in prayer, being often moved to sighs and tears during
his devotions. He strove to hide them from his companion, father Fray
Ambrosio de la Madre de Dios, but was unable to do so. Father Fray
Ambrosio said to him that, as they two lived alone and like brothers,
there was no reason why one should try to conceal anything from the
other. With this permission from his superior he broke out in sobs,
and his heart melted away in tears, directed mainly to the conversion
of these heathen and to the perfecting in Christianity of the already
baptized. Two extraordinary things happened in this village of Pata
while this brother lived there: One was the receiving of a fish on the
day of St. Dominic, under such circumstances that there could be no
doubt that the Lord had sent it to enable them properly to celebrate
the feast of the holy founder of this order. The second event was
the marvelous recovery or restoration to life, at the intercession of
St. Dominic, of an Indian who had been given over for dead. It was the
very man who had given them the fish. Father Fray Domingo died from
exposure to the sun. He was sent back to the convent of Manila for
care, and there grew worse; and, after having very devoutly received
the holy sacraments, exchanged this wretched life for the eternal one.]
CHAPTER LIV
The intermediate chapter; an extraordinary event which took place in
it, and the coming of religious to the province.
In the year of our Lord 1602, the voting fathers assembled in their
intermediate provincial chapter, at which was accepted the house of
San Juan del Monte, which is situated a legua from the city of Manila
in a solitary place, a healthful and pleasant situation. There were
two motives and ends with which this house was built. The first was
the consideration that some aged fathers, after their many labors
and years passed in the ministry, desired, having performed the
duties of Martha, to give themselves up wholly to those of Mary by
leading the life of contemplation. For this purpose the locality is
very well suited, for there is nothing in it to disturb the calm of
prayer and contemplation. But it did not serve much for this end,
because it was soon found by experience that these servants of God,
the aged ministers, were of much more usefulness in the ministries,
since their example and authority were very efficacious for the
spiritual increase of faith and devotion in the Indians. Teaching
and doctrine were received much better from such venerable ministers,
who were well known, loved, and regarded. It was also found that the
example of these venerable fathers was of great use to those who
had newly entered upon the ministry, since they could not fail to
venerate and follow the acts and the teaching which they beheld in
these ancient and venerable ministers. Even though there are some
who on account of their great age and infirmity can not continue
in the service, they are of more use in the convent of the city,
where their infirmities may be better cared for, and where their
good example and venerable age are more valuable. The second motive
and object is one which is obviously of great advantage. It is found
that in the city convalescence takes place slowly, or not at all;
therefore those who are being treated for any sickness leave the city
for their convalescence, by the advice of the physicians. If the order
did not have this convent outside of the city, in a situation which
is healthful and where the air is good--which is what convalescents
most require--the religious would be obliged to ask for permission to
go for their convalescence to the farms or fruit-gardens of laymen,
which are never so appropriate as the convent. Now that they have this
convent, no permission is granted to go for convalescence to any other
place, which is to the great advantage of the province. Also when a
religious is worn out and afflicted by the heats of the city, which
are very great, he is permitted to go and obtain some refreshment and
ease at San Juan del Monte, and soon returns to his labors in the city
with new energy; and this, too, is of great value. While the fathers
were assembled at this chapter an event occurred which caused special
awe in the hearts of the religious, and created greater respect for
the sacred constitutions which we promise to observe. Even when the
obligation does not involve a matter of sin, even venial sin, still
the Lord desires us to keep them with the greatest accuracy--not
only in matters of importance, but even in the less significant
ones. It was a very extraordinary incident, and one which seems
to have happened like the blindness of the man who was born blind,
as the gospel tells us, "not because of his own sins nor those of
his fathers, but for the glory of God." Although there was a fault,
it was such a fault as the Lord is accustomed to pass over (and even
greater ones) in us. Therefore it was, as I said, that it seemed to
be for the greater glory of God and of St. Cecilia, who, as we shall
see, had a share in the remedy. There was a religious who came from
the province of Andalucia, in which he had lived in a very devout
convent. It happened one evening that this religious ate between meals
a few capers without the permission and blessing of the superior. This
is something which in the eyes of men did not appear a special fault;
but it was so in the sight of God, who punished this excess. From that
evening the religious suffered from a pain, which seemed to him to be
in his heart. Although from evening to evening it sometimes was very
severe, still it was not of such a nature that on account of it they
hesitated to ordain him, or, after he was ordained, prohibited him
from the use of the orders which he had received. He came into these
regions, and went as minister to the Indians in Pangasinan. In the
course of time his sufferings increased, and afflicted him to such an
extent that he was prohibited from saying mass, as it was feared that
the malady would attack him during the celebration. During this time
when he did not celebrate mass, his malady continually increased and
afflicted him more than before, so that the religious suffered great
torture; and they gave him great care, and as much comfort as was
consistent with our poverty. In spite of this he grew worse and worse,
and suffered greater afflictions and torments. It attacked him one day,
and they gave him some relics. Thereupon he began to be so furious that
he lifted up and carried along the religious who came to hold him. It
seemed to them that it was some evil spirit which received the holy
thing so ill. The prior at that time, who was father Fray Francisco
de Morales, afterward a holy martyr in Japon, asked permission of the
father provincial to exorcise him. While he was saying the litany,
the grimaces and gestures made by the afflicted man were many; but
when the prior reached the glorious name of the martyr St. Cecilia,
his fury became so great that with the torment of it he fell to the
ground, deprived of strength as if in a faint. Now it happened that
this religious was very devoted to this most illustrious saint, and
had composed a special office which he used to recite out of devotion
to her. He had even abandoned his own proper surname, and was called
and called himself "de Sancta Cecilia." Although he did not perceive it
himself, this was of great aid to him against the devil who tormented
him; therefore it was that the evil spirit resented it so much when
the religious invoked her. When the religious saw this, they called
upon her many times, and all those present made a vow to fast for a
day on bread and water, from reverence for this saint. The provincial
vowed to celebrate a feast in her honor, and the church and an altar
were prepared for saying a mass to her with great solemnity. All the
religious were with the afflicted friar in the choir, singing the
mass to the saint. At the first Kyrie, he began to be changed; and,
when the priest said the first prayer, the noise which he made in
the choir was so great that he disturbed the ministers who were at
the altar. While they were singing in the creed the words Ex Maria
Virgine, et homo factus est [of the Virgin Mary and was made man]
the noise became very much greater; and at the lifting up of the Host
his sobs and groans and cries were so loud that, to avoid exciting
the people in the church, they kept sounding clarions to the end of
the mass. They took him from the choir to the oratory. Here in the
presence of all the religious gathered together, he performed an act
of humility, saying that his faults had brought him to this wretched
state, and begging them to pray to God to pardon him; and that, if
it was best for him to suffer all the pains of hell, he was ready to
receive them. He asked permission of the provincial to kiss the feet
of those who were present. The provincial comforted him, and they went
on with the exorcism, during which the devil became calmer. The friar
answered all the questions which were put to him, and, when they gave
him the holy cross, he kissed it with reverence. These were evidences
of his recovery. The friar became so weary that it was necessary for
him to repose. When he lay down to sleep it seemed to him, whether
in dreams or not he could not tell, that the devil complained of
being suffocated, that a religious was repeating exorcisms to him,
and that the glorious St. Cecilia came to his assistance. On the
following day the religious fasted, as they had promised, on bread
and water, and repeated the exorcisms. During them it became evident
that the evil guest had departed, and that he must be one of those of
whom the Lord said that they are not to be cast out except by fasting
and prayer. There was no more necessity of cure for that malady. As a
result, the religious became very much devoted to this glorious saint,
who has favored the order on many other occasions; and they became
very fearful of violating the constitutions, when they saw that the
Lord was zealous for them in such a manner. Among the babblings which
the Father of Lies muttered through the mouth of the afflicted friar,
it was noticed that when he was directed to read the epistle in
the mass of the cross, where the apostle says, Christus factus est
pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, [29] he read pro vobis [i.e.,
"for your sake"], excluding the devils from the benefit of the holy
Passion. When one of those present said that Christ our Lord had not
died for devils, the proud one answered immediately: "Then we have the
less to be thankful for." When he reached the words of the apostle,
that "at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those who are in
heaven, on earth, and in the hells," he refused to utter this last
word, which affects the devils; and, when they forced him to utter
it, he answered that it was enough to say that every tongue should
confess that He was seated at the right hand of the Father. All this
was to continue further the pride with which he was always tormented.
At the same time, at the end of April, those religious reached
Manila whom father Fray Diego de Soria had collected in España
during the previous year. He assembled them at the port, where he
delivered them to father Fray Thomas Hernandez, [30] father Fray
Diego remaining in España to collect and conduct another company,
in which he succeeded. The body of friars which arrived at this time
was one of the best which had come to this province. [31] It contained
fourteen members from the colleges of the provinces of España, Aragon
and Romana. These were all very superior in ability and advanced in
knowledge, and still more so in religion and virtue. The provinces
of España were not a little grieved to lose them. There, however,
there was a very easy remedy because of the many who were left behind;
while for this province these friars were of the greatest value, and
have given it dignity and support in various ways, in the offices that
belong to it. It appeared from the beginning that the Lord gave them
His benediction, and such a spirit of constancy and firmness that,
although they had the most urgent reasons for remaining behind, not one
of those who were designated failed to come. This is something which
probably never happened with any other shipload. There also came many
besides [the fourteen above mentioned], taking the chance as to their
being desired, which was an even greater marvel. This was in the year
sixty-one, when Sevilla was afflicted with the plague. It was here
that the religious were to assemble, and to wait for the sailing of
the fleet. On the road, they met many who asked them where they were
going. When they answered, "To Sevilla," those that heard them were
amazed and answered: "You see, fathers, that we, who are inhabitants
of Sevilla, have abandoned our houses and our fortunes almost to
destruction, fleeing from the plague there. Are your Reverences going
to place yourselves in the midst of it?" But nothing sufficed to
prevent a single one of them from continuing his journey, for they
regarded dying in such an enterprise as good fortune, and death on
such a journey as happy. At the court father Fray Thomas Hernandez
and three companions who were with him found the father provincial
of España, who at that time was the father master Fray Andres de
Caso, an intimate friend of him who at that time was president of
the Indias. He said to them, "Where are you going? There is no fleet,
for the president of the Indias has told me so." In spite of all this,
the religious were all moved by a higher impulse; and although it was
true that, on account of the plague, it had been ordered that there
should be no fleet, one was afterward permitted to sail. The religious
reached Sevilla after much hardship; because in many places they were
unwilling to admit them to the towns, or to private houses, or even
to our own convents, so great was the fear of the plague. They were
even unwilling to be satisfied with the evidence that the religious
brought with them that they were healthy. When they reached Sevilla
they saw the plague-stricken taken almost dead to the hospitals and
even this did not frighten them. They were in the Guerta del Corco
[i.e., "garden of the deer"]; and there one of them was taken with the
plague, and was carried suddenly off in two more days. Even then, not
one of them even thought of giving up the voyage, although they saw
the plague and death within the house where they were dwelling. The
Lord favored them so that no one else took the plague. When they saw
the danger more clearly, they gave greater thanks to Him who had not
only rescued them from it, but had taken from them the fear which
they naturally had of it--especially as they had almost all come on
foot, asking alms, all the way from the innermost parts of Castilla
la Vieja; and though they were persons who were not inured to that
sort of hardship, and therefore were the more likely to fall sick,
especially in a season of plague. [The religious who died was Fray
Juan de Solis, a son of the licentiate Jofre de Solis. He was a
man of jovial disposition and fond of company, but corrected his
weakness when he proposed to go to the Philippinas. His relatives and
several of his fellow-friars tried to dissuade him, but he insisted
upon going. In Sevilla, as there was no lay religious with them, he
undertook the duty of cooking for the rest of the company; and it may
be that the great heat and consequent exhaustion were the reasons for
his being taken by the plague.] When the religious reached Sevilla,
they were received with much joy and charity by father Fray Diego
de Soria. Everything they had--their books, their clothes, their
money, and everything, down to their very handkerchiefs--all became
common property; if they had any debts unpaid, the community took
charge of these, and the religious were left without any care, and
even without the use of anything for themselves, except the habit
which they wore. From that day they even said all their masses for
the community, which provided for every one what he had need of,
while no one possessed anything (not even by permission) except
books. Everything else was in common for all of them; and hence they
did not have to think of carrying anything with them for the voyage,
except the very small outfit provided for the whole company. [On the
voyage they strove to live as much as possible as if they were in a
very strict convent. They encountered a frightful storm, so great that
there was not a single vessel which did not lose at least one mast;
and one of the largest and best of the vessels foundered, although
without loss of life. Even the pilots confessed, which they avoid as
much as possible for fear of disheartening the crew. The ship on which
the religious were was very old, and was being sent on its last voyage,
to be broken up and sold as old lumber in the port. In response to a
vow of the religious, the Virgin of the Rosary showed them grace, and
brought the storm to an end. In Mexico some were sick, but none died;
and not one remained behind. This greatly astonished the fathers of
the province of Mexico, because in every shipload some give up the
distant mission--being wearied by the voyage which they have taken,
fearful of the dangers to come, and pleased with the delightful climate
of Mexico. This shipload was the first which occupied the hospice
of St. Hyacinth, where they lived as if in a convent, following
all the rules of the province. While in the hospice, they studied
and had frequent theological conferences. They very rarely visited
the city. On the journey from Mexico to Acapulco, which is very long
and over a very bad road, many of them went on foot. As this was not
customary at that time, it greatly edified those who saw them. There
was only one ship in from the Philippinas; and this and more were
needed by the governor, Don Pedro de Acuña, for the accommodation
of himself and his troops. But while the religious were praying and
offering vows to the Virgin for her aid, they were rejoiced by the
news that one ship had come in from the Philippinas and two from Peru,
which were all taken to make up the fleet. On the voyage they did much
for the consciences of those who were in their ship, dividing among
themselves all the people, from the admiral and his companions down
to the lowest convict or ship-boy. They taught these men and heard
their confessions, opening the way of peace and liberty to many a
captive and unhappy soul. At the port of Acapulco died father Fray
Vicente de Liaño, a religious of much devotion and patience under
suffering, for he was a confirmed invalid. When they reached Manila
they were immediately distributed by the provincial council, which
was then sitting. The number of religious was the largest that has
entered the province since its establishment. All of the houses in
the province were filled, and enough were left to comply with the
wishes of the king of Satzuma, who had sent to ask for religious.]
CHAPTER LV
The causes of the entry of our religious into Japon, and the
circumstances under which they entered Satzuma.
[Christianity in the kingdoms of Japon took its origin from the
Society of Jesus, the first preacher and apostle therein being
St. Francis Xavier. The fathers of this Society had entered Japon
according to the rule of the gospel, without weapons or soldiers, but
with peace and mercy and in the strength of holy living. Christianity
flourished so that the first missionaries were obliged to call in aid;
and they sent for assistance to the Philippinas, where at that time
there were discalced Franciscans and Augustinians, besides members of
the Society. Father Gaspar Coello, vice-provincial of the fathers in
Japon, wrote to the governor, Dr. Santiago de Vera, to the bishop,
Don Fray Domingo de Salacar, and to the guardian of St. Francis,
and the rector of the Society in Manila, urging the establishment of
trade between the Philippinas and Japon. The bishop made a number of
formal inquiries, which were verified before a notary. One is dated
at Nangasaqui, September 11, 1584; and the other from the kingdom
of Fixen, January 24, 1585. The witnesses when asked especially if
it would be an advantage to have religious of various orders, and
especially religious under the vow of poverty, replied unanimously
that such would be very well received. They called to witness the
case of the holy Fray Juan Pobre, a discalced friar who disembarked
in Japon on his way to China, and whom the Japanese, both heathen and
Christian, adored. It must be admitted that soon afterward the fathers
of the Society in Japon changed their opinion, in spite of the fact
that the extension of Christianity in Japon required more laborers in
the field and that the empire was large enough for all the religious
orders. God was pleased to put it into the heart of many of the kings,
or tonos, of that realm to send to Manila to ask for religious of all
the orders. The particular reason for the calling of our religious was
as follows: In 1601 a number of Japanese vessels, with many Christians
on them, touched at Manila. A number of these Christians became very
fond of our convent, and often visited it. One of them, by name Juan
Sandaya, brought the captain of his ship to the prior, Fray Francisco
de Morales; and they discussed the possibility of sending religious
of the Order of St. Dominic to Satzuma, whence the captain came. In
the following year a letter was brought from the king of Satzuma,
Tintionguen, inviting them to come to his kingdom. The letter was
dated on the twenty-second day of the ninth month in the sixth year
of Keycho. [32] In response to it religious were sent. Father Fray
Francisco de Morales went as vicar and superior, accompanied by the
fathers Fray Thomas Hernandez, Fray Alonso de Mena, and Fray Thomas del
Spiritu Santo, or Zumarraga, and brother Fray Juan de la Abadia, a lay
brother. [33] They set sail on the day of the most holy Trinity. They
carried but little in the way of temporal things, expecting to live
upon the alms which they should receive in Japon. They rested the first
night in a heathen temple in the island of Coxiqui. [34] The priest of
the idols removed the images, and left the temple unoccupied, and the
fathers consecrated it and set up in it an altar. The Japanese were
very curious about the new missionaries, and were greatly pleased with
them. They were welcomed in a few days by some Japanese gentlemen,
who made them a very ceremonious greeting and welcomed them in the
name of their king. They were escorted to the court of the tono, where
they were honorably received. The black and white colors of the habit
pleased the Japanese, for these are customary in that country; while
the eating of fish as an ordinary article of food is very common in
Japon. They also greatly admired the devotion of the fathers to study,
for they esteem their boncos [or "bonzes"] in proportion as they are
learned; but what above all they admired was the contempt of these
fathers for comforts and worldly advantages. The favor with which
the religious were received enraged the priests of the idols, who
insisted that the Japanese princes who had become Christians had been
unfortunate. They mentioned the instance of Don Augustin Tzunotami,
[35] a great and valiant lord who had been destroyed by the emperor;
also that of Don Francisco, the king of Bungo, [36] who had been
conquered and lost his life; while this kingdom of Satzuma had been
protected by its devotion to its gods, and especially to Faquiman,
who is their god of war. It was no wonder that two Christian princes
should have been overwhelmed when thousands of heathen had suffered
the same overthrow, but the idol priests passed that over. The emperor
intervened, and enacted a decree that no king or tono, and not even
any gentleman of distinction, should become a Christian. The king
of Satzuma, however, would not banish the religious, but gave them
permission to build a church and a house. Not infrequently, however,
they were forgotten, and did not receive their customary supply of
rice. The fathers converted the family of the man in whose house they
lived, and made a chapel in the oratory of the house. The queen was
desirous of seeing the image of the Virgin which was set up in the
chapel; and it was carried to the palace, and there worshiped with
the greatest respect by the chief personages of the court. The king,
being unable to make up his mind how to treat the religious because
of the opposition of the emperor, permitted them, at their request,
to return to the island of Quoxiqui, where they had landed, and
where they had something of an establishment. Here they suffered
from the rigors of the Japanese winter in a wretched hut. They had
insufficient food, and received very small alms. In case of illness,
it was impossible to give the sick man any treatment, or even proper
food. The Lord, however, preserved them; and the tono at last, pitying
them and being edified by their way of living, offered them a town,
the income derived from which would suffice to maintain them. This
they declined, as being against the rule of the province to which they
belonged. The king was much amazed, and gave them some interpreters
to speak for them when they preached. Being on an island seven leguas
at sea, they could not preach to advantage, or learn the language;
the king gave them permission to build a house and a church in the
city of Quiodomari. They said their first mass here on the day of
the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in 1606. Here the fathers made a
number of conversions, although they were permitted to baptize only
the common people, the conversion of persons of rank or of soldiers
being forbidden. Some, however, came secretly and were baptized. One
of them, a soldier by the name of Leon, received the crown of martyrdom
in four months.]
CHAPTER LVI
Another mission of the religious to the kingdom of Camboja
In España many times the conquest of Camboja, Sian, and Champan,
neighboring kingdoms, was much discussed. The theologians whom his
Majesty consulted declared that this conquest was justified within
certain limitations. As captain-general was appointed the Conde de
Bailen. There came to Manila in 1603 an embassy from the new king
[of Camboja] asking for the friendship of the governor, for a force
of soldiers, and, most important of all, for religious to come and
preach the gospel. The king disclaimed any part in the murders which
had been committed a few years before by the king his predecessor (who
was his nephew), and by the Malay Moros whom that king favored. By
them all the Portuguese and Castilians who were there had been slain,
except one who made his escape. [37] This new king had had nothing
to do with that murder, because he was at the time a prisoner and
captive in Sian, and had been taken from prison there to the kingdom
at the death of his nephew, who had been slain by the Malay Moros
whom he had favored. They had taken possession of the kingdom,
thus rewarding the ungrateful treachery which he had shown to the
Spaniards, although they had restored him to his kingdom. At this time
the governor of these islands was Don Pedro de Acuña, a man of noble
birth and a brave soldier, a devoted servant of his Majesty, and a
true Christian. In this same year the Lord had given him a glorious
victory over fifteen or sixteen thousand Chinese who attacked this
city, of whom scarcely one was left alive, the Lord aiding this noble
gentleman and the few Spaniards who were in Manila. Not long afterward
He gave him the great victory by which Maluco was recovered and given
into the possession of his Majesty, without the loss of a man, which
greatly enhanced the victory. [The governor was delighted by this
embassy from Camboja, and sent to ask preachers of the order which
had spent so much and labored so hard to introduce the gospel among
these tribes. The province immediately appointed father Fray Iñigo
de Santa Maria as vicar, and, as associates and apostolic preachers,
father Fray Geronimo de Belen [38] and father Fray Alonso Collar, or
de Santa Cathalina--whom the governor despatched with six Spaniards,
letters, and a present, in a good frigate. They had bad weather,
and were obliged to touch at Cochinchina and to coast along the
kingdom of Champan, where they were attacked by Indians when they
went on shore to get fresh water. They reached the port of Camboja
called Chordemuco, in April. The king received them with great marks
of honor, showing particular favor to the religious. The kingdom
was in constant disturbance, but the king was greatly encouraged
even by the presence of these Spaniards. He was greatly desirous of
receiving further assistance from the Philippinas; but the fathers
were doubtful whether any ought to come, for fear that things would
turn out as they had before. Some vessels came from Cochinchina, the
captain of one of them being one of those Sangleys who had killed the
governor of the Philippinas (Dasmariñas); he took possession of the
Spanish galley, and became a pirate. He had at this time the title of
ambassador from the king of Cochinchina. Some of the Japanese knew him,
since he had stolen a ship from them; and they wished to kill him,
but were restrained by the religious. Soon after, when some more
Japanese vessels came into port, they plotted against the man, and
took his life, before the fathers could hinder them. At this time the
fathers and the Spaniards suffered great risks, because the Siamese,
the Chinese, and the Cochin-chinese, and much more the Malay Moros,
who were all assembled here, hate Christianity. There was promise of
much disquiet and many factions; and, to pacify them, the king asked
one of the fathers to go to Manila and to ask for reenforcements
of soldiers and for more fathers, promising to pay the soldiers,
who might defend and guard those who were converted. Father Fray
Iñigo went back for that purpose. The priests, or bonços, frequented
our church and approved our manner of life, giving hopes of their
conversion if the religious should remain. Some conversions were made,
and the manner of life of the fathers greatly impressed all the people
of the city. On his way back to Manila, father Fray Yñigo lost his
life. He was a son of San Estevan at Salamanca, and was almost one
of the first who came to this province, having been sent as a result
of the activity of the first bishop of these islands, and of his
associate, Fray Miguel de Venavides. He was a great preacher and
very devout in prayer. He was elected to the priory of Manila, and
was most useful in enlightening the consciences of the inhabitants
of that city. He was most devoted to St. Cecilia and to St. Ursula;
and when he called upon their names, miracles were wrought for him
by the supplying of a convent in Pangasinan with fish at his prayers,
and on other occasions. He showed at some times the spirit of prophecy.
At the same time there died in Camboja father Fray Alonso Collar or
de Sancta Cathalina. Father Fray Alonso was a native of Cangas de
Tineo, and assumed the habit and professed in Oviedo. He had come
to the province in the previous year (1602), and after beginning
to learn the Chinese language, had been sent by the order of his
superior on this expedition. His death caused great grief in Camboja,
and his funeral was attended like that of one of the grandees of the
nation. His bones were afterwards taken to Manila, that he might be
buried with his brethren. Thus there remained in Camboja, in the
midst of many and great perils, one single religious (Jerónimo de
Belén), who dared not baptize the people, although he had the license
of the king to do so, because of the confusion and disquiet of the
time. Looking for no future success, and knowing the fickleness of
the Indians of that region--who had asked to have missionaries and
soldiers sent to them, and who then had received them so ill, and
had finally killed them--he wrote back asking permission to return;
this was granted him by the provincial, until such time as the affairs
of this kingdom should promise greater stability and quiet.]
CHAPTER LVII
Some misfortunes which happened at this time, and the experience of
the religious during them
The city of Manila is the finest and richest of its size known in all
the world. It is of great strength, being almost surrounded by the
sea and by a large river, which wash its walls. It is the capital and
court city of these islands, where the governor and captain-general
of them has his residence, as well as the royal Audiencia and
Chancillería. Here is situated the largest garrison of soldiers,
with its master-of-camp, sargento-mayor, and captains. From here are
sent out the forces and garrisons subject to this government, which
are very many and very wide-spread, for it includes Maluco and the
island of Hermosa--one of them almost under the torrid zone, and the
other almost within view of Great China and very near Japon. This
city makes the name of España renowned and feared throughout all
these neighboring kingdoms; for, although its inhabitants and its
soldiers are few, yet by the aid of the Lord, whose faith they spread
abroad, they have performed so many glorious exploits that even the
barbarians of the smallest capacity have come to esteem above measure
their greatness, when they see the Spaniards always victorious over
enemies who so surpass them in number that experience only might make
such victories credible. As a kind father with his son, whose good he
desires, not only strives to give him honor and wealth, but in time
provides him with punishment and discipline, therefore, after our Lord
had made the city illustrious with glorious victories and had filled
it with riches, then in the year 1604, at the end of April, He sent
upon it a fire which, defying all efforts to control it, burned to the
ground a third part of the city--with such swiftness that many had no
opportunity to escape it (although the fire occurred about midday),
and they perished in the flames; while the loss of wealth was so
great that it can hardly be believed. Hearing the news of the fire,
which was at some distance from our convent, the religious went to
help extinguish it; for on such occasions as this they labor more
and have more confidence than others. In a moment, as if it were
flying, the fire reached our convent; and since there was no one
to protect it, it was almost wholly burnt, the Lord leaving only so
much as was necessary to supply a crowded shelter for the religious,
without being obliged to go to the house of any other person. In
this we were among the more fortunate who escaped; for the fire was
so extensive that others had not even this small comfort. Many who
on that morning were rich, and had great houses and great wealth,
had that night no house where they might lodge or shelter themselves,
such is at times the fury of this terrible element.
At the beginning of October in this same year, this city, and
consequently all the islands, were in great danger of being lost,
because of a revolt against it of the Chinese who lived near it. The
event happened in the following way. In the previous year, in one of
the merchant vessels which come to this city from China every year
there arrived three persons of authority, who are called by the
Spaniards "mandarins." These are their judges or leading officers
in war. They entered the city, borne on men's shoulders, on gilded
ivory seats, having the insignia of magistracy: and they were received
with the display due to ambassadors of so powerful a king. They had
come to search for a mountain which a Chinese, named Tiongong, had
described to his king as being all gold. The name of this mountain
was Cavite, and from it he promised to bring back to China ships
laden with gold. The mandarins made their investigations, for which
purpose they carried Tiongong with them; and when they reached the
place which he described, they found no mountain of gold, nor any
sign of one. When they accused him of fraud and deceit, he answered,
"If you wish it to be gold, it is gold" (referring to the ornaments
which the Indians wear, and much more to the wealth of the Spaniards);
"if you wish it to be sand, it is sand." All this was done in the sight
of the Spaniards, who came there with a good deal of interest to know
the reason why these mandarins had come so far away from their regular
duties--and especially their chief, who was, as it were, sargento-mayor
of the province of Chincheo, one of the most prominent officers in
their army. The whole thing aroused suspicion; and the archbishop,
Don Fray Miguel de Venavides, a friar of our habit and a religious
of this province, urged the governor to send them back immediately,
that they might not perceive how small a force the Spaniards had,
and might not make the other reconnoissances which are customary
when foreign cities or kingdoms are to be attacked. They feared that
China was intending an attack upon us. The religious of the order,
as they knew the language, visited the mandarins and learned from them
that this Tiongong meant to inform the king that the wealth of these
islands in the hands of Spaniards and Indians was great; and that,
if he would send ships and forces, he might easily make himself lord
of it all. They accordingly urged the governor to hasten sending
the mandarins away, and he did so. After this event the Spaniards
did not rest secure, but were very fearful that the king of China,
being a heathen, might be carried away by avarice, and might be greedy
for the great wealth which this trickster offered him. Since he was
a very powerful king, his resources would certainly be greater than
this country could resist without great damage to itself. Even if the
city were to be victorious, the result would be its destruction. It
would lose a great many of its people, and the indignation of the
king would be aroused because of his defeat. He would therefore
take away their commerce from them, without which this country could
not be sustained. All these reasonings and considerations made the
Spaniards very anxious and suspicious. Their suspicions were very
greatly increased when the heathen Chinese kept saying that they
believed a fleet would come the next year. This was heard by some
Chinese Christians who were so in truth; and they went immediately
and told it to our religious who had the direction of them. There
were some of them who put on false hair that they might look like
heathen, and went with studied negligence to the alcaiceria [i.e.,
"silk market"] where the heathen lived, and heard their conversations
at night with reference to the coming of the fleet. They immediately
reported these things to their religious, and they to the governor
and the archbishop. The archbishop, in a sermon preached at the feast
of the most holy Sacrament in our convent, informed the governor and
the city that they ought to make preparations, because the Chinese
were about to rebel. Although the governor knew all these things,
because he had been told of them by our religious, on the aforesaid
authority, he could never be persuaded that the Chinese were going to
rebel, because of the great harm and the little or no advantage which
they would receive from the revolt. Yet, to make ready for what might
happen, he began to show special kindness to the Japanese who lived
near Manila, and to prepare them so that in case of necessity they
might be on the side of the Spaniards. He followed the same plan with
the Indians, directing them to prepare themselves with arms and arrows,
to be ready if they should be needed. None of this was conceded from
the Chinese, for it could not be kept secret from so many; and they
even heard with their own ears the most prominent people in Manila say:
"We cannot go out against the Chinese, if they come with a fleet,
and leave behind us such a multitude as there is around the city;
so, if we have news that there is a fleet of the Chinese, we shall
have to kill all there are here, and go out and meet those who are
coming." This kind of talk greatly afflicted them; and besides this,
the more ignorant class of people already began to look at them as
enemies, and treated them very badly. The result was that they became
very much disquieted and fearful. In addition, there were not lacking
some to go and tell them lies, bidding them be on their guard, for on
such and such a day the Spaniards were going to break out upon them. In
proof of this lie they called their attention to some facts which the
Sangleys could see--for instance, that all the Spaniards were getting
ready their weapons, and the Indians were making new ones, though
they had no other enemies, unless it were the Chinese. At last, more
out of fear than from any purpose of their own, they rose in revolt,
insomuch that some of them were seen to go where others had fortified
themselves, weeping bitterly because they saw their destruction,
but feeling that there was no other means to save their lives. The
governor and the Audiencia made great efforts to undeceive them and
to pacify them, but nothing that was done gave them any security. On
the contrary, it seemed to them a trick to catch them unawares. It
was a pity to see them leave their houses, which were many, and flee
without knowing where, or considering how they were to obtain food
for so great a multitude. Some of them in this affliction hanged
themselves, to avoid the miseries which as they saw would befall
them if they revolted, and the violent death which they feared if
they did not rise. Finally, on the eve of the glorious St. Francis,
they threw off the mask and came forward as declared rebels against
the city. Sounding warlike music and waving banners, they began to
burn houses and to kill people; and on that night they attacked in a
body the town of Binondo, which is composed of Christians of their
own nation. Their purpose was to force these to join them; but our
religious, to whom the teaching of these Chinese was committed, caused
the women and children to be brought for protection to the church,
while the Chinese Christians took their arms and defended the town
under the leadership of the good knight Don Luis Perez das Mariñas,
who lived there next our church. With twenty arquebusiers, who were
on guard in that town, they drove the enemy back without suffering
any damage. The enemy, however, inflicted injury upon those who were
at work in the fields, many of whom were taken by surprise and were
compelled to join them or to suffer death. They also attacked the
church and town of Tondo, which belongs to the religious of our father
St. Augustine. As the latter had provided against them by a Spanish
guard, they did no harm. After having defended the town all night,
Don Luis das Mariñas sent one of our religious to the governor before
daylight, asking for some troops to attack the Chinese rebels who had
fortified themselves near the town of Tondo, not far from Manila. He
was of the opinion that as these people had spent all the night,
disturbed themselves and disturbing others, they would be tired and
sleepy, so that it would be easy to inflict great losses on them. The
governor took the matter before a council of war; all approved, and
he sent his nephew, Don Thomas de Acuña, with more than a hundred men,
the best in the camp, together with some of the men of highest rank in
the city, who desired to accompany the nephews of the governor and the
archbishop, who went with this party. This small force was regarded
as sufficient to attack more than six thousand who were said to have
banded together and to be in fortifications--so little did they regard
the Chinese. The Spanish, marching in good order, met at least three
hundred Chinese enemies, and, attacking them, put them immediately to
flight. They were near some large plantations of sugar-cane, in which
the Chinese concealed themselves; and the Spaniards followed them,
being thus divided and brought into disorder. The rebels were posted
not far from there, and, when they saw the Spaniards in disorder,
they all sallied out against them, and, surrounding them, killed
them almost to a man, although with great loss on their own side. As
a result, they plucked up courage to advance against the city, and
to try to make an entry into it. For this purpose they made some
machines of wood, much higher than the wall. They came forward with
these, with no small spirit, but soon lost their courage because,
before the machines were brought into position, they were destroyed by
the artillery, which inflicted much damage upon the enemy. So, after
some slight encounters, they abandoned the siege and fled into the
country. Against them was despatched the sargento-mayor, Christobal de
Azcueta, with as many Spanish soldiers, Indians, and Japanese as could
be got together. As a result of the good order which he maintained,
the Chinese were killed off little by little, until there was not left
a man of them. This was accomplished without any harm to our troops,
for, no matter how much the Chinese strove to force them to give a
general battle, they constantly refused it; but they kept the Chinese
in sight while they were marching, and halted whenever they halted,
surrounding themselves with a palisade of stakes which they carried
for the purpose. These they arranged not in one line, but in two,
so that in case of attack--and many attacks were made--before the
Chinese could reach the palisades and pass them, the Spaniards with
their arquebuses and arrows killed the greater number of them. The
loss of life was especially great among the most courageous, who
led the van; while the rest turned back in terror, without effecting
anything. Hunger also fought with them powerfully, because, as our
soldiers kept them constantly under surveillance, they could not go
aside to forage. The little food which they had brought from Manila
was quickly exhausted; and, after that was gone, their lives followed
rapidly. Thus by the twentieth of October the war was at an end and
everything was quiet. But the city was greatly in need of all sorts
of things, for all the trades were in the hands of the Chinese,
and, now that they were dead, there was no shoemaker, or tailor,
or dealer in provisions, or any other necessary tradesman; and there
was no hope that they would come again to this country for trade and
commerce. On this account it was determined to send an embassy to
China, to give information as to the facts of the case. There were
appointed as ambassadors Captain Marcos de la Cueba and father Fray
Luis Gandullo, one of our religious--a man of great virtue, sanctity,
and prudence, who had gone to China on two other occasions. They
suffered much hardship on the voyage, but finally succeeded in
their negotiations with the viceroy of the province of Chincheo,
which is the place from which the Chinese come to Manila. After he
had given them license to get a supply of ammunition for the city,
he dismissed them, promising to continue the trade. This promise was
carried into effect, for in the following year there came thirteen
ships; and from that day forward everything has gone on as if nothing
of what has been narrated had ever taken place.
CHAPTER LVIII
The election as provincial of father Fray Miguel de San Jacintho and
the coming of religious
On May 9, 1604, father Fray Juan de Santo Thomas having completed
his term as provincial, there was elected in his place father Fray
Miguel de San Jacintho, a religious of much prudence, great virtue,
and a mind greatly inclined to goodness, and one who loved and honored
those who were good. He exhibited in the course of his office great
talent in governing, watching over the order with great care, and
filling his office with much affability and simplicity, which caused
the religious to love him, and to feel particular satisfaction in him
because they had shown so much wisdom in appointing him as superior of
the province, out of all the many candidates who had been put forward
at that election. His excellent and prudent manner of governing was not
displayed on this occasion for the first time; for he had previously
exhibited his high abilities in such offices when he was elected by
his associates as their superior on the journey from España, that
position having been vacated by the death in Mexico of father Fray
Alonso Delgado, who had come as their vicar. In spite of the youth of
father Fray Miguel, he filled this office so much to the satisfaction
of all that they regarded themselves as fortunate in having found
a superior who looked out so carefully for the advantage of every
one without ever forgetting the general good of the order--which, as
being more universal, takes precedence and commands higher esteem. In
the affairs of the voyage, which are many and full of difficulty,
he conducted himself so well and anticipated them with such accuracy
that it seemed as if all of his life had been spent in the office of
conducting religious. This is a function that calls for many diverse
qualities, difficult to find united in a single person unless he is a
man of so superior a nature as was father Fray Miguel. When he arrived
in the province, they sent him to the district of Nueva Segovia. Here
he was one of the first missionaries and founders of this conversion;
and was one of the best and most careful, most beloved by the Indians,
and most devoted to his duties as a religious, who had ever been in
that province. He suffered all the hardships and necessities, the
poverty and the lack of sustenance, which have been recounted. From
them, although he was a man of strong constitution and fitted to endure
much, the want and the lack of food resulted in causing severe pains
of the stomach. This evidently resulted from hunger, for as soon
as he had a moderate amount of food he was well; but this happened
seldom, and most of the time they had nothing to eat but some wild
herbs which they gathered in the fields, and which were more suited
to purge their stomachs than to sustain their lives. Hence in jest
father Fray Gaspar Zarfate, who was his associate, said to him that
he was greatly in doubt whether they were properly keeping the fasts
prescribed by the constitutions, because they ate the same thing for
supper in the evening as for dinner at noon; for, as they had nothing
else, they ate quilites at noon for dinner, and quilites at night for
supper. There were received at this chapter the church and house of
Nuestra Señora del Rosario [i.e., "Our Lady of the Rosary"] in the
kingdom of Satzuma in Japon; and, in the province of Nueva Segovia,
those of San Vicente in Tocolano, San Miguel in Nasiping, San Pedro
in Tuguegarao, San Raymundo in Lobo, Sancta Ynes de Monte Policiano
in Pia, Santa Cathalina de Sena in Nabunanga (which is now in the
village of Yguig), and Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion ["Our Lady of
the Assumption"] in Talama. These were all villages which had been
waiting for religious; and as the bishop of that region, Don Fray
Diego de Soria, a religious of the order and of this province, had
written that he was about to come back to it with a large following of
religious, the new provincial was encouraged to take the charge of so
many new churches and villages which were so much in need of teaching,
for they had never had any, and were nearly all heathen. The good
bishop did not fail of his promise. He had been one of the first and
most prominent founders of this province, had seen and passed through
the great sufferings which the establishment of it required, and had
likewise had his share in the great harvest which the religious had
reaped in these regions. He therefore loved it much, and strove with
all his might to increase it; and hence, when he was about to come
to his bishopric, he endeavored to bring with him a goodly number
of excellent religious. The vicar in charge of them was father Fray
Bernabe de Reliegos, a son of the distinguished convent of San Pablo
at Valladolid, where in the course of time he went after some years
to die, leaving the religious highly edified by his happy death,
which was to be expected from his very devoted life. The example
which they gave on the way from their convents to Sevilla was such
that it highly edified the people of the towns through which they
passed. The religious who set out from San Pablo at Valladolid
were four in number, and they made their way to the port on foot,
asking alms and sustaining themselves solely by what the Lord gave to
them as to His poor. Although on some occasions they suffered from
need because there was no one to give them sufficient alms, they
never made use of the money which the superior had sent them for the
journey--esteeming more highly that which was given them for the love
of God, and putting aside the shame which begging alms at the doors
brings with it. They came to a small hamlet in the Sierra Morena, and,
though they went two by two to search for lodgings, they found none,
and still less did they find any food. Hence in their need, which was
great because they had gone on foot, they went to find the alcalde,
to lay their necessities before him. After he had several times
refused to see them, he at last admitted them at night, and sent
them to a house with orders that they should receive the friars. A
gentleman from Baeca was there, who, seeing that they were poor, had
compassion upon them and sent a page to invite them to eat dinner,
although he had already dined before the religious could reach the
house. They thanked him for these alms, but declined them, saying that
the alcalde of the town had provided for their dinner and lodging;
and the gentleman sent them forty reals in charity, saying that he
did not send them more because he was journeying on business to the
court, where the expenses were so great that they left him no more
with which he could help the friars, as he wished to do. That the Lord
permits such needs is not due to His lack of power or of love, and He
ordinarily makes up for them with similar or greater recompenses. In
Baylen they went around the town two by two, and when they had all
come together, without obtaining more than two or three cuartos in
alms, night came upon them without any inn or lodging. A man was
following their path who had noticed what happened to them, and he
offered them his house. They thanked him, and accepted his charity;
but the house was nothing but a poor peddler's shed, three brazas long
and two wide, and, that he might take them in, he sent his wife that
night to sleep elsewhere. But a house of charity could not fail to
be large and spacious, and hence the religious rested in it with much
satisfaction and joy. In the morning the Lord paid the charitable host
for the lodging; for the conde, learning of what had happened, called
him to appear in presence of the religious, thanked him for what he
had done, and, promising him his favor for the future, forced a man who
had done our host some wrong, some days before, to recompense him for
it immediately. Thus he went away happier than if it had been a feast
day, though this is not the principal pay for such works, for they
earn glory in the sight of God. All the religious reached Sevilla,
and set sail on St. John's day in a small vessel to go to Cadiz and
take ship. At noon they were at a considerable distance from land,
and the master of the ship was very inattentive. The religious saw
three vessels with lateen sails following them, and were amused at
these because they had never seen that kind of sail before. This
called the attention of the master, and he went up and looked at
them. Seeing that they were Moorish vessels, he trimmed his sails,
and turning the helm, set out to run ashore. When he succeeded, he
said: "Some saint is sailing in this boat, on whose account our Lord
has delivered us today from falling into the hands of Moors; for it
is they who were chasing us with their light sails and swift boats,
from which it was impossible that this heavy bark with its heavy load
should have escaped, if some superior power had not been watching over
us by some saint who has been traveling with your Reverences." On the
following day it was learned that at that very same place some people
who had taken the same voyage had been captured, wherefore they saw
themselves obliged anew to render most humble thanks to the Lord
for His singular mercy and kindness. They went on board the ships;
and when the fleet was sailing in the gulf which on account of its
restlessness and the many waves which are always there, is called
Golfo de las Yeguas [i.e., "Gulf of the Mares"], two sailors fell
overboard from the flagship--an accident which often happens when they
are working in confusion at a critical moment. The flagship--not being
able to help them, since it was carried on and separated from them by
the wind--gave a signal, by discharging a piece, to the ships that
followed it that they should try to pick up the men. As none of the
other ships was able to go to their help, that one on which were the
bishop and the religious hove to; but, on account of the excitement of
the moment, they failed to do so with proper caution and prudence. The
rudder was brought over with all the sails up so that the head of the
ship was brought down dangerously, and the whole bow as far back as the
foremast went under water. That there might not be one accident only,
the violence of the wind and the burden of the sails and the force of
the waves jerked the tiller [pinçote] from those who were at the helm,
and swung it across fast under the biscuit hatchway, leaving the ship
without means to steer it when that was most needed. The hatchway was
closed, and no key was to be found. The ship was going to the bottom,
being submerged in the water, and the waves, which were like mountains,
were beating on its sides, so that the mariners in alarm were shouting,
"We are lost, we are going to the bottom and cannot help ourselves,
for want of a rudder and direction." "Let us turn," said the bishop,
"to our Mother and Lady, the mother of God, and let us promise to
fast in her honor for three days on bread and water if by her help
we may receive our lives." The religious did so, and, falling down
in prayer, they supplicated her for aid; and instantly--a proper work
for the divine pity and that of the Mother of Compassion--the tiller,
or stem of the rudder, came out, of itself, from the hole into which it
had gone. This was contrary to the common expectation in the ordinary
course of similar cases; for the hole was very small, and therefore
it was very difficult for anything which had once entered it to be
brought back again. Four men quickly caught it, and, bringing it
across with great strength, turned the ship back into its course. The
seamen were in amazement at this extraordinary event; and, as they
had had experience in like cases, they regarded it as the favor and
benefit of our Lady who had been invoked by her afflicted and unhappy
chaplains. Therefore to her the religions rendered devout and humble
thanks, and with great joy fulfilled the vow which they had made.
On its voyage the fleet touched at the island of Guadalupe for wood
and water. This island was inhabited by a barbarous and inhuman race,
bare of any sort of clothing, and (what is worse) bare of any sort
of pity; for they had no pity upon those who, without doing them any
harm, came there to get water which would be wasted in the sea, and
wood for which they had no use whatsoever. There were in the fleet
the Marqués de Montes Claros, going to be viceroy of Nueva España,
and, as commander, Don Fulgencio de Meneses y Toledo; and on the eve
of our father St. Dominic, twenty-five soldiers having gone ashore as
a guard with an ensign in command, all those on board the fleet went
ashore and mass was said as the religious had desired. After that,
the religious and all the rest went to wash their clothes and to
bathe themselves, of which there was great need. The sailors went to
get wood and water. Being all more widely scattered than was proper,
they failed to keep a proper lookout, when they ought to have been more
on their guard against the peril which menaced them. The islanders,
taking advantage of the opportunity to carry out their evil purpose,
came down close to them, being hidden in the thick undergrowth of
the mountain. They began to shoot arrows at the Spaniards when the
Spaniards were not keeping a lookout, and when they themselves had
the advantage. This they did so rapidly and in such numbers that it
seemed as if it rained arrows. When the Indians were perceived many
were already wounded, and much blood had been shed. The surprise
and confusion threw the crew into a panic, and huddling together in
a frightened group they fled, each man striving to put himself in
safety--one leaping into the boat to go back to the ship; another
throwing himself into the sea, which was then regarded as more
pitiful than the land; still another hiding himself among the trees
and letting the savages pass as they shot their arrows at those
whom they found ahead of them, and letting them pick up as spoils
the clothes which he had been washing, or which were now being dried
after the washing. Those who could do least to resist the attack of
the islanders were the religious; and hence many of them fell wounded
and others dead, for it was easier to draw their souls from them than
to draw out the arrows. Three of them hid themselves in a thicket,
where the Lord delivered them from a shower of arrows which were shot
after them as they went to hide. Holding a little [image of] Christ
in their hands, they begged him earnestly that he would blind the
savages that they might not see them and might pass them by. The Lord
heard them, and thus, though the islanders saw them hide themselves
and shot many arrows after them, yet the arrows did not strike them;
and the Indians, who are keener than mastiffs in discovering people,
could not find them, though they passed the place where they were.
The wounded were: father Fray Juan Luis de Guete, a son of the convent
of Preachers in Valencia, in whose spine an arrow was fastened, being
stopped by the bone; father Fray Juan Naya, a son of the convent of San
Pedro Martyr at Calatayud, who escaped with a wound in his arm where
an arrow had passed through it; and father Fray Jacintho Calvo, who
was struck twice. He was a son of the convent of La Peña de Francia,
where in course of time he hung up one of the arrows. The wounds were
not so penetrating as to take their lives; but they made the fathers
very happy because here, with this blessed beginning, they had begun
to shed their blood for the Lord who had redeemed them with His own,
and for the gospel which they were going to preach in His service. The
religious who died there were six. They were so picked and selected
among all the rest that, as they were the cream of all the others,
it was plain that that which the islanders had done en masse was,
so far as concerned the Lord, a most particular providence of His
who had directed the arrows against the best and the ripest of the
religious that they might be offered as early fruit on the table of
the supreme Father, as something in which one may safely assert that
He takes much pleasure. Three of these holy martyrs were children
of the most religious convent of Preachers in Valencia, which,
as it is so prolific in saints, naturally had here the greater
share. The first was father Fray Juan de Moratalla, a native of
Murcia, a religious of noble example, great mortification, silence,
modesty, and composure. [He was devoted to prayer and solitude,
and to the good of others. The second was father Fray Vicente Palao
Valenciano, a religious very precise in his observance of the rules,
and such as a priest ought to be. The third was Fray Juan Martinez,
a priest, an Aragonese, a religious of purest and holiest life. The
fourth was Fray Juan Cano, a native of Burgo de Osma, a son of San
Pablo de Valladolid, young in age, old in virtue. The fifth religious
was Fray Pedro Moreno, a deacon, a native of Villalba, a son of the
royal convent of Sancta Cruz at Segovia, and a member of the most
illustrious college of San Gregorio at Valladolid. He was devoted
to prayer and to silent meditation. At his death the Lord wrought a
miracle by enabling him to make his way to the seashore, where he died
in prayer, and was afterward found beneath the water in the attitude
of prayer. The sixth religious was Fray Jacintho de Cistenes, a son
of the convent at Valencia, and a native of that noble city. He was
young in age but venerable for his virtue. The Lord had revealed to
him that he should die on the day of St. Lawrence, as he actually did,
after suffering for some time from his mortal wound. [39]]
CHAPTER LIX
The erection of some churches, which took place at this time
The religious who were coming to the province, although they had
been diminished in number by the savages of Guadalupe, were of great
use. They were fourteen in number, and, that they might immediately
begin that which they had sought over so many seas and through so
many hardships, they were assigned to their duties. The newly-elected
provincial took with him four for the province of Nueva Segovia,
where at that time the conversions were going on rapidly, because the
country was large and nearly all the inhabitants were heathen. When
they reached the cape known as Cabo del Bojeador, a place which is
ordinarily a difficult one, the provincial saw that a small cloud which
covered the peaks of some mountains near there was moving toward the
sea, which began to be unquiet and rough. The pilot thought it best
that the sails should be lowered somewhat, in order better to resist
the attack of the wind and the waves which threatened them. While he
was striving to do this, the tempest anticipated him; and the wind came
with such force that wind and wave turned the vessel on its side, and
the water entered over the sides of the ship. It was necessary for the
religious to put their hands to the oars, while the rest went to work,
with great difficulty, to get in the sails--nothing being left but the
courses, in order to make it possible to steer. Although the amount of
sail was so small, the wind was so powerful that, lifting the vessel on
one side, it forced the other under the water. The religious repeated
the exorcisms against the tempest, upon which it subsided a little;
but when the exorcism was completed it came back with as much force as
at first, almost capsizing the vessel, and making it ship water. When
the exorcism was renewed, the tempest moderated itself anew; but when
the exorcism was completed, its fury returned as before. Thus they
perceived that this tempest was not merely a tempest of wind and of
waves, but was aided by the devil--who at the words of the exorcism
lost his strength, and as soon as that ceased received it again,
to hinder the ministers of the gospel. Four times they repeated the
exorcism, and four times the same thing happened, upon which the
father provincial, recognizing the author of this evil, said: "Since
I see that ministers are to be given to the villages of the heathen,
and that the devil, who unjustly keeps them under his tyranny, is
about to be banished from them, I promise to build a church under
the patronage of the guardian angels, that they may aid us against
this cursed enemy who is so clearly making war against us." As soon
as he had made this promise, it seemed that the guardian angels took
upon themselves the protection of the fragata; for the tornado began
to disappear, and they continued their voyage. On the following day
they rounded the cape, by rowing against a slight contrary wind which
had arisen; and when this wind had quieted down, the fragata came to
some billows where a number of opposing currents met. The waves were
so high that the little boat put its side under water. A religious
threw into the sea some relics of St. Raymond, repeating the glories
of the saint, and the sea was immediately calmed--just as when water
boils too violently in the kettle, and a little water is poured into
it; and by the kindness of the saint a fair wind was given to them,
with which they continued their voyage.
When they reached Nueva Segovia, a minister was provided for the
village of Nasiping, which had been accepted ten years before, but
for which it had been impossible previously to provide a minister
because the supply of them was so scanty. Even now there was so much
requiring the attention of the religious, and they were so few, that
half a miracle was necessary for the missionary to be given. Father
Fray Francisco de la Cruz, or Jurado, [40] was taken dangerously
ill. He was a religious of much virtue, of whom they had great
hopes. The father provincial, fearing to lose him, promised to give a
minister to Nasiping if the sick man recovered. Father Fray Francisco
recovered, and the provincial fulfilled his vow and named the church
after St. Michael. This village is on the banks of the great river
[i.e., of Cagayán], five or six leguas higher up than the city of
the Spaniards. In the year 1625, twenty-one years after it received
ministers, there had been baptized in it more than three thousand
four hundred persons, as is certified by the baptismal records; and,
in addition to this, many were baptized in sickness who, because
of their immediate death, were not entered on the records. To this
village there came an Indian from Tuguegarao, which is distant two
days' journey by water. He very earnestly desired the religious to
confess him, and to give him the other holy sacraments. The religious
confessed him and gave him the communion, more that he might assist
his devotion than because he supposed he was in danger. He had come
on foot and seemed strong, so that it seemed that he was very far
from being in such a state of necessity; but after he had received the
sacrament he died. This was something at which the religious wondered,
and which aroused in him great devotion and joy when with his eyes he
saw so plainly the power of divine predestination, carried out in ways
so hidden and mysterious. Father Fray Pedro Muriel, [41] who is still
living, has testified as an eye-witness that when he was minister in
that village, in the year 1631, the locusts were more in number than
the natives had ever seen before. In the fields of that village they
were in such numbers that they spread over a space three leguas in
length and a quarter of a legua in breadth, covering the earth and the
trees so that the ground could not be seen, so thickly did they cover
it; and they ravaged the fields as if they had been burnt. [The Indians
did what they could to frighten away the locusts, but in vain; and the
Lord heard the prayers of one of the Indians that He would drive away
the locusts during the night. At dawn, when he expected to find all of
his fields desolated, he found that just half of them had been eaten,
and that all the rest had been left. The Lord showed a similar grace to
a poor woman who prayed for His aid in protecting her field of maize.]
In this same year, 1604, the provincial sent three religious to the
estuary of Lobo and the country of Ytabes, [42] in the province of
Nueva Segovia. All those Indians are heathen; and though by nature they
are very tractable and easy to deal with, simple and free from malice,
and concerned with nothing but their agriculture, still the outrages
of those who took tribute from them were so great that they enraged
the natives and obliged them to take up arms, to the great loss of the
Spaniards. As they were few and the multitude of the Indians many,
the few, although they were very courageous, came to their death by
the hands of the many; or, rather, the unjust came to death by the
hands of divine justice, which in this way was pleased to chastise
and end their injustices. And as we very seldom reckon rightly,
the chastisement which God wrought by the hands of these Indians was
attributed by the Spaniards to the courage and valor of this tribe;
and thus they were very fearful of them until the holy gospel declared
by the Dominican religious changed them from bloodthirsty wolves to
gentle sheep--the Lord aiding by manifest miracles to give credit to
His faith and to His ministers, to the end that they might be able
to do that which without this or similar assistance from the Lord it
would have been impossible to achieve. One of the three religious who
entered these heathen villages to undertake their conversion said,
in giving an account of what happened: "Since the hand of the Lord
has been so plainly succoring these Indians by the hands of those
religious who dwelt among them, their reformation has been great and
marvelous. They have gone from one extreme to the other, almost without
any intermediate stage, since the religious took them under their
care. Before that they were so free, so completely without God or law,
without king or any person to respect, that they gave themselves up
freely to their desires and their passions. Evidence of this is found
in those wars which they were continually waging among themselves,
without plan or order; and in the drunkenness and the outrages of
which they were guilty, without regard to God or man. He who was most
esteemed among them was the greatest drunkard, because, as he was the
richest, he could obtain the most liquor. He who slew the greatest
number of men was regarded as superior to all the rest. They married
and unmarried daily, with one or many wives. In a word, they were a
barbarous race, given up to all sorts of shameless conduct. In spite
of all this, when the missionary came among them they were as docile
as if they had during all their lives been learning to obey, which
is something very difficult even in religious orders. This was true,
although the religious instantly laid a general interdict upon all
their ancient vices; obliged them to consort solely with their lawful
wives; even forced many to abandon their land and their old villages,
that they might come where teaching was given them; and, in a word,
compelled them to enter all at once, and in a body, into ordered ways
of living, in matters both divine and human. They had not a thought of
opposing a single command; and this has been achieved without stripes
or penalties, but simply by kindness and gentleness. The result has
been that those who did not understand anything except killing, and
drinking till they could not stand, and running without any restraint
after every sort of vice, now never think of doing these things--as I
have seen in these first three villages in this district of Ytabes. The
day we went among them we found all the men lying about the streets,
dead drunk; since that day there has not been one drunk enough to
lose his senses. The same reformation has been achieved in all other
matters, for they were not compelled to do all this by fear of the
Spaniards. Quite otherwise; the Spaniards regarded these Indians as
so indomitable and intrepid that, for fear of them, they did not dare
go up the river as far as their villages; but after the religious went
among them, they were gathered into large villages that they might be
more easily instructed in the faith, having been previously scattered
among many small ones, like so many farmsteads [in Spain]. There
were three villages thus formed: one of about five hundred tributes,
named Taban, the church of which was called San Raymundo; and the
other two of more than a thousand tributes each--one called Pia, its
church Santa Ynes de Monte Policiano, afterwards known as San Domingo;
and the last one, named Tuao, the church of which was dedicated to the
holy guardian angels because of the incident referred to above. Thus
all those people were brought together and united, to reduce them
to settlements, and to a civilized mode of life and government; and
to the church; but this result was obtained at no small cost to the
religious. Of three of them, two immediately fell very sick, and the
third still more so, for he died as a result of the illness. This was
father Fray Luis de Yllescas, a son of the convent of Sancto Domingo at
Mexico, a very humble religious, very obedient and beloved by all. He
received the holy sacraments for his departure with great devotion;
and went away to enjoy, as may be presumed, the reward of his labors,
which had been many in a short time. Yet neither this death nor the
failure of health in the rest caused them to withdraw their hands
from the work upon which they had begun. On the contrary, the great
good which they beheld, wrought by the Lord among these Indians,
served as medicines and remedies for the ills from which they suffered;
and for their convalescence, though they had no worldly luxuries,
that fruit was much better which, more and more every day, was borne by
this new plant of the church. From it they recovered health, strength,
and new courage to carry on the work which they had begun. To give
them still greater spirit, the Lord came to them working miracles. The
first mass which was celebrated in the village of Pia took place on
St. Bartholomew's day, the twenty-fourth of August. [Before the end
of the month, a sick person who wished to be baptised beheld some
fierce and abominable forms which dissuaded him from baptism, and
reminded him of the rights and customs of his ancestors, charging
him not to change the faith in which his fathers and grandfathers
had lived. These dreadful forms were driven away by three persons,
clad in black cloaks with white garments beneath. The sick man was
often asked if he knew these three persons who had delivered him, and
he said "no." When he was asked if they were religious of our order
he also said "no," because he had never seen any of the religious
wearing their cloaks. He always declared that he had been awake and
not asleep; and the narrative was accepted as certain. At one time,
a religious who was himself in poor health was left in charge of
thirteen newly-converted Christians, who were all confined to their
beds by sickness. Being unable to give them the care which he desired,
he placed upon the abdomen of each of them a little roasted rice-bran,
very hot, begging the Lord to make up by His pity for the lack of
medicine. When he came back the next day to visit them, all but two
were well, and had gone to work in the field; and the others soon
recovered. The same treatment given by another Indian or by the sick
man to himself had no effect; and thus it is plain that the healing was
due to the desire of the Lord to honor and to give authority to the
hand which applied the remedy. The Indians themselves observed that,
after they had religious, far fewer died than before they had them. In
their ancient days of superstition, when a man fell sick he generally
died, because he was treated only by the witchcraft of the aniteras,
whose sole purpose was to get gold from the sick persons by false
promises. The sorcerers did them no good and indeed rather harmed them,
since cures came from our worst enemy, the devil; while now the Lord
was giving them, by means of the religious, health that was health
indeed. One of the religious in this region, father Fray Juan Naya,
[43] fell ill, and grew worse so rapidly that he was given up as a
consumptive. By the advice of another religious, he made a vow to
our Lady to serve in that province among the heathen, if she should
be pleased to grant him sufficient health for him to carry on this
work. He made the vow for seven consecutive years from the day of the
Visitation, July 2, 1605. During all this time he had his health;
but at the end of the seven years he was attacked by a very severe
and dangerous illness, which left him when he renewed his vow for
four years more. Similar experiences have been frequent among the
religious. It has even happened to some who were not very devoted
to this work, and who desired to go to other provinces where the
Lord might be served with less severity and with somewhat greater
comfort, that they have been afflicted with diseases, which gave
place to miraculous health as soon as they made vows to remain and
minister to the Indians whom they wished to leave. In this region the
Lord manifested His goodness and gave authority to his ministers,
curing a sick woman who was at the point of death, by means of the
sacrament of holy baptism. In this same village it happened to father
Fray Juan Naya that a poisonous snake entered his shoe without any evil
effect. An Indian in this same village called upon God in his illness,
and, when it did not seem good to the divine Providence to heal him,
he called upon the devil whom he had previously served. The Lord
punished him with dreadful visions, from which he was delivered upon
praying to the Lord for His protection; and he was finally cured,
after making his confession. A child was miraculously healed in
the town of Pia at the time when father Fray Juan Sancta Ana was
vicar there. A woman who did not seem to be dangerously ill prayed
so earnestly to be baptized that the father granted her wish. She
died almost immediately after, the Lord having shown her a marvelous
kindness in causing the religious to baptize her immediately.]
CHAPTER LX
What our Lord wrought, by the intercession of our Lady of the Rosary,
who stands in a shrine between the two villages of Pia and Tuao.
[In the church of the village of Pia there was an image of our Lady
on one of the side altars. It had been made in Macan, and had been
first set up in the church of our order in the city of Nueva Segovia,
whence it was taken to the church of Pia. Here the image was greatly
beloved; and when father Fray Juan de Sancta Ana gave it away to
another village, after having received a second image of much greater
beauty, the people begged so earnestly to have it returned that the
vicar was obliged to have another painted on canvas and sent to the
village of Tuguegarao (to which he had given the one for which the
Indians begged), and to have the first image brought back. While the
father was considering where it would best be put, the idea occurred
to him that it would be well to establish a shrine on the road between
Pia and Tuao, at a distance of about a league and a half from each of
the towns. This shrine was set up on St. Stephen's day in 1623. On
the day on which the shrine was consecrated more than ten thousand
persons were gathered together from the neighboring villages. One of
the women of the highest rank in the village of Pia undertook the
care of the shrine, placing a lamp to burn constantly before the
holy image. This Indian was named Doña Ynes Maguilabun. The Virgin
was not slow to reward her for this devotion, for once when Doña Ynes
took with her to the shrine her little nephew, a child of five years,
who was suffering from a large swelling under his left arm--a disease
among the Indians which runs into an abscess, and, being so near the
heart, is very dangerous indeed, because of the lack of medicines and
of medical science among these Indians--the little one was left in
the shrine, and fell asleep on the steps of the altar. While there
he had a vision of the Virgin, and, when he awoke, the swelling was
entirely healed. Other miracles were wrought by the same image. One
particularly worthy of mention happened in the year 1624. There being
a severe drouth, the father who was at that time in the village of
Tuao, Fray Andres de Haro, [44] and father Fray Juan de Sancta Ana,
decided to make some processions and offer prayers to the Lord for His
mercy. They accordingly arranged to make processions on a certain day
from each of the villages to the shrine. The Indians of Pia confessed
their sins, that the burden of them might be removed from the land;
and on that same Sunday it rained so copiously in the region of this
village of Pia that it seemed as if the village would be drowned and
as if the floodgates of heaven were open. On the day appointed for
the processions, the father of the village of Pia told the Indians
that it was not necessary to make the procession, but that he would
say a solemn mass of thanks to our Lady, which could be done in the
church. They, however, insisted; and when they reached the shrine
they found there all the people of the village of Tuao, where not
a drop of rain had fallen, because the inhabitants of Tuao had not
thought of confessing. They immediately began to prepare themselves for
confession, and all that day the inhabitants of Tuao and Pia confessed
their sins, revealing some which, from lack of faith, or pusillanimity,
or shame, they had concealed. When they reached home in the evening it
began to rain in both villages and in all the fields around them; and
it rained so hard that it was impossible to bring back the ornaments
which had been taken to the shrine for the saying of mass. On several
other occasions our Lady showed mercy by granting rain in answer to
the prayers of those who besought it before this holy image.]
CHAPTER LXI
The venerable father Fray Miguel de Venavides, one of the first
founders of this province and archbishop of Manila.
Among the great kindnesses and benefits which our province, and indeed
all these islands, have received from the Lord, one of the greatest
was His having given them father Fray Miguel de Venavides as one of
the first who came to establish this province of the Holy Rosary,
and as second archbishop of this city. At a time when its inhabitants
suffered great tribulations, and found themselves suddenly besieged by
a number of enemies much larger than their own--enemies from within
their houses and their homes--they found in him a true father for
their consolation, and a prelate acceptable to God, who could placate
His ire by interceding for his people. He was born in Carrion de Los
Condes, of noble parents, well known in that region because of their
descent and their virtue. When he was not more than fifteen years old
he assumed the habit of this religious order, and learned by experience
how true is the saying of the Holy Spirit that it is well for a man to
carry the easy yoke of the service of God from his youth. He received
the habit and professed in the distinguished convent of San Pablo at
Valladolid. He immediately began to display the subtilty of his mind,
which was very great; at the very beginning of his studies he seemed
like an eagle soaring above his fellow-pupils, distinguishing himself
by special marks or acuteness, so that most of the students and the
learned were astonished. He was, accordingly, soon made a member of the
college of San Gregorio in that city, a crucible in which is refined
the metal of the finest intellects which the order has in the provinces
of España and Andalucia. Here he had as master him who of right was
the master of the theology of España--the most learned father Fray
Domingo Bañez. The two were so completely suited to each other in
virtue and ability that father Fray Miguel could not fail to be the
beloved disciple of such a master. So much did the great teacher love
him that, when he saw him advance so far in both virtue and ability,
he was accustomed to say Hic est discipulus ille [i.e., "This is that
disciple"], giving him by antonomasia the name of his disciple, out of
the many, whom he regarded with so great praise. He taught the arts in
his convent, and theology in many houses of the province; and finally
returned to be lecturer in theology in his convent of San Pablo. It
was while he was engaged in this duty and exercise that he was taken
captive by the voice of father Fray Juan Chrisostomo, who was seeking
for religious for the foundation of the province of the Holy Rosary
in the Philippinas. The province was to be founded for the conversion
of the many heathen who were in those islands, and for the purpose of
entering upon the preaching of the gospel in the most populous kingdom
of China, if the Lord should open the door to it, as well as in that
of Japon and the other kingdoms neighboring to the said islands. Being
seized by a fervent desire and a holy zeal for the redemption of the
souls of the many heathen in these islands, he gave up his position
as lecturer, and the honors and degrees which were waiting for him;
and esteeming it a higher task to labor for Christ and for his fellow
men he made up his mind to go with those who were preparing for this
holy journey. The Lord thus ordained because of the serious problems
which were to be met, in which his character, ability, knowledge,
and talents would be very necessary to overcome the many obstacles
which confronted this holy foundation as soon as its founders reached
Nueva España, and also in the royal court and in the Roman court;
for in all these places there were many impediments. Against all
of them father Fray Miguel was the defender of truth; and by his
speeches and writings he came off always victor. Afterward, when
the difficulty which was met with in Mexico was overcome, he came,
with the rest of the fathers who founded the province, to the city
of Manila on the day of the apostle St. James; and on the day of our
father St. Dominic, which came immediately afterward, he presided in
the great church over some theological discussions. This he did to the
admiration of his listeners, who were not accustomed to have anything
so remarkable in these regions. The good bishop of these islands, Don
Fray Domingo de Salacar, was bathed with tears of joy when he heard,
to the great refreshing of his spirit, such superior preachers of the
gospel in his bishopric--men who were not only fit to be teachers
of these heathen races, but to teach others who might be the same,
and this more excellently than he had ever expected to see in those
regions. Among the many various heathen nations who come to this
country that which excels in intelligence, civilization, and courtesy
is that of the Chinese; and, much as they excel in these qualities,
they likewise excel in their multitude and number. For there are very
many who come every year to attend to their large and rich business,
and to serve the city in all the trades which can be expected in the
best regulated of cities; for they learn everything with the greatest
ability, and succeed in everything that they undertake.
Some of the Chinese, though very few, were Christians; and it was
believed that many would be converted if there were someone to preach
in their language. But this is so difficult that, although many
desirous to undertake that conversion had endeavored to learn it, no
one as yet had succeeded; and thus no religious order had taken up this
ministry, being afraid of the difficulty of the language. When father
Fray Miguel arrived, he instantly undertook this enterprise--for the
Lord had created him for great things; and this ministry was given to
our order, the bishop asking each and everyone of the religious orders
who were there before to undertake it, and not one of them accepting it
because of the reason given. Father Fray Miguel immediately began with
all his energy to study this language, and succeeded with it. What
is more, he learned many of the letters of it, which are much more
difficult. Father Fray Juan Cobo joining him immediately, they began
to teach the Chinese, amazing those people that anyone should have
been able to succeed with their language and to preach to them in
it. Much greater was their amazement, however, at the extraordinary
virtue and charity which they beheld in these two religious. They did
not content themselves with the labor of teaching them--which was
not small, for soon many were converted and began to be baptized;
but they proposed to build a hospital where the sick poor could be
cared for. The number of these was great, because their sufferings
were great in this foreign land, where they were neglected by all,
and suffered the extremity of need, which is sickness and death. The
fathers began their hospitals; and, poor religious as they were,
they had no better house than that which they were able to make,
almost without money, out of beams and old planks--the habits and
cloaks of the religious often serving as beds, because they had no
other bedclothes. The religious sometimes brought in the sick whom
they found lying on the streets, without power to move themselves
and with no one to pity them. In this way the fame of the virtue
of father Fray Miguel and his companions was very widely spread,
and there were many of the Chinese heathen who were converted and
baptized. The fragrance of this great charity spread so far that it
reached Great China and proclaimed in trumpet tones what was done
for their sick in the Philippinas. There was one man who came from
China to look upon so rare a thing as caring for the sick--poor, and
cast out by their own nation and kinsmen; but admitted, sought for,
and cared for by persons who were not known to them, and who were not
only of another nation, but of a different law and faith, and who
labored without any expectation of temporal profit, but merely for
the salvation of souls. Hence the Lord was favorable to them, and
this work was constantly growing better in all things. It is today
one of the most glorious things in Christendom, not because of its
income and its building (though in these respects it is very good),
but because of the many who at the hour of death are baptized in it
with many indications of going hence to glory, as being newly cleansed
of their faults and their sins by baptism.
The rich harvest which was reaped in the conversion of these Chinese,
as well by preaching to those in health as by the care and instruction
of the sick, was so sweet to father Fray Miguel that it caused in
him glowing desires to go to Great China. It seemed to him, and with
reason, that there, without abandoning their own country and the
company of their fathers, sons, wives, and kinsmen, which here are
great impediments to their conversion, the Christians converted would
be many more, and far better ones. Hence he was always making plans to
go to that great realm, where the devil is so strongly fortified that
he does not even permit the entrance of those who might, by preaching
the gospel, cast him from the throne which he unjustly holds among
that people. He was finally successful in making his entry into that
kingdom, and went there with father Fray Juan de Castro, who was
the first provincial of this province. They suffered the hardships
which have been described in chapter twenty-six, together with the
marvelous miracles which the divine pity wrought in their favor for
the preachers of the gospel. When they returned to Manila from China,
where they had suffered so much, the orders of their superior directed
them to undertake another longer and more painful voyage, which was
to España. They were to accompany and assist the bishop, Don Fray
Domingo de Salaçar, who was going to discuss very important business
with his Majesty; and were also to endeavor to bring back religious
from España, to aid in the great labor which rested upon the religious
of this province in the conversion of the heathen of these lands,
He did not take for this journey money or anything else, or even more
clothes than those which he wore, so that he did not have a change of
clothes in the whole voyage, which lasts for six months. A ship is so
much an enemy to cleanliness that, when he reached Mexico, his habit
was in such a condition that the father prior of the convent in that
city was obliged to give him clothes wholly out of charity. During
the voyage he fell into the sea and was miraculously brought back to
the ship by the Lord at the prayer of the good bishop--who afflicted
by the accident, prayed the Lord briefly but devotedly for the remedy
of it; and he gained what he desired, for the Lord is very quick to
listen to the prayers of His servants. The time between the end of
this voyage and that which follows afterward over the Mar del Norte
[i.e., Atlantic Ocean] was spent by father Fray Miguel in the convent
which offered him hospitality, but without the dispensations which
the reception of hospitality usually brings with it. He was the
first in the choir and the refectory, and in all the other labor
of the convent. In particular he helped in the infirmary, in caring
for the sick and serving them, whenever he had an opportunity. This
was a charge which he took upon himself when, at the coming of the
first founders to the Philippinas, they were guests in this same
convent. As at that time he had done well in this service, daily
exercising many acts of humility and charity, virtues which are
supremely pleasing to God, he would not cease this same conduct on
this second occasion; on the contrary, as one that had grown in virtue,
he did it better than before. What he did here for the sick religious
was not a heavy task [for him], for he had become accustomed to do
much more in his hospital at Manila for the Chinese heathen, who are
by nature filthy and disgusting. Father Fray Miguel reached España,
and was present before the royal Council of the Indias, endeavoring
to obtain religious for this province as its procurator-general. One
of the counselors, incorrectly informed by persons who resented the
sermons of our religious, said: "If the matter were in my hands,
the Dominican religious would not be in the Philippinas." The rest
desired him to restrain himself, and he went on with what he had to
say. Father Fray Miguel answered, showing his cloak, which was very
old and patched and full of holes: "So far as concerns ourselves,
we have no need to go to the Indias; what we endeavor to do by going
there, this cloak tells well enough." So well did the cloak of rough,
mended serge speak that all were highly edified, and he who had offered
opposition was abashed and corrected. In the convent of San Estevan
he gave to be washed his inner tunic, which served him in place of a
shirt. This was of serge so rough and hard that one of the religious
of the convent of novices, who put it on over his habit, was unable to
bend any more than if it was a bell; and they all gathered around to
look at it as if it were a bell that was sounded. That which began
as jest and ridicule so powerfully supplied the place of father
Fray Miguel in winning religious, that many determined to go to the
province where the religious treated themselves so rigorously and
observed such poverty.
Father Fray Miguel found an evil doctrine spread abroad in the
court, which a member of a religious order [45] had taken pains
to introduce. He had come from the Philippinas with documentary
authorizations from the bishop and the two cabildos [i.e.,
ecclesiastical and civil], before the province of the Holy Rosary
was established there, and before there were any Dominican friars
in the islands. After having carried on some negotiations at Roma he
had returned to the court, and endeavored to bring it about that the
preaching of the holy gospel in heathen countries should be begun by
soldiers, who by force of weapons and musketry should make the country
quiet and subject the Indians, in order that the preachers might do
their office immediately without resistance. This doctrine is very
well suited to human prudence but is contrary to divine Providence,
to that which the Lord has ordained in His gospel, and even to the
very nature of the faith, which demands a pious affection in those who
hear it. This is not to be acquired as the result of the violences,
murders, and conquests wrought by soldiers. On the contrary, as
far as in them lies, they make the faith to be hated and abhorred;
and hence the Lord commanded that the preachers should be as sheep
among wolves, conquering them with patience and humility, which are
the proper arms to overcome hearts. Hence not only the apostles,
but all the other apostolic preachers who had followed them, have by
these means converted all the nations of the earth. This father saw
all this very well; but it seemed to him, as indeed he said, that
these were old-fashioned arguments and that the world was now very
much changed; and that no conversion of importance could or would be
made unless soldiers went before to bring into subjection those who
were to listen to the gospel, before the preachers preached it. He
painted out this monster with such fair colors of rhetoric and with
arguments so well suited to our weakness, our little spirit, and our
less readiness to suffer for Christ and His gospel, that these lords
of the Council were firmly established in this his doctrine--a new
doctrine, as its author himself affirmed, and, as such, contrary to
the gospel and to the works of the saints who acted in conformity
therewith. To overcome this error, much was done by the bishop of
the Philippinas and by father Fray Miguel. The latter, being younger,
was able to exert himself more; and being so great a theologian and
so subtile of mind, he was able to adduce such superior arguments,
and so clearly to reveal the poison which was hidden in the arguments
of this religious, that the king our lord and his Council were firmly
persuaded of the truth. They came to regard it as a great inconsistency
to say that our Lord Jesus Christ had acted with so short a view as
a legislator that, when He made a law which was to last to the end of
the world, He had announced a method which was to be followed only at
the beginning by the preachers of it who were present before Him, and
not under the same conditions by those who should follow after--just
as if His providence were unable to apprehend that which was distant
and future. It will further be seen, if we consider it well, that
the gospel received much more opposition at the beginning than it
does at the present time; and if it was not necessary at that time
to subject kingdoms by war, in order to preach the gospel to them,
much less will it be so now. Hence grave scandal would arise in the
church if, when the Lord commands that gentle sheep shall be the ones
to introduce His gospel, the introduction of it should be entrusted
now to bloodthirsty wolves. Afterward, by the activity and diligence of
father Fray Miguel these black clouds which promised thunderstorms of
arquebuses and soldiery were dissipated; and there were left for the
promulgation of the gospel the gentle clouds of the preachers, which
with the soft rain of teaching, example, and patience have carried the
gospel to the most savage and hardened heathen. On this occasion father
Fray Miguel displayed such force, and such were his arguments, that the
Catholic king directed a most important council to be held, at which
were present the president of Castilla, the father-confessors of the
princes, the auditors of the Audiencia, the lords of the Indias, and
many distinguished theologians. In this conference it was determined
that there should be soldiers in the Spanish towns for the defense of
the country, but that these soldiers should not go as escorts to the
preachers, and that they should not go in advance of them subjugating
or killing Indians; for this would be changing into a gospel of
war that gospel which Christ our Lord delivered to us--a gospel of
peace, love, and grace. So great was the reputation for learning
and sanctity which father Fray Miguel gained in these matters that,
in the arduous and difficult undertakings which afterward came up,
his Majesty directed that he should be consulted and his judgment
should be followed, as that of a learned man despising all things
which were not of God, and zealous for the good of souls. There was
issued at this time a brief of his Holiness to the effect that the
bishops of the Indias should have authority to make visitations to
the religious who ministered to the Indians, in all matters connected
with this ministry, as if they were parish priests. Father Fray Miguel,
understanding the bad results which would follow such a plan, presented
a very learned memorial, signed by all the procurators of the Indias,
to the prince-cardinal Alberto, who gave audience and decided causes
for his Majesty. Nothing more was necessary to cause the brief to be
recalled, and not to be put into execution. Father Fray Miguel was
directed to give the Council of the Indias his advice with regard to
the repartimientos of Indians for mines, estates, and the like. He
gave it, and it was so sound that they esteemed it highly, the more
on account of the character of him who offered it. Hence, when the
time came to appoint bishops for these islands he was appointed
the first bishop of Nueva Segovia, although such an idea had never
crossed his mind, and it was necessary to force him to accept the
bishopric. The Council even went so far as to ask him to indicate to
them those who seemed to him suitable for the other bishoprics; and
those whom he thus indicated were appointed. He sent out religious
to the province three times. The first company he sent with father
Fray Alonso Delgado, the second with father Fray Pedro Ledesma, and
the third, whom he accompanied himself, went under the direction
of father Fray Francisco de Morales as vicar, who was afterwards
the first minister of our religions order in Japon, and a holy
martyr. That he might better prepare the religious for the journey,
he went twice from Madrid to Sevilla when he was already a bishop
traveling on foot with his staff and his hat like a poor friar; so
the people who came to find him and did not know him asked him if he
had seen the bishop of Nueva Segovia. He, to avoid vanity, answered
them that the bishop was on his way to Sevilla, concealing the fact
that it was himself. For the advantage of the inhabitants of Manila,
he brought it about that commerce with Nueva España was opened to
them and that the money which came from their trading was sent back
to Manila up to the amount of five hundred thousand pesos in money
or silver bullion. Up to that time, they had license only to receive
the principal back again; while the profits were retained in Mexico,
or were brought back without a license, at great expense. For the
Indians he obtained, by a memorial which he offered, that the natural
dominion and chieftaincy which they had over their villages should
be left to them, with all their lands, mountains and rivers, and the
other rights which they had from of old; since the fact that they had
become subjects of his Majesty ought not to cause them to lose the
natural right which they had inherited from their ancestors. Further,
since the conquest of these Philipinas Islands had not been carried
out conformably to the holy instructions which the conquerors carried
with them, and which they were bound to observe, but had been carried
out in exactly the opposite manner and with the most serious acts
of injustice, he gave information with regard to these things to
his Majesty and to his royal Council of the Indias. It was decreed
that the consent and voluntary obedience and allegiance of all the
Indians should be asked for anew. The new bishop, Don Fray Miguel,
very earnestly undertook to attempt to carry this decree to execution,
and accordingly it was made. When the bishop was desirous of embarking,
there were so many rumors of enemies, and the damage inflicted at Cadiz
was so great, that it was impossible to have any fleet that year; and
there was no other vessel for him to travel in except a small patache
with a single deck. The cabin in the poop which he occupied was so
low that it could not be entered exception on one's knees, while for
the twenty religious whom he was taking there was no accommodation
at all. He tried, by putting up an awning, to protect them from the
sun and the water; but the only one on the ship was full of patches,
and very small. The Lord made matters better for them by causing
the voyage which they were obliged to take to be very calm, for the
patache was not built to encounter storms. It did not rain more than
twice, so that they were at least able to lie on the deck at night,
though by day they were compelled to suffer the heat of the sun,
which was extreme and very oppressive in their little patache. For
this the religious gave thanks to the Lord; but the bishop was so
accustomed to hardships that this fair weather grieved him; and he
said that the Lord had forgotten them because He did not send them
hardships, which are the best things which in this life He gives to His
friends. "For my sins," he said, "the Lord deprives us of hardships,
and of the merit which they bring with them when they are borne with
patience for the love of the Lord who sent them. Not so did we sail
on our first journey when so devoted servants of God were going;
but we traveled in great and continual afflictions--tempests, fire,
and fears of enemies. That we should now lack all this, and travel
with such fair weather when we are not such as they, is not for our
good. In me is the fault; it is well that I should feel it and weep
over it." When he went ashore, he traveled on foot all the way to
Mexico, and from there to the port of Acapulco, a distance of more
than a hundred and fifty leguas. Thus he afforded the example of a
poor religious, even when his state as a bishop would have excused
him from such poverty and hardship. However, he did not seek for
excuses, but for opportunities for poverty and religious devotion,
though at the expense of so great an exertion, and in his advanced
age. He reached Manila at a time when there happened to be a procession
from our convent to the cathedral, because of an occasional need. He
disembarked there, at a gate which was near our convent on the shore,
and the procession began by receiving him. This caused much joy, on
account of the high esteem and regard in which he was held by both
religious and laymen. He accompanied the procession to the cathedral,
and when the time came he went into the pulpit, taking the sermon
from him to whom it had been committed. He preached most eloquently;
and, though he came down bathed in perspiration, he did not change
the heavy tunic of sackcloth which he wore. On the contrary, he went
direct to the sacristy and robed himself to say mass, though he said
it very slowly, and with so much feeling that it was a great effort
for him. These were acts, and this was an entry, which promised an
extremely good bishop and superior. The promise was not falsified, but
fell short of the truth, so much did he surpass it. He went straight
to his poor bishopric to care for his flock. In the principal part
of his diocese, the province of Nueva Segovia, they were nearly all
heathen. There were only about two hundred baptized adults, those who
were not so being innumerable; for it was only a very short time since
our religious had begun to preach the gospel to them. When the new
bishop was once among his sheep, he began to watch over their welfare,
and to defend them from the alcaldes-mayor and the encomenderos, who
abused them like wolves. The bishop's conduct forced him to hear rough
words and violent insults from those who had fattened themselves with
the blood of the Indians. They feared lest they should grow lean if the
shepherd, coming out to the defense of the flock, were to force them
to be satisfied with moderate returns, without flaying the sheep. The
bishop was not intimidated, and did not desist from this just and due
defense; nor did he cease to strive for the good of his Indians against
the outrages which he beheld. On the contrary, he strove to give his
remonstrances their due effect and if he was unable to succeed there
in securing the rights of the Indians, he was accustomed to write to
the governor and the Audiencia, without taking his hand from the work
until he had brought it to the perfection which he desired. Though he
aided the Indians, he did not neglect the Spaniards, who lived in the
principal towns of his bishopric less edifying and exemplary lives than
those whose Christianity is ancient ought to lead in towns of the newly
converted. They are under obligation to be shining lights, to give
light to those who are either blind because of their heathen belief,
or who know little of God because they have been newly baptized. He
stirred them up to live as they ought, and aided them in their
necessities like a loving father; if he could not make them such as
he wished, he improved them as much as possible. At the death of the
archbishop of Manila, he was obliged to go to that city, and saw in
it so many things contrary to the divine Majesty and to the human one
that he found himself under the necessity of writing to his Majesty
a letter very full of feeling, which begins: "I have twice visited
this city of Manila since I came to these islands as bishop. The
first time was last year, ninety-nine, because I received reliable
information that the governor and the auditors were in such bitter
opposition that there was fear of a serious rupture. Now, learning
that there was no archbishop in the city, it seemed desirable" (and
was so without doubt) "that I should be present and prepared for any
contingency." He gives an account of what had happened, and says: "I am
obliged to speak as my position and the condition of affairs require,
very clearly, without caring who may be affected by my words; for God,
your Majesty, and the common weal are of more importance than any
smaller things." The truth of what he stated, and the clearness with
which he spoke, are plain in the rest of the letter, which to avoid
prolixity is not inserted here. He strove to settle the state of the
church in these islands; and when he saw some bad customs introduced
without any foundation, and contrary to reason and theology, he was
greatly grieved. What he was not himself able to remedy, he wrote
of to the supreme pontiff. Since the competency of the bishop was
so well known in España, he was appointed archbishop as soon as the
vacancy was known, although he had no procurator there; for, being a
poor and peaceful bishop, he did not expect to carry on any suits,
and hence did not care for a procurator or agent at court. Since
his poverty was known, his Majesty caused the bulls to be drawn, and
directed the royal officials of Manila to collect from the bishop the
expense of drawing them when it should be convenient for him to pay
it. The bishop hesitated long, and asked the advice of many, before he
accepted this promotion, having seen and experienced the difficulties,
the opposition, and the dissensions which accompanied this dignity,
at such a distance from the eyes of his Majesty and of the supreme
pontiff, to whom in difficult cases (of which there were many) he
might have had recourse. Yet finally, since all thought that it was
desirable for him to accept the office, he was compelled to take it
for the public good, although he saw that for his private advantage
it would be very injurious. Becoming an archbishop did not change that
poor and humble manner of living which he had followed as bishop and as
religious. He continued to wear the same habit of serge and tunics of
wool. His food was always fish, unless he had a guest, which happened
seldom; or unless he was afflicted by some infirmity. Whenever he
had a journey to take on land--for traveling in these islands is
usually carried on by water--he was accustomed to go on foot; and,
that he might travel with more abstraction from the world, he used
to walk uttering prayers. He sent the others forward in hammocks
or on horseback and he followed after alone, commending to the Lord
himself and the undertakings in which he was engaged, in order that
they might turn out more satisfactorily. If, when he was indisposed,
he was forced by pleadings to go into a hammock--something which is
much used in this country, and which is carried by Indians--he used
to get out again as soon as he left the town, and sometimes earlier,
if he heard any of the carriers groan; for this groan so penetrated
his soul that it was not possible for him to travel any farther in
this manner. His bed was the same which he had when a poor friar,
a mat of rushes or palm-branches on a plank. The small income of his
archbishopric he spent in alms; and he used to delight in giving them
with his own hands, kissing the alms with great devotion as if he
were giving them to Christ, who has said that He receives them when
they are given in His name to the poor. That the principal door of his
house might not cause embarrassments to persons who had known better
days and who were under the necessity of asking alms, he had another
door for these persons which was always open, so that they might come
at any time to tell him their troubles, and that he might relieve
them as well as possible. In this way he spent all his income, and
therefore had very little expense or ostentation in his household. He
never had a mule or a chair to go about with, avoiding all this that
he might have means to give to the poor. He was most devoted to the
ministry and instruction of the Indians and the Chinese; and, whenever
he had an opportunity for doing so, he used to aid in it with great
pleasure. He envied much those who were occupied in so meritorious an
exercise, as he wrote in the last year of his life to those whom he
had left behind in Nueva Segovia, in a letter which reads as follows:
"To my fathers and brethren, the religious of the Order of St. Dominic
in Nueva Segovia. A poor brother of your Reverences, very weak in
health and very full of troubles and of his own wretchedness, has
written this to your Reverences, his truest brethren, who are walking
about in those places of rest and new fields of the true paradise,
feeding the flocks of the Great Shepherd and rejoicing your souls
with the sports and the gambols which the new-born lambs are making
upon the hill-sides at the dawn of the true sun. May your Reverences
refresh yourselves and feed upon that celestial milk which creates
manna covered with honey upon those mountains. May you rejoice in the
fair season that now is; for I once tasted the same pleasures--though
the fair weather lasted but for a short time for me, because of my
sins and my pride; and now I see myself wretched as no one else is
wretched. Happy the father provincial, who, having seen as from the
parapet of a bull-ring something of the wounds and the bulls here,
has returned so soon to the delights of that region, and is among
his sheep. I refer you to him; let him speak the love which I have
for every one of your Reverences and the esteem which I feel for you
all. Pay me with the money of love and pity. Valete in Domino, viscera
mea, felices valete in aeternum. [46] To all the Indians, a thousand
greetings; and I beg their prayers for this poor soul." His life was
continually burdened with scruples which sometimes are more cruel
enemies than those who are openly declared as such. They were not born
in him from ignorance, but from his great depreciation of himself and
from his looking upon the greatness of God, both of which caused him to
be always timid. This, as he said, was the counterweight with which the
Lord burdened him that he might not be puffed up by the great blessings
which the Lord had granted him. He preached continually, that he might
the better advise and direct his sheep. He grieved for the poor much;
and over sinners he was a Jeremiah, weeping for what they failed to
lament, that he might make them weep. He was deeply versed in sacred
scripture, and with it he filled his writings, and even the ordinary
letters which he wrote. In the opinions which he gave, everything was
founded upon and approved by the divine authority, which was his rule
and his arms, both offensive and defensive. He was accustomed to read
with great care the sacred councils and canons of the church. In them
he found stated with the greatest precision everything of which he had
need for the government of his church, as well as for the satisfactory
decision of the questions with regard to which they asked his opinion,
and of the disputes which arose among learned persons. When there
were different opinions among such persons, he was accustomed to say,
"Veritas liberabit nos [i.e., "the truth shall make us free"], and
this will make clear to us that for which we seek; let us follow
it and strive for it." This confidence was always justified; for on
many occasions when it seemed that the whole world was in a tumult,
and that justice was certain to be clouded over and obscured, he was
then accustomed to say, with the greatest confidence, "The truth shall
make us free," and finally it turned out so. Because of the love which
he had for truth, he could not endure to hear new opinions; and if
they were opposed to the doctrine of the ancient saints, he attacked
them like a lion set on fire, though he was in all other things as
gentle as a lamb. For the same cause, he was most devoted to the
teaching of St. Thomas--who, like a mystic bee, made the honeycomb
of his works from the flowers of holy scripture, sacred councils,
sacred canons, and the works of the saints whom the Lord gave to His
church as teachers and guides for its direction. In order that in the
Philippinas so sound and safe a doctrine should be read, he strove
greatly that in the province, although the numbers were so few, there
should always be some one to read St. Thomas. As soon as he entered
upon his archbishopric, he asked for a religious of our order to read
in the cathedral to those who had been ordained; and carefully took
pains to encourage and favor those who went to listen, so that the
rest should imitate them. This desire he retained up to his death;
and hence in his last sickness he gave the little which he had, asking
the order to build a college for this purpose. With this beginning,
which was of the value of a thousand pesos, was established the college
which we now have in Manila under the advocacy of St. Thomas, in order
that from their first letters the students may feel an affection to
this holy doctrine, and may follow him afterward when they are further
advanced. The devotion which Don Fray Miguel felt for our Lady was
so great that in everything which he did or said he commended it
to her, saying an Ave Maria before he began. So scrupulous was he
that he was unable to say the Ave Maria unless he understood all
the circumstances; and even if it occupied a considerable time for
him to repeat it, still, in spite of this, he always said it. One
day the dean of his church, Don Francisco de Arellano--a man whom,
on account of his virtue, the bishop loved and esteemed--asked what
was the beginning of this devotion, and whence it was derived. He
answered that our Lady herself, to whom at first he had said the Ave
Maria, was the beginning, and that she it was who had taught him this
devotion. The dean remained in wonder, and did not dare to ask him
more on this point; nor did the good archbishop ever make any further
declaration. Hence the mode in which this happened was never known; but
the great attention which he gave to it was seen. Whenever there was
anything to be done the Ave Maria always preceded. It was said before
he answered or put a question, or took any medicine, or gave alms,
or did anything else. Thus always all his acts were actually referred
to God our Lord, and to His most holy Mother. This was a custom of the
highest virtue; but when the business was of unusual weight, he was
not contented with an Ave Maria, but recited a rosary. Thus he did in
China, when the judges caused him to write a petition in their presence
in Chinese characters--something which far exceeded his powers, but
not those of the Virgin. Accordingly he wrote a miraculous petition,
to the satisfaction of the judges. They believed that which they saw
to be impossible, as it really was; for though father Fray Miguel knew
some of the commoner Chinese letters, he did not understand those
which were necessary for what was then required of him, since they
were extremely peculiar and were in the judicial style, with which
he was not acquainted. Hence this was doubtless a miraculous event,
worthy of the compassion with which this great Lady comes to the aid of
her afflicted devotees. The sufferings of the archbishop from storms
at sea, as well as from the opposition of clergymen and laymen with
disrespectful words and acts, were very great, but were the cause
of great happiness. As was affirmed by his confessor--a religious
of great virtue, a man who had known him for many years and who was
familiar with the secrets of his soul--when the sufferings were at
their greatest, and in his sorrow and affliction he went to God, our
Lord himself visibly consoled him and gave him strength, not once,
but often. To this was attributed his habit of looking sometimes with
his eyes fixed on heaven, with flames of fire, as it were, shining
upon his face. On such occasions he was heard to utter some words
which, without his striving or having power to say more, he spoke in
affectionate converse with God. This caused great devotion in those
who heard; and as it was so, it is no wonder that he so much desired
other sufferings in addition to the weighty cross of his scruples,
because their absence was much more painful to him than the necessity
of enduring them. Hence he showed much more sadness and melancholy
when he was exposed to no hardships than when they were heaped upon
him; for in the latter case he was sure of the consolation of heaven,
which was lacking when he had no sufferings.
The end of his days finally approached; and as he lay on his bed
it was plain to him that this was his last sickness, and he began
to prepare for this important journey. At his departure he was much
afflicted to leave without a minister the Indians of Marivelez, which
is situated at no great distance from Manila. Since these Indians
were few and by themselves, he had found no one who was willing to
accept the charge of them. Taking advantage of the present occasion,
he sent for father Fray Miguel de San Jacintho, who at that time was
provincial of the province, and most energetically begged him to urge
on his religious to give instruction to these poor Indians. When the
provincial promised that he would do all he could for this purpose,
the bishop remained in great content, as if there were nothing now to
cause him sorrow. He divided his poor treasures, sending part of them
immediately to his church, and giving part to our Lady of the Rosary,
and part to the poor. In his illness he did not complain or ask for
anything; and when he was asked if he wished or longed for anything,
he answered, "I desire to be saved." His face was very full of joy,
and the words which he uttered came forth kindled so by the love of
God that they showed plainly what a fire of love was in the breast
where they were forged. He asked them to dress him in his habit;
and on the coming of the festival of the glorious St. Anne in the
year 1605 he asked them to get ready his pontifical robes, as if he
were preparing to go out on that festal day. This was as much as to
say that his departure was at hand. He was surrounded by his friars,
and though they saw him joyful they themselves were very sad to
perceive that they were to be deprived of such a superior and such
a religious. He consoled them with loving words, and, perceiving
that his departure was at hand he called fervently upon his special
patroness, the Virgin, his guardian angel, our father St. Dominic,
and the other saints of his devotion, with whom he spoke as if he were
already with them in heaven. His countenance appeared to be celestial
rather than to belong to earth; and amid loving converse with God,
with His most holy Mother, and with the saints, his soul departed
to his Lord, leaving his body, as many said, fragrant with the odor
of roses. By the voice of all, he was given the palm of a virgin,
as if all had heard him in confession and felt the certainty which
his confessor had and manifested in this respect, although this
declaration was made after that in which the palm had been given to
him as to a virgin. When the fathers of St. Francis came, father Fray
Vicente Valero, who lived and died with the reputation of sainthood,
went up to the dead man, saying, "This body is holy and should
be regarded as such," and kissed the feet. After this all of his
religious did the same thing, and they were followed by the others,
for in this way the Lord honors those who faithfully serve Him. His
interment was performed with all possible solemnity in the cathedral,
on the epistle side near the high altar. The archbishop left behind
him some writings of much erudition, and full of Christian teaching,
which are very helpful to the ministers of the holy gospel.
CHAPTER LXII
Of some religious who died at this time
[At this time there were taken away by death a number of the most
superior religious, the lack of whom was greatly felt. In the year
of our Lord 1604 one of the definitors in the provincial chapter was
father Fray Pedro de San Vicente. He was elected as a definitor in
the general chapter, and also as procurator of the province at the
courts of España and Roma. There was no one at either court at that
time, and a procurator was necessary, especially for the purpose of
bringing over religious from España, without whom this province could
not be maintained. He set out to undertake the duties entrusted to him,
in the ships which sailed that year for Nueva España, and died on the
way, the same ships in the following year bringing back the news of
his death. Father Fray Pedro was a native of Zalamea. He assumed the
habit in the convent of San Esteban at Salamanca, whence he came to
this province in the year 1594. Here he was engaged in the ministry
of Bataan, and afterward in the ministry to the Chinese of Binondoc,
being much beloved and esteemed in both these offices. He always
thought well of all, and never spoke ill of anyone. He was twice
superior of Binondoc, to the great spiritual and temporal augmentation
of that mission. He set sail on the voyage without taking a real or
a piece of silk, or any other thing, either for the journey or for
the business which fell to his charge, trusting solely in the divine
Providence. He even refused to take for his convent some articles
of little value here, but esteemed as rare and curious in España,
and such as it is customary for a religious to take as a mark of
affection to the convent where he assumed the habit. When he died
he made the following testament or declaration: "I, Fray Pedro de
San Vicente, declare that I die as a friar of St. Dominic, without
having in my possession gold or silver, or anything else, except one
old blanket with which I cover myself at night. I pray for the love
of God that this may be given to a boy who travels with me, named
Andresillo." Let it be remembered that father Fray Pedro was in the
Philippinas ten years, for the greater part of the time minister to
the Chinese and for four years their vicar, and that he was very much
beloved; that they are of their nature inclined to make presents;
that many in this town are very rich, and are ready to give much on
small occasions; and that when they saw him about to go to España
they were much more likely to show generosity, without his needing
to put forward any effort. Any one who will consider these things,
and who will observe that he went from among them so poor, without
money or anything else, will clearly recognize his great virtue, and
see how justly he is entitled to the great praise of the Holy Spirit,
who says, "Happy is he who does not follow after gold, and who does
not put his trust in the treasures of money; who is he? let us praise
him because he has wrought marvels in his life."
In the province of Nueva Segovia there died at this time father Fray
Jacintho Pardo, a learned theologian and a virtuous religious. He was a
native of Cuellar and took the habit in San Pablo at Valladolid. He was
so much beloved in the convent that the elder fathers strove to retain
him; but it was shown in a vision to a devout woman that father Fray
Jacintho was to serve among the heathen.] He was sent to Nueva Segovia,
where there were very many heathen to be converted; for at that time
missionaries had just been sent there, and nearly the whole of the
province was without them. The natives were fierce, constantly causing
alarm from warlike disturbances, and were much given to idolatry and
to the vices which accompany it. The good fortune of going thither
fell to him; and he immediately learned the ordinary language of that
province so perfectly that he was the first to compose a grammar of
it. Since the village of Tuguegarao (where he lived) in La Yrraya had,
although the inhabitants understood this common and general language,
another particular language of their own, in which it pleased them
better to hear and answer, he undertook the labor of learning that
also, and succeeded very well. He acted thus as one desirous in all
ways of attracting them to Christ, without giving any consideration
to his own labor, and to the fact that this language could be of
no use outside of this village. They were a warlike, ferocious, and
wrathful tribe; and, being enraged against their Spanish encomendero,
they killed him, and threatened the religious that they would take his
life unless he left the village. Being enraged, and having declared
war against the Spaniards, they did not wish to see him among them. But
father Fray Jacintho, who loved them for the sake of God more than for
his own life, desired to bring them to a reconciliation and to peace;
and was unwilling to leave the village, in spite of their threats. To
him indeed they were not threats, but promises of something which he
greatly desired. Under these circumstances he fell sick, and in a few
days ended his life. The Spaniards, knowing what the Indians had said,
believed that they had given him poison so that he should not preach to
them or reconcile them with the Spaniards; and this opinion was shared
by the physician, because of his very speedy death. If this were true,
it was a happy death which he suffered in such a holy cause. He died on
the day of the eleven thousand virgins, to whom he showed a particular
devotion; and it might have been a reward to him to die on such a day,
since the church knows by experience the great protection which these
saints offer at that time to those who are devoted to them.
[In the district of Bataan died Father Juan de la Cruz, a son of the
convent of San Pablo at Sevilla. He was one of the first founders of
this province, in which he lived for eighteen years. He was small of
body, and weak and delicate in constitution; but his zeal gave him
strength for the great labors which accompanied the beginning of this
conversion. He was one of the first workers in the field of Pangasinan,
where he suffered all the evils and miseries which have been described
in the account of that conversion. He very rapidly learned the
language of these Indians, which they call Tagala; and succeeded
so perfectly with it that father Fray Francisco San Joseph, who was
afterwards the best linguist there was, profited by the papers and
labors of father Fray Juan de la Cruz. Father Fray Juan even learned
afterward two other Indian languages, those of the Zambales and the
Pampangos. Father Fray Juan, being the only linguist among the fathers,
was called upon constantly to hear confessions; and therefore suffered
even more than the rest from the exposures of traveling from place to
place in this district. These hardships broke down the health even of
strong men like father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, who suffered
from a terrible asthma. Father Fray Juan was afflicted by an asthma so
terrible that it seemed as if every night must be his last; and he felt
the dreadful anxiety which accompanies this disease. He also suffered
from two other diseases even more severe, colic and urinary ailments,
which afflicted him even more than the asthma. He was so patient and
so angelic in nature that all these diseases and afflictions could
not disturb him or make him irritable. His body he treated like a
wild beast that had to be tamed, weakening it with fasts, binding
it with chains, mortifying it with hair-shirts, and chastising it
with scourgings. He was chosen as confessor by the archbishop of
Manila, Don Fray Miguel de Venavides. Immediately after the death
of the archbishop he returned to his labors among the Indians, but
did not survive long. When a religious of the Order of St. Dominic
is about to breathe his last, the rest of the convent gather about
him to aid him to die well; and to call them together some boards
are struck or a rattle is sounded, he who strikes them repeating,
"Credo, credo." Father Fray Juan de la Cruz, desiring to follow the
usual custom of the order, taught an Indian to strike together these
boards, although the father was alone in the village; and this was the
last farewell of this noble religious. He had refused repeated requests
to return to Manila for care; and he was buried, as he desired, in the
church of those Indians for whose spiritual good he had spent his life.
In this year 1605 the religious of our order had been three years
in Japon. They were not a little disturbed by a brief which at this
time reached Japon and which had been obtained by the fathers of
the Society of Jesus. This brief directed that all the religious and
secular clergy who desired to preach in Japon might go thither by the
way of Eastern India, but that no one should have authority to go by
way of the Western Indias. The brief directed that all who had come
in that way or by the Philippinas should depart, on penalty of major
excommunication, latæ sententiæ. The religious of the other orders,
when this brief was shown to them by the fathers of the Society,
replied that the brief had been presented in the previous year to the
archbishop of Manila; and that the fathers of the various orders had
laid before the archbishop reasons for supposing that his Holiness
had been misinformed, and had appealed to the supreme pontiff for a
reconsideration. They declared that it was unreasonable to expect
them to leave Japon until the reply of the supreme pontiff should
be received. The brief was annulled by his Holiness Paul V in 1608,
only three years after the petition; and this repeal was confirmed
afterwards by Urban VIII. In the interim the fathers of the Society
of Jesus did things which annoyed the other religious, but were not
sufficient to drive them from Japon. After the repeal the superior
sent fathers Fray Thomas del Spiritu Sancto, or Zumarraga, and Fray
Alonso de Mena to extend the mission from Satzuma to Vomura [i.e.,
Omura]. It was a time of great disturbance and of much feeling against
the Christians. The fathers of the order did what they could for some
fathers of the Society of Jesus who were imprisoned in a church. They
went on to the kingdom of Firando--the lord of which [47] had in 1587
begged for religious of St. Francis, but was now strongly opposed to
Christianity. Among his vassals they found some who were Christians
in secret, and encouraged them and gave them the sacraments of the
church.]
CHAPTER LXIII
The conquest of Maluco by the intercession of our Lady of the Rosary;
the foundation of her religious confraternity in this province,
and the entry of religious into it.
On April 16, 1606, an intermediate chapter was held in Manila,
at which notice was given of the brief of Pope Clement VIII, De
largitione munerum. Directions were given to observe this brief
with rigorous exactness, in all things which it commands to all
religious orders and religious. It was ordered and directed that
all memorable things, worthy of being placed in history, which had
happened in this province should be diligently gathered together. In
accordance with this, the father provincial gave a formal precept
to all the religious of the province that they should write down,
each one of them, what he knew in regard to this matter with all
accuracy and truth. In this way something of that which has here
been recounted was brought together; but there continues to be much
which remains buried in oblivion. Some difficulties were resolved;
and it was decreed that devotions to some saints should be offered,
whose devotions had up to that time not been offered in the province.
On the first of April in this year occurred the glorious victory which
Don Pedro de Acuña, knight of the Habit of St. John, knight-commander
of Salamanca, governor and captain-general of these islands, gained
in the Malucas, restoring them to the crown of España, as for many
years had been desired and intended but without effect. This memorable
victory was won by the intercession of our Lady of the Rosary, who was
the sole source of it. This important stronghold remains incorporated
in the government and province of the Philippinas, to the immortal
reputation and glory of the great soldier and devout cavalier who
gained them during his government. He deserves this glory not less
for his devout Christian zeal, love of God, and devotion to our Lady
of the Rosary--in which from his tenderest years he was bred by his
most devout and prudent mother--than for his great military skill and
prudence, which he and all his valorous brothers acquired from his
father, a distinguished and most fortunate captain, as also he saw all
his sons become. The great favor which our Lady of the Rosary showed to
our army in this conquest was very well known and celebrated. That the
evidence of it might be more clearly made known to those who were not
present [at the victory], a formal narrative of the matter was made
before the treasurer Don Luis de Herrera Sandoval, vicar-general of
this archiepiscopate in the year 1609. Many witnesses being examined,
all agreed that this fort was gained by the miraculous aid of the
Virgin, though the soldiers did not on that account fight the less
valiantly. It was plain, in many things that happened, that sovereign
assistance was given by this Lady, as may be seen by referring to
the statement of the first witness, the sargento-mayor of that army,
Christobal de Azcueta Menchaca, who was present throughout the whole
matter; and, who on account of his position, had better knowledge
of what occurred than anyone else in the army. His statement is as
follows: "In the month of February, 1606, the governor was at Oton,
four leguas from the town of Arebalo, in the bishopric of Zebu, on
his way to the conquest of Maluco--where the Dutch had built a fort,
and had made treaties of peace with the king of that country against
the Castilians and Portuguese. It was also said that they had invaded
the country of the king of Tidore, our ally. The governor mustered
his forces at Oton; and with those who had come from Mexico in June,
and those who had been added in these islands, the total number was
thirteen hundred Spanish infantry, and six hundred Indians from the
vicinity of Manila, who fought courageously under the protection of the
Spaniards. Religious of all orders accompanied the troops, and among
them was a certain father Fray Andres of the Order of St. Dominic,
with another lay religious. As if by legitimate inheritance from their
father, all the friars of this habit had in their charge the devotion
to the Holy Rosary; and hence father Fray Andres suggested to the
sargento-mayor that her holy confraternity should be established in
this army, that this our Lady might open the door to the difficult
entrance they were to make. The sargento-mayor spoke to the governor
in regard to the matter, and to the holy bishop of Zebu, Don Fray Pedro
de Agurto. The sargento-mayor received permission to discuss it in the
army, and the captains and soldiers all agreed with great heartiness;
and they determined that the holy confraternity should be immediately
established, with all its ceremonies and ordinances, so that this
important enterprise might begin with some service done to our Lady the
Virgin. The governor ordered the image of our Lady of the Rosary to be
embroidered on the royal standard, that she might guide the army. He
was the first to pledge himself as a member of the confraternity, and
was followed by the master-of-camp, Juan de Esquivel, and the captains,
the soldiers and sailors, and the members of his household--all of
them promising alms when they should be provided with money on account
of their pay. It was then proposed to establish the confraternity in
the first city which should be gained from the enemy, and to call it
"the City of the Rosary." For this purpose a canvas was painted,
having upon it a representation of our Lady with her son Jesus in
her arms, distributing rosaries to the governor, the master-of-camp,
the captains, and the rest of the soldiers. They confessed and
received communion, and went in procession, as is customary when the
confraternity is established. The bishop celebrated pontifical mass,
giving dignity to this solemn act with his holy presence. According
to the ordinances, a Dominican friar is obliged to preach if any be
present. Since Fray Andres had little skill in this office, and spoke
with little grace, he tried to arrange that the bishop should preach;
but matters turned out so that the religious was obliged to preach
the great things of the Mother of God and of her rosary. As all this
had been guided by God, and the preacher chosen by His own will, God
controlled the preacher's tongue in such a manner that all should be
fulfilled which concerned His purpose. Thus the father amazed those
who were present--the bishop to such an extent that he said aloud to
the whole congregation: "Gentlemen this blessed father has preached
in such a manner that it seems the Holy Spirit has been dictating to
him that which he has said; and I do not know what account to give of
the same except to praise God, for it is He who caused it." The fleet
sailed to Tidore; and when it reached there the forces spent Holy Week
in confessing and receiving communion. While they were there an eclipse
of the moon occurred, which was taken by the augurs of the island
as a bad omen, and they uttered presages of evil, and cried aloud;
but the Spaniards took it as an omen of victory. They did not find in
Tidore the king, who was friendly. They discovered two Dutchmen who
had a factory there; and they and that which was in the factory were
held for the king of España. On Friday of Easter week, which was the
last day of March, the fleet cast anchor a cannon-shot from the fort
of Ternate; and on Saturday the artillery from the ships and galleys
was fired, to clear the field. The sargento-mayor made a landing with
the army, drawing them up along the creek between the fort and the
sea. The vanguard was held by the master-of-camp, Gallinato, lookouts
being posted in the trees. While he was planning to make gabions, the
tumult of the army, as if the voice of all, declared that they should
not doubt the victory; that on that very day they were going to capture
the fort and the country, for it was Saturday, a day dedicated to our
Lady. They began with great readiness. It was about midday, an hour
little suited for an attack in so hot a country, for the sun beat down
on them. In addition, on one side they were harassed by falcon-shots
fired from the fort of Cachitulco; it was a very effective weapon,
although at first they shot their balls too high. After lowering
their aim somewhat, they struck seven Spaniards. The companions
of the governor forced him to move to another place, as balls were
constantly striking where he was. At the very moment when he left the
spot, his shield-bearer, stepping into his place, was struck. On this
account the sargento-mayor endeavored to hold back the forces until
they could hear what the lookouts said, or receive an order from
the governor. From among the body of the troops he heard a voice,
calling upon him to attack without doubting of the victory; that the
mother of God purposed that on that day her holy confraternity should
be established in this country. The sargento-mayor turned his head
and asked in a loud voice: "What devout or holy person has said this
to us?" There was no answer, and it was not known from whom the voice
proceeded; but it seemed to him that it spoke to him from within, and
that it came from heaven. It inspired in him such spirit and courage
that he turned to the captains and said: "Gentlemen, the mother of
God wills us to gain this fort today." Captain Cubas reached the fort,
from which his troops were somewhat driven back by the Moros, and his
foot was wounded by a pointed stake [puia]. Some beginning to call
"Sanctiago!" and others "Victory!" they all began to run on boldly
and proudly without any order. So quickly was the fort taken that the
captain-general did not even know it when the soldiers had actually
surmounted the wall. They went on to where the king was fortified,
with many arquebuses and culverins; and with four pieces of ordnance
(pieças de batïr), and with a high wall, from which the enemy did
much execution with bucacaos [48] and fire-hardened reeds anointed
with poison. But none of these things availed him; and, seeing that
the day was lost he fled with some of his followers, in a caracoa
and four xuangas, to the island of the Moro, or Batachina [i.e.,
Gilolo], to which they had sent their women and children and their
wealth. On account of this the sack did not bring very much gold or
money, but amounted to only two thousand ducats and some cloth and
cloves. The rest of the prize was artillery, culverins, arms, and
ammunition. After the victory, the sargento-mayor went to ask the
governor for the countersign, and found him on his knees before an
image of our Lady, saying: "I beg humility of you, our Lady, since
by you this victory has been gained." On the following day, Sunday,
the second of April (which was, accordingly, the first Sunday in the
month), the governor ordered an altar to be prepared, and directed
that the painting we carried of the mother of God of the Rosary,
with the governor, the captains and the men at her feet should be
placed thereon, so that mass might be said. They brought from the
mosque a pulpit, in which father Fray Andres preached. That which
had previously been a mosque was from that day forth the parish
church and mother church--the religious living in one part of it, and
administering the holy sacrament. The confraternity was established,
and it and the city and the principal fort received the name of El
Rosario [i.e., "The Rosary"] that this signal mercy might remain in
the memory of those who were to come. In these events there were many
things that appeared miraculous. The first of them was the voice which
the sargento-mayor heard, with regard to which he declared upon oath
that he could not find out who spoke it, that it appeared to speak
to him within, and that the words inspired in him great confidence,
as has been said. The second miraculous element is the speed with
which victory was attained; for when the governor went away to speak,
with the king of Tidore, who is friendly, the report that the fort
had been gained reached him so quickly that the governor was amazed,
and the king did not believe it. The third was the few deaths which
occurred on our side; for only fifteen died in the war, and twenty
were wounded. The fourth is that when a Dutchman--or, as others say,
a man of Terrenate--was trying to fire a large paterero to clear a
straight path where a great number of our soldiers were marching up
hill in close order, he tried three times to fire it with a linstock,
but was unable to do so. When the Moros told him to hasten and fire
it, he said that a lady with a blue mantle was preventing him with
a corner of the mantle, and sprinkling sand in the touch-hole. So,
throwing away the linstock, he began to run; and the Spaniards came
up with him and killed him.
At the beginning of August in the same year, large reenforcements
of religious came from España; and so great was the need which there
was of them that they came at a very fortunate time, especially since
they were picked men in virtue and learning. The first who volunteered
for this province were five members of the college of Sancto Thomas
at Alcala, which event attracted so much attention in the convent of
San Estevan at Salamanca that, when the vicar of the religious reached
there, thirteen members of that convent volunteered. Among them was
the preacher of that distinguished convent, father Fray Diego del
Aguila. To these, others from other convents added themselves, and
a member of the college of San Gregorio, of whose great virtue an
account will immediately be given. When the time for beginning the
voyage arrived, the thirteen members of the order from the convent
of San Estevan at Salamanca prostrated themselves on the floor of
the church, after thanks had been returned for the meal which had
been completed, and asked for the blessing of the superior that they
might begin their journey. This act aroused great devotion among
those who were present. When they had received the blessing, they
went in procession to the convent of novices, where they took their
cloaks and bags; and intoning the devout hymn of the Holy Spirit, they
began with His divine support upon this journey, with their staves and
hempen sandals, after the manner of persons who go on foot. They were
led by father Fray Diego del Aguila, the preacher of that convent at
the time, and an example of virtue in that city where he had preached
with great reputation for the four years preceding. Hence to see him
walking on foot, and on his way to regions so remote, was a thing
which caused great tenderness and devotion in those who knew him, and
who saw so devout and so humble an act, so determined a resignation,
and such contempt for the world. He labored much in the ship, hearing
confessions, and preaching and teaching; for as in voyages there are
so many kinds of people, there is need of all of these things, while
many of the people need them all at once, because they do not know the
doctrine which it is their duty to know and believe, and do not take
that care of their souls which they ought to take. Some of them do
not even desire to have such things spoken of, that their ignorance
may not be known; and hence there is much labor in teaching them,
and it is a great service to God not to refuse this labor.
[The member of the college of San Gregorio at Valladolid who came
with the rest of these religious was Fray Pedro Rodriguez, a native
of Montilla and a son of the convent of San Pablo at Cordoba. His
departure caused much grief. His parents loved him tenderly, for he
was, like Benjamin, the youngest and was very obedient and docile by
nature. The religious of his convent were grieved because they had
seen in him so notable a beginning in virtue and letters. In spite
of the efforts of fathers, kinsmen, and religious, father Fray Pedro
maintained his resolve. His virtues were very great, and he mortified
himself constantly. His last illness befell him when the vessel had
already come among these islands; and they were already at the port
of Ybalon, and were carrying him ashore that he might receive the
viaticum, when he lost consciousness. He had desired to be left in
the islands of the Ladrones, that he might serve as missionary; but
he was not permitted to do so, on account of the great difficulties
which he would have met with because of ignorance of the language. It
may be that father Fray Pedro would have overcome them; but such things
ought not to be left in the hands of a single person. The evil results
which follow are morally worse than the gain which may be expected,
as has been found out by experience since religious of the seraphic
father St. Francis have remained there. His body was taken to be buried
in the church of Casigura. He left behind him among his brethren the
name of saint.]
CHAPTER LXIV
Other events which happened at this time in Japon and the Philippinas
[The circumstances in Japon were such that many of the converts
were obliged to spend six, or eight, or even fifteen years without
confessing, while some of them had not seen a confessor within
forty years. Hence the fathers Fray Thomas and Fray Alonso were
anxious to go up into the country to continue the good work which
they had begun. The vicar-provincial, Fray Francisco de Morales,
sent father Fray Alonso de Mena to the kingdom of Fixen, [49] where
there had been no church up to this year 1606. A certain captain,
Francisco Moreno Donoso, had taken some Franciscan fathers with him on
a journey, and on the voyage had been delivered from great danger by
the intercession of our Lady of the Rosary. He was therefore devoted to
this our Lady. Although the kingdom of Fixen is very near Nangasaqui,
the king had always been unwilling to admit preachers of Christianity;
but this king had a great regard for Captain Moreno Donoso, who went to
visit the king with father Fray Alonso; and the captain made the king
many gifts, refusing to accept anything in return except a chain. The
king showed him such favor that the captain took advantage of the
opportunity to ask permission that father Fray Alonso might establish
convents and churches in the kingdom. The king was pleased to grant
it, insisting only that the sanction of a great bonze, named Gaco,
should first be secured; he was a native of Fixen, and was the most
highly regarded man in Japan because of his learning. The king sent
his own secretary to go before the bonze, to tell him of the poverty,
the penitence, the contempt for the things of this world, the modesty,
the humility, and the courteous behavior of the father. The bonze,
seeing that it was the pleasure of the king, said that such a man might
very well receive this permission. In conformity with it three poor
churches and houses were built--one in Famamachi under the patronage
of our Lady of the Rosary; the second in the city of Caxima [i.e.,
Kashima]. named for St. Vincent; and, after some time, another one
at the king's court [i.e., Saga], for which at that time permission
had been refused. Father Fray Alonso and his companion, when he had
one, got the little they needed for their support from Portuguese
and Castilians in Nangasaqui, that they might avoid asking for alms
from the Japanese, and might thus give no opportunity for the bonzes
to complain against them, and to find a pretext for sending them out
of the country. Father Fray Alonso remained in this kingdom; and the
order persevered until the persecution, when all the religious who
had been hiding there were ordered to depart from Japon. Father Fray
Alonso found in this kingdom some Japanese who had been baptized in
other kingdoms, but had not been well taught in the faith, or who
had forgotten the good teachings that they had received at their
baptism. They were guilty of much irregularity in their marriages;
and some of them had assumed to baptize others without knowing the
essence of the baptismal form, so that it was difficult to determine
which of them had received valid baptisms. These imperfectly prepared
converts had also done harm by endeavoring to sustain arguments against
the opponents of Christianity, and, being insufficiently grounded
in the faith, they had spread false impressions of the Christian
religion. Notable cases of conversion occurred, there being some
instances well worthy of remark in the court; and finally the sanctity
of the life of the missionaries caused them to be called xaxino padre,
"fathers who despise the world." The father Fray Juan de Los Angeles,
or Rueda, came to live at Fixen in the following year, 1607.
In this year 1606 of which we have been speaking, there died at
sea father Fray Domingo de Nieva, who was on his way to act as
procurator of the province. He had labored much and well among the
Indians of Bataan and among the Chinese. Father Fray Domingo was a
native of Billoria in Campos, and a son of the convent of San Pablo
at Valladolid. He was a man of ability and of good will. When nearly
all the lecturers in theology from that convent, together with the
lecturers in arts, and many of their most able and learned disciples,
determined to go to the Philippinas, father Fray Domingo joined his
masters. He suffered his life long from headache. Being sent to Bataan
in company with three other fathers, he, as the youngest, had to carry
a very heavy burden of duties. He was fortunate enough not to suffer
from any further diseases, the Lord being pleased not to add any to
his constant headache. His mortification, fasting, and discipline were
very great. He wrote some devout tracts in the language of the Indians,
and some others in that of the Chinese. He had printed for the Chinese
in their language and characters an essay upon the Christian life,
with other brief tracts of prayer and meditation, in preparation for
the holy sacraments of confession and the sacred communion. He wrote
a practically new grammar of the Chinese language, a vocabulary, a
manual of confession, and many sermons, in order that those who had
to learn this language might find it less difficult. He was prior
of Manila; and in the third year of his priorate the news arrived
of the death of father Fray Pedro de San Vicente, who was going to
España as definitor in the chapter general and as procurator for
this province. Since it was necessary to send another in his place,
father Fray Domingo received the appointment to the duty. Like his
predecessor, he died on the voyage from the islands to Mexico.]
CHAPTER LXV
The foundation of Manavag in Pangasinan and the deaths of some
religious
In the year 1605 the missionaries to Pangasinan, not contented with the
fruitful results of their labors in the level region of that province,
took under their charge the village of Manavag, situated among the
mountains at a considerable distance from the other villages. The
first entry into this village was made by the religious of our father
St. Augustine in the year 1600; they built there a church named after
St. Monica, and baptized some children. The village was so small,
however, that it was not possible for a religious to find enough to
do there to justify his continued residence; and accordingly it was
visited from Lingayen, the capital of that province, which was at
that time in their hands. It caused them a great deal of labor, since
they were obliged to travel three days if they went there by water,
and two if they went by land; and therefore it was seldom visited, and
little good resulted to the village. Inasmuch as the whole population
were heathen, they required much persuasion to lead them to baptism,
and a great deal of attention to their religious instruction. On this
account, those fathers placed a juridical renunciation of the said
village in the hands of the bishop, Don Fray Diego de Soria. The
bishop, being a religious of our order, asked his brethren to take
charge of this village, since there were in it many baptized children,
and no other body of religious could care for and guide them. The
bishop, in asking the religious to take this matter in charge, was
laying upon them no small burden; yet the need was almost extreme,
and the great labor brought with it great reward--for, as the
apostle says, each man shall be rewarded at the last judgment in
proportion to his labors. Hence they determined to assume the charge,
and the superior sent there father Fray Juan de San Jacintho, [50]
a devoted religious and an indefatigable laborer in the teaching
of the Indians. He went to Manavag in the year mentioned, and the
fact was spread abroad among the neighboring villages. On account
of the great love which they had for the order, and especially for
the religious who was there (for he was like an angel from heaven),
some other hamlets were added to that one, and the village of Manavag
was made of reasonable size. The Negrillos and Zambales who go about
through those mountains were continually harassing this village, partly
because of their evil desires to kill men, and partly for robbery. They
often came down upon it with bows and arrows, and with fire to burn
the houses and the church which was practically all of straw. They
committed murders, and robbed women and children. Those in the village
being thus terrorized, and the men being unable to prevent the evil,
since their enemies came when they had gone out into the fields,
it was determined to take as patroness the Virgin of the Rosary,
that she might aid them in this need. They accordingly dedicated a
new church to her, and solemnized the dedication with many baptisms of
adult persons. Within a few months, there was not a heathen within the
village--a clear proof that the presence of heathen in the country is
due solely to a lack of missionaries. Wherever the missionaries are,
all are immediately baptized; and not only those of that village which
has the missionaries, but some of their neighbors also, participate
in the teaching of the religious, and in the favors of our Lady of the
Rosary. This is plain from a miracle which occurred a few years after,
and was verified before the vicar-general of this country, who at that
time was father Fray Pedro de Madalena. It happened thus. Four leguas
from Manavag, in a village of Ygolote Indians who inhabit some high
mountain ridges, there lived an Indian chief, a heathen, by the name
of Dogarat, who used sometimes to go down to the village of Manavag,
and to listen out of curiosity to the preaching of the religious. Since
the matters of our faith are truly divine, the Indian began to incline
toward them, and even toward becoming a Christian. He therefore learned
the prayers, and knew them by heart; and the only thing which held
him back was the necessity of leaving his vassals and his kinsmen if
he was baptized, and going away from the washings in a river of his
village, where they used to gather grains of gold, which come down with
the water from those hills and ridges where they are formed. God our
Lord, to draw him to the precious waters of baptism, brought upon him
a severe illness. When he felt the misery of this disease, he sent to
call the religious who was at that time in Manavag, father Fray Thomas
Gutierrez, who came to his village, called Ambayaban, and visited the
sick Indian, giving him thorough instruction in the matters of our
holy faith. When he was thoroughly prepared he baptized him and named
him Domingo. By the aid of the Lord he recovered, and used to attend
church on feast days. He asked for a rosary, which the religious gave
him with a direction to say the prayers of the rosary every day,
that the Sovereign Lady might aid him. He went out hunting once;
and in order that the rosary, which he always wore about his neck,
might not interfere with him or be broken by catching in a branch,
he took it off and hung it on a tree, and with it a little purse in
which he was carrying a trifle of gold. It happened soon after that
some Indians set fire to the mountain to frighten out the game. The
fire kindled the tree where the rosary was hanging, and burnt it all
to ashes. Some time afterward Don Domingo came back for his rosary,
and discovered the destruction which the fire had wrought, and the tree
in ashes. As he was looking among them he found his rosary entire and
unhurt, while everything else was burnt up, and the purse and the gold
were consumed, though they were close to the rosary, which did not show
a sign of fire. The Indian, amazed, went and told his story to father
Fray Thomas, who for a memorial of this marvel kept the miraculous
rosary among the treasures of the church, giving the Indian another
in its place. There it remained, in token of the esteem and respect
which our Lady willed that the fire should pay to her holy rosary.
[In the month of June, 1607, father Fray Juan Baptista Gacet ended his
labors happily in the convent of Sancto Domingo at Manila. He was a
son of the convent of Preachers at Valencia, and a beloved disciple of
St. Luis Beltran, whom he succeeded in the office of master of novices
at Valencia. When St. Luis returned from the Indias, the Lord moved
father Fray Juan to go to them, as he desired to reap a harvest of
souls, and feared that they might strive to make him superior in his
own province. He received the approval of St. Luis, and went to the
Indias at the time when master Fray Alonso Bayllo went out from his
convent of Murcia, by command of our lord the king and of the general
of the order, to divide the province of Vaxac from that of Sanctiago de
Mexico. Being threatened with a superiorship in the province of Vaxac,
father Fray Juan did what he could to avoid it. When a company of
religious under the leadership of father Fray Pedro de Ledesma passed
through Nueva España on their way to the Philippinas, father Fray Juan
decided to accompany them, though he was already of venerable age;
and he reached Manila in 1596. Here he was greatly honored, and, being
too old to learn the Indian languages, was retained in the convent of
Manila to act as confessor and spiritual guide to a number of devout
persons in the city. He was made definitor in the first provincial
chapter, and was later obliged to accept the office of prior--having
no other country to flee to, as he had fled from España to the Indias,
and thence to the Philippinas, to avoid this elevation. He was given
to devout exercises and to prayer, reading often from some devout book,
usually from St. John Climachus, and afterward discussing the passage,
and making it the basis of devout meditation. After leaving the office
of prior, he returned to his life of devotion and abstraction.
On the twentieth of July in the same year, father Fray Miguel de Oro
ended his life in the province of Nueva Segovia. He was a native of
Carrion de Los Condes; and he took the habit and professed in San
Pablo at Valladolid. He afterward went to the religious province of
Guatemala, where he remained for some years, but afterward returned
to España. In 1599 the plague attacked all España and raged with
especial violence in Valladolid. Father Fray Miguel, with four other
religious of our order, devoted himself to the care of those who were
plague-stricken. After the plague he retired to the convent of La Peña
de Francia; but his memory was constantly stirred by the recollection
of his service among the Indians, and in 1601 he went with some other
religious to Manila. He was assigned to the province of Nueva Segovia,
where, although on account of his great age he was unable to learn the
language, his holy example was of great value. He was of great help and
comfort to the minister whom he accompanied, doing all that he could
to make it possible for the minister (who knew the language) to work
among the Indians, and to write in the Indian language compositions and
spiritual exercises, which were of service to the ministers that came
after them. He used to wear next his skin a thick chain, weighing ten
libras; and, that the other brethren might not perceive the marks of
it on his tunics, he used to take care to wash and dry them apart. He
died as a result of a fever caused by the heat of the sun. Father
Fray Miguel was of swarthy complexion, with black and very prominent
eyes which inspired fear. After his death he remained handsome, fair,
and rosy, which caused those present to wonder-all supposing that
these were signs of the glory which his soul already enjoyed.]
CHAPTER LXVI
The establishment of two churches in Nueva Segovia
In the month of August, 1607, at the octave of the Assumption of
our Lady, a church was erected in the village of Nalfotan, the chief
village among those which are called the villages of Malagueg [i.e.,
Malaúeg] in Nueva Segovia. This church had the name and was under the
patronage of St. Raymond. The Indians of these villages were and are
courageous and warlike. Hence before the coming of the faith they
were constantly at war among themselves and with their neighbors,
being men of fierce mind and lofty courage, and highly prizing their
valor, strength and spirit, an inheritance left to them by their
ancestors. Thus they and their neighbors of Gatarang and Talapa, with
whom they were very closely related, gave the Spaniards a great deal
of trouble, and were feared and still are feared by the other Indians
of that large province. In the village called Nalfotan the chief and
lord at this time was a young man named Pagulayan, to whom our Lord,
in addition to high rank, great wealth, and courage, had given a quiet
and peaceful disposition. He was a friend of peace and of the public
weal--[seeking not only] his own advantage, but that of his people,
and striving to secure what he recognized as good; and in him ran side
by side the love of peace, and military spirit and courage--in which he
was distinguished and eminent, and for which he was therefore feared by
his enemies. God our Lord, so far as we can judge, had predestinated
him for Himself; and this he showed by the great affection with which
he listened to matters dealing with the service of God, even when he
was a heathen and was living among barbarians, idolaters and demons,
such as were all his vassals. When he heard that the Ytabes Indians,
his neighbors, had religious of St. Dominic who taught them a sure and
certain road to salvation, and to the gaining of perpetual happiness
for the soul in heaven by serving God in peace and quietude, he strove
with all his heart to enjoy so great a good. He discussed the matter
with his Indians, and with their approval went down many times to the
city of the Spaniards to carry out his religious purpose, endeavoring
to have the father provincial, Fray Miguel de San Jacintho, give him
a religious for his village. The provincial would have rejoiced to
give him one; but those whom he had were so busy, and he had already
withdrawn so many in response to such requests, that he was unable
to satisfy this good desire, except with the hope that a missionary
would be provided there as soon as the religious had come whom he was
expecting from España. The good Pagulayan, although he was somewhat
consoled, did not cease to complain, with feeling, that he had been
unable to bring to his village the good which he desired for it. As he
was unable to obtain a religious, he took with him a Christian child
from among those who were being taught the Christian doctrine in the
church, that the boy might instruct him until a father should come who
could complete and perfect his teaching. Nay, more: he and his people,
having confidence in the promise which had been given them, erected
a church in their village that they might influence the religious
[to go there], and have that stronger reason for supplying a minister
to them rather than to other villages which had no church. All this
greatly affected the religious; and finally, in August of this year
[1607], father Fray Pedro de Sancto Thomas [51] went there and found
the church already built, and the whole village--men, women, and
children--gathered on purpose to receive him, as they did with great
joy and the exhibition of much content. This caused like content in the
soul of father Fray Pedro, who giving many thanks to the Lord, whose
work this was, firmly resolved to labor with all his strength in this
vineyard which seemed to bear fruit before it was cultivated. Father
Fray Pedro was very well suited to begin a conversion like this;
for he was so simple and affable that the most remote barbarians,
if they talked with him, were compelled to love him. He was of a very
gentle nature, and extremely open-hearted, being entirely free from
any duplicity or deceit, and acting in all things with the bowels of
charity. This is the greatest snare to catch love which may be set
for men. Hence they received him as if he came from heaven, and at
the beginning they listened to him and obeyed him with great zeal. The
devil at these things suffered from rage and the worst pains of hell,
as he saw himself losing, all at once, villages which had been his for
so many ages. Hence by the means of a sorceress, a priestess of his,
named Caquenga, he began to disturb the Indians, to whom this wicked
woman said such things that many determined to follow the rites of
their ancestors and not to receive the teaching of the divine law. So
devilish was this cursed anitera that she kept stirring up some of them
against the religious, while at the same time with those who wished
to keep him she pretended to be on their side; thus she deceived
them all, especially those who were influenced by their zeal for
ancient superstitions. Hence they themselves killed their fowls and
the swine which they had bred, tore down their houses, and cut down
their palm-groves, in which their principal wealth consisted; and,
crying out, "Liberty!" they fled to the mountains. Here they joined
those who had hitherto been their enemies, that they might be more
in number and might bring a greater multitude of weapons against a
solitary friar who went unarmed, and whom they had invited to their
village with such urgency, and received with such joy; and against
whom they had no complaint except simply that he preached to them
the law of God and the gospel of peace, at their own invitation, and
that a most earnest invitation. Pagulayan, with some of his vassals,
was constantly at the side of Fray Pedro--who, being secure in his
own conscience, was not intimidated, but strove to bring back those
who had revolted. Seeking for means of speaking to them, he determined
to send an Indian who should arrange in his behalf for a conference;
and who should promise the chief of the revolted ones, whose name was
Furaganan, that the Spaniards who were ¡n the city of Nueva Segovia
would not punish him for what he had done. That the Indian might feel
safe and might believe him, he gave the man a relic of St. Thomas to
carry; for among them there was no one who knew how to read or write,
because they had no letters of their own, so that he was unable to
give him a letter, or any other token better known as coming from
the father. This, however, sufficed to cause Furaganan to listen to
the messenger without ill-treating him; and he agreed to meet the
religious at a certain place and on an appointed day. As a token of
fidelity and peace, Furaganan sent his bararao--a dagger with which
they stab close at hand, and can easily cut off a head--that it might
be put in the hands of the religious. They met on the assigned day;
and the Indian, annoyed with Caquenga, who had caused the disturbance
among them, immediately joined the party of the religious against whom
she had caused them to rebel. Furaganan asked them to give him this
Indian anitera as a slave, alleging that she had been a slave of his
mother, and that in this way and no other could quiet be restored,
because he could not suffer that this intriguing slave-woman should,
merely through her crafty acts, be more esteemed by the Spaniards
than were the chiefs. She was, he said, full of duplicity, having
remained with Pagulayan that she might be able to say afterward to
the Spaniards that she was not at fault for the uprising--although,
in point of fact, she had been the cause of it. Fray Pedro promised
to look after this business with great diligence, and to do what
should be best. The Indian departed, apparently in peace; but the
others did not continue in that frame of mind. At midnight, while
the religious was reciting the matins, on the first Sunday of Advent,
and when he had come to the first response, the insurgents set fire
to the church, thus alarming those who had remained in the village,
and causing them to take flight. Pagulayan came to father Fray Pedro,
and, acting as his guide, put him on a safe road, carrying him at
times on his shoulders across creeks and rivers on the road which they
followed. At dawn they halted in a thicket, whence the father went
to a little village farther down, because the place where they were
was not safe. Here Pagulayan carried the robes from the sacristy,
and father Fray Pedro put them as well as he could into a chest,
being obliged to leave out a canvas of our Lady, which on account of
its size the chest would not hold. Leaving it there, he went on to
the village of Pia, where there was a religious with many Christians,
and where the people were peaceful. The insurgents went straight down
to the village where the chest and the picture were; and, opening the
chest, they took out the ornaments, the chalice, and all the rest,
and profaned everything. They cut the ornaments of the mass into
pieces, to make head-cloths and ribbons. They tore the leaves out of
the missal, and drank out of the chalice, like a godless race governed
by the devil. Taking the image painted on the canvas, they set it up
as a target for their lances. One of them blasphemously said: "This,
the fathers tell us, is the mother of God; if this were truth, our
lances would draw blood, and since she sheds none, it is all trickery
and deceit." The savage said this when he was throwing his lance at
the image, and his audacity did not remain without its punishment, for
he was soon after condemned to the galleys; and here, in addition to
the ordinary hardships suffered in them, he was maltreated by all the
other galley slaves when they learned that his crime had been committed
against our Lady. They struck him, buffeted him, kicked him, and abused
him with words as an enemy of the Virgin; and in this state he died,
passing from the wretched life of the galleys to eternal death in hell.
In this same year the Indians of Zimbuey, in the level part of La
Yrraya in the same province, rose and murdered their encomendero
Luis Henriquez, angered because he had treated them during the
previous year with more rigor than was proper. There was no religious
here. The Indians, in fear of like severity during the present year,
had mutinied against the encomendero and thrust him through with a
lance. Out of his shin-bones they made steps to go up to the house
of their chief--a piece of savagery such as might be expected from
enraged Indians. Information of these two risings was sent to the
governor of Manila, who sent out the sargento-mayor Christobal de
Azcueta with a sufficient number of soldiers. He ascertained the
facts in both cases and brought out the truth clearly--namely,
that the excesses of the dead encomendero had caused the Indians
of his encomienda at Zimbuey to rise, and that the intrigues of
Caquenga had roused the Indians of Malagueg. The latter, conscious
of their fault, came to the city of Nueva Segovia to beg that the
religious might return to them; and father Fray Pedro de Sancto
Thomas returned with them. He had greater confidence in the many
hopes which he had, for many of them, that they would be good and
faithful Christians, than resentment for the wrongs which he had
received from others. All this disturbance came to an end, and he
built convents and churches and baptized many. In course of time all
those people were baptized. Pagulayan was named Luis, and one of his
sisters was named Luysa Balinan. They were always very brotherly and
sisterly in all things, especially in following virtue. They remained
very firm in the faith, and have aided much to bring their Indians
to embrace it. They lived according to the teachings of the faith,
giving a noble example in this respect, and obviously surpassing all
those of their land in everything that has to do with virtue and the
service of God. They were, during all their lives, the support of the
mission, the comfort of the religious, and generous honorers of their
church--upon the adornment of which they spent freely in proportion to
their means, giving silver lamps and other very rich ornaments for the
service and beautifying of the church. Nor did they forget the poor,
not only of their own village, but of the others, who very often come
to this one to find food, since this is generally the village where
food is most abundant. Don Luis Pagulayan died while young, in the
year 1620. His death was much regretted and deplored, as it still is
both by the religious and by his Indians, and much more by his sister,
Doña Luysa Balinan. She is yet living, and perseveres in holy customs
and in laudable acts of all the virtues; for she wears hair shirts
underneath her dress as a married chieftainess, is constantly in the
church, and is very frequent in her confessions and communions. She
is very careful that not only those of her household (who are many)
but all of the village--which is one of the largest in the province
of Nueva Segovia--should carefully observe the law of God and hear and
learn the Catholic doctrine. This she herself ordinarily teaches, and
teaches well, for she has had much practice in this office, so that
she greatly aids the ministers. A few years ago, there was in this
province a great famine; and Doña Luisa having very fertile land,
from which she might have made a great profit, preferred to offer
it to Christ through His poor. Hence she spent it all upon them,
directing all the poor to come every day to her for their food, as
was done. In any tumult or disturbance that may arise, she is one
from whom the religious learn with perfect certainty the truth of
what has happened; and by her assistance (for she is very prudent)
the remedy is obtained. The Lord watches over her and prospers her
in all things--not only spiritual, in which she surpasses, but also
temporal, for she is one of the richest persons that there are in this
province. When some superstitious performances were carried on here
by some of the chiefs, she immediately informed the religious. When
he asked her if she dared to declare the matter before the guilty
persons, that in this way the evil might be demonstrated and cured,
she replied that she would venture, even though they should give her
poison; for they were unable to avenge themselves in any other way,
and she had reason to expect them to do this. Such is the spirit
and courage with which she serves the Lord and strives for the good
of her fellow-men; and so little does she esteem life when there is
an opportunity for her to venture it for such a noble end. In the
year 1626, the names of those entered in the records of baptism in
this church of Nalfotan were counted. The total was found to be four
thousand six hundred and seventy, in addition to those baptized in
sickness, who were many; and all this rich harvest was reaped in a
village which eighteen years ago was composed wholly of heathen.
At the end of this year, 1607, another church was built in December,
on Innocents' day, in a village of the same province named Yguig,
two days' journey up the river from the city of the Spaniards. The
encomendero had collected his tribute from these Indians with great
care; but he had given no attention to providing them with Christian
instruction, as God and the king commanded him. The Lord, who overlooks
many other grievous sins, was unwilling to let this pass without
chastisement; but the punishment which He gave the encomendero was
that of a kind father, and was inflicted outside of his clothes--that
is to say, it fell only upon his wealth, which, when it is guiltily
acquired, shall not profit. This encomendero lost all; and when these
misfortunes came upon him, one after the other, he perceived that they
did not come by chance, and saw what it was with which the Lord might
be angry. This was his supporting idolatry and the service of the devil
in this village, by his mere failure to provide Christian instruction
in it, as was his duty. He repented of what he had hitherto done,
and vowed to provide in this village the teaching of the true God,
and a religious to preach and teach it. In this year he asked for the
religious from the father provincial, Fray Miguel de San Jacintho,
and one was given him. Since there was a discussion as to what patron
this new church should be given, many slips with the names of saints
upon them were placed in a vessel. Three times the name of Sanctiago,
patron of the Españas, came out; and hence the church was given this
name, which has been retained in this village of Yguig. This has been
done in spite of the fact that, on account of great inundations and
floods of the river, it has been necessary to build the church on
four separate sites--the first three having been overflowed, although
it did not appear possible that the river should reach land situated
so high. This river, however, is very large; and its floods are so
extreme that they overflowed these eminences, until the church was
finally placed where it now is, which is upon a very high hill. Here it
enjoys without disturbance the fresh breezes, and is safe against any
flood. Among all these changes and difficulties, this tribe would have
been scattered and their village destroyed, if the religious had not
sustained them with alms and charities. They received much assistance
from the Indian chiefs, in particular from one who far surpassed the
others in Christian zeal and in fidelity to God, the church, and the
Spaniards. The Lord has wrought him great and apparent benefits for
this. One was as follows. He went for many days under a temptation
of the devil to kill another Indian chief, who had wrought him a
great wrong; and could not rest by day or by night for thinking how
he might obtain satisfaction against the guilty man. Now he thought
of these plans, now of those, and was in such disquiet that he could
not conceal the matter. The religious came to a knowledge of this,
called him aside, and rebuked him earnestly, for his guilt and the
great sin which he was designing, which was entirely contrary to the
laws which should govern a Christian, such as he was, who is bound
to love his enemies. It was even contrary to the principles of his
rank and his chieftainship for him to desire to commit a murder. Don
Ambrosio Luppo (as this Indian was named) responded, weeping freely:
"Would to God, father, that you might see my heart, in order that you
might understand well how much I suffer from the deed of this man,
and might also see plainly how great an impression your teachings have
made upon me. If I had not looked to God for some way of following
your teachings, would this man have had his head on his shoulders
so long? But I pardoned him because God pardoned me; and from that
time I have been calm, and more devout than before." He received
another benefit. He and his wife much desired to have children, but,
though they had lived for many years together, they had now passed
their youth, and had no children. They communicated their desire to
the father, and he advised them what they ought to do, saying: "When
good Spaniards feel these desires, they offer particular devotion to
the mother of God and to other great saints"--naming some who are of
most signal assistance in such cases--"and they go to the churches
and offer prayers before their images, that they may intercede with
God who can do all things. In this way they many times attain what
they desire." "All this will we do very willingly," answered husband
and wife; "but what shall we say in our prayer after we have recited
the Paternoster and the Ave Maria?" The religious taught them what
they ought to say and what prayers they ought to make to our Lady,
briefly indicating to her the desire which they had, and offering
to her service the fruit of the blessing which they might attain by
their prayers. This they did, going with their petition to the Lady
of the Rosary which was in their church. A year later they had a son,
to whom the religious, in memory of that which had been agreed upon,
gave the name of Juan de Sancta Maria. The parents recognized him as
a gift from our Lady. Afterward this same Lady, by means of this same
religious, restored the child to complete health in an instant, when it
was almost at the point of death. This she did for the comfort of the
parents, for it seemed as if they would follow it out of sorrow. On
many other occasions she has come to their help; and the Lord has
rewarded them with a generous hand for the faith and the good services
which, since they became Christians, they have done and are doing.
CHAPTER LXVII
The election as provincial of father Fray Baltasar Fort, the martyrdom
of the holy Leon, and events in the province.
In April, 1608, the electors, assembled in the convent of Sancto
Domingo at Manila, chose as provincial father Fray Baltasar Fort,
minister of the holy gospel in the province of Pangasinan. He was by
habit and profession a son of the convent of San Estevan at Salamanca,
and adopted into that of the Preachers in Valencia, his native land,
whence he came to this province in the year 1602. He was at this time
prior of the convent. He was of a character such that all necessary
qualities for so high an office were united in him; and hence his
election was very agreeable to all, both religious and lay, because he
was greatly loved and reverenced by all--not only of his own religious
order, but also of the others. In this chapter were accepted the
houses which had been newly formed in Japon, Pangasinan, and Nueva
Segovia, an account of which has been given in the two preceding
chapters. What had been at other times ordained and commanded was
recalled to mind--namely, that in our conversations we should speak
constantly of God, a subject which is never exhausted, is never
wearisome to a good man, is edifying to all, and keeps the religious
in the fulfilment of the obligations that belong to their estate.
[At this time the fathers who were laboring for the good of the natives
of Japon had a joyful day in seeing the martyrdom of a person who had
been brought to the faith, instructed, and baptized by their ministry;
and in whom the faith had struck so deep roots that he yielded fruit
an hundred fold, according to the gospel, by suffering martyrdom
within four months after becoming a Christian. Having been baptized on
July 22, 1608, he was decapitated for his confession of faith on the
seventeenth of November in the same year, in the kingdom of Satzuma,
his native country. There were laws of the emperor, and also of the
actual king of that region, that no soldier or person of rank should
be baptized, since it was believed that the strength of these persons
would be weakened if they gave up their obligations to those deities
from whom victory was expected. In spite of this law, many soldiers and
persons of rank were baptized, among them Xichiyemon, a youth of high
rank. He received baptism from the hands of father Fray Joseph de San
Jacintho, who warned him of the tumult which his baptism would arouse,
and of the destruction of his soul which would follow if he were to
renounce his baptism. He was so determined and courageous that the
father baptized him by the name of Leon. His devotion was such that
his conversion could not long be hidden; and, when it was known, the
valiant Leon was obliged to resist the supplications of his superior
officers, his friends, and his relatives, who represented to him the
shame which he would bring upon his family if he should die by the
hands of the executioner. This is a thing above measure infamous in
Japon, because all malefactors of rank who are condemned to death cut
open their own abdomens, and wound their bowels with their own knives
[catanas], and thus kill themselves, that they may not die at the
hands of another." [52] His obligations to his wife and children,
and his duties of obedience as a soldier, were insisted upon; but he
remained resolved to die as a Christian, not taking his own life, but
offering it. He was not imprisoned, and visited his spiritual father,
Fray Juan Joseph de San Jacintho, in a little village a quarter of
a legua from Firaça. At the appointed time he dressed himself in new
white clothes, washed his head, and gird on two swords. He then went
to the cross-roads where he was to suffer, and died with a rosary in
his hand and a little picture of the descent from the cross on his
bosom. His holy body was exhumed by the Christians, and was kept by
the fathers of St. Dominic, who afterward, when they were driven from
the country, took it with them to Manila and placed it in the chapel
of the relics. The tyrant commanded that Leon's wife and eldest son
should suffer death, because they had been unable to persuade him to
recant. Pablo, Leon's friend, who was accused at the same time, was not
so happy as he, but was merely banished from the kingdom of Satzuma.
On the eleventh of April in this year (i.e., 1609) there arrived at
Manila some religious from the number of those who were brought from
España to this province by father Fray Gabriel de Quiroga. He died
on the voyage before he reached Mexico, and most of the others were
scattered, and remained in Nueva España. Father Fray Gabriel was a son
of our convent at Ocaña. He was a great preacher, and had come to this
province in 1594. He was in the ministry to the Chinese; being unable
to learn the language on account of his advanced age, and being in
ill health, he returned to España. Here he felt scruples at having
left the province of the Philippinas, and asked permission of the
most reverend general to return to it with a company of religious. In
1607 he gathered a company in Sevilla, but was unable to come for
lack of a fleet. Later in the same year, learning that six pataches
were being prepared for the voyage, he arranged to reassemble the
religious and to take them in these vessels, though he had already been
appointed bishop of Caceres. He quickly got together thirty associates,
taking the risk of sailing in December. The storms were so furious,
and the asthma from which the bishop suffered was so severe, that he
departed this life on the way. Of all those who came with him only
eight completed the voyage which they had begun.
The success of the religious in Satzuma during the six years which
they had spent in that kingdom aroused the tono, who was persuaded by
the devil and his servants the bonzes to expel the fathers from his
country. The case of the holy martyr Leon contributed to influence
the tono. It was said in that kingdom that no one ever failed to do
what his lords commanded him, and hence such disobedience as that of
Leon was regarded as dangerous to the state. The bonzes particularly
were bitter against the Christians, who despised the deity whom they
worshiped. [53] All the cases of misfortune and all the downfalls which
had happened to Christian princes within a few years were referred to
their belief, although the misfortunes of the heathen princes had been
much more numerous. As the king of Satzuma was at this time actually
preparing for a war of conquest against the islands of the Leuquios,
[54] he was greatly impressed by these reasonings. He was also
disgusted because no vessels had come from Manila to this country,
the desire for trade having been his chief object in sending for
religious. The king of Satzuma sought for some pretext for expelling
the father, without finding any. In the month of August, he sent word
to them that the emperor complained because the Spanish religious in
his country had never appeared before him. This was only a pretext
to get the religious out of the country. There were at that time
in all Japan, outside of Nangasaqui, not more than three churches
licensed by the emperor: one in Meyaco, of the fathers of the Society;
a second in Yendo, of the Franciscan fathers; and a third in Ozaca,
of the Society. All the rest were practically in concealment, and
had license only from the tonos or kings. The emperor, though he knew
this, paid little attention to the matter. The fathers, however, were
able to say that father Fray Alonso de Mena had visited the emperor,
and had received license from him for the stay in Japan of the rest
of the fathers. Still, thinking that they might do well to appear
before the emperor, they decided to follow the suggestion of the
tono, and father Fray Francisco de Morales went directly to visit
him and was kindly received. Before father Fray Francisco returned,
the tono gave commands that all the Christians should recant, and
exiled those who refused to obey, confiscating their goods. When this
happened, there were in Satzuma only the fathers Fray Joseph de San
Jacintho and Fray Jacintho Orfanel. Father Fray Joseph went directly
to appear before the old tono, and was received with much apparent
courtesy, which was a mere cloak for the evil which he was preparing
to execute. The father also desired to go to visit the young tono,
but was advised that he could do no good; and therefore he went from
village to village, strengthening and encouraging the converts. He and
father Fray Jacintho, happening to be both at once within the convent,
the governor forbade the religious to leave the church, and prohibited
the Christians from going to it, hoping thus to prevent the religious
from receiving any support. There was only one half-leprous boy,
named Juan, who succored them at this time. When he went to buy what
they needed, the people paid no attention to his coming and going,
because of his being afflicted in this way.]
CHAPTER LXVIII
The religious, being exiled and expelled from the kingdom of Satzuma,
are admitted to other kingdoms.
[The kingdom of Japon is subject to constant changes and novelties, as
may be known by those who have lived in it, and by those who have read
what historians have to say of it. Although the plague of inconstancy
is very common among all heathen, the Japanese are particularly subject
to it. It is not to be wondered at that the king of Satzuma, after
all that he had done to bring religious from St. Dominic to Manila,
should have expelled them without any cause. The natural inconstancy
of this race is sufficient explanation for his conduct. St. Francis
Xavier was expelled from the same kingdom of Satzuma, as he was
afterwards from the country of Yamaguçu, [55] whence he fled to the
kingdom of Firando. As early as the year 1555, the heathen Japanese
believed that so soon as the faith should enter their country the
kingdom would be destroyed; and in the following year the city of
Amaguchi was destroyed, and there was a great persecution. In the
year 1564 there was another persecution, even more severe, in Meaco,
the imperial court. Father Cosme de Torres was obliged to leave there
and to go to the kingdom of Bungo. In Firando the churches were
overthrown, and the emperor Nabunanga imprisoned Father Argentino
[56] and his associate, refusing to release them until he received,
as a ransom, from the most noble and Catholic Don Justo the fortress
called Tayca Yama. [57] In 1599 the Taico [i.e., Iyeyasu] banished
by public edict all the religious there were in Japon (all of whom
were then Jesuits), declaring that all Christians were his enemies;
but soon after he granted to father Fray Juan Cobo--a religious of
St. Dominic, who had come from Manila as ambassador--that he, and
religious of the Society or of any other order, might preach and make
converts in Japon. The sons of the seraphic father St. Francis went,
under this permission, in 1593, and were kindly received; but very
soon afterward commands were given to crucify them, as preachers of the
gospel. Father Fray Francisco de Morales felt that conditions were such
that it was necessary to comply, and began by taking down the church
and looking for boats to carry it in; for it was fitted together with
grooves, without nails, and could be, used elsewhere. They removed
for a time to Meyaco, and soon afterwards to the city of Ozaca. In the
erection of both churches they were bitterly opposed by the members of
the other religious orders, although the others could not serve the
twentieth or the thirtieth part of the people of those cities. The
Japanese banished from Satzuma suffered greatly. Among this people
banishment is often worse than death, which is not greatly feared by
them. Banishment is generally accompanied with a loss of their goods,
so that those who are noble and rich are by it instantly reduced
to poverty and drudgery. The fathers carried away their vestments,
the timber of the church, and the body of the holy martyr Leon,
removing them to Nangasaqui. Father Fray Francisco also carried
with him the lepers of the hospital which he had before his house,
that they might not be left in the power of wolves. In the meantime,
the affairs of Christianity went on prosperously in the kingdom of
Fixen. In July, 1609, father Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas, who sent
the first religious to Japon when he was provincial, came to Japon
as vicar-provincial, bringing with him as his associate brother Fray
Antonio de San Vicente. He labored much and successfully in Fixen,
and the Lord showed the fathers grace by enabling them to baptize many
whom He had predestinated at the point of death. There were especially
many cases of baptism of new-born children, whom the parents intended
to kill, or left to drown in the river.]
One day's journey up the river from Abulug, in the province of Nueva
Segovia, there is a village named Fotol in the midst of a number of
other smaller villages, as is customary among the mountains. When
these villages were visited for the purpose of collecting tribute,
the religious was accustomed to go along that he might be there
conveniently to give them some knowledge of the law of God, and strive
to bring them to a love of the faith by which they might be saved. This
diligence, although it was exercised so seldom--only once a year--was
yet not in vain; for the words of the gospel sown in the hearts of
these heathen took root and caused them to go down [the river],
voluntarily, for the purpose of seeking a preacher to live among
them, to teach, direct, and baptize them. Father Fray Miguel de San
Jacintho, vicar of Abulug, sent there father Fray Diego Carlos. [58]
The Spaniards did not dare to visit the village when they collected
the tribute, except in numbers and with arms. On this account,
and because they were surrounded by mountaineers who were heathen,
untamed, and ferocious, it seemed to the Christian Indians of Abulug
that the religious ought not to go without a guard to protect his life;
but since the order given by our Lord Jesus Christ is not such, but
directs that His preachers should go as sheep among wolves, father
Fray Diego would not receive the advice given him by these Indians,
though they were friendly; and departed alone with his associate,
as a preacher of peace and of the law of love. All the Indians,
great and small, came out to receive them with great joy; and the
religious immediately began to preach to them and to teach them. In
a short time they did a great work, and baptized not only those of
this village, but also those who dwelt near there. They left their
old sites and, gathering in this one, formed a new settlement. The
church was built under the patronage of our Lady of the Rosary,
and here the Christian faith went on flourishing until the devil,
hating so much good, disturbed them and caused them to fall away for a
time--to their great harm, spiritual and temporal; though afterward,
recognizing their error, they returned to their obedience to their
Creator, as will be told hereafter. Almost in the same manner, and
following the same course, another church was built at this time in
the high region at the head of the great river, six days' journey
from the city of the Spaniards, in a village named Batavag. Here
father Fray Luis Flores, who was afterward a holy martyr in Japon,
gathered together seven little hamlets, making one very peaceful
one. He preached to them, taught them, and baptized many, without
receiving any other assistance in all this than that which the Lord
promises those who, for love of Him and from zeal for souls, go alone,
disarmed, and in gentleness among heathen. To such no evil can happen,
since, if the heathen hear the teaching and are converted, all is
happiness and joy both in heaven and for the preachers, since the
sinners are converted; while if they refuse to admit them, or if,
when the preachers are admitted, the heathen do not become converts,
the preachers have a certain reward, as the Lord has promised. This
reward will be much greater if the heathen, in addition to refusing
to be converted, treat them ill, or take their lives from them, for
the sake of the Lord whom they preach. Therefore in this as in all the
other conversions the religious have always gone alone, unarmed, and
in poverty, but sure that they are to suffer no evil. The results in
Batavag were very good, although they did not last many years because,
desirous of a greater laxity of life than the divine law permits,
the natives went up into the neighboring mountain, apostatizing from
the faith which many of them had professed in baptism.
In the mountains of Ytui, which are not far from Pangasinan, father
Fray Juan de San Jacintho went on a journey at this time, accompanied
by only two Indians. Here he taught, settled their disputes, and
brought them to the faith. These people were a race of mountaineers,
among whom other religious had not been safe even with an escort of
many soldiers; but the gentle manners of father Fray Juan caused them
to become calm, and many of them came sometimes to Pangasinan to ask
that religious might be given to them. Many years passed before it was
possible to provide them with religious; but the father provincial had,
as minister of Pangasinan, seen their pious desires and wished to give
them the religious. For this he requested the sanction of the ordinary,
and asked the governor for the royal patronage. When the fathers of
St. Francis learned this, they came and said that this conversion
belonged to them, because it was very near to the ministry and the
convent which they had in Baler. The order (which needed religious
in other regions) instantly yielded without any dispute, permitting
the fathers of St. Francis to take charge of these Indians. This they
did, but very soon abandoned them, since the region was not one to be
coveted, but was very unhealthy. As a result these Indians remained
for some time deprived of the ministry of the holy gospel; and,
what caused greater regret, they were morally certain to apostatize,
like many other Christians among heathens, since they were children
among idolatrous parents and kinsmen, without religious and without
instruction.
[In this year, 1609, father Fray Juan de Anaya departed this life. He
was a native of San Pedro de las Dueñas, two leguas from Segovia,
and was a professed son of the convent at Valladolid, whence he came
to this province in 1598. He was sent immediately to Nueva Segovia,
the conversion of which had just begun. He learned the language very
quickly, and so wrought with them that he not only taught them the
gospel and the Christian life, but also civilization. He showed them
how to build their houses, and how to work their fields; and taught
them all other matters of human life, not only by instruction, but
by example. He sought out the Indians, and brought them down from the
mountains and the hiding-places where some, deluded by their sins, had
gone to hide from grace. Father Fray Juan was not content to ask where
they were and to send for them; but, trusting in his natural strength,
he went to look for them and brought them down from the mountains,
traveling through the rough and thorny places among the thickets
where they hid. He compelled them to enter upon the path of their
welfare, not by the violence of a tyrant, but by the force of love and
charity. When he was vicar of Pilitan, some of the poor Indians lost
all their harvest from an overflow of the river. Not daring to wait
for those who were to come and get the tribute, and indeed through
fear of starvation, they left the village, and many of them fled to
the mountains. Father Fray Juan was deeply afflicted because of the
danger which their souls ran. This grief and his many labors affected
his health, and finally brought on a flux, from which he died. Another
religious, a subordinate and companion of Father Juan, father Fray
Vicente Alfonso, died eight days later. He was a Valencian by birth,
and had been a sailor up to his twenty-fourth year. He assumed the
habit in the convent of Preachers in Valencia, and set a good and
humble example as a religious. He was very charitable, giving away even
his clothes to the poor. In the province of Pangasinan, in the month of
August, 1609, there departed from the miseries of this life father Fray
Francisco Martinez, a native of Zacatecas, and a son of the convent
of Mexico. He came to Manila in 1598, and was assigned to Pangasinan,
where he learned the language of the natives with great perfection. He
was constant in labor and in prayer. To defend the Indians, he did not
shrink from suffering or fear the perils of the sea. On one occasion,
when he had gone to Manila on this account, he fell into the hands
of Japanese pirates on his way back to Pangasinan, and was several
times in danger of death, with the pirate's knife at his throat, who
intended by such terrors to increase the ransom. Death called him from
his labors and sufferings. He rejoiced, and died a most holy death.]
In this year the most reverend general of the order, seeing how many
great things were wrought by the medium of the divine grace through
the religious of this province, and condemning the silence with which
they hid and covered them, without giving any account of them even to
the general head and superior of the order, issued a mandate to the
provincials that they should every year, on pain of incurring mortal
sin, give him information of what took place in this province of the
Philippinas, Japon, and China in the conversions of the heathen and
the extension of the holy Church, the service of the divine Majesty,
and the edification of the people of Christ. In addition to this, they
were to give an account of the state of our order in each province,
declaring how many and what convents it included, how many religious it
possessed, and of what virtue, sanctity, learning, and good example
they were; telling if any of them, after having done illustrious
things, had died gloriously; and recounting all other matters which
might be an honor to God, a source of comfort to the religious, and
an adornment and decoration of our religious order. Together with
this mandate, he wrote with his own hand the following letter, from
which may be seen the high esteem in which he held this province. The
letter is in the archives of the convent of Manila.
"Very reverend Father Provincial: Father Fray Alonso Navarrete has
given me good news of the great devotion, spirit, and continual
preaching in this new province. In this I have felt very great
satisfaction; but it would be desirable that I should receive more
detailed reports with regard to matters there, and particularly with
regard to what has been done for the conversion of the heathen, by
the grace of our Lord, in those kingdoms of China and Japon. This
knowledge would be of great service to our Lord, great edification
to our fellow-men, and great honor to our holy religious order. On
this account and in order that you, very reverend Father, may have the
merit of obedience, it has seemed good to me to send you the enclosed
mandate. This is sent, however, still more that it may serve as a
memorandum for the fathers provincials who may succeed your Reverence
in that province, because I know that there may be some carelessness
in this respect. Orders have already been given that friars religious
shall go to that province to preach and assist your Paternities in the
conversion of the heathen. Would that it might please our Lord that I
might go with those for whom our Lord has prepared so great rewards
in heaven. Your prayers, very reverend Father, and the prayers of
all that province I beg for myself and for my associates. Palermo,
June 18, 1609. Your Reverence's fellow-servant in God,
Fray Agustin Galaminio,
master of the Order of Preachers."
CHAPTER LXIX
The venerable father Fray Bartolome de Nieva, and brother Fray Pedro
Rodriguez
[Death fell heavily upon our fathers in this year, seizing the best on
every side. In Manila it cut short the thread of the life of father
Fray Bartolome de Nieva. Father Fray Bartolome was a native of Nieva
in Castilla la Vieja. While still a layman, he went to the Indias in
the search for wealth. He spent some years in Mexico; and in spite of
the great wealth of that country, the luxury of life there, and the
agreeable climate, he could not be satisfied or find peace. Hence he
determined to change his course of life, that he might find the calm
for which he sought. Though he was already a grown man, he became
a child in following the duties of a religious order. He assumed
the habit in the convent of Sancto Domingo in that illustrious
city, and began not only upon the elements of the religious life,
but upon those of grammar. He did well in the studies of arts and
theology, and by the aid of the Lord he came forth a religious of
great spiritual qualities--prayer, penitence, and prudence, both
spiritual and temporal. He joined a company of religious who passed
through Mexico in the year 1594, on their way to the Philippinas. He
was too old to learn the language of the Indians, but he accompanied
the brother who taught and baptized the Chinese in the hospital for
that people; and thus assisted the other minister, whose duty it was to
live in the hospital. When he determined to go to the Philippinas his
companions in Mexico strove to prevent him, because he suffered from
several infirmities, and the labors in the Philippinas were known to
be very severe. The Lord, however, gave signs that He desired him to
go. He showed especial devotion to the holy Virgin and was a useful
and devoted minister. The Lord gave father Fray Bartolome wonderful
powers of spiritual conversation, and of insight into character; and
even some powers of prophecy, of which a number of illustrations are
given. Through him the Lord healed not a few sick. A letter of his is
reported at length, in which he incites a sinner to give up his evil
way of life, and shows a knowledge of the man's heart which could only
have been given him by God. Other instances of the same sort are cited
and an account of the holy death of father Fray Bartolome is given.
At the same time there died brother Fray Pedro Rodriguez, a companion
of the first founders of this province. He was most closely associated
with those who taught and baptized the Chinese. During his whole life
he had sole charge of the temporal affairs of the hospital. Father Fray
Pedro was not content with receiving those who came, but had persons
to inform him if there were any sick in the orchards or quarries, or
other places where the Chinese who live about Manila were gathered for
work; and immediately sent to have them brought to the hospital. He
often went in person to bring them, and, no matter how offensive or
disgusting their diseases, he cared for them with his own hands. He
waited upon them at all hours of the day and night, caring for
their bodies; and he strove to teach them the things necessary for
the salvation of their souls, as soon as their sickness gave him an
opportunity. He suffered greatly from asthma; but, in spite of this
affliction, he constantly employed the discipline of stripes--not
upon his flesh, for he had none, but upon his bones, which were
covered with nothing but skin; insomuch that some Spaniards came to
look at him, regarding it as a marvel that such a living image of
death should be able to stand. His head was like a skull with eyes
in it, but so sunken that it seemed almost as if he had none. The
truth is that he ate no more than sufficient to sustain him in this
condition; yet he was so attentive and careful to provide dainty food
for a sick man that the religious were sent there to him during their
convalescence. He had no greater pleasure than this and his unexpected
success in converting some heathen. The Lord provided him with these
pleasures, which served him as food and drink to sustain his life. To
the two hours of mental prayer observed in the whole province he added
two others daily, continuing them after that which follows matins,
and prolonging them till dawn. As soon as daylight appeared he left
the work of Mary to go to that of Martha in caring for his sick,
giving them breakfast after their own custom--which is followed in
all the care that is given them, and in everything done for them. In
spite of all these labors he thought so humbly of himself that one
day when a religious heard him uttering heavy groans and deep sighs,
and asked the cause, being unable to refrain from doing so, Fray Pedro
answered that it was because he was so evil that, though he had so many
times prayed to the Lord for a trifle of His love and charity, he had
not gained it. The superior desired to try him as to his obedience;
and seeing that he labored with such delight at the hospital, and
took such joy in serving the sick, he determined to find out if there
were some self-love hidden in all this. He therefore directed him to
leave the hospital, and to come to the city and take up the office of
sacristan in the convent. Fray Pedro immediately obeyed, and, going
into the sacristy which was entrusted to him, he fulfilled his duty
with cleanliness, neatness, and good grace in all things, just as if
he had exercised it all his life, and had never been occupied with
the other. He was accordingly directed to return to the hospital,
where he was more needed. The governor, Don Juan de Silva, went to
visit the hospital; and when he saw this brother with nothing but
bones and skin, and when he heard the things which they said of him,
he felt such reverence for him that he kissed his hand, and offered him
his favor for all things of which his hospital had need, and arranged
to grant him all that he wished, for the governor looked upon him
and venerated him as a saint. At the time of his death, about three
thousand who had died in the hospital had received baptism. In the
intermediate chapter which took place in the following year honorable
mention was made of this religious.]
CHAPTER LXX
Father Fray Luis Gandullo, his entrance upon the religious life,
and his coming to this province
[The events which happened in the case of this father are such as God
rarely manifests, even in the case of those who are nearest to Him;
and I should not dare to bring them to the light if they were not
attested by three notable circumstances. The first is that he never
formed his own judgment about what happened, but submitted the matter
to a learned and spiritual man. The second is, that father Fray Luis
kept such silence about these things that he only revealed them under
the solemn mandate of his superior. The third is the innocence of his
life, and his marvelous virtue. A formal certificate as to these three
circumstances is given at length; it is by Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas,
and is dated at Manila, August 10, 1615. Father Fray Luis Gandullo
was a native of the town of Aracena in the archbishopric of Sevilla,
and was born of a rich and noble family. At the age of fourteen he
made a vow to assume the habit of the Dominican order. This vow he
was unable to carry out for eight years, because of his duties to
his widowed mother and his two sisters. While still a youth, he was
favored with a vision of the Virgin, which was followed soon after
by a vision in which the devil appeared to him. After his two sisters
were settled in life a certain trouble befell him in his own country,
which obliged him to leave it and to go to the Indias. He dwelt for
some time in Nueva España, where he lived with some freedom, the Lord
preparing to drive him, by the very thorns which he should find in this
road, to the religious life. His ancient desires to become a friar of
St. Dominic returned to his mind, and he began to arrange with the
prior of the convent of the city of Puebla to assume the habit. The
prior and the friars of the convent, being asked by him if a secret
business pledge which he had made had any validity, declared that it
had no force in conscience, and would not hold him in a court of law
if the party concerned would tell the truth of the case. He assumed
the habit and waited for fourteen months to be professed. While he
was looking for his profession to take place his creditor entered the
convent, declaring that they were taking away his money by permitting
the novice to enter the profession, since he could earn what he owed
in the secular life. Upon this, the superior commanded Luis to lay
aside the habit; but the Lord punished the creditor by burning a
great deal more of his property than the debt amounted to. Luis,
who knew that the obligation was merely a confidential agreement,
refused to pay it because he did not owe it. He was ordained as priest,
having determined to become a secular clergyman. Under this condition
he prayed God to help him fulfil his vow; and afterward had visions,
among them a dreadful one of the devil in the form of a snake. Being
constantly attended by visions, he determined to carry out his vow,
and one night heard a voice calling to him, "Luis!" He answered,
"Lord!" and the voice went on to say, "Rise, and go to Mexico to
assume the habit." It seemed to him that it was the voice of his dead
brother. His conduct when he came to the convent was such that the
brethren there decided to grant him the habit and the profession
together, since he had already completed his novitiate. When the
founders of this province went through Puebla, father Fray Luis
desired to accompany them, but was unable to carry out his wish at
that time. He received intimations from a holy woman, a penitent
of his, that the Lord favored his desire to come to this province;
and to this intimation were added other supernatural signs. A great
scandal having arisen because of violence shown by the viceroy
to a superior of a certain religious order, [59] father Fray Luis
felt called upon to preach against the viceroy; he was condemned
to exile in the Philippinas, and received the sentence with joy. He
accompanied father Fray Juan Cobo, who was exiled for the same cause,
as is narrated in chapter twenty-four of this history.]
(To be concluded.)
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL DATA
The present volume contains the second instalment of Aduarte's
Historia, begun in Vol. XXX (q.v.); it includes chapters xxxviii to
lxx (pp. 167-384), inclusive, of book i. The concluding installment
will be presented in Vol. XXXII.
NOTES
[1] i.e., "The holy synod commands parish priests and other preachers
to the Indians to instruct them often and earnestly in the doctrine
of this mystery;" and, "To those whom the parish priest shall regard
as sufficiently instructed, and made fit by the correctness of their
lives, he shall not fail to administer the holy eucharist, on the
first Easter following."
[2] Francisco Blancas de San José was a native of Tarazona, and
entered the Dominican order at Alcalá de Henares. He came to Manila
with the mission of 1595, and was sent to Bataán; afterward he
spent several years in the Manila convent, preaching to Indians and
Chinese, as well as Spaniards. He also gave especial attention to
the instruction of the negroes and slaves there, of whom there were
many thousands. He also labored in Cagayán and (1609) in Mindoro
and Balayan. In 1614 he sailed for Spain, but died on the voyage,
before reaching Mexico. (Reseña biográfica, i, pp. 172-177.)
[3] Jacinto de San Jerónimo came to the islands with the mission of
1604. The rest of his life was spent mainly in the missions of Cagayán;
near its end, he went to the new mission of Ituy (now Nueva Vizcaya),
where he died in 1637. (Reseña biográfica, i, p. 327.)
[4] Probably referring to the expedition sent from Mexico early in
1559, to conquer Florida, under command of Tristan de Luna y Arellano;
it included 500 Spanish soldiers and a considerable number of Indian
allies. This attempt proved unsuccessful, and most of the Spaniards
were slain by the warlike Florida Indians.
[5] The sketch of Salazar's life given in Reseña biográfica (i,
pp. 35-49) states that he obtained permission to carry twenty religious
with him to the Philippines, all of whom he procured from the convent
at Salamanca. But twelve of them died (apparently from ship-fever)
before reaching Mexico; and the others were so prostrated by sickness
that they could go no farther.
[6] i.e., "Reprove, entreat, rebuke, in all patience and doctrine."
[7] Cantaro (from Latin, cantharus): the name of a large earthen or
metal receptacle for liquids, hence for the amount contained in it;
also, a measure for wine, varying in different parts of Spain. The
cantaro (or alquiére) of Portugal is equivalent to nearly 2 1/5 or
3 1/3 U. S. gallons in Lisbon and Oporto respectively.
[8] Referring to the cultivation of their rice, usually in fields
more or less under water.
[9] i.e., the fifth Sunday in Lent.
[10] These were Dominicans and Franciscans (Vol. IX, pp. 161,
172). One of the latter was named Gregorio da Cruz; a letter from him
to Dasmariñas may be found in Vol. IX, p. 197. Huerta, however, says
(Estado, pp. 672, 673) that the early Franciscan missions lasted only
from 1583 to 1586, and were not resumed until the year 1700.
[11] See Morga's account of this expedition and its results, in
Vol. XV, pp. 78-89, 130-160, 187-190. Cf. letters sent from Manila
to Camboja, and papers connected with the embassy sent to Dasmariñas,
in Vol. IX, pp. 76-78, 86, 87, 161-180.
[12] The island (and group) of Lubang, southwest of Manila; a
dependency formerly of the province of Cavite, but now of Marinduque.
[13] Pulo Obi--that is, Obi Island; it lies near Cape Camâo (sometimes
called Cambodia), the southernmost point of Cochinchina.
[14] It is difficult to identify this town with exactness, but it is
probably the same as the modern Pnom-penh (Panomping) on the great
river Me-khong (also called Cambodia). The usurper of Langara's throne
was Anacaparan (see Morga's account, in Vol. XV).
[15] That is, the usurper Anacaparan. According to Morga, he resided
at Sistor, which probably was the modern Udong.
[16] Tiuman (Timoan, Timun) Island is off the eastern coast of the
Malay peninsula; it is about ten miles long and five broad, and is
a mass of rock, rising into heights of 2,000 to 3,000 feet.
[17] Pedro de Ledesma, although an old man when he came to the
islands, lived until 1625, after having filled several offices in his
order--mainly at Manila, where he died. He brought seven missionaries
with him (1596).
[18] For meaning of this title, see Vol. XV, p. 88.
[19] See Morga's account of this expedition (Vol. XV,
pp. 160-168). Another relation (unsigned) is presented in a
MS. document conserved in the Archivo general de Indias, with the
pressmark: "Simancas-Secular; Cartas y expedientes del gobernador de
Filipinas; años 1600 á 1628; est. 67, caj. 6, leg. 7."
[20] According to the MS. mentioned in preceding note, this officer
was Pedro de Beaztegui (probably for Verastegui).
[21] Spanish, Avia yo andado todas estas estaçiones: an allusion
to the "stations" which represent, in a Roman Catholic church, the
stages in Christ's sufferings; and to the devotion which consists in
making the circuit of these stations.
[22] See Vol. XV, p. 206.
[23] Apparently meaning here, "the country of the Irrayas," rather
than the name of any distinct district. The Irrayas are in modern
times a heathen tribe, of mixed Malay and Negrito blood, dwelling in
the southern part of Isabela province, Luzón, on the western slopes
of the Palanan range, and on tributary streams far up the Rio Grande
de Cagayán.
[24] The Angatatan River, on which is situated the hamlet of Magaldan;
it falls into Lingayén Gulf.
[25] Thus in Aduarte's text, but misprinted for Guadaira. Alcala de
Guadaira is a small town in the diocese of Sevilla.
[26] Prauncar, the son of Langara; he had been replaced on his throne
by the Spanish adventurers. See Morga's account of Joan de Mendoza's
expedition to Camboja, and the death of these two Dominicans, in
Vol. XV, pp. 183-190, 244-247.
[27] According to Morga's account, this friar was a Dominican.
[28] The Dominicans made their first establishment at the City of
Mexico in 1526; nine years later, their houses were organized into
the province of Santiago de Mexico. In 1550, Chiapas and Guatemala
were separated therefrom, and formed into a new province; and in
1592 permission was given to cut out still another, the province of
Oajaca. Alonso de Vayllo was its second provincial (1594-97). See
account of the Dominican order in Nueva España in the sixteenth
century, in Bancroft's Hist. Mexico, ii, pp. 724-733.
[29] i.e., "Christ became, for our sake, obedient even unto death."
[30] Tomás Hernández was sent, soon after his arrival at Manila (1602),
to the Japan mission; but at the end of four years he returned with
broken health, which compelled him to cease his labors. He lingered,
however, until 1642, when he died at Manila.
[31] See list of these missionaries in Reseña biográfica, i,
pp. 307-319. Thirty-one arrived at Manila, besides the two who died
on the way.
[32] One of the year-periods used in Japanese chronology (see
Vol. VIII, p. 263). The Keicho period is 1596-1615.
[33] All these priests became martyrs, except Hernandez; the fate of
the lay brother is unknown.
[34] One of the Koshiki Islands, lying west of Satsuma, and belonging
to that district.
[35] Konishi Yukinaga Tsu-no-Kami, a noted general, was converted in
1584, and took the name of Augustin. In 1592 he commanded the main
army (composed mainly of Christian Japanese) sent by Taikô-sama
for the conquest of Korea. Konishi won renown in that enterprise,
in which he was engaged until Taikô-sama's death (1598) caused the
recall of the Japanese troops from Korea. Opposing Iyeyasu, Konishi
was among the prisoners taken at the battle of Sekigahara (1600),
and was beheaded at Kioto. See Rein's Japan, pp. 284-288, 290, 299.
[36] Owotomo Bungo-no-Kami (called Franciscus by the Jesuits), the
most powerful feudal lord in Kiushiu, was one of the first daimiôs
in Japan to accept Christianity, and was the main support of the
missions in their early years. He died in 1587. The family of this
prince were deprived, under Iyeyasu, of their possessions, which were
divided among the latter's adherents. See Rein's Japan, pp. 273, 519.
[37] This was a soldier named Joan Diaz (Vol. XV, pp. 189,
279). Cf. Morga's account of this Dominican mission (Vol. XV,
pp. 279, 280).
[38] Jerónimo de Belén, a Portuguese by birth, came in the mission
of 1595, from Puebla de los Angeles, Mexico. He ministered at Bataán,
Manila, and Cavite respectively; in 1603 went on the Camboja mission,
and on its failure returned to Manila. He died in 1642, in Pampanga.
[39] Sketches of the lives of all these friars are given in Reseña
biográfica, i, pp. 320-327.
[40] This friar came in 1604; he died at Nasiping, July 16, 1611.
[41] Pedro Muriel came to the islands in 1615, and was sent to the
Cagayán missions, where he seems to have spent most of his remaining
years. He died at Manila, about 1642.
[42] Itaves is a district south of central Cagayán, on the waters
of the Rio Chico de Cagayan (or Bangag River). It has over 15,000
inhabitants, contained in more than a hundred villages; these people
are mainly Calauas, and are heathen Malays. See U. S. Gazetteer of
Philippine Islands, p. 561; also Smithsonian Report, 1899, p. 535.
[43] Juan de Naya spent most of his missionary life in Cagayán. Finally
being ordered to Mexico, he died on the voyage thither, January
27, 1620.
[44] Andres de Haro, a native of Toledo, made his profession at
Cuenca in 1613. He came to the Philippines in 1615, and spent more
than forty years in the Cagayán missions. At various times he filled
important offices in Manila, among them, that of commissary of the
Inquisition. He died in that city, September 19, 1670, at the age of
seventy-six years.
[45] Apparently a reference to the Jesuit Alonso Sanchéz, who had gone
in 1586 to Spain (see Vol. VI) as envoy from the various estates of
the Philippine colony.
[46] i.e., "Farewell in the Lord, beloved of my heart; may you fare
well and happily forever."
[47] This was Matsura Shigenobu Hô in, the daimiô of Hirado (Firando)
and Iki. He succeeded his father in 1584, and died in 1614, at the
age of sixty-five. He was an officer in the Korean campaigns under
Konishi, and served during 1592-98. See Satow's note regarding him,
in Voyage of Saris (Hakluyt Society's publications, London, 1900),
p. 79; also his portrait, p. 80.
[48] The same as bagacay or bacacae; see Vol. XVI, p. 55.
[49] Hizen is one of the most notable provinces of Japan, commercially
and historically. Its chief city is Nagasaki, which about 1586 was
wrested from the daimiô of Omura by Taikô-sama, and declared the
property of the central government. The Dutch maintained a factory
there, although under humiliating conditions and restrictions,
from 1639 to 1859. Another notable town in Hizen is Arima, where the
Christians were so cruelly persecuted in 1637. The daimiô of Hizen,
mentioned by Aduarte, was probably Nabeshima, prince of Saga, who
was a favorite with Iyeyasu.
See Rein's Japan, pp. 300, 520-523.
[50] Juan de San Jacinto made his profession in the Dominican convent
at Salamanca, in 1594. He came to Manila in the mission of 1602, and
ministered to the natives in Pangasinan and afterward in Ituy. He
was finally compelled by ill-health to retire to Manila, where he
died in 1626. See Reseña biográfica, i, p. 316.
[51] Pedro de Santo Tomás came to the islands in the mission of 1602,
and labored twenty years in the Cagayán missions--especially among the
Irrayas, whom he pacified after their revolt against the Spaniards. He
died at Lal-ló, June 29, 1622.
[52] The Japanese custom of hara-kiri, or seppuku; see description
Rein's Japan, pp. 328, 329; cf. Griffis's Mikado's Empire, p. 221.
[53] The bonzes are the priests of the Buddhist temples; but they
belong to various sects under the general appellation of Buddhism.
[54] This daimiô was Shimadzu Yoshihisa; he was commissioned to
subjugate the Riu-Kiu Islands, which were then added to the province
of Satsuma.
[55] i.e., Yamaguchi, in Nagato; the latter is the province at the
southwest extremity of Hondo (or Nippon) Island, and lies opposite
Kiushiu Island (in which are Satsuma and Hizen).
[56] Father Organtinus (Sommervogel can find no distinctive Christian
name) was born at Brescia in 1530, and entered the order in 1556. He
set out from Lisbon for India in 1567; and soon went to Japan, where
he spent the rest of his life, dying at Nagasaki in May, 1609.
Murdoch and Yamagata's History of Japan, 1542-1651 (Kobe, 1903), gives
this Jesuit's name as Organtino Gnecchi (or Soldi), and the date of
his arrival in Japan as 1572; and furnishes considerable information
(partly derived from Charlevoix) regarding Gnecchi's labors in Japan.
[57] Takayama (called Justo Ukondono by the Jesuits) the governor of
Akashi, in Harima; at Adzuchi-yama, on Lake Birva, he built a house
and church for the Jesuits, and otherwise favored them. About 1615,
he was, with other Christians, banished to Manila.
Nobunaga became, about the middle of the sixteenth century, the most
powerful feudal lord in Japan. He strove to govern the country in
the name of the Mikado, but aroused the enmity of the other feudal
lords and of the Buddhist priesthood, and was treacherously slain in
1582. See Rein's Japan, pp. 267-273, 306.
[58] Diego Carlos was a native of Guatemala, and made his profession
at Puebla de los Angeles in 1592. Six years later, he came to the
Philippines, and spent the rest of his life in the Cagayan missions,
where he died in 1626.
[59] Probably referring to the act of Villamanrique in sending to
Spain ignominiously (1588) the Franciscan commissary Alonzo Ponce
(Bancroft's Hist. Mexico, ii, pp. 717, 718).
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898:
Volume XXXI, 1640, by Diego Aduarte
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