Read Ebook: The Philippine Islands 1493-1898: Volume 31 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 ec by Aduarte Diego Bourne Edward Gaylord Commentator Blair Emma Helen Editor Robertson James Alexander Editor

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Father Fray Juan de Castro, one of the first founders of this province

The journey made by the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez to Camboxa

The wars which followed in the prosecution of this embassy

Our departure from the kingdom and the events which happened during our return to Manila

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 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 Espa?a. 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 Espa?a. 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 . Father Fray Pedro de Ledesma 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 Espa?a 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 went from Cochinchina to the kingdom of the Laos to look for the king of Camboja, met with success. They found his son , 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 Espa?a 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: 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.

I am commanded to go to China; events there, and the death of father Fray Alonso Ximenez

The coming of some religious to the province, and the transactions of the intermediate chapter

Though the procurator whom this province had in Espa?a 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 , 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 Espa?a 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. 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 Espa?a. Though all these religious were at that time in or near Andalucia, they returned to their provinces of Espa?a 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 Espa?a. 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 Espa?a 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 Espa?a, 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. 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. 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. 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.

Fathers Fray Pedro de Soto, Fray Juan de San Pedro Martyr, and Fray Pedro de la Bastida who died at this time.

The election as provincial of father Fray Juan de Sancto Thomas, and the death of father Fray Damian Valaguer.

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.

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.

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 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 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, he read pro vobis , 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 Espa?a during the previous year. He assembled them at the port, where he delivered them to father Fray Thomas Hernandez, father Fray Diego remaining in Espa?a 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. It contained fourteen members from the colleges of the provinces of Espa?a, 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 Espa?a 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 , 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 Espa?a, 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 ; 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. 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 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.

The causes of the entry of our religious into Japon, and the circumstances under which they entered Satzuma.

Another mission of the religious to the kingdom of Camboja

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 Chanciller?a. 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 Espa?a 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 , 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" ; "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 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 Mari?as, 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 Mari?as 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 Acu?a, 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.

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 Espa?a, 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 Se?ora del Rosario 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 , and Nuestra Se?ora de la Asuncion 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 , 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 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 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 Marqu?s de Montes Claros, going to be viceroy of Nueva Espa?a, 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 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 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, 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 , 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, 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.

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.

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 Espa?a and Andalucia. Here he had as master him who of right was the master of the theology of Espa?a--the most learned father Fray Domingo Ba?ez. 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 , 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 Espa?a, 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 , 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 Espa?a. They were to accompany and assist the bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Sala?ar, who was going to discuss very important business with his Majesty; and were also to endeavor to bring back religious from Espa?a, 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 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 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 Espa?a, 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 had taken pains to introduce. He had come from the Philippinas with documentary authorizations from the bishop and the two cabildos , 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 Espa?a 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" "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 Espa?a, 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 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. 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 , 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.

Of some religious who died at this time

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 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.

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 the first of April in this year occurred the glorious victory which Don Pedro de Acu?a, 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 Espa?a, 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 , 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 Espa?a. 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 . 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 , and with a high wall, from which the enemy did much execution with bucacaos 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 , 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 , 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 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 Espa?a; 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.

Other events which happened at this time in Japon and the Philippinas

The foundation of Manavag in Pangasinan and the deaths of some religious

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 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-- 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 Espa?a. 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 , 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 , father Fray Pedro de Sancto Thomas 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, Do?a 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 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 Do?a 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 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 Espa?as, 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 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.

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.

, and thus kill themselves, that they may not die at the hands of another." 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 Fira?a. 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 there arrived at Manila some religious from the number of those who were brought from Espa?a 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 Espa?a. Father Fray Gabriel was a son of our convent at Oca?a. 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 Espa?a. 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.

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