[1] According to Sommervogel, Juan de Ribera was born at Puebla de los Angeles in 1565, and entered upon his novitiate at Rome in 1582. He was sent to the Philippines in 1595, and taught theology and was rector at Manila, where he died June 5, 1622. Besides the present letter, Father Ribera was the author of the Lettera annua from the Philippines for 1602–1603, which was printed at Venice and Paris, in Italian and French respectively, in 1605.
[2] In regard to the correction of Manila time, see Vol. I, p. 22, note 2.
[3] That is, “the Great Mogul,” meaning “the ruler of Mogor,” a name applied to Hindostan. The monarch here referred to is Jáhangír (or Jehanghir), the tenth of the Mogul emperors, who in 1605 succeeded to the throne by the death of his father, Akbar the Great. See account of his power and wealth, by Pyrard de Laval (publications of Hakluyt Society, London, 1888–90) ii, pp. 250–253; also The Hawkins’ Voyages and Embassy of Sir Thomas Roe (published by the same society in 1878 and 1899, respectively). Roe and William Hawkins successively resided at Jáhangír’s court between 1610 and 1620. An interesting sketch of Jáhangír’s life is given by Valentyn in his Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën (Dordrecht and Amsterdam, MDCCXXIV), part iv, sec. ii, pp. 218–230; it is part of a series of the sketches, “Lives of the Great Moguls.”
[4] According to Montero y Vidal (Hist. Filipinas, i, p. 161) this expedition was under the orders of Alonso Váez Coutiño.
[5] A small piece of ordnance; or, a long musket or matchlock.
[6] The plan of Malaca in Bellin’s Atlas maritime (Paris, 1764), iii, 46, indicates this church, stating that it was then a magazine within the fort. Other public buildings are located—the Chinese pagoda and bazar, the Mahometan mosque, etc. See Valentyn’s account, descriptive and historical, of “Malakka,” in his Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën, part v, book vi, pp. 308–360; it contains a large engraving, a view of the city of Malaca.
[7] A small city in the province of Badajoz, Spain.
[8] Cf. La Concepción’s account (Hist. de Philipinas, iv. pp. 330–366) of the ravages committed by the Dutch; the despatch of a fleet from India at Silva’s request (made through the Jesuits Gomez and Ribera), and its conflicts with Malays and Dutch at Malacca; Silva’s preparations for the joint expedition; his journey to Malacca, and death there; and the return of his fleet to Manila, and failure of all this costly enterprise. La Concepción mentions Ribera’s account (p. 344), and says (p. 337); “We have a complete diary, written by the rector of Manila [Ribera], from the twenty-first of November, when they hoisted sail at Cavite”—that is, when he went on the embassy to India in 1614. Apparently his account, as here presented, has been synopsized and abridged by Ventura del Arco, who has also borrowed somewhat from Ledesma’s letter (post).
[9] This part of the document is the version of Ribera’s letter which appears in Colin’s Labor evangelica, pp. 802–806. It is here presented as containing some matter not in the other copy, and as showing the methods of the respective editors.
[10] i.e., Kocchi. As in all foreign words ending with a vowel, the Portuguese have nasalised the “i.” In 1505 it was written “Coxi.” See A.C. Burnell’s note in Voyage of Linschoten (Hakluyt Society’s publications, London, 1885), i, p. 68. This city lies some thirty miles north of Cape Comorin.