The captured Spaniards were taken to the court of the king, which is a city more than twice as large as Sevilla.[2] They were led manacled through the streets, receiving many blows, and regarded as traitors. That happened in the year 1624. This disastrous event was learned in Manila by way of Macan, but no attention was given to the matter on account of the death of Governor Don Alonso Fajardo. In the year 1625, another Don Fernando de Silva, of the habit of Santiago, came to act as governor. At that time Father Pedro Morejon[3] arrived at Manila. He came from Roma by way of Yndia and Camboja (which lies next Siam), and was informed of that disaster there. Governor Don Fernando de Silva, seeing that Father Pedro Morejon, as he had been so long a minister in Japon, had great knowledge of, and access to, the Japanese, and that those Japanese who live in Siam have a great part in the government of that kingdom, suggested to the father to go there as ambassador, to see whether he could get what they had captured from our Spaniards, which belonged for the most part to the inhabitants of Manila. The father replied that he could not neglect, before all else, to go to Macan in order to advise his provincial of his procuratorship to Roma; but that his Lordship should write to him, and that he would return at the beginning of the year 1626, which was the season when one could go to Siam. The governor wrote, and the father provincial of Macan sent Father Pedro de Morejon for the said time, besides another Portuguese father, called Antonio Cardin.[4] They reached here in good time. The governor prepared a vessel with some Spaniards of good standing, and despatched them all by the month of January. They reached the kingdom and court of Siam and negotiated what they were able—namely, that the captives be delivered to them, as well as the artillery, and a quantity of iron belonging to our king which the ships were carrying, and which they seized from us, and some other merchandise. For although the king ordered everything to be given up, thinking that the goods were safe, as he had ordered, it was impossible to get them, the soldiers having pillaged them and divided them among themselves.
Father Pedro de Morejon was given a cordial reception by the king, who showed him many favors. At his departure the father told the king that he was leaving Father Cardin in his kingdom, and asked his Highness to protect him. The king offered to do so, and gave permission for all who wished to become Christians. Father Cardin erected his church and commenced his ministry. Father Morejon and the Spaniards returned to Manila, where they arrived in August of 1626; and they delivered to Governor Don Juan Niño, who had now arrived, a present given to them by the king of Siam. Father Morejon, being summoned by his provincial, went to Macao for the second time, where he is now. It is now reported that the governor is not satisfied with what they sent him. Perhaps he will attack Siam with the galleys, in order to punish that kingdom for its actions toward the Spaniards.
In order to destroy the trade between this city of Manila and Great China, and between Macan and Japon—the former for us, and the latter for the Portuguese—the Dutch formed a scheme to build a fort on the island of Hermosa. That is an island between Japon, China, and Manila, which extends north and south for more than fifty leguas, while it is about thirty broad. The Dutch built the said fort some years ago, and they have been fortifying it ever since; so that they have already erected four cavaliers, in which they have mounted twenty-four pieces of artillery—besides others that they have mounted on a platform which defends the entrance of the port, as those of the fort do not command it. The Dutch also have a stock-farm, which they began with cattle and horses brought from Japon. For its defense they built another large cavalier in which they mounted a half-dozen pieces, and stationed a few Dutchmen to guard it. They are now at peace with the natives, with whom they were formerly at war and who killed some of their men. In this way they have been established for some five or six years at that point, which they call Pachan. The Chinese have gone there with a great abundance of silks and other merchandise to trade. Consequently, they have made on that account a large alcaicería, where there are generally more than six thousand Chinese. The Japanese have also gone there from Japon with their ships, although it is said that they are ill satisfied because of I know not what duties that the Dutch asked them to pay. From that, notable damage can ensue to Castilians, Portuguese, and Chinese, since the Dutch are in the passage by which one goes from here to China, and from Macan to Japon. If we have not yet seen the damage so plainly with the eyes, it has been because the enemy are in great lack of ships and men.
In order to counterbalance that scheme and the designs of the Dutch, Don Fernando formed another scheme. He went to seize another port on the same island of Hermosa, some twenty leguas distant from China and thirty from the enemy. For that purpose he sent, in this year of 1626, two galleys with many small boats, infantry, and all that was necessary for the settlement, under an experienced captain called Carreño. They occupied the said port, and it is very good and suitable for our purpose. As our men entered the port, the whole population, numbering fully a thousand houses of the natives who were settled there, fled. Entering the houses, they were enabled to see, by the articles that they found there, that those people were intelligent and civilized. Our soldiers took some food, of which they kept account in order to pay for it—as they ought to do; since I know not what pretext they could have for showing hostility to the natives, since they had received no injury from them.
Our soldiers have fortified themselves there excellently. However, at the beginning, the land tried them, for many died, and they suffered great wretchedness and hardships—eating even dogs and rats, also grubs, and unknown herbs, because they soon finished the provisions which they had brought with them, and others had not arrived from Manila, as I shall relate later. But afterwards they got along very well, for many ships came from Great China with many presents and food. The climate is very fine, and like that of Nueva España. It has its winter and summer quite temperate, and has many fruits such as we have in our España—as for instance, pears and peaches, which are indications that it is as fine a country as is reported. We have also heard that wheat is harvested. The soldiers found skins of lions and tigers; and although there were none of those animals, as there are none in Filipinas, they had no lack of the skins. They sent to summon the Indians, some of whom came. They won them by means of caresses and presents, so that they continue to come. They are not driven from our fort; and they even delivered two infants to us for baptism, and others are petitioning it. There is great need of learning their language. They bring some food, which they exchange for jars, gems, agate, and silver, which they know thoroughly, and whose value they esteem. They have no headman or chief who governs them, but each village governs itself, and some villages have war with others.
The joy received in Manila at the news of the island of Hermosa was exuberant. At that time Don Juan Niño came to govern. He was unable to send them help at the right season [for sailing]; consequently, after it had sailed, the ship put back and was detained for more than four months in a port of this island. It sailed again, and again took refuge at Macan, whence they tried to make the voyage for the third time. They had so severe a storm that they lost their rudder, and reached the coast of China. After great danger and opposition from the Chinese of that region, they refitted, and finally made our port in the island of Hermosa, where they arrived April 29, 1627, and were received with the joy that can be imagined. They left there the supplies they had brought, and returned to Manila.
The governor sent to Macan to ask for a mestizo, Salvator Diaz, who was in the fort of the Dutch and who escaped from them. He has also prohibited vessels from sailing to China which pass near the establishment of the Dutch on the island of Hermosa. It is inferred from that that he is thinking of attacking the fort of the Dutch.
The persecution of the missionaries in Japon has daily been assuming greater fury, and the doors are daily being shut more closely on the religious. It has been ordered under penalty of death, and of being burned with their merchandise and ships, that no ship sail from Manila to Japon. Accordingly, one ship which sailed last year and which they had not notified of the edict, they notified and ordered to return immediately to Manila, without allowing anyone to disembark, or to buy or sell anything—keeping them, on the contrary, shut up on the ship and guarded. The Japanese made a law that no Japanese could leave or enter the kingdom unless he first forswore our holy faith, etc.
[1] The only Jeronimo Rodrigues, and who was probably the one in our text, mentioned by Sommervogel was the Portuguese born at Villa de Monforte. He went to the Indias in 1566, and became visitor of the provinces of China and Japan. He died while rector of Macan. He left several letters and treatises, some of which have been printed. See Sommervogel’s Bibliothèque.