At half past one on the night of November 25, Our church fell, with so terrible a crash that it seemed as if the heavens were falling. It was due to God’s great providence that it did not happen several hours later, for without doubt some of our fathers would have been caught in the ruins. It is the third time that this church has fallen; for years ago, just as they finished saying the last mass, and locked the doors, the whole vault, which was built of brick, fell in a great earthquake. If it had happened an hour before, it would have wrought great injury, by imprisoning beneath it all the people who were in the church. Then six years later, in the month of September, on the same day, just as they were beginning to decorate the church for celebrating the feasts of St. Ignatius and St. Xavier, one large pillar and two arches fell, leaving the roof in the air, without any means of support for more than eight yards—a thing which seemed miraculous; two of Ours were caught, but neither received much harm. On this last occasion the ruin was greater, because one pillar, when it fell, carried with it half of the church. Thus it remained, without repairs being possible; there was nothing to be done but to finish the work of destruction, and build a hut in which to accommodate our fathers in their ministries, until we finish the new church building and house—which is a very good one, and well on its way to completion.[8]
On the twentieth of December, at eight o’clock in the evening, they omitted the holy sacrament in the Cathedral church of this city, because it had been stolen, together with the monstrance in which it was kept. Diligent search was made for it, arresting some and putting others to the torture, and making earnest prayers to placate the wrath of God, but no trace of the thief could be found in these or any other ways, even to the present day.[9]
On the twentieth of June an eclipse of the sun began at eleven o’clock, and at thirteen minutes after twelve it was so far eclipsed that it could not be seen at all. It seemed as if it were night, and the stars were seen in the sky, so that we were forced to light candles in order to eat; for there was a dinner that afternoon, on the occasion of a certain feast. As far as I know, this eclipse was not seen in Nueva España; it is the most complete one that I have ever seen, though I have seen many.
On the eighteenth of July last, in the village of Guiguan, which is a mission of the Society, an image of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady with a gilded face, began to weep piteously—in the sight of all, and of the father who was expounding Christian doctrine in that village—with a saddened countenance, to the great terror of all who were present. It seemed as if this was the announcement of the disasters and calamities which have been suffered by those poor islands of the Pintados (which are in our missionary charge) from their enemies the Camucones and the Joloans, who have become very insolent—plundering many ships on the sea, some of them valuable; robbing and burning towns, capturing the people, and destroying the images, which the fathers have kept well until their flight and refuge in the mountains. It has been considered a singular providence that no one of our fathers has been captured (although there are fears about one, but nothing certain is known about it). The enemy suddenly landing, one father was surprised in bed, but made his escape almost in his shirt; they surprised another while saying mass, and he was obliged to make his escape in his chasuble, fleeing through the marshes; another they found sprinkling with holy water the whole population of the town in the church; another they met on the sea, and having given chase to his vessel, the father leaped overboard and finally escaped. The father provincial was in great danger several times, but in the end God preserved him and all the other fathers. The greatest hardship is, that it seems as if those who conduct the government do not endeavor to check these raids; may the Lord do so by restraining the enemies.
Relief was sent this year to the Malucas Islands, as has usually been done in past years, in several pataches and a galley. The Dutch enemy had at their Malayo fort (which is almost within sight of our fort at Terrenate), a very powerful ship which passed in front of our fort several times discharging their artillery as if defying us to come out and fight. After this bravado our men and Pedro de Heredia, governor of those fortifications, armed two pataches and the galley (a force much inferior to that of so powerful a ship) and went out to meet the enemy. He boarded it and began to attack the soldiers in it; the enemy, seeing that the fight was going against them, cut loose from our ship, and retreated or fled to their fort. There their people arrested the captain, because, although he had had the advantage on his side, he had not sunk our little pataches, but instead had taken to flight. Some of the Dutch and some of our men were killed in this fight.
At Xacatra, which is the capital of the Dutch possessions in all these eastern regions, and at which their governor and captain-general resides, there have been many harassing wars this year, because King Xabo with a very powerful army had besieged them for many months, seized and burned the suburbs, and killed many men. However, on account of the many winter floods, Xabo had to retreat; but the Dutch are left in considerable fear lest he will return, with the Portuguese giving him assistance. On that account they have still further fortified their forts, made greater provision of all necessaries, and detailed there six galleons from the great fleet, which they maintain at Ormus for the aid and defense of the Persian,[10] in order that the Portuguese, who are threatening that fortress, may not recover it.
With the aim of relieving these islands and their natives from the suffering that they endured in building galleys and ships, the governor decided to send some Spaniards to the kingdom of Camboja, which abounds in fine woods, to establish dock-yards; this purpose was carried out. With the Spaniards it was decided to send some of the Society, but for certain reasons this was not done, nor would we permit it. The fathers of St. Dominic, however, permitted it; and so some of them went there with the Spaniards, and were very well received by the king of Camboja. They immediately commenced to carry out their plans for the ships, while the religious built a church. The king gave them permission to baptize and convert to Christianity any persons in his kingdom who wished it.
I wrote last year, that, annoyed by the injuries which these islands had received from the king of Sian, who had seized in one of his ports a ship of ours richly laden with silks, our galleons had gone there and made reprisals on some of his ships. The latest news is that a ship was sent there with some of the Sianese who were captured, and some Spaniards, to give an account of the affair; and to tell the king that our people desired to continue in peace and friendship, but that he must satisfy us for what he had seized from us, and in return we would satisfy him for what we had seized from his people. As yet we have had no answer from there, nor have we heard how the matter was concluded—much less if our fathers who reside there lost their lives when our galleons did so much damage to the Sianese ships.
The outlook for Christianity in Cochinchina was very promising, and in the year 1627 eight hundred adults were baptized; but this year we have had news that the fathers had encountered adverse fortune, and were fearing expulsion from that kingdom—but now they write that the tempest has already abated, and the skies are clearing.
In late years, there have been many wars in the kingdom of Tongin, which adjoins that of Cochinchina; but the Christians have been left in peace, and thus many have been converted to Christianity. It is even reported that this same king and a brother of his had been or were to be baptized. Would to Heaven that it were so! although hitherto there has been no certainty of anything, because we have had no letters from our fathers, on account of the said wars.