In the year 30, the governor sent out two large galleons, with five hundred soldiers, besides the sailors; they were ordered to capture and bring to Manila any Dutch vessel found on the coasts of Siam and Camboja. Don Juan de Alcarazo was commander of the galleons, and Don Pedro de Mendiola was admiral. They sailed the seas at signal risk, as they were not extra large ships, and the city was very anxious. For should those galleons be lost, then was lost the strength of the islands. But, finally, the Lord brought them safely home, which was not a little fortunate. In the course of their wanderings they seized two ships or junks, one belonging to Siamese, the other to Japanese. They sent the Siamese vessel to Manila, but sacked and even burned the Japanese vessel. It is said they found great riches on it. Who could know the truth? This was learned in Japón, whereupon the hate and ill-will of that people toward us redoubled. They tried to collect the value of the junk from the Portuguese, who trade with Japón. They said that, since the Castilians and Portuguese had the same king, it made no difference which one of them paid. They seized the goods of the Portuguese from them, and then the latter found their business quickly despatched. They sent their ambassadors to Manila, and a most dignified father of the Society came to manage the affair, namely, Father Moregón—a Castilian, but so changed into a Portuguese by his long intercourse with them, that he did nothing without them. Nothing was concluded upon this occasion. Later, in the year 1631, two junks came from Japón, one Portuguese, the other Japanese, with an embassy. The governor granted them audience in very circumspect fashion. On that occasion he assembled all the infantry in two columns, and had them escort the Japanese who acted as ambassadors, to whom he gave horses and trappings and a fine carriage. In short, they had come, in behalf of the governor of Nangasaqui, to confer about the junk, and the means by which trade could be opened. But it was straitly stipulated that no religious should go, for the Japanese had no liking for them. Two of our Japanese friars were the translators of all the matter contained in the letters. The governor satisfied them in everything, and treated them very well in Manila. The religious took the greatest pleasure from the embassy, considering the power of God. For when that gate was, in man’s judgment, most tightly locked, the Lord opened it. For naught is impossible to Him. Non erit impossibile apud Deum omne verbum.[81] He who brought the Magian kings to the feet of One newly-born, by following a star, that same One brings the other nations to His bosom, when He wills, and opens the door to them so that they may enter into the bosom of His Church. The religious had the greatest hope of seeing the doors of Japón opened widely, so that those harvests might be gathered. The Lord, then, has been well pleased in those kingdoms with so much blood as has been shed there by His faithful ones, in testimony of His holy law. May He act as He shall see best in this matter.
It appears that in the year 1629 the orders were moved to send religious to Japón at their own cost. These were the Dominican fathers, the Franciscans, our Recollects, and those of our own order. They furnished the expenses on shares, built a champan, hired sailors, and paid a pilot. But that expedition could not have been for the best, for the Lord proceeded to defeat it, by allowing their champan to be wrecked. Afterward, although they bought another in China (or rather in Ilocos), it had no better success. Ours spent more than five hundred pesos. The father reader, Fray Pedro de Quesada,[82] and father Fray Agustín de Chauru went. The sufferings of the religious from storms, rains, roads, and famines would not be believed. It seems that they can say with St. Paul: Omnia superamus propter eum qui dilexit nos.[83] They had to return because their superiors thus ordered, for in any other way they would not have done it; as they know very well how to suffer with Christ and for Christ, whose hardships were sweet to them, as to another St. Paul: Mihi autem absit gloriari nisi in cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi.[84]
That same year certain splendid feasts were celebrated in Manila for the holy martyrs of Japón who were canonized by his Holiness Pope Urban VII. There were twenty-one of them. Three were dogicos of the Society; the others belonged to the order of our father St. Francis. The religious marched in glittering vestments, all at the cost of the pious and religious inhabitants of Manila. The orders invited one another. There was a general procession in which the altars were excellent. As for that of our house, if it were not the best one, none of the others were ahead of it. It is certain that the dances, comedies, and the other things which made the festival magnificent, could have been envied by the best cities of España, to the honor and glory of its sons; for they have so pacified this earth that even at the limits of the world may be seen so many grandeurs to the honor and glory of the Author of all. Of this not a little redounds to the Catholic sovereigns of España; for by their expenses of men and money the banners of the Church have floated over the most remote and unknown parts of the world. Our kings of España deserve much, no doubt, since God has made use of them for so great affairs in His service.
Governor Don Juan Niño de Tabora sent Captain Juan Bautista, who had married one of his servants, to the fort and presidio of Caragán. He was a very energetic and courageous youth, as he had proved on all opportunities that arose—both in that presidio, where he made many successful expeditions, and in other places where he had been sent. He had been badly wounded in Joló. When he beheld himself head of that fort, he resolved to make an entrance among the Tagabaloes.[85] He assembled many men from the friendly villages; as is the custom—although I know not with what justice they have taken to make forays on them, capturing them, carrying them away, and selling them, for those Indians where they go are not Moros, nor even have they done any harm to the Spaniards, but remaining quiet in their own lands, they eke out a miserable existence. But this [custom] is inherited from one [generation] to another. While about to make a foray in this manner, Captain Bautista quarreled with a chief of Caragán, the chief of all that district; and, not satisfied with treating him badly with words, the captain attacked him, threw him to the ground, and gave him many blows and kicks. Captain Bautista was unarmed, as were also the Spaniards with him, who are very self-reliant in all things. Then the chief returned to his own people and asked them if they were not ashamed of what had happened. “Then,” said he, “how do you consent that the Castilians and captain treat me thus in your presence, when you could easily kill them?” As they were few and unarmed, the natives killed the captain and twelve soldiers, and Father Jacinto Cor, a Recollect father, who was going with them. After this first misfortune, resulting from the anger of an imprudent captain, the natives went about warning and killing all the Spaniards whom they found on their coasts, and tried to take the fort by strategy. But already the matter was known, and on that account they did not take the fort, which was the only means of recovering that post. They killed four more religious, among whom was father Fray Juan de Santo Tomás, prior in Tangda, who was near the same fort. He was a holy man, as he showed at his death; for, seeing them resolved to kill him, he asked permission to commend himself to God. He knelt down, and while he was commending his soul to God, they thrust him through with a lance. This religious was very learned and devout, and took especial care of his soul. Therefore it is believed that by that title of martyr our Lord chose to take him to His glory and crown him there. They wounded brother Fray Francisco, a layman, severely, as well as the father reader, Fray Lorenzo; but they did not die, and were afterward ransomed. The other religious were very devoted to God. How fortunate they, since they died so happily and in so heroic a quest; for those idolators killed them for hatred of their teachings. As much help was taken there as possible from Sugbú. The chief commander in this was Captain Chaves, encomendero of Caragán, who was living in Sugbú. He performed good services, repairing as much as possible the evil and harm that had been begun. Afterward, the commander-in-chief, Martin Larios, went with more soldiers to punish those Indians.
It was reported as certain that those Indians, desirous of throwing off the yoke from themselves, revolted because of the result in Solog, aroused by what they saw in Joló, among a people less resolute than themselves, as well as by the lack of bravery that they had witnessed in the Spaniards. The natives gathered, and held assemblies and tried to ally themselves with the Joloans, Mindanaos, and all the other neighboring natives that could help them. Things were not in the condition that they wished; so they were gathering, and biding their time. The above opportunity was presented, and they hurled themselves to their own greater loss, since they began what they could not finish. It was permitted by God, so that the many souls whom the fathers have baptized and hope to baptize there may not apostatize; for thereabout are multitudes of heathen Indians, among whom the worship of Mahomet has not yet entered, and with the care of the fathers the harvest, without doubt, will be very plentiful.
The Recollect fathers returned to visit, or rather, to rebuild their house burned in Sugbú. They built it better, and roofed it with tile, whereby it will be safer than a roofing of nipa, which is so exposed to fire and flames.
In August, 1629, the governor sent Captain Don Sebastián de Libite—a very noble Navarrese knight, who had been a very good soldier in Flandes—to the Pintados as commander-in-chief. He went with his wife and household to the city of Santísimo Nombre de Jesús. The weather was very stormy, and they were often menaced by death. This lady, Doña Catalina de Aguilar, and her whole household were very devoted to the most Holy Child, and called upon Him with great anxiety. Finally, in a disastrous storm that struck them, where death was facing them, this lady said to her husband: “Listen, Don Sebastián, promise something to the Holy Child, so that He may help us, and may allow us to see Him.” He promised one hundred pesos. “What, no more than that?” replied Doña Catalina; “If we are drowning, for what do we love Him?” Finally, he promised five hundred pesos. The most Holy Child beheld their devotion, and miraculously saved them from their danger and conveyed them safe to Sugbú, where they fulfilled their vow. And it is a fact that although they were persons of great wealth of spirit and nobility, they are people who have less of the temporal. But what they possess is greater, which, at the end, will be a pledge of their reaching heaven.
[Father Medina’s editor, Father Coco, follows the narrative with a list of the Augustinian provincials in the Philippines from 1632–1893—eighty-two in all.]
[1] See Vol. VIII, p. 217, note 32; also Vol. XIII, p. 292, note 39.