Events in Filipinas, 1630–32
Relation of what has occurred in the Filipinas Islands and other regions adjacent, from July, 1630, to July, 1632.
Great has been the peace which we have enjoyed in these Philipinas Islands for the last two years; for the forces of the Dutch have been scanty, owing to the failure of reënforcements; from Holland, and hence there has been peace in the Malucas Islands as well. Nevertheless, there have not been wanting here some disturbances from domestic enemies. The Indians of the province of Caraga, which is in one of these Philipinas Islands, rebelled and killed the Spaniards and the religious, their ministers (although not for any cause connected with the faith); these are discalced Augustinian friars. This uprising gave us anxiety enough, as it seemed to be the beginning of a universal mutiny; and it was particularly disturbing to us, as all our missions are in the neighborhood of the said province of Caraga, which is gradually being subdued and the leaders of the mutiny punished.
In Japon they are still pricked with the thorn of the ship which some years ago our galleons captured and burned on the bar of Sian. To avenge this, notable councils have been held in Japon, in order to come and wage war against this land; in order beforehand to have it well explored, they sent last year in January two merchant ships, under cloak of trade and traffic. Although in Manilla warning of this double object had been received, this was not made known; and they were received and regaled as ambassadors from the Tono of Arima and Bungo. A ceremonious reception and very handsome present were given to them; but the city was put in readiness for whatever might happen. This year they have begun again to send ships to trade and traffic, and asked that our ships should go to Japon. But we are holding back here, because what they wish to do is to seize the property which might be in the vessels, and put the Castilians to the sword. They sent in these ships a hundred or more Christian lepers, who, whatever they did with them, would not abandon the faith; and in order not to stain their catans, as they said, with such people, they left them alive and exiled them to the Philipinas. Here they were very kindly received—as was required by Christian piety, and by the cause for which they had been exiled—without considering the affront which the Japanese thought to put upon us by sending the dregs of that kingdom.
The persecution there was very severe, as will be seen by a letter which Father Christoval Ferreyra[1] writes from Nangasaqui to the father provincial of this province—which, being translated from the Portuguese into Castilian, reads as follows:
“By the last ship, I wrote to your Reverence the state of the Christian church here. I shall now continue with what has happened since then; and it may all be summed up as new persecutions, labors, and hardships. I will commence with the five religious who, in the year twenty-nine, were taken prisoners on account of the faith. These are fathers Fray Bartolome Gutierrez, Fray Francisco de Jesus, Fray Vicente de San Antonio, all three Augustinians; Father Antonio Yxida, of our Society; and brother Fray Gabriel de Magdalena, a Franciscan. The governor of Nangasaqui, named Uneme, attempted to make them deny the faith, and in this way to discredit our holy faith and its ministers, and to break the spirit of the Christians, so that with the example of these they might more easily leave the faith, and thus he would gain credit and honor before Xongun [i.e., the Shogun], emperor of Japon.
“With this diabolical intention—which, it appears, he had already discussed in the court—he ordered them to be taken from the prison of Omura and brought to Nangasaqui, on the twenty-fifth of November last. As he did not say for what purpose, they were persuaded that it was to burn them alive for the faith which they professed and taught; therefore they all went very joyfully, as men who were sighing for such a happy death. But contrary to what they expected, they were put in the prison of that city, where they remained until the third of December, without knowing in the meantime what the governor intended to do.
“Twice during this time the governor ordered our Father Antonio Yxida to be brought to his house, and although he did not find him the first time, he, with a servant of his named Saitogonnay (who was considered an unusually learned man in the Juto[2] sect), asked him very affectionately that at any rate he would abandon the faith of Christ and adopt one of the religions of Japon; and if for any reason he did not wish to abandon at present the one which he followed, at least he should show himself neutral, neither abandoning nor following it. And, in order that the father might deliberate over all this, he would give him one more year of hope; and when this was passed, he should make known to the governor his final decision. The father answered him that his decision was, as it had been and always would be, to follow and confess always the faith of God, and for this no time was necessary to deliberate in this affair; for he would always find in him the same resolution and the same response, howsoever much time be should give him for respite. The father added that the governor might immediately do that which he had determined to do at the end of the said year; for the response which he would then have to give was the same as what he gave at present, nor would he ever accept the alternative proposed.
“This counsel being refused, the learned man set about convincing him by argument, attempting to prove that the Tayquio was the same, and that the Juto sect was based upon, and regarded as the beginning of all things, the God which we Christians adore. Wherefore, as the question was one of names, and not of substance, the two faiths were in accord, and that he should conform to the words also of the Juto sect. Easily and clearly the father showed him the difference between the one sect and he other, and in what each consisted; and convinced him in such wise that the ignorant learned man had no other refuge but to fall back on his reason—saying that it was indeed as the father declared, but that reason dictated that he should follow and obey the mandate of the emperor, whose vassal he was, and abandon the faith of God, at least outwardly, following in his heart whatever he pleased. ‘Neither the faith which I profess,’ answered the father, ‘nor pure reason itself, will consent to these deceits and maskings. The faith of God which I follow in my heart I shall follow and confess outwardly still; nor can the mandate of the emperor have force or strength against that of God, the universal Lord of all things.’