[1] Francisco Colin was born at Ripoll, of a prominent Catalonian family, in July, 1592. At the age of thirteen he was sent to Barcelona for his education; he there entered the Jesuit order, February 14, 1607. After his ordination he spent several years in preaching, in Gerona, Cardona, and other places; and afterward was an instructor in the college at Zaragoza. Desiring to labor among the heathen, he entered the Philippine missions, arriving at Manila June 28, 1626. About that time, the Jesuits attempted to found missions in Formosa and Jolo, to which task Colin was assigned; but, these proving abortive, he remained at Manila, occupying a chair in the Jesuit college, and acting as confessor to Governor Niño de Tavora. After the latter’s death, Colin became rector of the college, and soon afterward was sent (1634) to the new mission of Mindoro, where he spent three years. Recalled to Manila, he was rector of the college until he was chosen (1639) provincial of the islands—an office which he held a second time, according to Pastelle. The latter years of his life were spent in literary work, preaching to the Indians, and religious exercises; he died on May 6, 1660. Among his writings the most important is his Labor evangélica (Madrid, 1663), part of which will be presented in subsequent volumes of this series. See sketches of Colin’s life in Murillo Velarde’s Hist. Philipinas, fol. 259–267; and Pastells’s edition of Labor evangélica (Barcelona, 1904), pp. 225–230.
[2] Antonio Figueredo was born at Ourem, Portugal, in 1586, and was admitted into the Society in 1603. He was sent to the Indias, and ministered at Salsette; he was rector of Chaul and of Tana, and of the residence of San Paolo Vecchio at Goa, where he died May 8, 1650. See Sommervogel’s Bibliothèque.
[3] Evidently referring to the vision and miraculous cure which are referred to ante, in sketch of Mastrilli’s life, note 76.
[4] Probably meaning the stream that falls into the sea nearest to Punta de Cañas, a point on the southwest coast of Bataán, which is the small province of western Luzon that encloses the western side of Manila Bay.
[5] An evident reference to Fray Antonio Caballero (or Santa María, his name in religion), a noted laborer in the Chinese missions. He was born in April, 1602, at Baltanás, south of Valladolid, and entered the Franciscan order March 24, 1618. He spent four years (1629–33) in Manila, and then went to China. (His first convert in that country afterward became a Dominican friar, and was finally (1674) consecrated a bishop, the first of his nation to attain that dignity—and, according to Dominican authority, the only Chinaman ever consecrated, up to 1890, as a bishop. This man’s Chinese name was Lô, and he was baptized as Gregorio López; he was sent to pursue his studies in the college of Santo Tomás at Manila, where he received holy orders. He died at Nanking in February, 1690, at the age of eighty; see account of his life in Reseña biográfica, i, pp. 433–436.) After regaining his liberty, on the occasion mentioned in our text, he spent some two years in Manila; and went in 1639 to Macao, to act as vicar of the convent of St. Clare there. In 1644 all the Spaniards residing in Macao were exiled by the Portuguese, and Fray Antonio, with those nuns, sailed (October 10) for Manila. They were driven by a storm to a port in Cochinchina, and obliged to remain six months in that country, where they were hospitably treated; in May, 1645, they arrived safely at Manila. Four years later, Fray Antonio returned to China, where he labored until his death—which occurred at Canton, May 13, 1669—having suffered imprisonment, exile, and many privations. He left many writings (some in Chinese), mainly referring to the missions in China. See Huerta’s sketch of his life and labors, in Estado, pp. 406–413.
[6] In the original manuscript the word “new” has been crossed out and “old” written above the line.
[7] In the margin is written: “Others say with 7.”
[8] In the original manuscript the word “outside” has been crossed out, and “inside” written above the line.
[9] In the margin occurs the note: “Or with 7.”