In the middle of July 1668, the galleon “Nuestra Señora del Buen Socorro,” in charge of the commander Don Diego de Arévalo, sighted the first land of Filipinas, namely, the cape of Espiritu-Santo. That vessel carried seventeen religious who were sent from España by the father procurator of this province, Fray Isidro Rodríguez as part of fleet which was to sail to Nueva España had been broken up, and partly because the religious could not be accommodated in two ships of the windward fleet—which was in charge of Don Agustín de Yustigue, knight of the Habit of Santiago, its commander—which were to carry back quicksilver for the mines. For Don Diego Espejo with his family was crossing [the ocean], with the appointment of corregidor from Méjico; and he presented a royal decree ordering that one-half of the poop, in which some of the religious had to come, be given to him. For that reason only twenty-two could embark in the flagship, where they suffered great discomfort. Two of them died in Nueva España and some remained there sick, so that only seventeen sailed in that ship “Buen Socorro.” In the following year of 1669, father Fray Isidro sailed with the rest. The patache “San Diego” took Father Diego Luís de San Vitores and his associates to the islands of Marianas to begin that spiritual conquest. He was an apostolic man, and even to look at and talk to him infused an inner joy and consolation—as I confess happened to me in Acapulco, where I had the good fortune to know and talk to him. Two Dominican religious [also came], namely, father Fray Antonio Calderón, who came as chaplain, and father Fray Arcadio del Rosario; besides father Fray Antonio Godinez of St. Francis, who came as his associate and secretary,[92] to visit this province of San Gregorio.
I cannot refrain from mentioning what happened to that galleon when it was at Capul, an island of the Embocadero of San Bernardino; namely, that when the nineteenth of July dawned the galleon was joined by a craft of peculiar shape—somewhat like those used by the Indians of the Marianas Islands, painted with the same color of vermilion earth, but larger than four of their boats. It held six persons, whose entire bodies were painted[93] black. But they were so weak that they seemed to be living skeletons, except one of middle age who was fat and robust, tattooed, and with a long beard. They ascended into the galleon without showing fear or distrust; but no one understood their language, although we had a sailor who knew the language of Marianas well, as he had been shipwrecked in the galleon “Concepción” in the year 1636, and had lived for some time in those islands. It could only be conjectured from the signs that they made that they had come from the south. They remained in the galleon, where they were relieved in their necessity, which was lack of nourishment. They ate nothing that had touched the fire; but rice and fish, all raw. All of them died except the boys, of whom the commander and pilot took charge. After some years, when they knew our language, they said that they came from an island near Nueva Guinea—without doubt the Garbanzos, Columnas, Jardines, or others which the maps show; or the islands of the Palaos, in the discovery of which Father Andrés Serrano of the Society of Jesus toiled so much, until he lost his life by drowning, with other religious and many Spaniards, in the year 1711, after having gone to Roma, Madrid, and Paris, to negotiate the affairs of that discovery and the conversion of those souls. But he will have already received the reward for his holy zeal and great labors.
The religious of the mission disembarked at Capul July 20, and the flagship “Buen Socorro,” after weathering many storms, made the harbor of Lampón. The religious reached Manila in groups all through the month of August, after making their voyage by land, and receiving the greatest attentions from the religious of the Order of St. Francis—in whose vigilant care are the provinces of Camarines, Tayabas, and Laguna de Bay; and they showed the fervent charity which was left them as an inheritance by their seraphic patriarch.
That mission was a great relief, although it was small; for most of the choristers were very soon ordained, dispensation for their age being granted through the omnimodo authority conceded by his Holiness Adrian VI to the prelates of the mendicant orders of Indias in his famous bull given at Zaragoza in 1522, the first year of his pontificate. That privilege has been very useful for the conversion and instruction of the natives of the Indias; and it is still in force, as it was conceded to the emperor Carlos V, although foreign authors have tried to destroy it by saying that it was revoked—authors such as Angelo María Berrecili, Fagnano,[94] and others.
The death of our father Fray Alonso Coronel was regretted deeply in this province (he died in Manila, August 9 of that year 1668), for he was one of the prudent superiors that this province has had, and a very learned and able religious. He was an efficient minister in Tagalos for the period of thirty-three years that he spent in these islands.
Father Fray Manuel Quintero,[95] accompanied by the father visitor Fray Antonio Godínez, his two associates, and father Fray Arcadio, embarked in a caracoa to cross the Embocadero of San Bernardino, to land in Bulusan. In crossing there one must leave affairs to the disposition of the Indians of the country, pilots who know the time when one must cross—namely, when the tide ceases to rise, and has stopped—for then one can pass without the slightest difficulty. But if one chooses another time, no ship of high freeboard, [even] with all its sails and with a favorable wind, can resist the current, which is so strong that it will cause the ship to spin round and round. Those fathers being newly come, were unwilling to leave themselves to the management of Indians, or to await the point of the tide, but obliged the Indians to cross. In the midst of the passage the boat overturned; and a Spaniard, the nephew of father Fray Manuel, named Don Gregorio Quintero, and two other Spaniards were drowned. Father Fray Manuel and the secretary of the father visitor, a Vizcayan, who were fine swimmers, reached land with great difficulty. The father visitor, his associate, and father Fray Arcadio did not abandon the craft, and accordingly were saved by the Indian rowers; but they reached land after being sadly buffeted about. The father visitor lost his letters-patent and papers, and consequently did not make his visit. He returned to Nueva España after having passed many seas and suffered many troubles, and after having been obliged to put back to port in the year 1669. He was later provincial of the province of San Diego. The currents of that Embocadero are so terrible that the roar of the tide when it is low can be heard for many leguas.[96] The reckoning of its flow and ebb is so variable that great mathematicians who have given themselves to that speculation have not been able to understand it....
Shortly after their arrival at the Manila convent, in the month of October, the Lord was pleased to take to himself His devoted servant father Fray Jerónimo de Ramos, 84 years of age, a native of Castilla la Vieja, and son of the convent of Burgos, who came to this province in the year 1627.[97] He was a Tagálog minister, and was indefatigable in instructing his parishioners. He was much given to mortification and prayer, so that most of his time was passed in that holy exercise in the choir. For many years he had lived retired in the Manila convent, without leaving the house; and he was the example and wonder of that community. He suffered very patiently from a very troublesome illness for the space of twenty years. No word was heard from him except those of great edification and full of love of God, and hence his death was like his holy life.
During all of Don Diego Salcedo’s term of office, which lasted for five years, there was little satisfaction for the community of Manila, for the commerce of China which is the most necessary thing was very slight, because of the wars which Sipuán, the son of Kuesing, waged with the Tartars; and consequently the champan that came from China was very rare indeed. The inhabitants of Manila were very greatly dissatisfied with his government, for they thought that he was hindering their interests by preferring his own—the ordinary complaint against the governors. Since the merchandise was but little in that time, all could not be satisfied—a matter almost impossible for those who govern, and especially in these islands, where he who has the supreme command is regarded as guilty of all the disasters. Added to this, he had had disputes with the municipal corporation of the city; for he tried to give his captain of the guard, Don Juan de Ezquerra, a public seat with the cabildo, and he had arrested the alcalde-in-ordinary, General Don Sebastián Rayo Doria, over that matter. But what the citizens regretted most keenly was the loss of their wealth—for the governor bought at wholesale most of the merchandise, by the hand of his factor Gaspar Ruiz de Aguayo—and the repeated voyages which Juan de Ezquerra made to Batavia at his account, in which they had no part or profit. It is certain that a fine intelligence was wasted in that gentleman; but his mind swelling with pride on account of his great authority made the citizens despise him, and from that he finally became hated.[98] Consequently he had a fatal end, namely, arrest by the Holy Office of the Inquisition through the father commissary, Fray José de Paternina.[99] And inasmuch as I am in duty bound to mention that imprisonment, I shall only relate what belongs to the matter, as my obligation includes nothing else.
At eleven o’clock at night on October nine, the father commissary of the Holy Office of the Inquisition went to the governor’s palace, accompanied by brother Fray Juan de Panos.[100] In their company they took Captain Francisco de Vizcarra, alguacil-mayor of the Holy Office; the commander Sebastián Rayo Doria and Captain Don Nicolás Muñoz de Pamplona, alcaldes-in-ordinary of the city of Manila; Sargento-mayor Don Juan de Morales, and Captain Juan Tirado; Captain Don Luís de Morales Camacho, Captain Don Tomás de Castro y Andrade, and Captain Don Gonzalo Samaniego. Besides these, entered Captain Miguel de Cárdenas, and Captain Diego de Palencia; Alférez Antonio de Monroy, familiar of the Holy Office; the reverend father Fray Francisco Solier, provincial of the Order of St. Francis; and fathers Fray Mateo Bayón[101] and Fray Francisco de Pamplona of the same order, of the Friars Minor. The master-of-camp, Don Agustín de Cepeda Carnacedo, who had purposely placed on guard in the palace his nephew, Don Miguel de Alegría, with his company, was there beforehand waiting for them. They all went up to the sleeping-apartment of the governor, while the master-of-camp remained in the guardroom and gave orders to the soldiers not to stir even if they heard some noise above.
The father commissary, the alcaldes, the religious, and some of the company went upstairs, while the others remained below with the master-of-camp; and the former reached the sleeping-apartments of Don Diego de Salcedo. They summoned a servant maid to open the door, telling her that the factor Juan de Verastein, who was bringing the silver from the ship “Buen Socorro” which was at Lampón, had arrived; and the maid opened the door without mistrusting danger.[102] All of them entered the apartment and, reaching the governor’s bed, awakened him. At the same time they cut the fastenings of the bed-canopy, which, falling down upon the governor in his half-awake condition, left him enveloped in it, and unable to make the slightest movement of defense. They had planned to do this, in order that the governor might not be able to make use of a rack well supplied with firearms, which he kept loaded and ready at his bedside. At that juncture the commissary arrived, and told the governor that he must surrender to the Holy Office of the Inquisition, to which the governor in his confusion had no other answer to make than “Yes,” and saying that he yielded himself a prisoner. A pair of manacles that they had prepared were placed on him. As they were riveted home Don Diego de Salcedo said “Do not hurt me;” to which one of the bystanders answered “Your Lordship has hurt us more.” That appeared very wrong to the others, and they checked the lack of respect which that person showed. That man, it is said, was the commander and alcalde-in-ordinary Sebastián Rayo Doria.[103]