The election as provincial of father Fray Miguel de San Jacintho and
the coming of religious
On May 9, 1604, father Fray Juan de Santo Thomas having completed
his term as provincial, there was elected in his place father Fray
Miguel de San Jacintho, a religious of much prudence, great virtue,
and a mind greatly inclined to goodness, and one who loved and honored
those who were good. He exhibited in the course of his office great
talent in governing, watching over the order with great care, and
filling his office with much affability and simplicity, which caused
the religious to love him, and to feel particular satisfaction in him
because they had shown so much wisdom in appointing him as superior of
the province, out of all the many candidates who had been put forward
at that election. His excellent and prudent manner of governing was not
displayed on this occasion for the first time; for he had previously
exhibited his high abilities in such offices when he was elected by
his associates as their superior on the journey from España, that
position having been vacated by the death in Mexico of father Fray
Alonso Delgado, who had come as their vicar. In spite of the youth of
father Fray Miguel, he filled this office so much to the satisfaction
of all that they regarded themselves as fortunate in having found
a superior who looked out so carefully for the advantage of every
one without ever forgetting the general good of the order--which, as
being more universal, takes precedence and commands higher esteem. In
the affairs of the voyage, which are many and full of difficulty,
he conducted himself so well and anticipated them with such accuracy
that it seemed as if all of his life had been spent in the office of
conducting religious. This is a function that calls for many diverse
qualities, difficult to find united in a single person unless he is a
man of so superior a nature as was father Fray Miguel. When he arrived
in the province, they sent him to the district of Nueva Segovia. Here
he was one of the first missionaries and founders of this conversion;
and was one of the best and most careful, most beloved by the Indians,
and most devoted to his duties as a religious, who had ever been in
that province. He suffered all the hardships and necessities, the
poverty and the lack of sustenance, which have been recounted. From
them, although he was a man of strong constitution and fitted to endure
much, the want and the lack of food resulted in causing severe pains
of the stomach. This evidently resulted from hunger, for as soon
as he had a moderate amount of food he was well; but this happened
seldom, and most of the time they had nothing to eat but some wild
herbs which they gathered in the fields, and which were more suited
to purge their stomachs than to sustain their lives. Hence in jest
father Fray Gaspar Zarfate, who was his associate, said to him that
he was greatly in doubt whether they were properly keeping the fasts
prescribed by the constitutions, because they ate the same thing for
supper in the evening as for dinner at noon; for, as they had nothing
else, they ate quilites at noon for dinner, and quilites at night for
supper. There were received at this chapter the church and house of
Nuestra Señora del Rosario [i.e., "Our Lady of the Rosary"] in the
kingdom of Satzuma in Japon; and, in the province of Nueva Segovia,
those of San Vicente in Tocolano, San Miguel in Nasiping, San Pedro
in Tuguegarao, San Raymundo in Lobo, Sancta Ynes de Monte Policiano
in Pia, Santa Cathalina de Sena in Nabunanga (which is now in the
village of Yguig), and Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion ["Our Lady of
the Assumption"] in Talama. These were all villages which had been
waiting for religious; and as the bishop of that region, Don Fray
Diego de Soria, a religious of the order and of this province, had
written that he was about to come back to it with a large following of
religious, the new provincial was encouraged to take the charge of so
many new churches and villages which were so much in need of teaching,
for they had never had any, and were nearly all heathen. The good
bishop did not fail of his promise. He had been one of the first and
most prominent founders of this province, had seen and passed through
the great sufferings which the establishment of it required, and had
likewise had his share in the great harvest which the religious had
reaped in these regions. He therefore loved it much, and strove with
all his might to increase it; and hence, when he was about to come
to his bishopric, he endeavored to bring with him a goodly number
of excellent religious. The vicar in charge of them was father Fray
Bernabe de Reliegos, a son of the distinguished convent of San Pablo
at Valladolid, where in the course of time he went after some years
to die, leaving the religious highly edified by his happy death,
which was to be expected from his very devoted life. The example
which they gave on the way from their convents to Sevilla was such
that it highly edified the people of the towns through which they
passed. The religious who set out from San Pablo at Valladolid
were four in number, and they made their way to the port on foot,
asking alms and sustaining themselves solely by what the Lord gave to
them as to His poor. Although on some occasions they suffered from
need because there was no one to give them sufficient alms, they
never made use of the money which the superior had sent them for the
journey--esteeming more highly that which was given them for the love
of God, and putting aside the shame which begging alms at the doors
brings with it. They came to a small hamlet in the Sierra Morena, and,
though they went two by two to search for lodgings, they found none,
and still less did they find any food. Hence in their need, which was
great because they had gone on foot, they went to find the alcalde,
to lay their necessities before him. After he had several times
refused to see them, he at last admitted them at night, and sent
them to a house with orders that they should receive the friars. A
gentleman from Baeca was there, who, seeing that they were poor, had
compassion upon them and sent a page to invite them to eat dinner,
although he had already dined before the religious could reach the
house. They thanked him for these alms, but declined them, saying that
the alcalde of the town had provided for their dinner and lodging;
and the gentleman sent them forty reals in charity, saying that he
did not send them more because he was journeying on business to the
court, where the expenses were so great that they left him no more
with which he could help the friars, as he wished to do. That the Lord
permits such needs is not due to His lack of power or of love, and He
ordinarily makes up for them with similar or greater recompenses. In
Baylen they went around the town two by two, and when they had all
come together, without obtaining more than two or three cuartos in
alms, night came upon them without any inn or lodging. A man was
following their path who had noticed what happened to them, and he
offered them his house. They thanked him, and accepted his charity;
but the house was nothing but a poor peddler's shed, three brazas long
and two wide, and, that he might take them in, he sent his wife that
night to sleep elsewhere. But a house of charity could not fail to
be large and spacious, and hence the religious rested in it with much
satisfaction and joy. In the morning the Lord paid the charitable host
for the lodging; for the conde, learning of what had happened, called
him to appear in presence of the religious, thanked him for what he
had done, and, promising him his favor for the future, forced a man who
had done our host some wrong, some days before, to recompense him for
it immediately. Thus he went away happier than if it had been a feast
day, though this is not the principal pay for such works, for they
earn glory in the sight of God. All the religious reached Sevilla,
and set sail on St. John's day in a small vessel to go to Cadiz and
take ship. At noon they were at a considerable distance from land,
and the master of the ship was very inattentive. The religious saw
three vessels with lateen sails following them, and were amused at
these because they had never seen that kind of sail before. This
called the attention of the master, and he went up and looked at
them. Seeing that they were Moorish vessels, he trimmed his sails,
and turning the helm, set out to run ashore. When he succeeded, he
said: "Some saint is sailing in this boat, on whose account our Lord
has delivered us today from falling into the hands of Moors; for it
is they who were chasing us with their light sails and swift boats,
from which it was impossible that this heavy bark with its heavy load
should have escaped, if some superior power had not been watching over
us by some saint who has been traveling with your Reverences." On the
following day it was learned that at that very same place some people
who had taken the same voyage had been captured, wherefore they saw
themselves obliged anew to render most humble thanks to the Lord
for His singular mercy and kindness. They went on board the ships;
and when the fleet was sailing in the gulf which on account of its
restlessness and the many waves which are always there, is called
Golfo de las Yeguas [i.e., "Gulf of the Mares"], two sailors fell
overboard from the flagship--an accident which often happens when they
are working in confusion at a critical moment. The flagship--not being
able to help them, since it was carried on and separated from them by
the wind--gave a signal, by discharging a piece, to the ships that
followed it that they should try to pick up the men. As none of the
other ships was able to go to their help, that one on which were the
bishop and the religious hove to; but, on account of the excitement of
the moment, they failed to do so with proper caution and prudence. The
rudder was brought over with all the sails up so that the head of the
ship was brought down dangerously, and the whole bow as far back as the
foremast went under water. That there might not be one accident only,
the violence of the wind and the burden of the sails and the force of
the waves jerked the tiller [pinçote] from those who were at the helm,
and swung it across fast under the biscuit hatchway, leaving the ship
without means to steer it when that was most needed. The hatchway was
closed, and no key was to be found. The ship was going to the bottom,
being submerged in the water, and the waves, which were like mountains,
were beating on its sides, so that the mariners in alarm were shouting,
"We are lost, we are going to the bottom and cannot help ourselves,
for want of a rudder and direction." "Let us turn," said the bishop,
"to our Mother and Lady, the mother of God, and let us promise to
fast in her honor for three days on bread and water if by her help
we may receive our lives." The religious did so, and, falling down
in prayer, they supplicated her for aid; and instantly--a proper work
for the divine pity and that of the Mother of Compassion--the tiller,
or stem of the rudder, came out, of itself, from the hole into which it
had gone. This was contrary to the common expectation in the ordinary
course of similar cases; for the hole was very small, and therefore
it was very difficult for anything which had once entered it to be
brought back again. Four men quickly caught it, and, bringing it
across with great strength, turned the ship back into its course. The
seamen were in amazement at this extraordinary event; and, as they
had had experience in like cases, they regarded it as the favor and
benefit of our Lady who had been invoked by her afflicted and unhappy
chaplains. Therefore to her the religions rendered devout and humble
thanks, and with great joy fulfilled the vow which they had made.
On its voyage the fleet touched at the island of Guadalupe for wood
and water. This island was inhabited by a barbarous and inhuman race,
bare of any sort of clothing, and (what is worse) bare of any sort
of pity; for they had no pity upon those who, without doing them any
harm, came there to get water which would be wasted in the sea, and
wood for which they had no use whatsoever. There were in the fleet
the Marqués de Montes Claros, going to be viceroy of Nueva España,
and, as commander, Don Fulgencio de Meneses y Toledo; and on the eve
of our father St. Dominic, twenty-five soldiers having gone ashore as
a guard with an ensign in command, all those on board the fleet went
ashore and mass was said as the religious had desired. After that,
the religious and all the rest went to wash their clothes and to
bathe themselves, of which there was great need. The sailors went to
get wood and water. Being all more widely scattered than was proper,
they failed to keep a proper lookout, when they ought to have been more
on their guard against the peril which menaced them. The islanders,
taking advantage of the opportunity to carry out their evil purpose,
came down close to them, being hidden in the thick undergrowth of
the mountain. They began to shoot arrows at the Spaniards when the
Spaniards were not keeping a lookout, and when they themselves had
the advantage. This they did so rapidly and in such numbers that it
seemed as if it rained arrows. When the Indians were perceived many
were already wounded, and much blood had been shed. The surprise
and confusion threw the crew into a panic, and huddling together in
a frightened group they fled, each man striving to put himself in
safety--one leaping into the boat to go back to the ship; another
throwing himself into the sea, which was then regarded as more
pitiful than the land; still another hiding himself among the trees
and letting the savages pass as they shot their arrows at those
whom they found ahead of them, and letting them pick up as spoils
the clothes which he had been washing, or which were now being dried
after the washing. Those who could do least to resist the attack of
the islanders were the religious; and hence many of them fell wounded
and others dead, for it was easier to draw their souls from them than
to draw out the arrows. Three of them hid themselves in a thicket,
where the Lord delivered them from a shower of arrows which were shot
after them as they went to hide. Holding a little [image of] Christ
in their hands, they begged him earnestly that he would blind the
savages that they might not see them and might pass them by. The Lord
heard them, and thus, though the islanders saw them hide themselves
and shot many arrows after them, yet the arrows did not strike them;
and the Indians, who are keener than mastiffs in discovering people,
could not find them, though they passed the place where they were.
The wounded were: father Fray Juan Luis de Guete, a son of the convent
of Preachers in Valencia, in whose spine an arrow was fastened, being
stopped by the bone; father Fray Juan Naya, a son of the convent of San
Pedro Martyr at Calatayud, who escaped with a wound in his arm where
an arrow had passed through it; and father Fray Jacintho Calvo, who
was struck twice. He was a son of the convent of La Peña de Francia,
where in course of time he hung up one of the arrows. The wounds were
not so penetrating as to take their lives; but they made the fathers
very happy because here, with this blessed beginning, they had begun
to shed their blood for the Lord who had redeemed them with His own,
and for the gospel which they were going to preach in His service. The
religious who died there were six. They were so picked and selected
among all the rest that, as they were the cream of all the others,
it was plain that that which the islanders had done en masse was,
so far as concerned the Lord, a most particular providence of His
who had directed the arrows against the best and the ripest of the
religious that they might be offered as early fruit on the table of
the supreme Father, as something in which one may safely assert that
He takes much pleasure. Three of these holy martyrs were children
of the most religious convent of Preachers in Valencia, which,
as it is so prolific in saints, naturally had here the greater
share. The first was father Fray Juan de Moratalla, a native of
Murcia, a religious of noble example, great mortification, silence,
modesty, and composure. [He was devoted to prayer and solitude,
and to the good of others. The second was father Fray Vicente Palao
Valenciano, a religious very precise in his observance of the rules,
and such as a priest ought to be. The third was Fray Juan Martinez,
a priest, an Aragonese, a religious of purest and holiest life. The
fourth was Fray Juan Cano, a native of Burgo de Osma, a son of San
Pablo de Valladolid, young in age, old in virtue. The fifth religious
was Fray Pedro Moreno, a deacon, a native of Villalba, a son of the
royal convent of Sancta Cruz at Segovia, and a member of the most
illustrious college of San Gregorio at Valladolid. He was devoted
to prayer and to silent meditation. At his death the Lord wrought a
miracle by enabling him to make his way to the seashore, where he died
in prayer, and was afterward found beneath the water in the attitude
of prayer. The sixth religious was Fray Jacintho de Cistenes, a son
of the convent at Valencia, and a native of that noble city. He was
young in age but venerable for his virtue. The Lord had revealed to
him that he should die on the day of St. Lawrence, as he actually did,
after suffering for some time from his mortal wound. [39]]