Of some religious who died at this time
[At this time there were taken away by death a number of the most
superior religious, the lack of whom was greatly felt. In the year
of our Lord 1604 one of the definitors in the provincial chapter was
father Fray Pedro de San Vicente. He was elected as a definitor in
the general chapter, and also as procurator of the province at the
courts of España and Roma. There was no one at either court at that
time, and a procurator was necessary, especially for the purpose of
bringing over religious from España, without whom this province could
not be maintained. He set out to undertake the duties entrusted to him,
in the ships which sailed that year for Nueva España, and died on the
way, the same ships in the following year bringing back the news of
his death. Father Fray Pedro was a native of Zalamea. He assumed the
habit in the convent of San Esteban at Salamanca, whence he came to
this province in the year 1594. Here he was engaged in the ministry
of Bataan, and afterward in the ministry to the Chinese of Binondoc,
being much beloved and esteemed in both these offices. He always
thought well of all, and never spoke ill of anyone. He was twice
superior of Binondoc, to the great spiritual and temporal augmentation
of that mission. He set sail on the voyage without taking a real or
a piece of silk, or any other thing, either for the journey or for
the business which fell to his charge, trusting solely in the divine
Providence. He even refused to take for his convent some articles
of little value here, but esteemed as rare and curious in España,
and such as it is customary for a religious to take as a mark of
affection to the convent where he assumed the habit. When he died
he made the following testament or declaration: "I, Fray Pedro de
San Vicente, declare that I die as a friar of St. Dominic, without
having in my possession gold or silver, or anything else, except one
old blanket with which I cover myself at night. I pray for the love
of God that this may be given to a boy who travels with me, named
Andresillo." Let it be remembered that father Fray Pedro was in the
Philippinas ten years, for the greater part of the time minister to
the Chinese and for four years their vicar, and that he was very much
beloved; that they are of their nature inclined to make presents;
that many in this town are very rich, and are ready to give much on
small occasions; and that when they saw him about to go to España
they were much more likely to show generosity, without his needing
to put forward any effort. Any one who will consider these things,
and who will observe that he went from among them so poor, without
money or anything else, will clearly recognize his great virtue, and
see how justly he is entitled to the great praise of the Holy Spirit,
who says, "Happy is he who does not follow after gold, and who does
not put his trust in the treasures of money; who is he? let us praise
him because he has wrought marvels in his life."
In the province of Nueva Segovia there died at this time father Fray
Jacintho Pardo, a learned theologian and a virtuous religious. He was a
native of Cuellar and took the habit in San Pablo at Valladolid. He was
so much beloved in the convent that the elder fathers strove to retain
him; but it was shown in a vision to a devout woman that father Fray
Jacintho was to serve among the heathen.] He was sent to Nueva Segovia,
where there were very many heathen to be converted; for at that time
missionaries had just been sent there, and nearly the whole of the
province was without them. The natives were fierce, constantly causing
alarm from warlike disturbances, and were much given to idolatry and
to the vices which accompany it. The good fortune of going thither
fell to him; and he immediately learned the ordinary language of that
province so perfectly that he was the first to compose a grammar of
it. Since the village of Tuguegarao (where he lived) in La Yrraya had,
although the inhabitants understood this common and general language,
another particular language of their own, in which it pleased them
better to hear and answer, he undertook the labor of learning that
also, and succeeded very well. He acted thus as one desirous in all
ways of attracting them to Christ, without giving any consideration
to his own labor, and to the fact that this language could be of
no use outside of this village. They were a warlike, ferocious, and
wrathful tribe; and, being enraged against their Spanish encomendero,
they killed him, and threatened the religious that they would take his
life unless he left the village. Being enraged, and having declared
war against the Spaniards, they did not wish to see him among them. But
father Fray Jacintho, who loved them for the sake of God more than for
his own life, desired to bring them to a reconciliation and to peace;
and was unwilling to leave the village, in spite of their threats. To
him indeed they were not threats, but promises of something which he
greatly desired. Under these circumstances he fell sick, and in a few
days ended his life. The Spaniards, knowing what the Indians had said,
believed that they had given him poison so that he should not preach to
them or reconcile them with the Spaniards; and this opinion was shared
by the physician, because of his very speedy death. If this were true,
it was a happy death which he suffered in such a holy cause. He died on
the day of the eleven thousand virgins, to whom he showed a particular
devotion; and it might have been a reward to him to die on such a day,
since the church knows by experience the great protection which these
saints offer at that time to those who are devoted to them.
[In the district of Bataan died Father Juan de la Cruz, a son of the
convent of San Pablo at Sevilla. He was one of the first founders of
this province, in which he lived for eighteen years. He was small of
body, and weak and delicate in constitution; but his zeal gave him
strength for the great labors which accompanied the beginning of this
conversion. He was one of the first workers in the field of Pangasinan,
where he suffered all the evils and miseries which have been described
in the account of that conversion. He very rapidly learned the
language of these Indians, which they call Tagala; and succeeded
so perfectly with it that father Fray Francisco San Joseph, who was
afterwards the best linguist there was, profited by the papers and
labors of father Fray Juan de la Cruz. Father Fray Juan even learned
afterward two other Indian languages, those of the Zambales and the
Pampangos. Father Fray Juan, being the only linguist among the fathers,
was called upon constantly to hear confessions; and therefore suffered
even more than the rest from the exposures of traveling from place to
place in this district. These hardships broke down the health even of
strong men like father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, who suffered
from a terrible asthma. Father Fray Juan was afflicted by an asthma so
terrible that it seemed as if every night must be his last; and he felt
the dreadful anxiety which accompanies this disease. He also suffered
from two other diseases even more severe, colic and urinary ailments,
which afflicted him even more than the asthma. He was so patient and
so angelic in nature that all these diseases and afflictions could
not disturb him or make him irritable. His body he treated like a
wild beast that had to be tamed, weakening it with fasts, binding
it with chains, mortifying it with hair-shirts, and chastising it
with scourgings. He was chosen as confessor by the archbishop of
Manila, Don Fray Miguel de Venavides. Immediately after the death
of the archbishop he returned to his labors among the Indians, but
did not survive long. When a religious of the Order of St. Dominic
is about to breathe his last, the rest of the convent gather about
him to aid him to die well; and to call them together some boards
are struck or a rattle is sounded, he who strikes them repeating,
"Credo, credo." Father Fray Juan de la Cruz, desiring to follow the
usual custom of the order, taught an Indian to strike together these
boards, although the father was alone in the village; and this was the
last farewell of this noble religious. He had refused repeated requests
to return to Manila for care; and he was buried, as he desired, in the
church of those Indians for whose spiritual good he had spent his life.
In this year 1605 the religious of our order had been three years
in Japon. They were not a little disturbed by a brief which at this
time reached Japon and which had been obtained by the fathers of
the Society of Jesus. This brief directed that all the religious and
secular clergy who desired to preach in Japon might go thither by the
way of Eastern India, but that no one should have authority to go by
way of the Western Indias. The brief directed that all who had come
in that way or by the Philippinas should depart, on penalty of major
excommunication, latæ sententiæ. The religious of the other orders,
when this brief was shown to them by the fathers of the Society,
replied that the brief had been presented in the previous year to the
archbishop of Manila; and that the fathers of the various orders had
laid before the archbishop reasons for supposing that his Holiness
had been misinformed, and had appealed to the supreme pontiff for a
reconsideration. They declared that it was unreasonable to expect
them to leave Japon until the reply of the supreme pontiff should
be received. The brief was annulled by his Holiness Paul V in 1608,
only three years after the petition; and this repeal was confirmed
afterwards by Urban VIII. In the interim the fathers of the Society
of Jesus did things which annoyed the other religious, but were not
sufficient to drive them from Japon. After the repeal the superior
sent fathers Fray Thomas del Spiritu Sancto, or Zumarraga, and Fray
Alonso de Mena to extend the mission from Satzuma to Vomura [i.e.,
Omura]. It was a time of great disturbance and of much feeling against
the Christians. The fathers of the order did what they could for some
fathers of the Society of Jesus who were imprisoned in a church. They
went on to the kingdom of Firando--the lord of which [47] had in 1587
begged for religious of St. Francis, but was now strongly opposed to
Christianity. Among his vassals they found some who were Christians
in secret, and encouraged them and gave them the sacraments of the
church.]