Some missions sent to various kingdoms
[Since the establishment of this province was intended not only for the
Philippinas, but also for the neighboring heathen kingdoms, advantage
was taken of every opportunity to send out religious to these other
kingdoms. Our order had planned to labor in the conversion of the
kingdom of Macasar, whose king manifested some signs of desiring
to have religious sent to him. This kingdom is very powerful, and
has a large population. The people of it have an excellent natural
disposition, which is a good foundation for the faith; but, because
of disturbances which arose, this mission did not take effect.
The religious not only of this province, but of España and Nueva
España, have had their hearts set upon the conversion of the kingdom
of China, the population of which is of incredible vastness, and the
people there exhibit very acute intelligence and have an excellent
civilization and government. They even establish their authority in
all the neighboring kingdoms: Corea, Siam, Camboja, Cochinchina,
and others; and they communicate their system to these as far as
possible. Their character and their moral doctrines also fit them
for the gospel. In spite of the failure of previous efforts to enter
this kingdom, our religious were not discouraged. In this year (i.e.,
1618) an opportunity was offered when the governor, Don Alonso Fajardo
de Tença, was about to send an embassy to inform the Chinese that
their enemy and ours, the Dutch, had taken up their station in the
straits through which the merchant vessels of China sail on their way
to this city, richly laden; and that the enemy intended to capture
and pillage the ships there. Our order was asked to send a religious
who understood the language, and who had worked among the Chinese
in the islands; father Fray Bartholome Martinez was chosen for the
post. After some days sailing the vessel met with a furious storm, in
which it lost the mainmast; and afterward struck upon a large rock,
losing the rudder and part of the poop. Some leaped into the water,
and some made their way to land in the boat; the rest remained on
board the vessel, and father Fray Bartholome remained with them to hear
their confessions. The next morning they all succeeded in getting to
land, not far from Pangasinan. Here father Fray Bartholome preached
to the Chinese who had come to that region to carry on business,
and succeeded in converting twenty. From Pangasinan he made his
way with great difficulty to Nueva Segovia, where he was directed
to embark in another royal vessel, and to carry out his embassy by
way of Macan. On this voyage they also met with dreadful storms,
and he landed twice on the island of Hermosa. This island had not
yet been taken possession of for his Majesty; but the Lord willed
that the father should see it and carry to Manila a full report as to
its character, the result of which was that the island was afterward
acquired. He finally reached Macan, where he met with so many obstacles
to carrying out his mission that he was obliged to return to Manila,
and thus failed to gain that entry into China which he had desired.
At the same time, another mission was planned to the kingdom of Corea;
for it seemed likely that there would be a great and noble conversion
in that kingdom, the people of which have a very good character by
nature, being very simple, and free from duplicity and deceit. That
kingdom is between Great China and Japon, so near to each that it
is separated from them only by some very narrow arms of the sea,
like large rivers. The people have the intelligence and ability of
the Chinese, without their duplicity. They are for the most part
tillers of the soil. They have some of the valor of the Japanese,
without their ferocity. It happened in 1593 that Taycosama determined
to make war against this kingdom of Corea, in order to strengthen
himself by diminishing the power of some princes of his own state,
whom he sent to make this war at their own expense. The war was most
cruel and destructive, and the kingdom of Japon was full of Corean
slaves. [19] Among these was one who was converted and who came to
Manila. The father of this convert (who was called Tomas) reached the
post of secretary to the king, and, taking advantage of his wealth
and high office, spared no pains in the search for his son. The son,
in spite of his love for his native country and his father, and the
hope of the wealth which he would have if he returned, was still
more devoted to his own soul; and was therefore unwilling to return
to his own country without taking with him some religious. The father
provincial, thinking this a good opportunity to begin this conversion,
assigned three religious, who set sail, on the thirteenth of June in
this year (i.e., 1618) in a ship for Japon, since there was no ship
direct to Corea. At Nangasaqui the officials, detecting the purpose
of the religious, detained them and finally prevented them from going
on. Tomas was obliged to go on without them, promising to send for
them; but affairs in Japon became so disturbed that nothing more was
ever heard of him. Two of the three religious who were to go to Corea
returned to Manila. The third, father Fray Juan de Sancto Domingo,
remained in Japon and learned the language, that he might aid the
afflicted Christians there; and he was rewarded by the Lord with the
palm of martyrdom.]
So eager was the province to extend our holy Catholic faith throughout
all regions, to introduce it into the kingdoms of the heathen,
to enlighten their souls and show them the way to heaven, that the
Lord aided them by sending in this year twenty-four new laborers,
religious who had been gathered in España by Father Jacintho Calvo
[20]--a religious who had been in this province, and who on account of
the severe heat in the islands, which was dangerous to his health,
sent the fathers on from Mexico, whither he had brought them,
under the leadership of father Fray Antonio Cañiçares. They arrived
here very opportunely; for by the missions which have been mentioned
several ministries had been much interfered with, and were now filled
up from this new company. Even some new convents were established;
for instance that of San Telmo at Cavite. This town is the port where
all those go aboard who sail from these islands to Nueva España or
to Yndia or to other regions--except in the case of small vessels,
which are able to sail from the city. In Cavite there is accordingly a
large town of Spaniards, Indians, Chinese, and Japanese. At that time
they were in greater need of Christian teaching because they had only
one convent, that of the seraphic father St. Francis; and, besides,
our order needed to have a convent there in which the religious might
remain while waiting to go aboard the vessels. On this account this
convent of San Telmo was established there at that time, and did great
good to those who lived in the town. The Confraternity of our Lady of
the Rosary was immediately carried thither; and this holy devotion was
greatly revived, and other very good effects were wrought. Thus for the
Virgin's sake the people of the town have come to have a great regard
for her chaplains; and a fine church, with rich altar decorations and
ornaments, and a convent sufficient for the religious who are obliged
to be at Cavite, have been built there. This is supported very well by
alms, without any other income; and the religious with their sermons
and good example have wrought much good, not only among the Spaniards,
but also among the natives. There has been a great reformation of
morals among both, as is always effected by the devotion to the Virgin
of the Rosary, wherever care is taken to give due heed to preaching
it, and to using it as a benefit come from heaven, by the hands of
the Virgin, to correct the sins and reform the excesses of the world.
During this year a beginning was also made in an undertaking which
had been much desired by good and spiritual religious, as being
worthy of and proper to that charity with which the religious of
this province usually took up enterprises involving great labor,
that they might in return offer souls to the Lord and bring heathen
into the church. There are near the province of Nueva Segovia certain
islands, called Babuianes, following each other in a line toward the
northeast until they approach near those which are called Lequios,
which are near Japon. [21] These latter are innumerable, and some
of them are very large and very fertile. Their inhabitants are of
excellent natural dispositions, so that, being heathen, they cause
wonder in all of those who go there. They are extremely kind, loving,
docile, and free from self-interest--excellent foundations for their
becoming noble Christians if the happy day of the faith shall dawn upon
them. The islands near Nueva Segovia are not fertile, being plagued
with fierce winds, which, sweeping over them without any defense,
do them great damage. The inhabitants, however, are very ingenuous
and simple. When they sometimes came to Nueva Segovia to do their
poor little trading, the hearts of the religious were grieved when
they saw those people of a natural disposition so excellent, so humble
and peaceable; while their souls were left totally without assistance
because they were poor and few, and widely scattered over many islands
in the midst of the sea, without hope that any other preachers would
undertake their conversion if our religious neglected them. They had
a Spanish encomendero, who went duly every year to demand his tribute
from them; but he paid no attention to providing them with Christian
teaching, civilization, or justice. He saw them only when he collected
his tribute, without caring about them all the rest of the year,
and without trying to do them any good, as he was bound to do. The
religious had many times conferred about the conversion of these poor
people, but their purposes had never taken effect until this year,
when the religious came from España; and then preachers were sent
to them. That it might be possible to reach them, the inhabitants of
many islands were gathered on one, where they could more conveniently
be taught; they were baptized, and became very good Christians. In
this way the great labor was somewhat diminished, and the religious
were enabled to bear the almost total absence of comfort among them;
for they were imprisoned on a small island from which during many
months of the year it was impossible to have any communication with
other people. The land was so scanty and in every way so poor that
it did not produce even enough rice for the food of the inhabitants;
but yielded only borona and other grains of less excellence than rice,
or even something inferior to this. The people generally sustained
themselves on roots, potatoes, and such things. If this fails, as often
happens, it is necessary for the religious to support them by giving
them the little they themselves have, and asking alms from the other
convents of Nueva Segovia. All this was evident before the religious
went to convert them, as was also the inconvenience which results
if the religious are ill--as they must inevitably be much of the
time--for there is no physician there, nor are there any medicines;
and for nearly half the year it is not possible for a religious to
go thence to be cared for where he can have them, or even to send a
letter. During this period this sea is not navigable, for it is very
stormy; and the boats which they have there, being the boats of poor
persons, are small. Yet all this, and the fact that those natives have
a different language from all the rest, and many other inconveniences
which they suffered there, the religious bore with pleasure, being
good and devout Christians. They are in two little villages, with
a church and a convent in each, sufficient for its needs. Though
the Indians provided the labor, all the rest was a gift which the
religious had made and are making to them. Since they had religious,
there have been several attacks of smallpox in various years, which
is almost like a plague among the Indians--attacking practically all
of them, and being very fatal. On these occasions great numbers of
baptized children have gone to heaven; and there have been many cases
of the special providence with which the Lord takes hence those who
are predestinated. The love and devotion with which the ministers
strive for their salvation is so great that he only who has seen
it can believe it. On the one hand the people were good Christians,
humble and devout, and on the other hand so poor and needy that it
seemed as if the people and their country had been rejected by all
lands and men. Hence the religious, taking them in charge, pitied
their miseries and strove to provide relief for them in both their
temporal and their more important spiritual necessities. Thus, in
times of need, the religious have come to Nueva Segovia to ask alms
from house to house, sometimes undergoing manifest danger of drowning
to help these Indians. As for their souls, the care which they take of
them may be inferred from the following case. The principal minister,
father Fray Jacintho de San Geronimo, learned that a poor woman was
in the fields about to give birth to a child. She had not come to
the village, as they commonly do, perhaps because she could not. The
religious pitied her, and went to find her and bring her to the town,
so that in her need she might find someone to help her when she should
be delivered. With all this solicitude it took him some days to find
her, so far away from all companionship did she live. When she had
been brought to the village she was provided for by the religious,
and brought forth two children. They were baptized by the religious,
and both died within a short time, going to enjoy God forever because
of the devoted care given to them by their spiritual father while their
natural parents left them on the road to perdition; for without doubt
they would have been lost, if the religious had not had the mother
brought to the village for her delivery.