The voyage in this year of religious of the province to Camboja,
in the effort to convert it; and the progress of the conversion of
the island of Hermosa.
In this year, twenty-eight, I came for the third time from España
to the Philippinas, not alone, but with a good company of excellent
religious, [45] who, desirous to advance themselves in virtue, left
their land and their kin and their comforts, like Abraham, that
they might assist in their spiritual necessity, these tribes which
depended so much upon such ministers. There was no lack of hardships
on the way, for the Lord knows of how much importance it is for us to
find persons who will accept these as they ought; He does not lose
the opportunity to apply them, and does not desire that His gift
should be useless. When we reached Manila we were heartily received,
for we had been desired because of the great lack which had resulted
from the deaths that had taken away religious just when they were
most needed by the Indians whom we had under our care. There were
also many others under our eyes who still were heathen for lack of
preachers, but who would have been Christians if they had anyone to
teach them the truth and the Catholic religion. The vacancies were
filled up with these reënforcements. As might be expected of those
who were heartily desirous of converting their fellow men, the more
they labored the more labor they desired; and there were many who were
very eager to go on new missions and to reap new harvests of heathen.
[The opportunity was offered for making another attempt to convert
Camboja. A Chinaman who had lived in the kingdom of Camboxa brought
word that the good reputation which the fathers of St. Dominic had
left in that country would cause them to be kindly received there
if they went again. The kingdom of Camboxa is the one which has
given religious rites, though false ones, to China, Japon, and the
most civilized of the surrounding nations; and the people of that
kingdom are naturally much inclined to religious devotion. Hence it
was hoped that they would be the better Christians because they were
so devout heathen. A letter was written to the king of Camboxa, asking
permission to preach the gospel in that country. The reply which was
received was courteous, but did not grant the desired permission. At
this time the governor of Manila was thinking of sending Spaniards
to Camboja to build a ship there, because of the excellence of the
wood of that region for such a purpose, and the abundance of workmen
there. That the Spaniards who went might not be deprived of sacred
ordinances, he asked the superior of our order for religious to
accompany the expedition. There were strong arguments against sending
the religious to that kingdom. The Cambodians had twice exhibited their
fickleness, having striven to kill the Spaniards and the religious
who had been invited to enter the kingdom. The same fickleness would
make it unlikely that converts would hold to the faith in times of
persecution. The people were unintelligent, and most vicious; and
the country was very hot and unhealthful. On the other hand, it did
not seem consistent with Christian charity not to take advantage of
every opportunity to attempt to save these people, in spite of their
natural fickleness, their low intelligence, and their inveterate
vices. Three religious were accordingly assigned to this expedition,
the superior of whom was father Fray Juan Baptista de Morales, a son
of the convent of San Pablo at Ecija. He was a master of the Chinese
language, which is of great importance in that kingdom. Two other
religious volunteered to go on this service. They set sail December
21. The voyage, though a dangerous one, was fortunate; and they sailed
four hundred leguas up the famous river of that kingdom (the Me-Kong
River), the source of which is unknown. The religious were courteously
received by the king. Factious quarrels broke out among the Spaniards,
which threatened so grave results that father Fray Juan Baptista de
Morales felt obliged to return with them when they came back to the
islands, for fear of an outbreak on the way. The king refused to give
permission for the baptism of his subjects, allowing only the Chinese
and Japanese to be converted; and the ministers, feeling that they
could be of greater use in these islands, returned to take up their
ministries here, where they have been of the greatest use. This was
the third time that this province actually placed religious in the
kingdom of Camboxa, in addition to the expeditions which set out for
that kingdom but failed.
At this time our religious in Hermosa were engaged in the most
laborious work of all these ministries, the learning of a new and
extraordinary language without grammar or vocabulary, or any other aid
even in the country itself; for at the beginning they were not able
by payment to keep an Indian who would merely permit them to listen
to him as he spoke and to catch up a word here and there. Although at
the beginning these people were like wild beasts, without the least
trace of human civilization, the religious have now domesticated them
to such an extent that they can go among them--although a few years
before no stranger could enter their country without their drinking
his blood like fierce wolves. Some infants have been baptized, and the
children of some villages, though not baptized, know the creed and pray
every night at the foot of the cross. The children learned to laugh at
the old superstitions, which have a strong hold on their elders. The
hardest thing of all has been to bring them back to their old villages,
from which they fled in fear of the arms of the Spaniards; but as they
learned the gain to be acquired from trading with the Spaniards--which
is a lodestone that attracts hearts of iron--they are returning to
their old abodes. The religious have erected two little convents and
churches, about like shepherds' huts in appearance. One is near the
presidio of San Salvador, in a native village called Camaurri, and is
dedicated to St. Joseph. The other is half a legua from the village of
Tanchuy (i.e., Tamsui), and is dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary.]