The election as provincial of father Fray Francisco de Herrera,
commissary of the holy Inquisition; and the beginning of an account
of father Fray Bartholome Martinez.
In May, 1629, father Fray Francisco de Herrera was elected as
provincial of this province, on the first ballot. He was a son
of the convent of San Gines at Talabera, and afterward a student
of San Gregorio at Valladolid. At the time of his election he was
commissary of the holy Inquisition in all these islands, and prior of
the convent in this city of Manila. Since he is still living, we must
be silent about him, and not say the things in his praise which are
so well known, and which are said by those who enjoyed his peaceful
and religious government. In this chapter nothing of importance was
done in laying down ordinances for the province; but there was much
cause to give thanks to the Lord for the peace and quiet with which
the religious strove to fulfil their obligations as members of the
order and as ministers of the holy gospel. The Lord gave them special
relief and comfort, that they might find light and pleasant the great
sufferings which they endured in both capacities. Hence the electors
returned to their posts very promptly, feeling that in them the hand
of the Lord had delivered to them their own profit and that of their
fellow-men.
[At the beginning of the following August occurred the death of
the venerable father Bartholome Martynez, who, being engaged in
the conversion of the island of Hermosa, was unable to attend this
chapter. Father Fray Bartholome was a native of a village of Raoja
called El Rasillo, a hamlet of some twenty poor inhabitants. He was
a son of Sant Estevan at Salamanca, and a student in the college of
Sancto Thomas at Alcala. He took advantage of the opportunity of coming
to this province in company with the holy Fray Alonso Navarrete. He
gave his chief attention in the province to learning the Chinese
language, hoping to become a missionary to the kingdom of China. He
was so devoted to the Chinese that he was beside himself with anger
whenever a wrong was done by a Spanish soldier to any Chinaman. As
this seemed to be an impediment to the conversion, he resolved to
restrain his anger, and learned, as the law of the Lord teaches us,
to be angry but not to sin. It was father Fray Bartholome who built
the beautiful wooden church in the Chinese Parian. The cost was
above twenty thousand Castilian ducados, and it was all raised by
offerings. The Lord wrought miracles by father Fray Bartholome in the
building of this church, and on other occasions. On some occasions
he displayed the gift of prophecy.]