The entrance made from the island of Hermosa to the great kingdom of
China by two fathers of St. Dominic.
[If this island were of no value, its spiritual promise would make
it important; and if it were poor in material things--and it is not,
because it has many mines of gold and silver, and is fertile--it would
still be well that our nation has set foot on it. It is of spiritual
use because it is from hence, as it appears, that the conversion of
the great kingdom of China is to have its rise. It is of importance in
a material way, because of its nearness to the trade of that kingdom,
which is so rich and so abounding in merchandise. That both spiritual
and temporal ends might be attained, Don Juan de Arcaraço, [48] who
was commandant of the island at that time, decided to send an embassy
to the viceroy of Hucheo, the capital of the nearest province, with
a view to opening up trade with it, but without saying anything about
matters of faith. He offered our religious an opportunity to go on the
embassy. Two religious were accordingly sent--the father vicar of the
convent, Fray Angel Coqui, a Florentine by birth, who had assumed the
surname of San Antonino; and, as his companion, father Fray Thomas
de Sierra, who was called here "de la Magdalena." He was a native
of Cerdeña. His natural gifts were but small, but his spiritual ones
were great, as will be seen. They set out accompanied by two soldiers
and seven Indians, carrying their letter of embassy and a present
for the viceroy. They took what they needed to say mass, and a very
little money for their support; and embarked (December 30, 1630)
in two very small vessels. On the way a heathen Chinese, master of
the vessel in which the religious were, planned to kill them in order
to rob them. The signal being given, the Chinese killed five of the
members of the expedition, and wounded two with the clubs which they
used as weapons--for, among the Chinese, soldiers only are permitted
to carry weapons of iron. Father Fray Thomas was one of those who lost
his life. The narrative may pause for a moment to give some account
of him. He was a native of Cerdeña, and a son of the convent there. He
was destined to the Order of St. Dominic from his mother's womb. Since
the schools in his part of the country were not very good, he strove
to be assigned to the province of Andalucia, and went to the convent
of San Pablo at Cordova. Hearing of the devout manner of life of the
religious in this province, he desired to enter it, and departed from
España in the year 1627, at which time I was bringing over a body of
religious. This was the third company which I led (besides the first,
in which I came with others under leadership, which is now about forty
years ago). I accepted his application, thinking that he could complete
his studies in this province as well as in España. He was of most
gentle and patient disposition. He suffered greatly from headaches,
and was unable to carry on his studies, though in some cases of moral
theology he showed ability. He was sent to the island of Hermosa,
in the hope that the cooler climate would benefit him. His health
improved, and he devoted himself to learning the mandarin language,
which is the language used in China by the learned, and takes the
place of Latin among us. Nicolas Muñoz, a native of Mexico, a soldier,
was one of those killed at this time. He was a man of the greatest
piety. God in His infinite pity delivered father Fray Angel from
this terrible danger. He fled to the cabin in the poop, and there
he and the three others who survived were able to defend themselves
against the seventeen Chinese, who fastened them up there, hoping to
kill them of starvation. The vessel was captured by pirates, to whom
father Fray Angel owed his liberty and his life. The mutineers on the
vessel told the pirates that the persons in the poop were captives
taken in lawful war, whom they were going to sell into slavery. The
pirates planned to make an assault upon them, but decided not to,
because they would be certain to meet with some damage, and resolved
to scuttle the ship, leaving the captives to drown. They took off
the sail and the rudder, anchored the vessel that it might not be
carried ashore, and abandoned it. The prisoners were left fastened
up and unable to get out, while the vessel filled with water up to
the poop. The imprisoned men found a chisel in the cabin, with which
they worked a hole between two boards, and finally escaped from their
confinement. They made their way to an island, and on the other side
found an arm of the sea wherein there were many vessels, among them
a fisher's boat. They went up to the fishermen, who fled from them,
but who came back again in response to their prayers, and let them have
some food. These men warned them not to stay on that island that night,
for fear of tigers; and said that if they survived until morning they
would meet with other worse tigers--namely, soldiers from the fleets
which were always moving about that coast, who would certainly kill
them. In fear of both dangers, they asked the fishermen to take them
to terra firma, and to bring them before some mandarin. A thousand
difficulties were raised which were quickly conquered with a few bits
of money which had escaped the recent robbery. Being brought before
a mandarin, they were sent to the city of Ziumcheo with letters of
safe-conduct and provision for the journey--which according to the
custom of this kingdom, is afforded to every poor man who in any
way comes to it. The letter which accompanied them described them
as four robbers who had been caught on the seashore. The second
mandarin before whom they were brought sent them to the third; and
he despatched them to the viceroy, forty leguas away in the city
of Ucheo. Father Fray Angel was taken ill, as a result of all his
hardships, but recovered by the help of God. As all the papers had
been lost, the viceroy directed the father to return to the island of
Hermosa for satisfactory credentials, providing him with a vessel and
everything necessary for the purpose. The father, unwilling to leave
China, and being afraid that the viceroy had some design against him,
sent in his place a Christian Japanese who understood the mandarin
language very well. He was one of a number who were scattered over
China, and who desired to make their way to a Christian country. He
dressed this man in a religious habit and caused him to pretend to be
ill, so that he might be left quiet in a dark part of the ship. By
the laws of the kingdom the father thus exposed himself to death or
to perpetual imprisonment, which in China is a prolonged death. The
curiosity of the Chinese is such that nothing escapes it. The viceroy,
the mandarins, and all knew of the return of the father, and even knew
where he was lodged; but no disturbance arose, and the authorities
paid no attention to the matter. The father decided to change his
dress, and to assume such a one as was worn by the most honorable of
the natives, who pay great attention to such matters. He permitted
his hair and beard to grow in their manner, as some fathers of the
Society of Jesus have done--who have performed many useful labors
here, as is known throughout Europe. During four months the father
was unable to say mass, having been robbed of what was necessary.]