The martyrdom of the holy friar Fray Francisco de Sancto Domingo in
the island of Hermosa, and the death of the venerable father Fray
Angel de San Antonino in Great China.
[In the course of time arose a persecution of the Christians in the
island of Hermosa. An Indian chief in Tanchuy excited some villages to
rebel, and to kill some Spaniards from an ambush. They first employed
their weapons upon the holy martyr Fray Francisco de Sancto Domingo,
who had never done them anything but kindness, and who had just rescued
from prison the man who excited all the others. This man had been
placed there because his evil purposes had been detected. Father Fray
Francisco was a native of Portugal, and a son of the convent of Zamora
in the province of España, whence he went in 1615 to study theology in
the royal convent of Sancto Thomas at Avila. He came in my company on
the second expedition which I made with religious from España to this
country. He was assigned to duty in Nueva Segovia, where he learned
the language of the natives, and labored gloriously among them for
some years. He was a lean man but had very good health and great
strength. He was taken by the father provincial, Fray Bartholome
Martinez, as his companion, and the conversion of the island of
Hermosa was begun. He suffered from headache, in addition to which he
subjected himself to the most severe penances. He was most kindly and
charitable, especially to the Indians. When the Indians attacked him,
he sank on his knees before them; and they shot at least fifty arrows
into his body. The Indians cut off his head, leaving the tongue and
lower jaw on the body; and with the head and the right hand they went
to the mountains, to celebrate the festival of head-cutting. On the
way the head wept miraculously, and there was a dreadful earthquake,
so that the Indians in alarm cast the head into the river. The holy
martyr died January 27, 1633, the Lord working miracles upon his body
after his death.
In this same year, there died in Great China father Fray Angel de San
Antonio, who before coming to this province used his family name, which
was Quoqui (or Cocci). He was of noble Florentine descent. Some mention
of his virtues has been already made, when I spoke of the entrance of
our order into the kingdom of China. By the assistance of miracles, he
succeeded in carrying out the great desire of the province to preach
the gospel in that most populous and wealthy country, the people of
which have so much intelligence and such fine natural gifts. He was
minister to the Indians of Bataan, whose language he understood; but by
the direction of his superiors he undertook the study of the Chinese
language, and, in spite of its difficulty, he obeyed with alacrity
and promptness. Before he had thoroughly mastered this language he
was sent to Hermosa, from which the governor, Don Juan de Alcaraso,
sent him on an embassy to the viceroy of Ucheo. The treachery of the
Chinese on the way has already been described; and an account has
been given of the events which occurred in China. In the year in which
the order sent him a companion (1633), he was taken sick, and died.]