On the day of the apostle James news came to Manila [in 1679]
of the safe arrival of the galleon "San Telmo" at these islands,
and of its being outside of the Embocadero; this news was brought,
with the royal mails, by Sargento-mayor Juan Ventura Sarra. In this
galleon came two large and well-selected mission bands of religious;
one was composed of thirty-one from our order, conducted by father
Fray Juan de García, who had been sent for this purpose in the year
1674. The other mission was composed of religious belonging to the
Society of Jesus, who were brought by Father Francisco Salgado,
[72] a religious of great learning and virtue. This mission [of
ours] arrived at the most opportune time that could be imagined,
for our province found itself in extreme necessity, on account of the
scarcity of religious; for in ten years it had not received even the
smallest reenforcement with which to replace them in the extensive
and numerous ministries in its charge. So great was this lack that
our province was already taking measures to give up some of those
ministries; but all the religious orders and the secular clergy were
suffering from the same need as was our province, on account of not
having a consecrated bishop who might confer the holy orders. The
ship "San Telmo" could not enter the Embocadero of San Bernardino,
for it was hindered by the vendavals; and therefore it made port,
after many hardships, in Palapag, in the province of Leyte--a very
safe harbor, but outside of the Embocadero, and more than a hundred
and twenty leguas distant from Manila. The religious of the mission
came hither through the provinces of Camarines and Laguna de Bay;
the roads were bad, for it was the rainy season, but the hardships
of their journey were alleviated by the charitable hospitality which
was given to them by the religious of St. Francis--who, heirs of
that saint's seraphic love, vied with each other, on such occasions,
in showing themselves true sons of so holy a father.
They arrived at Manila, where they were received by the community
as sons beloved by their affectionate mother, who was so eagerly
expecting them; and on September 18--the day of the father of the poor,
St. Thomas of Villanova--a private meeting of the definitors was held,
and they were received by this province as her sons.
In this private session father Fray Juan García declared under oath,
in verbo sacerdotis, that, having kissed the feet of our most holy
father Innocent XI on September 20, 1677, among other favors which his
Holiness had granted him the latter had told him that by his apostolic
authority he made good all the defects which might have occurred in
the elections of this province, from its foundation until the said
day. His Holiness granted him several jubilees for certain convents,
and eleven thousand ordinary indulgences, in the new form which his
Holiness has promulgated; and gave him two notable relics, a bone of
St. Venturino the Martyr [73]--the first for the hospice at Méjico,
and the other for the convent of San Pablo at Manila. Father Fray
Juan García also obtained from his Holiness, on petition by this
province, a bull in which he granted that all the procurators who
may go to Rome and bring hither missions of religious shall enjoy
the same exemptions which those possess who have been provincials
(who are called absolutos); this was accepted [by the Council of
Indias], and father Fray Juan García was the first who enjoyed this
privilege, all his life. But he, as the devout religious that he
was, would not allow the religious to address him as "Our Father,"
as is the custom with the provincials, both active and retired;
and, retiring to the province of Ilocos, where he was minister,
he devoted himself to leading an exemplary life, abandoning himself
entirely to meditation, mortification, and prayer until his death,
and leaving behind a noble example as a sincere religious.
[The rest of this chapter is occupied with the coming (in the "San
Telmo") to Manila of Fernando de Valenzuela, the disgraced favorite
of the queen-mother, and a sketch of his career in Spain. The last
paragraph reads thus:] Don Juan de Vargas, learning of his arrival,
and that he was already coming by land through the province of
Camarines, sent to escort him General Don Francisco Enriquez
de Losada and Captain Alfonso de Castillo; they conveyed him to
the port of Cavite and the fortress of San Felipe. In that place a
house was built for him, of timber, according to his taste and plan,
with all possible conveniences; and there he lived--at the beginning,
with much strictness, watched by sentinels, and receiving few visits;
but afterward with more freedom, and visited by everyone, but always
in the presence of Captain Juan de Herrera, the warden's deputy. In
this seclusion Don Fernando made use of his great mental ability,
employing for his recreation the many talents which he possessed,
especially in music and poetry; for in both these arts he had no
equal in España. With the news which came by way of the coast of
the death of Don Juan of Austria, the severities which, while he
lived, had been employed toward Don Ferdinand were mitigated; and
the prisoner enjoyed so much diversion and company that in these
regions he could not have had more. Every month he was allowed a
thousand pesos from the royal treasury, which was sufficient for his
support and comforts, and for the expenses of the amusements which
his cleverness and ingenuity devised for his recreation. I have taken
more time than I should in this narration (which might pass for a mere
ornament of my proper task), because this gentleman was much devoted
to us--although he had received from us and from the Society of Jesus
(to whom he acknowledged his obligations) much assistance in his
seclusion and in certain difficulties which he had experienced. The
rest of his fortunes I will relate in the proper place, when we
reach the termination of the ten years of his retirement, his return
to Nueva España, and finally his death. The author of the additions
to Father Juan de Mariana's Historie general de España, [74] at the
end of the second volume, speaks very sharply and indignantly of this
gentleman, and as he might speak of a wicked highwayman or of a cruel
Nero. He certainly was wrong, for Don Fernando de Valenzuela was very
zealous in the service of his king, and his power and influence in the
government were very beneficial to the monarchy, as after his fall
was recognized by all, even his greatest enemies. But flattery [75]
must have mended the pen for him, so that in this matter he might show
himself very prejudiced. Let the name of that writer be his apology,
for it was Don So-and-so. [Fulano] Malo. The posthumous fame of Don
Fernando de Valenzuela, however, will not be obscured by his errors.