The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 31, 1640

Chapter LV

The causes of the entry of our religious into Japon, and the circumstances under which they entered Satzuma

[Christianity in the kingdoms of Japon took its origin from the Society of Jesus, the first preacher and apostle therein being St. Francis Xavier. The fathers of this Society had entered Japon according to the rule of the gospel, without weapons or soldiers, but with peace and mercy and in the strength of holy living. Christianity flourished so that the first missionaries were obliged to call in aid; and they sent for assistance to the Philippinas, where at that time there were discalced Franciscans and Augustinians, besides members of the Society. Father Gaspar Coello, vice-provincial of the fathers in Japon, wrote to the governor, Dr. Santiago de Vera, to the bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Salacar, and to the guardian of St. Francis, and the rector of the Society in Manila, urging the establishment of trade between the Philippinas and Japon. The bishop made a number of formal inquiries, which were verified before a notary. One is dated at Nangasaqui, September 11, 1584; and the other from the kingdom of Fixen, January 24, 1585. The witnesses when asked especially if it would be an advantage to have religious of various orders, and especially religious under the vow of poverty, replied unanimously that such would be very well received. They called to witness the case of the holy Fray Juan Pobre, a discalced friar who disembarked in Japon on his way to China, and whom the Japanese, both heathen and Christian, adored. It must be admitted that soon afterward the fathers of the Society in Japon changed their opinion, in spite of the fact that the extension of Christianity in Japon required more laborers in the field and that the empire was large enough for all the religious orders. God was pleased to put it into the heart of many of the kings, or tonos, of that realm to send to Manila to ask for religious of all the orders. The particular reason for the calling of our religious was as follows: In 1601 a number of Japanese vessels, with many Christians on them, touched at Manila. A number of these Christians became very fond of our convent, and often visited it. One of them, by name Juan Sandaya, brought the captain of his ship to the prior, Fray Francisco de Morales; and they discussed the possibility of sending religious of the Order of St. Dominic to Satzuma, whence the captain came. In the following year a letter was brought from the king of Satzuma, Tintionguen, inviting them to come to his kingdom. The letter was dated on the twenty-second day of the ninth month in the sixth year of Keycho.32 In response to it religious were sent. Father Fray Francisco de Morales went as vicar and superior, accompanied by the fathers Fray Thomas Hernandez, Fray Alonso de Mena, and Fray Thomas del Spiritu Santo, or Zumarraga, and brother Fray Juan de la Abadia, a lay brother.33 They set sail on the day of the most holy Trinity. They carried but little in the way of temporal things, expecting to live upon the alms which they should receive in Japon. They rested the first night in a heathen temple in the island of Coxiqui.34 The priest of the idols removed the images, and left the temple unoccupied, and the fathers consecrated it and set up in it an altar. The Japanese were very curious about the new missionaries, and were greatly pleased with them. They were welcomed in a few days by some Japanese gentlemen, who made them a very ceremonious greeting and welcomed them in the name of their king. They were escorted to the court of the tono, where they were honorably received. The black and white colors of the habit pleased the Japanese, for these are customary in that country; while the eating of fish as an ordinary article of food is very common in Japon. They also greatly admired the devotion of the fathers to study, for they esteem their boncos [or “bonzes”] in proportion as they are learned; but what above all they admired was the contempt of these fathers for comforts and worldly advantages. The favor with which the religious were received enraged the priests of the idols, who insisted that the Japanese princes who had become Christians had been unfortunate. They mentioned the instance of Don Augustin Tzunotami,35 a great and valiant lord who had been destroyed by the emperor; also that of Don Francisco, the king of Bungo,36 who had been conquered and lost his life; while this kingdom of Satzuma had been protected by its devotion to its gods, and especially to Faquiman, who is their god of war. It was no wonder that two Christian princes should have been overwhelmed when thousands of heathen had suffered the same overthrow, but the idol priests passed that over. The emperor intervened, and enacted a decree that no king or tono, and not even any gentleman of distinction, should become a Christian. The king of Satzuma, however, would not banish the religious, but gave them permission to build a church and a house. Not infrequently, however, they were forgotten, and did not receive their customary supply of rice. The fathers converted the family of the man in whose house they lived, and made a chapel in the oratory of the house. The queen was desirous of seeing the image of the Virgin which was set up in the chapel; and it was carried to the palace, and there worshiped with the greatest respect by the chief personages of the court. The king, being unable to make up his mind how to treat the religious because of the opposition of the emperor, permitted them, at their request, to return to the island of Quoxiqui, where they had landed, and where they had something of an establishment. Here they suffered from the rigors of the Japanese winter in a wretched hut. They had insufficient food, and received very small alms. In case of illness, it was impossible to give the sick man any treatment, or even proper food. The Lord, however, preserved them; and the tono at last, pitying them and being edified by their way of living, offered them a town, the income derived from which would suffice to maintain them. This they declined, as being against the rule of the province to which they belonged. The king was much amazed, and gave them some interpreters to speak for them when they preached. Being on an island seven leguas at sea, they could not preach to advantage, or learn the language; the king gave them permission to build a house and a church in the city of Quiodomari. They said their first mass here on the day of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in 1606. Here the fathers made a number of conversions, although they were permitted to baptize only the common people, the conversion of persons of rank or of soldiers being forbidden. Some, however, came secretly and were baptized. One of them, a soldier by the name of Leon, received the crown of martyrdom in four months.]

Chapter LVI

Another mission of the religious to the kingdom of Camboja

In España many times the conquest of Camboja, Sian, and Champan, neighboring kingdoms, was much discussed. The theologians whom his Majesty consulted declared that this conquest was justified within certain limitations. As captain-general was appointed the Conde de Bailen. There came to Manila in 1603 an embassy from the new king [of Camboja] asking for the friendship of the governor, for a force of soldiers, and, most important of all, for religious to come and preach the gospel. The king disclaimed any part in the murders which had been committed a few years before by the king his predecessor (who was his nephew), and by the Malay Moros whom that king favored. By them all the Portuguese and Castilians who were there had been slain, except one who made his escape.37 This new king had had nothing to do with that murder, because he was at the time a prisoner and captive in Sian, and had been taken from prison there to the kingdom at the death of his nephew, who had been slain by the Malay Moros whom he had favored. They had taken possession of the kingdom, thus rewarding the ungrateful treachery which he had shown to the Spaniards, although they had restored him to his kingdom. At this time the governor of these islands was Don Pedro de Acuña, a man of noble birth and a brave soldier, a devoted servant of his Majesty, and a true Christian. In this same year the Lord had given him a glorious victory over fifteen or sixteen thousand Chinese who attacked this city, of whom scarcely one was left alive, the Lord aiding this noble gentleman and the few Spaniards who were in Manila. Not long afterward He gave him the great victory by which Maluco was recovered and given into the possession of his Majesty, without the loss of a man, which greatly enhanced the victory. [The governor was delighted by this embassy from Camboja, and sent to ask preachers of the order which had spent so much and labored so hard to introduce the gospel among these tribes. The province immediately appointed father Fray Iñigo de Santa Maria as vicar, and, as associates and apostolic preachers, father Fray Geronimo de Belen38 and father Fray Alonso Collar, or de Santa Cathalina – whom the governor despatched with six Spaniards, letters, and a present, in a good frigate. They had bad weather, and were obliged to touch at Cochinchina and to coast along the kingdom of Champan, where they were attacked by Indians when they went on shore to get fresh water. They reached the port of Camboja called Chordemuco, in April. The king received them with great marks of honor, showing particular favor to the religious. The kingdom was in constant disturbance, but the king was greatly encouraged even by the presence of these Spaniards. He was greatly desirous of receiving further assistance from the Philippinas; but the fathers were doubtful whether any ought to come, for fear that things would turn out as they had before. Some vessels came from Cochinchina, the captain of one of them being one of those Sangleys who had killed the governor of the Philippinas (Dasmariñas); he took possession of the Spanish galley, and became a pirate. He had at this time the title of ambassador from the king of Cochinchina. Some of the Japanese knew him, since he had stolen a ship from them; and they wished to kill him, but were restrained by the religious. Soon after, when some more Japanese vessels came into port, they plotted against the man, and took his life, before the fathers could hinder them. At this time the fathers and the Spaniards suffered great risks, because the Siamese, the Chinese, and the Cochin-chinese, and much more the Malay Moros, who were all assembled here, hate Christianity. There was promise of much disquiet and many factions; and, to pacify them, the king asked one of the fathers to go to Manila and to ask for reenforcements of soldiers and for more fathers, promising to pay the soldiers, who might defend and guard those who were converted. Father Fray Iñigo went back for that purpose. The priests, or bonços, frequented our church and approved our manner of life, giving hopes of their conversion if the religious should remain. Some conversions were made, and the manner of life of the fathers greatly impressed all the people of the city. On his way back to Manila, father Fray Yñigo lost his life. He was a son of San Estevan at Salamanca, and was almost one of the first who came to this province, having been sent as a result of the activity of the first bishop of these islands, and of his associate, Fray Miguel de Venavides. He was a great preacher and very devout in prayer. He was elected to the priory of Manila, and was most useful in enlightening the consciences of the inhabitants of that city. He was most devoted to St. Cecilia and to St. Ursula; and when he called upon their names, miracles were wrought for him by the supplying of a convent in Pangasinan with fish at his prayers, and on other occasions. He showed at some times the spirit of prophecy.

At the same time there died in Camboja father Fray Alonso Collar or de Sancta Cathalina. Father Fray Alonso was a native of Cangas de Tineo, and assumed the habit and professed in Oviedo. He had come to the province in the previous year (1602), and after beginning to learn the Chinese language, had been sent by the order of his superior on this expedition. His death caused great grief in Camboja, and his funeral was attended like that of one of the grandees of the nation. His bones were afterwards taken to Manila, that he might be buried with his brethren. Thus there remained in Camboja, in the midst of many and great perils, one single religious (Jerónimo de Belén), who dared not baptize the people, although he had the license of the king to do so, because of the confusion and disquiet of the time. Looking for no future success, and knowing the fickleness of the Indians of that region – who had asked to have missionaries and soldiers sent to them, and who then had received them so ill, and had finally killed them – he wrote back asking permission to return; this was granted him by the provincial, until such time as the affairs of this kingdom should promise greater stability and quiet.]

Chapter LVII

Some misfortunes which happened at this time, and the experience of the religious during them

The city of Manila is the finest and richest of its size known in all the world. It is of great strength, being almost surrounded by the sea and by a large river, which wash its walls. It is the capital and court city of these islands, where the governor and captain-general of them has his residence, as well as the royal Audiencia and Chancillería. Here is situated the largest garrison of soldiers, with its master-of-camp, sargento-mayor, and captains. From here are sent out the forces and garrisons subject to this government, which are very many and very wide-spread, for it includes Maluco and the island of Hermosa – one of them almost under the torrid zone, and the other almost within view of Great China and very near Japon. This city makes the name of España renowned and feared throughout all these neighboring kingdoms; for, although its inhabitants and its soldiers are few, yet by the aid of the Lord, whose faith they spread abroad, they have performed so many glorious exploits that even the barbarians of the smallest capacity have come to esteem above measure their greatness, when they see the Spaniards always victorious over enemies who so surpass them in number that experience only might make such victories credible. As a kind father with his son, whose good he desires, not only strives to give him honor and wealth, but in time provides him with punishment and discipline, therefore, after our Lord had made the city illustrious with glorious victories and had filled it with riches, then in the year 1604, at the end of April, He sent upon it a fire which, defying all efforts to control it, burned to the ground a third part of the city – with such swiftness that many had no opportunity to escape it (although the fire occurred about midday), and they perished in the flames; while the loss of wealth was so great that it can hardly be believed. Hearing the news of the fire, which was at some distance from our convent, the religious went to help extinguish it; for on such occasions as this they labor more and have more confidence than others. In a moment, as if it were flying, the fire reached our convent; and since there was no one to protect it, it was almost wholly burnt, the Lord leaving only so much as was necessary to supply a crowded shelter for the religious, without being obliged to go to the house of any other person. In this we were among the more fortunate who escaped; for the fire was so extensive that others had not even this small comfort. Many who on that morning were rich, and had great houses and great wealth, had that night no house where they might lodge or shelter themselves, such is at times the fury of this terrible element.

At the beginning of October in this same year, this city, and consequently all the islands, were in great danger of being lost, because of a revolt against it of the Chinese who lived near it. The event happened in the following way. In the previous year, in one of the merchant vessels which come to this city from China every year there arrived three persons of authority, who are called by the Spaniards “mandarins.” These are their judges or leading officers in war. They entered the city, borne on men’s shoulders, on gilded ivory seats, having the insignia of magistracy: and they were received with the display due to ambassadors of so powerful a king. They had come to search for a mountain which a Chinese, named Tiongong, had described to his king as being all gold. The name of this mountain was Cavite, and from it he promised to bring back to China ships laden with gold. The mandarins made their investigations, for which purpose they carried Tiongong with them; and when they reached the place which he described, they found no mountain of gold, nor any sign of one. When they accused him of fraud and deceit, he answered, “If you wish it to be gold, it is gold” (referring to the ornaments which the Indians wear, and much more to the wealth of the Spaniards); “if you wish it to be sand, it is sand.” All this was done in the sight of the Spaniards, who came there with a good deal of interest to know the reason why these mandarins had come so far away from their regular duties – and especially their chief, who was, as it were, sargento-mayor of the province of Chincheo, one of the most prominent officers in their army. The whole thing aroused suspicion; and the archbishop, Don Fray Miguel de Venavides, a friar of our habit and a religious of this province, urged the governor to send them back immediately, that they might not perceive how small a force the Spaniards had, and might not make the other reconnoissances which are customary when foreign cities or kingdoms are to be attacked. They feared that China was intending an attack upon us. The religious of the order, as they knew the language, visited the mandarins and learned from them that this Tiongong meant to inform the king that the wealth of these islands in the hands of Spaniards and Indians was great; and that, if he would send ships and forces, he might easily make himself lord of it all. They accordingly urged the governor to hasten sending the mandarins away, and he did so. After this event the Spaniards did not rest secure, but were very fearful that the king of China, being a heathen, might be carried away by avarice, and might be greedy for the great wealth which this trickster offered him. Since he was a very powerful king, his resources would certainly be greater than this country could resist without great damage to itself. Even if the city were to be victorious, the result would be its destruction. It would lose a great many of its people, and the indignation of the king would be aroused because of his defeat. He would therefore take away their commerce from them, without which this country could not be sustained. All these reasonings and considerations made the Spaniards very anxious and suspicious. Their suspicions were very greatly increased when the heathen Chinese kept saying that they believed a fleet would come the next year. This was heard by some Chinese Christians who were so in truth; and they went immediately and told it to our religious who had the direction of them. There were some of them who put on false hair that they might look like heathen, and went with studied negligence to the alcaiceria [i. e., “silk market”] where the heathen lived, and heard their conversations at night with reference to the coming of the fleet. They immediately reported these things to their religious, and they to the governor and the archbishop. The archbishop, in a sermon preached at the feast of the most holy Sacrament in our convent, informed the governor and the city that they ought to make preparations, because the Chinese were about to rebel. Although the governor knew all these things, because he had been told of them by our religious, on the aforesaid authority, he could never be persuaded that the Chinese were going to rebel, because of the great harm and the little or no advantage which they would receive from the revolt. Yet, to make ready for what might happen, he began to show special kindness to the Japanese who lived near Manila, and to prepare them so that in case of necessity they might be on the side of the Spaniards. He followed the same plan with the Indians, directing them to prepare themselves with arms and arrows, to be ready if they should be needed. None of this was conceded from the Chinese, for it could not be kept secret from so many; and they even heard with their own ears the most prominent people in Manila say: “We cannot go out against the Chinese, if they come with a fleet, and leave behind us such a multitude as there is around the city; so, if we have news that there is a fleet of the Chinese, we shall have to kill all there are here, and go out and meet those who are coming.” This kind of talk greatly afflicted them; and besides this, the more ignorant class of people already began to look at them as enemies, and treated them very badly. The result was that they became very much disquieted and fearful. In addition, there were not lacking some to go and tell them lies, bidding them be on their guard, for on such and such a day the Spaniards were going to break out upon them. In proof of this lie they called their attention to some facts which the Sangleys could see – for instance, that all the Spaniards were getting ready their weapons, and the Indians were making new ones, though they had no other enemies, unless it were the Chinese. At last, more out of fear than from any purpose of their own, they rose in revolt, insomuch that some of them were seen to go where others had fortified themselves, weeping bitterly because they saw their destruction, but feeling that there was no other means to save their lives. The governor and the Audiencia made great efforts to undeceive them and to pacify them, but nothing that was done gave them any security. On the contrary, it seemed to them a trick to catch them unawares. It was a pity to see them leave their houses, which were many, and flee without knowing where, or considering how they were to obtain food for so great a multitude. Some of them in this affliction hanged themselves, to avoid the miseries which as they saw would befall them if they revolted, and the violent death which they feared if they did not rise. Finally, on the eve of the glorious St. Francis, they threw off the mask and came forward as declared rebels against the city. Sounding warlike music and waving banners, they began to burn houses and to kill people; and on that night they attacked in a body the town of Binondo, which is composed of Christians of their own nation. Their purpose was to force these to join them; but our religious, to whom the teaching of these Chinese was committed, caused the women and children to be brought for protection to the church, while the Chinese Christians took their arms and defended the town under the leadership of the good knight Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, who lived there next our church. With twenty arquebusiers, who were on guard in that town, they drove the enemy back without suffering any damage. The enemy, however, inflicted injury upon those who were at work in the fields, many of whom were taken by surprise and were compelled to join them or to suffer death. They also attacked the church and town of Tondo, which belongs to the religious of our father St. Augustine. As the latter had provided against them by a Spanish guard, they did no harm. After having defended the town all night, Don Luis das Mariñas sent one of our religious to the governor before daylight, asking for some troops to attack the Chinese rebels who had fortified themselves near the town of Tondo, not far from Manila. He was of the opinion that as these people had spent all the night, disturbed themselves and disturbing others, they would be tired and sleepy, so that it would be easy to inflict great losses on them. The governor took the matter before a council of war; all approved, and he sent his nephew, Don Thomas de Acuña, with more than a hundred men, the best in the camp, together with some of the men of highest rank in the city, who desired to accompany the nephews of the governor and the archbishop, who went with this party. This small force was regarded as sufficient to attack more than six thousand who were said to have banded together and to be in fortifications – so little did they regard the Chinese. The Spanish, marching in good order, met at least three hundred Chinese enemies, and, attacking them, put them immediately to flight. They were near some large plantations of sugar-cane, in which the Chinese concealed themselves; and the Spaniards followed them, being thus divided and brought into disorder. The rebels were posted not far from there, and, when they saw the Spaniards in disorder, they all sallied out against them, and, surrounding them, killed them almost to a man, although with great loss on their own side. As a result, they plucked up courage to advance against the city, and to try to make an entry into it. For this purpose they made some machines of wood, much higher than the wall. They came forward with these, with no small spirit, but soon lost their courage because, before the machines were brought into position, they were destroyed by the artillery, which inflicted much damage upon the enemy. So, after some slight encounters, they abandoned the siege and fled into the country. Against them was despatched the sargento-mayor, Christobal de Azcueta, with as many Spanish soldiers, Indians, and Japanese as could be got together. As a result of the good order which he maintained, the Chinese were killed off little by little, until there was not left a man of them. This was accomplished without any harm to our troops, for, no matter how much the Chinese strove to force them to give a general battle, they constantly refused it; but they kept the Chinese in sight while they were marching, and halted whenever they halted, surrounding themselves with a palisade of stakes which they carried for the purpose. These they arranged not in one line, but in two, so that in case of attack – and many attacks were made – before the Chinese could reach the palisades and pass them, the Spaniards with their arquebuses and arrows killed the greater number of them. The loss of life was especially great among the most courageous, who led the van; while the rest turned back in terror, without effecting anything. Hunger also fought with them powerfully, because, as our soldiers kept them constantly under surveillance, they could not go aside to forage. The little food which they had brought from Manila was quickly exhausted; and, after that was gone, their lives followed rapidly. Thus by the twentieth of October the war was at an end and everything was quiet. But the city was greatly in need of all sorts of things, for all the trades were in the hands of the Chinese, and, now that they were dead, there was no shoemaker, or tailor, or dealer in provisions, or any other necessary tradesman; and there was no hope that they would come again to this country for trade and commerce. On this account it was determined to send an embassy to China, to give information as to the facts of the case. There were appointed as ambassadors Captain Marcos de la Cueba and father Fray Luis Gandullo, one of our religious – a man of great virtue, sanctity, and prudence, who had gone to China on two other occasions. They suffered much hardship on the voyage, but finally succeeded in their negotiations with the viceroy of the province of Chincheo, which is the place from which the Chinese come to Manila. After he had given them license to get a supply of ammunition for the city, he dismissed them, promising to continue the trade. This promise was carried into effect, for in the following year there came thirteen ships; and from that day forward everything has gone on as if nothing of what has been narrated had ever taken place.