Chapter XXXIVThe death of father Fray Francisco de la Mina, and the council which was held in place of the intermediate provincial chapter.[Father Fray Francisco de la Mina was a native of Andalucia, where he assumed the habit of the order. He afterward went to Mexico, preaching there both in Spanish and in the Indian language. He was one of those who formed the plan of sending from that province some religious to ask for the approval of the most reverend general of the order for the foundation of the new province in the Philipinas. He served in the mission to the Indians of Bataan, learning their language; and was afterward appointed prior of Manila, the second post in the province. He lost his health after his return to Manila, and soon died.In the month of December, 1594, the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez assembled a council of the religious in the neighborhood of Manila, to serve in place of an intermediate provincial chapter. The rules which they adopted were of much importance. It was determined that on visitations the hours should be kept as in convents. It was also ordained that the convents should be visited in order, as might best be done. It was also provided that no business should be done with Indians or Spaniards,except in case of the necessity of sick persons, before prime or after the Ave Maria, or for one hour after meals. Also that no religious should have any peculiar mark on the table, or on his cup or on his spoon, or should carry either with him, that there might be absolute uniformity. This order was made because the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez used a marked spoon, not because it was any better than the others, but that he might neither receive nor give others anything to cause disgust; and, though it was so trifling a thing, they would not permit it to the provincial, but discussed the matter, and placed their resolution in their public formal acts—so precise were they and so closely did they follow the rule that the superior shall have nothing more than the rest, and that all things shall be uniform.While the religious were in council, the governor, Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, appeared before them, and called their attention to the great need, for the Spaniards in the city and the province of Nueva Segovia, of a priest to confess them; and to the still greater need of someone to teach and preach the holy gospel to the native Indians in that province—who, though they had now been many years subjects of his Majesty, and had paid tribute to his encomenderos, had never had anyone to preach the faith to them, and were as blind and as heathen as if they had never accepted as king a Catholic prince. The petition of the governor made such an impression that, in spite of the small number and the heavy duties of the religious, they assigned two to this mission. The need was indeed very great, for the Spaniards who lived there had been more than six months in constant danger of death, without having any priest. TheIndians were enemies of the Spaniards, very valiant, and very numerous considering the small number and the discord of the Spaniards who were in that province. As superior, father Fray Diego de Soria (who afterward became bishop of that region) was appointed, the ecclesiastical chapter giving him full power in spiritual matters, and the governor in temporal matters. His associate was father Fray Thomas Castellar. They found that they needed all the authority which they had received, to bring to some order the great laxity which prevailed among the Spaniards. It was this, and their great perversity and pertinacity in dissensions, which had caused the priests whom they had had to leave them. After those priests went away, their hatreds and their sins increased even more. The importance of this province, which includes the major part of the territory in charge of this order in the Philipinas, makes it desirable to give some very brief notice of it.] It is a hundred and fifty leguas from Manila, and constitutes a part of the island of Luçon. The climate is one of the best in the islands, being refreshing, mild, and not so excessively hot as that of most of the other provinces which are comprised in this island. It is for this reason that it was called Nueva Segovia, after Segovia in España, which is a cool region. It is in nineteen degrees of latitude and is only sixty leguas, or a little over, from China. It accordingly resembles China somewhat in its good qualities—the abundance of fish in its rivers, of rice and other produce of the soil, of animals of the chase, and of wild boars and buffaloes in the mountains; while of Spanish plants which have been introduced here the crops obtained have been very large. In the colderregions pines and live-oaks grow naturally. The occasion which obliged the Spaniards to conquer it was an attack made upon it in 1581 by a Japanese fleet, the Japanese desiring to have control of this region because of the abundance of products which it yields that are lacking in Japon. The Spaniards who were in Manila were informed of this project, and they did not think it best that the Japanese should come so near to them, when they were so few and the Japanese were so many and so audacious; they accordingly determined to go and prevent them from entering this country. With this purpose they armed a galley and other small vessels, the expedition including only forty Spaniards. Their leader and chief was Captain Carrion, and their chaplain father Fray Christoval de Salvatierra of our order, who was the associate of the bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar; he was a man of great prudence, much courage, and very superior virtue, as will be declared later. They set out from Manila on the voyage to that province; and in the bight of the cape called Cabo del Bojeador (which is close to Nueva Segovia) they found a Japanese vessel, which was prowling along the coast and pillaging it. The galley made an attack upon the Japanese ship, and with the mid-ship gun brought down its mainmast; and immediately the Spaniards, with more boldness than was expedient, bore down upon the enemy, and thrust their iron beak through his side. But they were not slow in finding out their mistake, much to their own cost; for the Japanese leaped aboard, doing much execution with their cutlasses (some of which are shaped like our cutlasses and others like broadswords), and they attacked our vessel so furiously thatthey got control of the deck, back to the mainmast. The Spaniards found themselves obliged to retreat to the poop, and cut the halyard of the mainsail. The sail fell down, with the yard, and served them as an intrenchment so that they could fire their arquebuses, doing great execution and driving off the enemy. The Spaniards continued their voyage, and entered the river of Nueva Segovia [i.e., Rio Grande de Cagayan], which may compete in size and in the excellence of its water with the finest rivers of Spain. Here they found the enemy’s fleet concealed. In order to attack it they went up the river and intrenched themselves on land, working hard all night and making their breastworks of turf and fascines between stakes. They took out of the galley a paterero and two culverins, placing them under cover, and aiming them toward the land-side, as there would be the place where the Japanese, if they came, would attack them. Thus prepared, they all waited on their arms, having their weapons at hand even when they were obliged to rest awhile. Since they had learned by experience that Japanese who are wounded by pikes grasp hold of the pikes in order to kill those who have wounded them, the captain had the pikes greased on the upper half, in order that our men might be able to draw them from the bodies and the hands of the Japanese, if the latter should pull by the pikes; and this device was of great use in the conflict which ensued.33The Japanese were not idle,for they landed two hours before day, coming well armed and in good order, and protected by the darkness of the night. They advanced upon our soldiers very silently, intending to take them by surprise; however, they did not succeed, but were discovered by the sentinels. Our men put themselves in good order, to wait for them while they advanced. Although they perceived that the Spaniards had detected them, they made a very spirited and courageous assault, but were beaten back with even greater courage once, twice, and three times. After a short rest, they attacked again with wonderful spirit, though the arquebuses and muskets brought many to the ground. Finally, the whole force of Japanese attacked our fort on the side where the cannon were, without knowing what awaited them there. The cannon were filled to the muzzle with ammunition, and were fired so seasonably that they did great execution among the Japanese. Those who were left alive, seeing what had happened, retreated, leaving their camp full of dead and mangled men. Their captain had lost so many men, who were left lying on the shore, that he set sail; and they were so thoroughly punished that they never again thought of coming to conquer this country. In this way the Spaniards found themselves in this region, but against the will of its inhabitants, who as little wished to see them there as to see the Japanese. This was immediately manifested by their retreating into the interior, leaving the Spaniards alone with nothing to eat, so that the latter consumed all the provisions that they had brought with them. The natives even made some assaults upon them, attacking them when it seemed that they could do so with safety. The Spaniardsaccordingly suffered much hardship, want, and hunger, because supplies from Manila came very insufficiently and slowly, while they had in that country nothing but cruel war. At the same time, they were much aided in their purpose to remain in it by the many factions and wars among the Indians, who could not live in peace and were constantly slaying one another, following no law but “Let the conqueror live.”34On this large river a valorous Indian by the name of Guiab had raised himself above the others. He was at the head of only three hundred followers (since he did not wish to lead any more); he was in a fair way to make himself lord of the province, and would soon have been such if the Spaniards had not come. This Indian was so determined that he had no hesitation in attacking anything with the few courageous Indians who followed him. He was so choleric that, whenever he wished to make any address to them, he could not speak to them at first, out of sheer fury—until, little by little, he cooled down and went on with his speech. He ruled his people like a great captain, rewarding them with largesse, which was at other people’s cost and was obtained from the great wealth which he procured by robbery; and he punished them with rigor for any sort of liberty taken with him, or disrespect shown to him, or for disobedience to his orders. They carried to him the news of the Spaniards, and told him that they were very courageous men who had come there from far countries; that they had beards and handsome faces, and that they did not wear the hair of their head long, as the Indians were accustomedto; they reported that the strangers went dressed in iron, and that they carried sticks with which they slew from a distance anyone whom they pleased, without its being visible by what means they did so (referring to the arquebuses). Guiab was greatly delighted with these reports, and, as a valiant man, he immediately felt an affection for these others who were so valiant. He strove to procure their friendship by sending them a great present of rice, chickens, large fat hogs, and other products of the land, all of them coming very opportunely because the Spaniards were in such a state of need. Doubtless, if the Spaniards had joined with him, they would have subjected the province without more war. But as Guiab had oppressed many of the people in the land and frightened all, they went to the Spaniards, begging them not to ally themselves with Guiab, and did nothing but speak evil of him. On this account the Spaniards, purposing to gain the good will of so many, caught Guiab and hanged him on a tree. The event was altogether opposite to what they had expected; for all the Indians retreated from the Spaniards and began to make open war upon them, often challenging them to lay aside their arquebuses and to come out into the field, man to man, with all the other weapons they pleased, so courageous are these people. Though the Spaniards lost this opportunity, they soon had another. In the maritime part of that region there were two of the ablest chiefs in the province—brothers, but at variance with each other—who were constantly making war against each other with the greatest cruelty. Tuliao, one of them, at last got the other in his hands, put him in a cage, and kept him there for a long time. The brother inprison begged the other to kill him, because death would be better and more easily borne than the painful and disgraceful imprisonment in which he was. The other answered that he did not do that, because he was his brother. “Then let me go,” answered the prisoner, “since you wish me well because I am your brother.” The other one refused to do this, because he knew perfectly that he would be obliged to make war again, as in fact happened; and they were at war as long as they lived, until our troops reached that region. Then one of them, finding himself very hard pressed by the other, went to beg the favor of the Spaniards; and the Spaniards put an end to their strife by taking from them the lands about which they had been quarreling. This was a great benefit to that province, not only because the light of the true and divine faith was brought to it, but because they were so continually engaged in civil war that, if the Spaniards had delayed their coming, they would have been likely to destroy each other. The life which they led did not deserve the name of life, because of the daily alarms to which they were exposed. Brother was unable to trust brother, and no man left his house unarmed, or without great danger. He who had the greatest power made as many slaves as possible, on any ground, no matter how slight—even for taking a single stalk of sugar-cane, when the poor people were dying of hunger because they could not cultivate their fields on account of the wars. Many of them went, of their own will, to eat in the houses of the chiefs, in order to save their lives, and in this way became their slaves. From all these evils the faith which was brought by the Spaniards freed them. The latter, by the aid ofsome of the Indians against the others, conquered many of their villages though at the cost of many deaths; and established the city which they called Nueva Segovia, a name which was also given to the whole province. The priest who accompanied the Spaniards in these first events was, as has been said, father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, of the order of our father St. Dominic. He was the first priest whom these Indians had seen; and although, on account of his ignorance of the language, he did not occupy himself with their conversion, he did not fail to do much for them by accompanying the soldiers, in order that they might not do as many wrongs to the Indians as they would otherwise have committed—for entirely to prevent outrages was impossible. He soon returned to Manila, where his personal presence was necessary. There went to that province religious of our father St. Augustine, who lived in the new town with the Spaniards, but who undertook no ministry to the Indians. They even felt that a mission to them was impossible because of the excitement of the Indians resulting from the many homicides committed among them by the Spaniards, as the latter have done in the other parts of the Indias. Besides this, these Indians were so warlike that not even a religious went out of the town except in a company of soldiers and with arms; nor did the encomenderos go to collect their tributes without an escort of many soldiers, coming back immediately with anything that the Indians were pleased to give them, for they feared the danger incurred by remaining. The conduct of the soldiers and of the colonists who lived there at that time was so little Christian, and the exhortations of the religious had so littleeffect upon them, that the friars regarded it as wise to leave them in their dissensions, since they did not wish for the peace to which the religious persuaded them. Accordingly, one night, without being perceived, the fathers left them and went away. For a long time they lived without a priest, without sacraments, or Christian teaching, so careless of God and of their souls that they let the cattle feast in the church; and a picture of our Lady which had been left in it was covered with spider-webs, there being no one to keep it in order, so forgetful were they of their souls. Such was the needy condition of that province when the noble and devout governor Don Luis Perez das Mariñas came to the council above mentioned, and asked them to send religious, who might at least administer the sacraments to the Spaniards. On account of the great need, the two religious mentioned went to the province, receiving orders that, if no religious came from España in the ships for which they were waiting, they should return. The number of the religious was, indeed, so small that they could not even attend to what they had in their charge, much less assume the additional charge of that province, which was so far from the missions which the order had in those regions. The religious did their duty with great care and diligence; and that Lent they made great efforts with sermons and addresses, planning and delivering them with the object of inducing the inhabitants to settle their differences and confess themselves during Lent. To this end public documents were drawn up before a notary, with the purpose of adjusting debts and settling dangerous controversies. All this was a necessary and most holy work; and when it was concludedand they had left the consciences of the Spaniards at rest, the time had come when the vessels from Mexico might have arrived. Since they had no news that religious were coming, these two friars, in fulfilment of the order given them, set out for Manila again, at the time when six others, who had newly come from España, reached the province. All eight met in the town of Pata, which is at the entrance to that province. Here those who were going away received with joy those who came; and together they gave many thanks to the Lord. They then began upon the conversion of the province, as will be told. We shall begin with what happened to these religious on their journey from Spain, and with the deaths of some who died on the way, with great manifestations of the highest virtue.
Chapter XXXIVThe death of father Fray Francisco de la Mina, and the council which was held in place of the intermediate provincial chapter.[Father Fray Francisco de la Mina was a native of Andalucia, where he assumed the habit of the order. He afterward went to Mexico, preaching there both in Spanish and in the Indian language. He was one of those who formed the plan of sending from that province some religious to ask for the approval of the most reverend general of the order for the foundation of the new province in the Philipinas. He served in the mission to the Indians of Bataan, learning their language; and was afterward appointed prior of Manila, the second post in the province. He lost his health after his return to Manila, and soon died.In the month of December, 1594, the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez assembled a council of the religious in the neighborhood of Manila, to serve in place of an intermediate provincial chapter. The rules which they adopted were of much importance. It was determined that on visitations the hours should be kept as in convents. It was also ordained that the convents should be visited in order, as might best be done. It was also provided that no business should be done with Indians or Spaniards,except in case of the necessity of sick persons, before prime or after the Ave Maria, or for one hour after meals. Also that no religious should have any peculiar mark on the table, or on his cup or on his spoon, or should carry either with him, that there might be absolute uniformity. This order was made because the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez used a marked spoon, not because it was any better than the others, but that he might neither receive nor give others anything to cause disgust; and, though it was so trifling a thing, they would not permit it to the provincial, but discussed the matter, and placed their resolution in their public formal acts—so precise were they and so closely did they follow the rule that the superior shall have nothing more than the rest, and that all things shall be uniform.While the religious were in council, the governor, Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, appeared before them, and called their attention to the great need, for the Spaniards in the city and the province of Nueva Segovia, of a priest to confess them; and to the still greater need of someone to teach and preach the holy gospel to the native Indians in that province—who, though they had now been many years subjects of his Majesty, and had paid tribute to his encomenderos, had never had anyone to preach the faith to them, and were as blind and as heathen as if they had never accepted as king a Catholic prince. The petition of the governor made such an impression that, in spite of the small number and the heavy duties of the religious, they assigned two to this mission. The need was indeed very great, for the Spaniards who lived there had been more than six months in constant danger of death, without having any priest. TheIndians were enemies of the Spaniards, very valiant, and very numerous considering the small number and the discord of the Spaniards who were in that province. As superior, father Fray Diego de Soria (who afterward became bishop of that region) was appointed, the ecclesiastical chapter giving him full power in spiritual matters, and the governor in temporal matters. His associate was father Fray Thomas Castellar. They found that they needed all the authority which they had received, to bring to some order the great laxity which prevailed among the Spaniards. It was this, and their great perversity and pertinacity in dissensions, which had caused the priests whom they had had to leave them. After those priests went away, their hatreds and their sins increased even more. The importance of this province, which includes the major part of the territory in charge of this order in the Philipinas, makes it desirable to give some very brief notice of it.] It is a hundred and fifty leguas from Manila, and constitutes a part of the island of Luçon. The climate is one of the best in the islands, being refreshing, mild, and not so excessively hot as that of most of the other provinces which are comprised in this island. It is for this reason that it was called Nueva Segovia, after Segovia in España, which is a cool region. It is in nineteen degrees of latitude and is only sixty leguas, or a little over, from China. It accordingly resembles China somewhat in its good qualities—the abundance of fish in its rivers, of rice and other produce of the soil, of animals of the chase, and of wild boars and buffaloes in the mountains; while of Spanish plants which have been introduced here the crops obtained have been very large. In the colderregions pines and live-oaks grow naturally. The occasion which obliged the Spaniards to conquer it was an attack made upon it in 1581 by a Japanese fleet, the Japanese desiring to have control of this region because of the abundance of products which it yields that are lacking in Japon. The Spaniards who were in Manila were informed of this project, and they did not think it best that the Japanese should come so near to them, when they were so few and the Japanese were so many and so audacious; they accordingly determined to go and prevent them from entering this country. With this purpose they armed a galley and other small vessels, the expedition including only forty Spaniards. Their leader and chief was Captain Carrion, and their chaplain father Fray Christoval de Salvatierra of our order, who was the associate of the bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar; he was a man of great prudence, much courage, and very superior virtue, as will be declared later. They set out from Manila on the voyage to that province; and in the bight of the cape called Cabo del Bojeador (which is close to Nueva Segovia) they found a Japanese vessel, which was prowling along the coast and pillaging it. The galley made an attack upon the Japanese ship, and with the mid-ship gun brought down its mainmast; and immediately the Spaniards, with more boldness than was expedient, bore down upon the enemy, and thrust their iron beak through his side. But they were not slow in finding out their mistake, much to their own cost; for the Japanese leaped aboard, doing much execution with their cutlasses (some of which are shaped like our cutlasses and others like broadswords), and they attacked our vessel so furiously thatthey got control of the deck, back to the mainmast. The Spaniards found themselves obliged to retreat to the poop, and cut the halyard of the mainsail. The sail fell down, with the yard, and served them as an intrenchment so that they could fire their arquebuses, doing great execution and driving off the enemy. The Spaniards continued their voyage, and entered the river of Nueva Segovia [i.e., Rio Grande de Cagayan], which may compete in size and in the excellence of its water with the finest rivers of Spain. Here they found the enemy’s fleet concealed. In order to attack it they went up the river and intrenched themselves on land, working hard all night and making their breastworks of turf and fascines between stakes. They took out of the galley a paterero and two culverins, placing them under cover, and aiming them toward the land-side, as there would be the place where the Japanese, if they came, would attack them. Thus prepared, they all waited on their arms, having their weapons at hand even when they were obliged to rest awhile. Since they had learned by experience that Japanese who are wounded by pikes grasp hold of the pikes in order to kill those who have wounded them, the captain had the pikes greased on the upper half, in order that our men might be able to draw them from the bodies and the hands of the Japanese, if the latter should pull by the pikes; and this device was of great use in the conflict which ensued.33The Japanese were not idle,for they landed two hours before day, coming well armed and in good order, and protected by the darkness of the night. They advanced upon our soldiers very silently, intending to take them by surprise; however, they did not succeed, but were discovered by the sentinels. Our men put themselves in good order, to wait for them while they advanced. Although they perceived that the Spaniards had detected them, they made a very spirited and courageous assault, but were beaten back with even greater courage once, twice, and three times. After a short rest, they attacked again with wonderful spirit, though the arquebuses and muskets brought many to the ground. Finally, the whole force of Japanese attacked our fort on the side where the cannon were, without knowing what awaited them there. The cannon were filled to the muzzle with ammunition, and were fired so seasonably that they did great execution among the Japanese. Those who were left alive, seeing what had happened, retreated, leaving their camp full of dead and mangled men. Their captain had lost so many men, who were left lying on the shore, that he set sail; and they were so thoroughly punished that they never again thought of coming to conquer this country. In this way the Spaniards found themselves in this region, but against the will of its inhabitants, who as little wished to see them there as to see the Japanese. This was immediately manifested by their retreating into the interior, leaving the Spaniards alone with nothing to eat, so that the latter consumed all the provisions that they had brought with them. The natives even made some assaults upon them, attacking them when it seemed that they could do so with safety. The Spaniardsaccordingly suffered much hardship, want, and hunger, because supplies from Manila came very insufficiently and slowly, while they had in that country nothing but cruel war. At the same time, they were much aided in their purpose to remain in it by the many factions and wars among the Indians, who could not live in peace and were constantly slaying one another, following no law but “Let the conqueror live.”34On this large river a valorous Indian by the name of Guiab had raised himself above the others. He was at the head of only three hundred followers (since he did not wish to lead any more); he was in a fair way to make himself lord of the province, and would soon have been such if the Spaniards had not come. This Indian was so determined that he had no hesitation in attacking anything with the few courageous Indians who followed him. He was so choleric that, whenever he wished to make any address to them, he could not speak to them at first, out of sheer fury—until, little by little, he cooled down and went on with his speech. He ruled his people like a great captain, rewarding them with largesse, which was at other people’s cost and was obtained from the great wealth which he procured by robbery; and he punished them with rigor for any sort of liberty taken with him, or disrespect shown to him, or for disobedience to his orders. They carried to him the news of the Spaniards, and told him that they were very courageous men who had come there from far countries; that they had beards and handsome faces, and that they did not wear the hair of their head long, as the Indians were accustomedto; they reported that the strangers went dressed in iron, and that they carried sticks with which they slew from a distance anyone whom they pleased, without its being visible by what means they did so (referring to the arquebuses). Guiab was greatly delighted with these reports, and, as a valiant man, he immediately felt an affection for these others who were so valiant. He strove to procure their friendship by sending them a great present of rice, chickens, large fat hogs, and other products of the land, all of them coming very opportunely because the Spaniards were in such a state of need. Doubtless, if the Spaniards had joined with him, they would have subjected the province without more war. But as Guiab had oppressed many of the people in the land and frightened all, they went to the Spaniards, begging them not to ally themselves with Guiab, and did nothing but speak evil of him. On this account the Spaniards, purposing to gain the good will of so many, caught Guiab and hanged him on a tree. The event was altogether opposite to what they had expected; for all the Indians retreated from the Spaniards and began to make open war upon them, often challenging them to lay aside their arquebuses and to come out into the field, man to man, with all the other weapons they pleased, so courageous are these people. Though the Spaniards lost this opportunity, they soon had another. In the maritime part of that region there were two of the ablest chiefs in the province—brothers, but at variance with each other—who were constantly making war against each other with the greatest cruelty. Tuliao, one of them, at last got the other in his hands, put him in a cage, and kept him there for a long time. The brother inprison begged the other to kill him, because death would be better and more easily borne than the painful and disgraceful imprisonment in which he was. The other answered that he did not do that, because he was his brother. “Then let me go,” answered the prisoner, “since you wish me well because I am your brother.” The other one refused to do this, because he knew perfectly that he would be obliged to make war again, as in fact happened; and they were at war as long as they lived, until our troops reached that region. Then one of them, finding himself very hard pressed by the other, went to beg the favor of the Spaniards; and the Spaniards put an end to their strife by taking from them the lands about which they had been quarreling. This was a great benefit to that province, not only because the light of the true and divine faith was brought to it, but because they were so continually engaged in civil war that, if the Spaniards had delayed their coming, they would have been likely to destroy each other. The life which they led did not deserve the name of life, because of the daily alarms to which they were exposed. Brother was unable to trust brother, and no man left his house unarmed, or without great danger. He who had the greatest power made as many slaves as possible, on any ground, no matter how slight—even for taking a single stalk of sugar-cane, when the poor people were dying of hunger because they could not cultivate their fields on account of the wars. Many of them went, of their own will, to eat in the houses of the chiefs, in order to save their lives, and in this way became their slaves. From all these evils the faith which was brought by the Spaniards freed them. The latter, by the aid ofsome of the Indians against the others, conquered many of their villages though at the cost of many deaths; and established the city which they called Nueva Segovia, a name which was also given to the whole province. The priest who accompanied the Spaniards in these first events was, as has been said, father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, of the order of our father St. Dominic. He was the first priest whom these Indians had seen; and although, on account of his ignorance of the language, he did not occupy himself with their conversion, he did not fail to do much for them by accompanying the soldiers, in order that they might not do as many wrongs to the Indians as they would otherwise have committed—for entirely to prevent outrages was impossible. He soon returned to Manila, where his personal presence was necessary. There went to that province religious of our father St. Augustine, who lived in the new town with the Spaniards, but who undertook no ministry to the Indians. They even felt that a mission to them was impossible because of the excitement of the Indians resulting from the many homicides committed among them by the Spaniards, as the latter have done in the other parts of the Indias. Besides this, these Indians were so warlike that not even a religious went out of the town except in a company of soldiers and with arms; nor did the encomenderos go to collect their tributes without an escort of many soldiers, coming back immediately with anything that the Indians were pleased to give them, for they feared the danger incurred by remaining. The conduct of the soldiers and of the colonists who lived there at that time was so little Christian, and the exhortations of the religious had so littleeffect upon them, that the friars regarded it as wise to leave them in their dissensions, since they did not wish for the peace to which the religious persuaded them. Accordingly, one night, without being perceived, the fathers left them and went away. For a long time they lived without a priest, without sacraments, or Christian teaching, so careless of God and of their souls that they let the cattle feast in the church; and a picture of our Lady which had been left in it was covered with spider-webs, there being no one to keep it in order, so forgetful were they of their souls. Such was the needy condition of that province when the noble and devout governor Don Luis Perez das Mariñas came to the council above mentioned, and asked them to send religious, who might at least administer the sacraments to the Spaniards. On account of the great need, the two religious mentioned went to the province, receiving orders that, if no religious came from España in the ships for which they were waiting, they should return. The number of the religious was, indeed, so small that they could not even attend to what they had in their charge, much less assume the additional charge of that province, which was so far from the missions which the order had in those regions. The religious did their duty with great care and diligence; and that Lent they made great efforts with sermons and addresses, planning and delivering them with the object of inducing the inhabitants to settle their differences and confess themselves during Lent. To this end public documents were drawn up before a notary, with the purpose of adjusting debts and settling dangerous controversies. All this was a necessary and most holy work; and when it was concludedand they had left the consciences of the Spaniards at rest, the time had come when the vessels from Mexico might have arrived. Since they had no news that religious were coming, these two friars, in fulfilment of the order given them, set out for Manila again, at the time when six others, who had newly come from España, reached the province. All eight met in the town of Pata, which is at the entrance to that province. Here those who were going away received with joy those who came; and together they gave many thanks to the Lord. They then began upon the conversion of the province, as will be told. We shall begin with what happened to these religious on their journey from Spain, and with the deaths of some who died on the way, with great manifestations of the highest virtue.
Chapter XXXIVThe death of father Fray Francisco de la Mina, and the council which was held in place of the intermediate provincial chapter.[Father Fray Francisco de la Mina was a native of Andalucia, where he assumed the habit of the order. He afterward went to Mexico, preaching there both in Spanish and in the Indian language. He was one of those who formed the plan of sending from that province some religious to ask for the approval of the most reverend general of the order for the foundation of the new province in the Philipinas. He served in the mission to the Indians of Bataan, learning their language; and was afterward appointed prior of Manila, the second post in the province. He lost his health after his return to Manila, and soon died.In the month of December, 1594, the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez assembled a council of the religious in the neighborhood of Manila, to serve in place of an intermediate provincial chapter. The rules which they adopted were of much importance. It was determined that on visitations the hours should be kept as in convents. It was also ordained that the convents should be visited in order, as might best be done. It was also provided that no business should be done with Indians or Spaniards,except in case of the necessity of sick persons, before prime or after the Ave Maria, or for one hour after meals. Also that no religious should have any peculiar mark on the table, or on his cup or on his spoon, or should carry either with him, that there might be absolute uniformity. This order was made because the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez used a marked spoon, not because it was any better than the others, but that he might neither receive nor give others anything to cause disgust; and, though it was so trifling a thing, they would not permit it to the provincial, but discussed the matter, and placed their resolution in their public formal acts—so precise were they and so closely did they follow the rule that the superior shall have nothing more than the rest, and that all things shall be uniform.While the religious were in council, the governor, Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, appeared before them, and called their attention to the great need, for the Spaniards in the city and the province of Nueva Segovia, of a priest to confess them; and to the still greater need of someone to teach and preach the holy gospel to the native Indians in that province—who, though they had now been many years subjects of his Majesty, and had paid tribute to his encomenderos, had never had anyone to preach the faith to them, and were as blind and as heathen as if they had never accepted as king a Catholic prince. The petition of the governor made such an impression that, in spite of the small number and the heavy duties of the religious, they assigned two to this mission. The need was indeed very great, for the Spaniards who lived there had been more than six months in constant danger of death, without having any priest. TheIndians were enemies of the Spaniards, very valiant, and very numerous considering the small number and the discord of the Spaniards who were in that province. As superior, father Fray Diego de Soria (who afterward became bishop of that region) was appointed, the ecclesiastical chapter giving him full power in spiritual matters, and the governor in temporal matters. His associate was father Fray Thomas Castellar. They found that they needed all the authority which they had received, to bring to some order the great laxity which prevailed among the Spaniards. It was this, and their great perversity and pertinacity in dissensions, which had caused the priests whom they had had to leave them. After those priests went away, their hatreds and their sins increased even more. The importance of this province, which includes the major part of the territory in charge of this order in the Philipinas, makes it desirable to give some very brief notice of it.] It is a hundred and fifty leguas from Manila, and constitutes a part of the island of Luçon. The climate is one of the best in the islands, being refreshing, mild, and not so excessively hot as that of most of the other provinces which are comprised in this island. It is for this reason that it was called Nueva Segovia, after Segovia in España, which is a cool region. It is in nineteen degrees of latitude and is only sixty leguas, or a little over, from China. It accordingly resembles China somewhat in its good qualities—the abundance of fish in its rivers, of rice and other produce of the soil, of animals of the chase, and of wild boars and buffaloes in the mountains; while of Spanish plants which have been introduced here the crops obtained have been very large. In the colderregions pines and live-oaks grow naturally. The occasion which obliged the Spaniards to conquer it was an attack made upon it in 1581 by a Japanese fleet, the Japanese desiring to have control of this region because of the abundance of products which it yields that are lacking in Japon. The Spaniards who were in Manila were informed of this project, and they did not think it best that the Japanese should come so near to them, when they were so few and the Japanese were so many and so audacious; they accordingly determined to go and prevent them from entering this country. With this purpose they armed a galley and other small vessels, the expedition including only forty Spaniards. Their leader and chief was Captain Carrion, and their chaplain father Fray Christoval de Salvatierra of our order, who was the associate of the bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar; he was a man of great prudence, much courage, and very superior virtue, as will be declared later. They set out from Manila on the voyage to that province; and in the bight of the cape called Cabo del Bojeador (which is close to Nueva Segovia) they found a Japanese vessel, which was prowling along the coast and pillaging it. The galley made an attack upon the Japanese ship, and with the mid-ship gun brought down its mainmast; and immediately the Spaniards, with more boldness than was expedient, bore down upon the enemy, and thrust their iron beak through his side. But they were not slow in finding out their mistake, much to their own cost; for the Japanese leaped aboard, doing much execution with their cutlasses (some of which are shaped like our cutlasses and others like broadswords), and they attacked our vessel so furiously thatthey got control of the deck, back to the mainmast. The Spaniards found themselves obliged to retreat to the poop, and cut the halyard of the mainsail. The sail fell down, with the yard, and served them as an intrenchment so that they could fire their arquebuses, doing great execution and driving off the enemy. The Spaniards continued their voyage, and entered the river of Nueva Segovia [i.e., Rio Grande de Cagayan], which may compete in size and in the excellence of its water with the finest rivers of Spain. Here they found the enemy’s fleet concealed. In order to attack it they went up the river and intrenched themselves on land, working hard all night and making their breastworks of turf and fascines between stakes. They took out of the galley a paterero and two culverins, placing them under cover, and aiming them toward the land-side, as there would be the place where the Japanese, if they came, would attack them. Thus prepared, they all waited on their arms, having their weapons at hand even when they were obliged to rest awhile. Since they had learned by experience that Japanese who are wounded by pikes grasp hold of the pikes in order to kill those who have wounded them, the captain had the pikes greased on the upper half, in order that our men might be able to draw them from the bodies and the hands of the Japanese, if the latter should pull by the pikes; and this device was of great use in the conflict which ensued.33The Japanese were not idle,for they landed two hours before day, coming well armed and in good order, and protected by the darkness of the night. They advanced upon our soldiers very silently, intending to take them by surprise; however, they did not succeed, but were discovered by the sentinels. Our men put themselves in good order, to wait for them while they advanced. Although they perceived that the Spaniards had detected them, they made a very spirited and courageous assault, but were beaten back with even greater courage once, twice, and three times. After a short rest, they attacked again with wonderful spirit, though the arquebuses and muskets brought many to the ground. Finally, the whole force of Japanese attacked our fort on the side where the cannon were, without knowing what awaited them there. The cannon were filled to the muzzle with ammunition, and were fired so seasonably that they did great execution among the Japanese. Those who were left alive, seeing what had happened, retreated, leaving their camp full of dead and mangled men. Their captain had lost so many men, who were left lying on the shore, that he set sail; and they were so thoroughly punished that they never again thought of coming to conquer this country. In this way the Spaniards found themselves in this region, but against the will of its inhabitants, who as little wished to see them there as to see the Japanese. This was immediately manifested by their retreating into the interior, leaving the Spaniards alone with nothing to eat, so that the latter consumed all the provisions that they had brought with them. The natives even made some assaults upon them, attacking them when it seemed that they could do so with safety. The Spaniardsaccordingly suffered much hardship, want, and hunger, because supplies from Manila came very insufficiently and slowly, while they had in that country nothing but cruel war. At the same time, they were much aided in their purpose to remain in it by the many factions and wars among the Indians, who could not live in peace and were constantly slaying one another, following no law but “Let the conqueror live.”34On this large river a valorous Indian by the name of Guiab had raised himself above the others. He was at the head of only three hundred followers (since he did not wish to lead any more); he was in a fair way to make himself lord of the province, and would soon have been such if the Spaniards had not come. This Indian was so determined that he had no hesitation in attacking anything with the few courageous Indians who followed him. He was so choleric that, whenever he wished to make any address to them, he could not speak to them at first, out of sheer fury—until, little by little, he cooled down and went on with his speech. He ruled his people like a great captain, rewarding them with largesse, which was at other people’s cost and was obtained from the great wealth which he procured by robbery; and he punished them with rigor for any sort of liberty taken with him, or disrespect shown to him, or for disobedience to his orders. They carried to him the news of the Spaniards, and told him that they were very courageous men who had come there from far countries; that they had beards and handsome faces, and that they did not wear the hair of their head long, as the Indians were accustomedto; they reported that the strangers went dressed in iron, and that they carried sticks with which they slew from a distance anyone whom they pleased, without its being visible by what means they did so (referring to the arquebuses). Guiab was greatly delighted with these reports, and, as a valiant man, he immediately felt an affection for these others who were so valiant. He strove to procure their friendship by sending them a great present of rice, chickens, large fat hogs, and other products of the land, all of them coming very opportunely because the Spaniards were in such a state of need. Doubtless, if the Spaniards had joined with him, they would have subjected the province without more war. But as Guiab had oppressed many of the people in the land and frightened all, they went to the Spaniards, begging them not to ally themselves with Guiab, and did nothing but speak evil of him. On this account the Spaniards, purposing to gain the good will of so many, caught Guiab and hanged him on a tree. The event was altogether opposite to what they had expected; for all the Indians retreated from the Spaniards and began to make open war upon them, often challenging them to lay aside their arquebuses and to come out into the field, man to man, with all the other weapons they pleased, so courageous are these people. Though the Spaniards lost this opportunity, they soon had another. In the maritime part of that region there were two of the ablest chiefs in the province—brothers, but at variance with each other—who were constantly making war against each other with the greatest cruelty. Tuliao, one of them, at last got the other in his hands, put him in a cage, and kept him there for a long time. The brother inprison begged the other to kill him, because death would be better and more easily borne than the painful and disgraceful imprisonment in which he was. The other answered that he did not do that, because he was his brother. “Then let me go,” answered the prisoner, “since you wish me well because I am your brother.” The other one refused to do this, because he knew perfectly that he would be obliged to make war again, as in fact happened; and they were at war as long as they lived, until our troops reached that region. Then one of them, finding himself very hard pressed by the other, went to beg the favor of the Spaniards; and the Spaniards put an end to their strife by taking from them the lands about which they had been quarreling. This was a great benefit to that province, not only because the light of the true and divine faith was brought to it, but because they were so continually engaged in civil war that, if the Spaniards had delayed their coming, they would have been likely to destroy each other. The life which they led did not deserve the name of life, because of the daily alarms to which they were exposed. Brother was unable to trust brother, and no man left his house unarmed, or without great danger. He who had the greatest power made as many slaves as possible, on any ground, no matter how slight—even for taking a single stalk of sugar-cane, when the poor people were dying of hunger because they could not cultivate their fields on account of the wars. Many of them went, of their own will, to eat in the houses of the chiefs, in order to save their lives, and in this way became their slaves. From all these evils the faith which was brought by the Spaniards freed them. The latter, by the aid ofsome of the Indians against the others, conquered many of their villages though at the cost of many deaths; and established the city which they called Nueva Segovia, a name which was also given to the whole province. The priest who accompanied the Spaniards in these first events was, as has been said, father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, of the order of our father St. Dominic. He was the first priest whom these Indians had seen; and although, on account of his ignorance of the language, he did not occupy himself with their conversion, he did not fail to do much for them by accompanying the soldiers, in order that they might not do as many wrongs to the Indians as they would otherwise have committed—for entirely to prevent outrages was impossible. He soon returned to Manila, where his personal presence was necessary. There went to that province religious of our father St. Augustine, who lived in the new town with the Spaniards, but who undertook no ministry to the Indians. They even felt that a mission to them was impossible because of the excitement of the Indians resulting from the many homicides committed among them by the Spaniards, as the latter have done in the other parts of the Indias. Besides this, these Indians were so warlike that not even a religious went out of the town except in a company of soldiers and with arms; nor did the encomenderos go to collect their tributes without an escort of many soldiers, coming back immediately with anything that the Indians were pleased to give them, for they feared the danger incurred by remaining. The conduct of the soldiers and of the colonists who lived there at that time was so little Christian, and the exhortations of the religious had so littleeffect upon them, that the friars regarded it as wise to leave them in their dissensions, since they did not wish for the peace to which the religious persuaded them. Accordingly, one night, without being perceived, the fathers left them and went away. For a long time they lived without a priest, without sacraments, or Christian teaching, so careless of God and of their souls that they let the cattle feast in the church; and a picture of our Lady which had been left in it was covered with spider-webs, there being no one to keep it in order, so forgetful were they of their souls. Such was the needy condition of that province when the noble and devout governor Don Luis Perez das Mariñas came to the council above mentioned, and asked them to send religious, who might at least administer the sacraments to the Spaniards. On account of the great need, the two religious mentioned went to the province, receiving orders that, if no religious came from España in the ships for which they were waiting, they should return. The number of the religious was, indeed, so small that they could not even attend to what they had in their charge, much less assume the additional charge of that province, which was so far from the missions which the order had in those regions. The religious did their duty with great care and diligence; and that Lent they made great efforts with sermons and addresses, planning and delivering them with the object of inducing the inhabitants to settle their differences and confess themselves during Lent. To this end public documents were drawn up before a notary, with the purpose of adjusting debts and settling dangerous controversies. All this was a necessary and most holy work; and when it was concludedand they had left the consciences of the Spaniards at rest, the time had come when the vessels from Mexico might have arrived. Since they had no news that religious were coming, these two friars, in fulfilment of the order given them, set out for Manila again, at the time when six others, who had newly come from España, reached the province. All eight met in the town of Pata, which is at the entrance to that province. Here those who were going away received with joy those who came; and together they gave many thanks to the Lord. They then began upon the conversion of the province, as will be told. We shall begin with what happened to these religious on their journey from Spain, and with the deaths of some who died on the way, with great manifestations of the highest virtue.
Chapter XXXIVThe death of father Fray Francisco de la Mina, and the council which was held in place of the intermediate provincial chapter.[Father Fray Francisco de la Mina was a native of Andalucia, where he assumed the habit of the order. He afterward went to Mexico, preaching there both in Spanish and in the Indian language. He was one of those who formed the plan of sending from that province some religious to ask for the approval of the most reverend general of the order for the foundation of the new province in the Philipinas. He served in the mission to the Indians of Bataan, learning their language; and was afterward appointed prior of Manila, the second post in the province. He lost his health after his return to Manila, and soon died.In the month of December, 1594, the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez assembled a council of the religious in the neighborhood of Manila, to serve in place of an intermediate provincial chapter. The rules which they adopted were of much importance. It was determined that on visitations the hours should be kept as in convents. It was also ordained that the convents should be visited in order, as might best be done. It was also provided that no business should be done with Indians or Spaniards,except in case of the necessity of sick persons, before prime or after the Ave Maria, or for one hour after meals. Also that no religious should have any peculiar mark on the table, or on his cup or on his spoon, or should carry either with him, that there might be absolute uniformity. This order was made because the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez used a marked spoon, not because it was any better than the others, but that he might neither receive nor give others anything to cause disgust; and, though it was so trifling a thing, they would not permit it to the provincial, but discussed the matter, and placed their resolution in their public formal acts—so precise were they and so closely did they follow the rule that the superior shall have nothing more than the rest, and that all things shall be uniform.While the religious were in council, the governor, Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, appeared before them, and called their attention to the great need, for the Spaniards in the city and the province of Nueva Segovia, of a priest to confess them; and to the still greater need of someone to teach and preach the holy gospel to the native Indians in that province—who, though they had now been many years subjects of his Majesty, and had paid tribute to his encomenderos, had never had anyone to preach the faith to them, and were as blind and as heathen as if they had never accepted as king a Catholic prince. The petition of the governor made such an impression that, in spite of the small number and the heavy duties of the religious, they assigned two to this mission. The need was indeed very great, for the Spaniards who lived there had been more than six months in constant danger of death, without having any priest. TheIndians were enemies of the Spaniards, very valiant, and very numerous considering the small number and the discord of the Spaniards who were in that province. As superior, father Fray Diego de Soria (who afterward became bishop of that region) was appointed, the ecclesiastical chapter giving him full power in spiritual matters, and the governor in temporal matters. His associate was father Fray Thomas Castellar. They found that they needed all the authority which they had received, to bring to some order the great laxity which prevailed among the Spaniards. It was this, and their great perversity and pertinacity in dissensions, which had caused the priests whom they had had to leave them. After those priests went away, their hatreds and their sins increased even more. The importance of this province, which includes the major part of the territory in charge of this order in the Philipinas, makes it desirable to give some very brief notice of it.] It is a hundred and fifty leguas from Manila, and constitutes a part of the island of Luçon. The climate is one of the best in the islands, being refreshing, mild, and not so excessively hot as that of most of the other provinces which are comprised in this island. It is for this reason that it was called Nueva Segovia, after Segovia in España, which is a cool region. It is in nineteen degrees of latitude and is only sixty leguas, or a little over, from China. It accordingly resembles China somewhat in its good qualities—the abundance of fish in its rivers, of rice and other produce of the soil, of animals of the chase, and of wild boars and buffaloes in the mountains; while of Spanish plants which have been introduced here the crops obtained have been very large. In the colderregions pines and live-oaks grow naturally. The occasion which obliged the Spaniards to conquer it was an attack made upon it in 1581 by a Japanese fleet, the Japanese desiring to have control of this region because of the abundance of products which it yields that are lacking in Japon. The Spaniards who were in Manila were informed of this project, and they did not think it best that the Japanese should come so near to them, when they were so few and the Japanese were so many and so audacious; they accordingly determined to go and prevent them from entering this country. With this purpose they armed a galley and other small vessels, the expedition including only forty Spaniards. Their leader and chief was Captain Carrion, and their chaplain father Fray Christoval de Salvatierra of our order, who was the associate of the bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar; he was a man of great prudence, much courage, and very superior virtue, as will be declared later. They set out from Manila on the voyage to that province; and in the bight of the cape called Cabo del Bojeador (which is close to Nueva Segovia) they found a Japanese vessel, which was prowling along the coast and pillaging it. The galley made an attack upon the Japanese ship, and with the mid-ship gun brought down its mainmast; and immediately the Spaniards, with more boldness than was expedient, bore down upon the enemy, and thrust their iron beak through his side. But they were not slow in finding out their mistake, much to their own cost; for the Japanese leaped aboard, doing much execution with their cutlasses (some of which are shaped like our cutlasses and others like broadswords), and they attacked our vessel so furiously thatthey got control of the deck, back to the mainmast. The Spaniards found themselves obliged to retreat to the poop, and cut the halyard of the mainsail. The sail fell down, with the yard, and served them as an intrenchment so that they could fire their arquebuses, doing great execution and driving off the enemy. The Spaniards continued their voyage, and entered the river of Nueva Segovia [i.e., Rio Grande de Cagayan], which may compete in size and in the excellence of its water with the finest rivers of Spain. Here they found the enemy’s fleet concealed. In order to attack it they went up the river and intrenched themselves on land, working hard all night and making their breastworks of turf and fascines between stakes. They took out of the galley a paterero and two culverins, placing them under cover, and aiming them toward the land-side, as there would be the place where the Japanese, if they came, would attack them. Thus prepared, they all waited on their arms, having their weapons at hand even when they were obliged to rest awhile. Since they had learned by experience that Japanese who are wounded by pikes grasp hold of the pikes in order to kill those who have wounded them, the captain had the pikes greased on the upper half, in order that our men might be able to draw them from the bodies and the hands of the Japanese, if the latter should pull by the pikes; and this device was of great use in the conflict which ensued.33The Japanese were not idle,for they landed two hours before day, coming well armed and in good order, and protected by the darkness of the night. They advanced upon our soldiers very silently, intending to take them by surprise; however, they did not succeed, but were discovered by the sentinels. Our men put themselves in good order, to wait for them while they advanced. Although they perceived that the Spaniards had detected them, they made a very spirited and courageous assault, but were beaten back with even greater courage once, twice, and three times. After a short rest, they attacked again with wonderful spirit, though the arquebuses and muskets brought many to the ground. Finally, the whole force of Japanese attacked our fort on the side where the cannon were, without knowing what awaited them there. The cannon were filled to the muzzle with ammunition, and were fired so seasonably that they did great execution among the Japanese. Those who were left alive, seeing what had happened, retreated, leaving their camp full of dead and mangled men. Their captain had lost so many men, who were left lying on the shore, that he set sail; and they were so thoroughly punished that they never again thought of coming to conquer this country. In this way the Spaniards found themselves in this region, but against the will of its inhabitants, who as little wished to see them there as to see the Japanese. This was immediately manifested by their retreating into the interior, leaving the Spaniards alone with nothing to eat, so that the latter consumed all the provisions that they had brought with them. The natives even made some assaults upon them, attacking them when it seemed that they could do so with safety. The Spaniardsaccordingly suffered much hardship, want, and hunger, because supplies from Manila came very insufficiently and slowly, while they had in that country nothing but cruel war. At the same time, they were much aided in their purpose to remain in it by the many factions and wars among the Indians, who could not live in peace and were constantly slaying one another, following no law but “Let the conqueror live.”34On this large river a valorous Indian by the name of Guiab had raised himself above the others. He was at the head of only three hundred followers (since he did not wish to lead any more); he was in a fair way to make himself lord of the province, and would soon have been such if the Spaniards had not come. This Indian was so determined that he had no hesitation in attacking anything with the few courageous Indians who followed him. He was so choleric that, whenever he wished to make any address to them, he could not speak to them at first, out of sheer fury—until, little by little, he cooled down and went on with his speech. He ruled his people like a great captain, rewarding them with largesse, which was at other people’s cost and was obtained from the great wealth which he procured by robbery; and he punished them with rigor for any sort of liberty taken with him, or disrespect shown to him, or for disobedience to his orders. They carried to him the news of the Spaniards, and told him that they were very courageous men who had come there from far countries; that they had beards and handsome faces, and that they did not wear the hair of their head long, as the Indians were accustomedto; they reported that the strangers went dressed in iron, and that they carried sticks with which they slew from a distance anyone whom they pleased, without its being visible by what means they did so (referring to the arquebuses). Guiab was greatly delighted with these reports, and, as a valiant man, he immediately felt an affection for these others who were so valiant. He strove to procure their friendship by sending them a great present of rice, chickens, large fat hogs, and other products of the land, all of them coming very opportunely because the Spaniards were in such a state of need. Doubtless, if the Spaniards had joined with him, they would have subjected the province without more war. But as Guiab had oppressed many of the people in the land and frightened all, they went to the Spaniards, begging them not to ally themselves with Guiab, and did nothing but speak evil of him. On this account the Spaniards, purposing to gain the good will of so many, caught Guiab and hanged him on a tree. The event was altogether opposite to what they had expected; for all the Indians retreated from the Spaniards and began to make open war upon them, often challenging them to lay aside their arquebuses and to come out into the field, man to man, with all the other weapons they pleased, so courageous are these people. Though the Spaniards lost this opportunity, they soon had another. In the maritime part of that region there were two of the ablest chiefs in the province—brothers, but at variance with each other—who were constantly making war against each other with the greatest cruelty. Tuliao, one of them, at last got the other in his hands, put him in a cage, and kept him there for a long time. The brother inprison begged the other to kill him, because death would be better and more easily borne than the painful and disgraceful imprisonment in which he was. The other answered that he did not do that, because he was his brother. “Then let me go,” answered the prisoner, “since you wish me well because I am your brother.” The other one refused to do this, because he knew perfectly that he would be obliged to make war again, as in fact happened; and they were at war as long as they lived, until our troops reached that region. Then one of them, finding himself very hard pressed by the other, went to beg the favor of the Spaniards; and the Spaniards put an end to their strife by taking from them the lands about which they had been quarreling. This was a great benefit to that province, not only because the light of the true and divine faith was brought to it, but because they were so continually engaged in civil war that, if the Spaniards had delayed their coming, they would have been likely to destroy each other. The life which they led did not deserve the name of life, because of the daily alarms to which they were exposed. Brother was unable to trust brother, and no man left his house unarmed, or without great danger. He who had the greatest power made as many slaves as possible, on any ground, no matter how slight—even for taking a single stalk of sugar-cane, when the poor people were dying of hunger because they could not cultivate their fields on account of the wars. Many of them went, of their own will, to eat in the houses of the chiefs, in order to save their lives, and in this way became their slaves. From all these evils the faith which was brought by the Spaniards freed them. The latter, by the aid ofsome of the Indians against the others, conquered many of their villages though at the cost of many deaths; and established the city which they called Nueva Segovia, a name which was also given to the whole province. The priest who accompanied the Spaniards in these first events was, as has been said, father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, of the order of our father St. Dominic. He was the first priest whom these Indians had seen; and although, on account of his ignorance of the language, he did not occupy himself with their conversion, he did not fail to do much for them by accompanying the soldiers, in order that they might not do as many wrongs to the Indians as they would otherwise have committed—for entirely to prevent outrages was impossible. He soon returned to Manila, where his personal presence was necessary. There went to that province religious of our father St. Augustine, who lived in the new town with the Spaniards, but who undertook no ministry to the Indians. They even felt that a mission to them was impossible because of the excitement of the Indians resulting from the many homicides committed among them by the Spaniards, as the latter have done in the other parts of the Indias. Besides this, these Indians were so warlike that not even a religious went out of the town except in a company of soldiers and with arms; nor did the encomenderos go to collect their tributes without an escort of many soldiers, coming back immediately with anything that the Indians were pleased to give them, for they feared the danger incurred by remaining. The conduct of the soldiers and of the colonists who lived there at that time was so little Christian, and the exhortations of the religious had so littleeffect upon them, that the friars regarded it as wise to leave them in their dissensions, since they did not wish for the peace to which the religious persuaded them. Accordingly, one night, without being perceived, the fathers left them and went away. For a long time they lived without a priest, without sacraments, or Christian teaching, so careless of God and of their souls that they let the cattle feast in the church; and a picture of our Lady which had been left in it was covered with spider-webs, there being no one to keep it in order, so forgetful were they of their souls. Such was the needy condition of that province when the noble and devout governor Don Luis Perez das Mariñas came to the council above mentioned, and asked them to send religious, who might at least administer the sacraments to the Spaniards. On account of the great need, the two religious mentioned went to the province, receiving orders that, if no religious came from España in the ships for which they were waiting, they should return. The number of the religious was, indeed, so small that they could not even attend to what they had in their charge, much less assume the additional charge of that province, which was so far from the missions which the order had in those regions. The religious did their duty with great care and diligence; and that Lent they made great efforts with sermons and addresses, planning and delivering them with the object of inducing the inhabitants to settle their differences and confess themselves during Lent. To this end public documents were drawn up before a notary, with the purpose of adjusting debts and settling dangerous controversies. All this was a necessary and most holy work; and when it was concludedand they had left the consciences of the Spaniards at rest, the time had come when the vessels from Mexico might have arrived. Since they had no news that religious were coming, these two friars, in fulfilment of the order given them, set out for Manila again, at the time when six others, who had newly come from España, reached the province. All eight met in the town of Pata, which is at the entrance to that province. Here those who were going away received with joy those who came; and together they gave many thanks to the Lord. They then began upon the conversion of the province, as will be told. We shall begin with what happened to these religious on their journey from Spain, and with the deaths of some who died on the way, with great manifestations of the highest virtue.
Chapter XXXIVThe death of father Fray Francisco de la Mina, and the council which was held in place of the intermediate provincial chapter.[Father Fray Francisco de la Mina was a native of Andalucia, where he assumed the habit of the order. He afterward went to Mexico, preaching there both in Spanish and in the Indian language. He was one of those who formed the plan of sending from that province some religious to ask for the approval of the most reverend general of the order for the foundation of the new province in the Philipinas. He served in the mission to the Indians of Bataan, learning their language; and was afterward appointed prior of Manila, the second post in the province. He lost his health after his return to Manila, and soon died.In the month of December, 1594, the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez assembled a council of the religious in the neighborhood of Manila, to serve in place of an intermediate provincial chapter. The rules which they adopted were of much importance. It was determined that on visitations the hours should be kept as in convents. It was also ordained that the convents should be visited in order, as might best be done. It was also provided that no business should be done with Indians or Spaniards,except in case of the necessity of sick persons, before prime or after the Ave Maria, or for one hour after meals. Also that no religious should have any peculiar mark on the table, or on his cup or on his spoon, or should carry either with him, that there might be absolute uniformity. This order was made because the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez used a marked spoon, not because it was any better than the others, but that he might neither receive nor give others anything to cause disgust; and, though it was so trifling a thing, they would not permit it to the provincial, but discussed the matter, and placed their resolution in their public formal acts—so precise were they and so closely did they follow the rule that the superior shall have nothing more than the rest, and that all things shall be uniform.While the religious were in council, the governor, Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, appeared before them, and called their attention to the great need, for the Spaniards in the city and the province of Nueva Segovia, of a priest to confess them; and to the still greater need of someone to teach and preach the holy gospel to the native Indians in that province—who, though they had now been many years subjects of his Majesty, and had paid tribute to his encomenderos, had never had anyone to preach the faith to them, and were as blind and as heathen as if they had never accepted as king a Catholic prince. The petition of the governor made such an impression that, in spite of the small number and the heavy duties of the religious, they assigned two to this mission. The need was indeed very great, for the Spaniards who lived there had been more than six months in constant danger of death, without having any priest. TheIndians were enemies of the Spaniards, very valiant, and very numerous considering the small number and the discord of the Spaniards who were in that province. As superior, father Fray Diego de Soria (who afterward became bishop of that region) was appointed, the ecclesiastical chapter giving him full power in spiritual matters, and the governor in temporal matters. His associate was father Fray Thomas Castellar. They found that they needed all the authority which they had received, to bring to some order the great laxity which prevailed among the Spaniards. It was this, and their great perversity and pertinacity in dissensions, which had caused the priests whom they had had to leave them. After those priests went away, their hatreds and their sins increased even more. The importance of this province, which includes the major part of the territory in charge of this order in the Philipinas, makes it desirable to give some very brief notice of it.] It is a hundred and fifty leguas from Manila, and constitutes a part of the island of Luçon. The climate is one of the best in the islands, being refreshing, mild, and not so excessively hot as that of most of the other provinces which are comprised in this island. It is for this reason that it was called Nueva Segovia, after Segovia in España, which is a cool region. It is in nineteen degrees of latitude and is only sixty leguas, or a little over, from China. It accordingly resembles China somewhat in its good qualities—the abundance of fish in its rivers, of rice and other produce of the soil, of animals of the chase, and of wild boars and buffaloes in the mountains; while of Spanish plants which have been introduced here the crops obtained have been very large. In the colderregions pines and live-oaks grow naturally. The occasion which obliged the Spaniards to conquer it was an attack made upon it in 1581 by a Japanese fleet, the Japanese desiring to have control of this region because of the abundance of products which it yields that are lacking in Japon. The Spaniards who were in Manila were informed of this project, and they did not think it best that the Japanese should come so near to them, when they were so few and the Japanese were so many and so audacious; they accordingly determined to go and prevent them from entering this country. With this purpose they armed a galley and other small vessels, the expedition including only forty Spaniards. Their leader and chief was Captain Carrion, and their chaplain father Fray Christoval de Salvatierra of our order, who was the associate of the bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar; he was a man of great prudence, much courage, and very superior virtue, as will be declared later. They set out from Manila on the voyage to that province; and in the bight of the cape called Cabo del Bojeador (which is close to Nueva Segovia) they found a Japanese vessel, which was prowling along the coast and pillaging it. The galley made an attack upon the Japanese ship, and with the mid-ship gun brought down its mainmast; and immediately the Spaniards, with more boldness than was expedient, bore down upon the enemy, and thrust their iron beak through his side. But they were not slow in finding out their mistake, much to their own cost; for the Japanese leaped aboard, doing much execution with their cutlasses (some of which are shaped like our cutlasses and others like broadswords), and they attacked our vessel so furiously thatthey got control of the deck, back to the mainmast. The Spaniards found themselves obliged to retreat to the poop, and cut the halyard of the mainsail. The sail fell down, with the yard, and served them as an intrenchment so that they could fire their arquebuses, doing great execution and driving off the enemy. The Spaniards continued their voyage, and entered the river of Nueva Segovia [i.e., Rio Grande de Cagayan], which may compete in size and in the excellence of its water with the finest rivers of Spain. Here they found the enemy’s fleet concealed. In order to attack it they went up the river and intrenched themselves on land, working hard all night and making their breastworks of turf and fascines between stakes. They took out of the galley a paterero and two culverins, placing them under cover, and aiming them toward the land-side, as there would be the place where the Japanese, if they came, would attack them. Thus prepared, they all waited on their arms, having their weapons at hand even when they were obliged to rest awhile. Since they had learned by experience that Japanese who are wounded by pikes grasp hold of the pikes in order to kill those who have wounded them, the captain had the pikes greased on the upper half, in order that our men might be able to draw them from the bodies and the hands of the Japanese, if the latter should pull by the pikes; and this device was of great use in the conflict which ensued.33The Japanese were not idle,for they landed two hours before day, coming well armed and in good order, and protected by the darkness of the night. They advanced upon our soldiers very silently, intending to take them by surprise; however, they did not succeed, but were discovered by the sentinels. Our men put themselves in good order, to wait for them while they advanced. Although they perceived that the Spaniards had detected them, they made a very spirited and courageous assault, but were beaten back with even greater courage once, twice, and three times. After a short rest, they attacked again with wonderful spirit, though the arquebuses and muskets brought many to the ground. Finally, the whole force of Japanese attacked our fort on the side where the cannon were, without knowing what awaited them there. The cannon were filled to the muzzle with ammunition, and were fired so seasonably that they did great execution among the Japanese. Those who were left alive, seeing what had happened, retreated, leaving their camp full of dead and mangled men. Their captain had lost so many men, who were left lying on the shore, that he set sail; and they were so thoroughly punished that they never again thought of coming to conquer this country. In this way the Spaniards found themselves in this region, but against the will of its inhabitants, who as little wished to see them there as to see the Japanese. This was immediately manifested by their retreating into the interior, leaving the Spaniards alone with nothing to eat, so that the latter consumed all the provisions that they had brought with them. The natives even made some assaults upon them, attacking them when it seemed that they could do so with safety. The Spaniardsaccordingly suffered much hardship, want, and hunger, because supplies from Manila came very insufficiently and slowly, while they had in that country nothing but cruel war. At the same time, they were much aided in their purpose to remain in it by the many factions and wars among the Indians, who could not live in peace and were constantly slaying one another, following no law but “Let the conqueror live.”34On this large river a valorous Indian by the name of Guiab had raised himself above the others. He was at the head of only three hundred followers (since he did not wish to lead any more); he was in a fair way to make himself lord of the province, and would soon have been such if the Spaniards had not come. This Indian was so determined that he had no hesitation in attacking anything with the few courageous Indians who followed him. He was so choleric that, whenever he wished to make any address to them, he could not speak to them at first, out of sheer fury—until, little by little, he cooled down and went on with his speech. He ruled his people like a great captain, rewarding them with largesse, which was at other people’s cost and was obtained from the great wealth which he procured by robbery; and he punished them with rigor for any sort of liberty taken with him, or disrespect shown to him, or for disobedience to his orders. They carried to him the news of the Spaniards, and told him that they were very courageous men who had come there from far countries; that they had beards and handsome faces, and that they did not wear the hair of their head long, as the Indians were accustomedto; they reported that the strangers went dressed in iron, and that they carried sticks with which they slew from a distance anyone whom they pleased, without its being visible by what means they did so (referring to the arquebuses). Guiab was greatly delighted with these reports, and, as a valiant man, he immediately felt an affection for these others who were so valiant. He strove to procure their friendship by sending them a great present of rice, chickens, large fat hogs, and other products of the land, all of them coming very opportunely because the Spaniards were in such a state of need. Doubtless, if the Spaniards had joined with him, they would have subjected the province without more war. But as Guiab had oppressed many of the people in the land and frightened all, they went to the Spaniards, begging them not to ally themselves with Guiab, and did nothing but speak evil of him. On this account the Spaniards, purposing to gain the good will of so many, caught Guiab and hanged him on a tree. The event was altogether opposite to what they had expected; for all the Indians retreated from the Spaniards and began to make open war upon them, often challenging them to lay aside their arquebuses and to come out into the field, man to man, with all the other weapons they pleased, so courageous are these people. Though the Spaniards lost this opportunity, they soon had another. In the maritime part of that region there were two of the ablest chiefs in the province—brothers, but at variance with each other—who were constantly making war against each other with the greatest cruelty. Tuliao, one of them, at last got the other in his hands, put him in a cage, and kept him there for a long time. The brother inprison begged the other to kill him, because death would be better and more easily borne than the painful and disgraceful imprisonment in which he was. The other answered that he did not do that, because he was his brother. “Then let me go,” answered the prisoner, “since you wish me well because I am your brother.” The other one refused to do this, because he knew perfectly that he would be obliged to make war again, as in fact happened; and they were at war as long as they lived, until our troops reached that region. Then one of them, finding himself very hard pressed by the other, went to beg the favor of the Spaniards; and the Spaniards put an end to their strife by taking from them the lands about which they had been quarreling. This was a great benefit to that province, not only because the light of the true and divine faith was brought to it, but because they were so continually engaged in civil war that, if the Spaniards had delayed their coming, they would have been likely to destroy each other. The life which they led did not deserve the name of life, because of the daily alarms to which they were exposed. Brother was unable to trust brother, and no man left his house unarmed, or without great danger. He who had the greatest power made as many slaves as possible, on any ground, no matter how slight—even for taking a single stalk of sugar-cane, when the poor people were dying of hunger because they could not cultivate their fields on account of the wars. Many of them went, of their own will, to eat in the houses of the chiefs, in order to save their lives, and in this way became their slaves. From all these evils the faith which was brought by the Spaniards freed them. The latter, by the aid ofsome of the Indians against the others, conquered many of their villages though at the cost of many deaths; and established the city which they called Nueva Segovia, a name which was also given to the whole province. The priest who accompanied the Spaniards in these first events was, as has been said, father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, of the order of our father St. Dominic. He was the first priest whom these Indians had seen; and although, on account of his ignorance of the language, he did not occupy himself with their conversion, he did not fail to do much for them by accompanying the soldiers, in order that they might not do as many wrongs to the Indians as they would otherwise have committed—for entirely to prevent outrages was impossible. He soon returned to Manila, where his personal presence was necessary. There went to that province religious of our father St. Augustine, who lived in the new town with the Spaniards, but who undertook no ministry to the Indians. They even felt that a mission to them was impossible because of the excitement of the Indians resulting from the many homicides committed among them by the Spaniards, as the latter have done in the other parts of the Indias. Besides this, these Indians were so warlike that not even a religious went out of the town except in a company of soldiers and with arms; nor did the encomenderos go to collect their tributes without an escort of many soldiers, coming back immediately with anything that the Indians were pleased to give them, for they feared the danger incurred by remaining. The conduct of the soldiers and of the colonists who lived there at that time was so little Christian, and the exhortations of the religious had so littleeffect upon them, that the friars regarded it as wise to leave them in their dissensions, since they did not wish for the peace to which the religious persuaded them. Accordingly, one night, without being perceived, the fathers left them and went away. For a long time they lived without a priest, without sacraments, or Christian teaching, so careless of God and of their souls that they let the cattle feast in the church; and a picture of our Lady which had been left in it was covered with spider-webs, there being no one to keep it in order, so forgetful were they of their souls. Such was the needy condition of that province when the noble and devout governor Don Luis Perez das Mariñas came to the council above mentioned, and asked them to send religious, who might at least administer the sacraments to the Spaniards. On account of the great need, the two religious mentioned went to the province, receiving orders that, if no religious came from España in the ships for which they were waiting, they should return. The number of the religious was, indeed, so small that they could not even attend to what they had in their charge, much less assume the additional charge of that province, which was so far from the missions which the order had in those regions. The religious did their duty with great care and diligence; and that Lent they made great efforts with sermons and addresses, planning and delivering them with the object of inducing the inhabitants to settle their differences and confess themselves during Lent. To this end public documents were drawn up before a notary, with the purpose of adjusting debts and settling dangerous controversies. All this was a necessary and most holy work; and when it was concludedand they had left the consciences of the Spaniards at rest, the time had come when the vessels from Mexico might have arrived. Since they had no news that religious were coming, these two friars, in fulfilment of the order given them, set out for Manila again, at the time when six others, who had newly come from España, reached the province. All eight met in the town of Pata, which is at the entrance to that province. Here those who were going away received with joy those who came; and together they gave many thanks to the Lord. They then began upon the conversion of the province, as will be told. We shall begin with what happened to these religious on their journey from Spain, and with the deaths of some who died on the way, with great manifestations of the highest virtue.
Chapter XXXIVThe death of father Fray Francisco de la Mina, and the council which was held in place of the intermediate provincial chapter.
[Father Fray Francisco de la Mina was a native of Andalucia, where he assumed the habit of the order. He afterward went to Mexico, preaching there both in Spanish and in the Indian language. He was one of those who formed the plan of sending from that province some religious to ask for the approval of the most reverend general of the order for the foundation of the new province in the Philipinas. He served in the mission to the Indians of Bataan, learning their language; and was afterward appointed prior of Manila, the second post in the province. He lost his health after his return to Manila, and soon died.In the month of December, 1594, the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez assembled a council of the religious in the neighborhood of Manila, to serve in place of an intermediate provincial chapter. The rules which they adopted were of much importance. It was determined that on visitations the hours should be kept as in convents. It was also ordained that the convents should be visited in order, as might best be done. It was also provided that no business should be done with Indians or Spaniards,except in case of the necessity of sick persons, before prime or after the Ave Maria, or for one hour after meals. Also that no religious should have any peculiar mark on the table, or on his cup or on his spoon, or should carry either with him, that there might be absolute uniformity. This order was made because the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez used a marked spoon, not because it was any better than the others, but that he might neither receive nor give others anything to cause disgust; and, though it was so trifling a thing, they would not permit it to the provincial, but discussed the matter, and placed their resolution in their public formal acts—so precise were they and so closely did they follow the rule that the superior shall have nothing more than the rest, and that all things shall be uniform.While the religious were in council, the governor, Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, appeared before them, and called their attention to the great need, for the Spaniards in the city and the province of Nueva Segovia, of a priest to confess them; and to the still greater need of someone to teach and preach the holy gospel to the native Indians in that province—who, though they had now been many years subjects of his Majesty, and had paid tribute to his encomenderos, had never had anyone to preach the faith to them, and were as blind and as heathen as if they had never accepted as king a Catholic prince. The petition of the governor made such an impression that, in spite of the small number and the heavy duties of the religious, they assigned two to this mission. The need was indeed very great, for the Spaniards who lived there had been more than six months in constant danger of death, without having any priest. TheIndians were enemies of the Spaniards, very valiant, and very numerous considering the small number and the discord of the Spaniards who were in that province. As superior, father Fray Diego de Soria (who afterward became bishop of that region) was appointed, the ecclesiastical chapter giving him full power in spiritual matters, and the governor in temporal matters. His associate was father Fray Thomas Castellar. They found that they needed all the authority which they had received, to bring to some order the great laxity which prevailed among the Spaniards. It was this, and their great perversity and pertinacity in dissensions, which had caused the priests whom they had had to leave them. After those priests went away, their hatreds and their sins increased even more. The importance of this province, which includes the major part of the territory in charge of this order in the Philipinas, makes it desirable to give some very brief notice of it.] It is a hundred and fifty leguas from Manila, and constitutes a part of the island of Luçon. The climate is one of the best in the islands, being refreshing, mild, and not so excessively hot as that of most of the other provinces which are comprised in this island. It is for this reason that it was called Nueva Segovia, after Segovia in España, which is a cool region. It is in nineteen degrees of latitude and is only sixty leguas, or a little over, from China. It accordingly resembles China somewhat in its good qualities—the abundance of fish in its rivers, of rice and other produce of the soil, of animals of the chase, and of wild boars and buffaloes in the mountains; while of Spanish plants which have been introduced here the crops obtained have been very large. In the colderregions pines and live-oaks grow naturally. The occasion which obliged the Spaniards to conquer it was an attack made upon it in 1581 by a Japanese fleet, the Japanese desiring to have control of this region because of the abundance of products which it yields that are lacking in Japon. The Spaniards who were in Manila were informed of this project, and they did not think it best that the Japanese should come so near to them, when they were so few and the Japanese were so many and so audacious; they accordingly determined to go and prevent them from entering this country. With this purpose they armed a galley and other small vessels, the expedition including only forty Spaniards. Their leader and chief was Captain Carrion, and their chaplain father Fray Christoval de Salvatierra of our order, who was the associate of the bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar; he was a man of great prudence, much courage, and very superior virtue, as will be declared later. They set out from Manila on the voyage to that province; and in the bight of the cape called Cabo del Bojeador (which is close to Nueva Segovia) they found a Japanese vessel, which was prowling along the coast and pillaging it. The galley made an attack upon the Japanese ship, and with the mid-ship gun brought down its mainmast; and immediately the Spaniards, with more boldness than was expedient, bore down upon the enemy, and thrust their iron beak through his side. But they were not slow in finding out their mistake, much to their own cost; for the Japanese leaped aboard, doing much execution with their cutlasses (some of which are shaped like our cutlasses and others like broadswords), and they attacked our vessel so furiously thatthey got control of the deck, back to the mainmast. The Spaniards found themselves obliged to retreat to the poop, and cut the halyard of the mainsail. The sail fell down, with the yard, and served them as an intrenchment so that they could fire their arquebuses, doing great execution and driving off the enemy. The Spaniards continued their voyage, and entered the river of Nueva Segovia [i.e., Rio Grande de Cagayan], which may compete in size and in the excellence of its water with the finest rivers of Spain. Here they found the enemy’s fleet concealed. In order to attack it they went up the river and intrenched themselves on land, working hard all night and making their breastworks of turf and fascines between stakes. They took out of the galley a paterero and two culverins, placing them under cover, and aiming them toward the land-side, as there would be the place where the Japanese, if they came, would attack them. Thus prepared, they all waited on their arms, having their weapons at hand even when they were obliged to rest awhile. Since they had learned by experience that Japanese who are wounded by pikes grasp hold of the pikes in order to kill those who have wounded them, the captain had the pikes greased on the upper half, in order that our men might be able to draw them from the bodies and the hands of the Japanese, if the latter should pull by the pikes; and this device was of great use in the conflict which ensued.33The Japanese were not idle,for they landed two hours before day, coming well armed and in good order, and protected by the darkness of the night. They advanced upon our soldiers very silently, intending to take them by surprise; however, they did not succeed, but were discovered by the sentinels. Our men put themselves in good order, to wait for them while they advanced. Although they perceived that the Spaniards had detected them, they made a very spirited and courageous assault, but were beaten back with even greater courage once, twice, and three times. After a short rest, they attacked again with wonderful spirit, though the arquebuses and muskets brought many to the ground. Finally, the whole force of Japanese attacked our fort on the side where the cannon were, without knowing what awaited them there. The cannon were filled to the muzzle with ammunition, and were fired so seasonably that they did great execution among the Japanese. Those who were left alive, seeing what had happened, retreated, leaving their camp full of dead and mangled men. Their captain had lost so many men, who were left lying on the shore, that he set sail; and they were so thoroughly punished that they never again thought of coming to conquer this country. In this way the Spaniards found themselves in this region, but against the will of its inhabitants, who as little wished to see them there as to see the Japanese. This was immediately manifested by their retreating into the interior, leaving the Spaniards alone with nothing to eat, so that the latter consumed all the provisions that they had brought with them. The natives even made some assaults upon them, attacking them when it seemed that they could do so with safety. The Spaniardsaccordingly suffered much hardship, want, and hunger, because supplies from Manila came very insufficiently and slowly, while they had in that country nothing but cruel war. At the same time, they were much aided in their purpose to remain in it by the many factions and wars among the Indians, who could not live in peace and were constantly slaying one another, following no law but “Let the conqueror live.”34On this large river a valorous Indian by the name of Guiab had raised himself above the others. He was at the head of only three hundred followers (since he did not wish to lead any more); he was in a fair way to make himself lord of the province, and would soon have been such if the Spaniards had not come. This Indian was so determined that he had no hesitation in attacking anything with the few courageous Indians who followed him. He was so choleric that, whenever he wished to make any address to them, he could not speak to them at first, out of sheer fury—until, little by little, he cooled down and went on with his speech. He ruled his people like a great captain, rewarding them with largesse, which was at other people’s cost and was obtained from the great wealth which he procured by robbery; and he punished them with rigor for any sort of liberty taken with him, or disrespect shown to him, or for disobedience to his orders. They carried to him the news of the Spaniards, and told him that they were very courageous men who had come there from far countries; that they had beards and handsome faces, and that they did not wear the hair of their head long, as the Indians were accustomedto; they reported that the strangers went dressed in iron, and that they carried sticks with which they slew from a distance anyone whom they pleased, without its being visible by what means they did so (referring to the arquebuses). Guiab was greatly delighted with these reports, and, as a valiant man, he immediately felt an affection for these others who were so valiant. He strove to procure their friendship by sending them a great present of rice, chickens, large fat hogs, and other products of the land, all of them coming very opportunely because the Spaniards were in such a state of need. Doubtless, if the Spaniards had joined with him, they would have subjected the province without more war. But as Guiab had oppressed many of the people in the land and frightened all, they went to the Spaniards, begging them not to ally themselves with Guiab, and did nothing but speak evil of him. On this account the Spaniards, purposing to gain the good will of so many, caught Guiab and hanged him on a tree. The event was altogether opposite to what they had expected; for all the Indians retreated from the Spaniards and began to make open war upon them, often challenging them to lay aside their arquebuses and to come out into the field, man to man, with all the other weapons they pleased, so courageous are these people. Though the Spaniards lost this opportunity, they soon had another. In the maritime part of that region there were two of the ablest chiefs in the province—brothers, but at variance with each other—who were constantly making war against each other with the greatest cruelty. Tuliao, one of them, at last got the other in his hands, put him in a cage, and kept him there for a long time. The brother inprison begged the other to kill him, because death would be better and more easily borne than the painful and disgraceful imprisonment in which he was. The other answered that he did not do that, because he was his brother. “Then let me go,” answered the prisoner, “since you wish me well because I am your brother.” The other one refused to do this, because he knew perfectly that he would be obliged to make war again, as in fact happened; and they were at war as long as they lived, until our troops reached that region. Then one of them, finding himself very hard pressed by the other, went to beg the favor of the Spaniards; and the Spaniards put an end to their strife by taking from them the lands about which they had been quarreling. This was a great benefit to that province, not only because the light of the true and divine faith was brought to it, but because they were so continually engaged in civil war that, if the Spaniards had delayed their coming, they would have been likely to destroy each other. The life which they led did not deserve the name of life, because of the daily alarms to which they were exposed. Brother was unable to trust brother, and no man left his house unarmed, or without great danger. He who had the greatest power made as many slaves as possible, on any ground, no matter how slight—even for taking a single stalk of sugar-cane, when the poor people were dying of hunger because they could not cultivate their fields on account of the wars. Many of them went, of their own will, to eat in the houses of the chiefs, in order to save their lives, and in this way became their slaves. From all these evils the faith which was brought by the Spaniards freed them. The latter, by the aid ofsome of the Indians against the others, conquered many of their villages though at the cost of many deaths; and established the city which they called Nueva Segovia, a name which was also given to the whole province. The priest who accompanied the Spaniards in these first events was, as has been said, father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, of the order of our father St. Dominic. He was the first priest whom these Indians had seen; and although, on account of his ignorance of the language, he did not occupy himself with their conversion, he did not fail to do much for them by accompanying the soldiers, in order that they might not do as many wrongs to the Indians as they would otherwise have committed—for entirely to prevent outrages was impossible. He soon returned to Manila, where his personal presence was necessary. There went to that province religious of our father St. Augustine, who lived in the new town with the Spaniards, but who undertook no ministry to the Indians. They even felt that a mission to them was impossible because of the excitement of the Indians resulting from the many homicides committed among them by the Spaniards, as the latter have done in the other parts of the Indias. Besides this, these Indians were so warlike that not even a religious went out of the town except in a company of soldiers and with arms; nor did the encomenderos go to collect their tributes without an escort of many soldiers, coming back immediately with anything that the Indians were pleased to give them, for they feared the danger incurred by remaining. The conduct of the soldiers and of the colonists who lived there at that time was so little Christian, and the exhortations of the religious had so littleeffect upon them, that the friars regarded it as wise to leave them in their dissensions, since they did not wish for the peace to which the religious persuaded them. Accordingly, one night, without being perceived, the fathers left them and went away. For a long time they lived without a priest, without sacraments, or Christian teaching, so careless of God and of their souls that they let the cattle feast in the church; and a picture of our Lady which had been left in it was covered with spider-webs, there being no one to keep it in order, so forgetful were they of their souls. Such was the needy condition of that province when the noble and devout governor Don Luis Perez das Mariñas came to the council above mentioned, and asked them to send religious, who might at least administer the sacraments to the Spaniards. On account of the great need, the two religious mentioned went to the province, receiving orders that, if no religious came from España in the ships for which they were waiting, they should return. The number of the religious was, indeed, so small that they could not even attend to what they had in their charge, much less assume the additional charge of that province, which was so far from the missions which the order had in those regions. The religious did their duty with great care and diligence; and that Lent they made great efforts with sermons and addresses, planning and delivering them with the object of inducing the inhabitants to settle their differences and confess themselves during Lent. To this end public documents were drawn up before a notary, with the purpose of adjusting debts and settling dangerous controversies. All this was a necessary and most holy work; and when it was concludedand they had left the consciences of the Spaniards at rest, the time had come when the vessels from Mexico might have arrived. Since they had no news that religious were coming, these two friars, in fulfilment of the order given them, set out for Manila again, at the time when six others, who had newly come from España, reached the province. All eight met in the town of Pata, which is at the entrance to that province. Here those who were going away received with joy those who came; and together they gave many thanks to the Lord. They then began upon the conversion of the province, as will be told. We shall begin with what happened to these religious on their journey from Spain, and with the deaths of some who died on the way, with great manifestations of the highest virtue.
[Father Fray Francisco de la Mina was a native of Andalucia, where he assumed the habit of the order. He afterward went to Mexico, preaching there both in Spanish and in the Indian language. He was one of those who formed the plan of sending from that province some religious to ask for the approval of the most reverend general of the order for the foundation of the new province in the Philipinas. He served in the mission to the Indians of Bataan, learning their language; and was afterward appointed prior of Manila, the second post in the province. He lost his health after his return to Manila, and soon died.
In the month of December, 1594, the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez assembled a council of the religious in the neighborhood of Manila, to serve in place of an intermediate provincial chapter. The rules which they adopted were of much importance. It was determined that on visitations the hours should be kept as in convents. It was also ordained that the convents should be visited in order, as might best be done. It was also provided that no business should be done with Indians or Spaniards,except in case of the necessity of sick persons, before prime or after the Ave Maria, or for one hour after meals. Also that no religious should have any peculiar mark on the table, or on his cup or on his spoon, or should carry either with him, that there might be absolute uniformity. This order was made because the father provincial Fray Alonso Ximenez used a marked spoon, not because it was any better than the others, but that he might neither receive nor give others anything to cause disgust; and, though it was so trifling a thing, they would not permit it to the provincial, but discussed the matter, and placed their resolution in their public formal acts—so precise were they and so closely did they follow the rule that the superior shall have nothing more than the rest, and that all things shall be uniform.
While the religious were in council, the governor, Don Luis Perez das Mariñas, appeared before them, and called their attention to the great need, for the Spaniards in the city and the province of Nueva Segovia, of a priest to confess them; and to the still greater need of someone to teach and preach the holy gospel to the native Indians in that province—who, though they had now been many years subjects of his Majesty, and had paid tribute to his encomenderos, had never had anyone to preach the faith to them, and were as blind and as heathen as if they had never accepted as king a Catholic prince. The petition of the governor made such an impression that, in spite of the small number and the heavy duties of the religious, they assigned two to this mission. The need was indeed very great, for the Spaniards who lived there had been more than six months in constant danger of death, without having any priest. TheIndians were enemies of the Spaniards, very valiant, and very numerous considering the small number and the discord of the Spaniards who were in that province. As superior, father Fray Diego de Soria (who afterward became bishop of that region) was appointed, the ecclesiastical chapter giving him full power in spiritual matters, and the governor in temporal matters. His associate was father Fray Thomas Castellar. They found that they needed all the authority which they had received, to bring to some order the great laxity which prevailed among the Spaniards. It was this, and their great perversity and pertinacity in dissensions, which had caused the priests whom they had had to leave them. After those priests went away, their hatreds and their sins increased even more. The importance of this province, which includes the major part of the territory in charge of this order in the Philipinas, makes it desirable to give some very brief notice of it.] It is a hundred and fifty leguas from Manila, and constitutes a part of the island of Luçon. The climate is one of the best in the islands, being refreshing, mild, and not so excessively hot as that of most of the other provinces which are comprised in this island. It is for this reason that it was called Nueva Segovia, after Segovia in España, which is a cool region. It is in nineteen degrees of latitude and is only sixty leguas, or a little over, from China. It accordingly resembles China somewhat in its good qualities—the abundance of fish in its rivers, of rice and other produce of the soil, of animals of the chase, and of wild boars and buffaloes in the mountains; while of Spanish plants which have been introduced here the crops obtained have been very large. In the colderregions pines and live-oaks grow naturally. The occasion which obliged the Spaniards to conquer it was an attack made upon it in 1581 by a Japanese fleet, the Japanese desiring to have control of this region because of the abundance of products which it yields that are lacking in Japon. The Spaniards who were in Manila were informed of this project, and they did not think it best that the Japanese should come so near to them, when they were so few and the Japanese were so many and so audacious; they accordingly determined to go and prevent them from entering this country. With this purpose they armed a galley and other small vessels, the expedition including only forty Spaniards. Their leader and chief was Captain Carrion, and their chaplain father Fray Christoval de Salvatierra of our order, who was the associate of the bishop, Don Fray Domingo de Salazar; he was a man of great prudence, much courage, and very superior virtue, as will be declared later. They set out from Manila on the voyage to that province; and in the bight of the cape called Cabo del Bojeador (which is close to Nueva Segovia) they found a Japanese vessel, which was prowling along the coast and pillaging it. The galley made an attack upon the Japanese ship, and with the mid-ship gun brought down its mainmast; and immediately the Spaniards, with more boldness than was expedient, bore down upon the enemy, and thrust their iron beak through his side. But they were not slow in finding out their mistake, much to their own cost; for the Japanese leaped aboard, doing much execution with their cutlasses (some of which are shaped like our cutlasses and others like broadswords), and they attacked our vessel so furiously thatthey got control of the deck, back to the mainmast. The Spaniards found themselves obliged to retreat to the poop, and cut the halyard of the mainsail. The sail fell down, with the yard, and served them as an intrenchment so that they could fire their arquebuses, doing great execution and driving off the enemy. The Spaniards continued their voyage, and entered the river of Nueva Segovia [i.e., Rio Grande de Cagayan], which may compete in size and in the excellence of its water with the finest rivers of Spain. Here they found the enemy’s fleet concealed. In order to attack it they went up the river and intrenched themselves on land, working hard all night and making their breastworks of turf and fascines between stakes. They took out of the galley a paterero and two culverins, placing them under cover, and aiming them toward the land-side, as there would be the place where the Japanese, if they came, would attack them. Thus prepared, they all waited on their arms, having their weapons at hand even when they were obliged to rest awhile. Since they had learned by experience that Japanese who are wounded by pikes grasp hold of the pikes in order to kill those who have wounded them, the captain had the pikes greased on the upper half, in order that our men might be able to draw them from the bodies and the hands of the Japanese, if the latter should pull by the pikes; and this device was of great use in the conflict which ensued.33The Japanese were not idle,for they landed two hours before day, coming well armed and in good order, and protected by the darkness of the night. They advanced upon our soldiers very silently, intending to take them by surprise; however, they did not succeed, but were discovered by the sentinels. Our men put themselves in good order, to wait for them while they advanced. Although they perceived that the Spaniards had detected them, they made a very spirited and courageous assault, but were beaten back with even greater courage once, twice, and three times. After a short rest, they attacked again with wonderful spirit, though the arquebuses and muskets brought many to the ground. Finally, the whole force of Japanese attacked our fort on the side where the cannon were, without knowing what awaited them there. The cannon were filled to the muzzle with ammunition, and were fired so seasonably that they did great execution among the Japanese. Those who were left alive, seeing what had happened, retreated, leaving their camp full of dead and mangled men. Their captain had lost so many men, who were left lying on the shore, that he set sail; and they were so thoroughly punished that they never again thought of coming to conquer this country. In this way the Spaniards found themselves in this region, but against the will of its inhabitants, who as little wished to see them there as to see the Japanese. This was immediately manifested by their retreating into the interior, leaving the Spaniards alone with nothing to eat, so that the latter consumed all the provisions that they had brought with them. The natives even made some assaults upon them, attacking them when it seemed that they could do so with safety. The Spaniardsaccordingly suffered much hardship, want, and hunger, because supplies from Manila came very insufficiently and slowly, while they had in that country nothing but cruel war. At the same time, they were much aided in their purpose to remain in it by the many factions and wars among the Indians, who could not live in peace and were constantly slaying one another, following no law but “Let the conqueror live.”34On this large river a valorous Indian by the name of Guiab had raised himself above the others. He was at the head of only three hundred followers (since he did not wish to lead any more); he was in a fair way to make himself lord of the province, and would soon have been such if the Spaniards had not come. This Indian was so determined that he had no hesitation in attacking anything with the few courageous Indians who followed him. He was so choleric that, whenever he wished to make any address to them, he could not speak to them at first, out of sheer fury—until, little by little, he cooled down and went on with his speech. He ruled his people like a great captain, rewarding them with largesse, which was at other people’s cost and was obtained from the great wealth which he procured by robbery; and he punished them with rigor for any sort of liberty taken with him, or disrespect shown to him, or for disobedience to his orders. They carried to him the news of the Spaniards, and told him that they were very courageous men who had come there from far countries; that they had beards and handsome faces, and that they did not wear the hair of their head long, as the Indians were accustomedto; they reported that the strangers went dressed in iron, and that they carried sticks with which they slew from a distance anyone whom they pleased, without its being visible by what means they did so (referring to the arquebuses). Guiab was greatly delighted with these reports, and, as a valiant man, he immediately felt an affection for these others who were so valiant. He strove to procure their friendship by sending them a great present of rice, chickens, large fat hogs, and other products of the land, all of them coming very opportunely because the Spaniards were in such a state of need. Doubtless, if the Spaniards had joined with him, they would have subjected the province without more war. But as Guiab had oppressed many of the people in the land and frightened all, they went to the Spaniards, begging them not to ally themselves with Guiab, and did nothing but speak evil of him. On this account the Spaniards, purposing to gain the good will of so many, caught Guiab and hanged him on a tree. The event was altogether opposite to what they had expected; for all the Indians retreated from the Spaniards and began to make open war upon them, often challenging them to lay aside their arquebuses and to come out into the field, man to man, with all the other weapons they pleased, so courageous are these people. Though the Spaniards lost this opportunity, they soon had another. In the maritime part of that region there were two of the ablest chiefs in the province—brothers, but at variance with each other—who were constantly making war against each other with the greatest cruelty. Tuliao, one of them, at last got the other in his hands, put him in a cage, and kept him there for a long time. The brother inprison begged the other to kill him, because death would be better and more easily borne than the painful and disgraceful imprisonment in which he was. The other answered that he did not do that, because he was his brother. “Then let me go,” answered the prisoner, “since you wish me well because I am your brother.” The other one refused to do this, because he knew perfectly that he would be obliged to make war again, as in fact happened; and they were at war as long as they lived, until our troops reached that region. Then one of them, finding himself very hard pressed by the other, went to beg the favor of the Spaniards; and the Spaniards put an end to their strife by taking from them the lands about which they had been quarreling. This was a great benefit to that province, not only because the light of the true and divine faith was brought to it, but because they were so continually engaged in civil war that, if the Spaniards had delayed their coming, they would have been likely to destroy each other. The life which they led did not deserve the name of life, because of the daily alarms to which they were exposed. Brother was unable to trust brother, and no man left his house unarmed, or without great danger. He who had the greatest power made as many slaves as possible, on any ground, no matter how slight—even for taking a single stalk of sugar-cane, when the poor people were dying of hunger because they could not cultivate their fields on account of the wars. Many of them went, of their own will, to eat in the houses of the chiefs, in order to save their lives, and in this way became their slaves. From all these evils the faith which was brought by the Spaniards freed them. The latter, by the aid ofsome of the Indians against the others, conquered many of their villages though at the cost of many deaths; and established the city which they called Nueva Segovia, a name which was also given to the whole province. The priest who accompanied the Spaniards in these first events was, as has been said, father Fray Christobal de Salvatierra, of the order of our father St. Dominic. He was the first priest whom these Indians had seen; and although, on account of his ignorance of the language, he did not occupy himself with their conversion, he did not fail to do much for them by accompanying the soldiers, in order that they might not do as many wrongs to the Indians as they would otherwise have committed—for entirely to prevent outrages was impossible. He soon returned to Manila, where his personal presence was necessary. There went to that province religious of our father St. Augustine, who lived in the new town with the Spaniards, but who undertook no ministry to the Indians. They even felt that a mission to them was impossible because of the excitement of the Indians resulting from the many homicides committed among them by the Spaniards, as the latter have done in the other parts of the Indias. Besides this, these Indians were so warlike that not even a religious went out of the town except in a company of soldiers and with arms; nor did the encomenderos go to collect their tributes without an escort of many soldiers, coming back immediately with anything that the Indians were pleased to give them, for they feared the danger incurred by remaining. The conduct of the soldiers and of the colonists who lived there at that time was so little Christian, and the exhortations of the religious had so littleeffect upon them, that the friars regarded it as wise to leave them in their dissensions, since they did not wish for the peace to which the religious persuaded them. Accordingly, one night, without being perceived, the fathers left them and went away. For a long time they lived without a priest, without sacraments, or Christian teaching, so careless of God and of their souls that they let the cattle feast in the church; and a picture of our Lady which had been left in it was covered with spider-webs, there being no one to keep it in order, so forgetful were they of their souls. Such was the needy condition of that province when the noble and devout governor Don Luis Perez das Mariñas came to the council above mentioned, and asked them to send religious, who might at least administer the sacraments to the Spaniards. On account of the great need, the two religious mentioned went to the province, receiving orders that, if no religious came from España in the ships for which they were waiting, they should return. The number of the religious was, indeed, so small that they could not even attend to what they had in their charge, much less assume the additional charge of that province, which was so far from the missions which the order had in those regions. The religious did their duty with great care and diligence; and that Lent they made great efforts with sermons and addresses, planning and delivering them with the object of inducing the inhabitants to settle their differences and confess themselves during Lent. To this end public documents were drawn up before a notary, with the purpose of adjusting debts and settling dangerous controversies. All this was a necessary and most holy work; and when it was concludedand they had left the consciences of the Spaniards at rest, the time had come when the vessels from Mexico might have arrived. Since they had no news that religious were coming, these two friars, in fulfilment of the order given them, set out for Manila again, at the time when six others, who had newly come from España, reached the province. All eight met in the town of Pata, which is at the entrance to that province. Here those who were going away received with joy those who came; and together they gave many thanks to the Lord. They then began upon the conversion of the province, as will be told. We shall begin with what happened to these religious on their journey from Spain, and with the deaths of some who died on the way, with great manifestations of the highest virtue.