Opening the text

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 24 of 55: 1630-34; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, As Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 24 of 55: 1630-34; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, As Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century

Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources

By the last express the following news arrived in a letter which came
from Manila, dated August 20, 634: "Father Manuel Cuello writes that
he is in Camboja in disguise, in order to pass on to Japon, where the
persecution is so bloody that it is publicly cried that five hundred
pesos will be given to any person who makes known the whereabouts of
any priest. In this way during four months sixteen of our fathers
have been arrested, besides the brothers and dogicos who are being
seized every day. While they were awaiting death, it happened that the
emperor was bedridden, suffering with the leprosy for a long time;
and he could find no remedy in his medicines, nor in the sacrifices
to his idols. He heard many loud cries and wails in the garden,
and commanded his people to learn what it was. When they came back,
they said that the sounds proceeded from a large bamboo, a plant which
is very plentiful in that country. They opened it and found within a
cross, red as if dipped in blood, which caused them great wonder. They
took it to the emperor, who was much more astounded because the day
before he had seen a very brilliant cross in the air, although he had
told no one of it; but, when this portent was found in his garden, he
had his soothsayers called in to tell him what it meant. Some of them
said one thing and some another; but the chief of them said that these
crosses were from the fathers who, although blameless, had been put to
death for teaching the veneration of the cross. This explanation was
confirmed by a bonze, one of his favorites, who added that he believed
that the leprosy which he suffered was owing to his having slain so
many innocent people. When the emperor asked him [what he meant], he
added: 'The fathers and Christians whom your Majesty ordered to be
killed at Nangasaqui. I believe that your Majesty has already seen
that with all our efforts we cannot cure you; and you should call
upon the bonzes of Nanbamcas (as they call our fathers) and perhaps
they may be able to grant and perform this miracle, as they do others.'

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 24 of 55: 1630-34; Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, As Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century

Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources

By the last express the following news arrived in a letter which came
from Manila, dated August 20, 634: "Father Manuel Cuello writes that
he is in Camboja in disguise, in order to pass on to Japon, where the
persecution is so bloody that it is publicly cried that five hundred
pesos will be given to any person who makes known the whereabouts of
any priest. In this way during four months sixteen of our fathers
have been arrested, besides the brothers and dogicos who are being
seized every day. While they were awaiting death, it happened that the
emperor was bedridden, suffering with the leprosy for a long time;
and he could find no remedy in his medicines, nor in the sacrifices
to his idols. He heard many loud cries and wails in the garden,
and commanded his people to learn what it was. When they came back,
they said that the sounds proceeded from a large bamboo, a plant which
is very plentiful in that country. They opened it and found within a
cross, red as if dipped in blood, which caused them great wonder. They
took it to the emperor, who was much more astounded because the day
before he had seen a very brilliant cross in the air, although he had
told no one of it; but, when this portent was found in his garden, he
had his soothsayers called in to tell him what it meant. Some of them
said one thing and some another; but the chief of them said that these
crosses were from the fathers who, although blameless, had been put to
death for teaching the veneration of the cross. This explanation was
confirmed by a bonze, one of his favorites, who added that he believed
that the leprosy which he suffered was owing to his having slain so
many innocent people. When the emperor asked him [what he meant], he
added: 'The fathers and Christians whom your Majesty ordered to be
killed at Nangasaqui. I believe that your Majesty has already seen
that with all our efforts we cannot cure you; and you should call
upon the bonzes of Nanbamcas (as they call our fathers) and perhaps
they may be able to grant and perform this miracle, as they do others.'

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

No reviews yet