it, that we may pass on to matters more germane to our subject. It will be sufficient to refer to one special case which happened to one woman, a Japanese by nation, married to a Chinaman. [Poor in the things of this world, they were rich in those of heaven. Each of them had the characteristics opposite to those of their race; she was without the duplicity and choleric spirit of the Japanese, and he was destitute of the avarice and loquacity of the Chinese. She in particular amazed and humiliated her confessor. Her virtue was such that she was rewarded by a vision of our Lady, who comforted her with the promise that her confessor, father Fray Thomas Mayor, [47] who had expected to return to his native province of Aragon, would not leave his post in the islands.] CHAPTER XXVIII The coming of some religious, and the second visitation of father Fray Juan de Castro As has been seen, the conversions that had been begun proceeded with great prosperity, affording even at the very beginning marvelous fruits. The Lord at the very outset favored them, as being matters peculiarly under His own care, with supernatural marvels--manifest proofs of the truths preached in them, proofs which the heathen could not resist; and hence more and more of them embraced the faith and abandoned their errors with the greatest marks of devotion. This they did with such rapidity that the few missionaries there were could not serve so many converts, scattered in so many villages. Therefore the Lord had compassion upon them, and in the year 1589 sent them reënforcements of religious, few but excellent. As their superior came father Fray Juan Chrisostomo, the man who had labored most in the establishment of this province, and who therefore greatly loved it. But the Lord had kept him in desire for it, that he might obtain the greater merit; and therefore in his first year he was not able to come, having been so infirm and weak that he could not even use his arms and hands to carry the food to his mouth, and had to depend upon others. In the second year, although he had not completely recovered, he set out on the road and almost reached the port, desiring to take ship; but was unable to do so, for lack of a vessel. These were reasons enough why a man who had been of old a missionary in Nueva España, who had great command of the language, and who was much beloved by religious and Indians, as father Fray Juan Chrisostomo was, should remain among them. Still, this result did not follow in his case, because of the great desire that he felt to do a greater service under greater difficulties in this new province, where with the utmost fervor the missionaries devoted themselves to their labor for the benefit of souls, drawing them from the darkness of their unbelief. Therefore in this year he sought for an opportunity and for some associates, and embarked for this province--although, on account of his many and severe infirmities and his great age,