Chinese whom he had taken against their will, instead of volunteers, and forced to row, rose against him and killed him and the others who accompanied him--God permitting this, to punish him for his irreverence in losing respect for a bishop who was known to be a holy man and who was his [spiritual] shepherd. The bishop, before this happened, had gone to Spain, being unable to bring the governor to do justice. He had felt himself forced to this by the evils in that community, which he could not remedy there, and by the hardships suffered by his church. He was even influenced to some extent by the desire to avoid scandals by absenting himself. When he began to plan for going, he wished to take along as his associate father Fray Diego de Soria, who, as has been said, was appointed by the father provincial, Fray Juan de Castro, to go to España when he went to China. On account of this, the bishop, who loved him and esteemed him highly, wished to take him in his company, while the order could not refuse, and indeed would gain much thereby. But the governor would not permit it, fearing the harm that might be done to him in España; for because of the clearness and vigor with which the father had boldly corrected and blamed him to his face, he felt very sure, and with reason, that he would do the same in the court--the more so from having gone in company with the bishop, as they would be certain to discuss and plan this very thing on the voyage. On this account he preferred to listen to the father's corrections made in his own presence which, as he saw, proceeded from good-will and were regulated by discretion and prudence--rather than give him an opportunity to spread abroad in España an account of the improper manner in which he treated the bishop. For this cause father Fray Miguel de Venavides was obliged to take his place as companion of the bishop, and as procurator of the province in España. In this way, without the knowledge of men, the plan of divine Providence, which in all things chooses the better part, was being carried out. It was of advantage to the province, in that father Fray Diego de Soria was given to it; for he was extremely useful in Pangasinan and was afterward necessary at Nueva Segovia, in which places father Fray Miguel could not have rendered any assistance. On the other hand, the going of father Fray Miguel de Venavides to España was of the very greatest importance, because he was able to speak as an eye-witness in regard to Chinese affairs, which in España they desired much to learn about with certainty from some person of credit--as was father Fray Miguel, who did not speak from hearsay but from sight. The acquaintance of the grave fathers of Spain with father Fray Miguel, and their esteem for him, gave them much more confidence in his report of the remarkable things which had happened in the province, than if they had heard them from someone of less standing. In that case they might have doubted; but, when he