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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 32, 1640: 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.Aduarte, Diego

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 32, 1640: 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.

Name: The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 32, 1640: 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.
Author: Aduarte, Diego

Aduarte, Diego

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

journey and hardship. This was not in vain, but brought with it much
spiritual reward. He embarked January 15, 1603, in the "San Roque,"
a very large ship with four decks and two quarter-decks. They had
favorable weather to the latitude of Cape de Buena Esperança [i.e.,
of Good Hope]; and thus a long vacation from hardships was provided
for father Fray Diego, who had been inured to suffering them in the
service of Him who was his comfort in them. [But here they encountered
first calms, and then fearful tempests, which almost wrecked the ship;
and, to save their lives, they were compelled to lighten the ship,
casting into the sea pepper and rich stuffs valued at fifty thousand
ducados. Finally, they passed the Cape of Good Hope on May 12. The
rest of the voyage was peaceful, save that they encountered a storm off
the coast of Portugal; but they escaped from this and landed at Vigo,
which is in Galicia, September 17, after having passed eight months
in navigation. They all went barefoot to church to give thanks to the
Lord, who had delivered them from so many and such great perils; and
father Fray Diego went to visit the church of the apostle of España,
[70] which is fourteen leguas from there, because it would not have
been proper to miss this devotion on account of so short a journey.]





CHAPTER LIX

Other journeys of father Fray Diego in the service of the Lord,
for the advancement of the conversions of these tribes.


After all these hardships and perils, which were suffered with such
great patience, father Fray Diego went to the court of España--not to
gain honor or wealth, or rent, or any other temporal thing; but because
of love of the Lord, for His glory, the extension of the gospel, and
the salvation of these tribes. Since he had already passed through so
many difficulties, divine Providence did not see fit that he should
find them there, where there are ordinarily so many; and the royal
Council immediately gave him permission and direction to convey
a number of religious to this province at his Majesty's expense,
that they might there carry on the excellent work which had been
begun by the religious of this order, and that they might continue
to draw heathen from the darkness of unbelief to the light of the
gospel. Father Fray Diego was not of a character to regard himself as
exhausted, although he had so many reasons to be so; and therefore,
without more delay, he traversed the [ecclesiastical] provinces of
España, Aragon, and Andalucia, seeking for laborers for this part of
the vineyard of the church, or this new vine in it. [As this was a
work of God, He moved the hearts of many good religious to volunteer
to undertake this arduous enterprise. They were greatly influenced by
hearing from father Fray Diego and others of the great need and lack
of religious in this province, to accomplish the vast work with which
it is charged; and of the good done by our order in these regions,

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