treat them as his children if they would obey him as their father. He sent me word to say that he would await your Majesty's answer. While we were in Japon at that time, the fathers and myself knew for certain that some of the Japanese chiefs asked the emperor's permission to go to subjugate the Philipinas, and make him lord of them, without any cost to him. The latter replied that he would have nothing to do with it, until he saw your Majesty's response. It is quite necessary that your Majesty should send an order to the bishop of Great China at Macan, and the fathers of the Society of Jesus, to the effect that all the ships should leave there and go to Japon. These should investigate, and look to it that they carry no people who have not a good understanding of Christianity and fidelity; because that emperor is desirous of meeting people who will teach him to construct ships and artillery in our manner. All this will be of considerable harm and inconvenience; for, although he has artillery and ships, they are less effective than ours.
They tell me that on this coast is father Fray Miguel de Venavides,[1] of the order of St. Dominic, by whom your Majesty can be very well informed of all these matters, because he has dealt with some Japanese, and has gone through Great China.
Pedro Gonzalez de Carbajal
- ↑ Miguel de Benavides (born about 1550) came to the Philippines as a member of the first Dominican mission band (1587). Three years later he went to China as a missionary; returning to Manila, he accompanied Salazar to Spain (1592). He was created the first bishop of the new diocese of Nueva Segovia, and afterward archbishop of Manila; he died in that city on July 26, 1605. To him was due the foundation of the college of Santo Tomás.
