y, and the governor's
predecessor in office, Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, had desired
many times to send some religious to the Chinese kingdom, to engage
in the preaching of the gospel, and to study the affairs of that
kingdom. They had, however, never been able to attain their desire,
because of the unwillingness of the Chinese merchants trading at that
port to take anyone--although whatever sum they should ask would have
been given them--as they feared the punishment that would be inflicted
upon them, according to the law of the kingdom. For security that no
ill-treatment would be showed to these men, he offered to leave pledges
to their satisfaction. The governor was very glad at this offer,
for this was what he and all the inhabitants of the islands had been
eagerly desiring for a long time. Therefore he accepted it immediately,
telling Omoncon that he absolved him from his promise and pledges, for
he was quite well satisfied as to his worthiness, and that he would
commit no act unbecoming his person or office. The governor, very
joyful over this news, at once summoned the Augustinian provincial,
Fray Alonso de Alvarado, [27] who had been elected to this office
but a few days previously. The latter was a man of very holy life,
and one of those despatched by the emperor, our master, in search of
Nueva Guinea. The governor informed him of the offer of the captain
Omocon, whereat he greatly rejoiced, exclaiming that, notwithstanding
his age, he himself would go. To this the governor wonld not consent,
because of his age, and for other personal reasons. They consulted
together as to who should go and who was most suitable for the
matter in hand--namely, as we have said, to effect the entrance of
our holy Catholic faith into that kingdom. They resolved to send
only two religious, for there were but few of them in the islands,
together with two soldiers. The two religious selected were father
Fray Martin de Herrada, a native of Pamplona, who had but lately
been provincial, and was moreover a most erudite and holy man, who,
with this very desire, had learned the language of the said kingdom,
and who, to attain his desires, had offered himself many times as a
slave to the Chinese merchants, in order to be taken to China; and
as his companion father Fray Geronymo Marin, likewise a very erudite
religious, and a native of the City of Mexico. The soldiers selected
to accompany them were named Pedro Sarmiento, chief consta