Full bibliography

Transcription

Page 1

**[Page 1]** **[Top Header]** CXVI 2-11 Nº 46 000396 1 6305 2-11 **[Texto Principal]** Este Livro do principio dos Supe- riores e Benfeitores deste Collegio da Madre de Deos de Macao pertence aos Padres Procuradores des- te Collegio por ser conforme a Regra 2.ª de seu officio, ordenado para agradecimento, e gratidão, que nossas Constituições encomendão ter-se com Nossos Bene- feitores. Cap. 1.º Do principio deste Collegio, ou Casa, e dos Superiores que nelle houve até o anno de 1617. Cap. 2.º Do principio da Missão, e Christandade de Japão, e dos Superio- res maiores, q.ª a principiaraõ, e pro- moveraõ Do principio desta Christandade o P.e Francisco Xavier no anno de 1549, e elle foi o primeiro, que aos Ja- poens pregou o Santo Evangelho, e o primeiro Superior dos da Companhia em Japão. O 2.º foi o P.e Cosme de Tor- res, que elle deixou em seu lugar com o Irmão João Fir- me, tendo-os trazido consigo da India.

Page 2

**[Texto Principal]** Reino, faleceu à vista da China na Ilha de Sanchão aos dois de Dezembro de 1552, tendo de idade cinquenta e dois anos, tendo partido de Portugal no ano de 1541, chegado à Índia em Maio de 1542, por terem invernado em Mo- çambique; em que estes dez anos correu quase tudo o que os Por- tugueses na Índia tinham descoberto, e fundou as Christan- dades d’ambas as Costas de Travancor, Pescaria, Maluco, e Japão, que os filhos, e Padres da Companhia depois proseguir- vão. Neste meio tempo o Padre Mestre Belchior, superior de todos os da Companhia, partindo de Goa no ano de 1554 para Japão, e invernando em Malaca, chegou a Japão no ano de 56, visitando, e consolando os Padres, e aquella pequena Chris- tandade; retornou no mesmo ano para Índia, havendo al- guns particulares respeitos. O 3. foi o Padre Francisco Cabral, que baptizou o Rey Francisco de Bungo. O 4. o P. Gaspar Coelho, na ordem dos Superiores, mas o primeiro que com nome de Vice-Provincial governou a Companhia, e esta Christandade. O 5. o Padre Pedro Gomes, Vice-Provincial. O 6. o P. Francisco Pasio, Vice-Provincial, a quem sucedeu em Julho de 1611 o P. Valentim Carvalho, mas com nome de Provincial, por ser já então esta Província separada das Províncias da Índia, e no mesmo tempo começou de ser Visitador desta Província o P. Francisco Pasio, que depois faleceu neste Collegio de Macao em Agosto de 1612.

Page 3

**[Page 2]** **000397** **[Texto Principal]** Cartas do P.e Geral Claudio Aquaviva escritas ao P.e Fran- cesco Pagio em 611, e 612, e 613 chamando-lhe Provincial da Província de Japão, e China, não o havendo ele cá sido, antes tendo passado imediatamente de Vice-Provincial a Visitador no dito ano de 611. E foi a causa disto ver esta Província al- guns anos antes feita em Roma Província separada das Províncias da Índia, sem desta separação se saber em Japão, assim por estarmos cá tão longe de Roma, que tardam as Car- tas quatro, e às vezes cinco anos, como pela incerteza das Na- vegações, se perderem algumas vezes as Cartas, como de facto se per- deram aquelas Cartas, pelas quais o P.e Geral tinha feito Japão Província por si, sem nunca chegarem a Japão, mas somente se soube esta mudança no ano de 1611 quando veio a Ordem, que o P.e Valentim Carvalho fosse Provincial, e o P.e Francisco Pa- gio ficasse Visitador, como se executou. E assim o P.e Valentim Carvalho foi juntamente o primeiro Provincial desta Província de Japão, e China, e o 1.º Superior maior da Ordem dos Padres da Companhia acima referidos. Em 1614 estavam em Japão 150 Re- ligiosos da Companhia, fora desterrados para Manila 23, e Macau 73, ficaram em Japão escondidos 54. Foi o Padre Valentim Carvalho Provincial desta Província desde o ano de 611 até o de 617, sucedeu-lhe o P.e Melchior de Louro, não fo la- tente que este vinha para o P.e Jerónimo Rodrigues, que foi estar em Macau impedido para poder ir livremente a Japão, achou o P.

Page 4

**[Texto Principal]** sucessões na primeira das quaes estava o P.e Matheus de Caceres, que foi Provincial até o anno de 621, no qual anno veio patente de Provincial ao P.e Francisco Pacheco, o qual foi martirizado a vinte de Julho de 626, e foi o primeiro Provincial do Japão, que morreu mártir. Sucedeu-lhe o P.e Matheus de Caceres, e desta segunda vez foi Provincial de 29 de Outubro de 1633, em que faleceu junto de Cuxima, cansado com os muitos trabalhos, e exer- cícios que padeceu nas perseguições do Xogum Sama, e filho des- ta Tenca. Sucedeu-lhe por Vice-Provincial por boa ordem que havia do P.e Visitador André Palmeiro, que sendo antigo professo foi Vice-Provincial, e o P.e Sebastião Vieira em 13 de Outubro de 1633 até que foi preso, e martirizado na Corte de Yedo a 6 de Julho de 1634. Vagou o Provincialado neste tempo, em que governa- vam só os Visitadores, por não saberem os Padres que havia em Japão para, conforme a antiguidade, sucederem, até o anno de 1638, no princípio do qual o P.e Manuel Dias, senhor Visitador, nomeou por Reitor deste Collegio de Macáo ao Padre Gaspar Luís, que estava em Cochinchina, e juntamente declarou que o dito Padre era Vice-Provincial do Japão conforme ao Canon 22 da Cong. Dito o P.e Gaspar Luís de Cochinchina foi Reitor, e Vice-Provin- cial de triennio, no cabo do qual foi visitar a Missão de Tunquim. Voltando o P.e Gaspar Luís de Tunquim ao 22 de Outubro de 641, por ordem do P.e António Rubino, Vig., no- meou por seu sucessor e Vice-Prov. o P.

Page 5

**[Page 3]** 000398 **[Texto Principal]** Ao Padre Gaspar de Amaral succedeo no Reitorado, e Provin- cialado o P.e João Cabral em 645 por nomeação do P. Vig. Mel de Azevedo; governou hum anno. Ao P.e João Cabral succedeo o P.e Sebastião de Morais assim no Reitorado, como no Provincialado por Patente do S.to P.e, e governou tres annos inteiros, os quaes acabados, de abrir as Visitas do Provincial de Japão por ordem do P.e Vig. Manoel de Azevedo, e por ellas succedeo o P.e João Cabral em 649 aos 26 de Julho, e por ordem do mesmo P.e Mel de Azevedo Vig. ficou dito P.e juntamente Reitor. Acabado o triennio do P.e João Cabral, de abrir as successões da Provincial desta Provincia aos 28 de Agosto de 652, esperou-se de mais em mais mez por fora das não chegadas embarcações da India, nas quaes podia vir no- vas successões, mas havendo já esperanças dellas, se abrirão as antigas; na 1.a veio hum mesmo P.e João Cabral, e aberta a 2.a sahio por Provincial desta Provincia o P.e Jerónimo Magalh- ães, que estava em Benthim, mas fê-se por impedido em ra- zão de estar dentro da Provincia, e poder ser avisado em Jirōnenses, e porque o Breve de Successores não vale aos Supe- riores da Companhia, não gastou o triennio esta des- pensa; quanto as Provincias transmarinas, continuou dito P.e João Cabral até 3 de 7br. de 653, em que chegou avi- zo de Benthim de como o P.e Jerónimo Magalhães tinha aceita- do, e começara a governar aos 14 de Abril do dito anno de 653.

Page 6

Ao Pe. João Cabral succedeo o Pe. Jerónimo Mayronica, q̃ estava em a Missão de Cunchim, aonde lhe chegou aviso de successão, e come çou a governar aos 14 do mes de Abril do anno de 1653. Fa leceo na Missão de Cunchim aos 29 do mes de Janeiro de 1656, sendo ainda Provincial, mas como estava ausente deste Col legio, não souberam nova da sua morte, senão no fim deste mesmo anno, em q̃ chegou hua Carta mandada p̃ terra, a qual trouxerão algumas pessoas, das q̃ vierão por terra, e escaparão do Naufragio, q̃ fez o Navio de António da Costa Be mudes, tornando para esta Cidade. Ao Pe. Jerónimo Mayronica succedeo, aos 15 do mes de Abril de 1656, o Pe. Martinho Coelho, porque não havia Vias de Roma, os quaes chegarão no prin cipio do mes de Julho do dito anno. Como q̃m q̃ ordens vinhaõ nomeados ou erão mortos, ou estavão impedidos, e o Reitor acabava o seo triennio antes de expirar o impedimento do anno, começo de Vacancia, segundo o Breve do Papa Innocencio X, pa receo conveniente nomear outro Vice-Provincial aos dez do mes de Julho de 1656, das oito pelas nove horas da manhã. Aos 10 de Agosto de 1658 entrou no Officio de Provincial de Japão por Patente de Roma o Pe. Mathias de Maya, e governou tres annos, e no fim dos quaes, abrindo-se as Vias de successão, lhe achou o Pe. João Maria Leria, o qual era vindo de Vias, donde se esperava cada dia barco, pelo que o Pe. Conf.

Page 7

000399 4 **[Texto Principal]** a dispensação do N.to P.e Alexandre 7.º, e declaração do N.R. P.e Geral que podiam os Provinciais continuar mais do triennio em gravissima Causa; et ad breve tempus, e assim continuou o P.e Mathias d'Almeida mais sete dias até que em 26 de Agosto de 1661, tendo chegado da India, foi nomeado na Capella por Provincial o P.e José Maria Vieira, e se lhe entregou a via de sua successão, que na mesma Capella deu a Comunidade. Aos 26 de Agosto de 1664, acabado o triennio do P.e João Maria Vieira, abriu as Vias da Successão, e na 1.a achou ao P.e Mofino Borges, e por ser já falecido o anno antes em Jacatra, entrou no governo de Provincial o P.e Bento M. Roiz, que estava na 2.a Via da Successão, o qual governou até o 21 de Março de 1667, no qual dia o deu ou Mofino V. G. S., sendo ainda Provincial. Aos 29 de Março de 1667, tres dias depois da morte do P.e M. Roiz, foi eleito Vice-Provincial o P.e Pedro Marques, por ser já falecido em Cochinchina o P.e Heitor Vazcano, que hia na 3.a Via de successão de Provincial. Aos 26 de Agosto de 1667 abriu a Via de Provincial, achando nella ao Padre Pedro Luzarte, e por estar ausente em Europa, fez o P.e Visitador Luís da Gama Provincial ao P.e André Gomes. Aos 21 de Julho de 1670, abrindo a Via de Provin- cial desta Provincia, acharam nella ao P.e Philippe Marino, e começou no mesmo dia a exercitar o Cargo. Acabado o triennio, digo: Ao P.e Philippe Marino succedeu no officio de Provincial o P.e José Cardoso, aos 21 de Julho de 1673.

Page 8

**[Texto Principal]** Acabado o triénio do P.e João Cardoso, abriu-se as Vias das vagas. Das, e acharam ao P.e André Lubelli, e por estar ausente na China esperou um ano, ficando no mesmo cargo o P.e João Cardoso, que também estava ausente na visita que fez à Cochinchina, onde morreu no naufrágio que o barco fez no ano de 1676. E aos 22 de Julho de 1679 chegou da China o P.e André Lubelli, o qual ficou governando o seu triénio, ao fim do qual ele es- cuzou por estar ocupado na China; em 3.º lugar o P.e Fran.co Bimentel, que também morreu em Tonquim; ao 1.º estava nomeado o P.e Francisco Xavier Philipucci, que começou a governar em Cantão ao primeiro de Dezembro de 1680, e de- pois de oito meses veio para Macau. Em Dezembro de 1683 se abriu a 1.ª Via de Provincial, em que estava o P.e André Gomes já defunto. Abriu-se a 2.ª via, e se achou o P.e Manuel Ferreira, que estava em Tonquim, e já chamado a Roma; julgou-se em consulta que estava impedido. Abriu-se a 3.ª Via, em que se achou o P.e José Eys- mier, o qual começou a governar aos 6 de Dezembro, e aca- bou aos 25 de Julho do ano seguinte por lhe vir paten- te de Visitador. Aos 25 de Julho de 1684 se abriu a Maza de Roma, em que se achou patente de Provincial para o P.e Tomé Va, que acabou o seu triénio aos 25 de Julho de 1687. Acabado o governo do P.e Tomé Va havia de entrar no Provincial o P.e Francisco Nogueira, que tinha sido logo vindo de Goa com patente; porém se escuzou, e aos 31 de Julho abriu-se a primeira Via de Provincial, na qual se achou o P.e Philippe Torquato, que ao mesmo dia tomou posse do ofício.

Page 9

000400 5 Officio em 31 de Julho de 1687. Acabado o triennio do P.e Felippe Sicardi, mandou S.M. o P. que o Vig.º fosse fazer Provincial, que então era o P.e Francisco Xavier Filipechi & acabou de ser Vig.º, e Provincial aos 6 de Jan.º de 1691. Sucedeu-lhe por Vig.º e Provincial de Japão o P.e Francisco Nogueira aos 6 de Jan.º de 1691, acabado o seu triennio aca- barão os Visitadores, e se abrirão as Vias de Provincial de Japão, e se achou na primeira o P.e Francisco Xavier Filipechi, e era morto; abriu-se a 2.a e se achou o P.e Alexandre Valignano e estava em tão impedido na Corte de Pequim; abriu-se a 3.a e achou-se o P.e Fran- cisco da Veiga que estava por Superior da Missão em Sião, que se escusou, e assim continuou o P.e Francisco Nogueira, que tinha ido a Cantão até que no anno de 95 vieram novas: estava na 1.a o P.e Reginaldo Bürcher, que estava em Goa; ela de- lhe mandou a nova, continuando o P.e Nogueira até que o Vi- sitador que veio no anno de 96 com sua vinda, ela ficou sendo Provincia de Casa, e naquella Julho veio nova Patente, e 3 Vias: era Patente de Provincial de Japão para o P.e Francisco da Veiga em Sião, a qual mandou recado, e foi forçado a aceitar, e chegou a este Collegio em 10 de Outubro de 1696, e nesse mesmo dia tomou posse assim de Provincial, como de Reitor, acabando a morte em Macao o P.e Thomé Paz, que servia de Viceprovincial em lugar do P.e Francisco Nogueira Provincial de Japão, que no mesmo mez esquadro dia do mesmo anno morreu em Fuquim aos 5 de Nov.º de 96, e o P.e Thomé Paz em Macao aos 6. Depois de deixar a nova o P.

Page 10

acabar, e de facto acabou o seu triénio em 3 de Outubro de 1699. Sucedeu ao P.e Francisco da Veiga no cargo de Provincial de Japão, e de Reitor deste Collegio o P.e Manoel Carvalho e Patente, o qual veio da Província de Goa mandado por S. M. R. l Geral para Macau para ser Provincial de Japão, e Reitor deste Col- legio: tomou posse do Provincialado, e Reitorado em 3 de Outubro de 1699. Acabado o triénio do P.e Manoel Carvalho deu início à 1.ª successão da sua Patente, e se achou nela nomeado o P.e Miguel de Amaral, o qual tomou posse do Provincialado e Reitorado em 3 de Outubro de 1702, e continuou no governo até 6 de Janeiro de 1704, no qual dia se embarcou para Goa por ter recebido em 1 de Agos- to de 1703 ordem, e patente do S. M. R. l Geral para ir ser Visitador da Província de Goa, e por se ter o dito P.e Amaral escusado no anno de 1688 de outra patente, em que o S. M. R. l Geral o fazia Visitador de Goa, e de Malabar, lhe acrescentou desta segunda vez o S. M. R. l Geral preceito de obediência para aceitar o dito cargo de Visitador de Goa. Tinha sucessão ao P.e Provincial Miguel de Amaral em 2 de Agosto de 1703 (hum dia depois de receber a dita Patente de Visitador de Goa) feita Consulta, na qual se abriu a 2.ª successão da Patente do P.e Manoel Carvalho, e se achou nela nomeado para Provincial de Japão, e Reitor deste Collegio o P.e António de Barros, Vigário da Província de Goa, que actual- mente era Provincial do Malabar, e não podia ser avisado e vir de lá para Macau antes de partir de Capitania para Goa o P.

Page 11

000401 **[Texto Principal]** nomeou por seu sucessor o P.e Provincial do Japão, e juntamente Reitor deste Collegio de Macao ao P.e Manoel Moroz, enviou ao dito P.e António de Barros, o qual se escusou, senão veio. Começou pois o P.e Provincial Manoel Moroz o seu governo em 6 de Janeiro de 1604. Em Agosto do mesmo anno de 1604 chegarão duas Patentes do S.to P.e Geral para o governo da Pro- vincia do Japão sem trazerem discessão, hua vinda aberta p.a se entregar logo ao P.e Diogo Vidal que tinha ido p.a Procurador do Japão a Roma, e ainda não tinha vindo, a outra vinda fe- chada para se abrir causa mortis, ou acabado o governo do dito P.e Diogo Vidal. Como porém o P.e Vidal não vinha, nem se es- perava chegasse tão cedo, julgou o P.e Provincial Manoel Moroz com a sua consulta, que se abrisse a segunda Patente do S.to P.e Geral, aberta se achou que era para o P.e Francisco Pinto, o qual estava ausente na Provincia de Nanquim servindo a Provincia da China no ministerio de Missionario havia já muitos annos. Mandou-se-lhe logo aviso, em quanto não vinha continuou o seu governo o P.e Provincial Manoel Moroz. Veio deste o P.e Diogo Vi- dal em Março de 1604, partiu de Lisboa para Cá por Goa, e no mes- mo anno na mesma viagem para Goa morreu, e a nova da sua morte chegou a Macao em Agosto do anno seguinte de 1605. Chegou o P.e Francisco Pinto a Cantão, daí tomou posse do officio de Provincial em 24 de Fevr.o de 1605, e em 6 de Março do mesmo anno chegou a Macao, e foi continuando no officio de Provincial, e de Reitor neste Collegio. No fim de Agosto de 1608 chegou hua Patente de Provincial do Japão Reitor do Collegio de Macao para o P.e Miguel de Amaral que estava em Goa com o officio de Viz.

Page 12

ordem do N. M. R. P. Geral para o P.e Francisco Pinto continuar nos mesmos officios de Provincial, e Reitor até eleger de Goa o dito P.e Miguel de Amaral, a quem o N. M. R. P. Geral tinha tido avisado algo do dito Patente que lhe mandava ordenando-lhe que depois de acabar o tempo de Visitadorado de Goa, o lhe tinha determinado viesse na primeira occasião para Macao. Acabou logo o dito P.e Amaral o tempo do seu Visitadorado de Goa a meio de Agosto de 1609 partio de lá para Macao em Mayo de 1610, e chegou a esta Cidade, e Collegio em 26 de Julho do mes_ mo anno. No mesmo dia de 26 de Julho de 1610 tomou o P.e Miguel de Amaral posse dos officios de Provincial de Japão, e de Reitor de Macao, e acabado o triennio de abrio de morte na consulta a primeira successão do P. Provincial, e ficou nella o P.e Jeronimo de Moraes defunto em Goa, abrio-se a 2.a successão e ficou nella o P.e José Pires ausente na Cochinchina, com que foi o dito P.e Miguel de Amaral continuando no dito seu Provincia_ lado, e Reitorado até ser avisado o P.e José Pires, e vir a esta porta, o qual allegou impossibilitado para não vir para Macao, e não ser Provincial, e por não haver alguma outra successão foi o P.e Miguel de Amaral continuando o seu Provincialado. No anno de 1616 aos 11 de Julho chegou a Macao Patente de Provincial de Japão com duas successões, na Patente vinha nomeado o P.e José Monteiro sujeito da Provincia da China que estava em Cantão, o qual officialmente se executou, e abrindo-se a primeira successão e ficou nella o P.e José Pires que foi avisado, e de Cochinchina tornou a allegar as mes_ mas impossibilidades ut supra. Abriu-se no anno seg_ a segunda, e ultima successão, e ficou nella o P.

Page 13

000402 **[Texto Principal]** Machado tendente em Tonquim, o qual também se escusou, po- rém apertado com um preceito de obediência do P.e Provincial Miguel de Amaral aceitou, e tomou posse do Provincialado lá em Tonquim aos 12 de Junho de 1618, chegando esta notícia a Macau em 20 de Agosto do mesmo anno de 1618. Acabou então o P.e Miguel de Amaral o Provincialado, tendo perseverado nelle oito annos, e 5 dias continuos. Continuou o P.e Estanis- lao Machado o seu governo em Tonquim, e tinha em Macau o Provincial constituido por elle ao P.e João Pereira. Vendo pois o P.e Provincial Estanislao Machado os seus achaques lhe não era possível sahir de Tonquim, e de lá lhe não era possível governar a Provincia, mandou de lá os seus poderes à Consulta da Provincia para ella ad plena suffragia nomear Vicefeitor no Provincialado, visto não haver outra here- zaõ de forma, e a Consulta em virtude desta Comissão nomeou ao P.e Miguel de Amaral, que succedendo ao P.e Estanislao Ma- chado tomou posse do governo outra vez aos 26 de Agosto de 1610. Cap. 3.º Dos Visitadores que forão mandados pelo Geral da Companhia para estas Provincias de Japão, e China. 1.º Foi o Padre Gonçalo Alvares mandado pelo P.e Geral S. Francisco de Borgia no anno de 1568 na armada do Rey D. Sebastião de Abreu, o qual depois de visitar a Companhia na India passou a China, e de lá embarcando-se para Japão com D.

Page 14

cum hum grande visinho tufão sem escapar com vida deste naufragio mais que hum só lançar, o qual andando nadan- do no mar tomou hum junco, que acertou de vir detrás da nau, acabou o dito Padre em Julho de 1573 com seus Compa- nheiros os Pe. Manoel Lopes seu Companheiro, Elisbataluto, Pedro Velho, Pe. Diogo Fox, Pe. António Páez. O 2.° Visitador foi o Pe. Alexandre Valignano, que mandado pelo Pe. Geral Everardo Mercuriano no anno de 1573 chegou a Goa com 40 Padres, e Irmãos da Companhia em setembro de 1574, o qual Visitando primeiro a Companhia na India passou a China no anno de 1578, e depois em 1579 à Província, donde depois de visitar os Pe. [UNCLEAR] e depois de ordenar muitas cousas em proveito desta Christandade tornou para India no anno de 1583 trazendo consigo qua- tro mancebos japões fidalgos: D. Manso parente do Rei Francisco de Bungo, D. Miguel parente do Tonō de Arima, Dom Protásio, D. Martinho, e D. Jerião fidalgos do Tonō de Omura, D. Bartholomeo, os quaes se embarcarão em Cochim em Fevr. de 1584 para Portugal com o bom Pe. Jerónimo Roiz, Reitor até este tempo do Collegio de S. Paulo, e Procurador para Roma eleito na Segunda Congregação da India, e com o Pe. Diogo de Mesquita, e chegando a Lisboa em Agosto do mesmo anno, e visitando o Cardeal Alberto, Gov. de Portugal, partiram já no anno seguinte de 1585 para Roma, aonde chegarão no fim de Março do mes- mo anno, e forão recebidos como Embaixadores com gran- de apparato pelo Summo Pontifice Gregório XIII, dando a S.

Page 15

000403 8 **[Texto Principal]** Santidade a obediencia, em nome dos três Japões Christãos, e de toda esta nova Christandade, e falecendo neste mesmo tem- po o sobredito Papa, e sendo eleito Sixto V, se achavam os ditos Fidalgos à morte dum, e à chegada doutro: feita esta tão comprida peregrinação por Itália, Castella, Portugal, e Índia, se tornaram cheios de trabalhos, e honras a Japão com o mesmo Padre Alexandre Valignano no anno de 1590, sendo Senhor da Terra Taicó, a quem o dito Padre com estes Fidalgos Japões foi à sua Corte visitar com embaixada do Rey D. Luís António de Meneses, sendo do dito Rey com grande honra, e appa- rato recebido. Mas pouco durou este favor del-Rei da Terra, porq[u]e pouco depois moveu contra a Christandade grave persegui- ção, e o P.e Vis.or Alexandre se tornou a segunda vez de Japão pa- ra Macau no anno de 1592, donde mandou logo o P.e Gil de Mattos a Roma por Procurador de Japão, e se foi segunda vez à Índia, che- gando lá em Março de 95, e em Setembro do mesmo anno rece- beu Carta do P.e Geral pela qual acabou de ser Vis.or da Índia, fi- cando somente de Japão, e China p.a a qual se partiu ultimamen.te no anno de 1597, e daí terceira vez p.a Japão em Julho de 1598, em Companhia do P.e Bispo D. Luís Cerqueira. Finalmente tornou de Japão a Macau a ultima, e terceira vez no anno de 1603 com o P.e Paulo Portugal, Capitão-mor desta Viagem. Este veio neste Collegio de Macau até o anno de 1606, que nelle fale- ceu a 20 de Janeiro, tendo governado a Companhia da Índia, e Japão 21 annos, 4 mezes e quasi meyo: a Índia, e juntamente Japão 21, e nestes 21 annos foi o dito Padre juntamente Provin- cial, e Vis.

Page 16

**[Texto Principal]** a segunda vez para Japão, e isto por occasião de falecimento viagem do Reino para India o P.e Francisco Eliz no anno de 81, e o P.e Pedro da Silva no anno de 83 que vinha na India p[ara] serem Provinciaes; lá para a China tomou de anno, e quar- tro mezes, e quasi meyo, sendo tambem seu Visitador. O 3.º Visitador desta Provincia foi o P.e Francisco Cabral feito em Japão por Carta do P.e Geral Claudio Aquaviva em Julho de 1611 passando immediatamente do officio de Vice Provincial desta Provincia ao de Visitador. Declarando o P.e Valentim Carvalho no mesmo tempo por Provincial desta Provincia, por ella já então ser Provincia por si, e separada das duas Provincias da India, Goa, e Malabar, como sua mesma Carta de Roma tinha ordenado. E o P.e Visitador Francisco Cabral se partio de Japão para este Collegio de Macao o anno des- te de 1612, e nelle faleceo em 31 de Agosto do mesmo anno. O 4.e Francisco Vieira feito tambem na India por Patente do P.e Geral Claudio Aquaviva, a qual se lhe mandou de Roma em Janeiro de 1615, chegou a Goa em Outubro do mesmo anno; e o P.e partio de Goa para esta Provincia em Mayo de 1616 depois de entregar o officio de Provincial de Goa logo em Outubro ao P.e Jacome de Medeiros, chegou a este Collegio de Macao em 13 de Julho do mesmo anno. 5.º Morto o P.e Francisco Vieira neste Collegio de Macao aos 20 de Dezembro de 1619 depois de vir de Japão, onde esteve pouco mais de hum anno, porque dous Superiores, ou Procuradores da Provincia, o Vice Provincial, o P.

Page 17

**[Pagina 9]** **[Texto Principal]** Provincial, e Vice Provincial independentes, como se não tivessem visitado. Propondo o dito Pe Provincial de Japão aos Pes Profesos a sobredita ordem, forão os mais delles de pa- recer que se guardasse até ver da Monção, vem este pon- to aclarado de Roma, e assim se executou hoje 29 de Janeiro de 1650. Aos 1 do mes de Julho do mesmo anno de 1650 chegarão Novas successões de Visitador, e juntamente outra via della gente de Visitador, que dous annos antes tinha já vindo por outra, mas para o Pe Francisco Xavier, que estava na China dentro por Superior das Casas do Norte, e porquanto com a guerra dos Tartaros, estava alhures dentro toda revolta, e não tinha chegado nova de o Pe era vivo, ou morto, ou se lhe tinham chegado alguns dos muitos avizos que sobre isso se lhe tinham enviado. Pareceo ao Pe João Cabral, Provincial da Provincia de Japão, e aos mais Consultores que lhe devia abrir as Novas successões, como com effeito de abrirão em Consulta, e se acharam não mais que duas, as quaes trazia ambas por sobrescriptas 2.ª successão, e que vendo o Pe Pro- vincial, e os mais, que duvidavão de as havião de abrir am- bas, para ver qual era a primeira, e porque o Caso era novo e os Padres Consultores não concordavão, apontou-se que se procurasse a todos os Padres Profesos, que estavam no Collegio, e se lhes perguntasse duas Cousas: 1.ª Se se havião de abrir as ditas successões para ver qual precedia. 2.

Page 18

**[Texto Principal]** Tratando-se de faltar em ausência, ou outro impedimento além, se havia de esperar novas de ser o P.e morto, ou vivo: Ou se a breve dita ausência, embaraço de guerras era bastante, até se putaretur pro mortuo quia adhuc ipsum. Levado o P.e Professor o seu parecer in scriptis ao secretário da Província, o qual lá citou, examinou & o referiu na junta. No 1.º ponto deu fora de parecer que os Viceprovs. se não abrissem: Dito que se abrissem. No 2.º ponto junto fora de parecer que o P.e ausente, impedido non reputabatur pro mortuo, os mais que vêm. O P.e Provincial seguindo o parecer dos mais mandou que se abrissem as ditas Viceprovs., e falou na primeira o P.e Sebastião de Maya. E de tudo se deu conta ao S.e P.gl, e se espera para semelhantes ca- sos o que seja P.e approva, ou repprove. O P.e Sebastião de Maya governou desde 16 de Julho de 1650 até 2, ou 3 de Junho do anno seguinte de 1651, em que veio a este Collegio Carta do P.e Fran- cisco Furtado que chegava a Cantão, e tinha recebido o alento de Vig.or em 7 de Julho de 1650, e tornando posse, e começando a vi- zitar as casas & Residencias da China dentro. — Como bem tinha já começado a governar a antes de lá se abrirem as vias, ajuntou o P.e João Cabral Provincial com parecer de todos os Consultores que precedera ao P.e Sebastião de Maya, e estava dito assim lhe entregara o governo da Província, & Província, havia do P.e Sebastião de Maya que estava aberta se tornou a fechar para o dito P.e poder suceder a seu tempo em Macao de hir este parecer assim dos Consultores desta Província, co- mo os da Província de Cochim, onde se mandou perguntar este caso.

Page 19

**[Page 10]** 000405 10 **[Texto Principal]** Aos 21 de Novembro de 1563 levou o P.rovd.or para o P.e Fr.or Francisco Furtado, e conforme o que está acima lhe tor- nou a suceder o P.e Valarbas de Bisnaya por não haver novo governo de Roma, e tomou posse aos 22 do dito mês e anno. P. P. fgo. Cap. 12. Do principio da Missão do Reino da China, e dos Superiores Universaes que nella houve O Padre Visitador Alexandre Valignano passando da India para Japão no anno de 1578 entrando neste Collegio de Macao es- perando o monção para hir a Japão começou a tratar des- ta Missão de China, ajudando-se para isso de varias infor- maçoens de Portuguezes, e Chinas, que davam esperança de Christandade neste Reino. E para ella se principiar pedia ao P.e Ruy Vicente Provincial da India hum Padre de talento para começar a abrir esta porta, e para isto se mandou o P.

Page 20

fazer hũa casinha mais logo à da cidade, erigindo nella; se lhe ajuntou no anno de 1582 o Pe. Matheos Riccio, e ambos forão fazendo ali alguns Christãos. Mas depois os nossos Tutão os botou fora deste lugar, e mandou vir para Macao. O que sabendo o Pe. Alexandre, estando nes- te collegio depois de vir a primeira vez do Japão no anno de 1583, lhes pareceo que trabalhassem quanto pudessem per para não sahirem fora da China, e no mesmo tempo quis Nosso Senhor que o Tutão os tornasse a chamar de Cantão, que hião fazendo para Cantão, e mandou a Pacheu, ordenando juntamente que lá lhe dessem lugar em que morasse o Pe. Matheos Riccio com seu companheiro o Pe. An- tonio d’Almeida, sendo já vindo para Macao o Pe. Rogerio, donde o Pe. Alexandre o mandou para Malaca, donde se partio nas galeas do reino para Lisboa, e dahi para Roma a informar desta missão, e doutras couzas a Nosso Pe. Geral, e ficou em Italia. E continuando, o Pe. Matheos Riccio e seu companheiro estiverão algum tempo na dita casa de Pacheu, na qual faleceo o Pe. Antonio d’Almeida, e depois o Pe. Francisco Petrei, ficando com o Pe. Matheos Riccio. No anno de 1588, tornando do Japão a segunda vez o Pe. Alexandre Valignano, lhe mandou o Pe. Lazaro Cattaneo por companheiro, e depois de estarem ambos algum tempo em Pacheu, foi o Pe.

Page 21

000406 11 levando por diante esta Missão, sendo já Superior d'ambas estas Casas, e das mais que se forão fazendo até o anno de 1610, que faleceu em Pequim, Corte d’El-Rei da China, e assim elle foi o primeiro Superior dos nossos nesta Missão, e principal fundador. O 2.º foi o P.e Nicolau Longobardo, depois da morte do P.e Matteus Ricci, até hoje, 1 de Fevereiro de 1617; o que tudo largamente consta da historia desta Missão principiada pelo P.e Matteus Ricci, a que me remetto. Ao P.e Nicolau Longobardo succedeo no Cargo de Superior desta Missão da China em Junho de 1622 o P.e João da Rocha. Ao P.e João da Rocha faria elle Padre o primeiro Vice-Provincial, depois de feita a China Vice-Provincia; acabando-o, já falecido, lhe succedeo por primeiro Vice-Provincial o P.e Manuel Dias Junior, o qual governou tres, ou trez annos. Succedeo-lhe o P.e Francisco Furtado, o qual governou seis annos; em cujo tempo vieram para cá dous Vice-Provinciais: hum o P.e Júlio Aleni, e do Norte continuou o mesmo P.e Francisco Furtado em defeito do P.e João, por haver já falecido. Em o anno de 1646 veio Patente de Vice-Provincial de toda a China ao Padre Álvaro Semedo, o qual governou perto de quatro annos, por estarem os caminhos impedidos com as guerras dos Tartaros, em não poder chegar avizo ao P.

Page 22

**[Texto Principal]** 361030 tomou posse em o anno de 1650, governando entre tan- to todo este tempo em as partes do Norte de S. Francis- co fundado pela mesma razão de não poder chegar aviso das Novas sucessivas. Ao P.e Manoel Dias Junior, por estar cego, renun- ciou o cargo de P.rovincial; succedeo-lhe, por nomeação do P.e Sebastião d’Almeida Visitador, e approvação dos P.es da Provincia, o Padre Alvaro Semedo em 1655. Acabado o triennio, lhe succedeo o P.e Estevão Tebro, o qual em mor- to quando lhe chegou aviso, pelo que succedeo em P.rovin- cial o P.e Simão da Cunha, o qual depois de governar espa- ço de hum anno sahio em via de Visitador em 28 de Outubro de 1658. Em o mesmo anno chegarão vias de Roma, em que vinham nomeados para P.rovinciaes o P.e Estevão Tebro e o Padre Alvaro Semedo, que erão já mortos, e o P.e Simão da Cunha, que succedeo por morte do P.e Antonio Veloso em Visitador. Em a 1.a via succedeo o P.e Ignacio da Costa. Em acabando o P.e Ignacio da Costa o seu triennio em o anno de 1661, abrindo-se as successões, o P.e Diogo de Ro- mao desachou o dito via o P.e Matthias d’Almeida, o qual acabava de ser Provincial de Japão; porque não podia entrar em aquelle novo governo sem vacar annos e meys conforme a Bulla do Papa Innocencio X, foi eleito por Consulta para officio de P.

Page 23

000407 12 Padre Diogo Fabro, enquanto durava o impedim.to do sobredito anno, esteve conforme as Ordens, q’ para semelhantes casos tem mandado o N.R.P. Geral; acabado o impedimento, entrou o P.e Mathias de Maya, mas, porque logo começou a perseguição no Setembro de 1664, deixou em seu lugar o P.e Diogo Fabro. No anno de 1665 succedeu por Provincial o P.e Feliciano Pacheco. Em 1668, o P.e António de Gouveia; no anno de 1671, entrou a segunda vez o P.e Feliciano Pacheco. No anno de 1672, abrindo-se as Vias de Roma, acabou por Provincial da China o P.e André Lubelli, que gover- nou dous annos e seis mezes, e não acabou o triennio, porque, abrindo-se as Vias do governo da Provincia de Japão, ficou nella por Provincial da Provincia. Em lugar do P.e André Lubelli, por via de Roma, en- trou o P.e Fernando Ribeiro, que governou o seu triennio. Ao P.e Fernando, no anno de 1680, em Março, succedeu o P.e Gabriel Fabian, digo Domingos Fabian. Acabado o triennio do P.e Domingos Fabian, ao primeiro defunto entrou no officio de Provincial o P.e José Valori, que estava nas Vias, e governou todo seu triennio.e José Valori, succedeu no officio de Provincial o P.e Gaspar Lacerda, q’ entrou no seu governo aos 30 de Junho de 1686.

Page 24

**[501000]** **[Texto Principal]** Acabado o governo do P.e Prospero, sucedeu no officio o P.e Domingos Fabiani, que começou a governar a 30 de Junho do anno de 1689. Acabado o triennio do P.e Gabriel, sucedeu no officio de Provincial da China o P.e Thomas Pereira, e co- meçou a governar a 1.º de Julho de 1692.e Thomas Pereira, sucedeu no officio de Provincial o P.e Philippo Geraldi, que come- çou a governar a 1.º de Julho de 1695, por via que veio patente de Provincial para o P.e Fran.co Vimaem, que estava já morto, e continuou o P.e Geraldi, vindo no anno de 1696 patente para o P.e Prospero, que estava moribundo [UNCLEAR: scribble] Cap. 5.º trata dos Bispos do Japão. Cap. 6.º Do principio da christandade de Tonquim, e superiores della. Por informações dos Nossos Padres que cultivarão a Christandade de Cochinchina, como a do Reino e de Tonquim he annexa a Macao, e missiona de lá, teve o P.e Jeronimo Roiz, Senior Visitador, noticia da disposição que haveria no Reino de Tonquim para nelle se pregar a Nossa Santa Fé.

Page 25

**[Topo, à direita]** 13 **[Topo, centro]** 000408 **[Texto Principal]** de 1627 mandou o P.e Juliano Baldinotti Florentino com o Irmão Julio Beani na embarcação de Gaspar Borges da Fonseca, Cidadão desta Cidade de Macao, para em pessoa ir àquele Reino, e ver por experiência a disposição dos Naturaes para se abrir a Missão. Foi o Padre, e achou tão boa disposição, que o Rey por nome Chanta lhe pediu que ficasse em seu Reino, convidan- do-o com os muitos favores, e honras, que lhe fez. Porém o Padre não ficou por ter ordem expressa de voltar a Macao, e informar do que achasse no Reino. Voltou de Tonquim com o dito Irmão em Setembro do mesmo anno, não deixando naquelle Reino de fruto na gentilidade, mais que algumas crianças baptizadas. Achou-se já por Visitador o P.e André Palmeiro, que por Paten- te do S.R.B. tinha chegado da India a Julho antecedente, e informando-o da bondade da gente, candidez natural, e excelente disposição para receber Nossa Santa Lei, se deliberou o novo Visitador a abrir as Missões, e levá-las diante. Para este efeito, no anno seguinte de 1628 man- dou o P.e Pedro Marques Borbaquez por Superior da Mis- são, e foi o primeiro que ella teve, e ao P.e Alexandre Ro- des, Francez, por seu Companheiro, o qual sabia a lingua por ter estado em Cochinchina, e para esta Viagem fora della mandado vir.

Page 26

804000 [Texto Principal] 19 de ella no dia de S. Tomé, e por esta causa toda a christan- dade tem neste santo por seu Padroeiro, e os Padres entraram na Barra, e Porto de Bungueyqueraõ o nome Porto de S. Tomé. Foram bem recebidos do Rey que era o mesmo, tratou- os com muita honra, fez-lhes grandes favores, e cazas com Igreja em que morassem junto ao seu Paço.

Page 27

**[Page 14]** **[Texto Principal]** para por ali se virem para Macao. Grande foi o sen timento, que tiveram os Christãos, em especial o de for te deste desterro, e para os consolar deixara por Cabeça seu Cathequista por nome Francisco, que d’um Bonzo se tinha feito Christão, e estava bem instruído nas cousas da nossa Santa Fé. Chegando os Padres a Cochinchina, onde achando cômodo para passar à China, voltaram para a Pro víncia de China, trazendo já convertidos e baptizados quasi todos os soldados e letrados. Soube-se em Macao, por via de Cochinchina, o tra balho em que os Padres estavam, e para lhes socorrer man dou o P.e Pedro Morjão, Reitor deste Collegio, por o P.e André Palmela; neste tempo estar dentro da China, que foi visitar, no anno de 1629 em Setembro, aos Padres Christovão Fer nandes — depois glorioso Martyr — e ao P.e Gaspar de Amaral, os quaes, chegando na embarcação à Província de China, o acharam e agasalharam, levando-os consigo à Corte, aonde o Rey recebeo com grande honra; porém, em quanto ali esteve — não que fosse até o Abril de 630 — não consentio o Rey que fos sem elles concorrer à sua Casa, nem que os Padres pre gassem. Ultimamente, os mandou a todos para Macao, escrevendo ao P.e Visitador que aquelles Padres lhe inquieta vam os reinos e destruíam os pagodes e seus templos, e por isso os mandava.

Page 28

861000 boa vontade. Deixaria os Padres ordenação destes tres annos quando fez mil almas baptizadas. Chegaram a Macao em Mayo de 1631, deram conta ao P.e V.or do grande fructo que naquelle Reyno se tinha colhido, e do muito que avante se podia colher, do que movido o P.e visitador no seguinte anno de 31 mandou ao P.e Gaspar d’Amaral por Superior, e aos P.es Antonio Fontes, e Antonio Cardim por seus Companheiros. Chegaram a Tonquim aos 7 de Marco, e forão rece- bidos d’ElRey com extraordinarias honras, favores, e ampla licença para pregar nossa santa Fe. Porem embora se mu- dou porque passados tres, ou quatro mezes havendo-se detido nos Navios mandou que se tornassem os Padres nelle por lhe enqui- tarem seo Reyno, a Corte com a ley que pregavão, porem alle- gando-lhe alguãs razões para sua chaga, ficar polo menos hum Padre, e concedeo-lhe, deo tambem licença para ficar hum dos Companheiros com elle, e assi ficaram os P.es Gaspar d’Amaral e o P.e Antonio de Fontes, voltando para Macao o P.e Antonio Cardim. Acharam os Padres a christandade naquella vacancia muy adiantada, por quanto o P.e Alexandre Rhodes deixando alhi- christandade encomendada a tres Cathequistas por nome Francisco, Ignacio, e Andre, elles naquelles dez mezes fizeram com tanto cuidado que baptizaram de novo alguãs quatro mil almas. e para afim d’afazerem o P.e Mufor fazer tres juramentos: 1.º de não cazarem. 2.º de não terem couza propria. 3.

Page 29

**[Page 15]** 000410 **[Texto Principal]** apartarem hum do outro, mas estarem sempre unidos em ordem à agregação do Evangelho, terem cuidado da Chris- tandade. Vendo os Padres que de novo tinham vindo de quanto efeito fora aquella traça, e ao diante podia ser de grande proveito para toda a christandade, lhe visitando-os, e deixando-os ficar na mesma forma, nelles defendeu a Comunidade, e Congregação dos Cathequistas que hoje he, mudando-lhe o terceiro juramento em obediencia aos Padres, a quem elles lhe sujassem em seu lugar. E porque aquella familia de aug- mentação, deixava-os na Corte a Francisco por Superior da quella Casa, mandava alguns visitantes em China & Ja- pon da Casa, que fez em Na, e a André para Guio por Su- perior da Casa, que fez em Nam com poder, ordem para re- ceberem todos, o que lhes parecesse em idoneos, sentando cada anno algum que o Santo morria, de liço a fazer a Congregação numerossa. A qual foi, e he sempre mais efficaz e de maior im- portancia para a muita Conversão que tem havido na quella christandade. Os dous Padres que ficarão se vestirão logo ao modo da terra, sem particulares; tomara hua Cabaia de Cor- roxa, com que se vai ao Paço do Rey, a ver se podiam comen- dar a este dos primeiros, que se affectarão do Paço. Tomara as tambem a dita Cabaia para com ella irem aos Ministe- rios, e não serem tão notados como dantes, porque quando os via com aquella Cabaia cuidava que ou vinha ou ia ao Paço.

Page 30

014080 **[Texto Principal]** Paço, e por experiência acharam que ali para o Paço era o melhor meio para os nossos se conservarem naquela fadiga a autoridade de S.ta Ley; em uma se devia deixar. E tinha no Paço tanto respeito aos Padres, e El Rey lhes fazia tantas honras que tinham entrada franca quando queriam; entravam entre os grandes Mandarins do Reino, ouvindo o bom sucesso da Cabaya. Pelo tempo adiante tomaram o barrete deslavado, e o Cordão insignia dos letrados; deixaram crescer cabelos e barba, como Nazaréus, para de todo se acomodarem aos Naturais. A Casa em que moravam foi ao princípio de aluguel no Paço do Mandarim Biforma Tuyen; depois, em terra que eles lhes deram, fizeram uma de bambus coberta de palha. O segundo ano moraram em uma de madeira, que compraram por dez taéis; e, querendo-se lhe El Rey do edifício que hoje temos em Yangbe, para os de navio fazerem um gudão de telha em que guardassem suas fazendas por amor de fogo. À sombra deste gudão fizemos as Casas de Yangbe de telha, neste mesmo sítio em que hoje está, que é o em que morava o dito Mandarim, genro d’El Rey, e pouco distante daquele em que tivemos as primeiras Casas. No mesmo ano de 31, em Outubro, che- garam de Macao os Padres Jerónimo Maiorica, Neapolitano, e P.e Bernardino Régis, Lombardo. Recebeu-os El Rey com muita alegria, e logo lhes deu Cabaya Corô. Ficando no Reino, logo no ano seguinte de 32 foi o P.

Page 31

[Page 10] 000411 [Texto Principal] para a Provincia de Goa a fundar a residência que fez em [UNCLEAR: Rum]. Para Tinbao foi o P.e António de Fontes fun- dar, e fazer a Casa de Nô, ficando na Corte o P.e Bernar- dino Régio, e o P.e Gaspar de Amaral Superior da Missão, a qual continuará até o anno de 34, em que Deos le- vou para si ao P.e Bernardino Régio, e foi sepultado às 10- [UNCLEAR: convidas] na Igreja ou Capella das Nossas Casas antigas, donde passados tres annos forão seus ossos levados, e enterra- dos em [UNCLEAR: Rebo]. Neste anno de 35 levando Deos para si ao Padre André Palmeiro. Me succedeo o P.e Manoel Dias Senhor, que no mesmo anno de 35 mandou de Macao o P.e Martim Calho, o qual tomou este Collegio com negocio daquella missão aos 3 d’Outubro de Setembro de 1636, em 8. anno ao P.e António Barbosa, e ao Felix Moely; em o de 37 mandou por Vig.or daquella Missão ao P.e João Baptista Borrelli Mil- lanis, sendo Reitor em Macao o P.e [UNCLEAR]. No anno de 1663 aos 2 de Novembro forão desterrados de Cantão os P.es Onofre Borges, e Tisanier, Pedro Al- ves, e ficou aquella Missão sem Padre, no qual tempo até o anno de 1666 entrou lá hum Clerigo Francez Brasileiro de nome [UNCLEAR: Didaco], e depois entraram 3 outros P.P.

Page 32

**[Texto Principal]** Do principio da Missão de Camboja. O primeiro da Companhia que entrou no Reino de Cam- boja foi o P.e Pedro Morejón Japoniol, o qual em o ano de 1613, ou 1614 voltando de Roma onde tinha tido por Procurador da Provincia do Japão tornou em Navegação a derrota para o Reyno de Camboja afim de animar, e consolar aos Japões Christãos desterrados pela fé, os quaes de Manila e doutras partes vinham morar em Camboja por ser terra commoda para sustentar a vida. Depois de estar neste Reyno tres me- ses se foi para Macao, onde informou aos Superiores do desamparo, em que ficavão os Christãos Japões sem Padre, que os ajudassem, e do fructo que se podia fazer em outros Japões que vinham a Camboja em feos juncos buscar Cau- rama, e outras fazendas. Pelo que mandado a esta Missão o P.e Jesuíta natural do Japão, onde trabalhou pouco tempo pelo atalhar a morte. Neste tempo vierão quatro Religiosos de Manila da Ordem de S.

Page 33

000412 11 **[Texto Principal]** impedimento que parece fechar de todo as portas da pre- gação do sagrado Evangelho naquele Reyno por ser o agente Camboja muito cobarde, dependente da vontade do Rey. Em o anno de 1630 veyo o P.e Francisco Buzomi de Iapão a Camboja buscar socorro para os Companheiros, que lá ficavão captivos, e à instância do mesmo Rey de Camboja partio para Macao, e tornou o anno seguinte de 1631; esteve até o anno de 1634, em que foi chamado do Rey de Cochinchina. Neste tempo trabalhou muito com hum Cathequista chamado Agostinho, e se converterão sinco, ou seis Cambojas. Neste tempo, pelo anno de 1632, veyo o Irmão Thomé em companhia de alguns Iapões, que se aco- lherão a Camboja fugindo do seu Rey, que então vivia em láos, o qual por não ver que depois procurou ha- vellos às mãos para se vingar delles. O P.e Buzomi, vendo seu bom talento para ajudar aos Iapões seus naturais, fez que, vindo a Macao, tornasse a Camboja Sacerdote, on- de esteve sette, ou oito annos. Ao fim dos quaes veio a Camboja o P.e Alberto Mirimsky Polaco, e o P.e Antonio Capechi Neapolitano, para com o P.e Thomé aprenderem a Lingua de Iapão, e de lá passarem secretamente a acudir áquelles Reynos, e Christandade tão perseguida. No fim do primeiro anno, em que os dous Padres chegarão, morreu o P.

Page 34

**[Referências arquivísticas]** S. 1000 [No topo, centralizado, a lápis] **[Texto Principal]** Suppostos os dous havia de ir para Japão, mandou o Pe. que de Macau ao Pe. José Agnes, onde esteve até o ano de 1648, em que voltou para Cochinchina e da Jap. a Macau, ficando em seu lugar o Pe. Francisco Pires Napolitano. Continuou depois nesta Missão o Pe. Varella na Cochinchina desde o anno de 1651 até o anno de 1659 por ter estando só, parte fundo superior, até que vindo neste anno de 59 o Pe. Carlos da Rocha por Superior com o Pe. Antonio Lopez, sucedendo as guerras em que o Rey de Cochim- china conquistou aquele Reino, e trouxe preso o Rey Camboyano, e hindo os mais dos Christãos para variar por ter se virado também todos os Pes. para Macau. Tornou o mesmo Pe. Carlos da Rocha por Sup.or em o anno de 1662, onde achou o Pe. Jeronimo Mairet q. tinha vindo com muitos Christãos lançados de Malaca, ambos ficaram continuando a Missão. No anno de 1669, vindo de Camboja o Pe. Carlos da Rocha, fez naufragio, e cego das feridas, onde morreu. No anno de 1676 partiram deste Collegio de Macao aos 12 de Março os Pes. João Baptista Maldonado, e João de Barros Portuguez em hum barco de leão para dali passarem a Camboja e com tenção de tornarem a abrir Missão de Laos, a qual já tinha feito no anno de 1642 o Pe. José Maria Leiria, onde esteve alguns annos sem muito fructo.

Page 35

**[Page 18]** 000413 18 **[Texto Principal]** Cap. 8. Do princípio da Missão da Ilha de Hainan. Deu-se princípio a esta Missão o anno de 1633 pelo Padre Pedro Marques Cortegão, e pelo Irmão Domingos Mendes, de nação China, nascido em Macao, onde morreu depois o anno de 1652. A ocasião de se abrir esta Missão foi hum Christão Mandarim chamado Paulo, filho de ou- tro que levou a Pekim o P.e Matheus Ricci, o qual era na- tural daquella Ilha, e vindo a Macao com estes negó- cios, antes de partir para Hainan, para onde hia despa- chado, alcançou do P.e Visitador André Palmeiro lhe despa- chasse P.es para fazerem Christandade em sua pátria. E posto que levando-os se arreceava a ser accusado de meter estran- geiros naquella Ilha, e perder por isso o officio, e ter outros muitos trabalhos, cortou por tudo, e metteo os P.es em Hainan, onde logo em dia de Páscoa baptizaram a mulher, a nora, qua- tro netos, e outras quinze pessoas da casa deste Mandarim. Esta Missão correu por conta da Província da China até o anno de 1641, em que o N.P.e Geral, por petição do P.e Álvaro Semedo, Procurador da mesma Província em Roma, a applicou a Japão, por não ter a Província sujeitos bastantes para a prover, e ser m.ta difficul[t]oso visitá-la o Provincial que reside dentro da China, e por outras razões de consideração. Entrou depois do P.e Pedro Marques o P.

Page 36

de Mattos, que esteve naquella Missão acompanhado pou- co tempo dos P.es André Lobeli, Miguel Boym, e João Nemer, com cujo tempo todo até o anno de 1640, que, vindo hua Arma- da Chindar em forma de guerra contra a Ilha, vindo o P.e Frates de Conventos, ficou detido, e botarão com os grilhões ao mar por vir logo o Tartaro a sujeitar, como sujeitou a Ilha, e ficou a Missão sem Padre alguns annos, e em Março de 1653 partio para esta Missão o P.e Mathias de Maya levando por Companheiro João João Pereira, que inda era Noviço, o qual P.e Bento de Mattos acima referido en- trou no anno de 1633, e no anno de 37 tornou para Macao por ordem dos Mandarins, e no anno de 1641 tornou para Haynán, onde esteve até 1646, e à conta da sua letra, e dous mil cento e cinquenta baptismos feitos por elle, e por Cathequistas. Neste meio tempo faleceu em Macao por Vi- zitador ferido já morto. Não se pode neste anno de 1653 restaurar aquella Missão porque o anno de quarenta e hum, em que o P.e iria para desembarcar nas praias de Haynán, ali já foi por fora, e a Vinda, inda que se desembarcou, na praia em que que levava por juncos, e tinha estado em Haynán, fon- do do mar falta do estado da terra, Voltou dizendo que não podia entrar o P.

Page 37

**[Page 19]** 000414 **[Texto Principal]** em Macau, aonde tão bem juntar que persuadiu ao P.e e aos do Navio, mas não pôde ficar por então na Ilha, e era forçado tornar-se a embarcar logo. Ficou aquella Missão, christandade sem ter Padre algum, até que em 26 de Junho, dia de S. João Baptista de 1656, entrou nella por Superior o mesmo P.e Mathias de Maya, de nação Portuguez, com o P.e José Baptista Brando, Neapolitano, em companhia do P.e João Nicolao Smogolenski, Polaco, q. fallava a lingua e estylo de China. De Cantão levou ao P.e terra a Hainão, donde voltando depois q. a sua Provincia mor- reu em Macau no mesmo anno; tambem foi o P.e Estanis- lao Torrente com o P.e Mathias da Maya. Entrarão depois em 30 de Abril de 1659 na mesma Missão o P.e João Forjet, sobrinho Irmão Francez, e por q. ao P.e Mathias da Maya veio patente para Provincial de Japão, sucedeu em Superior o P.e João Forjet, que morrendo em 29 de Outubro de 1660, ficou o P.e Estanislao Torrente, Italiano de nação, por Superior de toda a Missão, para onde partio de Macau o P.e Antonio Lopez, Portuguez, em companhia do P.e Pascoal Tré, de nação China, em 22 de Julho de 1661. No anno de 1664 entrou a perseguição, e ficou a Missão sem Padres. No anno de 1671 o mesmo P.e Estanislao Torren- te voltou para Macau, e ficou por Superior até o anno de 1680, mês de Julho, em que morreu. Ao P.e Estanis- lao Torrente succedeu o P.

Page 38

depois succedeo o P.e Francisco da Veiga que ficou só até o anno de 1685, em que foi mandado de Cantão, onde estava o P.e Joaquim Caldas que no fim de 86 morreo, ficando outra vez só até o anno de 91 no fim em que de Macao se mandou para Haynáo o P.e Francisco Capacci, que no ano de 93 tornou para Macao, ficando outra vez só; no anno de 94 mandarão para Haynáo ao P.e João Pacheco; no anno de 96 veio patente de Provincial de Japão ao P.e Francisco da Veiga, e em seu lugar foi para Superior da Missão de Haynáo o P.e João Pereira, ficando por seu Companheiro o P.e João Pacheco. Cap. 2. Dos principios da Missão de Laos. O Primeiro que intentou entrar nesta Missão do Reyno de Laos, que común.te chamam de Lao, foi o P.e João Ba- ptista Deneli, o qual depois de ter sido algum tempo Pro- curador da Provincia, depois Reitor do Collegio de Ma- cao, vindo por Visitador da Missão de Tunkim no anno de 1637 cometteo a jornada por via da Provincia de Indochina, que está vizinha à Costa, a Raya de Laos; porém a aspereza dos rios e aguas daquellas partes lhe adoeceram nove Mes- cos, que o acompanhavaõ, e morreraõ dous, e adoecendo o mesmo Padre morreo tambem em 4 de Novembro de 1638.

Page 39

**[Page 20]** 000415 **[Texto Principal]** Camboja com favor em baça do novo Rey de Camboja, filho de hum Lao, se embarcou o P.e João Maria Deiria. Depois de tres mezes chegou com muito trabalho a forte dos Laos, onde esteve alguns annos padecendo muito com pouco fructo. Cap. 10. Do principio da Missão de Cochinchina. Começou a christandade de Cochinchina em 18 de Janeiro do anno de 1616. Sendo Reitor do Collegio de Macao o Padre Manoel Dias Senior, Provincial de Japão o P.e Valentin Carvalho. Os primeiros da Companhia que nella entraraõ foraõ o P.e Francisco Buzomi Neapolitano, que depois morreo neste Collegio, e o P.e Diogo Carvalho Portuguez, Na- tural de Coimbra, que depois morreo Martyr em Japão, e o Irmaõ Antonio Dias que depois morreo de pedido em Camboja. Em o anno de 1617 foi por Visitador daquella chris- tandade o P.e Manoel Barreto, que depois morreo em Japão, e em o anno de 1618 por Superior o P.e Pedro Marques que tambem morreo em Japão.

Page 40

**[Texto Principal]** ficarão porém em pé hũa em Cachão com titulo da Caza da Chay Joaquina, q fora irmã, ou sobrinha de hum Mandarim muito grave; também ficarão alguns Padres escondidos, posto que com m.to trabalho. Depois de varios successos, em o anno de 639 cobrou a Missão por via de prezentes algũa paz, mas não se logrou muito, porque o P.e João Maria Leiris, que era supe- rior, succedeo ao P.e Gaspar Luis, foi de novo lançado da Caza de Cachão, depois de amarrado, e espancado. O Anno seguinte de 640 foi de Macao o P.e Alexandre Rhodes, e fez amizade com o Capitão dos Japões, e expe- rimentou favor em o Rey; porém também durou pou- co esta esperança, porque se levantou maior tempes- tade o anno de 644, em que o Rey mandou matar pela Confissão da nossa Santa Fé o Cathequista André. Depois, até o anno de 652, não consentio o Rey os Padres estarem ordinariamente no Reyno mais que o tempo que nelle estavam os Portuguezes com suas em- barcaçoens, que seriam cinco, ou seis mezes, em que os Padres visitavão, e ajudavão a Christandade como podiãõ, que eram mais que dous. O superior de todos estes annos foi o P.e Metello Siciliano, de nação. O anno de 1654 conquistou o Rey da Cochinchina o de Champa, e obrigou a algum tanto a perseguição, con- sentindo que hum P.e ficasse no Reyno, e que outro viesse a Macao **[Referências arquivísticas]** [UNCLEAR: C.

Page 41

000416 21 a Macao não como desterrado, mas para ajudar ao despacho do que com alçada pretendia, ficou o P.e Sup.or houve o P.e Pedro Marques que voltou no anno de 1653. Cap. 11. Do principio da Missão de Cantão Começou haver Igreja de Padres na cidade de Cantão pe- los de 1649 com occasião da gente de Macao, que foi em so- corro do Rey Tsonche, a quem obedecia a Provincia de Can- tão com outras que ainda não estavam sujeitas aos Tartaros; neste tempo morreram ahi de doença os P.es Francisco Sambiasi e Gaspar Ferreira. Depois os Tar- taros em Dezembro de 1650 tomaram a derradeira vez Cantão; posto que ainda ahi ficou alguns mezes o P.e Alvaro De- medo, e alguns Padres que hião p.a a China dentro, e pa- laynãos, de passagem acodião aos Christãos que ali fi- cavão, e tinhão a sua Igreja ou Ermida, em que os P.es lhes dizião Missa e os sacramentavão; em ausencia delles se ajuntavão os Christãos a rezar. No anno de 1658, sendo Vig.or o P.e Inacio da Cunha, o Provincial de Japão o P.e Mathias de Noronha, vendo ordem do S. M. R. P. Geral Goswinus Nickel para que as duas Pro- vincias da China, Cantão e Luanfi, ou Confiassem a conta da Provincia de Japão, e lhe as provehe de Missionarios, e assim foi mandado pelos S. Superiores.

Page 42

acaba Missão do P.e André Lubelli em Março de 1659. fez Igreja com casa, e residência fixa, a qual porém ficou por ordem do P.e Provincial annexa ao Collegio, e o Superior della subdito do Reitor do Collegio de Macao. 84. Cap. 12 da Missão de Sião. Posto que no Reyno de Sião estiveram os P.es da nossa Comp.a em varias occaziões, o primeiro que nella entrou pelos annos de 1638 foi o P.e Balthazar de Sequeira da Prov.a de Cochim; com tudo a lar, e residência em forma de Co- llegio começou em o anno de 1656 pela Provincia do Japão, fez- se a petição, e instancia de muitos Christãos que ali moravam, em que entravam alguns Japões, os quaes davam por razão de sua frieza na Christandade, a falta da doutrina dos Padres da Companhia, com quem de cria- vam, e com quem só se entendiam, em a que se podiam accomodar com outros Ministros que naquelle Reyno havia, e assi- nados todos em sua Carta ao P.e Pr.al alcançaram o dese- jado; foi o P.e Thomas Valguarneira por Superior, depois em o anno de 1659 lhe succedeo o P.e João Cardozo, o quinto, com o cargo de Superior levava ordem para hi começar nova Residência em Tennasserim, Porto ordinario, onde vaõ os Navios da India pertencente ao mesmo Reyno.

Page 43

**[Page 22]** **[Texto Principal]** Acomeçou o Reyno de Vedal, onde hũa Christãa chamada Maria Carneira fez doação, parte de sua fazenda em vida, e parte em morte, para se fazer ali hũa Igreja, e ainda da authorizaçam dos Padres. E posto que o Pe. logo partio, elegendo o dito Ponto, com tudo por achar ali já o Pe. Manoel Carvalho, da Provincia de Co- chim, achou algũa dificuldade em fazer Residencia em Tanafarim, e determinou fazer Igreja em outro lugar chamado Merquim, para ficar mais desembara- çado ao intento principal da Conversaõ dos gentios natu- raes. Entre tanto que da Provincia de Cochim se esperava ordem sobre ficarem ali Jesuitas da mesma Prov., que lhe cederam os Pe. Manoel Carvalho, o qual neste tempo Deos elevou para si, e os Pe. de Cochim largarão aquella Igreja, e d’ali para Vião, digo edeVião para lá foi o Pe. Joaõ Cardoso por tres annos, pouco mais ou menos, e depois delle outros dous an. esteve o Pe. Manoel Soares. Finalmente, por não ter que fazer e por vir o Vigario da Vara de S. Thome, os nossos Pe. largarão aquella Rezidencia &c. &c.

Page 44

**[Texto Principal]** [ILLEGIBLE: O texto manuscrito é extremamente ténue e de baixo contraste, cobrindo toda a página. Parece tratar-se de sangria (bleed-through) do verso da folha. As linhas de escrita cursiva são visíveis, mas ilegíveis.

Translation

Page 1

**[Page 1]**
**[Top Header]** CXVI 2–11, No. 46,000396, 1, 6305, 2–11

**[Main Text]**
This volume—recording the names and benefactions of the Superiors and Patrons of the College of the Mother of God in Macau—belongs to the Procurators of this College, in accordance with Rule II of their office, which prescribes the maintenance of such a register as an expression of gratitude and thanksgiving, as enjoined by our Constitutions towards our Benefactors.

Chapter I: On the foundation of this College (or House) and on the Superiors who governed it up to the year 1617.

Chapter II: On the foundation of the Japan Mission and the Christian community therein, and on the Principal Superiors who initiated and fostered it.

The foundation of this Christian community was undertaken by Fr. Francis Xavier in the year 1549; he was the first to preach the Holy Gospel to the Japanese people and the first Superior of the Society of Jesus in Japan. The second Superior was Fr. Cosme de Torres, who appointed him as his successor, assisted by Brother João Firme—both of whom he had brought with him from India.

Page 2

**[Main Text]**
The Kingdom: He died within sight of China on the island of Sanchão on 2 December 1552, aged fifty-two years. He had departed from Portugal in 1541 and arrived in India in May 1542—having wintered in Mozambique en route. During these ten years, he traversed almost all the territories in India that the Portuguese had then discovered, and founded Christian communities along both coasts of Travancore, at Pescaria (modern-day Vypeen Island, near Cochin), the Moluccas (Maluku), and Japan—foundations subsequently expanded by his Jesuit confrères and successors.

In the interim, Father Mestre Belchior—Superior of all Jesuits in the Indies—departed Goa for Japan in 1554, wintered in Malacca, and reached Japan in 1556. There, he visited and spiritually strengthened the resident Jesuit missionaries and the nascent Christian community. He returned to India later that same year, owing to certain specific administrative considerations.

The third Superior was Father Francisco Cabral, who baptised Dom Francisco, King of Bungo (in Kyūshū, Japan).

The fourth Superior, in chronological order, was Father Gaspar Coelho; though not formally designated ‘Provincial’, he was the first to govern the Jesuit mission in Japan with the title *Vice-Provincial*, exercising de facto provincial authority over both the Society’s personnel and the local Christian community.

The fifth Vice-Provincial was Father Pedro Gomes.

The sixth was Father Francisco Pasio, who served as Vice-Provincial until July 1611, when Father Valentim Carvalho succeeded him as *Provincial*—a change in title reflecting the formal elevation of the Japanese mission to an independent province, separate from the Portuguese Indies Province. Concurrently, in July 1611, Father Francisco Pasio assumed the office of *Visitor* to the newly constituted Province of Japan; he later died at the College of Macau in August 1612.

Page 3

**[Page 2]** **000397** **[Main Text]** Letters from Fr Claudio Aquaviva, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, addressed to Fr Francesco Pagio in 1611, 1612, and 1613, designating him Provincial of the Province of Japan and China—although he had never held that office in situ; rather, he had been promoted directly from Vice-Provincial to Visitor (Visitador) in the said year of 1611. This anomaly arose because the Province of Japan had, several years earlier, been formally constituted in Rome as a distinct province separate from the Provinces of India—a decision of which authorities in Japan remained wholly unaware. This ignorance stemmed both from Japan’s extreme geographical remoteness from Rome—resulting in delays of four, and sometimes five, years for correspondence—and from the inherent uncertainties of maritime navigation, whereby letters were occasionally lost en route. Indeed, the very letters by which the Superior General had formally erected Japan as an independent province failed to reach their destination; they were lost at sea. Consequently, knowledge of this administrative reorganisation only reached Japan in 1611, upon the arrival of the official mandate appointing Fr Valentim Carvalho as Provincial and Fr Francisco Pagio as Visitor—a directive which was duly implemented. Thus, Fr Valentim Carvalho became simultaneously the first Provincial of the newly constituted Province of Japan and China, and the first Superior General of the Society of Jesus in that jurisdiction.

By 1614, there were 150 Jesuit religious (i.e., professed members of the Society) resident in Japan. Of these, 23 had been exiled to Manila and 73 to Macau; the remaining 54 remained concealed within Japan. Fr Valentim Carvalho served as Provincial of this Province of Japan and China from 1611 until 1617. He was succeeded by Fr Melchior de Louro. It is noteworthy that Fr Melchior’s appointment was not intended as a permanent succession, but rather as an interim measure pending the arrival of Fr Jerónimo Rodrigues—who had been designated for the post but was detained in Macau and thus unable to proceed freely to Japan. Upon his arrival, Fr Jerónimo found the situation…

Page 4

**[Main Text]**
Successions in the first provincialate included Father Matheus de Caceres, who served as Provincial until 1621. In that year, a patent appointing Father Francisco Pacheco as Provincial arrived; he was martyred on 20 July 1626 and thus became the first Provincial of Japan to die a martyr. He was succeeded by Father Matheus de Caceres, who—on this second occasion—served as Provincial from 29 October 1633 until his death near Nagasaki (then commonly referred to in Portuguese sources as *Cuxima*), exhausted by the manifold hardships and spiritual exercises endured during the persecutions instigated by the Shōgun (referred to in contemporary Jesuit correspondence as *Xogum Sama*) and his son, *esta Tenca* [i.e., Tokugawa Iemitsu, who ruled as shōgun from 1623 to 1651].

Upon Father Caceres’s death, Father André Palmeiro—long-standing professed member of the Society and then Visitor—appointed Father Sebastião Vieira as Vice-Provincial in accordance with proper canonical procedure. Father Vieira assumed office on 13 October 1633 and governed until his arrest and subsequent martyrdom at the shōgunal court in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) on 6 July 1634.

During this interim period, the office of Provincial remained vacant; governance devolved exclusively upon successive Visitors, as the Fathers in Japan were unable to identify a suitable successor in accordance with seniority (*conforme à antiguidade*), a requirement stipulated by the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus. This vacancy persisted until 1638. At the beginning of that year, Father Manuel Dias—then Visitor for the region—appointed Father Gaspar Luís (then stationed in Cochinchina) as Rector of the College of Macau. Simultaneously, he declared Father Gaspar Luís to be Vice-Provincial of Japan, in accordance with Canon 22 of the *Congregatio Generalis* (General Congregation) of the Society of Jesus.

Father Gaspar Luís, having arrived from Cochinchina, served as both Rector of the College of Macau and Vice-Provincial of Japan for a triennial term. Upon its conclusion, he undertook a visitation of the mission in Tonkin (then referred to in Portuguese sources as *Tunquim*). Returning from Tonkin on 22 October 1641, and acting under the authority of Father António Rubino, Vicar General (*Vig.*), he appointed his successor as Vice-Provincial.

Page 5

**[Page 3]** 000398 **[Main Text]**
Father Gaspar de Amaral was succeeded in the rectorship and provincialate by Father João Cabral in 1645, by appointment of Father Vicar General Manuel de Azevedo; he governed for one year.
Father João Cabral was in turn succeeded—both as rector and as provincial—by Father Sebastião de Morais, by papal brief (*breve*) issued by the Holy Father; he governed for three full years. Upon completion of this triennium, Father Vicar General Manuel de Azevedo ordered the opening of the visitation records of the Provincial of Japan. On the basis of these visitations, Father João Cabral was reappointed provincial of this province on 26 July 1649; by the same vicar general’s order, he also retained the office of rector concurrently.

At the conclusion of Father João Cabral’s second triennium, the succession ballots for the provincialate of this province were opened on 28 August 1652. However, owing to the non-arrival of ships from India—which might have carried new appointments—the process was deferred for a further month. As expectations of their imminent arrival grew, the existing (‘old’) ballots were opened: in the first ballot, Father João Cabral was again elected; in the second, Father Jerónimo Magalhães—who was then residing in Bentōm (modern-day Bandō, Japan)—was elected provincial of this province. Yet Father Magalhães declined the appointment, citing two grounds: first, that he was already resident within the province and thus subject to direct summons by the Jesuit authorities in Nagasaki (then commonly referred to in Portuguese documents as *Jirōnenses*, i.e., ‘the Nagasaki fathers’); and second, that the papal brief governing succession did not apply to superiors of the Society of Jesus, whose appointments fell instead under internal Jesuit constitutional provisions. Consequently, this triennium remained unassigned, and no expenditure was incurred for a new provincial administration.

With regard to overseas provinces more broadly, Father João Cabral continued to serve *ad interim* as provincial until 3 September 1653, when news arrived from Bentōm confirming that Father Jerónimo Magalhães had accepted the office and had assumed governance on 14 April of that same year (1653).

Page 6

The Reverend Father João Cabral was succeeded by the Reverend Father Jerónimo Mayronica, who was then stationed at the Cunchim Mission. News of his appointment reached him there, and he assumed governance of the province on 14 April 1653. He died at the Cunchim Mission on 29 January 1656, while still serving as Provincial. However, as he was absent from this College at the time, news of his death did not reach the community until late in that same year, when a letter dispatched overland arrived—brought by several individuals who had travelled by land and survived the shipwreck of the vessel *Nau António da Costa Bemudes*, which had been returning to this city.

The Reverend Father Jerónimo Mayronica was succeeded on 15 April 1656 by the Reverend Father Martinho Coelho, since no *Vias de Roma* (i.e., papal letters of appointment, or ‘apostolic briefs’ authorising provincial succession) had yet arrived; these were not received until early July of that year. As those named in the appointments either had died or were impeded from assuming office—and as the incumbent Rector’s triennial term was due to expire before the impediment affecting the appointee would be resolved—the vacancy formally commenced on that date, in accordance with the Brief issued by Pope Innocent X. In view of this situation, it was deemed expedient to appoint another Vice-Provincial on 10 July 1656, at approximately eight to nine o’clock in the morning.

On 10 August 1658, the Reverend Father Mathias de Maya entered upon the office of Provincial of Japan by virtue of a papal patent (*patente de Roma*), and governed for three years. At the conclusion of his term, the normal channels of succession (*Vias de Roma*) having opened, the Reverend Father João Maria Leria was found to be the designated successor. He had recently arrived from Rome, where he had been appointed; a vessel bearing further official correspondence was expected daily.

Page 7

000399 4 **[Main Text]**
The dispensation granted by Our Holy Father Pope Alexander VII, together with the declaration issued by Our Reverend Father General permitting Provincial Superiors to remain in office beyond the triennial term in cases of grave necessity (*gravissima causa*) and for a brief period (*ad breve tempus*), enabled Father Mathias d’Almeida to continue in office for a further seven days. On 26 August 1661, upon his arrival from India, Father José Maria Vieira was appointed Provincial Superior in the chapel, and the formal instrument of succession (*via de successão*) was handed over to him; he, in turn, presented this document to the community within the same chapel.

On 26 August 1664—upon the expiry of Father João Maria Vieira’s triennial term—the succession process (*Vias da Successão*) was formally opened. In the first position on the list, Father Mofino Borges was named; however, as he had died the previous year in Jacatra (present-day Jakarta), the office devolved upon Father Bento M. Roiz, who stood second on the list. Father Roiz assumed governance as Provincial Superior and served until 21 March 1667, on which date he resigned—or, more precisely, was relieved of office (*deu ou Mofino V. G. S.*)—while still holding the office of Provincial.

Three days after Father Roiz’s death, on 29 March 1667, Father Pedro Marques was elected Vice-Provincial. This appointment followed the prior death of Father Heitor Vazcano—listed third in the succession order—in Cochinchina.

On 26 August 1667, the provincial succession process was again opened, and Father Pedro Luzarte was found listed first. As he was absent in Europe, the Visitor, Father Luís da Gama, appointed Father André Gomes as Provincial Superior *ad interim*.

On 21 July 1670, when the provincial succession process was reopened for this Province, Father Philippe Marino was found listed first; he assumed the office of Provincial Superior on that same day.

Upon the conclusion of his triennium—that is, on 21 July 1673—Father José Cardoso succeeded Father Philippe Marino in the office of Provincial Superior.

Page 8

**[Main Text]**
Upon the conclusion of Father João Cardoso’s three-year term as Provincial, the process of filling the vacancy—known as the *Vias das vagas* (‘Paths to the Vacancy’)—was initiated. In the first round, Father André Lubelli was selected; however, as he was absent in China, his appointment was deferred for one year, during which Father João Cardoso remained in office *ad interim*. Father Cardoso himself was then absent on an apostolic visit to Cochinchina, where he perished in a shipwreck in 1676.

Father André Lubelli arrived from China on 22 July 1679 and assumed the office of Provincial for his designated triennium. At its conclusion, he excused himself from reappointment, citing ongoing responsibilities in China. The second candidate nominated was Father Francisco Bimentel, who likewise died in Tonkin. The first nominee for the subsequent term was Father Francisco Xavier Philipucci, who began governing from Canton on 1 December 1680 and, after eight months, transferred to Macau.

In December 1683, the first *Via de Provincial* (provincial election process) was opened; Father André Gomes—already deceased—had been listed among the candidates. A second *Via* was then convened, yielding Father Manuel Ferreira, who was at that time stationed in Tonkin and had already been summoned to Rome; following consultation, it was determined that he was canonically impeded from assuming office. A third *Via* followed, resulting in the selection of Father José Eysmier, who took office on 6 December and served until 25 July of the following year, when he received a papal brief appointing him Apostolic Visitor.

On 25 July 1684, the *Maza de Roma* (‘Rome Ballot’—a special papal appointment procedure bypassing the usual electoral *Vias*) was opened, and a patent appointing Father Tomé Va as Provincial was found. He completed his triennium on 25 July 1687.

Upon the expiry of Father Tomé Va’s term, Father Francisco Nogueira—who had arrived directly from Goa bearing a papal patent—was scheduled to succeed him as Provincial. However, Father Nogueira declined the appointment, and on 31 July 1687 the first *Via de Provincial* was reopened; Father Philippe Torquato was elected and assumed office on the same day.

Page 9

Office Letter dated 31 July 1687. Upon the conclusion of Fr. Felipe Sicardi’s three-year term as Visitor, His Majesty [i.e., the Jesuit Superior General in Rome] instructed that the Visitor should be appointed Provincial; at that time, the Visitor was Fr. Francisco Xavier Filipechi, who thus served both as Visitor and Provincial until 6 January 1691.

On that date, Fr. Francisco Nogueira succeeded him as Visitor and Provincial of Japan. Upon the expiry of his triennium, the customary visitatorial process commenced: the three canonical ‘paths’ (vias) for appointment to the provincialship of Japan were opened in succession. In the first via, Fr. Francisco Xavier Filipechi was named—but he had already died. The second via was then opened, and Fr. Alessandro Valignano was found eligible; however, he was so impeded—owing to his duties at the imperial court in Beijing—as to be unable to assume office. The third via was subsequently opened, and Fr. Francisco da Veiga was identified; at that time, he was serving as Superior of the Mission in Siam and formally declined the appointment. Consequently, Fr. Francisco Nogueira continued in office. He had meanwhile travelled to Canton, remaining there until 1695, when fresh instructions arrived: in the first via, Fr. Reginaldo Bürcher—who was then stationed in Goa—had been designated. A notification was dispatched to him, and Fr. Nogueira continued to serve ad interim.

In 1696, a new Visitor arrived in Asia, accompanied by formal letters patent establishing the Japan Province as an independent administrative entity (provincia de casa). That same July, a new patent was issued, together with three further vias: the patent conferred the office of Provincial of Japan upon Fr. Francisco da Veiga in Siam. Though he sent word expressing reluctance, he was ultimately obliged to accept. He arrived at this College on 10 October 1696 and assumed office on that day, taking possession simultaneously of the offices of Provincial and Rector.

At this juncture, Fr. Tomé Paz—who had been serving as Vice-Provincial in Macao in place of Fr. Francisco Nogueira, Provincial of Japan—died in Macao on 6 November 1696. Fr. Nogueira himself had died earlier that same month, on 5 November 1696, at Fu-chou (Fuzhou).

After transmitting this news, the Father [i.e., the newly installed Provincial, Fr. Francisco da Veiga]…

Page 10

The term of office concluded—and, in fact, did so on 3 October 1699. Father Francisco da Veiga was succeeded in the office of Provincial of Japan and Rector of this College by Father Manuel Carvalho e Patente, who had been dispatched from the Province of Goa at the express command of His Most Reverend Father General to Macau for appointment as Provincial of Japan and Rector of this College. He assumed office—both the Provincialate and the Rectorship—on 3 October 1699.

Upon the conclusion of Father Manuel Carvalho’s triennial term, the first succession to his patent was initiated. In this succession, Father Miguel de Amaral was named to succeed him. Father Amaral formally assumed the offices of Provincial of Japan and Rector of this College on 3 October 1702, and governed until 6 January 1704, on which date he embarked for Goa. His departure followed receipt, on 1 August 1703, of formal instructions and a patent from His Most Reverend Father General appointing him Visitor of the Province of Goa. Moreover, since Father Amaral had previously declined, in 1688, a prior patent appointing him Visitor of Goa and Malabar, His Most Reverend Father General—on this second occasion—reinforced the appointment with an explicit precept of obedience requiring acceptance of the Visitorship of Goa.

A consultative meeting (consulta) was held on 2 August 1703—i.e., one day after Father Amaral received the aforementioned patent for the Visitorship of Goa—to effect the succession to the Provincialate then held by Father Miguel de Amaral. At this meeting, the second succession to Father Manuel Carvalho’s original patent was opened, and Father António de Barros—Vicar of the Province of Goa, and at that time serving as Provincial of Malabar—was named Provincial of Japan and Rector of this College. However, owing to the distance involved and the administrative exigencies of the Malabar province, Father Barros could not be duly notified nor travel from Malabar to Macau before the departure of the Captaincy’s vessel for Goa.

Page 11

000401 **[Main Text]**
Appointed as his successor the Rev. Provincial of Japan—and concurrently Rector of this College of Macau—the Rev. Manuel Moroz, who was dispatched to the aforementioned Rev. António de Barros. The latter declined the appointment and did not take up the post. Consequently, the Rev. Provincial Manuel Moroz assumed office on 6 January 1604.

In August of the same year (1604), two papal briefs (*patentes*) from the Holy Father General arrived for the governance of the Province of Japan; neither contained a formal *discessio* (i.e., explicit revocation or termination of the incumbent’s authority). One brief was *open*—intended for immediate delivery to the Rev. Diogo Vidal, who had travelled to Rome as Procurator of the Japan Province and had not yet returned. The other was *sealed*, to be opened only *causa mortis* (in the event of death) or upon the conclusion of the said Rev. Diogo Vidal’s term of office.

However, as the Rev. Vidal neither arrived nor was expected to do so imminently, the Rev. Provincial Manuel Moroz—after consultation with his advisory council (*consulta*)—judged it appropriate to open the second papal brief. Upon opening, it was found to appoint the Rev. Francisco Pinto. At that time, Fr. Pinto was absent in the Province of Nanjing, having served the China Province for many years as a missionary. Immediate notification was therefore sent to him; meanwhile, the Rev. Provincial Manuel Moroz continued to govern provisionally.

The Rev. Diogo Vidal subsequently arrived in Macau in March 1604—having departed Lisbon for this destination via Goa—but died en route during the same voyage, while still at Goa. News of his death reached Macau in August 1605.

The Rev. Francisco Pinto arrived in Canton, where he formally assumed the office of Provincial on 24 February 1605. He reached Macau on 6 March of the same year and continued to hold both offices: Provincial of Japan and Rector of this College of Macau.

At the end of August 1608, a papal brief appointing the Rev. Miguel de Amaral as Provincial of Japan and Rector of the College of Macau arrived; at that time, Fr. Amaral was stationed in Goa, holding the office of Visitor (*Viz.*).

Page 12

Order issued by Our Most Reverend Father General appointing Father Francisco Pinto to continue in his offices of Provincial of Japan and Rector of Macao until such time as Father Miguel de Amaral—whom the Most Reverend Father General had already informed, by letter patent, of his forthcoming appointment—should be elected in Goa. The Father General had instructed Father Amaral that, upon completion of his term as Visitor of Goa, he was to proceed to Macao at the earliest opportunity.

Father Amaral concluded his term as Visitor of Goa in mid-August 1609 and departed from Goa for Macao in May 1610, arriving in this city and college on 26 July of the same year. On that very day—26 July 1610—Father Miguel de Amaral formally assumed office as Provincial of Japan and Rector of Macao. Upon the expiry of his triennial term, the first succession to the Provincialate was opened in consultation (*consulta*), but the designated successor, Father Jerónimo de Moraes, died in Goa before assuming office. The second succession was then opened, and Father José Pires—then absent in Cochinchina—was named; thus, Father Miguel de Amaral continued to hold both offices of Provincial of Japan and Rector of Macao pending Father Pires’s arrival. When officially summoned, however, Father Pires declared himself unable to come to Macao or to assume the Provincialate, citing the same impediments previously stated. As no further successor was available, Father Miguel de Amaral remained in office.

In 1616, on 11 July, a new patent appointing the Provincial of Japan—accompanied by two successive nominations—arrived in Macao. The patent named Father José Monteiro, a member of the Province of China then residing in Canton; this appointment was duly implemented. Upon opening the first succession, Father José Pires—who had again been formally notified—reiterated his earlier declaration of inability to serve. In the following year, the second and final succession was opened, and Father [name redacted/missing] was appointed thereto.

Page 13

000402 **[Main Text]**
Estanislao Machado, who had been appointed Visitor to Tonkin, initially declined the post; however, under formal instruction—issued as a precept of obedience—by the Provincial Superior, Fr Miguel de Amaral, he accepted the appointment and took possession of the office of Provincial Superior in Tonkin on 12 June 1618. This news reached Macau on 20 August of the same year, 1618. Fr Miguel de Amaral thereby concluded his term as Provincial Superior, having held the office continuously for eight years and five days. Fr Estanislao Machado assumed governance of the Province from Tonkin, while appointing Fr João Pereira as his Vicar Provincial resident in Macau.

Subsequently, observing that his own ill health rendered it impossible for him to leave Tonkin—and that effective governance of the Province could not be exercised from that distant location—Fr Provincial Estanislao Machado transmitted his delegated authority from Tonkin to the Provincial Consultative Assembly (Consulta da Província), empowering it to elect, by full suffrage, a Vice-Province Superior (*Vicefeitor no Provincialado*), given the absence of any other canonical or administrative provision for succession. Acting upon this commission, the Consulta duly elected Fr Miguel de Amaral, who succeeded Fr Estanislao Machado and formally assumed the governance of the Province once again on 26 August 1610.

Chapter III: On the Visitors dispatched to the Provinces of Japan and China by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus

1. The first such Visitor was Fr Gonçalo Álvares, commissioned by the Father General, St Francis Borgia, in 1568 aboard the fleet of King Dom Sebastião de Abreu. Having completed his visitation of the Society’s works in India, he proceeded to China; thence, he embarked for Japan in the company of Dom [name illegible or omitted in source].

Page 14

With the onset of a violent typhoon, no one aboard the vessel survived the shipwreck save for a single individual—a priest—who, having cast himself into the sea and swum amidst the waves, managed to seize hold of a bamboo raft (junk) that fortuitously drifted up from behind the wrecked ship. The said Father died in July 1573, together with his companions: Fr. Manuel Lopes (his fellow Jesuit), Elisbataluto, Pedro Velho, Fr. Diogo Fox, and Fr. António Páez.

The second Visitor-General was Fr. Alessandro Valignano, who had been appointed by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Everard Mercurian, and arrived in Goa in September 1574 with forty priests and brothers of the Society. Having first conducted his visitation of the Jesuit mission in India, he proceeded to China in 1578 and subsequently—following further travel—to the province of Japan in 1579. After visiting the Fathers [text illegible] and instituting numerous reforms for the advancement of the Christian mission in these regions, he returned to India in 1583. On this occasion, he brought with him four young Japanese noblemen: Dom Manso, a kinsman of King Francisco of Bungo; Dom Miguel, related to the daimyō of Arima; Dom Protásio; and Dom Martinho and Dom Jerião, both nobles in the service of the daimyō of Ōmura; and Dom Bartolomeu. These youths embarked at Cochin in February 1584 for Portugal, accompanied by the esteemed Fr. Jerónimo Rodrigues (Roiz), who had served as Rector of St Paul’s College in Goa until that time and had been elected Procurator to Rome at the Second Congregation of the Indian Province. They were also accompanied by Fr. Diogo de Mesquita. Having reached Lisbon in August of the same year, they paid formal respects to Cardinal Alberto, Governor of Portugal, before departing—already in the following year, 1585—for Rome, where they arrived at the end of March of that year and were received by Pope Gregory XIII with full diplomatic honours befitting ambassadors.

Page 15

000403 8 **[Main Text]**
His Holiness the Pope, in recognition of their obedience, granted formal ecclesiastical recognition—on behalf of the three Christian domains of Japan (Kyūshū, Honshū, and Shikoku) and of this newly established Christian community—as the aforementioned Pope passed away and Sixtus V was elected in his stead. Thus, the aforementioned Japanese nobles found themselves present both at the death of one pontiff and at the accession of the next. Having undertaken this exceptionally lengthy pilgrimage—travelling successively through Italy, Castile, Portugal, and India—the nobles returned to Japan in 1590, accompanied by Father Alessandro Valignano, S.J., laden with both arduous experience and high honours. At that time, Taikō Hideyoshi was de facto ruler of Japan; and it was to his court that Father Valignano, together with these Japanese nobles, presented an official embassy from King Dom Luís António de Meneses of Portugal. The delegation was received by the monarch with great distinction and ceremonial pomp.

However, this royal favour proved short-lived: shortly thereafter, the Taikō instigated a severe persecution against the Christian community. Consequently, Father Visitor Valignano departed Japan for Macau for the second time in 1592. From there, he immediately dispatched Father Gil de Mattos to Rome as Procurator for the Japanese mission. Valignano himself then travelled once more to India, arriving there in March 1595; and in September of the same year he received a letter from the Father General confirming his appointment as Visitor of the Indies—a position which henceforth excluded responsibility for Japan and China. He accordingly departed for those territories for the third time in 1597, and subsequently journeyed to Japan for the third time in July 1598, in company with Bishop Dom Luís Cerqueira, S.J.

Finally, Father Valignano returned to Macau for the third and final time in 1603, accompanying Father Paulo Portugal, who served as Captain-Major of that voyage. Father Portugal resided at the College of Macau until 1606, when he died there on 20 January. During his tenure, Father Valignano governed the Society of Jesus in the Indies and Japan for a total of twenty-one years, four months, and nearly half a month; specifically, he held joint responsibility for the Indies and Japan for twenty-one years. Throughout this entire period, he simultaneously served as both Provincial and Visitor.

Page 16

**[Main Text]**
The second visitation to Japan took place on the occasion of the death of Father Francisco Eliz, who had been travelling from the Kingdom of Portugal to India in 1581, and of Father Pedro da Silva, who arrived in India in 1583 en route to assume the office of Provincial. During his time in Japan—where he remained for one year, four months, and nearly half a month—he also served as Visitor.

The third Visitor of this Province was Father Francisco Cabral, appointed to the role in Japan by letter from the Father General Claudio Aquaviva in July 1611. He assumed the office immediately upon relinquishing that of Vice-Provincial of this Province. At the same time, Father Valentim Carvalho was declared Provincial of this Province, which had by then been formally erected as an independent province—separate from the two Indian provinces of Goa and Malabar—as stipulated in Aquaviva’s own letter from Rome. Father Visitor Francisco Cabral departed Japan for the College of Macau in 1612 and died there on 31 August of that year.

The fourth Visitor was Father Francisco Vieira, likewise appointed in India under patent issued by Father General Claudio Aquaviva; the patent had been dispatched from Rome in January 1615. Father Vieira arrived in Goa in October of the same year. Having handed over the office of Provincial of Goa to Father Jacome de Medeiros in October—immediately upon his arrival—he then departed Goa for this Province in May 1616, arriving at the College of Macau on 13 July of that year.

The fifth Visitor, Father Francisco Vieira, died at the College of Macau on 20 December 1619, shortly after returning from Japan, where he had resided for just over one year. His appointment had followed the deaths of two successive superiors—or procurators—of the Province: the Vice-Provincial, Father [text incomplete].

Page 17

**[Page 9]** **[Main Text]**
Provincial and Vice-Provincial superiors acting independently—as though no visitation had taken place. Having proposed the aforementioned directive to the professed Fathers, the said Provincial of Japan received the consensus of the majority that it should be observed pending receipt of further instructions from the Monsoon fleet; this matter was subsequently clarified by the Roman Curia, and accordingly implemented on 29 January 1650.

On 1 July of the same year (1650), new letters of succession arrived from the Visitor, accompanied by a second set of correspondence from the Visitor’s entourage—this latter having been dispatched two years earlier via an alternative route, intended for Father Francisco Xavier, who at that time was residing in China as Superior of the Northern Houses. However, owing to the ongoing Tartar wars, the entire region was in turmoil; no reliable intelligence had reached Japan regarding whether Father Xavier remained alive or deceased, nor whether any of the numerous despatches sent to him on this matter had successfully arrived.

It therefore appeared advisable to Father João Cabral, Provincial of the Province of Japan, and to the other Consultors, that the newly arrived letters of succession should be opened. This course of action was duly adopted in formal consultation. Upon opening them, only two letters were found—both bearing the superscription ‘Second Succession’. Observing this, the Provincial and the other Consultors hesitated as to whether both letters ought to be opened, in order to determine which in fact preceded the other chronologically. As the situation presented a novel canonical and administrative dilemma—and as the Consultors failed to reach unanimity—the decision was made to consult all the professed Fathers present at the College, posing them two questions:
1. Whether the said letters of succession ought to be opened, in order to ascertain their chronological precedence;
2.

Page 18

**[Main Text]**

In the event of the Provincial’s absence—or any other impediment—should one await further news confirming whether the Father Provincial was deceased or still living? Or would his brief absence, occasioned by the disruption of hostilities, suffice to warrant treating him *pro mortuo* (*‘as if dead’*), given that he remained alive?

The Father Professor submitted his written opinion to the Provincial Secretary, who cited it, examined it, and referred it to the Provincial Council (*junta*).

On the first point, the Council initially opined that the Vice-Provinces should *not* be opened; however, it was subsequently decided that they *should* be opened.
On the second point, the majority concurred that an absent or impeded Father Provincial ought *not* be deemed *pro mortuo*; the minority held a contrary view.

Following the consensus of the majority, the Father Provincial directed that the said Vice-Provinces be opened, and the first such office was assumed by Father Sebastião de Maya. A full account of these proceedings was reported to the Superior General (*S. P. G.*), and further guidance is awaited from him regarding similar cases—specifically, whether he approves or disapproves this course of action.

Father Sebastião de Maya governed from 16 July 1650 until 2 or 3 June of the following year, 1651. On that date, a letter arrived at this College from Father Francisco Furtado, announcing his arrival in Canton and reporting that he had received the mandate of Vicar General (*Vigilator*) on 7 July 1650. Upon assuming office, he commenced visiting the Jesuit residences and mission houses throughout China.

As Father João Cabral—then Provincial—had already begun governing *de facto* prior to the formal opening of the Vice-Provinces, he convened the Provincial Council together with all its Consultors (who had served under the preceding administration of Father Sebastião de Maya) and, acting upon their collective advice, formally transferred the governance of the Province to Father Sebastião de Maya. Consequently, the Vice-Province—which had been provisionally opened—was again closed, so that Father Sebastião de Maya might succeed to the office of Provincial in Macau at the appointed time. This opinion was endorsed not only by the Consultors of this Province but also by those of the Province of Cochin, to whom the matter had been formally referred for consultation.

Page 19

**[Page 10]** 000405 10 **[Main Text]**
On 21 November 1563, the Provisor appointed Father Francisco Furtado; and, as stated above, Father Valarbas de Bisnaya succeeded him, owing to the absence of any new appointment from Rome. He took formal possession of the office on 22 November of that same year and month. *P. P. fgo. Cap. 12.*

*On the Origins of the Mission to the Kingdom of China and its Universal Superiors*

Father Visitor Alexandre Valignano, en route from India to Japan in 1578, arrived at the College of Macau, where he awaited the monsoon winds before proceeding to Japan. During this sojourn, he began laying the foundations for the China Mission. To inform his planning, he consulted a variety of sources—including testimonies and reports provided by both Portuguese residents and Chinese informants—which suggested promising prospects for the establishment of Christianity in this kingdom. In order to initiate the mission, he petitioned Father Ruy Vicente, Provincial of the Indies, for the dispatch of a priest of exceptional ability to open this door; accordingly, Father [name redacted or illegible] was sent for this purpose.

Page 20

To construct a small house near the city, where a chapel was duly erected; in the year 1582, Father Matteo Ricci joined them there, and together they began baptising several Chinese converts. Subsequently, however, our Tutor—i.e., the Jesuit Visitor for East Asia—expelled them from this location and ordered their transfer to Macau. Upon learning of this, Father Alessandro Valignano—who, having returned from his first mission to Japan in 1583, was then residing at the College in Macau—judged it expedient that they exert every possible effort to remain within China’s territorial boundaries. Providentially, at that very time, the Tutor recalled them to Canton (Guangzhou), whither they had originally been travelling. He further directed them to proceed to Pachiu (modern-day Zhaoqing), and instructed that accommodation be provided there for Father Matteo Ricci and his companion, Father António de Almeida. By this point, Father Rogério (Rodrigo) had already arrived in Macau; Father Valignano accordingly dispatched him to Malacca, whence he embarked aboard royal galleys bound for Lisbon, and thence proceeded to Rome to report on this mission—and on other matters—to our Father General; he thereafter remained in Italy.

Meanwhile, Fathers Matteo Ricci and António de Almeida resided for some time in the aforementioned residence at Pachiu. There, Father António de Almeida died; later, Father Francisco Petrei also passed away, leaving Father Matteo Ricci alone. In 1588, upon returning to China for the second time from Japan, Father Alessandro Valignano sent Father Lazzaro Cattaneo to join him as companion. After both priests had spent some time at Pachiu, Father…

Page 21

000406 11
Advancing this Mission, he served as Superior of both these residences—and of all subsequent houses established up to the year 1610—when he died in Peking, the imperial capital of the Emperor of China. Thus, he was the first Superior of our Society in this Mission and its principal founder. The second Superior was Fr. Nicolau Longobardo, who assumed office upon the death of Fr. Matteo Ricci and held the post until 1 February 1617; all these details are amply documented in the history of this Mission, initiated by Fr. Matteo Ricci, to which I refer the reader.

In June 1622, Fr. João da Rocha succeeded Fr. Nicolau Longobardo as Superior of the China Mission. Fr. João da Rocha would later be appointed the first Vice-Provincial of China, following the establishment of China as a Vice-Province; however, he died before assuming that office. Upon his death, Fr. Manuel Dias Jr. became the first incumbent Vice-Provincial, governing for three years. He was succeeded by Fr. Francisco Furtado, who served for six years. During his tenure, two Vice-Provincials were appointed: one, Fr. Giulio Aleni, for the southern region; while Fr. Francisco Furtado continued to govern the northern region *de facto*, having assumed responsibility in place of Fr. João (who had already died).

In 1646, a patent appointing Fr. Álvaro Semedo as Vice-Provincial for the whole of China arrived. He governed for nearly four years, though communication with the Provincial remained severely impeded due to the Tartar wars, which obstructed the transmission of official dispatches.

Page 22

**[Main Text]**
361030 assumed office in the year 1650, governing—by reason of the same administrative necessity, namely the inability to receive timely reports of subsequent appointments—throughout this entire period over the northern regions of São Francisco. Father Manuel Dias Junior, having become blind, resigned the office of Provincial; he was succeeded—by appointment of Father Sebastião de Almeida, Visitor, and with the approval of the Fathers of the Province—by Father Álvaro Semedo in 1655. Upon completion of his triennial term, Father Estêvão Tebro succeeded him; however, Tebro died before official notification of his appointment reached him, whereupon Father Simão da Cunha assumed the office of Provincial. After governing for approximately one year, Father Simão da Cunha departed on a visitatorial mission on 28 October 1658.

In that same year, dispatches arrived from Rome appointing Fathers Estêvão Tebro and Álvaro Semedo as Provincials—both of whom had, by then, already died—and Father Simão da Cunha, who now succeeded Father António Veloso as Visitor. In the first of these appointments (i.e., the initial Roman mandate), Father Inácio da Costa was named Provincial.

Upon conclusion of Father Inácio da Costa’s triennium in 1661, the succession process opened. Father Diogo de Roma proposed, in consultation, Father Matias de Almeida—who had just completed his term as Provincial of Japan—as his successor. However, since Matias de Almeida could not assume this new provincial government without first vacating his prior office for a period of at least three years and six months, as stipulated in the papal bull issued by Pope Innocent X, he was instead elected by the consultative body (*Consulta*) to the office of Provincial.

Page 23

000407 12
Father Diogo Fabro served as acting provincial during the period of impediment affecting the aforementioned year, in accordance with the instructions issued by Our Reverend Father General for such cases. Upon the removal of this impediment, Father Matias de Maya assumed office; however, as persecution commenced in September 1664, he withdrew and reinstated Father Diogo Fabro in his stead.

In 1665, Father Feliciano Pacheco was appointed Provincial. He was succeeded in 1668 by Father António de Gouveia; Father Pacheco then served a second term as Provincial from 1671.

In 1672, following the opening of the Roman Congregation’s administrative channels (*vias de Roma*), Father André Lubelli concluded his tenure as Provincial of China—having governed for two years and six months—and did not complete the full triennium. This was because, upon the simultaneous opening of the administrative channels for the Province of Japan, he was reassigned to serve as Provincial of that province.

Father Fernando Ribeiro succeeded Father Lubelli, appointed *via Roma*, and completed the standard three-year term. In March 1680, Father Gabriel Fabian—here identified as Domingos Fabian—succeeded Father Ribeiro.

Upon the conclusion of Father Domingos Fabian’s triennium, Father José Valori, who was already en route to China (*nas vias*), assumed the office of Provincial upon the death of his predecessor and duly completed his full three-year term. Father Valori was succeeded by Father Gaspar Lacerda, who formally entered upon his office on 30 June 1686.

Page 24

**[501000]** **[Main Text]**
Upon the conclusion of Fr Prospero’s term of office, Fr Domingos Fabiani succeeded him and assumed governance on 30 June 1689. Following the completion of Fr Gabriel’s three-year term, Fr Thomas Pereira succeeded to the office of Provincial of China, commencing his governance on 1 July 1692. Fr Pereira was in turn succeeded by Fr Filippo Geraldi, who began his tenure as Provincial on 1 July 1695. Notably, a patent appointing Fr Francisco Vimeiro as Provincial had been issued, but he had already died before taking office; consequently, Fr Geraldi continued in post. In 1696, a further patent was issued appointing Fr Prospero—by then gravely ill and near death—as Provincial.

Chapter 5 treats of the Bishops of Japan.
Chapter 6 concerns the origins of Christianity in Tonkin and its ecclesiastical superiors. Drawing upon reports from our Fathers who ministered to the Christian communities of Cochinchina—and given that the Christian missions in the Kingdom of Tonkin (as well as those in the Kingdom of Cochinchina) were administratively annexed to Macau and served from there—the Senior Visitor Fr Jerónimo Roiz obtained intelligence regarding the receptivity of the Kingdom of Tonkin to the preaching of our Holy Faith.

Page 25

**[Top right]** 13
**[Top centre]** 000408

In 1627, Fr Julian Baldinotti of Florence—accompanied by Brother Giulio Beani—was dispatched aboard the vessel of Gaspar Borges da Fonseca, a citizen of this city of Macau, to travel personally to that kingdom (Tonkin) and ascertain, through direct observation, the disposition of the native population towards the establishment of a missionary enterprise. The Father proceeded thither and found the local people so favourably disposed that King Chanta himself entreated him to remain in his realm, offering abundant favours and honours in support of his request. Nevertheless, Fr Baldinotti declined to stay, having received explicit instructions to return to Macau and submit a formal report on his findings in the kingdom. He returned from Tonkin with Brother Beani in September of the same year, having effected no conversion among the indigenous population beyond the baptism of a few children.

By that time, Fr André Palmeiro had already assumed office as Apostolic Visitor; he had arrived in Macau from India in July of the preceding year under a patent issued by the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (*Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide*). Having been informed by Fr Baldinotti of the people’s goodwill, natural candour, and exceptional readiness to receive the Catholic faith, the newly appointed Visitor resolved to inaugurate the mission formally and advance it without delay. To this end, in the following year—1628—he appointed Fr Pedro Marques Borbaquez as Superior of the Mission: the first individual to hold that office. He also assigned Fr Alexandre Rhodes—a French Jesuit—as his companion. Fr Rhodes was proficient in the local language, having previously resided in Cochinchina; he had been specially summoned thence for this expedition.

Page 26

804000 [Main Text] 19th [of the month], on the feast day of St Thomas. For this reason, the entire Christian community venerates this saint as its patron. The priests entered the estuary and port of Bungueyquera, renaming it the Port of St Thomas. They were received most favourably by the king—who was the same ruler—and he treated them with great honour, bestowing upon them substantial favours and granting them dwellings, together with a church, adjacent to his royal palace.

Page 27

**[Page 14]** **[Main Text]**
…so that they might proceed thence to Macau. The Christians were deeply distressed—particularly those who had been forcibly exiled—and, to comfort them, the missionaries appointed as their spiritual head a catechist named Francisco, formerly a Buddhist monk (*bonzo*) who had converted to Christianity and was well instructed in the doctrines of our Holy Faith.

Upon reaching Cochinchina, the Fathers found suitable arrangements for passage into China and accordingly re-entered the Chinese province, having by then converted and baptised nearly all the soldiers and literati accompanying them. News of the Fathers’ labours reached Macau via Cochinchina, prompting Father Pedro Morjão, Rector of this College, to dispatch Father André Palmela to their assistance. At that time, Fathers Cristóvão Fernandes—who would later attain martyrdom in glorious witness to the faith—and Gaspar de Amaral were already residing within China. In September 1629, Father Palmela visited them at the imperial court. Having arrived by boat in the Chinese province, he was received and hospitably accommodated by the two Fathers, who then accompanied him to the capital, where the Emperor accorded him great honour.

Yet during his stay there—which lasted until April 1630—the Emperor refused to permit the Fathers either to attend upon him at court or to preach publicly. Ultimately, he ordered all of them to return to Macau, writing to the Provincial Visitor to state that these missionaries were disturbing his realms and demolishing *pagodas* (Buddhist temples) and other sacred sites; on this account, he commanded their expulsion.

Page 28

861000—Goodwill. The Fathers would have relinquished their ordination for these three years had they baptised one thousand souls. They arrived in Macau in May 1631 and reported to the Reverend Father Visitor on the considerable spiritual harvest already gathered in that kingdom—and on the even greater fruits yet to be reaped. Moved by this account, the Reverend Father Visitor dispatched, the following year (1631), Father Gaspar d’Amaral as Superior, together with Fathers António Fontes and António Cardim as his companions. They reached Tonkin on 7 March and were received by the King with extraordinary honours, favours, and full permission to preach our holy Faith.

However, this favourable disposition soon changed: after three or four months—during which the Fathers had remained aboard ship—the King ordered them to return thither, alleging that their presence in his realm, and particularly at court, was causing unrest on account of the law they preached. The Fathers, however, advanced several reasoned arguments concerning the nature of their mission and requested that at least one priest be permitted to remain. The King granted this request and further authorised one of the companions to stay with him. Thus, Fathers Gaspar d’Amaral and António Fontes remained in Tonkin, while Father António Cardim returned to Macau.

The Fathers found the Christian community in that interim period considerably advanced: Father Alexandre de Rhodes, before departing, had entrusted the nascent Church to three catechists—Francisco, Ignácio, and André—who, over those ten months, had diligently carried out their duties and re-baptised some four thousand souls. To ensure the stability and integrity of the local ministry, Father Mufor (i.e., *Monsignor*—a title used here anachronistically but retained for historical accuracy; cf. contemporary usage of *Monsenhor* in Portuguese ecclesiastical records) required these catechists to take three solemn oaths:
1. Not to marry;
2. Not to hold private property;
3. [Text incomplete]

Page 29

**[Page 15]** 000410 **[Main Text]**
…should remain distinct from one another, yet always united in purpose towards the advancement of the Gospel and the pastoral care of Christendom.

Observing anew the considerable efficacy of that original arrangement—and foreseeing its potential for substantial benefit to Christendom as a whole—the Fathers visited the group, permitted them to retain their existing structure, and formally established the Community and Congregation of Catechists—still extant today—amending their third vow to one of obedience to the Jesuit Fathers, whom they acknowledged as their superiors *in loco*.

Moreover, as this expanding religious community left its members resident at the imperial court in Kyoto under Francisco as Superior of that house, it dispatched several visitors to the Jesuit residences in China and Japan: one to the residence founded in Nagasaki, and another—André—to the residence established in Macau (then commonly referred to as *Nam*), granting him full authority and formal instructions to admit all those whom he judged suitable, appointing annually a new leader upon the death of the preceding *Santo* (*i.e.*, the spiritual head or ‘holy man’), thereby ensuring the continued growth and numerical strength of the Congregation. This body has been, and remains, exceptionally effective and of paramount importance for the extensive conversions achieved within that Christian community.

The two Fathers who remained in Kyoto immediately adopted local dress, eschewing distinctive clerical garments. Each donned a *kabaya*—a plain, russet-coloured outer robe worn by Japanese courtiers—thereby enabling them to visit the imperial palace without arousing suspicion; their aim was to secure an audience with the sovereign himself, whose favour they sought to cultivate from the outset. They likewise wore the *kabaya* when visiting government ministries, thus avoiding undue notice; for whenever officials saw them clad in this garment, they assumed the Fathers were either en route to or returning from the palace.

Page 30

014080 **[Main Text]**
The Palace. Through experience, it was determined that residence at the Palace constituted the most effective means for our missionaries to maintain—amidst the arduous conditions they faced—the authority vested in them by His Holiness the Pope. One of the two residences was accordingly relinquished. The Fathers enjoyed considerable esteem at the Palace; indeed, the King accorded them such honours that they were granted unrestricted access whenever they wished, enabling them to move freely among the realm’s senior mandarins and to witness firsthand the favourable reception accorded to the *cabaya* (a ceremonial royal audience or formal audience chamber).

In subsequent years, they adopted the faded black academic cap (*barrete deslavado*) and the cord (*cordão*) signifying scholarly status—a customary insignia of the literati. Moreover, they allowed their hair and beards to grow, emulating the *Nazaréus* (Nazirites), thereby seeking full cultural accommodation with the local population.

Their initial residence was a rented dwelling within the Palace compound of the mandarin Biforma Tuyen. Later, having been granted land by the authorities, they constructed a simple bamboo house roofed with thatch. In their second year, they purchased a wooden structure for ten *taéis* (a unit of silver currency widely used in late imperial China and Portuguese Asia). Subsequently, the King granted them the site upon which the present building in Yangbe now stands, stipulating that the ship-based personnel should erect a tiled *gudão* (a covered warehouse or storage pavilion) there, intended for the safekeeping of their goods—particularly to safeguard them against fire. Under the shelter of this *gudão*, the tiled residential buildings of Yangbe were erected, precisely on the same site where the present structures stand: namely, the former residence of the aforementioned mandarin—who was the King’s son-in-law—and located only a short distance from the site of their first dwellings.

In the same year 31 [i.e., 1631], in October, Fathers Jerónimo Maiorica (a Neapolitan) and Bernardino Régis (a Lombard) arrived from Macau. The King received them with great joy and immediately conferred upon them the privilege of *cabaya corô* (formal royal audience and official recognition). Having remained in the kingdom, Father Maiorica proceeded—early in the following year, 1632—to…

Page 31

[Page 10] 000411 [Main Text]
for the Province of Goa, to establish the residence he founded at [UNCLEAR: Rum]. To Tinbao went Fr António de Fontes to found and erect the House of Our Lady; meanwhile, Fr Bernardino Régio remained at court, and Fr Gaspar de Amaral served as Superior of the Mission—a post he held until 1634, when God called Fr Bernardino Régio to Himself. He was buried on the 10th [UNCLEAR: convidas] in the church or chapel of our former residences; three years later, his remains were translated and reinterred at [UNCLEAR: Rebo].

In that same year, 1635, God likewise called Fr André Palmeiro to Himself. He was succeeded by Fr Manoel Dias Senhor, who—also in 1635—dispatched from Macau Fr Martim Calho. Fr Calho assumed charge of this College and its associated mission affairs on 3 October 1636, in the eighth year of Fr António Barbosa’s and Fr Félix Moely’s tenure. In 1637, Fr Dias Senhor appointed Fr João Baptista Borrelli Mil-lanis as Vicar General of that Mission, while Fr [UNCLEAR] served as Rector in Macau.

On 2 November 1663, Fathers Onofre Borges and Tisanier, together with Pedro Alves, were banished from Canton; thereafter, the Mission remained without a priest until 1666. During this interval, a French-born Brazilian secular priest named [UNCLEAR: Didaco] entered the region; subsequently, three further priests arrived.

Page 32

**[Main Text]**
On the Origins of the Cambodia Mission

The first member of the Society of Jesus to enter the Kingdom of Cambodia was Father Pedro Morejón, a Japanese Jesuit. In 1613 or 1614, returning from Rome—where he had served as Procurator for the Province of Japan—he diverted his voyage en route to Cambodia in order to encourage and console Japanese Christians who had been exiled on account of their faith. These exiles, having fled from Manila and other parts of the Spanish East Indies, settled in Cambodia because it offered favourable conditions for sustaining life. After remaining in the kingdom for three months, Father Morejón proceeded to Macau, where he reported to his superiors on the spiritual destitution endured by the Japanese Christians in Cambodia—deprived as they were of pastoral care—and on the evangelising potential among other Japanese nationals who arrived in Cambodia aboard small, poorly constructed junks (*feos juncos*) to trade in cowrie shells (*caurama*) and other commodities. As a result, a Japanese-born Jesuit priest was dispatched to this mission; however, his labours there were cut short by his untimely death. During this period, four religious from Manila belonging to the Order of Saint Francis also arrived.

Page 33

000412 11 **[Main Text]**
An impediment that appears wholly to close the doors to the preaching of the sacred Gospel in that kingdom, arising from the Cambodian sovereign’s extreme timidity and his complete dependence upon the will of the King of Siam.

In 1630, Fr. Francisco Buzomi—formerly resident in Japan—travelled to Cambodia to seek assistance for his fellow Jesuits, who remained imprisoned there. At the express request of the King of Cambodia, he subsequently journeyed to Macau; he returned to Cambodia the following year, in 1631, and remained there until 1634, when he was summoned by the ruler of Cochinchina. During this period, he laboured diligently alongside a catechist named Agostinho, and five or six Cambodians were converted to Christianity.

In 1632, Br. Tomé arrived in Cambodia accompanied by several Japanese refugees who had fled their own monarch—then residing in Laos—and sought asylum at the Cambodian court. The Japanese ruler, upon learning of their refuge, sought thereafter to lay hands upon them in order to exact vengeance. Recognising Br. Tomé’s exceptional aptitude for ministering to his fellow Japanese, Fr. Buzomi arranged for him to travel to Macau, where he was ordained priest, and then to return to Cambodia. There, he served for seven or eight years.

At the end of this period, Fr. Alberto Mirimsky (a Pole) and Fr. Antonio Capechi (a Neapolitan) arrived in Cambodia to study the Japanese language under Fr. Tomé’s instruction, with the intention of proceeding thence—clandestinely—to assist the persecuted Christian communities and nascent Church in Japan and neighbouring realms.

At the close of their first year in Cambodia, Fr. Mirimsky died.

Page 34

**[Archival References]** S. 1000
[Centred at the top of the page, in pencil]

**[Main Text]**
Assuming that two missionaries were to proceed to Japan, Father [unnamed] instructed that a letter be sent from Macau to Father José Agnes, who remained there until 1648, when he returned to Cochinchina and subsequently travelled from Japan to Macau; Father Francisco Pires Napolitano succeeded him in his post. Thereafter, Father Varella continued the mission in Cochinchina from 1651 until 1659, serving alone as superior—‘parte fundo superior’ (a contemporary administrative term indicating sole responsibility for the mission’s governance and spiritual oversight)—until Father Carlos da Rocha arrived in 1659 as Superior, accompanied by Father António López. This appointment coincided with the outbreak of hostilities during which the King of Cochinchina conquered the Kingdom of Cambodia and took the Cambodian monarch captive. As a consequence, the majority of local Christians dispersed, and all the missionaries withdrew to Macau.

Father Carlos da Rocha was reappointed Superior in 1662, upon which he found Father Jerónimo Mairet already stationed there; the latter had recently arrived from Malacca with numerous Christian refugees. Both priests remained in Macau to sustain the mission.

In 1669, while returning from Cambodia, Father Carlos da Rocha suffered shipwreck; he sustained severe injuries from which he lost his sight and subsequently died.

On 12 March 1676, Fathers João Baptista Maldonado and João de Barros (Portuguese) departed from the College of Macau aboard a *leão* (a type of coastal vessel commonly used in Portuguese Asian trade networks) bound for Cambodia, with the intention of re-establishing the mission in Laos—a project first undertaken by Father José Maria Leiria in 1642. Father Leiria had resided there for several years, though with limited pastoral success.

Page 35

**[Page 18]** 000413 18
**[Main Text]**
Chapter 8. The Foundation of the Mission on Hainan Island

This mission was inaugurated in 1633 by Father Pedro Marques Cortegão and Brother Domingos Mendes, a Chinese national born in Macau, where he later died in 1652. The impetus for establishing the mission arose from a Christian mandarin named Paulo—son of another mandarin who had accompanied Father Matteo Ricci to Beijing—and who was himself a native of Hainan Island. While in Macau on official business prior to his departure for Hainan (to which he had been dispatched by imperial authority), Paulo petitioned Father André Palmeiro, then Visitor of the Jesuit China Mission, to assign priests to evangelise his homeland. Although Paulo feared accusations of introducing foreigners into the island—a charge that might cost him his office and expose him to severe repercussions—he resolved nonetheless to facilitate the missionaries’ entry. He accordingly escorted them to Hainan, where, on Easter Day, they baptised his wife, his daughter-in-law, four grandchildren, and fifteen other members of his household.

The mission remained under the administrative and financial responsibility of the Jesuit Province of China until 1641. In that year, the Father General of the Society of Jesus, acting upon a formal petition submitted by Father Álvaro Semedo—Procurator of the China Province in Rome—transferred jurisdiction of the mission to the Japan Province. This reallocation was made for several weighty reasons: first, the China Province lacked sufficient personnel to staff and sustain the mission adequately; second, the provincial superior residing within China found it exceptionally difficult—owing to distance, political restrictions, and logistical constraints—to conduct regular visitations to Hainan; and third, other considerations of prudential governance and missionary strategy also weighed upon the decision.

Following Father Pedro Marques Cortegão’s tenure, Father [text incomplete]

Page 36

From Mattos, who served in that mission for a relatively short period alongside Fathers André Lobeli, Miguel Boym, and João Nemer. His entire tenure—extending up to the year 1640—was interrupted when a Chinese naval fleet arrived off the island in a belligerent formation; at that time, Father Frates of the Convents was detained and cast into the sea in chains, anticipating the imminent arrival of the Tartars to subjugate the island—as indeed they did. Consequently, the mission remained without a resident priest for several years.

In March 1653, Father Matias de Maya departed for this mission, accompanied by his companion João Pereira, who was still a novice at the time. The aforementioned Father Bento de Mattos had entered the mission in 1633; in 1637 he returned to Macau at the behest of the Mandarins, and in 1641 he resumed his work in Hainan, where he remained until 1646. According to his own account, he and the catechists under his direction administered 2,150 baptisms during his service there. During this interim period, he died in Macau while serving as Visitor—having already been mortally wounded.

The mission could not be restored in 1653, for in 1641—when Father [name redacted or illegible] had intended to land on the shores of Hainan—he had already been turned away from the coast. Although he did manage to disembark on a beach where junks customarily anchored—and where he had previously resided—the shallow depth of the sea and the unstable condition of the shoreline (i.e., the lack of safe anchorage and insecure landing conditions) compelled him to withdraw, declaring that entry into Hainan was no longer feasible for the priest.

Page 37

**[Page 19]** 000414 **[Main Text]**
in Macau, where he arrived so promptly that he succeeded in persuading both the priest and the ship’s crew; yet he was unable to remain on the island at that time and was obliged to re-embark immediately. Thus, that mission—comprising the Christian community—was left without a resident priest until 26 June 1656, the feast day of St John the Baptist, when Fr Mathias de Maya (a Portuguese national) entered it as Superior, accompanied by Fr José Baptista Brando (a Neapolitan) and Fr João Nicolao Smogolenski (a Pole), the latter being proficient in the Chinese language and literary style. From Canton, Fr Smogolenski conveyed Fr de Maya to Hainan Island; upon his return, however, his Province (i.e., the Jesuit province to which he belonged) having ceased to exist, he died in Macau in the same year. Fr Estanislao Torrente also arrived in Macau with Fr Mathias de Maya.

Subsequently, on 30 April 1659, Fr João Forjet—a French priest and nephew-brother (i.e., nephew of one parent and brother of the other, indicating a close familial relationship within the clerical lineage)—entered the same mission. As Fr Mathias de Maya had meanwhile received official appointment as Provincial of Japan, Fr Forjet succeeded him as Superior. Following Fr Forjet’s death on 29 October 1660, Fr Estanislao Torrente (an Italian by nationality) assumed the role of Superior over the entire mission. Thereafter, on 22 July 1661, Fr António Lopes (a Portuguese) departed Macau for the mission, accompanied by Fr Pascoal Tré (a Chinese national).

In 1664, persecution broke out, and the mission was left without any priests. In 1671, Fr Estanislao Torrente returned to Macau and resumed the office of Superior, holding it until July 1680, when he died. Fr Estanislao Torrente was succeeded by Fr…

Page 38

— ORIGINAL TEXT —
Subsequently, Father Francisco da Veiga assumed responsibility and remained the sole missionary until 1685, when Father Joaquim Caldas was dispatched from Canton—where he had been stationed—to Hainan. Father Caldas died at the end of 1686, leaving Father da Veiga once again alone in the mission. He remained sole incumbent until the end of 1691, when Father Francisco Capacci was sent from Macau to Hainan. In 1693, however, Father Capacci returned to Macau, and Father da Veiga was again left alone. In 1694, Father João Pacheco was appointed to Hainan; then, in 1696, Father Francisco da Veiga received his patent as Provincial of Japan, and Father João Pereira succeeded him as Superior of the Hainan Mission, with Father João Pacheco serving as his companion.

Chapter II. The Origins of the Laos Mission

The first Jesuit to attempt entry into the mission territory of the Kingdom of Laos—commonly referred to as ‘Lao’—was Father João Baptista Deneli. Having previously served for some time as Procurator of the Province and later as Rector of the College of Macau, he travelled to Tonkin in 1637 in his capacity as Visitor of the Tonkin Mission. From there, he undertook an overland journey into the Kingdom of Laos via the province of Indochina (i.e., the Vietnamese coastal region bordering Laos). However, the harsh conditions of the rivers and waters in that region caused severe illness among the nine lay companions who accompanied him: two died, and Father Deneli himself fell gravely ill and passed away on 4 November 1638.

Page 39

**[Page 20]** 000415
**[Main Text]**

Cambodia: With the favour and safe-conduct (*bácia*) granted by the newly enthroned King of Cambodia—a son of a Lao ruler—the Reverend Father João Maria Deiria embarked for the region. After three months’ arduous journey, he arrived at the Laotian fortress (Fort des Laos), where he remained for several years, enduring considerable hardship yet achieving scant pastoral fruit.

Chapter 10. The Origins of the Cochinchina Mission

The Christian mission in Cochinchina commenced on 18 January 1616. At that time, Father Manoel Dias Senior served as Rector of the College of Macau, and Father Valentin Carvalho held the office of Provincial of Japan.

The first members of the Society of Jesus to enter Cochinchina were:
— Father Francisco Buzomi, a Neapolitan, who later died at the College of Macau;
— Father Diogo Carvalho, a Portuguese native of Coimbra, who was subsequently martyred in Japan; and
— Brother António Dias, who later died of illness in Cambodia.

In 1617, Father Manoel Barreto was appointed Visitor of the Cochinchina mission; he too died in Japan. In 1618, Father Pedro Marques assumed leadership as Superior of the mission—also perishing in Japan.

Page 40

**[Main Text]**
Nevertheless, one residence remained operational at Cachão, under the title *Casa da Chay Joaquina*, named after Joaquina, who had been either the sister or niece of a highly esteemed mandarin. A small number of priests also remained in hiding, albeit with considerable difficulty.

Following a series of fluctuating developments, the mission secured a measure of respite in 1639—achieved through the presentation of gifts—but this truce proved short-lived. Father João Maria Leiris, who had succeeded Father Gaspar Luís as superior, was once again expelled from the Cachão residence after being bound and beaten.

The following year, 1640, saw Father Alexandre de Rhodes arrive from Macau. He cultivated relations with the Japanese Captain (i.e., the Portuguese *Capitão dos Japões*, the chief official overseeing the Japan trade), and secured a degree of royal favour; yet this hope too proved ephemeral. In 1644, a renewed and intensified persecution erupted: the king ordered the execution of the catechist André for his public profession (*confissão*) of the Catholic faith.

Thereafter, until 1652, the king permitted Jesuit priests to reside in the kingdom only during the period when Portuguese vessels were present in port—typically five or six months annually—and even then, their presence was strictly circumscribed. During these intervals, the priests visited and ministered to the Christian communities as best they could; on average, more than two priests were thus engaged each year. Throughout this entire period, Father Metello Siciliano—of Italian nationality—served as superior.

In 1654, the King of Cochinchina conquered the Kingdom of Champa, an event which somewhat mitigated the persecution: he consented to the permanent residence of one priest within the kingdom, while permitting another to travel regularly between Cochinchina and Macau.

**[Archival References]**
[UNCLEAR: C.

Page 41

000416 21
To Macao—not as an exile, but to assist in the dispatch of matters falling within his jurisdiction—the Father Superior remained. Father Pedro Marques subsequently returned in the year 1653.

Chapter 11: The Origins of the Canton Mission

A resident Jesuit mission was first established in the city of Canton in 1649. This development arose in connection with the expedition dispatched from Macao to support King Tsonche (i.e., Zhu Youlang, the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming dynasty), to whom the province of Canton—along with several other regions not yet subjugated by the Manchus—remained loyal. During this period, Fathers Francisco Sambiasi and Gaspar Ferreira died there of illness.

Subsequently, the Manchus captured Canton for the final time in December 1650. Although Father Álvaro de Medeiros remained in the city for several months thereafter, and although certain Jesuits travelling inland into China—and lay catechists (‘palaynãos’) en route—continued periodically to visit the local Christian community, administering the sacraments and celebrating Mass in their chapel or oratory, the ecclesiastical presence became increasingly precarious. In the absence of priests, the Christians gathered regularly for communal prayer.

In 1658, during the vice-provincial administration of Father Inácio da Cunha, and under the provincial leadership of Father Matias de Noronha of Japan, formal instructions were received from His Most Reverend Father General, Goswinus Nickel, directing that the two Chinese missions—Canton and Luanfi (i.e., Guangxi, historically rendered ‘Luanfi’ or ‘Lwanfou’ in Portuguese sources; modern standard Mandarin: Guǎngxī)—be placed under the administrative oversight of the Province of Japan and supplied with missionaries therefrom. This directive was duly implemented by the Sacred Superiors.

Page 42

The mission of Father André Lubelli concluded in March 1659. He constructed a church together with an associated residence, which—by order of the Provincial Father—was formally annexed to the College of Macau; its superior was placed under the authority of the Rector of that College.

§84, Chapter 12: The Siamese Mission

Although members of our Society had visited the Kingdom of Siam on several earlier occasions, the first Jesuit to enter the kingdom was Father Baltazar de Sequeira of the Province of Cochin, around 1638. Nevertheless, a permanent establishment—structured as a formal college—was not inaugurated until 1656, under the auspices of the Province of Japan. This initiative followed a formal petition and earnest appeal submitted by numerous local Christians—including several Japanese converts—who resided in Siam. In their petition, they attributed their spiritual apathy (‘frieza na Christandade’) to the absence of Jesuit pastoral instruction: having been catechised and formed exclusively by members of the Society, they found it difficult to accommodate themselves spiritually to other ministers then active in the kingdom. Their collective letter to the Provincial Father secured the desired approval. Father Tomás Valguarnera was appointed first Superior of the new foundation. In 1659, he was succeeded by Father João Cardozo—the fifth Superior—and entrusted with instructions to establish a new residence at Tenasserim, a port of regular call for ships sailing between India and the Kingdom of Siam.

Page 43

**[Page 22]** **[Main Text]**
The royal grant for the settlement of Vedal was initiated, where a Christian woman named Maria Carneira made a donation—part during her lifetime and part by testamentary disposition—of a portion of her estate, stipulating that a church be erected on the site, with the prior authorisation of the Jesuit Fathers. Although Father [unnamed] departed shortly thereafter, having selected the aforementioned site, he encountered some difficulty in establishing a residence at Tanafarim, owing to the prior presence there of Father Manuel Carvalho of the Province of Cochin. Consequently, he resolved instead to found a church at another location, Merquim, in order to operate more freely and effectively towards the principal objective: the conversion of the indigenous gentiles.

Meanwhile, the Province of Cochin awaited formal instructions from its superiors regarding the permanent assignment of Jesuits from that province to the area. In the interim, Father Manuel Carvalho—who had been temporarily entrusted with the mission—was recalled by God (i.e., died), and the Cochin Fathers accordingly relinquished responsibility for that church. Thereafter, Father João Cardoso was stationed at Vião (or rather, *from* Vião *to* that locality) for approximately three years; subsequently, Father Manuel Soares served there for a further two years. Ultimately, owing to the absence of pastoral work and the arrival of the Vicar of the Royal Court (*Vigário da Vara*) of São Tomé, our Fathers withdrew from that residence, &c., &c.

Page 44

**[Main Text]** [ILLEGIBLE: The manuscript text is extremely faint and low-contrast, covering the entire page. It appears to be bleed-through from the reverse side of the leaf. Cursive script lines are visible but illegible.]

Transcription

Page 1

[Page]
1

[Archival mark — top center]
CXVI
2-11 Nº 46
000396

[Archival mark — top left]
CXVI
2-11

[Archival mark — top right]
1

[Stamp — right margin, middle]
[Circular stamp: BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA E ARQUIVO DISTRITAL DE ÉVORA]

[Stamp — right margin, upper]
[Circular seal with coat of arms and text: [UNCLEAR: partial text visible] .A.R.C.H.I.V.O.]

[Marginalia — top left]
CXVI
2-11

[Main text]
Este Livro do princípio dos Superiores e Benfeitores deste Collegio da Madre de Deos de Macao pertence aos Padres Procuradores deste Collegio por ser conforme à Legra 2.ª do seu officio, ordenado para agradecimento, e gratidão, que nossas Constituições encomendão ter-se com Nossos Bemfeitores.

Cap. 1º Do princípio deste Collegio, ou Casa, e dos Superiores que nelle houve até o anno de 1617.

Cap. 2º Do princípio da Missão, e Christandade de Japão, e dos Superiores maiores, e principais, que a promoverão.

Do princípio desta Christandade foi o B. P. Francisco Xavier no anno de 1549, e elle foi o primeiro, que a ella poz mão, pregou o santo Evangelho, e o primeiro Superior dos da Companhia em Japão. O 2º foi o P. Lourenço de Torres, que elle deixou em seu lugar com o Irmão João Foz, tendo-o trazido comsigo da India. De Japão tornou à India buscar Companheiros para aquella Missão: E tornando da India alli com desejo, esperança de entrar, agregar também nossa Santa Ley naquella grande

Page 2

Aleixo, falleceo avista da China na Ilha de Lamchão aos
dois de Dezembro de 1559, sendo de idade de vinte e dous
annos, tendo partido de Portugal no anno de 1541, chegado
a India em Mayo de 1542 por terem invernado em Malaca.
Sabique, em que dez annos correo quase tudo o que os Por-
tuguezes na India tinham descoberto, e fundou as Christan-
dades d’ambas as Costas de Travancor, Decan, Maluco, e
Japão, que seus filhos, Padres da Companhia depois prosegui-
rão. Neste meio tempo Padre Mestre Belchior, Superior
de todos os da Companhia, partindo de Goa no anno de 1554
para Japão, e invernando em Malaca, chegou a Japão no anno
de 1556, avizitando e consolando os Povos, e aquella pequena Chri-
standade, retornou no mesmo anno para India, levando 9.
Ipsos particulares suspeitos. O 3º foi o Padre Francisco Cabral
que baptizou o Rey Dom Francisco de Bungo. O 4º o B. Gaspar
Coelho era ordem dos Superiores, mas o primeiro que com nome
de Vice-Provincial governou a Companhia nesta Christandade.
O 5º o Padre Pedro Gomes, Vice-Provincial. O 6º o B. Francisco
Rafio, Vice-Provincial; a quem succedeo em Julho de 1611 o B.
Valentim Carvalho, mas com nome de Provincial por ser já
então esta Provincia separada das Provincias da India, e no
mesmo tempo começou de ser Visitador desta Provincia o B.
Francisco Rafio, que depois falleceo neste Collegio de Macau
em Agosto de 1612.

[Marginalia — bottom right]
Nem façao contra isto duvida algũa
Cartas

Page 3

[Page]
2

[Archival mark]
000397

[Main text]
Cartas do P. Geral Claudio Aquaviva excerptas ao P. Francisco Paio em 1611, e 1612, e 1613 chamando-lhe Provincial da Provincia de Japão, e China, não notavendo elle ca dito, antes tendo papado imediatamente de Vice-Provincial a Visitador no dito anno de 1611. E foi a causa disto ser esta Provincia algum annos antes feita em Roma Provincia separada das Provincias da India, sem desta separação se saber em Japão, assim por estarmos ca tão longe de Roma, que tarda as Cartas quatro, eis vezes cinco annos, como pela incerteza das Navegações, dependerem alguas vezes as Cartas, como de facto deperderão aquellas Cartas, pelas quaes o P. Geral tinha feito Japão Provincia per si; de maneira chegarem a Japão, mas somente se soube esta mudança no anno de 1611 quando veio a Ordem, que o P. Valentim Carvalho fosse Provincial, ao P. Francisco Paio ficasse Visitador, como se executou. E assim o P. Valentim Carvalho foi juntamente o primeiro Provincial desta Provincia de Japão, e China, e o P. Superior maior na Ordem dos Deitro da periori acima referido.

Em 1614 estavão em Japão 150 Religiosos da Companhia, forão desterrados para Manila 23, e Macau 73, ficarão em Japão escondidos 54. Foi o Padre Valentim Carvalho Provincial desta Provincia desde o anno de 1611 até o de 1619, succedeo lhe o P. Matheos de Couros, mas f. Patente que esta vinda para o P. Jeronimo Rodi senior, que p estar em Macau impedido para poder hir livrem. a Japão, arrecolheo o P. Francisco Vieira Visitador, esperar aviso da

Page 4

suceçoens na primeira das quaes estava o P. Matheos de Carros,
que foi Provincial ate o anno de 1621, no qual anno veio patente
de Provincial ao P. Francisco Pacheco, o qual foi martirizado a
vinte de Julho de 1626, e foi o primeiro Provincial de Japão, que
morreo martyr. Sucedeo lhe o P. Matheos de Carros, e pela segunda vez foi Provincial de 29 de Outubro de 1633, em que
falleceo junto de Euximi cansado com excessivos trabalhos, exer-
cicios que padecio nas perseguiçoens do Dogum Bay, e filho delas
da Tenca. Sucedeo lhe por Vice-Provincial por hua ordem que
havia do P. Visitador André Palmeiro, que era o antigo professo
foje Vice-Provincial, e foi P. Sebastião Vieira em 13 de Outubro
de 1633 ate ser preso, e martirizado na Corte de Yedo a 6 de
Julho de 1634.

Fiqueo o Provincialado neste tempo, em que governa-
vão os Visitadores por não saberem os Padres que haviaõ em
Japão para conforme a antiguidade. Sucederom ate o anno
de 1638, no principio do qual o P. Manuel Dias demor Visitador
nomeou por Reitor deste Collegio de Macau ao Padre Gaspar Luis,
que estava em Cochinchina, e juntamente declarou que o dito Padre
era Vice-Provincial de Japão conforme ao Canon 22 da 5ª Cong.
Veio o P. Gaspar Luis de Cochinchina, foi Reitor, e Vice Provin-
cial triennio, no cabo do qual foi visitar a Miyako de Funai.

Voltando o P. Gaspar Luis de Funai em 22 de
Outubro de 1641, por ordem do P. Antonio Rubino Vig. no-
meou por seu successo e Vice-Provinc. o P. Gaspar de Amaral,
Reitor do Collegio.

Ao Padre

Page 5

[Page]
000398

[Marginalia — top right]
3

[Main text]
Ao Padre Gaspar de Amaral sucedeo no Reitorado, e Provin-
cialado o P. João Cabral em 1645 por nomeação do B. Pe. Mel.
de Azevedo governou hum anno.

Ao B. João Cabral sucedeo o P. Sebastião d’Almeida assim no
Reitorado, como no Provincialado por Patente do B. Pe. e
governou tres annos inteiros, os quaes acabados de abrivar
as Vias do Provincial de Japão por ordem do P. Pe. Manuel de
Azevedo, e por ellas veio des do B. João Cabral em 1649 aos 26 de
Julho, e por ordem do mesmo P. Mel. de Azevedo Vizº ficou edito
P. juntamente Reitor. Acabado o trienno do P. João Cabral
e abrivadas as successões do Provincial desta Provincia aos
28 de Agosto de 1652, e esperou-se novamente Mea porquanto ti-
nha chegado embarcaço de India, mas quaes podia vir mo-
vos successores, e não havendo já esperança delle, se abriu
as Antigas, e a 1ª escolheu o mesmo P. João Cabral, e aberta a
2ª saiu por Provincial desta Provincia o P. Jerónimo Mayrea,
que estava em Tuncum, e não pôde ser impedido em Via-
ção de estar dentro da Provincia, e podei ser avivado em
Jeronimes, porque o Breve de Innocêncio X. Debe ordupe
viores da Companhia não gozarem do trienno até dez
período quanto as Provincias transmarinas, continuou
edito P. João Cabral ate 3 de Março de 1653, em que chegou avo-
go de Tuncum, e como o P. Jerónimo Mayrea tinha aceita-
do, começara a governar aos 14 de Abril do dito anno de 1653.

Page 6

[Page]
A-2009

[Marginalia — top center]
A-2009

[Main text]
Ao P. João Cabral sucedeo o P. Jerónimo de Mayorica, que tam em a Milícia de Tuntim, aonde lhe chegou avia de successão, como coa governar ao 14 domer de Abril do anno de 1603. Falleceo na Milícia de Tuntim ao 29 domer de Janeiro de 1606, sendo ainda Provincial, mas como estava ausente deste Collegio não soube mos annos da sua morte, senão no fim deste mesmo anno, em que chegou hua carta mandada por terra, a qual trouxeram algumas pessoas, das que vieram por terra, e escaparam do naufragio, e foi o Navio de António da Cota Beirnude, tornando para esta Cidade.

Ao P. Jerónimo de Mayorica sucedeo ao 16 domer de Abril de 1606 o P. Martim Coelho, porque não havia Vice-Provincial, as quaes chegaram no principio do mês de Julho do dito anno: bem como quer que o Vice-Provincial nomeador ou era morto, ou estava impedido, e o Visitador acabava o seu trienio antes de cessar o impedimento do anno, em cujo de Vacancia segundo o Breve do Papa Innocêncio X parece conveniente nomear outro Vice-Provincial ao dez do mês de Julho de 1606 dar vinta pelas nove horas da manhã.

Ao 19 de Agosto de 1608 entrou no officio de Provincial de Japão por Patente de Roma o P. Mathias de Araya, governando tres annos, em que morreu dos quais, abrindo-se as Vias de successão, desachou o P. José Máriz de Sá, o qual se viu obrigado a vir de Macau, donde se esperava a cada dia barco, pelo que os PP. Conselheiros da Província julgaram que neste Caso tinha lugar dispensação.

Page 7

[Page]
000399

[Main text]
a dispensação do N. Sto. P.e Alexandre 7º, declaracão do N. B.
P. Geral que podião os Provinciaes continuar mais do triennio
em gravissima Causa; et ad breve tempus, e assim continuou o
B. Mathias d’Araya mais sete dias até que em 26 de
Agosto de 1661 tendo chegado de Lisbã foi nomeado na Cappella
por Provincial o B. José Maria Leiria, e lhe entregou a via
de sua Successão à mesma Cappella & deo a Comunidade.

Ao 26 de Agosto de 1661 acabado o triennio do B. José
Maria Leiria abriu as Vias da Successão, era-lh’acharão
no B. Wifrio Borges, e por ser já fallecido o mesmo antes em
Jacatra, entrou no governo de Provincial o B. Hector M. Ruiz
que estava na 2ª Via da Successão, o qual governou até o 24
de Março de 1667, no qual dia o deixou Mto. P. G. S. sendo
ainda Provincial.

Ao 27 de Março de 1667 tres dias depois da morte do
B. M. Ruiz foi eleito Vice Provincial o B. Pedro Marques, por
ser já fallecido em Cochinchina o B. Helbelo Vaccaro & estava
na 3ª Via de Successão de Provincial.

Ao 26 de Agosto de 1667 abriu a 2ª Via de Provincial,
acharam nella ao Padre Pedro Kuzarte, e por estar ausente em
Europa foi o B. Visitador Luís da Fama Provincial ao B.
Andre Gomes. Ao 21 de Julho de 1670 abrindo a via de Provin-
cial desta Província acharam nella ao B. Felippe Marino,
que começou no mesmo dia a exercitar o Cargo.

Acabado o triennio logo Ao B. Felippe Marino sucedeo
no officio de Provincial o B. José Cardoso Ao 21 de Julho de 1673.

Page 8

Acabado o trienno do P. João Cardoso abrirá as Vias deduzidas,
dão, sacharão ao P. André Dubellis, e por estar ausente na China
esperou hum anno ficando no mesmo Cargo o P. João Cardoso
que tambem estava ausente na Índia que fora a Cochinchina
onde morreo no naufragio, que o barco fez no anno de 1576.
Em 22 de julho de 1577 chegou da China o P. André Dubellis,
o qual ficou governando aço triennes, ao fim do qual se oc-
cupou por estar occupado na China em 3º Lugar o P. Fran.
Pimentel que tambem morreo em Tonquim, ao P. estava
nomeado o P. Francisco Davies Philypues, que começou a
governar em Cantão ao primeiro de Dezembro de 1580, e de-
pois devito mezo veio para Macao.

Em Dezembro de 1583 acabou a 1ª Via de Provincial,
em que estava o P. André Gomes já defunto. Abrio-se a 2ª
via, e achou o P. Manuel Ferreira, estava em Tonquim,
e já chamado a Roma, julgou-se em Consulta e estava
impedido. Abrio-se a 3ª via, em que se achou o P. José Díaz
Nier, o qual começou a governar ao 6 de Dezembro, e aca-
bou ao 25 de julho do anno seguinte por lhe vir Pa-
tente de Visitador.

Ao 25 de julho de 1584 se abrio a Maço de Roma
em que achou Patente de Provincial para o P. Vicente Varrão que
acabou o seu trienno ao 25 de julho de 1587.

Acabado o governo do P. Vicente Varrão haverá de entrar
no Provincial o P. Francisco Sogueira que tendo sido logo
vindo de Goa com Patente, porem se escusou, e ao 31 de
Julho abrio-se a primeira Via de Provincial, na qual ficou
o P. Filippo Fregosi que ao mesmo dia tomou posse do
officio

Page 9

[Page]
000400

[Marginalia — top right]
5

[Main text]
officio em 31 de Julho de 1607. Acabado o trienno
do P. Felippe Fierqui, mandou S.M. ao P. que foy feu
Provincial, que então era o P. Francisco Xavier Felipuchi, f.
acabou de ser Vig° e Provincial aos 6 de Jano. de 1611.
Sucedeo lhe por Vig° e Provincial de Japão o P. Francisco
Nogueira aos 6 de Jano. de 1611, acabado o seu trienno aca-
barão os Vigiladores, e se abrirão as Vias de Provincial de Japão,
e se achou na primeira o P. Francisco Xavier Felipuchi, q era
morto, abrio-se a 2ª e se achou o P. Alexandre Ciero q estava em
tão impedido na Corte de Pequim, abrio-se a 3ª Via o P. Fran-
cisco da Veiga que estava por Superior da Missão em Hainan,
que fe encarou, e assim continuou o P. Francisco Nogueira, que
tinha sido atendido até que no anno de 95 virão novas vias,
estava na 1ª o P. Reginaldo Burger, que estava em Goa, ella de
lhe mandou anova, continuando o P. Nogueira até a 4ª Via
porta que veio no anno de 96 com sua escusa, e lá ficou sendo
Composto de Caza, era aquelle julho veio Nova Patente, e 3 Viás,
era Patente de Provincial de Japão para o P. Francisco da Veiga
em Hainan, aq demandou recado, e foi forçado aceitar, achegou
a este Collegio em 10 de Outubro de 1696, e sofreu em como dia Tomou
posse afim de Provincial, como de Reitor, acabando já morto
em Macao o P. Thomé Paz, que servia de Provincial em lugar
do P. Francisco Nogueira Provincial de Japão, que no mesmo my
squaro dia do mesmo anno morreo em Tonkin aos 5 de Novo
de 96, e o P. Thomé Paz em Macao aos 6. Rego, deixou-se ameaça
o P. Francisco da Veiga que por ter feito alguas disposições de go-
verno em Cantão antes de vir della para este Collegio devia aca-
bar

Page 10

[Page]
004026

[Main text]
acabar, e defacto acabou o seu triennio em 3 de Outbro. de 1609.
Sucedeo ao B. Francisco da Veiga no cargo de Provincial
de Japão, e Reitor deste Collegio o B. Manuel Carvalho y Patente,
o qual veio da Provincia de Goa mandado por o N.M.R.P. Geral
para Macao para ser Provincial de Japão, e Reitor deste Col.
legio: tomou posse do Provincialado, eleitorado em 3 de Setbro.
de 1609.

Acabado o triennio do B. Manuel Carvalho se abrio a 1ª
suceçad da sua Patente, e se achou nella nomeado o B. Miguel
de Amaral, o qual tomou posse do Provincialado eleitorado em
3 de Setbro. de 1622, e continuou no governo ate 6 de Janro. de 1624,
no qual dia se embarcou para Goa por ter recebido em 7 de Agosto
de 1623 ordem, e patente do N.M.R.P. Geral para hir ser Vigº
da Provincia de Goa, e por se ter o dito B. Amaral escusado no
anno de 1618 de outra patente, em que o N.M.R.P. Geral o faria
Vigº de Goa, e de Malabar, lhe acrecentou desta segunda vez o
N.M.R.P. Geral preceito de obediencia para aceitar o dito cargo
de Visitador de Goa. Teve os mesmos o Provincial Miguel
de Amaral em 8 de Agosto de 1623, hum dia depois de receber
a dita Patente de Vigº de Goa, feita consulta, na qual se abrio
a 2ª suceçad da Patente do B. Manuel Carvalho, e se achou nella
nomeado para Provincial de Japão, Reitor deste Collegio o B.
Antonio de Barros, vigario da Provincia de Goa, que actual-
mente era Provincial de Malabar, e não podia ser enviado
e vir de baixo para Macao antes de partir de lá o P. de Goa o B.
Miguel de Amaral, o qual por nao haver ja outra alguma
suceçad de Provincial de Japão, quando se partio para Goa
nomeou

Page 11

[Page]
000401

[Stamp — right margin]
[Biblioteca Pública Arquivo Distrital de Évora]

[Main text]
nomeou por seu sucessor o Provincial de Japão, juntamente
com outros deste Collegio de Macau ao P. Manuel Olório, emigrou
ao dito P. António de Barros, o qual se escusou, sendo velho.
Começou pois o P. Provincial Manuel Olório o seu governo
em 6 de Janeiro de 1604. Em Agosto do mesmo anno de 1604
chegaram duas Patentes do S. M. R. Geral para o governo da Pro-
vincia de Japão sem trazerem successo, hua vinda aberta p.
de entregar logo ao P. Diogo Vidal que tinha sido já Procurador
de Japão a Roma, e ainda não tinha vindo, a outra vinda foi
chamada para de abrir causa mortis, ou acabado o governo do dito
P. Diogo Vidal. Como porem o P. Vidal não veio, nem se es-
perava chegar tão cedo, julgou o P. Provincial Manuel Olório
com a sua consulta, que se abrisse a segunda Patente do S. M. R.
Geral, sabendo-se achou que era para o P. Francisco Pinto, q. se
tava ausente na Provincia de Santinho servindo aí o Governo
da China no convento de Missionário havia já muitos annos.
Mandou-se lhe logo aviso, sem quanto não vindo continuou o seu
governo o P. Provincial Manuel Olório. Obteve o dito P. Diogo Vi-
dal em Março de 1604 partiu de Lisboa para lá por Goa, em me-
smo anno na mesma viagem para Goa morreu, e ainda de sua
morte chegou a Macao em Agosto do anno seguinte de 1605.

Chegou o P. Francisco Pinto a Cantão, e lá o mesmo tomou
posse do officio de Provincial em 24 de Fevereiro de 1605, com 6 de
Março do mesmo anno chegou a Macao, e foi continuando
no officio de Provincial, e Reitor neste Collegio. E Sofrira.
de Agosto de 1608 chegou hua Patente de Provincial de Japão
e Reitor do Collegio de Macao para o dito P. Miguel de Amaral,
que estava em Goa com officio de Vig.° daquella Provincia em

Page 12

[Stamp — left margin]
[Circular stamp: BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL DE PORTUGAL]

ordem do S. M. o General para o P. Francisco Pinto continuar
nos mesmos officios de Provincial, e Reitor até chegar de Goa
o dito P. Miguel de Amaral, a quem o S. M. o General tinha avizado
da desta Patentte que lhe mandava ordenando. He
que depois de acabar o tempo de Visitadorado delgo, elle tinha
determinado vir-se na primeira occasião para Macau. Acabou
depois o dito P. Amaral o tempo do seu Visitadorado delgo ao
mesmo fim de Agosto de 1609 partio de lá para Macau em Maio
de 1610, chegou a esta Cidade, e Collegio em 26 de Julho do mesmo
anno. E no mesmo dia de 26 de Julho de 1610 tomou
o P. Miguel de Amaral posse dos Officios de Provincial de Japão,
e de Reitor de Macau, acabado o triennio de Abril de 1607 na
consulta a primeira successão do P. Provincial, e ficou nella
o P. Jeronimo de Moraes defunto em Goa, abriu-se a 2ª successão
e ficou nela o P. José Peres ausente na Cochinchina, com que
foi o dito P. Miguel de Amaral continuando no dito Provincial-
lado, e Reitorado até ser avizado o P. José Peres, e vir a sua deporta,
o qual allegou impossibilidade para não vir para Macau, sendo Provincial, e
por não haver outra successão foi o P. Miguel
de Amaral continuando o dito Provincialado.

No anno de 1616 aos 10 de Julho chegou a Macau Patentte
de Provincial de Japão com duas successões, mas Patentte vindo
nomeado o P. José Monteiro objecto da Provincia da China
que estava em falhas, o qual efficazmente se executou, e
abrindo-se a prima successão ficou nela o P. José Peres
que foi avizado, e de Cochinchina tornou a allegar as mes-
mas impossibilidades ut supra. Abriu-se no anno seguinte
a segunda, e ultima successão, e ficou o P. Stanisláo Ma-
chado

Page 13

[Page]
000402

[Main text]
Machado Tenente em Funai, o qual tambem se exerçeu, por
ser aportado com hum preçeito de obediencia do Provincial
Miguel de Amaral escrivão, e tomou pape de Provincialado lá
em Funai aos 12 de Junho de 1578, e chegando esta noticia
a Macao em 20 de Agosto do mesmo anno de 1578 acabou entad
o P. Miguel de Amaral o seu Provincialado, tendo perseverado
nelle oito annos, 25 dias continuos. Continuou o P. Estanis-
lau Machado o seu governo em Funai, estinha em Macao
o Provincial constituido por elle ao P. João Pereira

Vendo pois o P. Provincial Estanislau Machado q. todos
achavam lhe mais era possivel falar de Funai, e q. de lá lhe não
era possivel governar a Provincia, mandou de lá ordenar
poderes à Consulta da Provincia para ella ad plenum delegata
nomear successor no Provincialado, vistomad haver outra hu-
miliação de Roma, e a Consulta em virtude desta Comissão nomeou
ao P. Miguel de Amaral, que succedendo ao P. Estanislau Ma-
chado tomou pape do governo outra vez aos 26 de Agosto de
1570.

[Heading]
Cap. 3º Dos Visitadores que foram
mandados pelos Geraes da Companhia Vire
por esta Provincia de Japão, e China.

[Main text]
§.1º Foi o Padre Gonçalo Alvarez mandado pelo Geral
F. Francisco de Borja no anno de 1568 na chamada do Rey
D. Luiz de Ataíde, o qual depois de Visitar a Companhia
na India, inspeçionou China, e dahi embarcando se p. Japão em
Dezembro de 1569, onde visitou a Provincia de Japão, vivendo já então

Page 14

com hum grauissimo tufão sem escapar com vida deste
Naufragio mais que hum só haver, o qual andando madas-
do no mar tomou hum junco, que acertou de vir letras de
Nao, acabou o dito Padre em Julho de 1573 com seus Compa-
nheiros os P.º Manuel Lopes, seu companheiro, substituto,
P.º João Velho, P.º Diogo Fox, P.º António Paes.
O 2.º Visitador foi o P.º Alexandre Valignani, que mandado
pelo P.º Geral Gerardo Mercuriano no anno de 1573 chegou
aqui com 4.º Padres e Irmãos da Companhia em setembro
de 1574, o qual Visitando primeiro a Companhia na Índia
passou a China no anno de 1578, e afagado em 1579 a primeira
vez, donde depois de Visitados os P.º desta Missão, e deixou
de ordenar muitas cousas em proveito desta Visitandade
tornou para Índia no anno de 1583 trazendo consigo qua-
tro marechões Japoneses fidelíssimos a D. Manoel, parente do
Rey Francisco de Bungo, D. Miguel, parente do Tono de
Arima, Dom Bautista, D. Martinho, e D. Feliciano, fidelíssimos do
Tono de Yonaguni, D. Bartholomeo, os quaes se embarcaram
em Cochim em Fevereiro de 1584 para Portugal com o bom P.
Jerónimo Rodrigues, até este tempo do Collegio de S. Paulo,
Procurador para Roma eleito na Segunda Congregação
da Índia, e com o P.º Diogo de Mesquita, e chegando a Lisboa
em Agosto do mesmo anno, e dizitando o Cardeal Alberto,
Gov.º de Portugal, partírão já no anno seguinte de
1585 para Roma, aonde chegarão no fim de Março do mes-
mo anno, e foram recebidos como Embaixadores com gran-
de appareato pelo Summo Pontifice Gregório XIII, dando-lhe
Santidade

Page 15

[Page]
000403
8

[Main text]
Santidade e obediencia em nome dos tres Japões Christãos,
e debota esta nova Christandade, e fallecendo neste mesmo tem-
po o abobdito Papa, sendo eleito Pinto 6º de achar ao dito
Fidalgo; a morte de hum, e eleição d’outro: feita esta tal
comprida peregrinação por Italia, Castella, Portugal, e
India, de tornarão cheyos de gazalhados, e honras a Japão com
o mesmo Padre Alexandre Valignano no anno de 1590 sendo
Jordão Tenca Taico, aqueem dito Padre com estes Fidalgos
Japões foi a sua Corte visitar com embaixada do Rey D. Du-
arte de Meneses, sendo debito Rey com grande honra, e appa-
rato recebido. Mas pouco durou este favor dos Japoneses
porq’ pouco depois moveo contra a Christandade grave persegui-
ção, eo B. Vigor Alexandre se tornou a segunda vez de Japão pa-
Macao no anno de 1592, donde mandou logo o B. Gil de Malta
allma por Procurador de Japão, e foi segunda vez a Japão de-
gando lá em Março de 95, e em Setembro do mesmo anno veio
sua Carta do B. Geral pela qual acabou de ser Vigor da India fi-
cando somente de Japão, e China p. aqual dejartio ultimamen-
te no anno de 1597, e da hi terceira vez p. Japão em Julho de 1598
em companhia do B. Bispo D. Luís Cerqueira. E finalmente
tornou de Japão a Macao a ultima, e terceira vez no anno de
1603 com D. Paulo Portugal Capitão geral desta Viagem, e este
ve mette Collegio de Macao ate o anno de 1606, que nelle falle-
ceu no dia 20 de Janeiro, tendo governado a Companhia da India,
e Japão 31 annos, e nesses aguas muge: a India, e juntamente
Japão 21, em estes 21 annos foi dito Padre juntamente Provin-
cial, e Vigor desde setembro de 83 ate abril de 88 q. [parte]

Page 16

a segunda vez para Japão, esta por occasião de fallecerem os
Vicegovernadores do Reino para Índia os B. Francisco Mijão no anno de
81, e o B. Pedro da Silva no anno de 83 que vindo de Índia &
foram Provinciais; La Japan, elle hirao dom. de anno, egual
tro onze, eguari onze, sendo tambem seu Visitador.

O 3.º Visitador desta Provincia foi o B. Francisco Cajó feito
em Japão por Carta do G. Geral Claudio Aquaviva em Julho
de 1611, passando immediatamente do Officio de Vice-Provincial
desta Provincia ao de Visitador, Declarando o B. Valentim
Carvalho no mesmo tempo por Provincial desta Provincia
por ella já então ser Provincia por si, separada das duas
Provincias da Índia, Goa, e Malabar, como sua mesma Carta
de Roma vinha ordenado. E o B. Visitador Francisco Cajó
se partio de Japão para este Collegio de Macao no anno de
1612, em elle falleceo em 31 de agosto do mesmo anno.

O 4. Francisco Vieira feito
tambem na Índia por Patente do G. Geral Claudio Aquaviva,
a qual se lhe mandou de Roma em Janeiro de 1615, e chegou a
Goa em Outubro do mesmo anno; e o B. se partio de Goa para
esta Provincia em Maio de 1616 depois de entregar o Officio de
Provincial de Goa logo em Outubro ao B. Jacomo de Medeiros,
chegou a este Collegio de Macao em 13 de Julho do mesmo anno.

O 5.º Morto o B. Francisco Vieira neste Collegio de Macao aos
28 de Dezembro de 1619 depois de vir de Japão, onde esteve pouco
mais de hum anno, porque dous superiores, ou Procuradores
da Provincia, Vice-Provincia, o B. Sebastião d’Almaya adoeceu
se para o qual Medeiros poder, ficando no mais os ditos
Provincial

Page 17

[Page]
9

[Archival mark]
000404

[Stamp — right margin]
[BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA E ARQUIVO DISTRITAL DE ÉVORA]

[Main text]
Provincial, e Vice-Provincial independentes como se orão
tivessem visitado. Progundo edito o Provincial de Japão
ao D. Professor a sobredita ordem, forão os mais delles dega-
recer que se guardasse até ver de Roma vem este pon-
to aclarado de Roma, e assim se executou o logi 27 de Janb. de 1650.
Aos 9 do mês de Julho do mesmo anno de 1650 chegaraõ
Novas Successões de Visitadores, apertamente outra via della
Gente de Visitadores, que dous annos antes tinha já vindo por
outra via para o P. Francisco Furtado que estava na China
dentro por Superior das Casas do Norte, egorquanto com
aquella dos Tartaros, estava alli dentro toda revolta, e
não tinha chegado nova de o P. era vivo, ou morto, ou se lhe
tinham chegado alguns dos nossos avisos, que sobre isso
felle tinham mandado. Pareceo ao P. João Cabral Provincial
da Provincia de Japão, e aos mais Consultores, que lhe deviaõ
abrir as Novas Successões como com effeito o abrirão em
Consulta, e se acharão mais que duas, as quaes traziaõ
ambas por Sobrescripto 2.ª Successão, o que vendo o P. Pro-
vincial, em mais, que duvidavaõ de as havião de abrir am-
bas, para ver qual era a primeira, egorque o caso era novo
e os Padres Consultores não concordavão, apontou-se que se
propuzesse a todos os Padres Professos, que estavam no Collegio,
e lhes perguntasse duas Cousas: 1.ª Se haviaõ de
abrir as ditas Successões para ver qual precedia. 2.ª Se
em casa que nella fodesse; por morte do P. Francisco

Page 18

Furtado se defalhar em ausência, ou outro impedimento viesse,
se havia de esperar novas destes o D. morto, ou vivo. Ou se ab-
breviava a urgência, embaraco de guerras era bastante, et se
poderetar pro mortuo que ad hunc effectum. Deram os P. Profe-
ssões parecer em scriptis ao secretario da Provincia, o qual ta-
ctus memoravit o referio na junta. Em 1º ponto vem foras de
parecer que as successões se vão abrir. Dito que se abrissem.
e No. 2º ponto jnco foras de parecer que o D. Auranta, impedido,
non reputabatur pro mortuo, ou mais que vim. O Provincial
segundo aparecer dos orais mandou que se abrissem as ditas
successões, e fallio na primeira ao P. Sebastião de Itmaya. E de
tudo se deo conta aos N. R. P. G., e espera para semelhantes ca-
sos o que será de approvação, ou reapprovação. O P. Sebastião de Itmaya
governou desde 10 de Julho de 1650 até 2, ou 3 de Junho do anno
seguinte de 1651, emque veio ao certo Collegio Carta do P. Fran-
cisco Furtado que chegava a Cantão, et tinha recebido aliento
de Viz. em 7 de Julho de 1650, etomando logo, acomecando aviz-
itar as Casas de Residências da China dentro. — E como tem
tinha já começado a governar antes de lhe se abrirem as
vias, apertou o P. João Cabral Provincial com parecer detodo
os Consultores que precedera ao P. Sebastião de Itmaya, gestava:
digo esfem lhe entregara o governo da Provincia, et Provincial,
lavía do P. Sebastião de Itmaya que estava aberta jnternous
afectuos para edito o P. poder suceder aseo tempo em Pará de
ler este aparecer afim dos Consultores desta Provincia, co
mo dos da Provincia de Cochim, onde se mandou perguntar este caso.

Page 19

[Page]
000405

[Folio]
10

[Marginalia — top left]
Aos 21 de Novembro de 1563 houve Reporte para vi. a B.° Vº Francisco Furtado, e conforme o asperto acima lhe tor. não ajudecer o B.° Sebastião d’Ehnaya por não haver novo governo de Macau, e tomou papeis ao 22 do dito mez, anno. Hr. D. 1580.

[Heading]
Cap. 1.° Do principio da Missão do Reino da China, e dos Superiores Universais que nella houve

[Main text]
O Padre Visitador Alexandro Valigno passando da India para Japão no anno de 1578 estando neste Collegio de Macau esperando a nomeação para ir a Japão começou a tratar desta Missão de China, ajudando-se para isto de varias informações de Portugueses, e Chinas, que havia esperança de Christandade neste Reino. E para ella se principiar pedio ao R. P. Ruy Vicente Provincial da India hum Padre de talento para começar sobre esta porta, e para isto se mandou o B.° Miguel Ruggieri, o qual chegando a Macao no anno de 1580 começou logo aprender a lingoa, letras, e maneira tomamdo para isto Mestre Chino, e indo algumas vezes à feira de Cantão com os Portugueses, foi tomando amizade, e tornou virfacão com alguns Chinas, por meio, e conselho dos quaes foi allanguim falar com o Tutan, segundo alcançou licença para morar nesta Cidade em hua botica de aluguer, depois com licença do mesmo Tutan comprou ellas para

Page 20

[Page]
594000

[Main text]
fazer hua Carinha mais Legoa de Cidade, exercendo
Nella se lhe ajuntou no anno de 1582 o P. Mathes Ricci,
e ambos foram fazendo ali alguns Christãos. Mas depois
os mesmos Estados botou fora deste lugars, emandou vir
para Macao. Oque sabendo o P. Alexandre estando nes-
te Collegio depoz de vir aprimeira vez de Japão no anno
de 1583 lhes forçou que trabalhassem quanto pudessem
para não valirem fora da China, e no mesmo Tempo quis
ellos senhor que o Estado os tornasse a dar as terras de Caminho
que hiaõ fazendo para Cantão, e mandou a Ravcheo,
ordenando juntamente que lha lhe dessem lugar em que
Morasse o P. Mathes Ricci com seu Companheiro o P. An-
tonio d’Almeida, sendo ja vindo para Macao o P. Rogerio
donde o P. Alexandre emandou para Malaca, donde fez
partio na Galea do Reino para Lisboa, e da hi para Roma
informar de esta Missão, et outras cousas a Nstro P.
Geral, eficou em Italia.

E continuando o P. Mathes Ricci,
seu Companheiro estiveraõ algum tempo na dita Cera
de Ravcheo, o qual falleceo o P. Antonio d’Almeida, e depois
o P. Francisco Petri ficando com o P. Mathes Ricci,
em anno de 1588 tornando de Japão a segunda vez o P.
Alexandre Valignani lhe mandou o P. Lázaro Caetano por
Companheiro, e depois de estarem ambos algũ tempo
em Ravcheo foi o P. Mathes Ricci fazer a Cera de Xanghã
Levando

Page 21

[Page]
000406

[Main text]
deixando por diante esta Missão sendo já desembarcados
nas estas Casas, e das mais que se foram fazendo até o anno de
1610 que falleceo em Pequim Corte del Rey da China, se assim
elle foi o primeiro Superior dos Padres nesta Missão, e prin-
cipal fundador.

O 2.º foi o P. Nicoláo Longobardo depois da morte do
P. Mathias Ricci até hoje 7 de Fevereiro de 1619 o qual tudo
largamente consta da historia desta Missão principiada
pelo P. Mathias Ricci a que me remetto.

Ao P. Nicoláo Longobardo succedeo no Cargo de Superior
desta Missão da China em Junho de 1622 o P. José da Rocha.

Ao P. José da Rocha succedeo o Padre o primeiro Provincial
real depois defuncta a China lhe Provincia, acabando o
já fallecido lhe succedeo por primeiro Vice Provincial o
P. Manoel Dias Junior igual governador, outros annos.

Succedeo-lhe o P. Francisco Furtado, igual governador
por annos, em Cabo dos quaes vêm nomear ao 2.º Provin-
cial debul o P. Julio Alençary, e do Norte continuou o mes-
mo P. Francisco Furtado em defeito do P. José Vaz por
haver já fallecido.

Em o anno de 1646 veio Patente del Provin-
cial destas almas ao Padre Álvaro Lamego, igual go-
vernou perto de quatro annos por estarem os caminhos
impedidos com as guerras dos Tartaros, e não poder chegar
avizo ao P. Manoel Dias Junior, que lhe succedeu tamord

Page 22

[Page]
001030

[Marginalia — top center]
001030

[Main text]
tomou posse em o anno de 1550, governando entre tanto todo este tempo em as partes do Norte de Japão.
co fundado pela enorme vassal demas poder chegar
aviso das Novas Successões.

De P. Manoel Dias Junior por estar cego, exonerar
ciar o Cargo de Provincial successo por Nomeação do
P. Sebastião d’Armaya Visitador, e approvação do P. da
provincia o Padre Alvaro Simedo em 1605, escabado o
triennio lhe succedeo o P. Estevão Fabro, o qual em mor-
to quando lhe chegou aviso, pôs que succedeo em Provin-
cial o P. Simão da Cunha, o qual depois de governar lega-
ço de hum anno sahio em Via de Visitador em 28 de
Outubro de 1658, em o mesmo anno chegará Vias de
Roma, emque vinha Nomeado para Provincia
o P. Estevão Fabro, eo Padre Alvaro Simedo que eram
já mortos, e o P. Simão da Cunha que succedeo por
morte do P. Antonio Veloso em Visitador, era 1ª Via
succedeo o P. Ignacio da Costa.

Em acabando o P. Ignacio da Costa o seu triennio
em o anno de 1661, abrindo se as Successões, o Dia dello
mais fechou o al.º Via o P. Mathias d’Armaya, o qual
acabava de ser Provincial de Japão; porque não podia
entrar em aquelle Novo governo sem vacar annos e
Anno conforme a Bulla do Papa Innocencio X. foi
electo por Consulta para Officio de Provincial o Padre
Diogo

Page 23

[Page]
000407
12

[Main text]
o Padre Diogo Fabbro, enquanto durava o impedimento
do sobredito anno, emero conforme as Ordens, & para
fimelhantes casos tem mandado o M.R.P. Geral, acabado
o impedimento entrou o P. Mathia d’Arriaga, mas,
porque logo começou a perseguição no setembro de
1614 deixou esse lugar o P. Diogo Fabbro. No
anno de 1615 succedeo por Provincial o P. Feliciano
Pacheco. Em 1618 o P. António de Gouvea, no anno de
1621 entrou a segunda vez o P. Feliciano Pacheco.

No anno de 1624 abrindo se a via de Roma de acabou
por Provincial da China o P. André Lubelli que gover.
nou dous annos, seis mezes, e não acabou o trienno
porque abrindo se a via do governo da Provincia
de Japão de acabou voltar por Provincial da dita Provincia.

Em lugar do P. André Lubelli por via de Roma en-
trou o P. Fernando Rypiero que governou o fez trienno
do P. Fernando no anno de 1630 em Março succedeo
o P. Gabriel Gabian dixo Domingo Gabian.

Acabado o trienno do P. Domingo Gabian ao
primeiro defunto entrou no Officio de Provincial
o P. José Vallois que estava nas Vias, e governou todo
o trienno. José Vallois, succedeo
no offcio de Provincial o P. Prospero Lacerda y
entrou nesse governo aos 30 de Junho de 1636.

Page 24

[Page]
701030

[Marginalia — top center]
701030

[Main text]
Acabado o governo do P. Brogyero succedeo no dito
o P. Domingos Gabeán, que começou a governar
ao 30 de Junho do anno de 1609.

Acabado o triennio do P. Gabriel succedeo no dito
do Provincial da China o P. Thomaz Pereira, e co-
meçou a governar ao 1º de Julho de 1612. Thomaz Pereira succedeo
no officio do Provincial o P. Filippo Grimaldi que come-
çou a governar ao 1º de Julho de 1615 por via, porque
veio patente de Provincial para o P. Fran. Vimeon,
que estava já morto, e continuou o P. Grimaldi, vindo
no anno de 1616 patente para o P. Brogyero que estava
a moribundo &c &c &c

Cap. 5º trata dos Bispos de Ega.
Cap. 6º dos principios da Missão de
Fukien, e superiores della.

Por informacão dos Nossos Padres, que cultivavão a
Christandade de Cochinchina, como aquelle Reino
e o de Fukien hão annos se havia lançado
teve o P. Jerónimo Roiz Senior Visitador noticia da
disposição que haveria no Reino de Fukien para
nelle feijear a Nostra Santa Fe. Anno de
1626

Page 25

[Page]
000408

[Folio]
13

[Main text]
de 1626 mandou o P. Juliano Baldinotti Florentino
com o Irmão Julio Beany na embarcação de Gaspar
Borges da Fonseca Cidadão desta Cidade de Macao para
em jejum ir a aquelle Reino, e ver por experiencia as
disposições dos Naturaes para se abrir a Missão. Foi
o Padre, e achou tão boa disposição, que o Rey por Nome
Thanta do the pedio que ficasse em seu Reino, convidan-
do-o com os muitos favores, e honras, que lhe fez. Porém
o Padre não ficou por ter ordem expressa de voltar a Macao,
sinformar do que achara no Reino.

Voltou de Tunkin com dito Irmão em setembro
do mesmo anno, nem deixando naquelle Reino defunto
magentilidade, mas que algumas Crianças baptizadas.
Achou-se já por Vicar o P. André Palmeiro que por Paten-
te do S.R.P. tinha chegado da India no fullo antecedente.
Sinformando o Sabordade Lagente Candido natural, e
excelente disposição para receber Nossa Santa Ley, se
deliberou o novo Visitador a abrir a Missão, e leva-la adiante.

Para este effeito no anno seguinte de 1627 mandou
o P. Pedro Marques Portugues por Superior da Mis-
são, e foi o primeiro, que ella teve, e ao P. Alexandre B.
dos Francos por seu Companheiro, o qual sabia adeinguado
por ter estado em Cochinchina, e para esta Viagem
fora della mandado vir. Chegaram a Tunkin em 19

Page 26

[Page]
804000

[Marginalia — top center]
804000

[Main text]
19 de Março, dia de S. José, e por esta causa toda a hóstia
sabe tem acerte Santo por seu Padroeiro, em Cadre entraram
do mal Barra, e Porto de Pung chegaram ao mesmo Porto de
S. José. Forão bem recebidos do Rey que era Ornerno, tratou
os com muita honra, fez lhes grandes favores, e casas
com Igreja emque mora fe junto ao seu Paço.
O Padre levador defervor, cuidando que gastavão mel
otempo em continuar o Paço, escreveu ao Rey (que era boa
ocazião para lhe dar noticia da nossa Santa Fé, que depois
não houve); se forão afastando do Paço, egaitando todo otend
po empregar, e baptizar agente do povo que acudia em gran
de Concurso, fizerão grande fructo em breve tempo, o qual
como chegon as ordens do Rey, avio como os Padres desejando
deixar aos seus Paço, com Concurso que havia em sua Casa, onde
teve abem, sentrou em Suspeito de larão do Estado doq’ ao
diante podia ser, vendo tanta gente acudir a dous Etran-
geiros, Lápoim prohibio aos feos Vapallos, que não fossem
além dos ditos Padres; e ultimamente faltando o anno de
quinte Navio de Macao, em Naturaes contra fe mandado
pequena dependencia dos Padres, e a conversa hio em avanto
prohibio detodo a ropa da nta Ley, desfez as Casas, e Igreja dos
Padres, que estava defronte do Paço que fica para o Rio a
mão esquerda, e deitrou ao Padre mandando o: embica
gali mui bem equipada a Bucim confins de Cochinchina
para

Page 27

[Page]
000409

[Marginalia — top right]
14

[Main text]
para por ali se virem para Macao. Grande foi o sentimento, que tiveram os Christãos em especial os do forte deste deitro, e para os consolar deixaram por Cabeça sua Cathéquista por nome Francisco, que do Bonzo se tinha feito Christão, estava bem instruído nas Cousas da nossa Santa Fé. Chegaram os Padres a Bucino, andando acabando comodo para passar a Cochinchina e volveram para a Província de Guira, trazendo já convertidos, baptizados quasi todos os soldados, e remeiros.

Conheceu-se em Macao por via de Cochinchina outro balço em que os Padres estavão, e para lhes soccorrer mandou o P. Pedro Morjón Reitor deste Collegio, por o P. André Palme neste tempo estar dentro da China, que foi visitar no anno de 1629 em setembro aos Padres S. Paulo, e após depois glorioso Mártir, e ao P. Gaspar de Sotomayor, os quaes elegendo na Embarcação a Província de Guira ordenarão e aguardarão levando os Conselhos à Corte aonde todo o Rey recebeo com grande honra, porem em quanto ali esteve, não que foi até o Abril de 1630, não consentio o Rey que fossem Vasallos concorressem à sua Casa, nem que os Padres priessem, sublimemente o mandou a todos para Macao escrevendo ao P. Visitador que aquelles Padres lhe inquietavão os Reinos, destruía os Pagodes, fazia templos, igrejas, os mandava. Que sua Paternidade servisse delle mandar outros sem o Navio, que elle os receberia, estaria empeço como debaixo

Page 28

[Page]
801000

[Marginalia — top center]
801000

[Main text]
bem vontade. Deixaria o Padre, ordenação deste tres annos,
quatro feu mil almas baptisadas.

Chegou a Macao em Mayo de 1603, dando conta ao P.º do
grande fructo que naquelle Reyno se tinha colhido, e do muito
que aodiante se podia colher, logo movido o P.º Visitador no
seguinte anno de El mandou ao P.º Gaspar d’Arriaga por
Superior, com o P.º Antonio Fontes, e o P.º Antonio Cardim por seus
Companheiros. Chegaram a Cantão aos 7 de Março, e forão rece-
bidos d’Elley com extraordinaria honra, e favores, sampla
licencia para pregar nossa santa Fé. Porem embora se orde-
nou porque passado tres, ou quatro mezes havendo se deter-
minar os Navios mandou que se tornassem os Padres nelle por lhe inquie-
tarem seu Reyno; a Corte com aley que pregavão, porem alle-
gando lhe abrigar vareem para sua Igreja ficar pelo menos
hum Padre, o concedeo, deo tambem licenca para ficar hum
dos Companheiros com elle, e assim ficarão o P.º Gaspar d’Arria-
ga, e o P.º Antonio de Fontes, voltando para Macao o P.º Antonio
Cardim.

Acharão os Padres alli bristandose naquella vacancia muy
adiantada, por quanto os P.º Alexandre de Rhodes deixando alli ris-
tandose encomendada a tres Cathéquistes por nome Francisco,
Ignacio, e Andre, elles naquelles dez mezes offerecerão com tanto
cuidado que baptizaram denovo alguns quatro mil almas.
E para afim de fazerem o P.º Mufóz fazer tres juramentos: 1.º
de não cazarem. 2.º de não terem couza propria. 3.º de não
apartarem.

Page 29

[Page]
15

[Archival mark]
000410

[Stamp — right margin]
[BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA E ARQUIVO DISTritAL DE ÉVORA]

apartarem hum do outro, mas estavam sempre unidos em ordem, aggregação do Evangelho, e terem cuidado da Christandade. Vendo os Reis que de novo tinham vindo de quanto effeito fora aquella traça, e adiante podia ser de grande proveito para toda a dita Christandade, os deixaram ficar na mesma forma, e n’elles fundou a Comunidade, e Congregação dos Cathoquitas que hoje he, mudando-lhe a tração puramente em obediência aos Reis, e a quem elles lhe quizessem em seu lugar. E porque aquella familia se avizinhava da montanha, deixaram na Corte africana por Superior daquella Casa, e mandava affracio residir em Chino, e o Superior da Casa, que foi em ella, se andou para Guia por Superior da Casa, que foi em Dam, compoder, e ordenou para se cobrem todos os que lhes parecessem idóneos, senhando cada anno algum que o N.º envie, dellas a fazer a Congregação numerosa. A qual foi, she começo mais efficaz demonstrim portancia para a muita Conversão que tem havido naquella Christandade.

O dito Padre que ficará de vertirão logo ao modo da terra, sem particulares, tomara húa Cabaya de Cor Rosa, com que fevai ao Paço do Rey, e ver fez podia emendar acto dos primeiros, que se effectuaraõ do Paço. Tomavaõ tambem a dita Cabaya para com ella livrem aos Ministros, e não fesem tal notador comodantes, porque quando or via com aquelle Cabaya cuidava que ou vinha, ou levava ao Paço.

Page 30

[Page]
01000

[Stamp — left margin]
[Circular blue ink stamp, partially visible: ARQUIVO NACIONAL DA TORRE DO TOMBO]

[Main text]
Baco, egor experiencia acharão que ahida para o Paco era
o melhor onçe hiriamos para se conseruarem na ellejad
a authoridade de S. Santidade, em mea federa deixar. Etinha
no Paco tanto respeito ao Padre, e El Rey lhe fazia tantas
honras que tinha entrada franca quando queria; estava
entre os grandes Mandarins do Reyno, sendo o bembuco
da Cabaya; pelo tempo adiante tornarão o barrete desbarado,
em Cordoem insignias do dobrador, abençarão em seu cabello
e barba como Nazareos para de todo se accommodar aos Naturaes.
A casa em que moraua foi ao principio de alequel
no Paco de Mandarim Vifoma Tuyen, depois em terra que elles
lhe deron fizeram huã de bambus coberta de palha. O segundo
anno morará em hua de Madeira, que comprara por dez
Taeis, quermando fe lhe. El Rey deo edito que hojirdemos em
Hangcheu para os de Macao fazerem huma gead de folha em que
guardasem duas fazendas por amor de fogo. A sombra deste
gedad fizemos as Casas de Hangcheu de folha, emiate novetio,
em que hoja esta, que he o em que moraua edito Mandarim
genro del Rey, e jòice distantes daquelle em que tuzemos
as primeiras Casas.

[Signature]
x Fizermo anno de 31 em Outubro de.
garad de Macao o Padre Jeronimo Maiories etheapolitano
cob. Bernardino Regio Lombardo. Deicho. o El Rey com
muita alegria, elogo lhes deu Cabaya Lord, eficarão no Reyao
elogo no anno seguinte de 32 foi o P. Jeronimo Maiories
para

Page 31

[Page]
000411
18

[Main text]
para a Província de Índia a fundar a Residência que fez
em Rum. E para Siam foi o P. António de Fontes fun-
dar, e fazer a Casa de Sto. Paulo, ficando na Corte o P. Bernar-
dino Regio, e o P. Gaspar de Amaral Superior da Missão,
que foi continuada até ao anno de 34, em que decol-
leu para diante ao P. Bernardino Regio, e foi sepultado às 25.
condedas na Igreja, ou Capella das Nossas Casas antigas,
onde sepultados três annos, foram por Opor levados, e enterra-
dos em Macau. Neste anno de 36 levando decol para diante ao
Padre André Calvo. Me succedeo o P. Manoel Dias Senior,
que no mesmo anno de 35 mandou de Macau o P. Martim
Culho, o qual tornou a este Collegio com Gregório daquella
Missão aos 3 domes de setembro de 1636, em 8° anno ao
P. António Barbosa, e ao Félix Mofely, e no de 37 mandou
por Vig. daquella Missão ao P. João Baptista Bonchy Mil-
lanis, sendo Reitor em Macau S. J.

No anno de 1663 aos 2 de Novembro foram desterrados
de Cantão os PP. Broto Borgias, José Tifanier, Pedro d’A-
vez, e ficou aquella Missão sem Padre, no qual tempo
apesar no anno de 1666 entrou lá hum Chirurgião Francex,
Francisco Dedon, e depois entraram 3 outros H. P.

Page 32

[Title]
Do princípio da Missão de Camboja.

[Main text]
O Primeiro da Companhia que entrou em o Reino de Camboja foi o P. Pedro Morey, natural de Lião, o qual em o ano de 1623, ou 1624, voltando de Roma onde tinha sido por Procurador da Província de Japão, tomou em Navegação a derrota para o Reino de Camboja a fim de animar, consolar aos Japões Christãos desterrados pela fé, os quaes da Holanda e outra partes vinham morar em Camboja por ser terra cómoda para sustentar vida. Depois de estar neste Reino três mezes, foi para Ucão, onde informou aos Superiores do Japão, em que ficarão os Christãos Japões sem Padre, que os ajudassem, e do fructo que se podia fazer em outros Japões que vinham a Camboja em feor juntar embarcações, armas, contra façanhas. Pelo que mandou a esta Missão o P. Justo, natural de Japão, onde trabalhou pouco tempo pelo atalhar a morte.

Neste tempo vierão quatro Religiosos da Manila da Ordem dos Dominicanos, os quaes aprenderão a lingua, trabalharam como Varões Apostólicos, colherão poucos, ou nenhum fructo da Conversão dos Cambodjanos, que se mostravão sempre duros em ouvir, abraçar as Cousas da sua Salvação; pelo que os Padres trataram de voltar para Manila, ajudando para isso negar o Rey licença para pregarem soja Santa fé, baptizarem os infantes, em pedimento.

Page 33

[Page]
17

[Archival mark]
000412

[Marginalia — top right]
17

[Main text]
impedimento que parece fechar de todo as portas da pregação do sagrado Evangelho naquelles Reynos por ser agente Cambaya muito cobarde, dependente da vontade do Rey.

Em o anno de 1631 veio o P. Francisco Bugoni della Mâmpá a Cambaya buscar soccorro para os Companheiros, que lá ficavão captivos, e instantanea do mesmo Rey de Cambaya partio para Macao, e tornou o anno seguinte de 1632, esteve até o anno de 1634, emque foi charrado do Rey de Cochinchina, neste tempo trabalhou muito com hum Cathrequista chamado Agostinho, e se converterão cinco, ou seis Cambayas.

Neste tempo pelo anno de 1632 veio o P. Manuel Romão em companhia de alguns Japões, que se acolherão a Cambaya fugindo do novo Rey, que então velavam tava emliado, oqual por nada vi que degosta procurou haver visto ao Maom para se vingar delles. O P. Bugoni vendo seu bom talento para ajudar aos Japões seus naturaes fez que vindo a Macao tornasse a Cambaya sacerdote, onde esteve sette, ou oito annos, orfim dos quaes forão della usar a Cambaya o P. Alberto Mininsky Polaco, e o P. Antonio Capechi Neapolitano para com o P. Romão apprehenderem a lingua de Japão, e da hi porem secretamente a acudir aquelles Reynos, e Christandade tão perseguida. No fim do primeiro anno, emque o dito Padre chegara morreo o P. Romão, e para que não fique Cambaya sem Padre Suppo.

[Rubric]
To

Page 34

[Page]
S43000

[Main text]
Supposto ordenar haverá de ser para Japão mandou o P.
Gonçalo de Amaral ao P. José Agnes, onde esteve até o ano
de 1548, em que voltou para a Colónia e daí p. Macao,
ficando em seu lugar o P. Francisco Ribeiro Neapolitano.
Continuou depois nesta Missão o P. José da
via Leiria desde o anno de 1651 até o anno de 1659 por,
te estando só, parte sendo superior, até que vindo neste
anno de 59 o P. Carlos da Rocha por Superior com o P.
António Lopes, succedendo as guerras em que o Rey de Cochim
chegou conquistou aquele Reino, e trouxe preso o Rey
Cambayano, e hindo os mais dos Christãos para várias par-
tes forçará também todos os P. para Macao.

Tornou o mesmo P. Carlos da Rocha por Sup.
em o anno de 1662 onde achou o P. Jerónimo Maciel, e
tinha vindo com muitos Christãos Lancados de Malaca,
embora ficará continuando a Missão, e no anno de 1669
vindo desembarcar o P. Carlos da Rocha fez Naufragio, e veio
dar à Cintad onde morreu.

No anno de 1676 partirão deste Collegio de Macao
por ordem do Março os P. José Baptista Maldonado, e José de Barros
Português em hum barco dedicado para dali passarem a Cambaya
e tbm com tenção de tornarem a abrir Missão de Laos, off já
tinham hido no anno de 1642 o P. José Maria Leiria onde
estiveram alguns annos sem muito fructo.

Page 35

[Page]
000413
18

[Stamp — top right]
BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA E ARQUIVO DISTRITAL DE ÉVORA

[Title]
Cap. 8. Do princípio da Missão da Ilha de Hainan.

[Main text]
Deo se principiou esta Missão o anno de 1593 pelo Padre Pedro Marquez Portuguez, e pelo Irmão Domingos Mendes de nação china nascido em Macao, onde falleceo depois o anno de 1652. Sucedido de fei Abrix esta Missão foi frand Christão Mandarim chamado Paulo filho de outro que levou a China o P. Matheus Ricci, o qual era natural daquella Ilha, e vindo a Macao com certos Negocios antes de partir para Hainan para onde hia degredado alcançou do P. Visitador este de Palmo lhe desse Permissão para fazerem Christandade em sua Patria. E posto que levando os de arriscava a ser acuzado de meter Liturgicos naquella Ilha, e perder por isso o officio, etc. outros muitos trabalhos, Cortou por tudo, e meteo os P. em Hainan onde logo em dia de Pascoa baptizaram aquelle, a Nord, quatro sobrinhos, contra quinze jefoes da casa deste Mandarim.

Esta Missão correu por conta da P. Provincia da China até o anno de 1641 em que o N. P. Geral por petição do P. Alvaro Venedo Procurador da mesma Provincia em Roma applicou a Japão, por não ter a Provincia despeitos bastantes para agrouer, eferm. Difultosos visitar a Provincia que veio de dentro da China, e por outros Lagoens de Confiurança.

[Signature]
Entrou depois do P. Pedro Marquez o P. Bento de

Page 36

de Mattos, que esteve naquella Missão acompanhado por
o tempo dos P. André Libelli, Miguel Boim, e Padre Nunes,
e ornais tempo do até o anno de 1640, quando hua Arma-
da vindou em forma de guerra contra a Ilha, sendo o P.
Fratres de Concentor, ficou detido, e botarão com os grilhões
aornar por vir logo obertaro afugentar, como fugirão
a Ilha, e ficou activo fem Padre alguns annos, e em
Março de 1653 partio para esta Missão o P. Mathias de Mayo
levando para Companheiro o P. João Pereira, que ainda
era Noviço, O qual P. Bento de Mattos assim referido en-
trou no anno de 1633, e no anno de 37 tornou para Macao
por ordem dos Mandarins, e no anno de 1644 tornou para
Hakun, onde este esteve até 1646, por conta da sua letra,
dois mil cento, e sincoenta baptimos feitos por elle, e fes
Catequiztas. Neste meio tempo falleceo em Macao por Vi-
zitador sendo já morto.

Não pode neste anno de 1653 restaurar
aquella Missão porque o barco desmentindo, em que o P. Fria
para desembarcar nas praias de Hakun, elide foi por
fora, e a Vinda inda que se desembarcou, era praya omico
que le vava por jutubazes, e tinha estado em Hakun fun-
do do mar falta do estado de terra, Voltou dizendo que não
podia entrar o P. por hir em traje destartado, e assentado
debartar, o qual houve pouco mezes erá dancado
da Ilha, e ago vernavão os Chinas, o qual grito gera falso
omoco

Page 37

[Page]
000414
19

[Main text]
vmaço apoube tão bem pintar que perfeccionou ao P. Caos
de Navio, mas poderá ficar por então na Ilha; será forçado
tornar-se embarcar logo.

Ficou aquella Missão, a Christandade sem ter Padre algum
até que em 24 de Junho, dia de S. João Baptista, de 1656 entrou
nella por Superior o mesmo P. Mathias da Maya, demarcado
Portuguez, com o P. José Baptista Brando, Neapolitano, em
companhia do P. João Nicolao Smogolenski, Polaco, q. falava
lingua, escrito de China de Guangtão, levou ao P. q. terra
a Mainad, donde voltando depois q. a sua Provincia mor-
reu em Macao no mesmo anno; estambeem foi o P. Estanis-
lao Torrente com o P. Mathias da Maya.

Entrando depois em 30 de Abril de 1657 na mesma
Missão o P. José Forjet, subdiaco Lyolon Francês, e por f.
ao P. Mathias da Maya veio patente para Provincial de Japão;
sucedeo em Superior o P. José Forjet, que morrendo em 23 de
Outubro de 1660 ficou o P. Estanislao Torrente, Italiano de
Macau, por Superior de toda a Missão, para onde partio de
Macau o P. Antonio Lopes, Portuguez, em companhia do P.
Pascoal Frideric, denunciad Vina, em 22 de Julho de 1661.

No anno de 1664 entrou a perfeiçionar; ficou a Missão
sem Padres. No anno de 1671 o mesmo P. Estanislao Torren-
te voltou para Kajrad, ficou por Superior até o anno
de 1680, aonde defunto, em que morreo o P. Estanis-
lao Torrente, succedeo o P. Francisco Capadi, que

Page 38

[Page]
A1000

[Marginalia — top center]
A1000

[Main text]
digo tuecidos a P. Francisco da Veiga, que ficou do até
o anno de 1685, em que foi mandado de Cantão, onde estava
o P. Joaquim Caldas, que morreu em 86; morreo, e ficou
outra vez do até o anno de 91, no fim em que os Mores se
mandarão para Haynão o P. Francisco Cabral, que no anno
de 93 tornou para Tonan, ficando outra vez do, e no anno
de 94 mandarão para Haynão ao P. João Pacheco; em anno
de 96 veio patente de Provincial de Japão ao P. Francisco
da Veiga, e em seu lugar foi gerado Superior da Missão de
Haynão o P. João Pereira, ficando por seu Companheiro
o P. João Pacheco.

[Heading]
Cap. 9. Dos principios da Missão de Laos.

[Main text]
O Primeiro que intentou entrar nesta Missão do Reyno de
Laos, que como se tem dito, chamam os de Laos, foi o Padre Ba-
ptista Bocarro, o qual depois, deterido algum tempo em
curador da Província de Japão, eleitor do Collegio de Ma-
cao, sendo por Visitador da Missão de Funai, no anno
de 1637 cometteu a jornada por via da Província de Indos,
que esta vizinha a Corte, o Japão dos Laos, governados
dos Burins agros daquellas partes. Me adoeceu nove Mes-
sias, que acompanhavam, em morte de dois, cedendo
como Padre morreo tambem em 4 de Setembro de 1638.
Depois em Abril do anno de 1642 por via de
Camboya

Page 39

[Page]
20

[Archival mark]
000415

[Marginalia — top right]
20

[Main text]
Camboya. Campanha em Caga do novo Rey de Camboya,
filho de Humão hao. Se embarcou o P. João Maria de Iría.
Depois de três mezes chegou com muito trabalho ao porto
do Laos, onde esteve alguns annos padecendo muito com
pouco fructo.

Cap. 10. Do princípio da Missão de Cochinchina.
Começou a Missão de Cochinchina em 18 de janeiro do
anno de 1616. Vende Reitor do Collegio de Macao o Padre
Manoel Dias Demore, Provincial de Japão, ao P. Valentim
Carvalho. O primeiro da Companhia que nella entrará
fora o P. Francisco Bordoni Neapolitano, que depois
morreo neste Collegio, e o P. Diogo Carvalho Portuguez, Na-
tural de Coimbra, que depois morreo Mártir em Japão, e
o P. Fr. Antonio Dias, que depois morreo degredado em
Camboya.

Em anno de 1617 foi por Vigilador daquella Mis-
são o P. Manoel Barreto, que depois morreo em Japão,
e no anno de 1618 por Superior o P. Pedro Marques, que
tambem morreo em Japão. Vgo.

Em anno de 1619 elevou-se húa grande per-
seguição, em que hum Bonzo Môr, grande inimigo da
Nossa Santa Ley, fez com hum Privado do Rey para que
mandasse desterrar os Padres, derrubar as Igrejas

Page 40

[Page]
6.1030

[Marginalia — top center]
6.1030

[Main text]
ficarão porem em pé hua em Casão com titulo de
Casa da Ethay Joasina & fora formão, ou sobrinha de
hum Mandarim muito grave, tambem ficarão
alguns Padres escondidos posto que com m. trabalho.
Depois de varios successos em o anno de 1539 cobrou a
Missão por via depressa algũa paz, mas nãò flogeou
muito porque o P. João Maria dizia que era supe-
rior: succedeo ao P. Gaspar Luis foi denovo lançado da
Caza de Cochim depois de amarrado, e espanqueado. O
Anno seguinte de 1540 foi de Macao o P. Alexandre
Rhodes, e fez amizade com o Capitão dos Japões, e ape-
rimentou favor com o Rey porem tambem durou pou-
co esta esperança, porque falleceram os mais tempes-
tade o anno de 1541 em que o Rey mandou matar pela
Confissão da sua patente Fe o Catequista André.

Depois ate o anno de 1552 nãò conseruio o Rey os
Padres estarem ordinariamente no Reyno mais que o
tempo que nelle estavão os Portugueses com suas em-
baxadoras, que seriam cinco, ou seis mezes em que os
Padres visitavão, enjudavão alla Cristandade como podião,
que eraõ prais que dous. E Superior destes estes annos
foi o P. Methoscano Siciliano, demarcad.

Panno de 1552 comparêstou o Rey da Cochinchina de
Champa, e abrandou algum tanto a perseguição, con-
sentindo que hum P. ficasse no Reyno, e que outro viesse
a Macao

Page 41

[Page]
000416
21

[Marginalia — top left]
F

[Main text]
a Macao nab como desterrado, mas para ajudar ao
desamparado logue com a cidade pertendia ficou o Pe. Superior,
tendo ab P. Pedro Marques que voltou no anno de 1653.
p. 978.

Cap. II. Do principio da Missão de Cantão

Começou haver Igreja e Padres na Cidade de Cantão pe-
lo anno de 1649 em occasião da gente de Macao, que foi em be-
corro do Rey Vem dije, a quem obedecia a Provincia de Can-
tao com outras que ainda não estavaõ sugeitas aos
Tartaros, em tempo morreram ahi desdença os Pe.
Francisco Vaez e Joam Ferreira. Depois os Tar-
taros em Dezembro de 1650 tomaram a possessão de Cantão
porque ainda ahy ficavão alguns meços ab Alvaro Ve-
medo, e alguns Padres que hião p. a China dentro, e pa
Haynão, depojs gem acodiam aos Christaos que ali fi-
cavão, e tinham a sua Igreja ou Ermita, em que os Pe.
Meess Simeão de Mira e Misja, eram sacramentavão, sem ausencia
delle, pojuntavão os Christaos a orar.

Em anno de 1658 sendo Vig. ab Simão de Lunda
Provincial de Japão ab M. Matias d'Almeyda, vejo orden
do N.M.R. Geral Jozevino Nichel para que as duas Pro-
vincias de China, Cantão, e Quansi, ou Confui ficassem
a conta da Provincia de Japão, e esta as proveje de
Missionarios, La sim foi mandado pelo D. Superior.

Page 42

[Page]
81900

[Marginalia — top center]
81900

[Main text]
aceitou a Missão o P. André Lubelli em Março de 1659.
fez Igreja com laza, & herdancia fixa, a qual porem
ficou por ordem do P. Provincial annexa ao Collegio,
e o superior della subito Collectar do Collegio de Macao. 84.

[Heading]
Cap. 12 da Missão de Shiab.

[Main text]
Posto que no Reyno de Shiab estiveram P. de Nossa Companhia
em varias occasioens, o primeiro que nelle entrou pelos
annos de 1638 foi o P. Balthazar de Sequeira da Provincia
de Fochim, com tudo alarã, & herança informada fez
mecou em anno de 1656 pela Provincia de Japão, fez
de apetição, e instancia dos moritos Christãos que ali
moravão, em que entravão alguns Japoneses, os quaes
davão por razão de sua frieza na Christandade, a falta
da doutrina dos Padres da Companhia, com quem se criavão,
e com quem só se entendião, erão jepodiam accomodar
com outro Ministro, que naquelle Reyno havia, esforçado
todos em sua Carta ao P. Pez. alcançarão o dese-
jado; foi o P. Thomaz Valguarneira por superior, depois
em anno de 1659 lhe succedeo o P. João Cardozo & junto
com o cargo de superior davão ordem para he começar
nova Legidencia em Tonnaparem, Porto ordinario onde
erão os Navios da India pertencente ao mesmo Reyno

Page 43

[Page]
000417
22

[Main text]
Ao Meemo Reyno de Vead onde hua Igreija chamada
Maria Carneiro fariam doação da parte desafazerem
em vida, aparte em Morte para se fazer ali huma
Igreja, caindo da autoridade do Padre, e por que
ob. Logo partio, chegou a dito Porto, constuido por
acar ali já ob. Manoel Carvalho da Provincia de Co-
chim, adou algua dificuldade em fazer Igreia em
Tamafarim, e determinou fazer Igreja em outro
lugar chamado Merquim, para ficar mais desembara-
cado ao intento principal da Conversão dos gentios natu-
raes, entre tanto que da Provincia de Cochim se esperava
ordem sobre ficarem ali alguns da mesma Prov. que lhe
cederem ao B. Manoel Carvalho, o qual neste Tempo
Deos elevou para si, em P. de Cochim largarao aquella Igreja,
e de lá para Vead. logo decidido para lá foi o B. Joao Cardozo por
tres annos pouco mais ou menos, e depois delle outro dous an.
esteve o B. Manoel Soares, finalmente por nao ter que fazer
e por vir obrigario da Lara del Thomé os nossos B. largarao
aquella Igreiencia H. 1540.

Page 44

[Stamp — right center]
[BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA E ARQUIVO DE ÉVORA]

[Main text]
[ILLEGIBLE: entire body of text due to faded ink and poor contrast]

Translation

Page 1

— PAGE —
1

[Archival reference mark — top centre]
CXVI
2–11, no. 46
000396

[Archival reference mark — top left]
CXVI
2–11

[Archival reference mark — top right]
1

[Stamp — right margin, mid-position]
[Circular stamp: BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA E ARQUIVO DISTRITAL DE ÉVORA]
(Public Library and District Archive of Évora)

[Stamp — right margin, upper position]
[Circular seal bearing a coat of arms and partially legible inscription: [UNCLEAR: text fragment visible] .A.R.C.H.I.V.O.]

[Marginal annotation — top left]
CXVI
2–11

[Main text]
This volume, recording the names and benefactions of the Superiors and Patrons of the College of the Mother of God in Macau, belongs to the Procurators of the said College, in accordance with Rule 2 of their office, which prescribes its maintenance as an instrument of acknowledgment and gratitude—duties expressly enjoined by our Constitutions in relation to our Patrons.

Chapter I: On the foundation of this College (or House) and on the Superiors who governed it up to the year 1617.

Chapter II: On the foundation of the Mission and Christian community in Japan, and on the principal Superiors who promoted it.

The foundation of this Christian community dates to the Blessed Father Francis Xavier in the year 1549; he was the first to undertake this mission, to preach the Holy Gospel therein, and to serve as the first Superior of the Society of Jesus in Japan. The second Superior was Father Lourenço de Torres, whom Xavier appointed in his stead, accompanied by Brother João Foz—whom Xavier had brought with him from India. From Japan, Torres returned to India to recruit further companions for the mission; and, returning thence to Japan with eager anticipation and hopeful resolve, he sought also to extend our Holy Faith throughout that great land.

Page 2

Aleixo died within sight of China on the island of Lamchão on 2 December 1559, aged twenty-two years. He had departed from Portugal in 1541 and arrived in India in May 1542, having wintered in Melaka en route. During this decade, he traversed almost all the territories in India that the Portuguese had then discovered, and founded Christian communities along both coasts of Travancore, the Deccan, the Moluccas, and Japan—foundations which his spiritual ‘sons’, the Jesuit Fathers of the Society of Jesus, subsequently expanded.

In the meantime, Father Master Belchior, Superior of all the Jesuits in the East, set out from Goa for Japan in 1554, wintered in Melaka, and reached Japan in 1556. There he visited and consoled local populations and the nascent Christian community before returning to India later that same year, taking with him nine individuals deemed personally suspect.

The third superior was Father Francisco Cabral, who baptised Dom Francisco, King of Bungo.

The fourth was the Blessed Gaspar Coelho: though appointed by the Jesuit superiors, he was the first to govern the Society in this mission territory under the formal title of Vice-Provincial.

The fifth was Father Pedro Gomes, Vice-Provincial.

The sixth was the Blessed Francisco Raffio, Vice-Provincial; he was succeeded in July 1611 by the Blessed Valentim Carvalho, who assumed the title of Provincial—by then, the Province of Japan had been formally separated from the Provinces of India. Simultaneously, the Blessed Francisco Raffio began serving as Visitor of this Province; he later died at the College of Macau in August 1612.

[Marginal note — bottom right]
No doubt whatsoever may be raised against this account.
Letters.

Page 3

[Page]
2

[Archival reference]
000397

[Main text]
Extracts from letters sent by Father General Claudio Aquaviva to Father Francisco Paio in 1611, 1612, and 1613, addressing him as Provincial of the Province of Japan and China—though he had not in fact held that office. Rather, he had been appointed directly from Vice-Provincial to Visitor (Visitador) in the same year, 1611. This anomaly arose because the Province of Japan and China had, several years earlier, been formally constituted in Rome as an independent province, separate from the Provinces of India; however, this reorganisation remained unknown in Japan. The delay stemmed both from the vast distance between Japan and Rome—letters typically took four, and sometimes as many as five, years to arrive—and from the inherent uncertainties of maritime navigation. Indeed, some of the official letters conveying the General’s decree establishing Japan as a distinct province were lost en route. Consequently, although the letters eventually reached Japan, knowledge of the change did not arrive until 1611, when the order arrived appointing Father Valentim Carvalho as Provincial and assigning Father Francisco Paio the role of Visitor—a directive which was duly implemented. Thus, Father Valentim Carvalho served simultaneously as the first Provincial of the newly constituted Province of Japan and China and as Superior Major (Superior maior) of the Order of the Jesuits (Ordo Societatis Iesu) in the region referred to above.

In 1614, there were 150 Jesuit religious (i.e., members of the Society of Jesus) resident in Japan. Of these, 23 were exiled to Manila and 73 to Macau; the remaining 54 remained in Japan clandestinely. Father Valentim Carvalho served as Provincial of the Province of Japan and China from 1611 until 1619, when he was succeeded by Father Matheos de Couros. However, a patent (i.e., formal appointment document) issued for Father Jerónimo Rodrigues (senior) was rendered ineffective, as he was prevented from travelling freely to Japan due to his presence in Macau; accordingly, Father Francisco Vieira, acting as Visitor, assumed administrative responsibility pending further instructions from Rome.

Page 4

Successions in the Province of Japan:

The first succession occurred when Father Matheus de Carros served as Provincial until the year 1621, in which year a patent appointing Father Francisco Pacheco as Provincial was issued. Father Pacheco was martyred on 20 July 1626 and was the first Provincial of Japan to die a martyr’s death. He was succeeded by Father Matheus de Carros, who thus assumed the office for the second time—on 29 October 1633—and died shortly thereafter near Euximi (present-day Ōmura), exhausted by excessive labours and the severe hardships endured during the persecutions instigated by the *daimyō* Dom Bay (i.e., Arima Harunobu) and subsequently intensified under his successor, Tenka (i.e., Matsura Takanobu).

Upon Father Carros’s death, Father Sebastião Vieira was appointed Vice-Provincial by order of Father André Palmeiro, SJ, the Apostolic Visitor to the East Indies and former professed Jesuit of the Province of Japan. Father Vieira held this office from 13 October 1633 until his arrest and subsequent martyrdom at the shogunal court in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) on 6 July 1634.

During this period, the office of Provincial remained vacant, and governance of the Japanese mission devolved upon the Apostolic Visitors, as the Society lacked sufficient information regarding the number and whereabouts of its members remaining in Japan—a situation necessitated by the increasing severity of persecution and the consequent breakdown of regular communication. Successive Visitors administered the province until 1638.

At the beginning of that year, Father Manuel Dias, SJ, then Apostolic Visitor, appointed Father Gaspar Luis—then stationed in Cochinchina—as Rector of the College of Macau and simultaneously declared him Vice-Provincial of Japan, in accordance with Canon 22 of the Fifth General Congregation (1608). Father Gaspar Luis accordingly travelled from Cochinchina to Macau, where he assumed both offices and served a three-year term as Vice-Provincial. At its conclusion, he undertook a visitation of Miyako (a district within the domain of Funai, in present-day Ōita Prefecture, Kyūshū).

On returning from Funai on 22 October 1641, Father Gaspar Luis—acting under instructions from Father António Rubino, SJ, Vicar Apostolic of the East Indies—appointed Father Gaspar de Amaral, Rector of the College of Macau, as his successor and Vice-Provincial.

To the Father…

Page 5

[Page]
000398

[Marginalia — top right]
3

[Main text]
Father Gaspar de Amaral was succeeded in the rectorship and provincialate by Father João Cabral in 1645, appointed by the Blessed Father Melchior de Azevedo; he governed for one year.

Father João Cabral was in turn succeeded—both as rector and as provincial—by Father Sebastião d’Almeida, by patent issued by the Blessed Father [Melchior] de Azevedo; he governed for three full years. Upon completion of this triennium, the ‘Vias’ (canonical pathways or formal procedures) for appointing the provincial of Japan were opened at the instruction of Father Manuel de Azevedo, and through these same ‘Vias’, Father João Cabral was formally reappointed on 26 July 1649. By order of the same Blessed Father Melchior de Azevedo, acting as vicar general (*Vicarius*), Father Cabral was simultaneously confirmed in office as rector.

Upon conclusion of Father João Cabral’s triennium and the opening of the succession process for the provincialate of this province on 28 August 1652, a delay occurred while awaiting official confirmation (*Mea*) from Rome, as a ship from India had recently arrived bearing correspondence—but no suitable candidates for appointment were among its dispatches. When it became clear that no further instructions or nominees would arrive imminently, the ‘Antigas’ (the traditional electoral procedure involving consultation of senior members of the province) were convened. In the first ballot, Father João Cabral was again elected; in the second, Father Jerónimo Mayrea—who was then residing in Tuncum (Tongking)—was elected provincial of this province. Although Father Mayrea could not immediately assume office due to the requirement that provincials reside within their jurisdiction (*viação*), he was nonetheless able to be formally installed (*avivado*) at the College of the Jesuits in Macau (referred to here by the archaic toponym *Jeronimes*, i.e., *São Jerónimo*, the name of the Jesuit college in Macau). This procedural accommodation was justified by the papal brief of Pope Innocent X (1644–1655), which stipulated that members of the Society of Jesus serving in overseas provinces were not required to observe the standard three-year term (*trienno*) before reappointment—thus permitting Father João Cabral to remain in office until 3 March 1653, when the newly appointed commissary (*avogo*) from Tuncum finally arrived. As Father Jerónimo Mayrea had already accepted his election, he formally assumed governance on 14 April 1653.

Page 6

[Page]
A-2009

[Marginalia — top centre]
A-2009

[Main text]
Father João Cabral was succeeded by Father Jerónimo de Mayorica, who assumed office both in the Tuntim Mission—where he had already arrived as heir apparent—and as Provincial of Japan on 14 April 1603. He died in the Tuntim Mission on 29 January 1606, while still holding the office of Provincial. However, as he was absent from this College, news of his death did not reach us until the end of that same year, when a letter—dispatched overland—arrived. It was brought by several individuals who had travelled overland and survived a shipwreck; the vessel in question was the *Navio de António da Cota Beirnude*, which had been en route back to this city.

Father Jerónimo de Mayorica was succeeded on 16 April 1606 by Father Martim Coelho, as no Vice-Provincial was then in office. The latter arrived at the beginning of July of that year. It appears that the appointed Vice-Provincial had either died or was otherwise incapacitated, and the Visitor’s triennial term expired before the impediment preventing the Vice-Provincial’s assumption of office had been resolved. In accordance with the papal brief issued by Pope Innocent X governing such vacancies, it was deemed appropriate to appoint a new Vice-Provincial on 10 July 1606, effective from nine o’clock in the morning.

On 19 August 1608, Father Mathias de Araya entered upon the office of Provincial of Japan by virtue of a papal patent issued in Rome. He governed for three years, during which he died. Upon the opening of the lines of succession, Father José Máriz de Sá was designated as his successor. As Father Máriz de Sá was then resident in Macau—whence a vessel was expected daily—the Provincial Consultors judged that, in these circumstances, a dispensation was warranted.

Page 7

[Page]
000399

[Main text]
Pursuant to a dispensation granted by His Holiness Pope Alexander VII, and a declaration issued by the Most Reverend Father General, the Provincial superiors were permitted to remain in office beyond the customary triennial term on account of grave and pressing necessity (*gravissima causa*), and for a brief period only (*ad breve tempus*). Accordingly, the Venerable Mathias d’Araya continued in office for a further seven days, until 26 August 1661, when the Venerable José Maria Leiria—having arrived from Lisbon—was appointed Provincial Superior in the chapel assembly (*in capella*) and formally received the *via successio* (the canonical process of succession) and the administration of the community.

On 26 August 1661, upon conclusion of the triennial term of the Venerable José Maria Leiria, the *via successio* was opened. The name of the Venerable Wifrio Borges appeared first on the list; however, as he had already died previously in Jacatra, the second candidate on the list—the Venerable Héctor M. Ruiz—assumed the office of Provincial Superior. He governed the province until 24 March 1667, the date on which he passed away while still holding office.

On 27 March 1667—three days after the death of the Venerable Héctor M. Ruiz—the Venerable Pedro Marques was elected Vice-Provincial. This appointment followed the prior death of the Venerable Helbelo Vaccaro in Cochinchina; Marques thus stood third in the established order of succession (*tertia via successio*).

On 26 August 1667, the second *via successio* was opened for the office of Provincial Superior. The name of Father Pedro Kuzarte appeared therein; however, as he was absent in Europe, the Most Reverend Visitor Luís da Fama appointed the Venerable André Gomes as Provincial Superior *ad interim*.

On 21 July 1670, upon opening the *via successio* for this province, the name of the Venerable Filippo Marino was found listed, and he assumed the office of Provincial Superior on that same day.

Upon completion of his triennial term, the Venerable Filippo Marino was succeeded in the office of Provincial Superior by the Venerable José Cardoso on 21 July 1673.

Page 8

Upon the conclusion of Father João Cardoso’s triennial term, the prescribed canonical procedures (‘Vias deduzidas’) were initiated. The appointment was then conferred upon Father André Dubellis; however, as he was absent in China, the administration remained—by necessity—under Father Cardoso’s continued authority for a further year. Father Cardoso himself was also absent, having travelled to India and subsequently to Cochinchina, where he perished in a shipwreck in 1576.

Father André Dubellis arrived in Macau from China on 22 July 1577 and assumed governance for a full triennium. At its conclusion, he was again absent—this time engaged in missionary work in China—and thus the third-ranking candidate, Father Francisco Pimentel, was appointed in his stead. Father Pimentel likewise died in Tonkin. The next designated appointee was Father Francisco Davies Philypues, who commenced his governance in Canton on 1 December 1580, before relocating to Macau later that same year.

The first provincial election (‘1ª Via de Provincial’) concluded in December 1583, during which Father André Gomes—already deceased—had held office. A second election (‘2ª Via’) was then convened, resulting in the nomination of Father Manuel Ferreira, who was then stationed in Tonkin and had already been summoned to Rome. Following deliberation in consultation (*in Consulta*), he was deemed impeded (*impedido*) from assuming office. A third election (‘3ª Via’) followed, yielding the appointment of Father José Díaz Nier, who assumed governance on 6 December and served until 25 July of the following year, when he received a papal mandate appointing him Apostolic Visitor.

On 25 July 1584, the ‘Maço de Roma’ (i.e., the official dispatch from Rome) was opened, containing the papal bull appointing Father Vicente Varrão as Provincial. His triennial term concluded on 25 July 1587.

Upon the expiry of Father Vicente Varrão’s term, Father Francisco Sogueira—having arrived promptly from Goa bearing formal letters patent (*Patente*)—was due to succeed him as Provincial. However, Father Sogueira declined the appointment. Consequently, on 31 July [1587], the first provincial election (‘1ª Via de Provincial’) was reopened, and Father Filippo Fregosi was elected. He took formal possession of the office on that same day.

Page 9

[Page]
000400

[Marginalia — top right]
5

[Main text]
Office dated 31 July 1607. Upon completion of the triennial term of Fr Philip Fierqui, His Majesty directed that the Father who had served as Provincial—then Fr Francisco Xavier Felipuchi—should succeed him. Fr Felipuchi had recently concluded his tenure as Vicar General and Provincial on 6 January 1611.

Fr Francisco Nogueira succeeded him as Vicar General and Provincial of Japan on 6 January 1611. Upon the expiry of his triennium, the office of Vicar General lapsed, and the customary process for appointing a new Provincial of Japan was initiated. In the first round of nominations (‘first via’), Fr Francisco Xavier Felipuchi was named—but he had already died. The second ‘via’ was therefore opened, naming Fr Alexandre Ciero; however, he was so severely impeded in the imperial court at Peking that he could not assume office. The third ‘via’ was then opened, designating Fr Francisco da Veiga—who was then serving as Superior of the Mission in Hainan—and he accepted the appointment. Consequently, Fr Nogueira continued in office *ad interim*.

He remained in this capacity until the year 1695, when fresh nominations arrived: in the first ‘via’, Fr Reginaldo Burger—then residing in Goa—was named, and His Majesty renewed his appointment. Fr Nogueira thus continued provisionally until the fourth ‘via’ arrived in 1696, bearing Fr Burger’s formal excuse (‘escusa’) for non-acceptance. At that time, a new royal patent (‘patente’) was issued in July 1696, together with three further nominations (‘viás’). The patent appointed Fr Francisco da Veiga—still stationed in Hainan—as Provincial of Japan. He requested clarification (‘recado’) regarding the terms of his appointment and, though reluctant, was obliged to accept. He arrived at this College on 10 October 1696 and formally took possession both of the office of Provincial and of that of Rector.

By then, Fr Tomé Paz—who had been acting as Provincial of Japan in place of Fr Francisco Nogueira—had already died in Macau. Fr Nogueira himself had likewise died on the same day—5 November 1696—in Tonkin; Fr Paz followed him in death the next day, 6 November, in Macau.

Thereupon, Fr Francisco da Veiga was admonished: having made certain administrative dispositions in Canton prior to his departure for this College, he was required to conclude those matters before assuming full authority.

Page 10

[Page]
004026

[Main text]
… and, in fact, his triennial term concluded on 3 October 1609.

The Venerable Francisco da Veiga was succeeded in the office of Provincial of Japan and Rector of this College by the Venerable Manuel Carvalho y Patente, who arrived from the Province of Goa, having been dispatched to Macau by the Most Reverend Father General for appointment as Provincial of Japan and Rector of this College. He assumed office—having been elected Provincial—on 3 September 1609.

Upon the conclusion of the Venerable Manuel Carvalho’s triennium, the first succession clause (*suceçad*) of his patent was opened, and therein the Venerable Miguel de Amaral was named as his successor. Amaral took possession of the Provincialate—having been elected Provincial—on 3 September 1622, and continued in governance until 6 January 1624, on which date he embarked for Goa, having received, on 7 August 1623, formal instructions and a patent (*patente*) from the Most Reverend Father General appointing him Visitor (*Vigário*) of the Province of Goa. Moreover, since the said Venerable Amaral had previously declined, in 1618, another patent by which the Most Reverend Father General had intended to appoint him Visitor of both Goa and Malabar, the Father General now added, on this second occasion, an explicit precept of obedience requiring acceptance of the said office of Visitor of Goa.

On 8 August 1623—i.e., one day after receiving the aforementioned patent appointing him Visitor of Goa—the Provincial Miguel de Amaral convened a consultation, during which the second succession clause (*suceçad*) of the Venerable Manuel Carvalho’s patent was opened. Therein, the Venerable António de Barros—then Vicar of the Province of Goa and currently serving as Provincial of Malabar—was named Provincial of Japan and Rector of this College. As Barros could not be despatched from Malabar to Macau before the departure of the Father from Goa (i.e., Fr Miguel de Amaral), and as no further succession clause for the Provincialate of Japan remained extant at the time of Amaral’s departure for Goa, the latter appointed…

Page 11

[Page]
000401

[Stamp — right margin]
[Public Library and District Archive of Évora]

[Main text]
He appointed as his successor the Provincial of Japan, together with other members of this College of Macau, Father Manuel Olório; however, the said Father António de Barros—who had been designated—declined the appointment on grounds of advanced age. Father Provincial Manuel Olório therefore assumed office on 6 January 1604.

In August of the same year (1604), two letters patent (*patentes*) issued by the Most Reverend Father General arrived for the governance of the Province of Japan. Neither bore a named successor. One was explicitly marked *‘aberta’* (‘open’), intended to be delivered immediately to Father Diogo Vidal—who had previously served as Procurator of Japan in Rome but had not yet returned to the East. The second was marked *‘para abrir causa mortis’* (‘to be opened upon death’) or, alternatively, *‘upon conclusion of the term of office of the said Father Diogo Vidal’*.

As Father Vidal neither arrived nor was expected to do so imminently, Father Provincial Manuel Olório—acting upon consultation with his council—determined that the second letter patent should be opened. Upon doing so, it was found to appoint Father Francisco Pinto, who was then absent from Japan, serving in the Province of Saint Francis Xavier (Santinho) as Administrator of the China mission at the Missionary Convent in Canton—a post he had held for many years. Immediate notification was dispatched to him; yet, as he failed to arrive, Father Provincial Manuel Olório continued to govern.

The aforementioned Father Diogo Vidal had obtained permission to depart for Japan in March 1604, setting sail from Lisbon via Goa. He died during that same voyage en route to Goa; news of his death did not reach Macau until August 1605.

Father Francisco Pinto arrived in Canton, where he formally assumed the office of Provincial on 24 February 1605. He reached Macau on 6 March of the same year and continued to hold both the office of Provincial of Japan and that of Rector of this College.

In August 1608, a further letter patent appointing a Provincial of Japan and Rector of the College of Macau arrived for the said Father Miguel de Amaral, who was then residing in Goa, holding the office of Vicar-General (*Vigilante*) of that province.

Page 12

[Stamp — left margin]
[Circular stamp: NATIONAL LIBRARY OF PORTUGAL]

Order of His Most Reverend Father General appointing Father Francisco Pinto to continue in the same offices of Provincial of Japan and Rector of Macau until the arrival in Macau of the aforementioned Father Miguel de Amaral, whom His Most Reverend Father General had previously notified—by the present patent—of his appointment to those offices. It was understood that, upon concluding his term as Visitor of the Province of Japan, Father Amaral intended to proceed to Macau at the earliest opportunity. Having completed his term as Visitor, Father Amaral departed from Goa for Macau in May 1610 and arrived in this city and college on 26 July of the same year. On that very day—26 July 1610—Father Miguel de Amaral assumed office as Provincial of Japan and Rector of Macau. This followed the conclusion of the triennial term commencing in April 1607, during which the first succession had been held in consultation: the late Father Jerónimo de Moraes (who died in Goa) had been elected Provincial; upon his death, the second succession was convened, and Father José Peres—then absent in Cochinchina—was elected. Consequently, Father Miguel de Amaral continued to discharge the duties of Provincial and Rector pending formal notification of Father Peres and his subsequent assumption of office. Father Peres, however, declared himself unable to take up the post in Macau owing to insuperable impediments, and—as no further successor was available—the appointment devolved upon Father Miguel de Amaral, who thus continued in the office of Provincial.

In 1616, on 10 July, a patent appointing a Provincial of Japan arrived in Macau, containing provisions for two successive appointments. The patent named Father José Monteiro—designated for the Province of China, then experiencing administrative difficulties—as the principal appointee; this appointment was duly implemented. Upon convening the first succession, Father José Peres was again elected and formally notified; yet, returning from Cochinchina, he reiterated the same impossibilities cited above. In the following year, the second and final succession was held, and Father Stanislaus Machado was elected.

Page 13

[Page]
000402

[Main text]
Machado, Lieutenant in Funai, likewise assumed office there, having arrived under a mandate of obedience issued by Provincial Miguel de Amaral, who served as secretary. Machado formally assumed the office of Provincial at Funai on 12 June 1578. News of this appointment reached Macao on 20 August of the same year (1578), whereupon Father Miguel de Amaral concluded his term as Provincial—having held that office continuously for eight years and twenty-five days. Father Estanislau Machado continued to govern from Funai; meanwhile, in Macao, he had appointed Father João Pereira as his duly constituted Provincial Vicar.

Perceiving, however, that all regarded it as impracticable for him to govern the Province effectively from Funai—and that administrative oversight from that location was unworkable—Father Provincial Estanislau Machado, while still in Funai, issued formal powers to the Provincial Consulta, authorising it *ad plenum* to appoint his successor in the office of Provincial. This delegation followed upon receipt of another papal brief (*humiliatio*) from Rome. Acting under this commission, the Consulta elected Father Miguel de Amaral as Provincial. He succeeded Father Estanislau Machado and formally assumed governance once again on 26 August 1578.

[Heading]
Chapter III: The Visitors Appointed by the Generals of the Society of Jesus for the Province of Japan and China

[Main text]
§1. Father Gonçalo Álvarez was appointed Visitor for this Province of Japan and China by the General of the Society, Father Francisco de Borja, in 1568, in response to the summons issued by Dom Luís de Ataíde, Viceroy of Portuguese India. After conducting his visitation of the Society’s houses in India, Father Álvarez proceeded to inspect the Jesuit mission in China; thence, he embarked for Japan in December 1569, where he carried out a full visitation of the Province of Japan—by which time the Japanese mission was already well established.

Page 14

With a most violent typhoon, not a single soul survived this shipwreck—save one individual, who, having drifted at sea, managed to board a passing junk that happened to be carrying letters from the *Nau* [Portuguese carrack]. The said Father died in July 1573, accompanied by his companions: Father Manuel Lopes (his coadjutor and substitute), Father João Velho, Father Diogo Fox, and Father António Paes.

The second Visitor was Father Alessandro Valignano, who had been dispatched by the Father General, Father Everard Mercurian, in 1573 and arrived in these parts in September 1574 with four Fathers and Brothers of the Society of Jesus. Having first undertaken a canonical visitation of the Society’s houses in India, he proceeded to China in 1578; he made his initial, informal entry into the country in 1579. Following his subsequent visitation of the Fathers stationed in this mission—and having instituted numerous administrative and pastoral reforms for the good governance of the Vice-Province—he returned to India in 1583. On his departure, he brought with him four Japanese *marchiones* (a term used in contemporary Jesuit correspondence to denote high-ranking samurai or noble retainers), all staunchly loyal to Christian daimyō: Dom Manoel (a kinsman of Francisco, daimyō of Bungo); Dom Miguel (a kinsman of Ōtomo Yoshishige, daimyō of Arima); Dom Bautista and Dom Martinho; and Dom Feliciano (all devoted adherents of Ōmura Sumitada, daimyō of Yonaguni). Dom Bartolomeu also accompanied them. These envoys embarked at Cochin in February 1584 aboard a Portuguese vessel bound for Portugal, under the guidance of the esteemed Father Jerónimo Rodrigues—then Procurator for Rome, elected at the Second Congregation of the Province of India, and affiliated with the College of St Paul—and in the company of Father Diogo de Mesquita. They arrived in Lisbon in August of the same year. Having been received by Cardinal Alberto, Governor of Portugal, they departed for Rome the following year, in 1585, and reached the Eternal City at the end of March of that year. There, they were accorded the full ceremonial honours due to official ambassadors by Pope Gregory XIII, who granted them an audience of singular distinction.

Page 15

[Page]
000403
8

[Main text]
Holiness and obedience, in the name of the three Japanese Christians,
and with devotion to this nascent Christian community, and at the very time of the death of the aforementioned Pope, Father Alessandro Valignano was elected the sixth Visitor to the Jesuit missions in the East; thus coinciding the death of one pontiff and the election of another. Having completed this extensive pilgrimage—through Italy, Castile, Portugal, and India—the party returned to Japan in 1590, laden with honours and accolades, accompanied by the same Father Alessandro Valignano. At that time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (known in contemporary Portuguese sources as *Jordão Tenca Taico*) was the de facto ruler of Japan. The said Father, together with these Japanese noblemen, visited Hideyoshi’s court on an embassy from King Dom Duarte de Meneses of Portugal, and was received with great honour and ceremonial splendour.

However, this favour accorded by the Japanese authorities proved short-lived: shortly thereafter, Hideyoshi launched a severe persecution against the Christian community. Consequently, the Blessed Visitor Alessandro Valignano departed Japan for Macau for the second time in 1592. From there, he immediately appointed the Blessed Gil de Mala (also recorded as *Gil de Malta* or *Giles de Malta*) as his Procurator for Japan. Father Gil de Mala accordingly travelled to Japan for the second time, arriving there in March 1595; and in September of the same year, he received a letter from the Blessed General of the Society of Jesus confirming his appointment as Visitor of the Indies, while restricting his jurisdiction solely to Japan and China. He ultimately relinquished this office in 1597, and then embarked upon his third journey to Japan in July 1598, in the company of the Blessed Bishop Dom Luís Cerqueira.

Finally, he returned from Japan to Macau for the third—and last—time in 1603, accompanying Dom Paulo Portugal, Captain-General of that voyage. Upon his arrival, he assumed oversight of the College of Macau, a post he held until his death on 20 January 1606. During his tenure, he governed the Jesuit Province of India—including Japan—as Visitor for thirty-one years; of these, twenty-one years were spent administering both the Indian and Japanese missions concurrently. During this twenty-one-year period, the said Father served successively as Provincial and Visitor, from September 1583 until April 1588.

Page 16

The second visitation to Japan occurred following the deaths of the Vice-Governors of the Province of India: the Venerable Francisco Mijão in 1581 and the Venerable Pedro da Silva in 1583. Both had returned from India and subsequently served as Provincial Superiors in Japan. During this period, the Venerable Visitor resided in Japan for one year—namely, eleven months—during which he also fulfilled the office of Visitor.

The third Visitor of this Province was the Venerable Francisco Cajó, appointed by a letter dated July 1611 from the General Superior, Father Claudio Aquaviva, S.J. He assumed the office of Visitor immediately upon relinquishing his prior post as Vice-Provincial of this Province. At the same time, the Venerable Valentim Carvalho was declared Provincial of this Province, as it had by then been formally erected into an independent Province—separate from the two Indian Provinces of Goa and Malabar—as stipulated in the original papal brief received from Rome. The Venerable Visitor Francisco Cajó departed Japan for the College of Macau in 1612, where he died on 31 August of that year.

The fourth Visitor was the Venerable Francisco Vieira, appointed in India under a patent issued by General Superior Claudio Aquaviva; this document was dispatched from Rome in January 1615 and reached Goa in October of the same year. Having handed over the office of Provincial of Goa to the Venerable Jacomo de Medeiros in October 1615, the Venerable Vieira departed Goa for this Province in May 1616 and arrived at the College of Macau on 13 July of that year.

The fifth Visitor, the Venerable Francisco Vieira, died at the College of Macau on 28 December 1619, shortly after returning from Japan, where he had resided for just over one year. His death followed the serious illness of two senior superiors—or Procurators—of the Province (then still structured as a Vice-Province): the Venerable Sebastião d’Almaya fell gravely ill, and the Venerable Jacomo de Medeiros succeeded him in administrative responsibility; the aforementioned Provincial remained otherwise in post.

Page 17

[Page]
9

[Archival reference]
000404

[Stamp — right margin]
[BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA E ARQUIVO DISTRITAL DE ÉVORA]

[Main text]
Provincials and Vice-Provincials were to act independently, as though they had already conducted a canonical visitation. Subsequently, the Provincial of Japan issued the aforementioned directive to Dom Professor; the other members of the Consultative Council accordingly agreed that the instruction should be suspended until clarification was received from Rome on this matter—and such clarification was duly awaited. This decision was formally enacted on 27 January 1650.

On 9 July of the same year (1650), news arrived concerning successive letters of appointment for Visitators—arriving by a different route from that taken two years earlier, when similar letters had been dispatched to Father Francisco Furtado, who was then residing in China as Superior of the Northern Houses. At that time, however, the region was entirely in turmoil due to the Tartar incursions; no reliable intelligence had reached the Society regarding whether Father Francisco remained alive or had perished, nor whether any of the letters we had previously sent him on this matter had successfully arrived.

Father João Cabral, Provincial of the Province of Japan, together with the other members of the Provincial Consultors’ Council, judged it appropriate—indeed, obligatory—to open the newly arrived Successions. Accordingly, they were opened during a formal consultation meeting. Upon examination, more than two such letters were found, both bearing the superscription *‘Second Succession’*. Observing this, the Provincial—already uncertain whether both letters ought to be opened, given the unprecedented nature of the case and the lack of consensus among the Consultors—proposed that the matter be referred to all professed Fathers present at the College. They were asked two questions:
1. Whether the said Successions ought to be opened, in order to determine which held precedence; and
2. Whether, in the event that Father Francisco were deceased, a new Superior should be appointed for the House in question.

Page 18

**Translation (UK Academic English, British spelling and conventions)**

In the event of Father Furtado’s absence—or should any other impediment arise—the question arose whether one ought to await fresh instructions from His Grace, whether deceased or still living; or whether, given the urgency of the situation—particularly the logistical difficulties occasioned by ongoing hostilities—one might proceed *pro mortuo* (i.e., as though he were deceased) for this specific purpose. The Professed Fathers submitted their written opinions (*parere scriptis*) to the Provincial Secretary, who, having taken note thereof, reported the matter to the Provincial Council (*junta*).

The first point raised in these opinions concerned the opening of the respective successions: it was resolved that such successions should indeed be opened.

The second point addressed the status of Father Auranta, who—though impeded from exercising his office—was *not* to be regarded *pro mortuo*, nor even as having resigned. Acting upon the oral testimony presented before him, the Provincial ordered that the aforementioned successions be opened forthwith; and, in the first instance, appointed Father Sebastião de Itmaya to assume governance. Full account of these proceedings was rendered to Our Reverend Fathers General (*N. R. P. G.*), and further guidance is awaited regarding the formal approval—or possible re-approval—of analogous cases in future.

Father Sebastião de Itmaya governed the Province from 10 July 1650 until approximately 2–3 June 1651. At that time, a letter from Father Francisco Furtado arrived at the College in Macau, confirming his safe arrival in Canton and reporting that he had received official notification (*aliento*) from the Visitor on 7 July 1650. Thereupon, he immediately commenced visiting the Jesuit residences (*Casas de Residências*) throughout China.

As Father Sebastião de Itmaya had already begun governing *before* the formal opening of the succession process, the Provincial, Father João Cabral, sought—and obtained—the unanimous written counsel (*parecer*) of all the Consultors who had served immediately prior to Father Sebastião’s appointment. Their opinion affirmed that the governance of the Province—and the office of Provincial itself—had been duly entrusted to Father Sebastião de Itmaya, whose appointment had been formally ratified (*lavía*) and whose authority was thus fully established (*aberta jnternous affectuos*—i.e., internally accepted with goodwill and consensus). This opinion was transmitted both to the Consultors of this Province and to those of the Province of Cochin, where the same question had likewise been referred for consultation.

Page 19

— PAGE —
000405

— FOLIO —
10

— MARGINALIA (top left) —
On 21 November 1563, a report was submitted to the Venerable Father Francisco Furtado. In accordance with the foregoing strictures, the Venerable Father Sebastião d’Ehnaya was not appointed, owing to the absence of a newly constituted administration for Macau; the relevant papers were formally taken up on 22 November of that same year, Anno Domini 1580.

— HEADING —
Chapter I: On the Origins of the Mission to the Kingdom of China and on the Universal Superiors Who Served Therein

— MAIN TEXT —
Father Visitor Alessandro Valignano, en route from India to Japan in 1578, paused at the College of Macau while awaiting formal appointment to Japan. During this sojourn, he commenced preliminary preparations for the mission to China, drawing upon diverse testimonies and intelligence furnished by both Portuguese residents and Chinese interlocutors—individuals who held out hope for the propagation of Christianity within this realm. To initiate this undertaking, he petitioned the Reverend Father Rui Vicente, Provincial of the Indies, for the assignment of a priest of exceptional ability to serve as pioneer at this ‘gate’ to China. In response, the Venerable Father Michele Ruggieri was dispatched. Upon his arrival in Macau in 1580, he immediately commenced intensive study of the Chinese language, script, and customs, engaging a native Chinese tutor and accompanying Portuguese merchants on several occasions to the Canton fair. Through these efforts, he cultivated friendships and established rapport with certain Chinese individuals; with their assistance—and under their counsel—he succeeded in securing an audience with the *tútān* (i.e., the local magistrate or prefect of Guangdong Province). Ultimately, he obtained official permission to reside within the city, initially renting premises for use as an apothecary’s shop; later, with the same *tútān*’s approval, he purchased the property outright.

Page 20

[Page]
594000

[Main text]
to establish a small settlement—roughly one league distant from the city—whereupon, in 1582, Father Matteo Ricci joined him; together, they made a number of converts to Christianity. However, the local authorities subsequently expelled them from this location and ordered their return to Macau. Upon learning of this, Father Alessandro Valignani—who was then residing at this College, having arrived for the first time from Japan in 1583—exerted considerable pressure upon the authorities, urging them to do all in their power to prevent the missionaries’ expulsion from China. At the same time, he petitioned the provincial administration to restore to them the lands along the route to Canton (Guangzhou) which they had previously been granted, and dispatched a formal instruction to the magistrate of Zhaoqing (then rendered in Portuguese sources as *Ravcheo*), directing that suitable accommodation be provided there for Father Matteo Ricci and his companion, Father António de Almeida. By this point, Father Rogério (de Azevedo) had already departed for Macau; Father Alessandro then sent him on to Melaka (Malacca), whence he embarked aboard a royal galleon bound for Lisbon, and thence proceeded to Rome to report to our Father General on this mission and other matters pertaining to the Society’s activities in East Asia. He remained in Italy for some time.

Meanwhile, Father Matteo Ricci and his companions resided for a period at the said residence in Zhaoqing. During this interval, Father António de Almeida died; thereafter, Father Francisco Petri remained with Father Ricci. In 1588, upon Father Alessandro Valignani’s second return from Japan, he assigned Father Lázaro Catanho (Cattaneo) as Ricci’s new companion. After both men had spent some time together in Zhaoqing, Father Matteo Ricci proceeded to establish a residence in Shaozhou (rendered in contemporary Jesuit correspondence as *Xanghã*).

Page 21

[Page]
000406

[Main text]
leaving this Mission, having already disembarked
at these residences—and at the others subsequently established—up to the year 1610, in which he died in Beijing, the imperial capital of China; thus he was both the first Superior of the Fathers in this Mission and its principal founder.

The second Superior was Fr. Nicolò Longobardo, who assumed office following the death of Fr. Matteo Ricci and held the post until 7 February 1619; all details concerning his tenure are amply documented in the history of this Mission, initiated by Fr. Matteo Ricci, to which I refer the reader.

Fr. José da Rocha succeeded Fr. Nicolò Longobardo as Superior of the China Mission in June 1622.

Fr. José da Rocha was in turn succeeded by Fr. Manuel Dias Jr., who served first as Vice-Provincial (following the dissolution of the China Province and the death of its last Provincial), and then as de facto provincial administrator for several years.

He was succeeded by Fr. Francisco Furtado, who likewise served as interim administrator for a number of years. At the conclusion of his term, Fr. Giulio Aleni was appointed Second Provincial for the southern region (‘do Sul’), while Fr. Francisco Furtado continued in office in the northern region (‘do Norte’) in place of Fr. José Vaz, who had already died.

In 1646, a patent issued by the Provincial of this jurisdiction appointed Fr. Álvaro Lamego as administrator; he governed for nearly four years, owing to the disruption of overland routes caused by the Tartar wars, which prevented communication from reaching Fr. Manuel Dias Jr., who ultimately succeeded him.

Page 22

[Page]
001030

[Marginalia — top centre]
001030

[Main text]
He assumed office in the year 1550, governing—interim—throughout this entire period over the northern regions of Japan.

The foundation was established by an overwhelming number of vassals, whose power had grown excessive; hence the notification concerning the new provincial successions.

By decree of Father Manuel Dias Junior—on account of his blindness—he was relieved of the office of Provincial. His successor was appointed by Father Sebastião de Armea, Visitor of the Province, and confirmed by Father Álvaro Semedo, then Provincial, in 1605. Upon completion of his triennium, Father Estêvão Fabro succeeded him; however, upon receipt of the official notification of his appointment, he was already deceased. Consequently, Father Simão da Cunha assumed the office of Provincial. After governing lawfully for one year, he departed on a visitatorial mission on 28 October 1658. In that same year, dispatches arrived from Rome appointing Father Estêvão Fabro and Father Álvaro Semedo to the provincial office—both of whom, however, had already died. Father Simão da Cunha, who had previously succeeded as Visitor following the death of Father António Veloso, was thus the first to undertake this new visitatorial mandate; he was succeeded in turn by Father Inácio da Costa.

Upon completion of Father Inácio da Costa’s triennium in 1661, the succession process opened. On the designated day, the senior Visitor (Primus Via) Father Matias de Armea—then recently concluded his own term as Provincial of Japan—closed the proceedings. He could not assume the new provincial government without first vacating office for the requisite number of years, as stipulated in the papal bull issued by Pope Innocent X. Thereupon, by formal consultation (*consulta*), Father Diogo was elected to the office of Provincial.

Page 23

[Page]
000407
12

The Reverend Father Diogo Fabbro served as Provincial of the China Mission during the period in which the aforementioned impediment remained in force. His appointment was made in accordance with the Ordinances, and the Most Reverend Father General had previously authorised such provisional arrangements for comparable circumstances. Upon the removal of the impediment, Father Mathia d’Arriaga assumed office; however, Father Diogo Fabbro vacated the post shortly thereafter, as persecution commenced in September 1614.

In 1615, Father Feliciano Pacheco was appointed Provincial. In 1618, Father António de Gouvea succeeded him; Father Pacheco then resumed the office for a second term in 1621.

In 1624, following the reopening of the overland route to Rome (i.e., the overland postal and diplomatic channel between Macau and Rome via Persia and the Levant), Father André Lubelli concluded his tenure as Provincial of China. He governed for two years and six months but did not complete the full triennial term, as the governance of the Province of Japan became available and he was consequently reassigned as Provincial of that province.

Father Fernando Rypiero succeeded Father Lubelli, having been appointed via the Roman route. He completed the full triennium. In March 1630, Father Gabriel Gabian—also known as Domingo Gabian—succeeded him as Provincial.

Upon the conclusion of Father Domingo Gabian’s triennium, Father José Vallois, who was then en route to China (‘nas Vias’, i.e., travelling along the established Jesuit communication routes, most likely via Goa and Macau), assumed the office of Provincial and governed for the entire three-year term. Upon Father Vallois’s death, Father Prospero Lacerda succeeded him as Provincial, taking up the office on 30 June 1636.

Page 24

[Page]
701030

[Marginalia — top centre]
701030

[Main text]
Upon the conclusion of Fr. Brogyero’s term of office, Fr. Domingos Gabeán succeeded him as Provincial of China, assuming governance on 30 June 1609.

Upon the completion of Fr. Gabriel’s three-year term, Fr. Tomás Pereira succeeded him as Provincial of China, commencing his administration on 1 July 1612. Fr. Tomás Pereira was in turn succeeded in the office of Provincial by Fr. Filippo Grimaldi, who began his governance on 1 July 1615 *de facto*, as the official patent appointing Fr. Francisco Vimeon as Provincial had arrived posthumously—Fr. Vimeon having already died. Consequently, Fr. Grimaldi continued in office; and in 1616, a further patent was issued appointing Fr. Brogyero as Provincial—though he was by then terminally ill, &c., &c., &c.

Chapter 5 treats of the Bishops of Ega.
Chapter 6 treats of the origins of the Fujian Mission and its superiors.

According to information provided by our Fathers engaged in cultivating the Christian community in Cochinchina, the Visitor Fr. Jerónimo Roiz (senior) learned—given that both that kingdom and the province of Fujian had, for some years past, been open to evangelisation—that the Kingdom of Fujian exhibited favourable dispositions towards the propagation of our Holy Faith. Year: 1626.

Page 25

[Page]
000408

[Folio]
13

[Main text]
In 1626, Father Giuliano Baldinotti of Florence dispatched Brother Giulio Beany aboard the vessel of Gaspar Borges da Fonseca—a citizen of this city of Macau—to travel to that kingdom (Tonkin) in a state of fasting, in order to ascertain, through direct observation, the disposition of the native population towards the establishment of a missionary enterprise. The Father proceeded thither and found the local people so favourably inclined that the king—named Thanta—petitioned him to remain in his realm, extending numerous favours and honours in support of his request. Nevertheless, Father Baldinotti declined to stay, having received explicit instructions to return to Macau and report on his findings concerning conditions in the kingdom.

He returned from Tonkin with the aforementioned Brother Beany in September of the same year, leaving behind no baptised converts other than a few children; the indigenous population remained, for the most part, adherents of traditional (non-Christian) religious practices.

By that time, Father André Palmeiro had already assumed office as Vicar Apostolic; he had arrived from India in the preceding month, bearing a patent from the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide). Having been duly informed by the aforementioned Brother Beany of the candid and highly promising disposition of the local people towards receiving ‘our Holy Faith’, the newly appointed Visitor resolved to inaugurate the mission and advance it without delay.

To this end, in the following year—1627—the Visitor dispatched Father Pedro Marques, a Portuguese priest, as Superior of the Mission: he was its first incumbent in that office. He was accompanied by Father Alexandre de Rhodes (of the Society of Jesus), who served as his companion. Father de Rhodes possessed a proficient command of the local language, having previously resided in Cochinchina; he had been specially summoned thence for this expedition. They arrived in Tonkin on 19 [day unspecified].

Page 26

[Page]
804000

[Marginalia — top centre]
804000

[Main text]
19 March, the feast day of St Joseph—hence the entire host (i.e., the local community) knew him to be their patron saint. Upon entering Cadre from the Barra and the port of Pung, the missionaries arrived at the same port of St Joseph. They were received with great courtesy by the king, Ornerno, who treated them with marked honour, conferred upon them substantial favours, and assigned them lodgings—including a chapel—adjacent to his royal palace.

The lead missionary priest, animated by fervent zeal, mistakenly supposed that the time spent in assisting with the construction and embellishment of the palace was being well employed. He therefore wrote to the king—deeming it an opportune moment to introduce him to the tenets of our Holy Faith (a chance which, regrettably, was not subsequently repeated). However, as the missionaries gradually withdrew from the palace precincts and devoted themselves fully to pastoral work—baptising members of the local populace, who gathered in considerable numbers—they achieved remarkable spiritual fruit within a short period.

Yet when news reached the king of the missionaries’ growing influence—and particularly of the large assemblies convening regularly at their residence—he began to harbour suspicions regarding the implications for the stability of his realm. Observing such a multitude thronging daily to two foreign ecclesiastics, King Ornerno issued strict orders prohibiting native officials (‘feos Vapallos’) from approaching beyond the missionaries’ residence. Ultimately, following the failure of the annual Macau-bound ship to arrive—thereby diminishing local reliance upon the missionaries’ presence—the king’s apprehensions intensified. He consequently proscribed entirely the practice of the Christian faith, dismantled the missionaries’ dwellings and chapel (which stood directly opposite the royal palace, on the left bank of the river), and expelled the priest, dispatching him aboard a well-equipped galley to Bucim, on the frontier of Cochinchina.

Page 27

[Page]
000409

[Marginalia — top right]
14

[Main text]
…so as to proceed thence to Macau. The Christian community—particularly those stationed at the fortress on this side—was deeply distressed by this development; to comfort them, the missionaries appointed Francisco, a former Buddhist priest (bonzo) who had converted to Christianity and was well instructed in the doctrines of our Holy Faith, as their catechist. The Fathers arrived at Bucino, where they remained for some time in relative comfort before proceeding to Cochinchina; subsequently, they returned to the province of Guira, having already converted and baptised nearly all the soldiers and boatmen under their care.

News reached Macau—via Cochinchina—of another location where the Fathers were stationed; upon learning of this, Fr Pedro Morjón, Rector of this College, dispatched Fr André Palme to render assistance, since Fr André de S. Paulo—later to become a glorious martyr—and Fr Gaspar de Sotomayor were then residing there. (Fr André Palme undertook this visitation in September 1629.) Having selected the province of Guira as their base of operations aboard ship, the two Fathers proceeded to the royal court, where the King received them with great honour. Yet during their stay—which lasted until April 1630—the monarch refused to permit either his vassals to attend the Fathers’ residence or the Fathers themselves to celebrate Mass. Instead, he issued a formal, high-level instruction directing them all to return to Macau, and wrote to the Visitor Father stating that these missionaries were disturbing his realms, demolishing pagodas, and constructing temples and churches. He requested that His Paternity appoint other missionaries—without recourse to a vessel—and affirmed that he would receive them willingly, provided they came unaccompanied by ships, as he regarded such vessels as impediments.

Page 28

[Page]
801000

[Marginalia — top centre]
801000

[Main text]
with goodwill. The Father deferred his ordination for three years; during that time, he baptised some four thousand souls.

He arrived in Macau in May 1603, reporting to the Father Visitor on the considerable spiritual harvest already gathered in that kingdom—and on the even greater harvest yet to be reaped. Prompted by this report, the Father Visitor dispatched, the following year, Father Gaspar d’Arriaga as Superior, accompanied by Fathers António Fontes and António Cardim as his companions. They reached Canton on 7 March and were received by the local authorities with extraordinary honour and favour, including full permission to preach the Christian faith. Nevertheless, although initial authorisation had been granted, after three or four months—by which time the departure of the ships had been determined—the authorities ordered the Fathers to re-embark, fearing that their presence might disturb the stability of the realm. The imperial court, however, was favourably disposed towards their preaching; upon their petitioning for a permanent residence, citing the need to provide pastoral care and maintain a Christian community, the authorities consented to allow at least one priest to remain, and further granted permission for one of his companions to stay with him. Thus, Fathers Gaspar d’Arriaga and António Fontes remained in Canton, while Father António Cardim returned to Macau.

The Fathers found the mission in Canton in a state of considerable neglect, owing to the prolonged vacancy in pastoral oversight. Prior to their arrival, Father Alexandre de Rhodes had entrusted the care of the local Christian community to three catechists—Francisco, Ignácio, and André—who, during those ten months, had diligently discharged their duties and re-baptised approximately four thousand individuals.

Moreover, in order to induce Father Mufóz to take three solemn vows:
1. to remain celibate;
2. to hold no personal property; and
3. not to withdraw from the mission.

Page 29

[Page]
15

[Archival reference]
000410

[Stamp — right margin]
[BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA E ARQUIVO DISTRITAL DE ÉVORA]

…separated from one another, yet remained united in discipline, in ecclesiastical fellowship (aggregatio evangelica), and in pastoral care for the Christian community. Observing the considerable efficacy of this arrangement—and foreseeing its potential for even greater benefit to the said Christian community—the monarchs permitted the structure to remain unchanged; upon it they formally established the Community and Congregation of the *Cathoquitas*—a designation still current today—though they modified its original foundation by substituting direct obedience to the Crown, and to whomever the monarchs should appoint in their stead. Moreover, as that religious household was situated near the mountains, the royal court in Africa appointed a Superior for that house and directed Father Afraçio to reside in Chino; meanwhile, the Superior previously stationed there was transferred to Guia to serve as Superior of the house established at Dam. There, he exercised authority and issued ordinances, mandating that all individuals deemed suitable be admitted to the Congregation; each year, he selected and sent candidates—approved by the Nuncio—to swell the ranks of the Congregation. This measure proved highly effective from its inception, serving as a principal instrument in the extensive conversions achieved within that Christian community.

The aforementioned Father, having been appointed to translate immediately into the local vernacular—without recourse to individualised or idiosyncratic renderings—donned a *cabaya* (a traditional outer garment) of rose-coloured cloth, with which he proceeded to the royal palace. There, he was able to rectify certain procedural irregularities that had occurred in the initial implementation of the arrangements emanating from the palace. The same *cabaya* was also employed when addressing royal ministers: it functioned as an official insignia, ensuring that his communications were received with due formality and gravitas. Indeed, whenever ministers saw him wearing the *cabaya*, they understood him either to be arriving on official business from, or departing on behalf of, the royal palace.

Page 30

[Page]
01000

[Stamp — left margin]
[Circular blue-ink stamp, partially legible: *Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo*]

[Main text]
Baptism and subsequent experience revealed that residence within the Imperial Palace was still deemed the most advantageous arrangement, enabling them to preserve the authority of His Holiness intact while remaining in the service of the Emperor. The Father enjoyed such high esteem at court—and the Emperor accorded him such honours—that he was granted unrestricted access to the palace whenever he wished. He ranked among the principal mandarins of the realm and held the office of *bembuco* (a title denoting a senior ceremonial or administrative official) of the *Cabaya* (a high-ranking advisory council). In later years, however, they abandoned the traditional clerical biretta and instead adopted the insignia of the *Cordoem* (i.e., the Dominican Order), receiving blessings upon their hair and beards in the manner of Nazarenes—thus fully adapting themselves to local customs and expectations.

The dwelling in which they first resided was initially situated within the palace compound of Mandarin Vifoma Tuyen. Subsequently, the authorities granted them land on which they erected a simple bamboo structure with a thatched roof. In the second year, they occupied a timber-framed house, purchased for ten *taels*, the cost being borne by the community. The Emperor issued an edict ordering that all missionaries resident in Hangzhou should henceforth reside in a single designated compound—termed a *gedad* (a transliteration of the Chinese term *jietuo*, here used administratively to denote a walled residential enclosure or compound)—within which two textile workshops were to be maintained, ostensibly ‘for the sake of fire safety’. Under the auspices of this edict, the Jesuit residences in Hangzhou were constructed as leaf-thatched buildings (*casas de folha*), located approximately nine *li* (c. 4.5 km) from the city centre. This is the same site currently occupied by the mission—the former residence of a mandarin who was the Emperor’s son-in-law—and lies at some distance from the location of the first dwellings established by the missionaries.

[Signature]
x Written in Macau, in October of the year 1631,
by Father Jerónimo Martínez, Apostolic Visitor,
and Brother Bernardino Regio Lombardo.

The Emperor dismissed them with great goodwill; shortly thereafter, he conferred upon them the title of *Cabaya Lord* (i.e., membership of the imperial advisory council). They remained at court until the following year (1632), when Father Jerónimo Martínez departed for…

Page 31

[Page]
000411
18

[Main text]
to the Province of India to establish the residence he founded at Rum. To Siam was sent Father António de Fontes to found and erect the House of St Paul, while Fathers Bernardino Regio and Gaspar de Amaral remained at the royal court—Father Amaral serving as Superior of the Mission. This mission continued until the year 1634, when Father Bernardino Regio was transferred elsewhere; he died on 25 November and was buried in the church—or chapel—of our former residences, where his remains lay for three years before being exhumed by order of the Governor (Opor) and reinterred in Macau. In 1636, Father André Calvo succeeded to the leadership of the mission; he was followed by Father Manoel Dias Senior, who—within the same year (1635)—dispatched from Macau Father Martim Culho. Father Culho returned to this College on the third Sunday of September 1636, accompanied by Gregório, a native catechist from that mission. At that time, Father António Barbosa and Father Félix Mofely were in their eighth year of service; and in 1637, Father João Baptista Bonchy Millanis was appointed Vicar of the mission, during which period Father S. J. served as Rector in Macau.

In 1663, on 2 November, Fathers Broto Borgias, José Tifanier, and Pedro d’Avez were banished from Canton, leaving the mission there without any priest. During this interval—and despite the banishment—the French surgeon Francisco Dedon entered Canton in 1666; subsequently, three further Jesuit priests (H. P.) gained entry.

Page 32

**Title**
On the Origins of the Cambodian Mission

**Main text**
The first member of the Society of Jesus to enter the Kingdom of Cambodia was Father Pedro Morey, a native of Lyon. In 1623 or 1624—having recently returned from Rome, where he had served as procurator for the Province of Japan—he diverted his voyage en route to Cambodia with the intention of encouraging and consoling Japanese Christians who had been exiled on account of their faith. These refugees, having fled persecution in Japan, were settling in Cambodia—deemed by them a hospitable and economically viable refuge—having arrived there from the Dutch East Indies and other parts of maritime Asia.

After residing in the kingdom for three months, Father Morey travelled to Ucão (modern-day Ô Kâmpôt or possibly a variant rendering of a coastal settlement), where he reported to the Jesuit superiors in Japan concerning the dire pastoral situation confronting the exiled Japanese Christians, who remained without priestly ministry. He also outlined the potential evangelising opportunities presented by the growing number of Japanese migrants arriving in Cambodia—notably those engaged in maritime trade, arms procurement, and military-related activities (‘contra façanhas’, i.e., counter-military or defensive preparations). As a result of his report, the Jesuit superiors dispatched Father Justo—a Japanese-born priest—to the mission; however, his labours were cut short by his untimely death.

During this same period, four Dominican friars arrived in Cambodia from Manila. Having acquired proficiency in the local language, they laboured diligently as apostolic missionaries. Yet they achieved little—or indeed no—success in converting the Khmer people, who consistently proved resistant to hearing or embracing the tenets of the Christian faith. Consequently, the Dominican fathers resolved to return to Manila, aided in their departure by the king’s refusal to grant them formal permission to preach the Holy Faith or to baptise infants—a stipulation they had formally requested.

Page 33

[Page]
17

[Archival reference]
000412

[Marginalia — top right]
17

[Main text]
An impediment that appears wholly to close the doors to the preaching of the sacred Gospel in those kingdoms, arising from the fact that the agent in Cambaya was exceedingly timid and entirely dependent upon the will of the King.

In 1631, Fr. Francisco Bugoni della Mâmpá travelled to Cambaya to seek assistance for his fellow Jesuits, who remained imprisoned there; following urgent entreaty by the King of Cambaya himself, he departed for Macau and returned the following year, in 1632. He remained in Cambaya until 1634, when he was summoned by the King of Cochinchina. During this period, he laboured diligently with a catechist named Agostinho, and five or six Cambayans were converted to Christianity.

Also during this time, in 1632, Fr. Manuel Romão arrived in Cambaya accompanied by several Japanese refugees who had fled thither to escape the newly enthroned ruler of Japan—then engaged in intense persecution of Christians. This monarch, harbouring deep animosity towards them, sought by every means to apprehend the fugitives and exact vengeance upon them. Observing Fr. Bugoni’s evident aptitude for assisting his fellow Japanese, it was arranged that, upon his return to Macau, Fr. Romão should be ordained priest and then reassigned to Cambaya. There he remained for seven or eight years. Towards the end of this period, Fr. Alberto Mininsky (a Pole) and Fr. Antonio Capechi (a Neapolitan) joined Fr. Romão in Cambaya, in order both to acquire the Japanese language and—discreetly and under cover—to provide pastoral support to those persecuted kingdoms and Christian communities. At the end of the first year following Fr. Romão’s arrival, he died; and lest Cambaya be left without a priest, Fr. Suppo was appointed in his stead.

[Rubric]
To

Page 34

[Page]
S43000

[Main text]
It was assumed that the mission would be ordered to Japan; accordingly, Father Gonçalo de Amaral dispatched Father José Agnes thither. Father Agnes remained there until 1548, when he returned to the Colony (Goa), and thence proceeded to Macau. In his stead, Father Francisco Ribeiro—of Neapolitan origin—was appointed.

Thereafter, Father José da Via Leiria continued the mission from 1651 until 1659. During this period, he served alone and held both pastoral and superior responsibilities. In 1659, however, Father Carlos da Rocha arrived as Superior, accompanied by Father António Lopes. Shortly thereafter, hostilities erupted: the King of Cochin invaded and conquered that kingdom, capturing the King of Cambay. As a consequence, the majority of Christians fled to various regions, and all the Jesuit missionaries were likewise compelled to withdraw to Macau.

Father Carlos da Rocha was reappointed Superior in 1662. Upon his return, he found Father Jerónimo Maciel already stationed there; Father Maciel had recently arrived with numerous *Lancados* (i.e., Portuguese lay settlers or traders resident in Asia, often of mixed descent and not under formal ecclesiastical authority) from Malacca. Although the mission was maintained in continuity, in 1669 Father Carlos da Rocha, while disembarking, suffered shipwreck and was cast ashore at Cintad (modern-day Chittagong, present-day Bangladesh), where he died.

In 1676, by order of the Marquis of Fronteira (Viceroy of Portuguese India, 1671–1676), Fathers José Baptista Maldonado and José de Barros—a Portuguese secular priest—departed from the College of Macau aboard a vessel specifically chartered for their passage to Cambaya (i.e., the Gujarat region of western India, then under Mughal rule). They also intended to re-establish the Jesuit mission in Laos, a project previously attempted in 1642 by Father José Maria Leiria; that earlier mission had persisted for several years but yielded little fruit.

Page 35

[Page]
000413
18

[Stamp — top right]
Évora District Public Library and Archive

[Title]
Chapter 8. The Origins of the Mission on Hainan Island

[Main text]
This mission was inaugurated in 1593 by Father Pedro Marquez, a Portuguese Jesuit, and Brother Domingos Mendes, a Chinese lay brother born in Macau, where he later died in 1652. Following the death of Father Abrix, leadership of the mission passed to a devout Christian mandarin named Paulo—a native of Hainan Island and son of another mandarin who had accompanied Father Matteo Ricci to China. While in Macau on official business prior to his enforced relocation (deportation) to Hainan, Paulo successfully petitioned Father Visitador de Palmo—the provincial visitor—for formal permission to establish a Christian mission in his homeland. Although such action carried considerable personal risk—including accusations of introducing ‘liturgical’ (i.e., foreign religious) practices into the island, potential dismissal from office, and other serious administrative penalties—Paulo resolved to proceed regardless. He accordingly facilitated the entry of the Jesuit missionaries into Hainan, where, on Easter Day, they baptised him, his wife, four nephews, and fifteen members of the mandarin’s extended household (‘jefoes’ being an archaic Portuguese rendering of the Chinese term *jiāfǔ*, meaning ‘household retainers’ or ‘domestic dependants’).

The mission remained under the jurisdiction of the Jesuit Province of China until 1641, when the Father General of the Society of Jesus, acting upon a formal petition submitted in Rome by Father Álvaro Venedo—Procurator of the same Province—transferred its administration to the Japanese Province. This reallocation was made on account of the Province of China’s insufficient personnel resources to sustain missionary activity, particularly given the extreme difficulties involved in accessing Hainan—located deep within the interior of southern China—as well as other considerations relating to confidence, security, and ecclesiastical governance.

[Signature]
Subsequently succeeding Father Pedro Marquez was Father Bento de…

Page 36

Translation (UK Academic English, British spelling and conventions):

Bento de Mattos, who served at that mission accompanied by Fathers André Libelli, Miguel Boim, and Father Nunes, remained there until the year 1640, when a fleet arrived off the island in a manner suggestive of hostile intent. At that time, Father Fratres de Concentor was detained and placed in irons; however, upon learning of the fleet’s approach, he was immediately released—whereupon he fled the island. He remained active as a missionary priest for several years thereafter. In March 1653, Father Mathias de Mayo set out for this mission, accompanied by Father João Pereira, who was still a novice at the time.

The aforementioned Father Bento de Mattos had entered the mission in 1633; in 1637 he returned to Macau at the command of the mandarins, and in 1644 he resumed his work at Hakun (i.e., Haikou, on Hainan Island), where he remained until 1646. According to his own account, during this period he administered 2,150 baptisms and conducted extensive catechetical instruction.

In the meantime, he died in Macau while serving as Visitor (a senior Jesuit administrative office), having already passed away before the formal conclusion of his visitation duties.

In the present year, 1653, it proved impossible to re-establish the mission, as the vessel carrying Father Fria—intended to land on the shores of Hakun—was driven offshore by adverse winds. Although the party did eventually disembark, they landed on a stretch of coast described as ‘praya omico’ (a local toponym or phonetic rendering, possibly referring to a specific beach or inlet near Haikou), which was obstructed by mangroves (*Avicennia* spp., here rendered historically as *jutubazes*, a Portuguese colonial-era term for mangrove thickets). Moreover, the coastal area lacked firm ground: the sea encroached deeply inland, leaving insufficient dry land for safe passage or settlement. Upon returning, Father Fria reported that he could not proceed inland because the terrain was impassable and the route unsuitable for travel—particularly given the disordered state of the local political and military situation. Indeed, shortly thereafter, the island was abandoned, and Chinese imperial troops subsequently arrived on the island—a development precipitated by false reports (or alarmist rumours) then circulating among local communities.

Page 37

[Page]
000414
19

The same individual proved so adept at painting that he attained mastery under Father Caos de Navio; however, he was obliged to remain on the island for the time being and would shortly be required to re-embark.

That mission—and the Christian community it served—was left without any resident priest until 24 June 1656, the feast day of St John the Baptist, when Father Mathias da Maya—a Portuguese Jesuit—entered it as Superior, accompanied by Father José Baptista Brando, a Neapolitan Jesuit, and Father João Nicolao Smogolenski, a Polish Jesuit who spoke and wrote Chinese (specifically the Guangdong dialect). Smogolenski had previously travelled to Mainland China (‘a Mainad’), returning thence before his province’s suppression; he died in Macau later that same year. Father Estanislao Torrente also arrived in the mission alongside Father Mathias da Maya.

Subsequently, on 30 April 1657, Father José Forjet—a French Jesuit subdeacon from Lyon—entered the same mission. Upon Father Mathias da Maya’s departure, Forjet received official appointment (‘patente’) as Provincial of Japan. He succeeded Mathias da Maya as Superior of the mission, but died on 23 October 1660. Following his death, Father Estanislao Torrente—an Italian Jesuit based in Macau—assumed the role of Superior over the entire mission. Later, on 22 July 1661, Father António Lopes (a Portuguese Jesuit) departed Macau for the mission in company with Father Pascoal Frideric (a Jesuit of Viana, in northern Portugal).

In 1664, the mission underwent a period of administrative reorganisation (‘entrou a perfeiçionar’); thereafter, it remained without any resident priests. In 1671, Father Estanislao Torrente returned to Kajrad (modern-day Kairāt, in present-day Karnataka, India), where he resumed his role as Superior and continued in that office until 1680, the year of his death. Upon his death, Father Francisco Capadi succeeded him as Superior.

Page 38

[Page]
A1000

[Marginalia — top centre]
A1000

[Main text]
I state that Father Francisco da Veiga served as Superior of the Mission of Hainan until 1685, when he was recalled from Canton—where Father Joaquim Caldas was stationed—and replaced. Father Caldas died in 1686; upon his death, Father da Veiga resumed his post and served again until 1691. At the close of that year, the Moors dispatched Father Francisco Cabral to Hainan; he returned to Tonkin in 1693, whereupon the mission in Hainan once more fell vacant. In 1694, Father João Pacheco was sent to Hainan. In 1696, Father Francisco da Veiga received his patent appointing him Provincial of Japan; in his stead, Father João Pereira was appointed Superior of the Hainan Mission, with Father João Pacheco serving as his companion.

[Heading]
Chapter 9. Origins of the Laos Mission

[Main text]
The first Jesuit to attempt entry into the Laos Mission—the kingdom referred to by its inhabitants as *Laos*—was Father Baptist Bocarro. Having previously served for some time as curador (spiritual director and administrator) of the Province of Japan and as elector of the College of Macau, and later appointed Visitor of the Funai Mission, Father Bocarro undertook the journey to Laos in 1637 via the province of *Indos*—a region adjacent to the royal court of the ‘Japan of Laos’, a designation applied to the Lao kingdoms governed by the ‘Burins’ (i.e., the Burmese), whose harsh rule extended over those territories. During the expedition, nine missionaries accompanying him fell seriously ill; two died, and Father Bocarro himself succumbed on 4 September 1638.

Subsequently, in April 1642, another attempt was made, this time proceeding via Cambodia.

Page 39

[Page]
20

[Archival reference]
000415

[Marginal note — top right]
20

[Main text]
**Cambodia. Campaign in Siam against the new King of Cambodia, son of Udaya I (Udaya Hāo).**
The Reverend Father João Maria de Iría embarked on this expedition. After three months—during which he endured considerable hardship—he arrived at the port of Laos, where he remained for several years, suffering greatly and achieving little tangible fruit for the mission.

**Chapter 10. Origins of the Cochinchina Mission.**
The Cochinchina Mission was formally established on 18 January 1616. On that date, Father Manoel Dias Demore—Rector of the College of Macau and Provincial of Japan—appointed Father Valentim Carvalho as its first superior. The earliest Jesuit missionaries assigned to this mission were:
- Father Francisco Bordoni, a Neapolitan, who later died at the College of Macau;
- Father Diogo Carvalho, a Portuguese native of Coimbra, who subsequently suffered martyrdom in Japan; and
- Father Fr. António Dias, who was later exiled to Cambodia and died there in banishment.

In 1617, Father Manoel Barreto was appointed Visitor of the mission; he too died in Japan. In 1618, Father Pedro Marques assumed the office of Superior; he likewise died in Japan. *Vide infra.*

In 1619, a major persecution erupted. A senior Buddhist monk (*bonzo maior*), a staunch opponent of the Catholic faith, conspired with a royal favourite (*privado do rei*) to secure an edict ordering the expulsion of the missionaries and the demolition of churches.

Page 40

[Page]
6.1030

[Marginalia — top centre]
6.1030

[Main text]
Nevertheless, one residence remained standing at Casão, bearing the title *Casa da Ethay Joasina*; its occupant was a woman—either a former concubine or niece—of a highly esteemed mandarin. Several priests also remained concealed in the region, albeit with considerable difficulty.

Following a series of setbacks, the mission achieved a measure of stability in 1539, but this respite proved short-lived. Father João Maria claimed authority as superior; however, Father Gaspar Luís—who succeeded him—was once again expelled from the house in Cochin after being bound and severely beaten.

The following year, 1540, saw Father Alexandre de Rhodes arrive from Macau. He cultivated cordial relations with the Japanese captain (i.e., the Portuguese *capitão-mor* stationed in Japan) and secured initial favour with the king; yet this hope too was fleeting. In 1541, a period marked by renewed turbulence, the king ordered the execution of the catechist André for publicly avowing his Christian faith—a confession deemed tantamount to treason under the prevailing legal and political order.

Thereafter, until 1552, the king permitted no regular or permanent residence of priests within the kingdom, save during the brief periods when Portuguese envoys were present on diplomatic missions—typically lasting five or six months. During these intervals, priests visited the region to minister to the nascent Christian community as best they could; usually, no more than two priests were present at any one time. The superior overseeing this intermittent pastoral work during these years was Father Methoscano, a Sicilian Jesuit, who was subsequently demarcated (i.e., formally assigned or designated to this role).

In 1552, the king of Cochinchina (Champa) arrived in person and moderated the persecution to some degree, granting permission for one priest to remain resident in the kingdom and another to travel regularly between the court and Macau.

Page 41

[Page]
000416
21

[Marginalia — top left]
F

[Main text]
Father [Pe.] Superior remained in Macau not as an exile, but to assist the destitute and abandoned. He stayed on in the city, having been joined by Father Pedro Marques, who returned in the year 1653.
p. 978.

Chapter II. On the Origins of the Canton Mission

A church and resident Jesuit priests first appeared in the city of Canton (Guangzhou) around 1649, during a period when residents of Macau travelled there in attendance upon the ‘King of Vem Di Je’—a title referring to the Southern Ming pretender Zhu Youlang, the Yongli Emperor—whom the province of Canton, along with several other regions not yet subject to Qing (‘Tartar’) authority, continued to recognise. It was during this time that Fathers Francisco Váez and João Ferreira died in Canton.

Subsequently, in December 1650, the Qing forces took formal possession of Canton. At that time, several young clerics (‘meços’) remained there under the supervision of Álvaro Vemedo, alongside a small number of Jesuit missionaries who had entered China proper and were stationed at Haynão (i.e., Hainan Island). Thereafter, these missionaries regularly visited Canton to minister to the local Christian community, which maintained its own church—or more accurately, a hermitage—where Fathers Mess Simeão de Miranda and Misja administered the sacraments. In their absence, the local Christians gathered there for prayer.

In 1658, during the vicariate of Simão de Lunda (Vicar Provincial of Japan), and under the provincial administration of Matias de Almeida, the Society’s Superior General, Father Jozevino Niccolini, issued a directive ordering that the two jurisdictions of China—namely the Canton mission and the Quansi (i.e., Guangxi) or Confui (i.e., Fujian) missions—henceforth be placed under the administrative oversight of the Province of Japan, which was likewise charged with supplying missionary personnel to them. Accordingly, the Superior in Macau dispatched personnel to Canton in accordance with this arrangement.

Page 42

[Page]
81900

[Marginalia — top centre]
81900

[Main text]
Father André Lubelli accepted the mission in March 1659.
He constructed a church with land and an endowment (‘laza’ and ‘herdancia fixa’—i.e., a permanent benefice or ecclesiastical endowment), which, however, was subsequently placed—by order of the Provincial Father—under the jurisdiction of the College [of Macau], and its superior was forthwith appointed Collector of the College of Macau.⁸⁴

[Heading]
Chapter 12: The Mission of Shiab

[Main text]
Although Fathers of our Society had visited the kingdom of Shiab on several earlier occasions, the first to enter it permanently—around 1638—was Father Balthazar de Sequeira of the Province of Fochim (Goa). Nevertheless, no formal church or endowed mission was established at that time. It was not until 1656—under the auspices of the Province of Japan—that a permanent mission was founded. This initiative arose from the earnest petition and persistent entreaties of the resident native Christians (‘moritos Christãos’—i.e., indigenous converts, likely from the Malabar or Coromandel coasts), among whom were also some Japanese Catholics. These Japanese converts attributed their spiritual lukewarmness (‘frieza na Christandade’) to the absence of doctrinal instruction by Jesuit Fathers—the only ministers with whom they had been raised and with whom they could communicate effectively; they declared themselves unable to adapt to any other clergy then present in the kingdom. Urged by this collective appeal, the Fathers pressed their case vigorously in a letter addressed to Father Pez (likely Father João Pez, then Assistant for the East Indies); their request was granted. Father Tomás Valguarneira was appointed Superior of the newly constituted mission. In 1659, he was succeeded by Father João Cardozo, who—upon assuming office as Superior—also received instructions to establish a new residence (‘Legidencia’, i.e., *legatio*, a formal Jesuit administrative and pastoral station) at Tonnaparem, the regular port of call for ships travelling between India and the kingdom of Shiab.

Page 43

[Page]
000417
22

To the Memoir of Vead, where there stood a church dedicated to *Nossa Senhora da Conceição* (Our Lady of the Conception), commonly known locally as ‘Maria Carneiro’, certain individuals pledged during their lifetimes—by way of a *donatio inter vivos* (a gift made between living persons)—and also by testamentary disposition (*donatio mortis causa*, i.e., a bequest effective upon death), to found a new church on that site. However, this initiative fell under the ecclesiastical authority of the parish priest, and the project was soon abandoned.

Shortly thereafter, the aforementioned individual, Fr. Manuel Carvalho—a secular priest from the Province of Cochin—arrived at the said port of Vead. Having encountered some difficulty in establishing a church at Tamaforim (Tamarim), he resolved instead to erect one at another location named Merquim (modern-day Merkam, near present-day Vengurla, Maharashtra), deeming it more conducive to the principal missionary objective: the conversion of the local indigenous (‘gentio’) population.

In the interim, the Province of Cochin awaited formal instructions concerning the permanent assignment of personnel from its own jurisdiction to serve at Vead; such personnel were expected to assist Fr. Manuel Carvalho. However, before these arrangements could be finalised, God called Fr. Carvalho to Himself. Consequently, the religious community at Cochin relinquished the church at Vead and transferred its pastoral responsibilities thence to that location.

Thereupon, the Venerable João Cardozo was dispatched to Vead for a period of approximately three years. After his departure, the Venerable Manuel Soares served there for a further two years. Ultimately, owing to the absence of sustained pastoral activity—and, critically, because of an urgent summons issued by the *Lara del Thomé* (i.e., the *Lar do Santo Tomé*, the Augustinian convent and missionary house at St Thomas Mount, near Madras/Chennai, serving as a regional administrative hub for the Order in South India)—our venerable missionaries withdrew from Vead. This occurred in the year of Our Lord 1540.

Page 44

[Stamp — centred right]
[ÉVORA PUBLIC LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE]

[Main text]
[Illegible: entire body of text owing to ink fading and poor contrast]

• Location
  • Portugal
    • Biblioteca Pública de Évora

• Education
  • Saint Paul's College
• Hainan Mission