with five thousand men, two thousand, or a few less, being Spaniards; three hundred pieces of artillery—­the flagship alone carrying forty-six (the smallest of eighteen, while the majority of them were twenty-two libras’ caliber, and some were thirty), and all were bronze, and it carried nine hundred men; the almiranta seven hundred men, and thirty-two pieces; and the other vessels in proportion.  Of powder, they carried four thousand five hundred arrobas; of biscuits, five thousand; of clean rice, three thousand fanegas; and so on, in all the other war-supplies, ammunition, and food.  All this was at the king’s account, not to mention the private persons who embarked.

Among the other precautions that the governor took in order to accomplish a successful result was one, namely, to ask the provincials of the orders and their religious to aid—­the one with their prayers and continual sacrifices in their convents; and the other by religious who were priests, to act as chaplains of the vessels.  Six fell to the share of the Society, two of whom embarked in the flagship, in which were the chief Japanese of a company of that nation which had been raised to serve as volunteers on that expedition, through the vigilance of Father Garcia Garces, [90] a Castilian, one of the exiles, whom the governor esteemed highly.  Accordingly, the latter ordered that the father should embark on the flagship, and with him another religious of the Japanese nation, a person respected because of his worth.  In the galleon “San Juan Bautista” was Father Pedro Gomez, rector of Maluco.  He had gone to India, and returned with the news of the four Portuguese galleons which were coming to unite with our ten.  As his associate went Father Manuel Ribeyro of the province of Cochin and its subject.  In the ship “San Felipe” was Father Miguel Ignacio, at present rector of the residence of Zebu, who, without urging the obligation of his office or the ill-health that he was enjoying [la poca salud, que gozaua], offered himself so fervently to the superiors for that perilous mission, that they had to yield to him.  The commander of that ship has declared in his many letters the talent of the said father as a preacher, and his opinion of his sanctity; and how great was the esteem of the soldiers and sailors for the abundant fruit that he had gathered in Cabite by his apostolic preaching.  His associate was Father Melchor de Vera, [91] who had been in the expedition and victory of the year 10.  Of the other religious orders there were also some prominent members, divided among the other boats.

That noble fleet could not set sail until the last day of that year of 1615.  It had been collected with the intention of going straightway in search of the enemy in their own forts and the chief stronghold of Malayo.  But as the galleons from India did not arrive, which they had heard were wintering in Malaca; and knowing that at that time some ships were generally awaiting in its strait the trading-ships