blished trading-posts in the chief places, which
they filled with people whom they brought from Holanda. Consequently,
by the year 1614, the Dutch had eighteen armed galleons in the South
Sea, and they burned the city of Arevalo, where the food for Maluco was
stored, and committed many other depredations, which obliged Don Juan
de Silva, governor and captain-general of the Filipinas Islands, to
prepare a large fleet to attack them and drive them from our seas. But,
thinking that the forces of the Filipinas were insufficient to attend
to so many things at once--the support of the camp in Maluco; the
defense of the city of Manila, which is in sight of twenty thousand
Chinese (who had already, in 1603, risen against it and incited a
war); and sallies to fight the enemy--it was determined to ask help
from the viceroy of India and to join the two forces, Castilian and
Lusitanian, who are especially being attacked by the Dutch. Indeed,
the letters-patent given to them by Count Mauricio read that they are
to make war on the Castilians and Portuguese. Besides this argument,
it is evident that Yndia is not less interested in driving out those
enemies than are the Filipinas.

Father Juan de Rivera, [72] then rector of the residence of the
Society of Jesus at Manila, was appointed to negotiate this league and
reenforcement. He prepared himself in a few days and left for Yndia on
November 21 of the year 1615. He reached Malaca on Tuesday, December 9,
by Manila reckoning, but Wednesday by that of Malaca; for the date for
those sailing west is later, and earlier for those sailing east. [73]

From Malaca he journeyed to Cochin, and from Cochin to Goa, at the
time when Yndia was engaged in the wars of the north; because peace
with the great Mogor [74] had been broken. The viceroy had gone with
a powerful fleet to capture, if possible, four English ships anchored
at Surate, where he received the letters belonging to our voyage and
embassy. Considering the importance of the matter, he hastened his
return and went to Goa. There he furnished four galleons for the said
help, and three hundred or more soldiers, appointing as commander of
the latter Don Francisco de Miranda Enrriquez. [75]

The latter left Goa May 12. The voyage, which is generally
thirty days, lasted three and one-half months. We ran short of
water in the middle of the open stretch, and thought that we were
lost, on account of having been despatched with broken tanks and