cts of St. Augustine. The two bodies of
Joan de Messa and the pilot remained in the street all day, while
a multitude of people, of the various nations who are in this city,
collected to gaze at them, manifesting awe at seeing a spectacle so
new to them, and one never seen before in these regions. At night,
some members of La Misericordia carried them away, without clergy,
lights, or funeral ceremony. They carried the two bodies together on
some litters, and buried them both in the same grave. This was the
disastrous end of a poor young fellow, upon whom our Lord lavished many
and most gracious gifts--although he knew not how to profit by them,
but offended Him who had granted them. Those who will feel it most
are the owners of the property [confided to him]; for God knows when
they will collect it, because it is sequestrated. Will your Reverence
communicate this to Brother Juan de Alcazar.

_Alonso Roman_

Death of Dona Catalina Zambrano

May 12, 1621, occurred the unfortunate death of the governor's wife,
which I intend to relate here, as it is a peculiar case. The governor
of these Filipinas Islands, Don Alonso Fajardo de Tenza, suspected
that his wife, called Dona Catalina Zambrano, was not living as
was fitting for such a personage. One afternoon, that of May 12, he
pretended that he was going to the port of Cavite, where he generally
went because the Dutch enemy were in this bay with their fleet. The
governor went, but, leaving all the men who accompanied him, returned
alone. Entering the city secretly, he concealed himself in a house,
where a captain in his confidence brought him a young page who was
in the service of his wife--the one who carried the messages, and
knew everything that went on. The governor placed a dagger to his
breast in order to get him to tell what he knew of his wife. The page
openly confessed that she was maintaining a sinful alliance with a
clerk, an ordinary person, called Juan de Messa Suero, who had been
a member of the Society of Jesus for some years at Coimbra; and that
his wife was dressing in the garb of a man, in order to go outside of
the palace, as she had done at other times. Juan de Messa came with a
very eminent pilot. The governor's wife left the palace clad as a man,
with her cloak and sword and all went together to the square. Thence
they began to walk toward a house of Juan de Messa. The governor,
with three other men who accompanied him, went on ahead of them,