h. These
were Fray Juan de Quintana and Fray Andres Encinas (both natives of
Manila), and Fray Ignacio de Alcaraz, born in Nueva Espana in a place
near Acapulco, called I think, Quatulco. Fray Ignacio was companion
and secretary to this provincial, and so he had the opportunity of
making a key to the apartment, by first making an impression of the
key in wax. On the thirty-first of July, 617, the day of our Father
Ignacio, at eleven o'clock at night, the four opened the door of
the provincial's apartment with the key that had been prepared
for the purpose. The provincial heard the noise immediately, and
suspecting what it might be, rose from the bed, and went shouting to
meet them. At this juncture the three evangelists repented of what
had been begun, and talked of withdrawing from it. But Fray Juan de
Ocadiz, bolder than the rest, since he had already begun the work,
told them that if they deserted he would have to stab them. Thereupon
all four together attacked the provincial, threw him upon the bed,
and held his mouth. The three evangelists held his arms and legs
firmly, and Fray Juan de Ocadiz, putting his knees upon his stomach,
choked with his hands. While the friar was choking him, the provincial
begged for confession. Fray Juan said, "Father, repent of your sins,
and in token of this clasp my hand." The provincial took his hand,
and the murderer absolved him, adding, "Trust, Father, in our Lord,
who will pardon your sins." Upon this he seized his throat, and
finished choking him. Then with diabolical cruelty, in order to be
more certain [that he was dead] they twisted his neck against the bed
in such a way that they disjointed the bones, no that the head fell
from one side to the other as if he had been a dead fowl. All this
tragedy was committed in the dark, so they went for a light, cleansed
the provincial's body of the blood that had gushed from his mouth,
changed his bed-linen and garments, and set everything in good order,
that it might appear that he had died of some sudden accident. They
did not take into consideration the many discolorations upon his
body, or the twisted neck, that must soon give testimony of the
hideous crime. Fray Andres Encinas took all the bloody clothing and
threw it into the closets. The others closed the door from within,
with a cross bar, and jumped through a little window. Although the
provincial had given many loud cries, and other friars lived near
the apartment, nothing was