city with the intention of accomplishing the deed
(which he did later) in his own house; but before entering
it he was informed by a page that his wife had gone,
disguised as a man, to the house of Joan de Messa,
where she had often gone in the same dress. After
receiving this information, he sought his retinue,
taking counsel with his servant and three captains,
whom he placed in four streets in order to let no
one pass. The governor alone arrived at the house
at the very moment that his wife entered, and was
going upstairs with Joan de Messa, and behind them
a very noted pilot, on account of whom the ship that
I mentioned above was celebrated. The governor
attacked him and pierced him with a mortal thrust.
With that he rushed out of the house, calling for confession;
but, those who guarded the street, not giving him time
for that, put him to death. Immediately Messa
went up the stairs, and safely reached a large room
where two candles were burning on a buffet. If
these had been extinguished, he might have escaped.
He drew his sword and defended himself for some time.
As the governor perceived that he was clad in armor,
he aimed at Messa’s face and pierced him through
the neck, so that he fell down stairs, where he who
guarded the door tried to finish him; but as Messa
was well-armed he could not do so readily until he
wounded him in the face. During all this time
Messa was not heard to ask confession or even say
“Jesus,” or any other words, except:
“Whoever you are, do not kill me; consider the
honor of your lady.” While this was going
on in the street, the governor found his wife in hiding.
After wounding her three times, she asked confession;
and he, as a knight and a Christian, went out to look
for a confessor, and brought one. He resigned
her to the priest, urging her to confess herself well
and truly, which she did for some time, until the
confessor absolved her. With three or four more
wounds, and the words with which he aided her to die,
he finished with her. The three dead bodies remained
there until seven or eight o’clock in the morning
before anyone dared to remove them. The master-of-camp,
Don Geronimo de Sylva, who had been governor of Maluco,
and was a knight of St. John, had the body of the
governor’s wife removed to her house, to wrap
it in a shroud; and that night she received solemn
burial by the Recollects 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.