During the former year of 631, twenty-eight professed religious of the Order of St. Dominic, from different convents in Spana, who voluntarily offered themselves for the service of God our Lord, the holy apostolic Roman see, and their order, left the port of San Lucar de Barameda, having embarked to cross over to the province of Nueva Espana in the Yndias, thence to the Philipinas Islands, Japon, and the kingdom of Great China, in order to preach the faith of Jesus Christ in those said kingdoms to the barbarous and idolatrous heathen there.  After a prosperous voyage of eleven months they arrived at the city of Manila, where they were well received by the other religious who reside in those islands.  However there died during the said voyage father Fray Juan Quixada, a native of Xerez, and a son of that convent; father Fray Vicente Ripol, a native of Zaragoca, and a son of the same convent; father Fray Francisco Castaneda and brother Fray Jacinto Robles, both sons of Salamanca; brother Fray Vicenta Ybanes, a son of the convent of Valencia; and brother Fray Jayme Escuder, native of Mallorca.  The rest arrived safe and sound, full of joy at finding themselves where they desired to be busied in the preaching of the holy gospel.

The news from Japon has it that the emperor of that country is holding a large number of Dutch in prison, on account of difficulties which they have had with the Japanese, and even worse [were their dealings] with our people; for through friendship for the Dutch has arisen the great persecution and martyrdom of so many religious, of so many different orders, who have suffered martyrdom in those regions.  Having ingratiated themselves with the emperor until they stood well with him, in order that there might be no increase in the faith of Jesus Christ they counseled him that it was altogether inexpedient to consent that any friar of any order should enter his kingdom, for that they were a vile people, driven out of Espana, to preach the faith of a God whom they adored, who had died crucified upon a cross; and that with that humble garb they were doing great harm, converting the people to their faith and straightway delivering over the country to the king of Espana, as they had done in other parts of the Yndias.  But as God our Lord is ever mindful of his own, His Divine Majesty has permitted that these works of cunning and these heretical counsels, unfriendly to our holy Catholic faith, should have no success, and so at present they have not.  For the emperor has commanded that in no way shall any Japanese be martyred for turning Christian; but that they should be exiled from the realms of Japon, and landed in a Christian country, so that, since they had accepted that faith, they might there be supported and given the necessaries of life.  The reason which moved the emperor to order that they be not martyred is because he fears that through the martyrdom many heathen Japanese would be converted, if they were to see those who are martyred dying unwavering