GOES, BENTO de. - Jesuit, missionary and explorer, b. at Villa Franca do Campo, on the island of São Miguel (Azores), d. at Suchow (China) on 11 April 1607. A soldier in India, he entered the Society of Jesus for the first time as a coadjutor brother in 1584, after a remarkable conversion; but having left it, because he intended to proceed to the priesthood, he was readmitted to the same office in 1588. Destined for the mission at the court of the Great Mogul, Akbar, he so won his sympathy that the latter sent him as ambassador of peace to Goa, to the viceroy of the Indies (1601). On his return, it was decided that he should go and explore Cathay, of which Marco Polo and ancient missionaries had spoken, in order to ascertain whether or not it corresponded to China, and to discover the nuclei and groups of Christians who were said to have existed there for some time with their own priests, but without any communication with Rome.
Having set out from Agra on 29 Oct. 1602, disguised as an Armenian merchant and with the name Abdullah Isai, at the head of a large caravan, he reached Lahore, where he dismissed the caravan and chose only a few companions, among them the faithful Isaac, an Armenian. He resumed the journey, one of the most courageous and difficult in the history of exploration, and through Kabul, Charikar, Yarkand, Kashgar, the Pamir, Chalish, Turfan, he finally reached Suchow, in China, around 22 Dec. 1605, after a route of about 4,000 km. Fr. Matteo Ricci, who had received his letters, sent to meet him the Chinese Christian G. Fernandes, or Ciommili; but the latter found him almost dying. The G. in fact died shortly afterwards, not only from the fatigues and hardships he had endured, but also, it seems, from poison administered to him by the Muslims.
The G. had drawn up an accurate diary of his journey, but Isaac managed to wrest from the greedy Muslims only a few sheets, which he then delivered, together with Fernandes, to Fr. Ricci, in Peking. The latter used them to write several chapters (cf. book V, chaps. 12-14) of his Commentaries on China.
The merits of the G. are recognized by the best geographers; the Geographical Society of Lisbon wished to celebrate the third centenary of his death with a special publication; and on the same occasion his fellow townsmen of Villa Franca do Campo erected a monument to him, which represents him in the features and dress of an Arab merchant, as he was when setting out from Agra.