he consents to our fathers’ remaining in China, for it was asked in the memorial that our fathers should not leave that kingdom; and since the mandarins know that the king has seen the memorial, and that he tacitly consents to it, they also, are satisfied with it.  As this same memorial has been circulated throughout the whole of China, everybody has learned of our innocence and of the excellence of the law of God, which was dwelt upon at length in the memorial.  Accordingly, as they inform us from here, a great number of literati and mandarins have become friendly toward Ours, and wish them to spread the holy gospel to the most interior parts of China.  Hence it is believed that from this time on our holy law will take deeper root in this kingdom.

The bishop of Japon, Don Diego Valente, of our Society, came this year to Macan, where he is detained because of the bloody persecution in Japon.  Because of the persecution, also, Father Matos, [7] who went to Rome as procurator and took a number of our men for Japon, left part of them in India; while ten who went with him to Macan have been detained there.

Father Nicolas Trigaucio [8] went to China as procurator, and returned this year with some of Ours.  Some of them, for reasons unknown to me, he left in India, and seven he took with him to Macan.

Of the members who came with these two father procurators, five died during the trip over, after leaving Lisboa.  But if the persecution continues in Japon as it is at present, they will not be missed.  Indeed there will be too many of Ours, for even now there is so great a number in Macan that it is often said that there is not standing-room in our college.

Of the Kingdoms of Japon

I will begin my account of the affairs of this kingdom with the cruel and bloody persecution against Christianity which is now at such a height, and in which they put so many to death for the faith that, to me, it seems a picture of what happened in the primitive church during the early persecutions by the emperors.  What I have said may be realized from part of a letter dated in Nangasaqui October 14, 1619, from Father Matheo de Couros, [9] provincial of Japon, to Father Valerio de Ledesma, provincial of these islands.  Translated from Portuguese into Spanish it is as follows:  “In regard to news from Japon I will not write you at length, since I understand that the father visitor has done so.  In temporal affairs everything is quiet.  Persecution of Christians has been and is very severe in Meaco, where almost sixty are prisoners for the faith.  Five or six of these Christians died in prison there, thoroughly resigned to the divine will.  In this city of Nangasaqui there are twenty-eight imprisoned for Christ, in three prisons.  In Omura seven religious are imprisoned, four of the Order of St. Dominic, one of the Order of St. Francis, and two of our Society.  With them are imprisoned ten other Christians.  Of