persecution of these few.  This is especially so as, in the year following this martyrdom, the conversion of more than 60,000 Japanese was affirmed, a greater number than for many years past taken together.  It may be believed that God worked this miracle through the blood shed by those martyrs and their intercession.  Since that event, on various occasions religious have entered Japon in the ships of the Japanese themselves, who go to the Philipinas to trade, and express a desire that some religious from the orders there should go.  The same Dayfusama, who is now reigning, sent an embassy to the Philipinas seeking friars in order that one of the ports of his island, called Quanto, might be settled by Spaniards.  To further this claim, he sent later Fray Jeronimo de Jesus,—­a discalced friar who had survived his companions the martyrs, for the consolation of the converted, and who had been hidden; accordingly the Audiencia of your Majesty which resides in Manila ordered religious to be sent.

To the second reason, it is answered that thus far it is not known in the Council that there has been any trade from Nueva Espana or from the Philipinas to Japon, nor does it even appear that those who are occupied in trade have any need thereof; for to the Philipinas Islands themselves there come so great a number of junks and ships belonging to the Chinese from Chincheo, that there is always a superabundance of merchandise, and to limit this trade your Majesty has already decreed what appears most expedient for his service.

What is known is that the fathers of the Society do not desire other orders than their own to enter into Japon, giving as a reason that others would not know the method which must be followed in preaching to those heathen, whose perversity has need of cunning to overcome it.  This the fathers say they know, as they have been occupied in this conversion for fifty years; and they say that there would be great occasion for weakening the belief of the natives in the doctrine which is preached to them, if they saw a diversity in the vestments, rules, and ceremonies.  Accordingly, with these arguments they obtained by entreaty the above-mentioned briefs; and, having been opposed by the Dominicans and Franciscans before his Holiness, they finally obtained a brief that in case religious of other orders were to go, it must be by way of Yndia.  This is the same as prohibiting it altogether; for in the domains of Portugal the missionaries are not supplied with maintenance, including everything that they need on the journey, as they are in Castilian lands.  The road, too, is much longer, and strewn with difficulties; and in it care is taken to embarrass them, and not let them pass—­as has been seen several times when religious have gone by way of Yndia, several Dominicans and Augustinians having been stopped at Goa, even after part of their sea-stores had been placed on the ship.  In the year 1602 the Franciscan friars of Yndia said in response