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.