At present they escape notice among other Europeans by wearing European dress--I mean that of Castilians and Portuguese; but if the Europeans are driven from Japon this will no longer be possible.
Passing from spiritual affairs to those temporal affairs of Japon that concern these islands, let me say that on the twelfth of July, 619, there arrived at Firando, a port of Japon designated for the trade of the Hollanders, four of their ships, which, as I informed you last year, have been off the coast of Manila.

When our fleet prepared to sally out, the Dutch ships withdrew in good order, carrying with them a great many sick, beside the large number who had died from disease and from an infection which they say was given them in Bigan, a village on the coast of Manila.

Since this is not known here, it must be their own imagination.

Many of their people were drowned, also.

In one ship which sank suddenly many people were drowned, among them a large number of Japanese, who were brought from Japon in the service of the Hollanders.