fetcht back into prison from whence he flew into eternall libertie And this was the first lay-man who died there in prison for his religion his corps was granted to his Father to bury it but without any Ceremony at all The second who dyed in prison was called Hierome Vem he was taken in our house coming thither to assist us he also died of pure sufferance His wife presented many Memorialls to the Mandarines that he might be brought home to recover his health but all was in vaine At length she had recourse to Xin who understanding that her husband was a Christian gave her no other answer but this You see what good you get by the religion they professe and with this answer left her disconsolate and quite out of hope not long after her husband died with so much the more glory by how much the lesse he had of humane help in that sicknesse he so patiently endured for the love of Iesus Christ and the maintenance of his religion The death of these men did stirre up in the rest of the Christian prisoners a holy envie and a new fervour to suffer for Christ neither were the Christians without wanting to shew themselves true followers of that persecuted religion They divided the prisons among them so that every day the Christian prisoners were visited and succoured as much as might be and had also notice given them of the designes and proceedings of Xin and the other Mandarines neither were they content with this but relieved also the wives and children of the prisoners pawning sometimes their houshold-stuffe that they might not want wherewithall to do it Captain Ignatius Cin although he was but newly converted to the faith yet was as forward and eminent in this work of Charitie as could possibly be desired as also three other families with the hazzard of being made infamous for ever namely that of Lucius Ciam Captain of armes that of Andrew Hiam a smith and that of Francis a guilder where I cannot but admire the great charity of the said Andrew who having received some crownes from Father Vagnone for the reliefe of the prisoners made no use of them but by the daily pains and labour of himselfe and his sonne made provision every day for two prisons restoring afterwards to the Father the mony he had put in his hands There were also certaine devout Christian women who making a purse out of the fruit of their labors bestow'd it in the prisons according to the necessities of the prisoners there was also one who being himselfe a prisoner spared still something out of the penny which was given him every day for his maintenance and when he had made up a small summe he divided it among the most necessitous of the prisoners with so much the greater liberalitie by how much the industry of that Charitie was more subtle At the beginning when the Fathers were first apprehended there were not wanting certain wicked persons who feigning themselves to be ministers of justice went from house to house to disturbe the Christians on purpose to draw mony from them and if in searching every corner of the house they happened to finde any Images they threatned to accuse them to Xin This lasted till a Mandarine who had notice of this roguery apprehended many of them and caused them to be well Bastinadoed and one of them for no other cause but that he had inform'd against a man to the Tauli that he was a Christian. Neverthelesse there were some accused before Xin only for being Christians he accepted the accusation and remitted it to the Court Criminall whither the highest offenders are sent They were rigorously examined and after that declared innocent with a foule staine upon Xin both of injustice and ignorance Neither was the infamy lesse which he received by the words of two great Mandarines The one of them called Hò in a great assembly of Letterati asked him For what reason he had imprisoned the Fathers and he answering Because they preached a law contrary to theirs the other replied Why do you not then imprison so many others who follow laws much more contrary to ours than that of the Fathers is They have not said Xin any accusers And these Fathers replyed Hò Who accuseth them to your Lordship He knew not what answer to make him but seeing himselfe thus confuted lest there should be a laughter raised at him he withdrew himselfe out of the Assemblie The other who was President of the Tribunall of warre sharply reproved him that without reason he had so mis-used the Fathers who had committed no fault nor had ever offended him And although Xin did endeavour to justifie himselfe yet the President threatned to accuse him to the King for a disturber of the peace of the Kingdome and in effect he dispatched a Courrier to Pekim with a stoute Memoriall against him which neverthelesse he did afterwards re-call by reason that many Mandarines did interpose themselves in the businesse but he would never after maintain any friendship with so unjust a person Very admirable at the same time was the Charitie of a new Christian of Pekim who had taken the degree of Batchelor who having understood of the Fathers imprisonment ranne to Nankim and although he had never seen them he went to visit them and much assisted them in their necessities and not only invited but also perswaded severall of his friends to do the like who extended also their Charitie to the other Christian prisoners And for this cause only he remained there many months he accompanied the Christians to the Tribunalls healed their stripes encouraged and comforted them all to which the quality and reputation of so grave and learned a person did very much conduce He undertooke also to dispute with a Mandarine who had written a declaration against the Fathers in favour of Xin and used such powerfull perswasions to him that he changed his resolution and brought him to favour the Fathers so farre that he did publiquely praise and extoll them In the mean while our adversary seeing that the Kings answer was delayed used his utmost endeavour to gaine the Colao to his party who was otherwise not much averse to us and at length perswaded him to present a Memoriall to the King by the hands of an Eunuch whom he had already prepared for the businesse with a very great bribe to procure the Kings order upon it The Eunuchs passed this pitition so secretly among themselves that without showing it to the King they brought it againe to the Colao requiring him in the Kings name to draw up an order for our banishment the which he did in this manner For as much as we are informed by the Collaterall Lypu of the third Tribunall of Pekim that there remain in this our Court certain strangers who do expect our good leave and dispatch and the said Tribunall hath besought us that we would send our orders to the Provinces that they should send
diminished by little and little many of them turning Moors There live more of them in the Province of Honan in the capitall City thereof called Cai Fum Fu than in any other place They have there a Synagogue well built and adorned in the fashion of a great Chappel and set out with curtaines They say they have there a very ancient Hebrew Bible Father Iulius Alenes one of our company was among them for some time they shewed him their Synagogues but would not draw their curtaines and let him see the Bible Father Matthaens Riccius affirmeth that according to the relation which the Iews themselves made to him thereof in Pekim it was not at all differing from ours They have no knowledge at all of Christ so that it seemeth they were entred into China before he came into the World or at least if they have ever heard of him the memorie of it is quite lost and therefore it would be of great consequence to see their Bible for perhaps they have not corrupted it as our Jews have done to obscure the glorie of our Redeemer These as they are in no great number so it is not probable they should long preserve themselves They who at the Court had some discourse with our Fathers did much lament that they had lost themselves for want of the Hebrew Tongue and by the little knowledge they had of their law and said that after some time they should all become either Moores or Gentiles that the ruler of their Synagogue at that time was a decrepit old man and his sonne who was to succeed him in his Office young and ignorant of the things of their law and that indeed there were very few among them who were zealous observers of it Moreover these Iews did seem to be much troubled and weary of the reproaches which the Gentiles laid upon some ceremonies of their law which is a sign they have no great affection for it as their not eating of Swines flesh their not touching a beast which hath been killed by the hand of a Gentile but especially the circumcising their Infants on the eighth day which their wives and Chinesse kindred tell them is a cruell and barbarous thing At this time we have in that City of Cai Funifú a house and Church and when I left that Kingdome a good number of Christians which daily encreased not without hope also that some good may be done upon those Jews who being so ready to change their religion will more easily embrace the true one which hath more conformitie to theirs than any other CHAP. 31. Of the Christian Religion planted many ages since in China and of a very Ancient stone lately discovered there which is an admirable Testimonie thereof IT hath alwayes been a well grounded opinion that the Christian Religion hath been very anciently planted in China Paulus Venetus making a relation of that Countrie from whence it is certain that he went many daies journey into the Countrie of the Tartars assureth us that in that time there were a great number of Christians in China who had very sumptuous Churches and named the Cities where they lived He wrot this with very much truth for of all that which he mentioneth there are yet remaining many houses and in other places the ruines of them as a Testimonie of it To this may be added the Testimonie of other grave Authours wherein we read that the preaching of the Gospell penetrated as farre as China by the Ministrie of the Apostle St. Thomas and his Disciples Among other writings out of which this may be drawn the Chalde books concerning the Indian Christianitie cultivated by the meanes of the said Apostle are of no small moment the which it is certain are to this day preserved and kept in the Arch-Bishoprick of Granganour or Della Serra that is of the Mountaines as it is vulgarly called translated out of that language by order of the Arch-bishop thereof Franciscus Ros by the pains and industry of one of our fathers who was very skilfull in that tongue The translation is in Latin but that it may be more generally understood we will turne what is cited out of it into the vulgar One of these books is a Breviary which in one of the lessons belonging to the second nocturnall hath these words By the means of S. Thomas the errours of the Idolatry of the Indians were dissipated By the meanes of St. Thomas the Chinesses and Aethiopians were converted to the truth By the meanes of St. Thomas they obtained the vertue of Baptism and the Adoption of Sonnes By the meanes of St Thomas they believed in the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost By the meanes of St. Thomas they kept that faith which they had promised to God By the meanes of St. Thomas the beames of the knowledge of life enlightned all India By the meanes of St. Thomas the Kingdome of Heaven flew and entred into China And presently there followeth an Antiphona which saith The Indians the Chinesses the Persians and the other Islanders they of Siria Armenia Graecia and Romania in commemoration of St. Thomas do offer their Adoration unto thy most Holy Name O great God In the Summarie of the Constitutions synodall part 2. cap 19 concerning Bishops and Metropolitans there is a Canon of the Patriark Theodotius which hath these words In like manner also the Bishops of the great Province such as are for the most part the Metropolitans of China After the arrivall of the Portugheses into Cocchine the governour of the Mountaines of Malaber who was called Don. Diego entitled himself Metropolitan of India and China as did also Don Giuseppe who died at Rome These were the Ancient Titles of that Church and being taken al together are strong arguments that the Christian Religion did formerly flourish in China These were the powerfull motives that did engage us after our arrivall thither with much care and fervour to trace the ruines and footsteps of that Ancient Christianitie In the Histories of that Kingdome which we have very diligently perused we found no mention thereof to our great admiration knowing well how curious and diligent Inquisitours the Chinesses are in the affaires of their owne Countrie that they might eternize the memory of them It is true we had information that there were some in those parts who did reverence the Crosse and made the signe of it over their meat without knowing the reason why they did it When I was in the capitall City of Kiamsi I was informed by a Christian that in the little Towne of Tamo Xan which was not farre off there were some who when they went out of doores did make the signe of the Crosse upon their forehead and being asked the reason of that custome they answered only that they had learnt it of their Ancestours In the Court of Pekim some of our fathers being one day to visit a Jew he discoursed more particularly to them concerning this matter and named to them the
places and families who did practise this signing with the Crosse. We sent a brother of our society thither with this information but with all the diligence he could use he was not able to discover any thing of what he sought for whether it were that they had a suspicion of him or that really this custom or those families were extinct Notwithstanding the Jew did still affirme That there were anciently many of these who did reverence the Crosse particularly in the Northern Provinces and that having gained a great reputation by their skill in learning and armes they did cause the Chinesses to have a great suspicion of them so that thinking themselves no longer safe they dispersed themselves into severall places others who remained behind dissembled the Religion they had professed others became either Moores or Jewes and by this means they came to be extinguished This as the Jew said was about 50 years before and it is now about 30 years since he made this relation During these thirtie years we have gone about all China and founded Churches in severall of the biggest Towns planting the Christian Religion and using all diligence to discover this truth without having been able to obtain our purpose in the least It is true we sound a small Bell such as is used at Masse with Greeke letters round about it and a Crosse very handsomely graved But this may have been brought in lately from other parts upon some occasion such as fall out often in that Countrie as it was likewise probable that book of Esops Fables in latin did bound up after our manner which I saw in the Province of Nankim We then considering on one side the great scarcitie of evident signes for the proving a thing of so great importance which was Authorized by so many pens and powerfull reasons it was no marvell if we were in doubt and perplexitie and on the other side holding the thing for infallible as really it is we made use of some other waies to finde out other reasons and motives why we thus failed of all manifest signes different from what the Iew had told us discoursing with our selves in this manner When the Tartars conquered China there were many Christians who had sumptuous Churches being much favoured by them as appeareth by the relation of Paulus Venetus Afterward when Humvù endeavoured to reâ—gaine the Kingdom and made warre upon the Tartars the Moores tooke part with the Chinesses and lent them their assistance for the gaining of the Kingdom and of the victory which they obtained in acknowledgement whereof they were allowed to remaine in China with libertie of their Religion and of their Mosches The Christians inclined to the Tartars and they being overcome in that warre the Christians also were deprived of their Estates and some being slain others changing their Religion others flying and hiding themselves in secret places in a short time all signe and memory of our Religion perished so that it was not possible for us to discover any thing with all the diligence we used to that purpose To conclude we remained very disconsolate in the midst of so great darknesse when it pleased The only fountaine of light to draw us out of this obscuritie with a most clear Testimony that the Gospel had flourished there many ages since The thing fell out thus In the year 1625 as they were digging the foundation for to erect a certain building neere to the City of Siganâ—ù the Capitall Citie of the Province of Xemâ—â— the workemen lighted upon a table of stone above nine palmes long and more than foure in breadth and above one palme in thicknesse The top of it that is one of the extremities or ends of the length thereof endeth in the forme of a Pyramid above two palmes in height and above one palmes breadth at the Basis. On the plaine of this Pyramid there is a well form'd Crosse the extremities whereof end in flower-deluces after the fashion of that Crosse which is reported to have been found graved on the Sepulchre of the Apostle S. Thomas in the Towne of Meliapor and as they were anciently painted in Europe of which there are some yet to be seen at this day This Crosse is encompassed as it were with certain clouds and at the foot thereof were three Traverse lines each consisting of three great letters being all such as are commonly used in China very fairly graven with the same sort of letters is engraven the whole Superficies of the stone as also the thicknesse thereof the which notwithstanding differeth from the rest in that some of the letters graven thereon are forraine neither were they knowne here at the first finding of it Scarcely had the Chinesses discovered and cleansed this notable piece of Antiquitie when excited by the fervour of their naturall curiosity they ranne to the Governour to give him notice of it who being much joyed at this newes presently came to see it and caused it to be placed upon a faire Pedestall under a small Arch sustained by pillars at each end thereof and open at the sides that it might be both defended from the injuries of the weather and also feast the eyes of such as are true Lovers of venerable Antiquity He caused it also to be set within the circuit of a Temple belonging to the Bonzi not farre from the place where it was taken up There was a wonderfull concourse of people to see this stone partly for the Antiquity thereof and partly for the novelty of the strange Characters which was to be seen thereon and as the knowledge of our Religion is at this day very much spread abroad in China a Gentile who was a great friend unto a grave Christian Mandarine named Leo being present there presently understood the mystery of that writing and believing it would be very acceptable to his friend sent him a copy thereof although he was distant above a month and a halfes voyage the Mandarine dwelling in the City of Hamâ—â—â—â— whither our fathers had retired themselves by reason of the former persecution whereof we shall speak in its proper place This copy was received with a spirituall Iubilee and many exteriour demonstrations of joy as an irrefragable Testimony of the Ancient Christiâ—â—â—y in China which had been so much desired and sought after for no lesse was contained in this writing as we shall shew anon Three years after in the year 1628 some of our fathers went into that Province in the company of a Christian Mandarine who had occasion to go thither They founded a Church and house in the capitall City thereof for the service of our good God that he who was pleased to discover so precious a memoriall of the possession taken in that Country by his divine law would also facilitate the restitution thereof in the same place It was my good fortune to be one of the first and I esteemed it a happy abode in that I had the opportunity to see the stone
good behaviour and manner of life only there was this evill in it that he besought him to send them away from Pekim because it was against his lawes that strangers should inhabit in the Court But because the Eunuchs who had care of the Clock were afraid of the absence of the Fathers because the ordering of it depended on their directions and the King also had a desire they should stay this second Memoriall likewise received no answer In the meane while the Fathers having libertie to go abroad when they pleased frequently Visited the Mandarines made new friends and treated with those of the Councel of Rites called Lipu before whom their businesse was that they would be pleased in their Memorialls to signifie that they thought it fit that the Fathers should be permitted to reside in Pekim telling them that they might plainly perceive that the king refused to give an answer to them because he was willing they should stay there But they still obstinately opposed that point and accordingly in their third and many other Memorials which they presented concerning the Fathers although in the whole or at least the greater part they seemed to favour them yet in that which concerned their stay at Court they were alwayes excluded but in the like manner the kings answer was alwayes suspended there never comming any decree from him eyther for or against them The Fathers perceiving this long delay and whence it came desired in the meane time to be freed from that restraint which is imposed upon all strangers wherefore they obtained by meanes of certain Mandarines who were their friends the favour to be discharged from that place untill the King should returne his answer unto the fore-said Memorials and to have leave to hire a House for themselves This was a new thing and wholy different from the Stile of China and therefore so difficult that it was accounted impossible to be done without a particular order from the King But when God would have it so all things are easily brought about and so this licence was obtained rather as a thing granted from Heaven than acquired by humane industrie on earth The Fathers then had ful leave to go out of that walled place they hired a House and began to live in it as if they had been natives of that Countrie The Fathers then seeing themselves in that condition which was much better than what they could hitherto obtain presently endeavoured with all their might to get their settlement at the Court secured that none might be able to trouble them any more upon that account understanding very well how much the securitie of their other houses depended upon their personall residence at that Court. Neverthelesse with all the diligence that they themselves and severall Mandarines their friends could use they were never able to obtain a decree for it it is true they were assured by the Eunuches that the King had said that they might dwel securely at the Court and that they should by no meanes think of returning to the Southern Provinces for if they did he should be displeased at it This answer was very sufficient and being authorized with the Kings name served instead of a decree absolutely to secure their habitation there another favour also being added to this by which it was more confirmed and that was the appointing by the Kings own order to have a competent pension allowed the Fathers out of his exchequer for the maintenance of themselves and four Servants which allowance they were to receive quarterly By these favours and the friendship of the Eunuches of the Palace and of some principall Mandarines their habitation was not only secured but brought into such credit that their friends encreased dailie and the people flocked continually to our House some to see strangers some to heare something concerning our Sciences and some to understand the truth of our holy Law and this was that which was most pleasing to the Fathers and most profitable to the Chinesses Among the Principall Mandarines who at this beginning contracted friendship with the Fathers there was one who was named Ligo Zun He was a Native of the City of Hamcheu a man of great Talents and ingenuitie and was known to be such through the whole Kingdome at the examinations for the degree of Doctour where in that degree is given to about 300 he obtained the fifth place which is a very great reputation among them He was extreamly curious and being assisted by his own naturall ingenuitie and the friendship of Father Matthaeus Riccius he learned many curiosities in the Mathematiques He translated severall of the Fathers Books into the Chinesses language and whilest he was yet a Gentile he put our Catechisme into an excellent Stile It is reported of him that when he was Composing of it seeing the powerful reasons which were brought in that Book to prove the Sanctitie of our Religion that although he did not believe them to be true he cryed out what an excellent piece is this and how accurately Composed But in time he began to penitrate better into them and at length acknowledging them to be true he resolved to become a Christian but his desire not being capable to be put in effect at that time in his own person by reason of that inconvenience of his having many Wives which in China is the ordinarie hindrance and obstruction in men of that Qualitie neverthelesse he would have his whole Familie Baptized and he himself after he had setled and jousted his affaires as was requisite for that purpose was Christened also and named Leo and is the same who is so frequently mentioned in the yearly Letters for his Pietie and zeal and for being one of the Supporters and Pillars of that Christianitie carrying himself in such manner that by his example and perswasion he gained many persons of Qualitie to our holy faith among which number a grave person named Michael was one who is also often mentioned in the letters and of whom we shall speak when it commeth to his turne When he was now become a Christian he governed in severall places of the Kingdome but alwayes with that observance which was due to the Religion he professed Among other honourable employments he had the Office of Tauli which is a place of great honour and profit in the Citie of Caoyeâ— in the Province of Nankim he found in the Palace there a Chappel full of Idols which the curiosity or devotion of his predecessours had preserved and adorned with extraordinarie care and and cost The devout Leo judging it not convenient to have such ill company in the House where he dwelt commanded his Servants to throw down those Idols from the Alters where they stood and to hew them to pieces with Hatchets and after that they were given to the Cook to consume them in the fire with all their Gold about them The officers of his Tribunall as Secretaries Sergeants and others were astonished at it
Baptise such as had not yet been converted and partly to endeavour to found a house in that his native City of Hamcheu The first happy encounter there was that of Doctour Yam named afterwards at his Baptism Michael who is much celebrated in our yearly letters He was a Mandarine of great account and a Kinsman of Doctour Leo and had been for seaven years together Chancellour of the whole Province of Nankim which is an Office of very great importance and was very rich of a great House and allyed to the principall Families of that Citie and above all he was very devout towards the Pagods in so much that he had built a Temple for them within his own Palace with a certain number of Bonzi to serve them whom he maintained at his own charges But he did this more out of ignorance than malice and therefore the Lord shewed mercy unto him He was one of the first that visited the Fathers and being very much addicted to the defence of his Religion he began a very hot dispute with a more than ordinarie zeal for the upholding of his Sect the which he continued likewise the day following and the next day and so for nine dayes together alwayes producing new arguments and proposing new difficulties not that he had a design to impugnâ— but only to discover the truth The ninth day he yeelded himselfe crying out A true God A true Law A true Doctrine And after he had been very diligently Catechised and instructed he was Baptized to the great consolation of the Fathers and also of Dr. Leo who did much rejoice at it and to the singular griefe and shame of the Bonzi who were presently discarded and their Temple converted into a Church dedicated to the Saviour of the world Now did these two Heroes seem two firme and stable pillars very proper to sustaine that infant Church with a certain hope that their example would draw many others to the law of Christ and that there would be a flourishing Christianitie founded in that so populous a Metropolis which in my opinion is the richest the most delicious and magnificent in Temples and other structures of any in that Kingdom But for the generalitie the least disposed to receive our Holy faith whether it were then for this cause or because their hour was not yet come which required a greater disposition there was so little fruit of the Gospel at that time that the Fathers judged it better to give place to time and for the present to leave that abode and to finde out some other place better disposed to receive the seed of faith They proceeded so farre as to propose their intention to Father Nicolaus Longobardus superiour of that Mission who would neither approve nor reject their opinion but remitted the businesse to the judgement of the House at Nankim where I was then at that time and by the grace of God we were there in all nine of the Societie The matter was debated and it was resolved by all of us that according as experience had taught us they should proceed with patience and longanimitie greater difficulties having been overcome by those weapons So without any more thoughts of change the Fathers remained labouring in that City not knowing the great good which the Lord had there prepared for them and which time afterwards discovered not only by founding there one of the most numerous and best instructed Churches that is in China but because that house was ever a safe Port to us in all Tempests and a secure refuge in all persecutions as shall be seen hereafter Christianitie also was much encreased in Xaâ—hoi the Country of Dr. Paul for his Father and all his houshold had been Baptized and many other people of that place and although we had there no setled house there was neverthelesse a Church and every year the Christians were visited both to confirme the old ones and convert new ones In the foure ancient houses the Fathers said Masse preached and exercised the Mysteries and Ceremonies of our Holy Faith very quietly and without any disturbance at all The Christians exercised their devotion and many Gentiles endeavoured to finde the way of their Salvation the Christian Religion flourished every day more and more with an abundant number of new Converts and also of new Labourers which were sent to us from Macao where they were first instructed in the language and custome of the Country In the mean time we were sent unto from many places and from severall persons to desire us to come into their Country and to preach the Gospel to them This City of Vamcheu which is neere unto Nankim had so great a desire to be made partakers of our doctrine that the Litterati there wrot a letter to Father Alphonsus Vagnone in Nankim where he was at that time superiour which was subscribed by forty of them wherein they did invite the Father to come to them with many prayers and entreaties and very earnestly desired him that he would not deferre his comming that good which they so much longed for They did also the like in many other places whether the fame of our Holy Faith was arrived either by the books we had printed there or by the relation of the Gentiles for these do sometimes serve as a guide to the rest and I had once one of them who did help me to Catechise or else by their conversation with Christians themselves And this was done with so much fervour that really it seemed to us the time was come wherein after all storms and tribulations were blown over the winter was passed away and the spring time began to appeare bringing forth flowers worthy the sight of that celestiall Gardiner or rather that the crop was now ripe and expected a happy harvest The Fathers being animated with these successes and well pleased with the many occasions which continually presented themselves were not sparing to make good use of them hoping that they would have been dayly encreased But who is able to comprehend the judgements of the Lord Or who hath been his Councellour Whilest things stood in this prosperous condition whether it were for the sinnes of that Kingdom or for ours in particular or because the Lord was pleased to prove and exercise his servants there was raised in Nankim where that house was founded with much quiet and had continued in greater tranquility than the rest the following persecution CHAP. 8. A fierce persecution is raised against the Christians in Nankim THis Persecution which was the most terrible of all we have yet suffered began in the year 1615 upon this occasion which I shall relate There was this year sent from Pekim to Nankim a Mandarine called Qui Xin to be an assistant of the third Tribunall named Lipu which taketh cognizance of all Rites Sects Strangers and such like This man besides that he was extreamly averse both to our Holy Faith and to the Fathers and on the contrary very
Crosse an Image of our Saviour they tooke them and carried them to the Mandarine accusing that Christian to be a follower of the Law of the Lord of Heaven which was all one with that of the Palien Kiao The Mandarine sent to apprehend him and giving him the rack he questioned him who were the other followers of his Sect He named only the Paynter who had paynted the Image and was also a Christian. He being apprehended and tormented in the same manner whether it were through ignorance or that it seemed to him that he did by that means give a greater authority to the law he followed impeached many of his companions naming at least fourty and among them those who were left as heads and overseers of the rest and in absence of the Fathers did assemble the rest in the Chappels and Oratories where they used to exhort them to vertue and piety Upon this rather simple confession than malicious accusation the Mandarine sent presently to apprehend those persons who had been named to him so that it seemed as if the furies of hell had been turned loofe that day into Nankim There was no other noise hearâ—â—â—n the streets but ratling of chaines the voyces and exclamations of the Sergeants who asked Where is the house Whither is he gone Where shall I finde him When will he come Being so much the more eager in their pursuit of the Christians by how much the more they saw the Mandarines bent to ruine them When they found out any one of them they presently rushed into the house seized upon their Beads Crosses Images Books Catechismes for commonly all of them used to have them in their houses Then they feized on their persons dragging them through the streets with a chaine fastened about their necks and manacles about their wrists carrying before them the ensignes of their faith which they had taken with a great noise and out-cry of the people that they were of the Sect of Palien Kiao The number of those who were taken was thirty foure beside the two first and they were all presently put to the torment of pressing their hands and feet to make them discover others But they taking warning by the ignorance of the two first said only that they were Christians they and their wives and children that they followed the Law of the true God who alone can punish and reward both in this life and the next and that their law was not the law of Palien Kiao neither had it any resemblance to it and more than this they said not any thing Among the prisoners there was a certain Christian named Iohn Yao This man had been formerly imprisoned as we have already related with the Fathers in the other persecution by Xin had been sometimes Bastinadoed before the Tribunals was at last condemned to be the Kings slave for certain years which is much like putting into the Gallies with us but was now returned from his slavery and began again to edifie the brethren by the example of his holy life in the same maner as he had formerly done in that City This man hearing that some Christians were apprehended and that they sought for him never staid till he was discovered but went of his owne accord and presented himselfe to the Mandarine and kneeling in the sight of the Christians that were tormented told him that he was a Christian and that the Law of Christ was the true law and other such like things which the Lord put in his heart When the Mandarine heard him he told him with what intention is not knowne that he did not see in him any garbe or appearance of a preacher of the law and therefore charged him to be gone and never to appear before him again Whereupon Iohn rose up and went his way leaving an eminent Testimony of the Divine Law and the Chinesses astonished at so great a courage Such another thing was done by the same Mandarine although the end and reason which moved him to do it were not known Of the six and thirty which he had apprehended and tormented he set foure and twenty of them at liberty and the others who did use to assemble the Christians and preach to them he sent before the six chief Tribunals where they were all Bastinadoed some at one and some at another the worst Tribunal of all being that of an Eunuch who having nothing of Humanity in him but his outward shape not considering they had bin already tormented and Bastinadoed by the other Mandarines commanded twenty blows apiece to be giving to each of them by which the good Christians were so weakned that theâ— were faine to be laid upon boards and to be carried back upon mens shouldiers into Prison But they were not used so by the Quecum who is equall to one of our Dukes before whom they were brought for seeing them in so miserable a condition by reason of the torments and stripes they had received he did not only not cause them to be beaten but complaining of their ill usage said publiquely That he was well informed concerning the Religion they professed and that it was a good and true Law and so sent them away with good words that Gentile giving a cleare Testimony to our Holy Faith to which those Christians had born witnesse with their bloud While these things were doing the chief Mandarine of the six before whom they were presented drew up the Sentence against them which being faithfully translated out of the Chinesse language runneth thus The Law of the Lord of heaven is false it blindeth the understanding of men and causeth dangerous assemblies Of late years there was a Memoriall presented against it to the King who did very severely prohibite it And now they who follow that Law are convinced not to have obeyed his commands Wherefore according to the Lawes of the Kingdom there ought to be an inquisition made against them and they to be rigorously punished But considering they are men of little knowledge or understanding we do order that the strangers of other Countries be sent home with a Guard to convoy them and that they shall all have the charges of their journey defrayed out of the Kings exchequer but for the Natives of this Court we condemn them to carry a board about their necks for a moneth which is a kind of punishment we have formerly given an account of and when that time is expired they shall be carried before the Tribunal where they were examined and there they shall be admonished to observe the Kings orders and not to follow this Law any longer The Books Images and such like things which were found with the Christians shall be kept in the Kings Treasurie Thus farre the sentence of their condemnation The Fathers had heard nothing of these proceedings at Nankim when there arrived at Hamcheâ— which is distant from that Court about six daies journey by land a Christian sent on purpose to give them notice
briefe account thereof sufficient at least for the instruction of those who desire to be informed concerning those parts forbearing to make a more large discourse at the present but reserving it for another time which may be when wee shall returne to that vast Country with new Labourers in so great a number that some of the greatest Authority and Experience among us may find leisure and convenience to undertake a perfect Relation In the mean time abbreviating as much as 't is possible this Information without rendring that knowledge confused which wee pretend to gratify the world with we shall divide the work into two parts The first containeth the materiall part of the Kingdome that is the Provinces Land and Fruits and in a manner the formal part too that is the people their learning and customes The second the Beginning of Christianity there the progresse thereof the persecutions suffered therein and finally the condition wherein I left it at my departure thence I hope this worke shall gain some esteem and credit if not for the greatnesse of the Appearance at least for the certainty of the reality of it having taken what I write from the infallible Testimony of mine eyes which though they may not be of the quickest sighted yet have had the advantage to reiterate very often their speculations And if he which vieweth for a long time although his sight be not of the best doth commonly see more then he who looketh in haste be his eyes never so good I who for the space of two and twenty years have had the opportunity to observe all Passages of China have certainly seen so much what I write and what others have written who have not seen them sowell that I must necessarily speak of them with more Certainty then they although with lesse Eloquence The Table of all the Chapters contained in the first part of the History of China Chap. 1. OF the Kingdome in Generall Fol. 1. Chap. 2. Of the Provinces in particular and first of those of the South fol. 8. Chap. 3. Of the Northern Provinces fol. 15. Chap. 4. Of the persons of the Chinesses of their nature wit and inclination fol. 22. Chap. 5. Of the manner of their habit fol. 29. Chap. 6. Of their Language and Letters fol 31. Chap. 7. Of their manner of study and admittance to examination fol. 35. Chap. 8 Of the manner of their Examinations and how their degrees are conferred fol. 40. Chap. 9. Of the degree of Doctour fol. 45. Chap. 10. Of the Bookes and Sciences of the Chinesses fol. 47. Chap. 11. Of their Sciences and liberall Arts in particular fol. 51. Chap. 12. Of the Courtesies and Civilities of the Chinesses fol. 58. Chap. 13. Of their Banquets fol. 65. Chap. 14. Of the Games which the Chinesses use fol. 68. Chap. 15 Of their Marriage fol. 69. Chap. 16. Of the Funerals and Sepultures of the Chinesses fol. 73. Chap. 17. Of the Funerall of the Queen Mother fol. 78. Chap. 18. Of the severall sects of Religion in China fol. 86. Chap. 19. Of their superstitions and sacrifices in China fol. 93. Chap. 20. Of the Militia and Arms of the Chinesses fol. 96. Chap. 21. Of the war which the Tartars made upon China fol. 100. Chap. 22. Of the Kings and Queens of China and of the Eunuchs fol. 106. Chap. 23. How the Kings of China are married fol. 119. Chap. 24. Of the Nobility of China fol. 121. Chap. 25. Of the Government of China and of the Officers fol. 124. Chap. 26. Of the Government of the thirteen Provinces fol 128. Chap. 27 Of the Badge of honour or Ensigns of the Mandarines fol. 132. Chap. 28. Of the Prisons Sentences and Punishments of the Chinesses fol. 135. Chap. 29. Of some particular things which doe facilitate and rectify the Govenment in China fol. 144. Chap. 30. Of the Moors Iews and other Nations which are in China fol. 151. Chap. 31. Of the Christian Religion planted many ages since in China and of a very ancient stone lately discovered there which is an admirable testimony thereof fol. 154. A Table of the contents of the Chapters in the second Part of the History of China Chap. 1. OF the first beginninge of the preaching of the Gospel in China fol. 166. Chap 2. Of the proceedings and Persecutions of the Fathers before they arrived at Nankim fol. 172. Cap. 3. Of what happened after till the Fathers entred into Pekim fol. 177. Chap. 4. The Fathers enter into Pekim and settle there fol. 183. Chap. 5. Of the proceedings and ruin of their House at Xaocheu fol. 187. Chap. 6. Of the progresse of the Christian Religion at the two Residencies at Nancham and Nankim and of the death of Father Matthaeus Riccius fol. 192. Chap. 7. Of the burying place which was bestowed upon us by the King and of the progresse of the Christian Religion untill the time of the persecution at Nankim fol. 197. Chap. 8. A fierce persecution is raised against the Christians in Nankim fol. 205. Chap. 9. The continuation of the Persecution and the Banishment of the Fathers out of China Fol. 214. Chap. 10. How things began to be calmed again after the persecution and of the foundation of severall Residencies fol. 220. Chap. 11. Of the second persecution at Namkim and of the martyrdome of a Christian named Andrew fol. 226. Chap. 12. How things began to be quiet and setled and how the Fathers were sent for to Court by order of the Mandarines fol. 232. Chap. 13. The life and death of Dr. Leo and the conclusion of this History fol. 239. After which follows the supplement to these present times wherein is contained the Chinesses most cruell warre with the Tartars by whom they are now conquered fol. 249. An Exact MAPP of CHINA being faithfully Copied from one brought from Peking by a Father Lately resideent in that Citty 1655 IC A King of China A China Man A China Woman THE FIRST PART Of the Temporall State of CHINA CHAP. 1. Of the Kingdom in Generall CHina in its extent is one great continued Continent without having any thing which devides it and taking it from the latitude of Haynam which is not farre distant from the Continent and lyeth in nineteen degrees it extends it self twenty foure degrees inclining towards the East and ending in fourty three degrees it comes to make a circuite so much the more spacious by how much the coasts thereof run along in various and unequall windings and so comes to be the chiefest kingdome of the world in greatnesse and almost equall to all Europe On the west side thereof are many small Islands but so neere together that they seem all to Compose but as it were one body All this Monarchy is divided into fifteen Provinces each of which is a spacious Kingdome and so they were all anciently each having a King of its own Of those nine which they call the Southern Provinces the greatest part of them are watered
the Mandarine not satisfied with his answers commanded he should have the Rack given him He being loath to be carried away made what resistance he could so that they were fain to drag him by main force and being a strong sturdy young man defended himselfe with so much courage and violence that ten or twelve men were not able to rule him but tumbling up and downe from one side to another and catching hold of whatsoever he came neer he hit by chance against the Mandarines Table and overturn'd it to the ground with all that was upon it by which accident he did so anger the Judge and enrage the Serjeants against him that when they had seised him they gave him the Rack in so cruel a manner that they were faine to send him back to Prison upon other mens Shoulders having his heel-bones out of joynt The next day when his pain was something mitigated and he more capable of reason I went to visit him much compassionating his sufferings he related to me all particulars of the storie and I began to touch upon that point of the lots and their interpretation saying unto him what hath your Idol done for you The Devil said he take the Idol and his lots for they are all such as he is and some other words which are not proper to be related here The Prisoners do passe the summer well enough but in winter as the cold is very great and the sustenance of many very little they must needs suffer much and although the Mandarines for the good of the poor Prisoners do often commute Corporal punishments into Pecuniary Mulcts yet when this is done there is not enough for all Thieves when they are taken are generally abandoned of their friends and kindred neither is there any who will own them and so many of them perish miserably I have often seen six or seaven dead bodies thrown out at a time They have anotable Superstition concerning the dead which is that they will not suffer the Body when it is dead to be carried out at that Gate whereat it entred when it was living And to take away this difficultie in the outward Court whereof we have spoken there is a little doore or hole in the wall where they are thrown out if it be a person of qualitie there is alwayes leave obtained for him to go out of Prison before he dieth that he might not have his Carcasse thrown out at that hole accounting it the most shamefull disgrace that can befall them Hence one of the most horrible imprecations and curses that is used in that Kingdome is La Laoti that is maist thou be dragd through the hole of a Prison The Prisons having no grate on the outside of them they who would visit or speak with any Prisoner must of necessitie enter into the Prison and there is this inviolable custome among them that none is to visit a Prisoner without bringing him something to eate more or lesse according to his ability and if by accident he bringeth nothing he maketh his excuse for having broken a custome so generally received But perhaps some will ask me how I came to be so expert in these poynts Truly I must answer him in a word that though this knowledge be not much worth yet it cost me very deare Their trialls differ very little from ours but only that the delaies and the replies are not so many every thing is done by way of Petitions or Memorialls and in these every one is allowed to say what he can for himself There are some who get their living only by drawing up such writings as these for Prisoners but we do not admit them to the Sacrament of Baptism unlesse they leave this employment for they tel so many lies in them that the Mandarines had need of a great deal of experience and discretion to find out any truth amongst so many falshoods but somtimes when they are taken in them they are well paid for them in Bastinadoes The Vice-roy of Nankim who was a great friend to our Fathers and though a heathen was well affected to the Christian religion and well acquainted with the doctrine of it told me one day this story As I was giving audience said he at my Tribunal and hearing of causes there was one who among others presented me a Memoriall I tooke it and read it and found it full of nothing but revilings and Slanders against the Christian Religion and the Christian Chinesses of that City speaking sufficiently ill of both I asked him then Do you understand this law and do you know this people Yes Sir answered he It is an upstart perverse strange law c. Speaking yet more evill of it than he had written in his Memoriall I presently put my hand to my Tallies and flung out six the Officers presently gave him thirty Bastinadoes and those which are given at these Tribunals are commonly well set on assoone as he had gotten up upon his legges and had a little composed himselfe I told him that I saw his petition was not well enough digested for a businesse of so great moment and bid him go and consider better of it and more diligently informe himselfe and to come and give me an account of it but from that day to this I never heard more of him The petition is presented by the party or by some other in his name after this manner The Court before the Tribunall is commonly full of people that have suites there but there is an entry in the middle of them which leadeth directly to the Mandarines seat that is alwaies kept empty and free to passe through He that hath a petition to present when his time cometh kneeleth on his knees in that passage having his petition in his hand lifted up as high as his head Then the Mandarine sendeth one to take it and if he hath any question to aske him he asketh it then if he accepteth the petition he foldeth it and layeth it on the Table if not he presently throweth it away and if he judgeth the petition to be impertinent he appoynteth a certaine number of Bastinadoes to be bestowed on the petitioner as hath been already said and many times for no other reason but because the Judge is in ill humour although he that presenteth the petition is not the party whom it doth concerne I saw the like case happen to a Bonzo for they also are subject to the secular power for no other reason but that the Mandarine was peevish The Bonzo used the ordinary Ceremony with his petition his acceptance was that the Mandarine presently turned towards the Table and cast downe two Tallies of wood which was no sooner done but presently there were two men that tooke the Bonzo one by the head and the other by the heeles and throwing him downe to the ground stripped downe his drawers to his very feete and bestowed ten Bastinadoes upon him with so much dexteritie that the businesse was
year 757. XI Tai Zun Vemvu began to raigne in the year 764. XII Kien Chum Xim was King in the year 781. XII Vam Xe Chi Chim is a place in the Country of the Pagods and signifieth a remote Countrie Poli saith the interpreter is some vessel of glasse XIV Taso was a Bonzo of the sect of the Pagods who made a great assembly of the Bonzi to treate of the publike affaires of that religion and tooke care to lodge them and provide all necessaries for them XIX The Sunne and Moone c. Signifieth that all obeyed that King XXII Kien Chum was the year 782. In the other Paragraphs whereon we have made no Annotations there is nothing of obscuritie to require it It appeareth then evidently by the testimony of this venerable Antiquity that the Christian Religion was planted in China by the means abovesaid in the year of Christ 636 neverthelesse it is not to be imagined that it was not formerly brought thither by the preaching of the Apostles who as the holy Scripture saith did disperse themselves through the whole earth but as it happened in severall other Countries that after it had once been propagated there by them it came in time to be extinguished and was againe renued by the industry of others so it fell out in India where S. Thomas the Apostle had once preached the Gospel but all memory thereof being lost about the year 800. a rich Armenian Christian called Thomas the Canaanite restored the ancient Religion in the Citie of Mogo Doven or Patana repairing the Churches which had been formerly built by that holy Apostle and erecting others And upon this occasion of the likenesse of their names many have mistaken them to be all built by the first Thomas The same thing may probably have happened in China where the Gospel being received presently after it began to be published to the world and being afterward extinguished it was introduced again a second time whereof this inscription maketh mention and lastly a third time whereof we purpose to treat in the second part It seemeth necessarie thus to state the matter that we may not derogate from the Testimonie of those grave Authours whom I have formerly cited how St. Thomas the Apostle did preach in China and converted it to the true Religion The time wherein the memorie of the Holy Apostles preaching was lost was not much different both in India and China for by severall conjectures it appeareth that Thomas the Cananite renewed it in India in the eighth Century after Christ and by this stone it is manifest that it was in the seventh Centurie after Christ when it was preached in China and therefore without much difficultie it may be Concluded that this was not the first establishment of the Christian Religion there but rather a re-establishment of it The end of the first part THE SECOND PART VVherein is contained The Christianitie of the Kingdome OF CHINA CHAP. 1. Of the first beginnings of the Preaching of the Gospel in China ACcording to the opinion of Socrates he was to be esteemed no lesse injurious who spake against the Sunne than he who should denie the beautie of the light thereof with which it maketh the day and of that which is the fruit therof as Tertul. allegorizeth it that is the flower It would be no lesse a fault but rather more unpardonable in him who treating of the conversion of China should deny Franciscus Xaverius to have bin the flower of that day of Grace which having bin set there for so many ages is now risen again upon the Gentiles of that Monarchie He was the first who came to the gates therof with that Treasure of the holy Gospel after he had coÌ„municated it to so many severall Kingdomes and Provinces The glorious Saint Leo speaking of the Apostle St. Peter saith Iam Populos qui in circumcisione crediderunt erudierat jam Antiochenam Ecclesiam fundaverat jam Pontum Galatiam Cappadociam Asiam atque Bithyniam legibus Evangelicae Praedicationis impleverat nec aut dubius de provectu operis aut de spatio suae ignarus aetatis Trophaeum Crucis Christi Romanis arcibus inferebat All India doth confesse no lesse of their Apostle to whom the bounds of the East though very large seemed but narrow having already instructed in the faith the principall Cities thereof Goa and Cochin having planted the Gospel on the coasts of Pescaria having converted the Country of Travancor instructed Cambaâ—a and propagated the faith at Malacca preached the true religion at Macazar the Molucche Islands and finally converted the King of Bungo in â—iappon and filled all that Kingdom with the knowledge of the law of Christ yet still the desire of a greater harvest and to profit other Nations suffered him not to rest Studium proficiendi aliis otii illum impatientem reddidit as Robertus Abbas saith of another Labourer in the Gospel unde nec aut dubius de provectâ— operis aut despatiâ— suae ignarus aetatis Trophaeum Crucis Christi Sinicis arcibus inferebat This was his ayme these were his hopes and desires with which he undertooke the voyage of China when being arrived at Sanciana where the Divine Providence had appointed he should end his daies that being true which Tertullian saith Deus omnium conditor nil non ratione providit disposuit ordinavit And the Lord being well appayed with the intention of his servant and the ardent desires which he had to sacrifice his life in this enterprise as Abraham had to sacrifice the life of his sonne Isaac causing him to ascend up into Mount Sancian as he did Moses into Mount Nebo after he had shewed him the land he so much desired to conquer Mortuus est jubente deo the good man died by the ordination and appointment of Heaven after he had seen and shewed unto his Sons that land which he had gained like another Iacob for Ioseph with the bow of his will and the arrowes of his desires leaving them for an inheritance the conquest thereof together with his hereditary spirit which his sonnes and followers having received in part made their assault and at length entred this place and it is now about fifty years that they have kept it with many labours travels persecutions imprisonments Bastinadoes and in a word Egentes Angustiati Afflicti These being the armes with which the standard of the Christian faith is set up in the Kingdomes of the Gentiles and by means whereof together with the grace of God so many men have been converted unto Christianitie as you shall finde in this following relation After my returne into Europe and that my intention of seeking Labourers for this vine-yard was once divulged presently there were so many pretenders who made suit to me to be received that there is scarce a Province of our society from whence I have not received many letters from severall of the fathers wherein they did not only offer themselves but
returned to the Vice-roy at Xaokim he would have paid the charges the Fathers had been at in building their Church and house which by no means they would suffer him to do and after severall contrasts they obtained leave of him to dwell in another City belonging to his Government called Xaocheu With this permission the Fathers departed from Xaokim on the 15th day of August 1589. and being after a few daies arrived at Xaocheu they had enough to do to avoyd the lodgings which were offered them in a Monasterie of Bonzi At length by Gods assistance they were admitted into the City and were well lookt upon by the Magistrates they built a house and Church and began to preach the Gospel with their whole endeavours Notwithstanding that they were ever accompanied with persecutions contrasts and calumnies and in truth it is hardly to be beleeved how many of these they did undergo I did once reckon them up to satisfie my curiositie counting those which are related in the History of Father Trigaultius and others which are not set downe there till the persecution of Nankim I found them in all to be fifty foure the greatest part were at the beginning and in the Province of Canton which as it is a passage to the rest may be called the Promontory of Torments so that as oft as we shall have occasion to mention it there will alwaies recurre some new troubles and tempests Our servants were many times taken and Bastinadoed for no other occasion but that they had defended themselves against assaults of the insolent people and one time also brother Sebastan Fernandes who went out to defend those innocents with reasons and prayers was put to publique shame But the persecution was worse which brother Francis Martines suffered through a vaine suspicion they had that he had attempted to raise a rebellion in China and that he was a Magician upon which occasion after he had been many times beaten and tormented and after a tedious and noysome imprisonment and in the end after his last punishment by an unmercifull beating being brought back into the prison he died a death so much the more glorious by how much it was supported by an unspeakable patience and for so holy an occasion as the procuring the salvation of that people was After that brother Francis Mendez going to the Metropolis of Canton upon occasion of businesse and to help a servant of ours who was kept there in prison suffered very much for being come into the prison the Gaoler presently clapt Manacles upon him and suspecting him to be a Priest pulled off his cap and searched whether his crowne was shaven or no and finding no signe of any thing he could lay hold on only because he was a Chrisâ—ian and belonged to the Fathers he suffered him not to go out of the prison till there were bestowed many uruell Bastinadoes on him Likewise two Fathers going from Canton further up into China that is Father Iulius Alexis and another Father were apprehended and after very great sufferings set at libertie The Christian Religion began to make some progresse at our Residence of Xaocheu and in another place neere unto it named Namhim whither Father Matthaeus Riccius was gone and had reduced some Gentiles to the sheepfold of Christ. But the businesse was so full of difficulties and dangers that brother Sebastian Fernandes although a Chinesse by nation but brought up in Macao by his Parents who were Christians and who entred into our societie after he was growne a man and a rich Merchant and served therein many years even to his death with great paines to himselfe and a great example to all that Christianitie told the Father we should do well to go to Giappon seeing the Lord did favour that Kingdom with so great a conversion and so many Baptismes and spend our lives there where we might receive abundant fruit of our labours But the Father who had a more lively faith and a hope better grounded seemed to have answered him by the spirit of prophesie that which afterwards came to passe giving him hopes of more copious fruit such as we find at this day And even at that time also within foure years wherein he had cultivated that vine-yard in spight of those great Tribulations he made a good harvest of many Christians who many times do prove the best in times of trouble and persecution and there were some of them very eminent with some of which I have since spoken and conversed who seemed to me to be like Christians of the Primitive Time and by degrees there were many more also converted In the mean while about the year 1594 two persons of this House departed to a better life for if the people of this Province are not good the temper of the aire is much worse Till this time the Fathers had gone in the same garbe they entred in with their beards and the crowne of their heads shaven and their haire cut short as we weare it here in Europe and there also the Bonzi or Priests of their Idols who in that kingdome contrarie to the custome of others are in very mean esteem But now they were better acquainted with the state of things there it seemed to them to be more advantageous for the credit of our religion as also for the preachers thereof that they should take a habit different from the Bonzi and that seeing they were inwardly unlike them that they should no longer outwardly resemble them especially seeing that first outward form was a great impediment to hinder them from treating with Decorum and familiarity with Officers and men of qualitie who without the vesture of courtesie and habit of a Letterato do by no means admit any one to familiar conversation with them So that leaving their former garbe and habit they took the other of Letterati with a great applause of the Christians and their friends as also of the Magistrates and because they had taken no degree in their learning they were accounted and esteemed as they are also at this day for Letterati of Europe besides many other good advantages and effects which it produced In May the year following Father Matthaeus Riccius went to Nankim in the companie of a Mandarine who was a grave Person and his friend who went thither with commission to be General in the warre against the Giapponeses in the Kingdome of Corea he wanted not troubles by the way especially in a dangerous shipwrack which he suffered the barque being overturned and the Father falling into the water over head and eares not having any skill in swimming nor any hope of life But the Lord assisted him with his paternal providence for without knowing how it came there he found a rope of the Barque in his hand by which he was pulled up neverthelesse he lost his companion who being carried away by the force and violence of the water was never more seen At length he arrived at Nankim but the houre
Province is like a Turbulent sea for there stormes are never wanting one still succeeding another untill they had utterly ruined our House at Xaocheu It was the year of our Lord 1613 when the people of this City after many contrasts whether it were that their sinnes did render them unworthy of those mercies the Lord would have conferred on them or that the Lord was pleased by this means to provide the Fathers a more quiet and secure abode conspired in that violent manner against the Fathers that the Mandarines not being able to resist the fury of the Litterati the Bonzi and the common people who with one accord cryed our against the strangers did banish them by a publick sentence pronounced against them which notwithstanding had thus much of good in it to them that the banishment was not out of the Kingdom as they did very much feare it would be but seemed rather a confinement to detain them in the Kingdome They pillaged our house and committed other such insolences as are usuall upon the like sentences and with such persons They placed over the doore in signe of their victory a stone with a long inscription on it against the Fathers and our holy faith But when things began to close the Christians procured one night to have it peckt over with an iron toole and so defaced it that it was never after to be read The Fathers departed from that City with great contentment of the Gentiles and a greater resentment of the Christians who wept all downe right and going up the river towards the North they arrived in a few daies at Mount Muilin where the Source and Head of that river riseth At the foot thereof lyeth the City of Namhium which terminateth that Province Here the Lord was pleased that their Barque should rest like that of Noah on the Mountaines of Armenia And without asking any leave or desiring the favour of any Mandarines only putting their trust in the Lord they hired a house in that City where it was not hard for them to find one for their turne without the molestation or prohibition of any one whatsoever for when the Lord will have a thing come to passe all is easie even without pains and industry There they lived with that little which they had saved out of their shipwrack at Xaocheu and drest up a Chappell in their house and as the report of the arrivall of these strangers began to raise their curiosity so the concourse of the people and their visits to them did open a doore to the preaching of the Gospell So that Father Gasper Ferrera who had been with them in the late troubles presently began to baptize some of them And the year following as I passed by that place to go to Nankim there was although not a numerous yet a good and well instructed Christianitie who enjoyed all peace and quietnesse untill the year 1616 when the persecution at Nankim began CHAP. 6. Of the progress of the Christian religion at the two residencies of Nancham and Nankim and of the death of Father Mattheus Riccius THe Fathers Emmanuel Dias and Ioannes Soerius laboured with very good fruit in the residence of Nancham which is the principall City of the Province of Kiamsi and although the greatest part of the Christians were but of the common people yet there were some also of the Nobilitie and of the Kings kindred who were baptized and carried themselves very exemplarily to the edification of all the rest I have since known some of them who did very much benefit that Christianitie by the good pattern and example of their lives and when I departed from China Don Pedro was then living who is so often mentioned in the yearly letters for having carried himselfe like a good Christian upon all occasions and even in the torments which he sustained with great constancy his house many times affording a Sanctuary to the Fathers and a Church to the Christians who went commonly thether during their troubles and persecutions which were not wanting there neither did they faile to produce that fruit which they are wont to do in new Christianities There dwell in this City many of the Kings kindred who for the most part are very insolent partly by reason of the authority of their blood and partly by reason of the idle and easie life they lead These did often give the fathers much trouble and one time were resolved to surprize the house where they lived and to turne them out of the City and had proceeded so farre in it that there is no doubt but that they had put their purpose in execution had not the Governour of the City been changed who having ended his time resigned his place to another who although he was new in that Office yet was not new in the acquaintance of the Fathers The Litterati who when they have only taken their first degree of Bachelour are another sort of troublesome people had undertaken to oppose the Christian religion and to persecute the Preachers thereof as accordingly they did many times but once in particular many of them conspiring together to pluck up this evill weede as they called it by the roots framed a Memoriall wherein they named some of the Fathers by their names and affirmed that they were Traytours to the King and that upon this designe they had dispersed themselves into five severall Provinces that they kept a constant correspondence one with another that they went up and down the Rivers to rob and assassinate the people that they taught men not to reverence the Images of their ancestors and not to worship the Pagods but brake and burned them that they seduced the ignorant people and taught them to worship a Moor for so in that Province they call the Europaeans saying that he was the true God that they made assemblies and meetings and hindred people from following their businesse that they had almost perverted the whole Citie and though at the beginning there were but a few of their Sect yet now they were multiplyed to 20000. In fine they said many other things which sounded so ill that there was none who doubted but that they would be sufficient wholly to extirpate the Fathers beside their adversaries were many united in one Body and Litterati too who knew very well how to use their pen and are commonly the better heard for that reason They presented their Memoriall to the Magistrates who received it and cited the Fathers to their Tribunal where they were examined about their life and manners and concerning the doctrine which they preached They gave an account of themselves and were also very well heard They brought along with them the Catechism which they taught printed in the Chinesse Language and presented it to the Mandarines in stead of a Memoriall This was so well looked upon that they not only admired therein the foundation and principle of all vertues but also greatly praised the precepts of the Ten
in the beleef of those things I had already heard by meanes of these Masters I learned that Heaven and Earth Mankind and all other things were made by God and that all things have their dedependance on him and are necessarilie subject unto his commands that no other Sect or law whatsoever besides this is conformable to truth that sinnes are forgiven only by God by the intermission of his Ministers that by him only the joyes of Heaven are conferred upon such who have a true and syncere sorrow for their sinnes and because I beleeve that by these meanes a man may obtain from God Grace and other benefits I beseech his Divine Majestie that he would so fill me with his truth that I may put it in execution by good works and may be able with a constant and firme resolution to worship the Heavenly Majestie and to conforme my self to his Holy precepts and ordinances And from the day wherein I shall receive Baptisme which cleanseth and washeth all filth and uncleanesse from the Soule I do promise by his Grace for the time to come wholly to extirpate out of my thoughts the Sect of the vain and false Gods as also their doctrines which are repugnant to reason and to take care that my thoughts do not in any wise runne after the superfluous desire of riches the vanitie of the world or the false and foolish pleasures thereof I will obey the Sovereign Lord and Father of all things and will follow the direct way of his law and by a constant watch upon my sences I will endeavour as much as is possible for me to reduce the light of that reason which God hath given me to its former Splendour I will begin with my self and afterward communicate unto others the benefit of those Graces I shall receive from his bountifull hand For as much as appertaineth unto the Articles of our Faith although I am not able to comprehend the greatnesse of each Mysterie neverthelesse I do from my heart submit my self to them and do firmly believe whatsoever is contained in them beseeching the Holy Ghost that he would illuminate my understanding with his light that I might be the better able to comprehend them Now therefore since I have begun again to feele the first impressions of faith my heart is like a tender eare of corne which is not yet come to its maturity wherefore I beseech the Mother of God that she will grant me strength and courage by her Intercession for me with God her Sonne that this my firm purpose constant resolution might never be staggered or shaken that he would open the powers of my soule and grant me a cleane and pure heart That he would open my mouth to declare his Divine law through the whole Kingdom to the end that none might be ignorant of the law of the True God or refuse to give obedience to it This was the profession in writing of Ignatius There was also baptized in this house by the hands of Father Iohn della Rocca who was superiour thereof Doctour Paul whose life we shall set downe more at large toward the end of this relation and who may justly be called the pillar of the Christianitie of China who was so much celebrated in the yearly letters so eminent in dignitie and honour having borne the highest office of the Kingdom that is of Colao so zealous in the Christian religion so exact in the observance of it so humble so vertuous and holy that every great thing may worthily be said of him This seed of the Holy Gospel was not contained within the walls of the City of Nankim but spread it selfe over the Province of the same name for upon the occasion of Dr. Pauls turning Christian and of his Fathers death at what time he went to Scianhai to celebrate his funeralls Father Lazarus Catanaeus went thether partly to visit him and partly to see how that Countrie was disposed to receive the word of God His journey had such good successe that presently after one Masse there were fifty Baptized and in two years after the number was encreased to two hundred the example of Dr. Paul being of great efficacy to that purpose There happened also at that time severall miracles as driving out of Devills healing of the sick and such like with which this new Christianitie was watred and the earth disposed to bring forth more fruit such as were afterwards and are still gathered there at this day There was also a house founded in that Towne and it is now one of the best Christianities in all China Whilest the Fathers of the three Southerne Residencies under went so much paines and trouble Father Mattheus Riccius was not idle at Pekim but rather was so busied that he had scarce time to breath partly for the visits of the Chinesses which he was also obliged to returne them nor could he have omitted it without injury and discourtesie and partly with the Christians and Catechumeni and partly in composing those bookes which are so much esteemed by the Chinesses In the mean while the reputation and esteeme of our religion was every day advanced and the number of Christians encreased by rare and miraculous events One of the Neophites or new Christians being delivered from death which he was unjustly condemned to suffer by the apparition of a man like unto the Image of our Saviour one night to that Judge who was to confirme the sentence who commanded him to save the life of that Innocent and two others whose recovery was despaired of by the Physitians were cured by the favour of the B. Virgin who visibly appeared to them spake to them and conforted them Notwithstanding his great employments Father Mattheus did not omit the other functions of his charge in the House he being superiour and having the care of the whole Mission which he governed with great care prudence and charity by reason of these continuall paines and care which he tooke or rather because the Lord was pleased to deliver his servant out of the troubles of this life to give him the reward of his sufferings he fell into a sicknesse and although all humane means were applyed and all possible care used to save his life yet all was to no purpose He desired to receive the Sacraments which accordingly he received with very great resentment and devotion The Fathers desired his blessing before he dyed about many questions which they asked him he gave particular answers to all among the rest to one who asked him Why he would leave them at a time when they had so great need of his company He answered I leave you the gate open to great victories which notwithstanding are not to be obtained without great pains and combats And so entertaining with discourse sometimes the Fathers sometimes the new Christians and very often raising up his heart and voice towards heaven in amorous Colloquies lying in his bed without any motion at all of his body
and closing his eyes as if he were entring into a sweet sleep he gave up his soule into the hands of his Maker with the generall greife and resentment not only of those of the house and of the Christians but also of the Gentiles they all calling him a perfect Man a Saint an Apostle I will forbeare to speak any more of him for brevities sake by reason his life is already written in the History of Father Trigaltius CHAP. 7. Of the Burying place which was bestowed upon us by the King and of the progresse of the Christian religion untill the time of the persecution at Nankim IT is a custom among the Chinesses as we have already related to have a particular place appoynted for the buriall of their dead The Fathers who had very hardly a place allowed them for to live in were altogether destitute of a place of Sepulture wherefore they were in great doubt where they should bury the Father But the Lord who is a guide unto his and who had a particular intention to honour his servant put them upon a very difficult undertaking and as farre as I am able to judge by the custome of China without his speciall assistance altogether impossible This was to Petition the King desiring his favour to have a place assigned us for the buriall of our dead And because it was the Lord who had first set this businesse on foot without any consideration of the great difficultie which they were like to find they presently framed a Memoriall to be presented to the King wherein they laid downe the reasons which moved them to make this humble request The very passing of this Memoriall according to the Stile which is requisite upon that occasion seemed so impossible a thing that the Colao himselfe who desired to assist them as a friend accounted it a very difficult enterprise Neverthelesse after they had recommended their businesse to Almighty God the Memoriall was presented to the Mandarine to whose office it belonged first to over look it and the Lord was pleased to favour us so farre that it passed the Chancery without any difficultie which at first seemed to be the greatest When it was presented to the King without doubt he that holdeth the hearts of Kings in his hand did dispose and incline him to favour us and he remembring the former Present and the Clock which he had alwaies by him did referre it to the Colao together with many other petitions according to the Stile of that Court and he to the Councell of Rites because it was a businesse of strangers which did properly belong to them But after they of that Councell had considered it they judged it to be a speciall favour of the Kings and that it did therefore belong to the Councell of the Kings Patrimonie Wherefore they did remit our Memoriall to them Assoone as the Fathers understood this and knowing they had no friends in that Councell and that there was nothing to be expected from them without favour they made such means by way of other friends that the Memoriall was not only remanded againe to the Councell of Rites wherein the Fathers had severall friends but that they also did receive it and passe sentence in favour of them as accordingly they did in this form Your Majestie hath given command that the Councell to whom this businesse did belong should give their judgement concerning this petition And it being come into our hands we have well considered the laws and constitutions of this Kingdom and we find one which saith That if any of those Strangers which are wont to come into this Kingdom should chance to die by the way if he were a subject or Vassall for sometimes there come Kings and Princes thither and were not yet arrived at the Court the Treasurer of the Province where he dyeth shall assigne him a place of buriall where there shall be set up an inscription graven in stone wherein shall be expressed the occasion of his coming hither There is also another law which saith If a Stranger come into this Kingdom and die after he is arrived at the Court if he have not received the Kings gratuity and reward according to the usuall custome the Governour of the City shall defray the costs of his funerall But if he hath received his gratuity it shall be done at his owne expence In order to these two laws from which I cannot well see how an argument should be drawne to favour our cause because the Fathers had already received their gratuity the Mandarine knew so well how to make up the businesse and to find out so many reasons and conveniences to obtain that favour which Father Iames Pantoia required of his Majestie for the buriall of his deceased companion that assoone as the Memoriall came againe into the Kings hands he presently referred it to the Colao that he should give what answer to it he thought fit The Colao drew it up in this forme That it seemed very reasonable unto him the strangers should have that favour granted them which they did desire And so it was againe brought to the King who signed it with his owne hand and put to it his Fiat This expedition put an end to our troubles and the Fathers ceased not to render thanks to Almighty God for that favour which they were so cleerly to owne from his goodnesse and which was of so great importance for the Fathers residence in that Court and in the rest of the Kingdom that concession of the King serving not only for a Sepulture for their dead but also for a license for us to remain there during our lives For he having granted us a place in that Kingdom to lie in after our death it was manifest that he granted us also a place of abode there during life and the words of the Grant runne thus To bury their Father Riccius and his companions And accordingly they who die in that Court at this day are buried in the same place Having overcome the first part of the businesse which was the most difficult without any trouble but rather with a great deale of ease and facilitie there remained still the second which was the execution of it which could not want very much opposition but by having many Mandarines to their friends and by procuring the good will of others with some Sun-dialls of Ivory which the Chinesses do highly esteeme and Father Pantoia had the skill of making them very exactly our poverty not being able to extend it selfe to any great matter at length they overcame the smaller difficulties and the execution of their desires became more easie for them especially the Fathers having the Colao who is able to do any thing for their friend who indeed was so well affected to the businesse that Father Pantoia going a second time to visit him to refresh his memory fearing lest the multitude of businesse which lay upon him might cause him to forget them before the
above mentioned banners and holding up in his right hand a scrowl of paper wherein were contained the chiefe heads of our religion and the necessity of them being asked by the guard what he meant by it answered To die with the Fathers like a Christian for the faith of Christ. The Souldiers were much astonished at that answer yet they put a halter about his neck and lead him to the Mandarines where being asked what he was answered boldly and with a loude voice That he was a Christian that he came to give an account of the law of Christ if they would be pleased to hearken to him They immediately caused the halter to be taken from about his neck and gave him a seat to rest himselfe on much admiting his resolution and constancy the like whereof had not till that time been seen in China In the mean time Xin understanding that the Sergeants had left one Father in the house and used the other civilly was very angry and reproved them sharply for it commanding them to go next morning to a garden which we had without the City for our recreation telling them they should finde there store of armes concealed and at their returne to carry the other Father to prison They found nothing in the garden of what they looked for but they carried Father Semedo out of the house to prison together with foure servants and foure other Christians who had come into the house as also brother Sebastian Fernandes and another student who was a native of the City of Macao The Christians of Nankim wrote an account of what had happened to Father Longobardus who was departed for Pekim The messenger overtooke him in Cauxeu where he presently consulted with Dr. Leo who was Governour at that time of two territories it was resolved that the Father should go alone to Pekim that he might the more easily be suffered to passe and that he should leave his companion there He furnished him with an hundred crownes to defray such expenses as should be requisite for the making of their defence He wrote also to severall Mandarines of Nankim and to the Vice-roy himselfe He procured many letters from his friends to others in the Court in favour of the prisoners he comforted them with letters and mony and cloaths against winter which began to grow very sharpe neither was his fortitude inferiour to his charity resisting valiantly his kindred and friends who did every day set upon him to perswade him to leave that so open defence and protection of the Fathers which might prove so prejudiciall and dangerous to him but he gave them so good reasons for what he did that they were all silenced and he and his whole family persevered in the way they had begun Dr. Michael shewed himselfe no lesse zealous assoone as he understood the newes by the letters which were sent him by the Christians of Nankim and Nanham for he advised the Father who was at Hamken for the other was gone to visit the Christians thereabouts that he should get him gone out of the City which accordingly he did with many teares of the Christians and fervour and zeale of the Catechameni who accompanied him to the boote as did Dr. Michael likewise and his two sonnes and a brother of his who was a Gentile and three other Letterati walking on foote a great way that cold and wet season of the year He gave also a hundred crownes to that lay-brother whom the Father 's sent to Cauxen to Father Longobardus towards the expence of his voyage the which mony Father Longobardus sent afterwards by the same brother to Nankim for the reliefe of our prisoners When Longobardus was arrived at Pekim he found the Fathers Iacobus Pantoia and Sabbatinus D' Orsi who negotiated our businesse according to the directions and instructions of Dr. Paul It is hardly credible what care and paines he tooke in writing of letters and learned Apologies and all other imaginable diligences both openly and under-hand for the defence of the Christian Religion which things I forbeare to mention here because they shall be related in his life Yet for all this was he never able to get a Memoriall passed to the Kings hands Xin having craftily shut up all entrance to him neverthelesse those Apologies were dispersed through the whole Kingdom and did sufficiently manifest the malice of our adversaries and the injustice of the persecution While the Christians with one accord endeavoured to make our innocencie appeare and defended it with all their might Xin grew still the more outragious against the Christians and particularly against the poore prisoners He suffered them not to be together above five daies but commanded they should be separated and put into five severall prisons and very strictly forbid they should be allowed any conversation or visits strengthening their guards upon pretence that those men could vanish out of sight when they pleased But he was extreamly vexed when he saw he could not so colour his cause but that it appeared to most men to be unjust and occasioned meerly by malice as also observed that the Mandarines shewed us the same kindnesse and respect as they had done in the time of our prosperity but that which afflicted him most was the joy and cheerfulnesse which all those prisoners shewed in their sufferings for the love of Christ without ever giving any signe of sadnesse or discontent in all their misery Xin not being able to shake the constancy of men would needs try whether he could overcome the courage of children commanding that five boyes who were left behind in our house by reason of their tender years should be apprehended by the officers and carryed to prison an act which was accounted barbarous even in the opinion of those that did not favour us He deprived of his degree of Batchelor Philippe Sin who was Master of the Chinesse tongue to the Fathers who foreseeing the blow kept himselfe retired for a while in his house But assoone as the occasion of his Degradation was published which was for having taught the language to the Fathers then he went abroad rejoycing publickly that he had had the honour to obtain a more noble degree by suffering for the faith of Iesus Christ. After this Xin did very much endeavour to finde out some letter written by Dr. Leo or Dr. Paul or by the Fathers that he might pick some occasion out of it to raise a calumny upon them but this attempt proving fruitlesse he betooke himselfe to compasse his desire by a sleight writing to Dr. Leo in the name of Father Vagnone on purpose to draw an answer from him which he might censure and make his owne comment upon which in China is no hard thing to do by reason of the custome they have of writing and sealing letters with the hand and seale of another But neither did this invention take effect For Dr. Leo presently discovered the cheat by the stile maner of writing
that City and after the persecution began to be over and the fury of the tempest was allayed one of the Fathers was sent thither in diguise who although he was glad to lie hid there yet did he much assist the Christians and under the protection of the old ones converted many new ones also The House which we had in Canton the most Southerly Province of China was totally ruined for although at the beginning there was another small House taken where some of the Lay-Brothers should have resided for the reception of the Fathers in their passage to the City of Nanhium yet upon better consideration it seemed good to them to take it wholly away because the place was very subject to tempests and troubles The Father who had his Residence there as I have already said went up farther into the Country as did also the Lay-Brother with a promise neverthelesse and obligation upon him to come and visit the Christians of that Country every year Father Rocca with other two Fathers who as we have said departed from Nankiam a City in the Province of Kiamsi retired to the City of Kiencham in the same Province where they were visited by a Christian Stephen of a Noble Family and one of the chiefest of that place being also the Sonne of a Mandarine who was afterwards himself converted to the Christian Religion The Fathers at their arrivall there were received with all manner of Christian love and charitie and were lodged in a house neerto the walls of the City such a one as they cal a House of Studies where they had an appartiment provided for them consisting of foure chambers with the Offices belonging to them and a faire Hall which served them for a Chappel At the beginning there came thither only those of the houshold of their Host who were all Christians Afterward their Kindred who were Gentiles and their most Familiar acquaintance and by occasion of these Visits there was alwayes some one or other gained to the Faith and these likewise brought in others and so by little and little this Christianity encreased so that when I came thither about two years after they said Masse on Holy dayes with Musicall Instruments and with the concourse of a good number of Christians They who played on the Instruments were the Sonnes of Christians and among them the Letterati and those of the best quality served at the Masse in their coates foure at a time as I saw at my being there At this day there is a good Residence with a copious and well instructed Christianity which hath annexed to it two Churches in the Province of Chincheo which bordereth upon it and are visited every year by the Father of this House The Residence of Hamcheu doth flourish most of all under the Protection of Dr. Michael For though the Fathers went out from thence publickly at noone day that the world might take notice of their obedience to the Kings proclamation accompanied by the said Dr. and the Christians of the best quality yet Dr. Michael having prepared a faire appartiment in his Palace provided with Chambers Offices Chappel Hall c. did build also a new range of Chambers furnishing them all after our fashion that there might be roome enough for all of us if there should be occasion and when he had fitted every thing he sent for the Fathers who came thither very secretly although he was not very sollicitous to conceale them But three years after told Xin who being a native of that City was now come to live at his owne Palace That he had the Fathers with him in his house and perswaded him to come and visit them and discourse with them Telling him he should finde them other manner of men than he took them for This house was in those troublesome times the most secure commodious and easie refuge which the Fathers had Here lived the Superiour hither came all businesse and upon any straite the greatest part of the Fathers who sometimes made a considerable number and although there was care taken that no Gentile should come in amongst them unlesse he were very well knowne neverthelesse there was Masse said and a sermon every Holy day with a great concourse of Christians and a good number of new ones converted to the faith The greatest tempest fell upon the Church at Nankim for as the Fathers were prisoners a long time there and after they had received their sentence were sent out in cages being carried through the whole City with a great noise and shouting of the guard and an infinite concourse of people their case was more notorious and ignominious and the Gentiles were more alienated from the Christians accusing them upon every occasion to the Magistrate Wherefore for diverse years after there was almost every year some particular vexation and the Christians were brought before the Tribunalls and troubled and many times were Bastinadoed all which they suffered with great constancy and cheerfulnesse gaudentes à conspectu Concilij quoniam digni habiti sunt pro nomine Iesu contumelium pati Neither truly is there any doubt but as the Lord did exercise this Church of Nankim with particular tribulations so he did also endowe it more particularly with the vertue of Patience as was seen upon all occasions In this manner were our ancient houses demolished although the Christians belonging to them were preserved who divided themselves into companies making by that means severall Co-fraternities the most ancient and pious among them did visit and comfort the rest the Fathers also at certaine times came to confesse and communicate them and staied amongst them as long as they could But as they durst not stay long at least in some places they were forced to find out other places of abode which was an occasion of laying the foundation of new Residencies which were afterwards brought to perfection and became well ordered Houses and Churches as they are to be seen at this present time The first Residence which was begun in the time of our troubles and Banishment was in the Province of Kiamsi in the City of Kiencham whereof I have formerly spoken The second was the Province of Nankim in the City of Kiatim where Dr. Ignatius dwelt a Christian of great power and authority who was afterwards Vice-roy of the Province of Xantum he assoone as he had notice of the sentence pronounced against the Fathers immediately dispatched one of his Sonnes to Father Lazarus Catanaeus who lived in Hamcheu with a letter wherein after the usuall complements he wrote him only these words There is a businesse of importance which I must necessarily treate of with your Reverence before you leave this Kingdome When this letter was brought to the Fathers they were putting themselves in are dinesse to depart out of that City as accordingly they did with a designe to go to Xanhai which was Dr. Pauls Country but having received this invitation that they might give satisfaction to both parties
of the dangerous estate and condition of the Christians at Nankim Father Rocâ—a superiour of the Mission chanced to be at that time in Hamcheu who presently endeavoured to find some remedie for it by speaking with Doctour Michael and writing to Doctour Paul that by their leâ—ters they would perswade the Mandrines of Nankim to shew some favour to the Christians which accordingly they did with much zeale and efficacie especially Doctoâ—r Paul who observed to them in his writings fourteen principall poynts wherein our Holy Law did differ from the Sect of Palien Kiao The letters had not that effect that was hoped of them some of the Mandarines being rendered very averse to them by the power and perswasion of Xin who actually enjoying at that time the dignity of Colao every one endeavoured to gain his favour by following his inclinations And that was plainely seen by their answers which are not wont to be in such termes to Mandarines of so considerable Quality as those Christians were The answer to Doctour Paul was that the Law which his Lordship said was different from that Sect of Palien Kiao was not so but the very same both of them professing not to obey the King nor his Ministers as was plainly to be seen by the Fathers who being banished out of the Kingdom by the Kings order yet were so audacious that they still remained there and other things of the same straine which evidently shewed that they who gave such answers were changed as also for whose sake they gave them This unpleasing answer was followed by a thing of greater danger for in China even in the quietest times it is necessary to live very retired and reservedly which was the Intelligence that Doctour Paul had received how that not many daies before two Mandarines of the same City of Nankim had presented a Memoriall to the King against the Law of Christ both against the Chinesses who were followers of it as also the Fathers that did preach and propagate it accusing Doctour Michael by name for being a Christian and for keeping the Fathers in his House they did also accuse severall others for keeping of them and although they did not name Doctour Paul yet it might be easily understood that they meant him for one This news did require their most serious deliberation for when a businesse is brought before the King it is alwayes of dangerous consequence and doth ever shave or flea Doctour Paul immediately wrote to the Fathers that in what place soever they were they should without any farther delay resolve to retire themselves and to break off all commerce with all manner of persons whatsoever although they thought them never so safe or trusty giving way to the necessity of the times as at that present was very convenient for them Doctour Michael was of the contrary opinion at least he would not suffer those which lived in his own House to hide themselves Doctour Ignatius his Sonne also who dwelt in the City of Kiatiâ— was of opinion that the Fathers should keep themselves private and concealed for if any thing should be decreed to their disadvantage it could not be executed so suddenly but that there would be time enough for them to make their escape especially since the Mandarines of the City were their friends Although this were a very young man yet his Father who lived then at the Court was much satisfied with his opinion in that case Neverthelesse it was judged more expedient that we should withdraw our selves before the storm appeared and that afterward those who could not hide themselves should fly before they were apprehended by justice But the difficulty was where to find another secret place beside that where we were which was in a very populous City and among many of our trusty and faithfull friends and because it was so difficult to lie hid in that place we did think of searching out some desert but by reason that China is so populous that was no easie thing to be done At length it was resolved that we should all quit the habitations we were in some going to the Country Houses of the same Christians some to the sepulchres of others with a caution that if there did not come a favourable answer from the King there should be boates provided in a readinesse for to carry them up and down the Rivers where the not remaining long in any certain place would be a good way to secure them till the Lord should direct them to a better During this time Doctour Paul kept a man on purpose in the City of Sucheu where the Vice-roy of the Province hath his Residence for he may not dwell in the City of Nankim because it is the Kings Court as well as Pekim that assoon as the Kings answer came he might presently bring him word of it and according to the stile of that Country it was conceived that it might be delayed yet many dayes The Fathers expected ten weeks to their great discommodation and inconvenience because those things which might easily have been had in the Towns and Cities could not be come by but with a great deale of trouble as they lay thus hid neither did any answer come in all this time for which there were severall reasons given but the best seemed to be that these Memorials against our Holy Faith were sent with an Order that they should first be registred by Xin for whose sake they were presented who at the same time was put out of his Office So that when the Memorials came he had now no power nor authority to preferre them and so they were not presented at all for if they had been presented whether the King had answered them or no we should have been sure to have had notice of it Thus the storm ended which seemed to threaten us with a greater danger and the effect of it was turned upon Xin although upon another occasion for it is most certain that at the same time when the Petitions against the Law of Christ were sent from the Southern to the Northern Court the King took away his Office of Colao by reason the Mandarines of Pekim had petitioned against him and although they had endeavoured his disgrace for 16 months before yet they could never bring it about till then So that it seemeth the Lord did reserve the fall of this Tyrant for that time wherein he might have done the greatest mischiefe and would shew us what trust and confidence we ought to have in him upon the like occasions Our Doctours being of the opinion that the Memorials neither were nor would be presented the Fathers returned all to their Ancient Residencies although they were obliged to use more caution and to make fewer assemblies and this the rather because they did not yet receive good news from Nankim where there were new edicts published against the Christian Religion which news although on the one side it occasioned much grief to the Fathers yet on the
other side it gave them much comfort by the relation of the Martyrdome of a certain Christian called Andrew concerning whose life and actions very much might be said and especially of that courage and constancy which he shewed in all the torments they gave him which is so much the more admirable in a Chinesse because that Nation is by nature very cowardly and timorous yet we have had certain experience that even to this day the Christian Chinesses in all occasions of Persecutions and Troubles that have happened to them have ever continued firme in the Faith so that by the grace of God they have not been wanting to Martyrdome but Martyrdome hath been wanting to them as was seen in those of Nankim and was proved in this good Christian Andrew This Andrew was borne in the Province of Kiaâ—si where after he had lived many yeares he removed from thence into the Province of Nankim where having had some information concerning our religion he came up the Fathers and after he had been well instructed by them in the principall points of our Faith he received Baptisme from them together with the name of Andrew Some few daies after his whole familie was Baptized by the hand of Father Rocca who was Superiour there at that time After his Baptisme Andrew became a pattern and example to the rest of the Christians by endeavouring to communicate to others the good which he had received and to draw others to Christ which succeeded very happily very many being Baptized by his perswasions He had a great devotion to the B. Virgin and was the most zealous man of a whole fraternitie which before the Persecution of Nankim was dedicated to her in our Church there and after that when the Fathers were banished he built an oratory in his owne house to the honour of that Holy Mother whither he used to assemble the Christians and to exhort them to devotion and observance of our Holy Law At the time the Fathers were imprisoned there and the other Christians were divided into five prisons he without any fear of that danger to which he did expose himselfe tooke upon him to serve them to visit comfort and assist them especially the Fathers with many almes at his owne expence not being content to performe these offices of Charitie in his owne person only he imployed in them also a little boy that was his sonne whom he sent to the Fathers that they might make use of him to send him of errants and other little occasions Likewise at our return thither he lent us his house for our habitation when we went to visit the Christians of that place and for an Infirmary or Hospitall when any were sick whom he served and tooke care of with great charity and affection These and other good works did the Lord pay him by crowning him with Martyrdome and making him to suffer death for his sake The good old man patiently suffered the torments and Bastinadoes abovementioned and when as the last which he received beside that they were very cruell ones were also laid on upon the wounds and stripes but lately inflicted on him before other Tribunalls it is no wonder that an old man who though he were strong in courage yet was but weake in body should render his life to the violence of those torments since the youngest of those Christians and those of the most robust complexion did hardly escape with life Thus he dyed leaving that Church much edified by his good example and much afflicted for the losse of him For he was as it were a Father to them all and in the absence of the Fathers a Master He was buried decently in a particular Sepulchre by himselfe to the end that one day he may have those honours which are due to him performed with greater solemnitie CHAP. 12. How things began to be quiet and setled and how the Fathers were sent for to Court by order of the Mandarines IN the mean time there came better news from Nankim whither the Fathers had sent a man on purpose with letters from themselvs as also from our Doctours to comfort and strengthen the Christians there in their afflictions and troubles although the Lord had so filled their hearts with courage and contentment that they had little need of any humane consolation This man returned with a confirmation of the news which was already spread abroad assuring them that all things were quiet the same also was written by the Christians in their letters For the Mandarines seeing that the plot did not take and that the Memorialls were not presented at Pekim and on the other side that Xin was turned out of his Office they presently changed their stile and opinion they set the Christians at liberty and also moderated the punishment that had been imposed upon them Only there remained in prison three Christians of Chincheo who expected every day to be sent into their owne Province as it afterwards fell out From Pekim also the Father who lay hid there wrote that all the hopes of our enemies of Nankim were quite overthrown at that Court and that the face of things was so changed since the departure of Xin that our friends did counsell him to treate with the Christian Mandarines and such other of them as although they were Gentiles yet had a good affection for us to finde out some way for him to go publickly abroad and for us to be introduced thither againe By this time there had six or seven years passed since the first Persecution of Nankim and the Tartars made a cruell warre upon the Chinesses and had already not only defeated severall of their armies but also gained diverse places from them in the Province of Leaotum neither did they well know which way to put a stop to the advance of their army Neverthelesse the Fathers did endeavour to finde some way to manifest themselves to the Kingdome and to appeare in publick according to the tenour of what had been written them from Pekim But because their banishment was decreed by the King they found no small difficulty in the businesse Notwithstanding the Christians and the Doctours that were our friends resolved to frame a Memoriall taking the occasion from the warre with the Tartars and the extremities to which the Chinesses were reduced and to present it to the King setting forth in the first place the misfortunes of the warre the mortality and damages which they had received the losse of their Townes and Cities without having been able for the space of so many years after such infinite expence of treasure and losse of men either to divert or stop the course of that calamitie In the second place they did remonstrate the errour which was committed in banishing the Europaean Fathers who beside that they were vertuous learned and men capable of the management of great affaires they were also very great Mathematicians who without doubt had particular secrets and extraordinary inventions which might be
Family a very good and devout person as I had formerly known him to be at Nankim It pleased God for the comfort and solace of those poor Portugheses that he should govern the Island at that time Assoon as he had understood what had happened to those prisoners fearing what might fall out he commanded the cause to be brought unto his Tribunall When therefore the poor prisoners were brought into his presence and after that he understood they were Christians he not only commiserated their condition but presently commanded they should be set at liberty and kept them for some time in his Palace It is hard to expresse the Charity and Love with which he entertained them endeavouring to refresh and comfort them after the labours and dangers they had passed conversing with them so familiarly and so cordially and giving them such an example in his own person of all Christian vertues that the Portughesses did afterwards very highly commend him both in Macao and many other places and not only his own carriage and behaviour but also that of his houshold but above all they did admire the care and diligence with which he gave them notice both of Fasts and Holy-dayes to the end they might observe them so that while they stayed there he served them also in stead of a Parish Priest On the day of S. Agnes which was that whereon his wife was Baptized and called by the same name he made a very great Feast first a Spirituall one in his Chappel where they all met to do their devotions and recommend themselvs unto God and after that he gave them a Sumptuous and Splendid banquet After he had entertained them a good while and that they had recovered their health and strength againe he lent them a Barque and Marriners to carry them to Macao I could bring many other examples which I omit for brevities sake seeing these are sufficient to prove what I said before That the Christian Religion one way or other is dispersed over the whole Kingdome of China CHAP. 13. The life and death of Doctour Leo and the Conclusion of this History THe Chinesse Christianity hath so great an obligation to the singular pietie and charitable assistance afforded them upon all occasions by Doctour Leo that I cannot finish this relation without giving a briefe Essay of his life and death which may serve also for a testimony of the great zeale of those new Christians although I shall forbeare to mention many things concerning his sanctitie as also severall graces and gifts conferred upon him by Almighty God referring the Reader to the yearly letters where they are more particularly set downe Dr. Leo was borne in the City of Hamcheu in the Province of Chekiam and having happily finished the course of his studies he removed to the Court of Pekim where he obtained the degree of Doctour and executed the first employment which was conferred upon him after his degree There he saw and conversed with Father Matthaeus Riccius as did also the greatest part of the chiefe Officers and Letterati moved by a curiositie of seeing men of Europe This Leo besides that he was of a quick and vivacious wit had a most eager and intense desire of knowledge by which means he did the more engage himselfe to an inward friendship and conversation with the Father being allured thereunto by the solidity and novelty of our Sciences and particularly by the delight he tooke in some maps and other curiosities so that he could have been willing to have lived alwaies in his company In the meane while together with humane Sciences the Father did instruct him in the heavenly wisdome of the Law of God and he was growne so skilfull and well versed in it that he was able to help the Father in the correction and augmentation of a Catechisme which he had made some years before and was then about to re-print it He did therein much admire the great conformitie of our Mysteries with the principalls of reason the concordance order and admirable consequence of the points of our Faith and although he did not at that time give an entire credence to them neverthelesse he was much delighted to see every thing therein so well ordered and disposed being wont often to say That if these things were not true they were wisely invented and very conformable to the light of nature He continued the same affection toward the Father for some years wherein he much assisted both with his counsell and authority the foundation of that House and indeed he was the first that did encourage the Father to the enterprise and furnished him with mony to buy the ground and to build the Church All these good works accompanied with the fastings and Penance which he performed while he was yet a Gentile were as so many dispositions to fit and prepare him for the reception of that divine light which the Lord was pleased to communicate unto him He was then satisfied in the truth of our Holy faith and did much desire to be baptized which notwithstanding Father Riccius would not consent unto by reason of a certain impediment which he had at that time but being afterwards sick and in great danger of death the Father was constrained to Baptize him And immediatly after the Lord was pleased by means and vertue of that Sacrament and the other of Extreame Unction to deliver him from that death which he expected every hour as he himselfe confessed during his whole life and alwaies gave particular thanks to God for it Not long after he returned home to his owne House where having busied himselfe one evening in breaking and burning all the Idols he could finde Dr. Michael his ancient friend though yet a Gentile and very zealous in the worship of Idols and observant in their superstition came in to visit him He was much astonished at the sight and could not forbeare to reprove him for it but by the others answer he received so much satisfaction that he had an earnest desire to heare and understand better the Law of Christ which he afterwards received the same Dr. Leo assisted him as God-father at his Baptisme for about that time there came to live in Leo's House the Fathers Lazarus Catanaeus and Nicolas Trigaultius who did often discourse there with Dr. Michael he carried them to a Country house of his whither he went often to dwell that he might with more freedom and leisure discourse with them concerning the Law of God he doing this often was at length converted and Baptized wherein Dr. Leo had the greatest share and merit conferring a most important benefit upon this Church by the conversion of a person of that Quality who for many years together in the heate and trouble of the greatest persecutions did ever receive protect and favour us above measure From that day forward these two Doctours Michael and Leo were the heads and pillars of our Holy faith in those Kingdoms for in
the greatest fury of that persecution wherein the Fathers were banished the Kingdom eight of them concealed themselves in that City not only maintaining what they had already gained but also encreasing it so much that whereas about 8 or 10 years before there were but three Churches in all China we have at this day many in eight Provinces as also twelve Houses the number of the faithfull being very much encreased every where Dr. Leo made continuall progresse in the Christian religion and shewed in act upon all occasions what he had before embraced and resolved in his minde When he went to take possession of the first office which was given him after he was a Christian he was advertised by the Ministers and Officers that according to the custome he should go and worship and take his oath before the Idols which in great number were placed in a certain Hall of that Palace where he was to lodge The Doctour went and being come to the roome where the Idols were the Ceremonie he performed was to cause them to be all overturned and throwne to the ground and then to be broken in pieces so that the Sergeants themselves who were constrained to execute this Commandement which seemed to them a very great impiety said among themselves Sure this new Lord of ours is not very well in his wits So great was the horrour and hatred which he had conceived against the devill He was in this particular very severe and terrible all the time of his life neither did he account them men that were deceived in that point had so little sense as to believe Idols to be gods and those who had any occasion to heare the Law of God or to read the books which treated of it and did not judge it to be true to want braines and to be voyd of understanding He perswaded himselfe that all they who could read and took a delight in the reading of books that it was not possible but that they should have a great passion for the Learning and Sciences of Europe and that by means of them they must needs arrive at the knowledge of the true God and receive his Holy law Therefore his greatest care always was to perswade the Fathers to apply themselves to the translating the books of Europe and he himselfe did help them in it all he could which was not a little Hence it was that ever since he knew the Fathers which was about the space of thirty years he almost alwaies busied himselfe in this exercise which he followed with so much study and application that even in the Country at recreations visits and banquets he never went without a book in his sleeve or in the chaire wherein he was carried on mens shoulders and when he was alone he did either read or write although it was more troublesome to him than it would have been to another of lesse ingenuity and capacity by reason of his want of sight in one eye which he had almost lost and the little sight he had in the other which was left so that in writing or reading he was faine almost to touch the paper with his eye And truly he made such progresse in our Sciences that he could have discoursed upon any subject better than many in Europe that esteeme themselves learned men He perfectly understood the first six books of Euclid which are now translated into the Chinesse tongue he had learned all the kinds of our Arithmetick with many particular rules and subtleties which are taught in that Art of which subject he composed seaven Tomes he was very well acquainted with all that belongeth to the Spheare and such like curiosities But what is most of all he understood very well and helped to translate the books of Aristotle de Caelo together with the questions which are handled upon them by the Schoole of Conimbra so that he had perfectly penetrated into that matter and finally he learnt a great part of our Logick concerning which he left 20 Tomes in the Chinesse language to be printed besides he discoursed so pertinently of all these and other matters with so much ease and delight that it was not so facile for others who were well versed in them to follow him He never made account of those curious commodities which came from Europe and which were so much esteâ—med by others all his delight and content was to see some new and curious book that was brought out of Europe Then would he sigh to see himselfe old and alone not finding in other Christians the zeale which he had of a thing so important to the conversion of that Kingdom as was the helping us in the translation of such books With the Fathers he never discoursed of any thing but either of God or of our Sciences It was a knowâ— thing among us that when he saw us which he did many times a week the first thing he would ask was What book it was we were about translating and if he knew the subject how much we had already translated And I can speak it with truth that of fifty works which the Fathers have translated into the Chinesse tongue both of Divinitie other Sciences among which there are some which do consist of many Tomes there is hardly one which hath not passed through his hands he either correcting it himselfe or helping us to do it or revising and fitting it for a new impression or else reâ—ding it of more Authority with the addition of prologues and other compositions of his owne He had an unspeakable pleasure in those works neither could â—e have a greater Present sent him than one of our books newly printed in the Chinesse language From hence there grew in him a great 〈◊〉 iâ—satible desire wherein he seemed to consume himselfe which was to have many Fathers come into China and it was so vehement in him that it made him fall into complaints against our Superiours saying They did not understand because they could not see with their eyes the importance of that businesse that therefore they did not supply that want so much as was necessary One day falling into a great heat upon this subject the Father with whom he discoursed mildely replied Sir we thank you for your zeale and do acknowledge the favour you shew us in complaining on this manner but our Superiours have many places to succour and supply and it is not possible for them to do it to the satisfaction of all To which he replied very gracefully Your Reverence doth reprove me for daring to murmure against our Fathers and Superiours but it is not so but only I say That I should be very glad to have the opportunity to speak in person with our Reverend Father Generall in these very tearmes he spake it in the Chinesse tongue and when ever he mentioned the Superiours of the Company he alwaies called them Our Fathers and Superiours because I would very earnestly desire of him that he would be
First therefore the Prefects or Governours did abuse the Merchant Tartars of Niuche when they came into Leaotung which is a Province confines next to them Then again when the King of Niuche would have married his Daughter to another King of the Tartars they hindred this marriage by representing some pretended reasons of State And finally when the King of Niuche suspected nothing from them he conceived his friends they took him by deceit and killed him perfidiously Wherefore to revenge these injuries the Kings Son gathered a strong Army and taking his time found meanes to get over the great Wall I mentioned and the great River being frozen he presently set upon the great City Kaiyven or as others call it Taxum which lies upon the Confines of Tartary which he took in the year MDCXVI From this City he writ a Letter in Tartarian Characters to the Emperour of China which though writ in Barbarian Characters yet contained nothing Barbarous By this Letter which he sent by one of their Indian Priests whom they call Lama in a very humble and submissive manner he declared to him that he had invaded his Country to revenge the injuries he had received from the Governours of the neighbouring Provinces But yet that he was ready to restore the City he had taken and depose his Armes if his complaints might be heard and satisfaction given him The Emperour of China called Vanley having received this Letter though otherwise of an eminent wisdome and of as great experience yet being now broken with Age in this businesse seems to have proceeded with lesse Prudence than that which accompanied the former Actions of his life For thinking it not to be a business of that moment as that it deserved to be treated before him in his own Court he remitted it to the chief Governours and Commanders And these men puffed up with their usuall pride thought it not fit so much as to give an answer to the Barbarian King but resented it very highly that he durst be so bold as to complain to the Emperor of any injury received The Tartarian King seeing they vouchsafed no answer to his just demands turning his anger into rage vowed to celebrate his Fathers Funerals with the lives of two hundred Thousand of the Inhabitants of China For it is the custome of the Tartars when any man of quality dyeth to cast into that fire which consumes the dead Corps as many Servants Women and Horses with bows and Arrows as may be fit to atend and serve them in the next life Though now since they conquered China they have left off this Barbarous custome being reprehended and corrected for it by the Chinesses themselves After this superstitious Vow advancing his revenging Armes he besieged Leaotung which was the chief City of the Province of Leaoyang with 50000. men But the City was defended by exceeding many men who generally were all armed with Musquets The Tartars had nothing but their Scymetars with Bows and Arrows which they discharge with strange Dexterity and Art But because they chiefly feared the musquet bullets they resolved by a Stratagem to make that unknown Instrument lesse hurtfull to them than their enemies did imagin For the Tartarian King commanded such as made the first on-set to carry a thick hard board for their Shield which was as good to them as a wooden Wall these men were seconded by other Companies who carried Ladders to climb up the Walls and the Horse came up in the Rear In this manner he set upon the City in foure quarters and received the discharge of their Musquets against his wooden wall Then in a moment the scaling-ladders being applied before they could charge again they were upon the Walls and entred the City for such is the quicknesse and nimblenesse of the Tartars in which they excell all Nations and in which also they place their chief art that in a trice they either prevail in their designs or retire and the little skill the Chinesses had in the use of Musquets was no small hinderance to the warre For the Tartars quicknesse and nimblenesse not giving them time to charge again being astonished with the sudden inundation of armed men they presently fled which way soever they could but being pursued by the swift Tartarian Horse most of them perished in the taking of this great City This City being taken the Tartar like a Torrent over-run many others of lesse note but amongst others he took that Noble City Evamgning and overrunning most speedily the whole Country of Leaotung he entred the Province of Pekin and comming within seven Leagues of the very Imperiall City He durst not advance fearing the Enemy might compasse or surround him because he heard that a world of men came in to help their distressed Prince But the Tartar struck such a terrour into the hearts of all the Countries he had passed as both Souldier and Citizen quitting their Houses left the empty walls to the Tartarians possession knowing the Tartar to have that custom and practise to destroy and put all to fire and sword that did resist and only pillage the Cities that submitted leaving the Citizens alive and treating them courteously By which meanes having collected a world of riches he returned to Leaotung victorious And because his South-sayers had perswaded him that the standing of the old Walls were unfortunate he beat them down and compassed it about with new fortifying them with new Munitions and there proclamed himself Emperour of China For although as yet he had taken nothing of China but only the skirts of the Eastern Country of the Province of Leaotung yet in his hopes aspiring thoughts he had devoured the whole Kingdom wherefore he was called in the China language Theienmingus in the third year of his Reign which was in that of one thousand six hundred and eighteen In this year some in authority about the Emperour Vanley demanded the banishment of the Priests who did then preach the Christian Religion to that Nation But the Emperour who in his heart loved Christanity and those particularly that first planted that Religion amongst them gave no eare for a long while to their demands But at length overcome by the importunity of a chief Commander who had ever been a sore Enemy to Christian Religion and was called Xinchio it was ordained and proclamed that all those Fathers that did propagate Christan Religion should be banished the Kingdome Upon which some of them were secretly concealed in severall Provinces by some Christian Governours others being taken were carried in great Cages to Macao wherein being shut up day and night they suffered extreamly whilst others also being whipt out of the Country rejoyced to undergoe something for his sake whose name they bore but that which added more affliction to all these miseries was the Emperour Vanley's Prohibition to all his to professe Christian Religion But upon this occasion the Christians
of China who from the horrid wildernesse of Infidelity had been brought to the pleasant Pastures of Christianity gave illustrious examples of their Faith and Constancy but the longer Narration of this glorious persecution is reserved for another place I only touch it here to admire the Divine Providence of God who raised so sharp War against China when they neglected Christian Peace and permitted at the same time these Tartars to take so deep a root in this Empire of China as afterward grew to that height as to extirpate the Royal Family of the Taminges together with the Kingdom at the very same time they went about utterly to destroy all Christianity But as ordinarily it doth by this very persecution Christian Religion grew to that height and greatnesse that the Church glories to behold it whilst unlesse God vouchsafe to lend a potent helping hand the vast Kingdom of China is utterly overthrown In the mean time the Chineses were very solicitous to expell this Enemy from the bowells of their Country and first they selected very chief and eminent men for Commanders and Governours then they gathered an Army of six hundred thousand choise Souldiers The King of Corea also sent to the Emperour of China twelve thousand with this potent Army therefore they went out in the beginning of March MDCXIX to give Battail to the Enemy The Tartars resolved to meet them with an undaunted courage and for a good while the event and victory was very doubtfull but in the end the Army of China was wholly routed their chief Commanders with fifty thousand men were all slain The Tartars according to their custome prosecute the victory with all quicknesse and diligence for the same day they took and sacked two Cities which they burned After this they over-run that whole Country and came to the very Walls of Pekin the Emperours Court but durst not venture to besiege it because they knew besides the infinite number of Canons it contained there was lodged fourscore thousand Souldiers in it But the Chineses confess that there was such a fear and consternation in the City that the King thought to have left that City and gone into the Southern parts of the Kingdom which he had effectually performed had not some Commanders suggested that his flight would give courage to the Victorious and breed trouble and confusion in the whole Empire being that to fly is nothing else but to yeeld up the land to the Enemy Nay more they say the disorders were such in the City that if the Tartar had come on he infallibly had made himself Master of it But the Enemy was more greedy of Prey and therefore they dispersed themselves abroad spoiling and burning all Towns and Cities and killing and destroying an immense company of Chineses in a most cruell manner and so leaving all these places dismantled and without Garisons laden with infinite Riches they returned victorious to Leaotung where they had their first footing After these things had passed that renouned Emperour of China call'd Vanley died and left his Son Taichangus to succeed him who begun to gather a new Army against the Tartars but after four moneths reign he also died To him succeeded Theinkins who as soon as he assumed the Crown sent an Embassadour with many magnificent Presents and worthy of the China Monarchy to the King of Corea The end of this Embassage was to thank him for the Auxiliary forces sent to his Grandfather as also to comfort him for the losse he had received in the late service of China finally to sollicite and presse for further succours For it seems those of Corea as they are nearer to Iapony so they participate more of that warlike Spirit and Fortitude than those of China do Besides that he might more effectually divert the imminent danger of his Kingdoms ruin he leavied new Forces throughout all the Kingdom which he sent into the Province of Leaotung to hinder the irruption of the Tartars any further into the Countery And for their better supply with necessary Provision he maintained a great Navie in the Haven of Thiencin to carry Corn and other necessaries for their maintenance This Port of Thiencin is a Station to which an incredible number of ships resort both by Sea and Rivers from all parts of China So as by this means by a very short and compendious way they were easily provided with all necessaries For all the whole Country of Leaotung is almost invironed with the Sea and the furthest part is but two daies distant by water from this Port of Thiencin but by land far more time is necessary Amongst other Commanders which came with succours to their Prince there was one Heroick Lady whom we may well call the Amazon or Penthesilean of China She brought along with her three thousand from the remote Province of Suchuen carrying all not only Masculine minds but mens habits also and assuming Titles more becoming men than women This noble and generous Lady gave many rare proofs of her courage and valour not only against these Tartars but also against the Rebells which afterwards riss against their Lord and Emperour But now she came in this War to supply her Sons place whom she left at home in his own Kingdom as being yet a Child and not able to perform that Homage and Duty to which he was obliged For in the mountains of the Country of Suchuen there is a King not subject to him of China but an absolute Prince yet so as he receives the Honour and Title of a King from the Emperour of China after which Investiture his Subjects only obey him and pay Tribute But because they surpasse all others in Valour and Courage therfore they are used by the Kings of China in warlick Affairs By occasion of this war the two noble Christian Doctours Paul and Michael found means to perswade the Emperour to demand of the Portugeses of Macas some greater Pieces and also some Gunnes and Gunners hoping by this means also to restore the banished Fathers of Christianity as also the Religion it self And their Proposition took effect for both the one and the other were sent for and the Fathers who hitherto secretly negotiated the businesse of Religion were publickly admitted again and many new Souldiers of Portugal came to help the Army And God did most abundantly recompence to the Emperour this favour done to Christianity For before the Portugese arrived his Army had cast the Tartars out of Leaotung by means of the Inhabitants of that Country who being much exasperated by the Tartarians cruelty opened their City Gates as soon as the King of China's Army appeared and rising against their Garison gave entrance to the Army Insomuch as they recovered the Metropolitan Town of Leaotung For the King of Tartary being diverted by other Wars at home could not come soon enough to relieve it So as by this means the affairs of China
place But he was not contented with the death of one of these same Heathenish Priests but having got together about twentie thousand of the same profession he sent them all to hell to visit their Masters whom they had served And then he would applaud himself as if he had done a very Heroical Action saying to them These men would have taken away your lives but Thiencheu so they call God which signifies the Lord of Heaven has sent me to revenge your cause inflict due punishment upon these wretches He would often confer also with the Fathers of Christian Religion and that so properly as a man would take him for a Christian. He praised and highly extolled the Religion of Christians which he well understood partly by the conferences which he frequently had with the Fathers and partly by reading their books which for the Instruction of Christians they had writ in the China language hath often promised to build a Church to the God of Christians worthy of his magnificence when he once came to be Emperour of China and indeed all the works he erected were verâ— splendid and magnificent but he polluted them all with the blood of the Workmen for if he found they had but committed the least errour or the least imperfection he presently put them to death upon the place On the North part of the Country of Suchuen where it confines with the Province of Xensi lies the strong City called Nanchung which though it be seated in the County of Xensi yet in respect it is both so strong and of so great an extent it is held to be the Key of both the two Provinces The Tyrant endeavoured by all industry to make himself Master of this important place as being a convenient passage to the rest wherefore in the year MDCXLV he levied a vast Army consisting of one hundred and fourscore thousand men all Natives of the Countie of Suchuen besides those of his own which had alwaies followed him He sent before this numerous Army which besieged the Town a long time but found so rigorous resistance that they began to be weary and about fourtie thousand of those Souldiers of Suchuen revolted to the Prefects which governed the be-leagured Citie by which means the Army was constrained to return to the Tyrant without any memorable Action and he being enâ—aged with anger to see them retire commanded all the rest of the Souldiers of the Province of Suchuen which were in number one hundred and fourtie thousand to be all massacred by the rest of the Army This horrible Butchery lasted four daies in which slaughter he commanded many of them to have their skins pulled off which he filling with straw and sowing on the head commanded to be carried publickly and visibly into the Towns where they were born so to strike more terrour into the hearts of the inhabitants and after all this yet he had such a malitious hatred against this Country that he never ceased to vex and torment it even when it was in a manner left desolate Many unexpert persons without head or guide did take Arms against him but he quickly dispersed them being wholly unexperienced in Military Discipline others that were wiser leaving the City retired into the Mountains which were in a manner the onely men who escaped his fury After this he called all the Students of the Country to be examined for their degrees promising to give those honours to whomsoever should deserve them best and the Chineses are so bewitched with the desire of these dignities that they did not conceive the perfidious Stratagem of the Tyrant There appeared therefore in the publick Hall deputed for that Ceremony about eighteen thousand persons all which he commanded his Souldiers to massacre most barbarously saying These were the people who by their cavilling sophisms sollicited the people to rebellions I have a horrour to relate so many unhumane slaughters and yet I see my self over-whelmed with new ones for what an addition is it to all his related barbarities to tell you That he never spared Children Boys nor Girls no nor Mâ—trons with Child and ready to lye down what an excess of all inhumanity to take the Prefects Wives when their Husbands were condemned but yet alive and to expose these Women to all kind of villanies and then to kill them This was so resented by many as they rather chose to kill themselves than to undergoe so infamous and publick an opprobry to their honesty I forbear to relate more of such detestable and execrable examples lest I offend the ears and minds of the Reader by such abominations Let us therefore suppresse these impurities and passe to what happened in the year MDCXLVI when the Tartars entred into the Province of Xensi to give him Battail so as he was forced to go out to meet them And to the end he might leave the Country behind him with more security he resolved to cut off all the inhabitants except those which inhabited the North-East Quarters by which he was to passe and therefore must needs reserve these Creatures to assist and furnish his Army with all necessaries and therefore he deferred their death to another time First therefore he commanded all the Citizens of what quality or condition soever that did inhabit his Metropolitan City of Chingtu to be bound hand and foot which was done by a part of the Army which he had called in and then riding about them which vast multitude is related to have been above six hundred thousand Souls he viewed them all with lesse compassionthan the cruellest Tygre would have done whilest in the mean time these poor victims with lamentable crys which penetrated the very vault of Heaven and might have moved a heart composed of stone or Rock holding up their hands begged of this outragious Tyrant to spare the lives of his innocent people He stood a while Pensive like an astonished and amazed Creature so as it seemed to be an imperfect Crisis wherein humane nature struggled a little with those bowels and that heart which was composed of all cruelty but presently returning to his beastly nature Kill kill saith he and cut off all these Rebels upon which words they were all massacred in one day out of the City Wals in the presence of this bloody monster Those Religious persons which were there the Fathers of Christianity resolved to make their addresses for the Tyrant to save their converts lives and though all men judged it a desperate attempt yet they obtained the lives of those they claimed So as they distributed themselves at the City Gates and as their Clients passed bound to the Shambles they mercifully unbound their Shakles and rescued them from death By which occasion also they performed another acceptible Sacrifice to God in Baptizing an infinite number of Children which the Souldiers willingly permitted so as the horrid and execrable cruelty of this Tyrant proved as advantagious to
themselves constant to him And this memorial of him I owe as well to the singular friendship he was pleased to contract with me as also to his eminent vertues of which I my self the whole Church of Christians in China were both Spectators and Admirers for the space of twenty years He was Born in the Province of Nanquin in the City Changcho being called Kiu Thomas a Name most worthy of eternal Memory During the saccage of these Provinces news arrives from the Country of Suchuen which the notorious Brigand called Changhienchungus famous for his strange cruelty and abhominable villanies had so wasted that it begins again to be shaken with severall tempests of War though he seemed to be quite destroyed in the last Battails yet from thence doth appear again new trouble and vexation to the Empire The Province of Fokien also begins to grone under the same miserable condition of War for the Reverend Father Peter Canevary Native of Genua writes out of the City Changcheu which was besieged the 30. of March 1652. that Quesingus having made a descent from his Ships into that Province hath overrun the whole Country taken some Cities and Towns and carried on the War with great terrour to the Inhabitants Insomuch as the Tartarian Commanders keepe themselves and their Army in their Forts and other places of strength not daring to appear in the field to oppose him but yet he said they expected new forces and Succours from Peking by which they doubt not but quickly to subdue him This Quesingus who now vexeth this Province of Fokien is Son to the famous Pyrate Iquon or Chinchilungo whom the Tartars imprisoned by a slight as I recounted to you in my former History And to let you know what I further heard from some passengers of China who in the month of Ianuary 1653. were cast in a Ship of China upon the Coasts of an Island called New Holland whither I had been brought before by their Barks and Souldiers as their Prisoner These men related that a great Army of Tartars was arrived to subdue Quesingus whose Commander thought it fit to joyn Art to his Force and therefore he commanded a handfull of men to charge the Chinese Army and presently by feigning flight to retire to more advantageous and surer places In the mean time he had placed a number of Horse in a deep valley behind a Mountain towards which Quarters the fugitive Troops retired This flight gave courage to the Chinese and the desire of victory made them venture so far from the River Chang where their ships lay at Anchor as they found themselves environed by the Tartars Army This desperate condition which excluded the Chineses from returning to their Ships caused a very great and bloody slaughter in which there perished above 80000 of the Chineses Army Whilst Quesingus a spectator of this sad accident from the Mast of his Ships as they relate was heard to say that he would once more try his fortune against the Tartars but if she proved again adverse unto him he then would submit and shave his Hair like a Tartar Concerning the present state of Christian Religion being at Brussels this last Iunse in the year 1654. I received letters from China in which they gave me notice that the Father Jesuits were very favourably treated by the Tartars yea better than before that they permit free exercise of the Christian Catholick Religion through all their Kingdoms granting them leave not onely to enjoy their ancient Churches but also liberally contributing to build new ones so by the goodnesse of God that which endamaged others proveth gain to them But I reserve all particulars to a larger Relation in a greater Volume which shall continue Trigautius his History of the missions dispatched into China concluding with the year 1610 to these our present Times FINIS Books printed for and to be sold by Iohn Crook at the sign of the Ship in St Pauls Church-yard ANnales Veteris Testamenti à primâ Mundi Origine deducti unâ cum rerurn Asiaticarum Aegyptiacarum Chronico A tempoâ—ris Historici principio usque ad Maccabaicarum initia producto A Viro Reverendissimo Doctissimo Jacobo Usserio Archiepiâ—copo Armachno Folio Ejusdem Annalium Pars secunda quae ad annum Christi Octogesimum producitur unà cum harmoniâ— Evangeliorum ab exercitatissimo in Sacris literis Doctore Johanne Richardsono Episcopo Ardachensi conscripta Folio Ejusdem de Textûs Hebraici Veteris Testamenti Variantibus lectionibus ad Ludovicum Cappellum Epistola Quarto ejusdem de LXX interpretum versione syntagma quo hebraici textus veritas contra LXX interpretum versionis assertores declaratur vnà cum libro Estherae c ad pristinam antiquitatem cum obeliscis asteriscis leniscis reducto Quarto The Holy History centaining excellent Observations on all the remarkable Passages and Histories of the Old Testament With a Vindication of the Verity thereof from the aspersions of Atheists and Anti-Scripturians Written Originally in French by the curions Pen of Nicolas Caussin S. I. And now Elegantly rendred into English out of the Seventh and last Edition by a Person of Honor. Quaeto The Perfect Ambassador Treating of the Antiquity Priviledges and Behaviour of Men belonging to that Function By Francis Thynne Esquire 12o. Wisdome and Innocence or Prudence and Simplicity in the Examples of the Serpent and the Dove propounded to our imitation By Thomas Vane Doctor in Divinity and Physick 12o. The Spirituall Nursery decyphered in a Sermon Preached at Mercers Chappel in London Febr. 9. 1650. By Thomas Baker late Rector of St Mary the More in Exon. Quartâ— Seven Sermons Preached upon severall Occasions by the most Reverend and Learned Father in God William Laud late Archbishop of Canterbury c. heretofore Printed severally but now gathered together and re-printed 12o. Loci Communes D. Martini Lutheri ex Scriptis ipsius Latinis forma Gnomolcgica Aphoristica collecti in quinque classes distributi à M. Theodosio Fabritio Ecclesiae Gottingensis Pastore Quarto Disputatio Scolastica de Divina Providentia adversus Jesuitas Arminianos Socinianos de Domino Dei c studiis industria Samuelis Rhetorfortis S Theologiae Professoris in celebri inclyta Academia Andreapolitana Quarto A just vindication of the Church of England from the aspersion of criminal schisme by Iohn Bramhal Bishop of Derry Octavo His defence of true liberty from anti-cedent and extrinsecall necessity being an answer to a late book of Master Thomas Hobbs of Malmesbury Octavo His answer to Mons. Militiers Victory of truth with Militiers own Epistle Octavo Miscellanea sacra or devout and Spirituall essaies by Walter Mountague 4o. Parthenissa an excellent new Romance written by the Lord Broghill in 4 parts Quarto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sine introductorium anglico-latino-Graecum complectens colloquia familiaria Aesopi fabulas Luciani mortuorum Dialogos In usum scholarum per Johannem Shirly Octavo De Hibernia