ecoil upon those that indulged in
them. How the result of the introduction of European methods manifested
itself in Japan will be indicated in our next tale.

_THE DECLINE AND FALL OF CHRISTIANITY IN JAPAN._

We have described in the preceding tale the rise of Christianity in
Japan, and the remarkable rapidity of its development in that remote
land. We have now to describe its equally rapid decline and fall, and
the exclusion of Europeans from Japanese soil. It must be said here that
this was in no sense due to the precepts of Christianity, but wholly to
the hostility between its advocates of different sects, their jealousy
and abuse of one another, and to the quarrels between nations in the
contest to gain a lion's share of the trade with Japan.

At the time when the Portuguese came to Japan all Europe was torn with
wars, civil, political, and religious. These quarrels were transferred
to the soil of Japan, and in the end so disgusted the people of that
empire that Europeans were forbidden to set foot on its shores and the
native Christians were massacred. Traders, pirates, slave-dealers, and
others made their way thither, with such a hodge-podge of interests, and
such a medley of lies and backbitings, that the Japanese became incensed
against the whole of them, and in the end decided that their room was
far better than their company.

The Portuguese were followed to Japan by the Spaniards, and these by the
Dutch, each trying to blacken the character of the others. The
Catholics abused the Protestants, and were as vigorously abused in
return. Each trading nation lied with the most liberal freedom about its
rivals. To the seaports of Hirado and Nagasaki came a horde of the
outcasts of Europe, inveterately hostile to one another, and indulging
in quarrels, riots, and murders to an extent which the native
authorities found difficult to control. In addition, the slave-trade was
eagerly prosecuted, slaves being so cheap, in consequence of the poverty
and misery arising from the civil wars, that even the negro and Malay
servants of the Portuguese indulged in this profitable trade, which was
continued in spite of decrees threatening all slave-dealers with death.

This state of affairs, and the recriminations of the religious sects,
gave very natural disgust to the authorities of Japan, who felt little
respect for a civilization that showed itself in such uncivilized
shapes, and the disputing and fighting foreigner