e of fire, and making so
horrible a noise, that it was both strange and fearful to hear them.

On the 25th, the Chinese captain, our landlord, was taken sick, and sent
for a piece of pork, which I sent him, and immediately afterwards I went
to visit him, carrying a small bottle of Spanish wine. While I was
there, Semidono and our guardian's father-in-law came likewise to visit
him. The king sent me word, by Miguel, our jurebasso, that he had a bad
opinion of Hernando Ximenes our Spaniard, and that he meant to have run
away when lately at Nangasaki. But I knew this to be false, as he had
then free liberty to go where he pleased, and did not run away. I had
another complaint made against him, that he was a notorious gambler, and
had enticed several to play, from whom he won their money, which I
believe rather than the other accusation. I find by experience, that the
Japanese are not friendly to the Spaniards and Portuguese, and love them
at Nangasaki the worse, because they love them so well.[36] In the night
between the 24th and 25th, some evil-disposed persons endeavoured to
have set the town of Firando on fire in three several places, but it was
soon extinguished, and no harm done; but the incendiaries were not
discovered, though doubtless owing to the conjurers and other base
people, who expected an opportunity of making spoil when the town was on
fire.

[Footnote 36: This is quite obscure, and may perhaps allude to the
efforts of the Jesuits at Nangasaki, to convert the Japanese to a new
idol worship, under the name of Christianity.--E.]

The 26th of October, Mr Melsham being very sick, _Zanzibar_ came to
visit him, and urged him to use the physic of the country, bringing with
him a _bonze_, or doctor, to administer the cure. Mr Melsham was very
desirous to use it, but wished our surgeon to see it in the first place.
So the bonze gave him two pills yesterday, two in the night, and two
this morning, together with certain seeds; but, for what I can see,
these things did him no good. God restore his health! At this time, all
our waste-cloths, pennants, brass sheaves, and other matters, were sent
aboard, and our ship was put into order to receive our general, whose
return was soon expected. Last night another house was set on fire by
some villains, but was soon extinguished with very little harm; yet our
nightly criers of fire continue to make such horrible noises, that it is
impossible for any one to get rest. The Chi