on was to conquer kingdoms; and therefore no more should
be sent there. To make this the stronger, they add an example, in the
entrance made there in the year 1602 by sixteen Franciscan, Dominican,
and Augustinian religious, who say that they were not well received
by the heathens and Christians who were there.

The second reason is, to cut off the communication of Nueva Espana
with Japon and China, which results in the diversion of a great part
of the silver from Nueva Espana into those kingdoms, on account of
the great profit which there is in that trade, to the great prejudice
of these kingdoms.

Reply is to be made, presupposing as a certain thing that discalced
[_i.e._ Franciscan], Augustinian, and Dominican friars have at
various times been readily admitted into Japon, obtaining great
results in conversion; and that in the year 1594 there had come a
well-known Japanese named Faranda to the city of Manila, who asked
for friars. Moreover, Gomez Perez de las Marinas, governor of the
Philipinas, sent in the capacity of ambassador father Fray Pedro
Baptista, a discalced Franciscan, with several religious of his order,
to whom Dayfusama, universal lord of the Japanese, extended many
favors, and whom he permitted to build a convent in Usaca--a very
large city near that of Miaco, where his court is--so that he might
preach the holy gospel. Afterward, in October of the year 1597,
when the Japanese undertook to destroy, in a province of Japon,
the galleon "San Phelipe"--which was going from the Philipinas lo
Nueva Espana, laden with merchandise from China of great value, and
having more than a hundred Spaniards and other men in the crew--the
said Taycosama, to have some excuse for appropriating to himself
the contents of the said ship (as he did), gave us to understand
that he was suspicious, as has been said, of those Spaniards. It
has been learned, however, that a seaman from the said galleon gave
occasion for this feeling, when he was asked how the Spaniards had
conquered so many countries. Thus far we have not been able to learn
with certainty in regard to this, except that it is said that some
Portuguese spread this news through the kingdoms of Yndia, for the
sake of their own private interests. In confirmation of the suspicion
or fear which the tyrant has shown, he has ordered the publication of
an edict, in which it is provided that no one should be a Christian;
and has crucified the six discalced friars (whom, as