Given From My Castle Of Surunga,
This Fourth Day Of The Ninth Month, In The Eighteenth Year Of Our Reign,
According To Our Computation; Resting Your Majesty's Friend, The Highest
Commander In The Kingdom Of Japan.
Subscribed
Minna Muttono[24].
Yei. Ye. Yeas.
[Footnote 24: In the copy of the privileges, Purchas gives this name
Mottono while the editor of Astley's Collection has altered it to
Monttono. In the privileges formerly inserted, the date is made in the
nineteenth month, perhaps an error of the press in the Pilgrims, which
we have therefore corrected to ninth. - E.]
At my return to Surunga, I found a Spanish ambassador from the
Philippine islands, who had only been once introduced to the emperor,
and delivered his presents, being certain Chinese damasks, and five jars
of European sweet wine, and could not obtain any farther access to the
emperor. The purpose of his embassy was, to require that such Portuguese
and Spaniards as were then in Japan, not authorised by the king of
Spain, might be delivered up to him, that he might carry them to the
Philippines. This the emperor refused, saying his country was free, and
none should be forced out of it: But, if the ambassador could persuade
any to go with him, they should not be detained. The cause of the
ambassador making this request was on account of the great want of men
to defend the Molucca islands against the Dutch, who were then making
great preparations for the entire conquest of these islands. After the
ambassador had waited for an answer till the time limited by his
commission was expired, and receiving none, he went away much
dissatisfied: And when at the sea side, an answer was returned, as
mentioned above, together with a slender present of five Japanese gowns,
and two cattans or swords.
About a month before I came to Surunga, being displeased with the
Christians, the emperor issued a proclamation commanding that they
should all remove immediately, and carry their churches to Nangasaki, a
maritime town about eight leagues from Firando, and that no Christian
church should be permitted, neither any mass be sung, within ten leagues
of his court, on pain of death. Some time after, twenty-seven natives,
men of good fashion, being assembled in an hospital or Christian
Leper-house, where they had mass performed, and this coming to the
knowledge of the emperor, they were all commanded to be shut up in a
house for a night, and to be led to execution next day. That same
evening, another man was committed to the same house for debt, who at
his coming was a heathen and quite ignorant of Christ or his holy
religion; but, next morning, when the officer called at the door for the
Christians to come forth for execution, and those who renounced it to
remain behind, this man had been so instructed during the night by the
others, that he came resolutely forth along with the rest, and was
crucified with them.
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