that deserved such punishment; but then religion would seem to represent to me, as though the voice of it had said; ’consider, O man! what sins you have been formerly guilty of; which now thou art called to an account for, to expiate with thy blood!  And as to thy innocence, what art thou more innocent than thy blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who suffered for thy offences, and to whose providence you ought to submit, let what will happen?’ After this, natural courage would inspire me to resist to the last drop of blood, and sooner die than suffer myself to be taken by boorish, rascally Dutchmen, who had arts to torment beyond death itself.

But now, thank kind Heaven, being ashore; our old pilot procured us a lodging and a warehouse for our goods; it was a little hut with a large warehouse joining to it, all built with canes, and pallisadoed round with large ones, to keep out pilfering thieves, which are very numerous in that country.  The magistrates allowed us a little guard during the night, and we employed a centinel with a kind of halbert for three pence a day.  The fair, or mart, we found, had been over for some time; however, there remained in the river four junks and two Japan ships, the merchants of the latter being on shore.  In the first place, our old pilot brought us acquainted with the missionary Roman priests, who were converting the people to Christianity:  two of them were reserved, rigid, and austere, applying themselves to the work they came about with great earnestness, but the third, who was a Frenchman, called Father Simon, was of a freer conversation, not seemingly so serious and grave, yet no worse Christian than the other two, one of whom was a Portuguese, and the other a Genoese.  Father Simon, it seems, was appointed to go to Pekin, the royal seat of the Emperor of the Chinese; and he only waited for another priest, who was ordered from Macao to accompany him.  We never met together, but he was prompting me to accompany him in that journey:  Sir, said he, I will show you the glorious things of this mighty empire, and a city, the city of Pekin, far exceeding London and Paris, put them both together.  One day in particular, being at dinner with him, I showed some inclination to go; which made him press the more upon me and my partner, to gain our perfect consent. But, Father Simon, said my partner, what satisfaction can you have in our company, whom you esteem as heretics, and consequently objects not worthy your regard?  O, said he, you may be as good Catholics in time as those I hope to convert to our religion.  And so, said I, we shall have you preaching to us all the way, instead of pleasing us with a description of the country.  Sir, said he, however our religion may be villified by some people, it is very certain it neither divests us of good manners or Christian charity; and as we are gentlemen, as such we may converse together, without making one another uneasy.