to Fray Pablo de los Martires, who came to seek friars, that they could not send them to Japon.  This is answered by saying that the Catholic faith is already old and widely spread in Japon, and it would be a dangerous thing to exclude from its preaching the method which Christ our Lord has left in His gospel, which the mendicant orders observe, and through which have been converted the nations of the greatest power, genius, and learning in the world—­among them the Romans, who held dominion over it.  And it appears that not without much harm to conscience can obstacles be put in the way of ministers who preach in 66 countries, disposed to receive them, where it is impossible that the fathers of the Society should be sufficient, even to maintain the faithful who are there; for it is understood that [in Japan] they number more than 600,000, and they have not had in past years even 150 fathers, for which reason it was necessary for them to say daily three masses each, and then fail in the service of the sacraments on account of the great number of the faithful and the distance between the places.  As for the difference in vestments and rules of the orders, this is answered by the fact that the Japanese have already seen them many times, and now see these in their own country, yet with especial profit.  Moreover, those who are continually going to the Philipinas are, it is understood, not only not scandalized by this, but even—­considering that in the diversity of religious orders and multitude of religious there is but one confession of faith, one set of sacraments, and one law alone, all submitting to the Supreme Pontiff as the universal head of the Church—­draw therefrom a very strong argument for the truth of the gospel law which is preached to them, especially by people of such ability and understanding as the very fathers who direct the Japanese certify that they are.  The emulation of holiness and virtues among the religious orders is of great importance for their benefit and that of the public; and this will cease where there is only one order.  The persecution against the faithful could not have taken place, if religious from the other orders had gone there; for it is certain that there would have been other and very severe persecutions before this, if the fathers of the Society alone had been preaching in Japon.

The Portuguese of Yndia have great interests at stake, according to their opinion, in this measure; for it seems to them that, as the presence of the fathers has been a means for their trade with Japon (which amounts each year to more than a million and a half), and the religious from Castilla must be favorable to Nueva Espana and the Philipinas, and as the traders of those provinces pay for the merchandise, on account of the abundance of silver which they have, a third more than is paid by those from India, they must either be shut out from this trade, or buy so dearly that the profit would be very little.  Thus far, as