joy.  I am most content with the favors received, and, although I fear that because of my sins—­because I have not worked in this vineyard as I should have done, and because of my great ingratitude for the many mercies that the Lord has bestowed upon me—­I have been driven from Japon as useless, still I console myself that I have come to be manacled and imprisoned in the service of God, which is no small mercy.  I also trust that His Divine Majesty, who in awarding these crowns sometimes does not consider the merits of men, but in His infinite mercy bestows them generously, will consider it right to reward this poor beggar as well as these holy religious that deserve more than I. I beg that your Reverence, in visceribus Iesu Christi, will help me to give due thanks to the Lord, quod dignus factus sim pro nomine Iesu contumeliam pati, [13] and to obtain for me my profession for this novitiate with holy sacrifices, etc.  From this prison of Omura, March 5, 1619.  From your servant in the Lord,

Carlos, a prisoner for Christ.”

This ends the letter of Father Carlos.  I have nothing to add to it except that this Domingo Jorge, whom he mentions therein, was burned alive, in November, in Nangasaqui, because he sheltered preachers of the holy gospel in his house.  Brother Leonardo, a Japanese who had been imprisoned for three years, and four others, were burned with him.  After this, eleven other Japanese were beheaded.  Later on, in January, 620, Brother Ambrosio Fernandez, a Portuguese who was the companion of Father Carlos Espinola, died in jail from hunger, and excessive cold, and the hardships and discomforts of the prison, and thus gained the martyr’s crown.  He was seventy years old.

Although so many in Japon have thus become blessed martyrs, two persons bent the knee to Baal and miserably recanted for fear of torture.  A Japanese religious who was in Rome and Spain, and who is now an apostate, did the same thing.  He often says that when he was in Madrid he knew that certain religious were persuading the king to conquer Japon, but that our fathers dissuaded him from this.  He adds that, although it is a fact that religion is our primary motive for entering Japon, yet it is our intention through religion to prepare matters for conquering the country.  With this and other lies this apostate has done great harm to Christianity.  The governors and principal men of Japon are so thoroughly convinced of our evil intentions that they say that one of the principal reasons for keeping the Hollanders in Japon is for their own greater security and to annoy us.  They even have begun to discuss the possibility of conquering the Filipinas, in order not to have the Spaniards so near.  On the other hand, it is said that in Japon they are thinking of driving out all Europeans from that kingdom—­Spanish, Hollanders, Portuguese and English.  If this is done it will not be possible for any of our fathers to remain there.  At present they escape notice among other Europeans by wearing European dress—­I mean that of Castilians and Portuguese; but if the Europeans are driven from Japon this will no longer be possible.