came to manage the affair, namely, Father Moregon—­a Castilian, but so changed into a Portuguese by his long intercourse with them, that he did nothing without them.  Nothing was concluded upon this occasion.  Later, in the year 1631, two junks came from Japon, one Portuguese, the other Japanese, with an embassy.  The governor granted them audience in very circumspect fashion.  On that occasion he assembled all the infantry in two columns, and had them escort the Japanese who acted as ambassadors, to whom he gave horses and trappings and a fine carriage.  In short, they had come, in behalf of the governor of Nangasaqui, to confer about the junk, and the means by which trade could be opened.  But it was straitly stipulated that no religious should go, for the Japanese had no liking for them.  Two of our Japanese friars were the translators of all the matter contained in the letters.  The governor satisfied them in everything, and treated them very well in Manila.  The religious took the greatest pleasure from the embassy, considering the power of God.  For when that gate was, in man’s judgment, most tightly locked, the Lord opened it.  For naught is impossible to Him. Non erit impossibile apud Deum omne verbum. [81] He who brought the Magian kings to the feet of One newly-born, by following a star, that same One brings the other nations to His bosom, when He wills, and opens the door to them so that they may enter into the bosom of His Church.  The religious had the greatest hope of seeing the doors of Japon opened widely, so that those harvests might be gathered.  The Lord, then, has been well pleased in those kingdoms with so much blood as has been shed there by His faithful ones, in testimony of His holy law.  May He act as He shall see best in this matter.

It appears that in the year 1629 the orders were moved to send religious to Japon at their own cost.  These were the Dominican fathers, the Franciscans, our Recollects, and those of our own order.  They furnished the expenses on shares, built a champan, hired sailors, and paid a pilot.  But that expedition could not have been for the best, for the Lord proceeded to defeat it, by allowing their champan to be wrecked.  Afterward, although they bought another in China (or rather in Ilocos), it had no better success.  Ours spent more than five hundred pesos.  The father reader, Fray Pedro de Quesada, [82] and father Fray Agustin de Chauru went.  The sufferings of the religious from storms, rains, roads, and famines would not be believed.  It seems that they can say with St. Paul:  Omnia superamus propter eum qui dilexit nos. [83] They had to return because their superiors thus ordered, for in any other way they would not have done it; as they know very well how to suffer with Christ and for Christ, whose hardships were sweet to them, as to another St. Paul:  Mihi autem absit gloriari nisi in cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi. [84]