That which is vnderstood of these Chinos is, that although they haue amongst them many errors of the Gentiles; yet with great ease they would be reduced vnto our faith, if they might haue libertie for to preach, and they to receiue it.
When as the sunne and the moone is in eclypse, they beleeue verily that the prince of the heauen will destroye them, and for verye feare they put them selues in that colour: the people generally doo worshippe vnto them, and beleeue verily that the sunne is a man, and the moone a woman. And therefore, when as they beginne to bee eclypsed, they make great sacrifices and inuocations unto the prince afore said, desiring him not to kill nor destroy them, for the great necessitie they haue of them. All generally beleeue the immortalitie of the soule; and that in the other world they shall be rewarded or punished according as they liued in this worlde, in company of the bodie. And therefore they do vse to make in the fields sepulchres, wherein they command themselues to be buried after they bee dead. When they should be buried, they command to kill all their seruants or their wiues, those that best he loued in his life, saying, that they do it that they should go with them to serue them in the other world, whereas they beleeue they shall liue eternally and die no more. They put with them into their sepulchres things to be eaten and great riches, beleeuing that they do carry the same into the other world, and there to serue their necessities. In this error were the Indians of the Peru of old antiquity, as the Spaniards haue seene by experience. There is in this kingdom many vniuersities and colleges, wherein is taught philosophie, both naturall and morall, and the lawes of the countrie, for to learne to gouerne by them; vnto the which the king doth send ordinarily visitors to see and vnderstand the order that is amongst them, and to reward or punish the students according vnto the desert of eyther of them. They are greatly ashamed when they see any euil thing committed, although they bee not punished for the same, and are people that do permit with ease correction, as the father Ignacio and his companions did see by experience; who going alwayes as condemned men to die, yet at all times when they did see them do reuerence vnto their idols or vnto the diuell, or any other euill thing, they did reprehend them with great liberty, who did not onely seeke to hurt them for the same, but did greatly reioyce to heare their reasons wherewith they did prohibite or forbid them. The said frier did tell me that, one day, passing by an hermitage, whereas dwelled an hermite who had, vpon the altar in the same, an idoll for his saint: before whom was there a Chino, a principall man, worshipping the same; the saide father, without any feare, went vnto him, and began to reprehende him, and to spit at the idoll, and caused him therewith to leaue off his worshipping, whereof he was greatly amazed, both he and all the rest of his companie, to see with what boldnes it was done, and no harme done vnto him for the same, eyther they supposed that the Chino did thinke him to be a mad man, or else (which is most to be beleeued) that God did worke with his seruant whereby he would giue him his reward for that which he had done, in returning for his honour, in mittigating the furie of that man, and to giue him vnderstanding that he was reprehended with reason. There are many Chinos conuerted to the faith as well in the Ilands Philippinas, as in the citie of Machao, and they baptise of them daily, who giue tokens and outwarde showes to bee good Christians, and say that the greatest difficultie for to conuert all the whole kingdome, will be in them that doo gouerne in the same, for they had neede of a particular ayde and helpe of the mercie of God to bring them vnto the faith; for that they are had in reuerence and obeyed as Gods vpon the earth. Besides this, they do giue Giuen to delights. themselues to all delightes that any humaine creature can imagine, for that they put all their felicitie therein, and doo it with so great extremitie, that it is supposed there is no people in all the worlde that may be compared vnto them.
For besides that they are alwayes carried in little chayres, and vpon mens shoulders, which are covered with silke and golde; yet are they giuen much vnto bankets, wherein they haue so many different sortes of meates as their appetites doo require. And it is greatly to be maruailed at, that the Their women are chast, but their men are vicious. women of this kingdome are marveilous chast and secret as any whatsoeuer; and to the contrarie the men are as vicious, but in especiall the lords and gouernors: and for that our faith do reprehend with rigor and terror the excesse of these thinges, it is to be beleeued that it will be a great impediment to the entrie of the Gospel amongst them: yet God may so touch them, and in such sort, that there will be no difficultie. Amongest the common people there will be no such impediment; but rather they will embrace with great content our holy law, for that it will be an occasion to cleare and set them at libertie from the tyrannie of the diuell, and from their iudges and lords, who do intreate them as slaues. This is the opinion of all them that haue entred into this kingdome, and haue intreated of this matter with the Chinos. They haue amongest them some good thinges, and woorthie to be imitated and folowed, of the which I will here set downe two, which are thinges of great purpose to my iudgement. The one is, that vnto none they do giue the office to gouerne, by no manner of wayes nor meanes, although they be suborned by friendship, but onely by his owne merites and sufficient abilitie. The seconde, that none can be viceroy, gouernours, nor iudge of a prouince or citie, in the which hee is naturall borne, the which they say is done to take away the occasion of dooing any iniustice, beeing carried away or led by parentes or friendshippe. All other thinges of this kingdome I do remit vnto that which hath bin before declared, for to passe vnto the rest, the which in this Itinerario is promised to be mentioned and declared.
CHAP. XIX.
This Chapter doth treate of the Islands of Japon, and of other thinges in that kingdome.
The Ilands of Japon are many, and altogether make a Iapon is 300 leagues from China. mightie kingdome, that is divided amongest many lords: it is distant from the firme land of China, three hundred leagues, and in the middest betwixt both kingdoms is the prouince of Lanquin, which is one of the fifteene afore named; although going from Machao, a city of the Portingals, and ioyning vnto Canton, which is of the Proper China, they do make it but two hundred and fiftie leagues, trauelling towards the north, and commonly they do account the same leagues from the Ilands of Luzon or Philippinas, vnto the said Ilands of Japon: whereunto they may go by Noua Hispania, for that it is better and surer nauigation, and shorter voyage, for according vnto the reckoning of the pylots that do nauigate those seas, they make it no more then 1750 leagues, which is not halfe of that which the Portingalls make in their nauigation.
These ilands are many (as aforesaid), yet are they populared with much people, who in their bodies and faces differ very little from the Chinos, although not so politike: [by the which it seemed to be true, that which is found written in the histories of the kingdom of China, saying, that these Japones in old time were Chinas, and that they came from that mightie kingdome vnto these ilands, whereas they do now dwell, for this occasion following. A kinsman of a king of China, a man of great countenance and valour, hauing conceiued within his brest for to kill the king, and thereby to make himselfe lorde of the countrie, the better to put this in execution, he gaue to vnderstand of his euill intent vnto others of his friends, requesting their fauour to execute the same, promising that he would do his best. This being done, and hauing them alwaies for his especiall friends, unto whom it seemed no difficult thing, and againe moued with ambition, they did promise him: and for the better confirmation thereof, they began to prepare souldiers, and to haue them readie against the day appointed. And for that this their pretence could not be brought to effect with such secrecie as the matter required, their treason came to be discouered vnto the king, at such good oportunitie that he might very well seeke remedie for his owne safegard at his pleasure, vnlooked for of his kinsman and the rest of his followers, who were all taken with great ease.
Then was it determined by those of the royall councell, that all the traitors should haue their throts cut according vnto the lawes of the countrie: but when their sentence was carried vnto the king to be confirmed (he vnderstanding that they much repented, and were sorie for their sin and treason that they had pretended against him), he determined to remedie the same with less damage, fearing what might happen by their deaths, so that he comanded they should not die, The first inhabiting of the Iapon. but be banished for euer out of the kingdome, with precise band, that they, their wiues and children, and al that should come of them, should for euer liue on those ilands that are now called Iapon, which were at that time desert and without people. This sentence was executed, and the offenders did accept the same for mercie. So they were caried to the said ilands, wheras when they saw themselues out of their naturall countrie, and without any possibility euer to returne againe, they ordained their comon wealth as a thing to last for euer: directing all their lawes which were for their conseruation and gouernment, contrarie vnto the Chinos from whence they came. But in particular they made one, wherin they did prohibite for euer their descendants to haue any frindship with the Chinos, and did admonish them to do them all the euill that was possible, which is obserued and kept vnto this day inuiolable, shewing themselues their contraries in all they may, euen in their apparell, speech, and customes: for the which there is no nation so abhorred of the Chinos as is the Iapones, so that they are payd their hatred with the like. And although at that time the said Iapones were subiectes and tributaries vnto the king of China, and so continued long time after, now at this day they are not, but do all harme that may be vnto those of that kingdome.][86]
[86] The whole of the passage included in brackets is inserted from the French of De la Porte.