the Governor's subjects were at liberty to trade freely with Japan;
that by reason of his former friendship and royal clemency, he had
refrained from killing all the Spaniards with the priests and their
servants, and had allowed them to return to their country.

As to religion itself, Taycosama is said to have remarked that
among so many professed, one more was of little consequence,--hence
his toleration in the beginning, and his continued permission
to the Jesuits to maintain their doctrines amongst their own
sectarians. Moreover, it is said that a map was shown to Taycosama,
marking the domains of the King of Spain and Portugal, and that in
reply to his inquiry: "How could one man have conquered such vast
territory?"--a certain Father Guzman (probably a Portuguese) answered:
"By secretly sending religious men to teach their doctrine, and when a
sufficient number of persons were so converted, the Spanish soldiery,
with their aid, annexed their country and overthrew their kings." Such
an avowal naturally impressed Taycosama profoundly. [33]

In Seville there was quite a tumult when the details of the executions
in Japan were published.

In the meantime, the lamentable end of the Franciscan missionaries
did not deter others from making further attempts to follow their
example. During the first 20 years of the 17th century, priests
succeeded in entering Japan, under the pretence of trading, in spite
of the extreme measures adopted to discover them and the precautions
taken to uproot the new doctrine, which it was feared would become
the forerunner of sedition. Indeed, many Japanese nobles professing
Christianity had already taken up their residence in Manila, and were
regarded by the Emperor as a constant danger to his realm, hence he
was careful to avoid communication with the Philippines. During the
short reigns of Dayfusama and his son Xogusama, new decrees were
issued, not against foreign Christians, but against those who made
apostates amongst the Japanese; and consequently two more Spanish
priests were beheaded.

In September, 1622, a large number of Spanish missionaries
and Christian Japanese men and children were executed in
Nagasaki. Twenty-five of them were burnt and the rest beheaded,
their remains being thrown into the sea to avoid the Christians
following their odious custom of preserving parts of corpses as
relics. Two days afterwards, four Franciscan and two Dominican
friars with five Japanese were bu