religion as being of greater purity than our own.

"There was a Japanese lord of great wealth and influence who lived
near us, and who, with two of his sons, had embraced Christianity, and
had been baptised. He had two other sons, who lived at the emperor's
court. This lord had made us a present of a house for a college and
school of instruction: on his death, however, his two sons at court,
who were idolaters, insisted upon our quitting this property. We
refused, and thus afforded the Dutch principal an opportunity of
inflaming these young noblemen against us: by this means he persuaded
the Japanese emperor that the Portuguese and Christians had formed a
conspiracy against his life and throne; for, be it observed, that when
a Dutchman was asked if he was a Christian, he would reply, 'No; I am
a Hollander.'

"The emperor, believing in this conspiracy, gave an immediate order
for the extirpation of the Portuguese, and then of all the Japanese
who had embraced the Christian faith. He raised an army for this
purpose, and gave the command of it to the young noblemen I have
mentioned, the sons of the lord who had given us the college. The
Christians, aware that resistance was their only chance, flew to arms,
and chose as their generals the other two sons of the Japanese lord,
who, with their father, had embraced Christianity. Thus were the two
armies commanded by four brothers, two on the one side and two on the
other.

"The Christian army amounted to more than 40,000 men, but of this the
emperor was not aware, and he sent a force of about 25,000 to conquer
and exterminate them. The armies met, and after an obstinate combat
(for the Japanese are very brave) the victory was on the part of the
Christians, and, with the exception of a few who saved themselves in
the boats, the army of the emperor was cut to pieces.

"This victory was the occasion of making more converts, and our army
was soon increased to upwards of 50,000 men. On the other hand, the
emperor, perceiving that his troops had been destroyed, ordered new
levies and raised a force of 150,000 men, giving directions to his
generals to give no quarter to the Christians, with the exception
of the two young lords who commanded them, whom he wished to secure
alive, that he might put them to death by slow torture. All offers of
accommodation were refused, and the emperor took the field in person.
The armies again met, and on the first day's battle the victory was on
t