who had taken up arms for their _tay_. The emperor has
given their dominions, which were two kingdoms, to two of his own
kinsmen; and this year the emperor has ordered the castle belonging to
Frushma to be pulled down, being a very beautiful and gallant fortress,
in which I saw him this year, and far larger than the city of Rochester.
All the stones are ordered to be conveyed to Osaka, where the ruined
castle, formerly built by _Fico-Same_, and pulled down by _Ogosha-Same_,
is ordered to be rebuilt three times larger than before; for which
purpose all the _tonos_ or kings have each their several tasks appointed
them; to be executed at their several charges, not without much
grumbling: For they had got leave, after so many years attendance at
court, to return to their own residences, and were now sent for again
all of a sadden to court, which angreth them not a little: "But go they
must, will they nill they, on pain of belly-cutting."

At this time there runs a secret rumour, that _Fidaia Same_ is alive,
and in the house of the _Dairo_[67] at Meaco; but I think it has been
reported several times before this that he was living in other places,
but proved untrue. There are some rich merchants here that belong to
Meaco, who are much alarmed by this report, lest, if true, the emperor
may burn Meaco; and who are therefore in haste to get home. Were Fidaia
actually alive it might tend to overthrow the emperor's power, for,
though a great politician, he is not a martial man: But be this as it
may, things can hardly be worse for us. I advised you in my last of the
destruction of all the Christian churches in Japan; yet there were some
remnants left at Nangasaki till this year, and in particular the
monastery of Misericiordia was untouched, as were all the church-yards
and burying-places; but now, by order of the emperor, all is destroyed,
all the graves and sepulchres of the Christians opened, and the bones of
the dead taken out by their parents and kindred, to be buried elsewhere
in the fields. Streets have been built on the scites of these churches,
monasteries, and burying-grounds, except in some places, where pagodas
have been erected by command of the emperor, who has sent heathen
priests to occupy them, thinking utterly to root out Christianity from
Japan. There were certain places near Nangasaki where several jesuit
fathers and other Christians were martyred, in the reign of _Ogosha
Same_, and where their parents and frien