alone of this excellent painting wrought so much upon the king,
that, being touched with thoughts of piety and reverence, he fell on his
knees, with all his courtiers, to honour the persons therein represented,
which seemed to him to have an air that was more than human.

He commanded it should be carried to the queen, his mother. She was also
charmed with it, and prostrated herself by the same instinct, with all
the ladies of her train, to salute the Mother and the Son. But as the
Japonian women are yet more inquisitive than the men, she asked a
thousand questions concerning the Blessed Virgin and our Saviour, which
gave Paul the desired opportunity of relating all the life of Jesus
Christ; and this relation so much pleased the queen, that some few days
after, when he was upon his return to Cangoxima, she sent one of her
officers to have a copy of the tablet which she had seen; but a painter
was not to be found to satisfy her curiosity. She required, that at least
she might have an abridgment in writing of the chief points of
Christianity, and was satisfied therein by Paul.

The Father, overjoyed at these good inclinations of the court, thought
earnestly of making himself capable to preach in the language of the
country. There is but one language spoken through all Japan; but that so
ample, and so full of variety, that, in effect, it may be said to contain
many tongues. They make use of certain words and phrases, in familiar
discourse; and of others in studied compositions. The men of quality have
a language quite differing from the vulgar. Merchants and soldiers have a
speech proper to their several professions, and the women speak a dialect
distinct from any of the rest. When they treat on a sublime subject, (for
example, of religion, or affairs of state,) they serve themselves of
particular terms; and nothing appears more incongruous amongst them, than
to confound these different manners of expression.

The holy man had already some light notions of all these languages, by
the communication he had with the three Japonian Christians; but he knew
not enough to express him with ease and readiness, as himself
acknowledges in his epistles, where he says, "that he and his companions,
at their first arrival, stood like statues, mute and motionless." He
therefore applied himself, with all diligence, to the study of the
tongue, which he relates in these following words: "We are returned to
our infancy," says he, "and all ou