When news of this reached Goa, great demonstrations
were made there to appease the wrath of God, that He might not afflict
that city as He had afflicted Bacani.
_Of Great China_
In China, within recent years, a very severe persecution of Christians
broke out; and on account of the enmity of a mandarin, who was the
cause of this storm, four fathers were ejected from the residences
of Sanguin and Paquin [_i.e._, Pekin]. One of them was Father Diego
Pantoja, [61] a native of Toledo, a noted religious, one of the
most noted men who have been in China, and one who has learned most
of the Chinese letters, sciences, and language. Upon reaching Macan
from his exile, this father passed from this to a better life. There
still remained in China eight fathers of our Society. These, with
some others, are cultivating the vineyard of the Lord, maintaining
in the faith those already converted, and bringing into it others,
who, forsaking the false belief of idolatry, receive the water of
holy baptism. In short, these fathers are promulgating the holy
gospel. They write that they found, in one of the many provinces of
that extensive realm, a people who worship the holy cross, and who
are called Christians--although they are so only in name, for they
are in truth heathen. They also found a synagogue of more than twelve
thousand jews who live under the law of Moses. [62]
The Tartars, who usually are at war with the Chinese, this year invaded
China on the north side by way of the border province of Lona [_sc.
Pages:
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199