JAPAN. 249 



ceived them with great humanity, and fignified an earneft de- 



fire of entering into a commerce with a nation which he flattered 



himfelf would be {o advantageous to him and his fubje6ts. 



It was at this period that Frana's de Xavie}\ the great apoftle Francis de 



, ^ b f Xayier, 



of the Indies, was deeply engaged in his million in the peninfula 



of Malacca. His fame had reached Japan, when a native of 

 the country determined to make a vifit to that part of India, to 

 be fatisfied of the truth of the wonders reported to have been 

 wrought by de Xavier. He came, attended by two fervants, was 

 converted to Chriffcianity, and adopted the name oi Paul of the 

 Holy Faith ; {o zealous was he in his new religion, that he may 

 truly be called the Apojile of Japan. De Xavier determined to 

 attend him to his native country. He affociated with him two 

 Jefuits, failed and landed in 1551 at Katigoxima, in the kingdom 

 of Satzuma, on the fouthern part of the ifland of Kiufiu, and 

 foon after paffed to Firando, a fmall ifland, where he, aj[Iifl:ed by 

 Paul, made converts innumerable. His zeal then determined introduces 

 him to vilit the emperor, at the royal city or Miaco] he arrived 

 at the court, and was received with much refpect. The mul- 

 titude of profelytes was incredible. The benevolence and hu- 

 manity of our religion were the principal initruments with 

 which the miffionaries operated on the minds of the people, who 

 compared the conduit of the Ghriftian preachers with that of 

 their own Bonzees. The laft fuppofe that all flck and infirm 

 people are the objects of the wrath of Heaven, and conftantly 

 leave them to peri!h. The miflionaries obferved the precepts 

 of our Saviour ; they fed the hungry, cloathed the naked, and 

 adminiftered to the fick. Thcfe irrefiftible proofs of the fuperior 

 Vol. III. K k excellency 



