688 
The BISTORT of the ■ ' Book I. 
the Caufie of their being at laft deprived of this lucrative 
Commerce. 
It is not to be expefted, that we fiiould enter here into 
a long and particular Relation of the feveral Fadts which 
drew upon them, from the Government of Japan ■, that 
Prohibition of which we have fpoken fo largely in the Ar- 
ticle of Macao , and therefore we fliall only report in ge- 
neral Terms, and in as few Words as poffible, the prin- 
cipal Caufes of that Exclufion. The vaft Wealth they 
had acquired corrupting the Manners of the Portuguese , 
made them lefs cautious than they ought to have been, 
in their Behaviour towards the Japonefe , infomuch, that 
inftead of the Moderation, Sobriety, and exadt Conduct 
which they at firft purfued, they grew proud, infolent and 
diffolute. This prompted them to change the Places 
where they were wont to trade, and to prefer fuch Ports 
as were in the- Dominions of infidel Princes, to thofe in 
the Territories of thefe Japonefe Lords, that had em- 
braced the Chrifcian Religion, that they might live as they 
thought fit, and without being under the Controul of the 
Miffionaries, who took all the Pains they could to oblige 
their Countrymen to advance the Credit of the Chriftian 
Religion by the Regularity of their Lives. Thefe Er- 
rors had two very bad Confequences ; for, firft, they dif- 
gufted fuch Princes as had embraced the Faith ; and, fe- 
condiy, they hardened the Infidels in their Averfion to it. 
But it was not only the Corruption of the Portuguese 
Merchants, Officers, and Seamen, that gave Offence to the 
People of this Empire, the Intrigues of the Miffionaries 
themfelves contributed to it as much, or more,, by ex- 
citing the Jealoufy of the Emperor ; for where-ever they 
had converted any of the Princes of Japan , they were 
continually at Court, and inftead of minding what was 
the proper Bufinefs of the Church, engaged at every Turn 
in Affairs of State, making the Direction of Confidences 
much lefs their Care than the Direction of Councils, by 
which they became the Authors of many Troubles, and 
afforded a Handle to their Enemies of charging them 
with many more •, fo that the Emperor of Japan began at 
laft to furmife, that there was more of Hypocrify than 
Sandity in their Hearts, and that they were endeavouring, 
under Colour of faving Mens Souls, to eftablifh a new 
Government in that Country. 
Thefe Jealoufies, which certainly were not altogether 
without Foundation, were extreamly increafed by two 
Circumftances ; the firft was, the Haughtinefs and 111 - 
condud of fuch as were fent Embaffadors thither, efpeci- 
ally after the Union of the Crowns of Spain and Portugal ; 
for thofe Minifters were wont to boaft of the vaft Power 
of the Catholick King, and of the mighty Extent of his 
Dominions, of which they affeded to convince the Japo- 
nefe ^ by fhewing the Maps of the Eafi and JVeJl-Indies ; 
and the Imprudence of one of thefe Embaffadors is faid 
to have carried him fo far, as that on being afked how his 
Mafter had acquired fuch vaft Territories at fo great a 
Diftance from his hereditary Dominions, he anfwered, by 
fending Miffionaries firft to convert a Part of the Inhabi- 
tants to Chriftianity, and then fending Troops to affift the 
new Converts in fhaking off the Yoke of infidel Princes. 
The other Circumftance was the coming of the Dutch 
Ships upon the Coaft of Japan •, for thefe People applying 
themfelves entirely to Commerce, and fubmitting, for the 
fake thereof, to whatever Terms were prefcribed by the 
Japonefe , gained thereby fuch a Degree of Confidence 
with their Princes, that it procured implicit Credit to their 
Reprefentations, as to the ambitious Defigns of the Spa- 
niards and Portuguese . Thefe Remarks will give the 
Reader fo eafy a Key to the political Contrivances for firft 
reftraining the Portuguese Trade to a particular Port, and 
then fhutting them up as it were in a Prifon, during their 
Stay in that Empire, as in the firft Chapter of this Work 
has been largely related, that we need not run here into 
any Repetitions, but- content ourfelves with obferving, 
that notwithftanding the many previous Signs which the 
Portuguese had of the approaching Rupture with the Ja- 
ponefe , yet were they fo far from taking fuch Steps, as 
in common Prudence they ought to have done, for avoid- 
ing fo great a Mifchief, that on the contrary, they behav- 
ed daily worfe and worfe, till the Storm came upon them 
with fuch a Force, as was not to be refitted. . 
The particular Relation of the Subverfion of Chriftia- 
nity in this Empire, will be found in the fucceeding Vo- 
lume, when we come to treat of the Defcription of Ja- 
pan ; at prefent we have only to obferve, that the Portu- 
guese have been deprived of this rich Commerce ever fince 
the Year 1639, and that all the Attempts they have hi- 
therto made to recover it, have proved abfolutely ineffec- 
tual, nor is it probable, that any they may hereafter make, 
will be attended with any better Succefs. 
23. The Country, or Countries, lying beyond Japan , 
to the North-Eaft, or North- Weft, have been always re- 
garded, at leaft fince Geography has been tolerably under- 
ftood, as the Very Confines of the World, and the 
Extremities of the Earth, which Countries the Japonefe 
themfelves called Jefo, or JeJJo, the Ghinefe , Tego ; from 
whence we have the Word Tejfo , or Tedzo , by which, in 
the Englifh and Dutch Maps they are diftinguifhed. The 
firft Accounts that were received of thefe Countries were 
from the Japonefe themfelves, but according to their Skill 
in fuch Sciences, extreamly dark and incorrebt. They 
were not able to fay abfolutely, whether their own Coun- 
try was an Ifiand or not •, and 'as for the Land of Tejfo , 
they profeffed the utmoft extent of their Knowledge to be, 
that it belonged to the Prince of Matfumay , who was de- 
pendant on, and a Tributary to the Emperor of Japan . 
In the Year 1613, Father Conjlanso, who then preached 
the Chriftian Religion in Japan , hearing that the Prince 
of Matfumay had fent to Japan for a Phyfician, and that 
a Convert to Chriftianity, a Man of good -Sen fie,' and 
quick Parts, was pitched upon to go over in that Quality, 
he recommended to him the Care of inftruding thofe Peo- 
ple, if a favourable Opportunity offered, in the Chriftian 
Faith, which Commiffion the Phyfician executed with fo 
much Zeal and Fidelity, that he quickly gave Father Con - 
ftanso a good Account of his Miffion, affuring him, that 
he had not only made many Converts, but that he found 
the People in general better inclined to the Chriftian Re- 
ligion, than could have been expeded. 
In 1620, Father Angelis, who was then at Tsugara, the 
moft Northern Part of the Ifiand of Niphon , to which ma- 
ny Chriftians had been baniflied, received Orders there, 
from his Superior, to go himfelf to Matfumay , in order 
to cultivate the Seeds of Converficn, which the Japonefe 
Phyfician had fown, and accordingly thither he went the 
fame Year by Sea. He arrived very fafely in the Port of 
Tsugo , and from thence travelled through very bad Roads 
to Matfumay , where he found a vaft Number of Japonefe , 
and amongft them many Chriftians. They had been fet- 
tled there but a few Years, and had been drawn thither 
by the Difcovery of very rich gold Mines in the Neigh- 
bourhood of this City, and Mines (if they may be fb 
called) of a very lingular Kind. There is a great River 
paffes by the City of Matfumay, immenfely rich in Gold ; 
thofe who defire to deal in that Commodity, purchafe 
from the Prince fuch a Part of the River, and then cut a 
femicircular Canal, well fecured by ftrong Banks, into 
which, by Sluices, the River is turned, leaving fo much 
of its Channel as the Adventurers have agreed for dry ; 
thence they take the Mud, and by frequently rincing it, 
obtain vaft Quantities of Gold-duft, and fometimes Pieces 
of Gold of a confiderable Bignels. When they have 
finifhed their Work, and find there is no more Gold to 
be got, they fill up the Canal, and by that Means force 
the River back into its old Channel, and in the Space of a 
Year or two, it is found as rich in Gold as ever. 
Father Angelis informs us, that the Natives of that 
Country, which we call Tejfo , call it in their own Lan- 
guage, Ainomoxori , but were able to give but a very in- 
different Account of its Extent or Situation. Thefe Peo- 
ple were larger, ftronger, and had much better Complexi- 
ons than the Japonefe , and wore Beards that reached to 
their Girdles. They were dreffed in long Robes of Silk, 
Cotton, or Linnen, according to their Rank, which were 
fet off with Abundance of little Ornaments. Their Arms 
were Bows, Arrows, Lances and ftiort Swords. In Point 
of Religion, their Notions were very obfeure and com 
fu fed. 
