124 NARRATIVE OV THE RIGHT 11EVH. L| r VEVRjfi. 
my Christian name; and this year. I gave my surname: this was a 
new difficulty which they could not solve. They insisted on my con¬ 
fessing the truth, and to excite me with more efficacy to do so, they 
promised to release me. All these reasons had little effect on me: the 
Mandarins were to order that all the persons who had seen me of¬ 
ten est and my former companions in captivity should be sent for, to 
ascertain whether they could recognize me. Being unwilling to ex¬ 
cite uselessly too great a commotion, I clearly acknowledged that I 
was the man of last year, and that I would unrelucfcantly submit to 
the penalty reserved for those taken again in the same fault. The 
king was soon informed of this fact. He fell into a violent passion 
on hearing it: “ What does lie come to do here ?” he cried : “ let 
him be asked whether he has parents at Sai Gon whom he comes to 
visit and let his head be cut off.” This was said at the first move¬ 
ment ; for on the following day he gave his orders in writing, and he 
let it be understood that his intention was that I should not be put 
10 death, yet the Mandarins were ordered to meet in a solemn audi¬ 
ence to address me a few questions. The first and the most often 
repeated was this: “ why, after having been last year reprieved by 
“ the king from the penalty of death, have you still dared to come to 
this country ?” I then remembered the answer formerly given by 
the Apostles, when after having been arrested by the Jews, it was 
told them : had we not forbidden you to preach this religion ? “ The 
Lord of Heaven,” said I to them, e< commands to preach the true Re- 
“ ligion in all the countries of the world: wherefore in spite of men’s 
prohibition, I was hound in conscience to come back to teach it,— 
<c besides,” I added, “I had reasons to believe that it was no more pro- 
4 ‘ hibited here. It was indeed formerly prohibited, when it was- be- 
“ lieved that the ministers of religion plucked out the eyes of the dy- 
* ( ing persons and many other similar calumnies; but now the truth 
“ is known,—no one gives any more credit to all the infamous reports 
spread against the missionaries. Thus in China the public exer- 
“ else of the Christian religion lias been allowed, and the Emperor’s 
“ intention is that it should be likewise allowed in all the countries 
* e tributary to China; having sent them the Edict relating thereto : it 
“ is astonishing that here you do not conform to it.” The Manda¬ 
rins interrupted me saying: “ Why did you not go to China since 
“ you knew that the Catholic religion was allowed there ?” “ I had 
a special affection for the Christians and even the pagans of this 
** kingdom, knowing their language and customs, and besides I had a 
“ special mission for this country.” “ lias some one obliged you to 
