Japan and the Japanese

104 JAPAN. A. D. 15881593.
word or hint dropped by him, from which his disposition and
intentions might be conjectured.
At this moment the emperor's thoughts seemed a good deal
withdrawn from domestic affairs, being engrossed by a war, which
he had determined to commence by invading Corea, a dependency
of the Chinese empire, and the part of the continent of Asia near-
est to Japan. For this purpose he was constructing a fleet at a
port of Ximo, on the strait of Corea. Not long after Valignani's
arrival at Nagasaki, loave was obtained for him to visit the cm-
peror's court at Miako; but his friends there advised that, instead
of ecclesiastics, his retinue should be composed as much as possible
of Portuguese merchants. The merchants at Nagasaki entered
zealously into the affair, and not less than twenty-seven of them
accompanied Valignani, in the style of great lords, sparing no expense
to give magnificence to the ambassador's train. He took with
him also four priests, some young Japanese Jesuits not yet
ordained, and the four returned youthful ambassadors. These
ambassadors had learned to sing in the European style, and
chanted church music tolerably well. They also had with them a
great show of maps, globes, clocks, watches, and other European
curiosities, which attracted much attention. Their description of
what they had seen and heard made a deep impression upon the
princes and nobles, who flocked from all quarters to see them.
And there was ample leisure for this, as the approach of the am-
bassador to Miako was delayed for more than two mouths by the
death of the emperor's only son.
In this interval Valignani had had the pleasure of a visit from
the disgraced Ucondono, whose face he was rejoiced to see lighted
up with an air of content rarely seen among those on whom the
favors of fortune are most prodigally showered. lie protested that
the happiest day in his life was that on which he had lost everything
for Jesus Christ. He communicated to Father Valignani a
design he had formed of quitting the world altogether, and conse-
but besides that he
crating himself entirely to the service of God ;
had a wife and a numerous family, whom his retreat would have
left without resource, the father considered that he was much
younger than the emperor ; that if reestablished in his offices and
his possessions, he might render much greater services to the church