Japan and the Japanese

adopt
NUGNES BARRETO. 77
the Jesuit habit till after he had fulfilled his mission a
delay which proved a lucky thing for Pinto, whose zeal speedily
began to evaporate. He served, indeed, for some time in the hos-
pitals of Malacca, where they arrived in June, 155 i, and where,
were detained
t>y the sickness of Nugnes and other accidents, they
upwards of a year ; and, according to the letters of Nugnes, he
gave great edification, the people admiring to see so rich a man,
and one lately so fond of display and good living,
clothed in rags
and begging alms from door to door, all having given up his wealth
that he might the better obey the Lord.
Sailing from Malacca, Nugnes and his company, after perils from
pirates, were driven by storms first to Sanchian, and then to Macao,
whence, in the spring of 1556, Nugnes proceeded to Canton, where
he made many unavailing efforts for the introduction of Catholicism
into China. Meanwhile, he received letters from Goa, urging
his return, enclosing one from Loyola himself, disapproving of such
but he was still
long voyages by the vice-provincials of the order ;
induced to proceed to Japan by a pressing letter from the prince of
Firando, who hoped by his means to attract the Portuguese trade
from Bungo to that port. He sailed accordingly for Firando, but
was compelled by stress of weather to find a harbor in Bungo.
Meanwhile, the parts of Japan occupied by the missionaries had
been the seats of serious commotions. The king of Bungo had
indeed confirmed his power by suppressing an insurrection ; but his
brother, the king of Naugato, had been driven from his throne and
defeated and slain by Marindono, a relative of the late king ;
and during this civil war, the city of Amanguchi had been sacked
and burnt, and the missionaries obliged to fly for their lives to
Bungo. There, too, a new insurrection had been attempted, but
again without success ; though the king still kept himself shut up
in a fortress at a distance from his capital. He returned, however,
to receive Nugnes, which he did very graciously, but resisted, on
grounds of expediency, all his exhortations to make an open profession
of Catholicism. Thus disappointed, Nugnes, after sending
Gago to establish himself at Firaudo, it thought
Goa.
best to return to
On arriving in Japan, the zeal of Pinto had speedily declined,
and he had begun to sigh for his liberty. Perhaps he was alarmed
7*