In the city of Nangasaqui, as all its people are Christians, the
persecution is directed not so much against the Christians, for that
would utterly destroy the place, as against those who conceal the
religious who are under penalty of death.

On the seventeenth of December, they arrested two religious of
St. Francis, one a priest named Fray Pedro de Avila, [2] and another
a layman, Fray Vicente. On the twelfth of February they beheaded two
leading natives for their faith. On the thirteenth of the same month
they bound to the stake, in order to burn alive, a man who had two
religious in his house. On account of his anxiety to escape the fire,
he confessed; and leaping from it (they say) he begged them not to
kill him, saying that [_illegible in MS_.]. They cut him to pieces,
however, without mercy, and he was sent to the Lord.

At this same time they seized in Nangasaqui a servant of the father
provincial, Matheo Couros, who was washing his clothes. When he was
thus recognized, they inflicted sharp torments upon him, to make
him disclose what he knew; but he, although mangled, bravely gave up
his life in the torture rather than betray the father. There are at
present in Japanese prisons [_MS. torn_] of religious and Christians:
of the Order of St Francis there are five; of that of St. Dominic,
three or four; of the Jesuits one, Father Carlos de Espinola. There
were three, but one was burned alive for his faith; and the other,
who was a Portuguese brother, [died] [3] with the hardships of the
prison, and it is thought to be certain that [his death was hastened]
by poison.

The Dutch and English seized, on board a Japanese ship which sailed
from Manila for Japan, two religious--one a Dominican, and the