Note 11 — Relations of 1628–29

“The persecution of the Christians here, which was begun several years ago, continues without any remission of its vigor, but rather increases with every day—not throughout the whole kingdom, however, but in certain parts of the Xymo or Tacab, in which the Christians are persecuted more than they have been hitherto. It commenced among the Christian converts of Tacacu and the lands of Arima, by soliciting the tono of that region, Gentir, to return to the favor of the lord of Japon, of which he has been deprived [293] for some time, and to dissuade from the faith all the Christians who should enter his lands. An official was sent to all places with orders that they should not fail to go through every village, and to cause everyone, by any way or means whatever, to renounce the faith, in order that they might instead adopt one of the Japanese sects. The officials obeyed their orders and searched out all, whether steadfast or wavering; and some, in order not to risk their faith, left their homes secretly. Some of the strong ones were rigorously treated, and others gently, among whom some exiled themselves. Those Christians suffered, for their constancy, various and extreme torments never before seen in Japon, which at the said tono’s command were inflicted in order to subdue them—stripping both men and women, and hanging them in their shame; hurling them from a height into cold water, in the depth of winter; placing them near a fire so that they would burn; and burning them with lighted torches. Two of them they roasted on burning coals, as St. Laurence suffered. Others were left so that they died in a few days. They also burned the men with a hot iron upon the forehead, leaving the word “Christian” stamped upon it. They cut the fingers from the hands, even of children, inflicting other indignities that cannot be written. The inhuman pagan, not content with this, had some men and women conducted through the streets of certain villages with insignia of dishonor commonly applied among the heathen to criminals, but of great glory to our Lord God, for whose love they suffered. When the servants of the Lord arrived at some of these places, they bound them in a shameful manner to stakes, in order to frighten [294] the Christian inhabitants in this fashion; but with all their efforts they were not strong enough to conquer any Christian, or make him recant. Forty-seven, of all ages, were condemned to death; three were beheaded, and the rest drowned in the sea. Eighteen others, of all ages, they took to a mountain, where there were some very hot baths; and, binding them with ropes, they put them into the water, asking them again and again if they would not recant. Seeing their constancy, they bound them to stones, with which they were sunk in the sea. Twenty-six others, of varying ages, they also took to the said baths; and having especially distinguished ten of these by torments, they kept them for some time on the edge of the baths, repeatedly asking them if they would give up their religion. At the same time they poured upon their shoulders jars of that boiling hot water, drawing from them cries of pain; until, becoming convinced of their constancy, they drowned them in the said baths. Because the body of one of them was not burst open like the rest by the heat of the water, they cut it open in various places with a knife. In this torture he died, and, like the others, was flung into the baths. Adding to these two others who died of the terrible torture inflicted upon them, the number of those who died in the province of Tacacu, by fire, blood, and water was forty-seven. They went to rest and abide with Christ, and will always be able to say with David: Transivimus per ignem et aqua e reduxisti nos in refrigerium.11 We would never finish if we undertook to tell in detail all the particulars of these martyrdoms, which we shall leave [295] for a more extended relation, in which they may be viewed; and great consolation will be had from the fact that those Christians have endured such atrocious and unheard-of torments with such constancy, for the love of Christ.