of wood. The Cubo rushing forth, sword in hand, was met by the thrust of a lance, which laid him dead. His family and attendant nobles, to the number of a hundred, perished in the conflagration, or ripped themselves up, according to the established etiquette. A counter revolution soon set in, in favor of Cavandono, the younger brother of the slain Cubo, a speedy result of which was, the defeat and death of the assassins. The new movement was headed by Nobunanga, at that time, though only thirty-four or thirty-five years of age, the most powerful prince in Japan.

This kingly personage, who had the stature and the ferocious courage of Saul, with the iron determination and constructive energy of Napoleon, had already gathered into his hands eighteen kingdoms, which before the year 1570 he had increased by arms and by the terror of his name, to thirty-seven. The only princes who divided the empire with him were Civan, king of Bungo, and Moridon, king of Amanguchy, the former a patron, the latter a persecutor of the church.

Nobunanga himself was an Atheist, regardless of all religion, but looking with special contempt and hatred on the bonzes and their worship. This sentiment he lost no time in exhibiting. He entered Meaco in triumph with fifty thousand troops, whom he quartered in the bonze monasteries. The palace of the Cubo-sama had been destroyed. One of Nobunanga's first edicts ordered the erection of a larger and more splendid one, designed to unite the beauty of a royal residence with the strength of a fortress. On this work he employed from fourteen to twentyfive thousand men, priests and nobles as well as citizens; and he set the example by taking part with his own hands in the labors of the building. For materials, he ordered the temples and monasteries of Meaco and the neighborhood to be torn down indiscriminately, and the stones and timber to be transported to the site of the new building.

He did worse than this. There were great numbers of huge stone idols, entirely useless, as Nobunanga wisely thought, in their present function, but which, by knocking off their heads and arms and a little judicious dressing, would serve an excellent purpose in the foundation of his palace. A number of officers were detailed, whose business it was to furnish each day

a certain quantity of idols of the largest size. The iconoclasm which followed was such as perhaps the world has never seen. It was not resisted like that of Leo the Isaurian. It was not retorted with maledictions and insult, like that the Greek clergy heaped on Constantine Copronymus. Nobunanga was so terrible that when he spoke none dreamed of disobeying. The Jesuit historian luxuriates in depicting the agony of the poor bonzes as they saw their most famous idols dragged with ropes through the mud of the streets, or mutilated into suitable ashlars by the irreverent hammers of the workmen. They stared like men distracted, and thought the end of the world had come, or at least the final catastrophe of Japan.

The acme of their humiliation, however, was not yet reached. There were two temples of extraordinary sanctity and splendor, one in Meaco, the other in Nara at some distance, for which the bonzes began to tremble. They humbly begged that these might be spared, and offered a large sum of money in ransom. They appealed to the Daïri-sama to exert his authority, but this respectable shadow was too wise to interfere. They then began to prophesy the most frightful results to Meaco and Japan; fire from heaven, pestilence and famine, if any profane hand was laid on the awful shrines of Rokio and Daibut. Nobunanga had no particular occasion for the wood and stone of Daibut, but he was resolved to make the bonzes "eat dirt." The people expected nothing less than some terrible judgment; but Nobunanga's least word was like the edict of fate, and they hastened to obey. Daibut fell to the ground. No demonstration of the Divine anger followed, and the bonzes began to be regarded as convicted cheats. The Japanese idols bore the whole expense. of the Cubo-sama's palace.

A more reckless act of insult to a powerful and vindictive priesthood, was never perpetrated in the intoxication of success by any despot. An anecdote, referring to a period a few years later, will show why it met with nothing but abject submission. Nobunanga resolved to signalize his administration and perpetuate his memory by some act of public utility. The common fashion among Japanese princes had been to build a temple. The strong sense as well as the contemptuous unbelief of Nobunanga, rejected this style of construction. He deter

mined to build a public road across the island of Niphon, from Meaco to the site he had fixed upon for the Sjogun's residence, now Jeddo. The road was to be straight and level, that is, without abrupt ascents or descents, utterly regardless of difficulties; and the difficulties were scarcely, if at all, less than those in the way of the road across the Simplon. Forests were to be prostrated, the solid rock hewn through for great distances, and vast chasms and torrent-beds to be bridged over. The magistrates of Voari, one of the states through which the route led, appalled by the obstacles, and relying, perhaps, on the indulgence of their hereditary prince, thought they might venture an humble remonstrance. Three of their nobles, of the first class, went to Meaco on this errand. Nobunanga received them in the usual style in which he gave audience, sitting on at tiger's skin, in a common soldier's habit, which he always affected, his armed guard around him, and with that terrible look which made the stoutest heart in Japan tremble.

The ambassadors told him their story. The plan, to be sure, was worthy of his highness' genius, but it was impossible to execute it. The passes from one kingdom to another were locked with such precipices, and hills piled on hills, that no Cubo nor Daïri-sama in Japanese story-no, not the ancient Kami themselves, would have undertaken to cut such a highway. Nobunanga did not reply with a polite bow, "Messieurs, the word impossible is not good Japanese." He gave them a lesson in propriety of speech which, like Jack Cade's to the unlucky follower who called him by his own name, made it quite certain they would never repeat the offence. He signed to his guards, and the heads of two of the committee rolled on the ground. The more atrocious chairman was dragged away and crucified. It is needless to say, after this, that the road was built according to order.

It was thus, through what might have seemed a most remarkable Providence, had pure Christianity been at hand to take advantage of it, that idolatry was prostrated in Japan by one of her own rulers. Nobunanga went further than this. He was as much inclined, in the early part of his administration at least, to favor the missionaries as to humble the bonzes. He showed them signal marks of regard, invited them to visit VOL. I.-38

him freely, and even declared that he would bring all Japan to receive their doctrine. When the bonzes of various sects united in a petition against the toleration of Christianity, he asked them how many religions there were already in Japan. "Thirtyfive," said the bonzes. "Well," replied Nobunanga, "where thirty-five religions can be tolerated, we can easily bear with thirty-six. Let the Catholics alone."* The bonzes were un

willing to give it up so. They tried various arts. Father Froes had obtained a license to preach in Meaco. One of the bonzes, a prominent enemy of the missionaries, had the courage to wait upon Nobunanga, pretending a vital secret affecting the safety of the state. He made known that unless the European bonze was immediately expelled from Meaco, the city would be overthrown to its foundations. The earth would yawn to swallow it up, and fire descend from heaven to consume the inhabitants. Nobunanga regarded him with a look of mingled contempt and anger, and asked if this was his important secret of state. "Just this," said the bonze; and was proceeding to enlarge with additional pathos on the threatened ruin, when the irate monarch cut him short.

"Stupid beast that you are,"

said he, "do you think great Meaco is a village to be overturned by one poor foreigner?" and turned his back upon him. At other times he set different sects disputing with each other, and cut off the heads of those who were worsted in the argument, or stormed and sacked their monasteries and put the inmates, to the number of more than a thousand at once, to the sword.

From this time to the year 1587 was the golden age of Romanism in Japan; with some partial checks it grew steadily and rapidly. The most important civil and military posts under Nobunanga were filled by Christians. Great numbers of the nobles received baptism. There were whole towns of six and eight thousand inhabitants without a single idolater. Churches began to rise in every direction; two of great size and magnificence confronted the very palace of the Daïri-sama in Meaco. The brethren thought the time had come for exhibiting their triumph in Europe, and laying the Church in Japan at the feet of the Holy Father.

M'Farlane, p. 194.

The year 1582 accordingly brought with it the famous embassy to Rome. Six youths of the highest rank, part of royal blood, were selected from the Seminary at Arima, who should accompany Father Vallignani to the centre of Catholic unity. The threefold object of the mission was, to convince the arrogant Japanese of the power and splendor of the Catholic states of Europe, to obtain aid for the support of the schools, and to pay the homage of Japan to the Holy Roman See. Such were the delays incident to navigation at the time, that it was not till August 1584, more than two years after setting sail from Nangasaki, that the embassy entered the port of Lisbon. It was a year more before the shows, processions, public receptions and royal visits with which they were overwhelmed, permitted them to reach Rome. All Spain and Italy fell into a transport of joy at this proof of the triumph of Catholicism. It was a consolation for the loss of half Europe, of which the Church was determined to make the most. The people could never satiate their eyes with the sight of these outlandish scions of converted royalty. The streets were a mob whenever they appeared in public. Salvos of artillery thundered, and Te Deums were sung. The General of the Order, Claudius Aquaviva, welcomed them with tears of joy; Gregory XIII, who had been a father to the mission, embraced and kissed them in public, and was then heard saying to himself, nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine! In fact he died a few days after, of joy or of old age. Sixtus V. the great Pontiff who succeeded-another Nobunanga for inflexibility of will and the ruthlessness with which he trampled down whatever stood in the way of his reformsshowed them still greater marks of regard. They were knighted, made citizens of Rome and Patricians. Medals were struck commemorating the great event; Tintoretto painted their portraits. In short there was a very torrent, tempest and whirlwind of rejoicing, at the subjugation of Japan to the Romish See.

Most inopportunely, at the very time these hosannas were resounding through Catholic Europe, the clouds were gathering in Japan which, in the course of a few years, were to dash the edifice of Romish Christianity so completely to the ground, that not one stone should be left upon another. To account for this,