Preparations
Embassy.
q u e s t s u c h , in directed, »first,
his routdai© tParis, Yrfeere twoj foundations' for foreign
missions stiilf subsisted, the Maison »defSaint«' Lazare,
■aiid the Maison des Missions Ttrahgdfe'sv.i TheToimm
was said to bontain/ at that time, none-twbo' hkd ;ever
heen in China. At the Mission's Etrabg^es’ïwas j©ne;
who had returndd^uear tweri8ya‘<y©aps; hefórei j fro®
thence. He regained butpa*< fainb remembranoe ,oL sthte
language, .and- wsfmot* disposed‘foWafsi# that.'distant
country -«gain,- upon, ari^r terms n f. r
I t was necessary, therefore, withdutdelay», ftfbbpursbe
the jo ê rn e y ^ a t afmpstdndement sta^Ön^overéhê^A-lfpsf,
to Italy. T h o it h appêiiedÉÉtat |ÉÉ?'4ég®aed3s.Oha®ïesê
o f -the V a tim n . w e rë m o i n visits ïfc©
Rome was;?’StL <5therTresppcfe#j(f ®f uSK: By ®^%ÉikM^<©"f
■ Cardinal AntofielM^fhefeet sof tte^ngK®gatï@n for- pr-èl
p a r tin g ,«the faith, letters:of ipêwérM tecommehdattfbn
’Were obtained to the Italian jmissio'Eiaries - in 2 Ghina^ds
W;ell as-to th e curators ofj the ChinesefcoM'igStfct'dN'afpl&V
Oh arriving^ soon after, a t th is 'c a p ita ^ A h fM lh |e Was
found toreoBtain several young'meri froiri3Ghina.iG'^m%
had already resided in th a t college? many- yfears; - and the
Latin and Italian languages -were sufficiently familial
toiffiwti. D u ! care h a d b e en ,' at th e safitei time, taken,
thatfiföy:Should notj by'disuselifoiget their own : they
beingfiall intended for the priesthood, an d J to be sent
■hack .to: undertake the cure? of the souls of their countrymen,'
i ofsatm'^fa|<1|h;ras well, as^ to. endeavour at Pf§*^0M
persuading 1 A few having, com? Bmbas&y~
plel^dtftMih^^^tiongTand^^lew^in sacred! orders,,
w e r e^ ^ ^ .J^ ^ h a rh a tiio n ; 5 but rthe'i curators o f’the
.^M£ge?.JrtfuJeihO^'tk?fe"Wfi^ppf>5®f its t orisgfnal institution,
aiid^ktchfol, vlM^jfetfons ^agaiia st ftemptati'ons&in »the
W-ay i^^au^phx,s!onS'mKed^r{thehj< Gaar?e/fv|e’re; .parti cu-1
larly GautaQU^byjw.hatt^h]|^qyane^£h trust thehepupils,.
lest any.<circumst^Gdrsho(Ufl^h|ippen,-»in the.cdurseybf
it, It®} divert them from^h^irupioltiik destinations» >.*
j Byuthe* assfetance^da^wev^^ of Sir William Hamlin
t©n,- his Majesty^ minfetei&at Naples^ who hadioii some
former^dc’c&si@Mobligedf®^* college, ?andT off Don Gae-
t. tah% d’Ancora,' sp^s-feiM©*; Noapol'itahsA« thet’eon-
fidence ofttBe-rfCuratorsf gcrupie- >was removed;
and two Chinese; of'ltoiable mariners^anfpt of a. virtuous
and candid disphSrt-fehl .&s|welb asiffofectly qualified to
in terpretfhetwdems their1 natives language} anti »the Latin
or. Italian ,&W<bich the* Embass'jidqri .undei?kood§i;alceotefi-;
p.ariiedhthe«'Sec|;etaryadf8the' Embassy, < on his return
to^Sngland,; • in May, 1249$#im order -1©: »embark -for
China..
..They began, eaily^toibe of rise'- in' shggis ting; from
what they knew and' of their own cohjatryj?
some, of fthe ^bsttpreph^kdns for an expedition thither.
In the^choxce.'ofipresent^IaSGordihgnto-Eastern
manners indispensable}.'for the1 Emperor and his court;
VOL. I. ■ m