private. 'These circumstances moved the judge to decide in Ferdinand's favour, and to order all that Benedict had left
to be restored to him. Nothing was found, however, except the pieces of jade which had been buried. From the proceeds of these debts were paid, and means furnished for the journey to Peking. But still there was not enough to cover the great expense of all those months of detention, so they had to borrow twenty pieces of gold on the security of some bits of jade which still remained. At last they both got to the brethren at Peking, to whom the whole affair had caused a good deal of anxiety. They had now cause for both grief and joy; Benedict's loss was to be mourned, and the Armenian to be congratulated on his escape. Him they received as if he had been one of our own body, for Benedict had spoken in strong terms of the faithful help which he had rendered throughout the journey.
Ferdinand brought to Peking a cross elegantly painted on gilt paper, the only one that Benedict had ventured to carry among those Mahomedans, and also the three rescripts of the three kings, viz., of Cascar, Quoten, and Cialis, all which are now preserved as memorials in our house at Peking. There also are preserved the letters patent of Father Jerome Xavier, with other letters of his which had arrived during the journey, and letters likewise from Alexius Menezes, archbishop of Goa, and from the said Jerome, to the members of the society at Peking, in which they expressed themselves as feeling satisfied that Cathay could not be a long way from Peking, and that probably the two kingdoms had a common frontier.
Isaac the Armenian stopped a month at Peking, and during that time he communicated to Father Matthew from his own recollection, assisted by some papers of Benedict's, all that we have related in these three chapters. He was then despatched to MACAO by the road which our people are in the habit of using, and was there most kindly received by the
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