At this juncture, Paul, the Christian mandarin, advised the recal of the missionaries also; to which the emperor acceded, and the work went on again.
When the last ruler of the Ming dynasty ascended the throne, A.D. 1628, Adam Schaal found his way to court; and, by his skill in the mathematics, gained a fame equal to that of Ricci. Soon after this, the Dominicans and Franciscans entered China, and took their share with the Jesuits in the labour of converting so great a nation. Their operations were, however, soon interrupted by the wars and commotions which began to prevail. Two rebel chiefs raised an army of malcontents, and beseiged the emperor in his capital; who, to avoid falling into their hands, committed suicide. Woo San-kwei, a Chinese general, then called in the Tartars to his assistance, who soon dispersed the rebels, and entered Peking in triumph; but, instead of restoring it to the Chinese, took it to themselves, and with it, the throne of China. The Tartar prince dying, his son, a boy of six years old, was proclaimed sovereign; and, by the wisdom and energy of his uncle, was in eight years put in possession of the whole empire. In the southern provinces, however, the people still inclined to favour the fortunes of the Ming dynasty, and two Christian Chinese generals made head against, and on one occasion, routed the Tartar army; the victorious Chinese immediately declared Tung-lëĕ emperor, and fixed his capital at Chaou-king, in the province of Canton. In the Chinese court were fifty ladies, who had been converted by an eunuch; and the mother, wife, and eldest son of the new sovereign, were induced to receive the ordinance of baptism. These illustrious proselytes corresponded with the pope,
