During the trial of Father Garnet, Oldcorne had been removed from the Tower and executed at Worcester on April 7 or 17. Littleton, who had saved himself at the time of the conspiracy by informing on the others, begged the father's pardon on the scaffold and died with him. Two years afterwards, on June 23, 1608, Father Garnet's nephew, Thomas was martyred in London. He was then thirty-four years old, and had been only three years a Jesuit. After the execution of Garnet a much more drastic penal code was enacted. Henry IV of France, through his ambassador and the Prince de Joinville, tried hard to restrain the anger of King James, but without avail, except that two missionaries, under sentence of death for refusing to take the oath, were saved by the French king's intercession. He could not obtain the reprieve of Drury, however, who was condemned to death because a copy of a letter from Persons denouncing the oath of allegiance was found in his possession. Whether this Drury was a Jesuit or not cannot be ascertained, for the "Fasti Breviores" and the "Menology" speak only of a Drury who was killed with another Jesuit in the collapse of a church at old Blackfriars in 1623. James would not listen to the remonstrances of Henry; he assured the ambassador that he was, by nature, an enemy of harsh and cruel measures, and that he had repeatedly held his ministers in check, but that the Catholics were so infected with the doctrine of the Jesuits that he had to leave the matter to parliament. When the ambassador remarked that there was apparently no difference of treatment whether Catholics took the oath or not, the king did not reply. CHAPTER VI JAPAN 1555-1645 After Xavier's time--Torres and Fernandes--Civandono--Nunhes and Pinto--The King of Hirando--First Persecution--Gago and Vilela-- Almeida--Uprising against the Emperor--Justus Ucondono and Nobunaga--Valignani--Founding of Nangasaki--Fervor and Fidelity of the Converts--Embassy to Europe--Journey through Portugal, Spain and Italy--Reception by Gregory XIII and Sixtus V--Return to Japan--The Great Persecutions by Taicosama, Daifusama, Shogun I and Shogun II--Spinola and other Martyrs--Arrival of Franciscans and Dominicans--Popular eagerness for death-- Mastrilli--Attempts to establish a Hierarchy--Closing the Ports --Discovery of the Christians. When Francis Xavier bade farewell to Japan in 1551, he left behind him Fathers Torres and Fernandes. They could not possibly have sufficed for the vast work before them, and hence, in August of the following year, Father Gago was sent with two companions, neither of whom was yet in Holy Orders. They were provided with royal letters and well supplied with presents to King Civandono, who was a devoted friend to Francis Xavier.