He was
a noted astronomer and mathematician, and for his learning and talents
was greatly esteemed by the Chinese, especially at the imperial court;
the reformation of the Chinese calendar was entrusted to him, and
rank and emoluments were conferred upon him. The missions in China
were not molested by the authorities after 1622; but the conflicts
between the Chinese and Tartars, which ended in the overthrow of the
Ming dynasty, greatly injured the work of the missionaries from 1630 to
1660. At the time of our text, the Jesuits were on friendly terms with
the authorities, and their work prospered especially in Peking. See
account of Catholic missions in China, in Williams's _Middle Kingdom,_
ii, pp. 290-325; and in Cretineau-Joly's _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, iii,
pp. 165-184.
[103] _Medias anatas_: half of the first year's income; a tax which
was paid to the crown upon entering any office, pension, or grant. It
was introduced into the Indias by a law of 1632. See _Recopilacion
leyes de Indias_, lib. viii, tit. xix.
[104] Spanish, _Religion_.
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