Matteo Ricci & the Robin Johns

Commonalities across centuries in the use of foreign culture to achieve success

With a gulf of around a century or two between them, it wouldn't be outlandish to

consider Matteo Ricci (1552 - 1610)1 and the Robin Johns, Little Ephraim and Ancona, (est. 18th

century)2 as completely incomparable. And yet, similarities exist, and not unsubstantial ones -

both found themselves as strangers in strange lands, but used the traditions of the foreign places

to their advantage. Both spoke foreign languages, both dressed in foreign clothes, both acted in

manners foreign to their homelands - in other words, they adapted; assimilated. In assimilating to

their circumstances, Ricci would accrue trust and connections with local elites in an attempt to

achieve his goals, while the Robin Johns would use their old connections to achieve theirs. These

two things: trust and connections, form the backbone of a truly international world, born from

globalization.

Matteo Ricci and the Robin Johns are primarily distinguished by their birthplaces and

occupations - Ricci was born in Italy, in the Papal State1; the Robin Johns story takes place in

what is now modern-day Nigeria, in the city of Calabar.3 Not to mention the almost-century gap

between them - Ricci would die almost one hundred years before the Robin Johns. Ricci would

go on to become a missionary of the Jesuit order1, while the Robin Johns maintained the local

tradition of slave trade with the English4. Ricci was free throughout his entire life, while the

Robin Johns went through a harrowing period of struggle from slavery - “he would tie me up &

whip me many times for nothing at al then sometimes be Cause I could not Dress his Diner for

him not understanding how to do it.... he was exceeding badly man ever I saw.” said Little

Ephraim on their captor for 5 years, Captain Thomson.5

1
Hsia, Ronnie Po-Chia, (2016). Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China, pg 29, Hackett
Publishing
2
Sparks, Randy J., (2002). Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to
Freedom, pg 555, 2002, The William and Mary Quarterly.
3
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
557
4
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
566, 567
5
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
571
 The goals of both parties were starkly different - whereas Ricci’s sole interest was the

spread of Christianity among the Chinese, the Robin Johns’ goal was to secure their freedom.

Ricci’s willingness to fulfill foreign missionary work is in full contrast to the Robin Johns’

capture and enslavement. While Ricci was willing to spend decades of his life in pursuit of

service to God and the Church - “Two traits seemed to have distinguished this young Jesuit in his

formative years: a love for scientific knowledge—astronomy, mathematics, geography—and a

religious fervor. When, in 1576, the Portuguese Jesuit Martim da Silva came to Rome seeking

recruits, Ricci petitioned to become a missionary overseas.”6, the Robin Johns’ had forced upon

them a new objective - to return home, in one piece, as free men - one that was demonstrated by

their unbreakable determination, even when facing two betrayals7 and years of pain.

The strategies of Ricci and the Robin Johns were very similar, however - both would go

on to spend many years in foreign lands. As the years went on, Ricci would find himself granted

a government position with the Ming - as an advisor to the court of the Chinese Emperor, using

western science and know-how to predict astronomical events for government rituals8. With this

prestige in hand, the trust and connections he fostered while advisor would allow him to further

his goal of converting the cream-of-the-crop in China9. Meanwhile, the Robin Johns, in a crafty

move, would ask help of an acquaintance of theirs, who would point them towards none other

than an English Judge. From there, they would plead for their freedom - with a letter written in

English to Judge Mansfield, taking advantage of one of his previous rulings on the matter of

slavery, eventually winning it.10 In summary, Ricci’s and the Robin Johns’ strategies consisted of

“When in Rome, do as the Romans” - by acting like these foreigners, they obtained greater

legitimacy for their causes, whether it be in spreading the faith across many decades in a home

6
Hsia, Ronnie Po-Chia, Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China, pg 29
7
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
570, 571, 572
8
Chan Kei thong. Faith of Our Father, Shanghai: China Publishing Group Orient Publishing
Centre.
9
Hsia, Ronnie Po-Chia, Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China, pg 38
10
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
570, 571, 572
far away from home, or the shorter, but still agonizingly long, battle for freedom, to return home

triumphant.

There are many more similarities between the two parties - both were well educated, both

ended up traveling across the world, and most importantly for this essay - both picked up the

traditions of strangers from their stays far from home. Ricci intensively studied Chinese, in order

to become the premier Christian missionary in China, and would begin acting as a Confucian

scholar, in dress and in action. The Robin Johns would use their knowledge of the English gained

from generational trading with the foreigners to secure their own safety, and eventually - their

freedom.

We see how Ricci and the Robin Johns both demonstrate international interactions - in

the case of Ricci, between the Catholic Church and the Ming Dynasty - through the attempts of

the Jesuit Order, as an arm of the Church, to convert the Chinese to Christianity.1 For the Robin

Johns, we see their initial trades and dealings with the English, but later kidnapping,

enslavement, and eventual appeal to the Supreme Court of England.11 Ricci’s mission

demonstrates how in order to achieve the objective of the Catholic missionary effort - that of

converting new lands and people, trust must be cultivated with the ruling powers first. When

compared to the tragedy in Japan, where many-a-Christian died from government reprisal,12

Ricci’s success in maintaining the young Catholic mission in China can only be seen as prudent.

Meanwhile, in the Robin Johns case, we are demonstrated the importance of connections -

without their knowledge of the English, and personal connections fostered by years of bountiful

partnership, the Robin Johns may never have escaped their enslavement, and returned home to

Calabar.

Ricci left behind a more overt legacy than the Robin Johns - “After the mid-19th century,

when Christianity was again declared legal in China after the prohibition in 1705, the memory of

Ricci became poignant for the Chinese. Faced with a new missionary culture, formed by

European imperialist arrogance and protected by colonial privileges, Christianity in China had to

11
Childs, Matt (2004). "Captors to Captives to Christians to Calabar: Navigating the Boundaries
of Slavery and Freedom in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade". Common-place.
12
Hsia, Ronnie Po-Chia, Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China, pg 39
overcome the antagonism between nationalism and racism and looked back with nostalgia to a

bygone golden age.”13 Ricci’s death was deeply mourned - being granted burial at Beijing,

instead of at Macau like most foreigners.14 His works during his life are still known to this day -

he established the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing15, and created many

translations of western works, such as Euclid’s writings on geometry16, as well as original works

such as two Portuguese-Chinese dictionaries17.

The Robin Johns legacy is less well known to us - however, during their time in England,

they stayed at the home of a family of the Methodist confession - at the home of the Wesleys.

The Wesleys received the Robin Johns warmly, and the Robin Johns took well to them in turn -

even being baptized as Methodists.18 The Robin Johns would even study agriculture, that they

might make a living from a business other than slavery19. After this, they would return to

Calabar, with Little Ephraim returning to the slave trade in order to repay his debts, as well as its

heavy presence in the city, and the Robin Johns both being referred to in local oral tradition as

spreaders of Christianity.20 But while not by their hands, their legacy is also in their existence as

a potential inspiration to the criticism of slavery presented in “Thoughts upon Slavery” by John

Wesley 1774.21 “It is likely that Wesley's close association with them influenced his attack on the

institution” - Wesley described the lifestyle and character of “the African” in a positive light, his

condemnations of the trade could have been derived or enhanced from Wesley and the Robin

Johns’ correspondence. 22 Little Ephraim and Ancona’s story would be retold in the Arminian

13
Hsia, Ronnie Po-Chia, Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China, pg 39
14
Hsia, Ronnie Po-Chia, Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China, pg 38
15
"The Tomb of Matteo Ricci" Beijing A Guide to China's Capital City
16
Hsia, Ronnie Po-Chia, Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China, pg 88
17
Yves Camus, "Jesuits' Journeys in Chinese Studies" Archived 24 September 2015 at the
Wayback Machine
18
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
579
19
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
581
20
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
582
21
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
582
22
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
583
Magazine, a magazine founded by John Wesley, and would galvanize others in their fight for

abolition, such as Thomas Clarkson.23

Matteo Ricci and the Robin Johns both found themselves as strangers in a strange land,

with little being apparently similar between them. However, a key distinction shared between

these brothers and the Jesuit was their willingness to change, to become something else in pursuit

of their goals. Ricci had come to China on a mission of proselytization, whereas the Robin Johns

were captured and enslaved. Both parties, Ricci and the Robin Johns, used foreign ideas to their

advantage - Ricci syncretized Confucianism with Christianity, hoping to convert China’s elite

Confucian scholar class as the foundation for further missionary efforts - “The China mission

represented merely a young seedling … better a few high-quality converts than massive

baptisms, for those elites … would provide protection against contrary winds”24, while the Robin

Johns would go on to challenge their captors in court - and win25, regaining their freedom; “...

Little Ephraim and Ancona walked out of jail in Bristol as the free men they so adamantly

claimed to be.”26 In both cases, they could not have accomplished these tasks without assistance

from others - Ricci’s “young seedling” could never have survived without the elite converts he

sought out and mingled with during his time in Chinese high society, whom he put trust in that

they would protect the Christians of China. The Robin Johns might have never been able to

return home unless they had been willing to take the risk of rejection - even if their trust was

misplaced twice, they would never have made it home if they hadn’t gotten off their captor’s ship

without Mansfield’s help, and may have died vagrants in England if they hadn’t become

acquainted with the Wesleys.

23
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
583
24
Hsia, Ronnie Po-Chia, Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China, pg 38
25
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
574
26
Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to Freedom, pg
577
 SOURCES

[1] Hsia, Ronnie Po-Chia, Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China;
[2] Sparks, Randy J. Two Princes of Calabar: An Atlantic Odyssey from Slavery to
Freedom;
[3] Chan Kei thong. Faith of Our Father, Shanghai: China Publishing Group Orient
Publishing Centre;
[4] "The Tomb of Matteo Ricci" Beijing A Guide to China's Capital City;
[5] Childs, Matt (2004). "Captors to Captives to Christians to Calabar: Navigating the
Boundaries of Slavery and Freedom in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade". Common-place;
[6] Yves Camus, "Jesuits' Journeys in Chinese Studies" Archived 24 September 2015 at
the Wayback Machine;