No More Learning

He receives great comfort from the fervency of the new
converts. He stays at Manapar, and what he performed there. The rules
which he prescribes to the missioners of the fishing coast. He pusses
over to the isle of Ceylon; his actions there. He departs for Goa, and
finds the viceroy at Britain. He obtains whatever he demands of the
viceroy. He concerts a young gentleman, who was very much debauched. He
fixes the resolution of Cosmo de Torrez to enter into the society. He
instructs Anger anew, and causes him to be farther taught by Torrez. He
hears news from Japan, and designs a voyage thither to preach the gospel.
He undertakes the conversion of a soldier. He converts the soldier, and
what means he uses to engage him to penance. He assists the viceroy of
the Indies at his death. He applies himself more than ever to the
exercises of an interior life. He returns to his employment in the care
of souls at Goa. He receives supplies from Europe: the arrival of Father
Gasper Barzæus. He goes to the fishing coast; his actions there. He
speaks to the deputy-governor of the Indies, concerning his voyage to
Japan. All endeavours are used to break the Father's intended voyage to
Japan. He slights the reasons alleged against his voyage to Japan. He
writes to Father Ignatius, and to Father Rodriguez. He constitutes
superiors to superintend the society in India during his absence, and the
orders which he leaves them. He sends Gasper Barzæus to Ormuz. He gives
instructions and orders to Barzæus. He recommends to him the perfecting
of himself. He charges him to instruct the children himself. He
recommends the poor to him. He recommends the prisoners to him. His
advice concerning restitutions. He prescribes him some precautions in his
dealings with his friends. He recommends to him the practice of the
particular Examen. He exhorts him to preach, and gives him rules for
preaching. He institutes him in the way of correcting sinners. He
prescribes him a method, for administering the sacrament of penance. He
continues to instruct him on the subject of confession. He instructs him
how to deal with those who want faith, concerning the blessed sacrament.
He instructs how to deal with penitents. He recommends to him, the
obedience due to ecclesiastical superiors. He commands him to honour the
governor. He gives him advice concerning his evangelical functions. He
orders him to write to the Fathers of the society at Goa. He counsels him
to inform himself of the manner of the town at his arrival. He recommends
to his prayers the souls in purgatory. He exhorts him not to shew either
sadness or anger. He prescribes him the time of his functions. He gives
him instructions, touching the conduct of such as shall be received into
the society. He teaches him the methods of reducing obstinate sinners. He
advises him to find out the dispositions of the people, before he treats
with them. He counsels him to learn the manners and customs of the
people. He gives him counsel concerning reconciliations. He instructs him
in the way of preaching well. What he orders him concerning his
subsistance, and touching presents. What he orders him in reference to
his abode. He goes for Japan. He arrives at Malacca, and what he performs
there. His joy for the success of his brethren in their functions. He
receives a young gentleman into the society. The instructions which he
gives to Bravo. The news which he hears from Japan. He disposes himself
for the voyage of Japan more earnestly than ever. He goes from Malacca to
Japan; and what happens to him in the way_.



Xavier found at Malacca three missioners of the company, who were going
to the Moluccas, in obedience to the letters he had written. These
missioners were John Beyra, Nugnez Ribera, and Nicholas Nugnez, who had
not yet received priests' orders. Mansilla came not with them, 'though he
had precise orders for it; because he rather chose to follow his own
inclinations, in labouring where he was, than the command of his
superior, in forsaking the work upon his hands. But his disobedience cost
him dear. Xavier expelled him out of the society, judging, that an ill
brother would do more hurt, than a good labourer would profit the
company.

These three missioners above mentioned had been brought to the Indies in
the fleet, by Don Perez de Pavora, with seven other sons of Ignatius;
part of whom was already left at Cape Comorine, and the fishing coast, to
cultivate those new plants of Christianity, which were so beloved by
Father Xavier. Now the ships which were bound for the Moluccas, being not
in a readiness to sail before the end of August, Beyra, Ribera, and
Nugnez, had all the intermediate time, which was a month, to enjoy the
company of the saint, in which space they were formed by him for the
apostolic function. For himself, he remained four months at Malacca, in
expectation of a ship to carry him to Goa; and during all that time, was
taken up with continual service of his neighbour.

He had brought with him, from Amboyna, his old companion, John Deyro.
Though Deyro was in his attendance, yet he was not a member of the
society, for the causes already specified, and deserved not to be of it,
for those which follow. Some rich merchants having put into his hands a
sum of money, for the subsistence of the Father, he concealed it from
him. Xavier, who lived only on the alms which were daily given him, and
who hated money as much as his companion loved it, looked on this action
of Deyro as an injury done to evangelical poverty; and the resentment
which he had of it, caused him to forget his usual mildness to offenders.
Not content to make him a sharp reprimand, he confined him to a little
desart isle not far distant from the port; enjoining him, not only
continual prayer, but fasting upon bread and water, till he should of his
own accord recal him. Deyro, who was of a changeable and easy temper,
neither permanent in good, nor fixed in ill, obeyed the Father, and lived
exactly in the method which was prescribed.

He had one night a vision, whether awake or sleeping has not been decided
by the juridical informations of the Father's life. It seemed to him,
that he was in a fair temple, where he beheld the Blessed Virgin, on a
throne all glittering with precious stones. Her countenance appeared
severe; and he, making his approaches to her, was rejected with
indignation, as unworthy to be of the company of her son. After which she
arose from the throne, and then all things disappeared. Deyro being
recalled from his solitude some time after, said nothing of his vision to
Father Xavier, to whom God had revealed it. He even denied boldly to have
seen any, though the Father repeated it to him, with all the
circumstances. Xavier, more scandalised than ever with this procedure of
Deyro, refused all farther communication with a man, who was interested,
and insincere. He rid his hands of him, but withal foretold him, "That
God would be so gracious to him, as to change his evil inclinations, and
that hereafter he should take the habit of St Francis. " Which was so
fully accomplished, that when the informations were taken in the Indies,
concerning the holiness and miracles of Xavier, Deyro then wore the habit
of St Francis, and lived a most religious life.

After the three missioners were gone for the Moluccas, Xavier alone bore
the whole burden of the work. The knowledge which the Portuguese and
Indians had of his holiness, made all men desirous of treating with him,
concerning the business of their conscience. Not being able to give
audience to all, many of them were ill satisfied, and murmured against
him: but since their discontent and murmurs proceeded from a good
principle, he comforted himself, and rather rejoiced than was offended,
as he says himself expressly in his letters. His ordinary employment was
preaching to the Christians and Gentiles, instructing and baptising the
catechumens, teaching children the Christian doctrine, visiting the
prisoners and the sick, reconciling enemies, and doing other works of
charity.

While the saint was thus employed, there happened an affair, which much
increased his reputation in all the Indies. For the understanding of the
whole business, it will be necessary to trace it from its original.

Since the conquest of Malacca by the Portuguese, the neighbouring princes
grew jealous of their power, and made many attempts to drive that nation
out of the Indies, which came to brave them at their own doors.
Thereupon, they set on foot many great armies, at divers times, but
always unsuccessfully; and learning, by dear-bought experience, that
multitudes can hardly prevail against true valour.

These disgraces provoked the Sultan Alaradin, king of Achen, instead of
humbling him. Achen is the greatest kingdom of the island of Sumatra,
distant about twelve leagues from the _terra firma_ of Malacca. This
prince was a Mahometan, an implacable enemy of the Christians by his
religion, and of the Portuguese by interest of state. Yet he durst not
immediately assault the fortress of Malacca. All his fury was spent in
cruizing about the coasts, with a strong fleet, thereby to break the
trade of the Portuguese, and hinder the succours which they had from
Europe. His design was then to attack the town, when it should be bare of
defendants, and unprovided of stores of victuals: but to compass his
enterprize, he was to assure himself of a port, which was above Malacca
towards the north, which might serve for a convenient retreat to his
fleet; and had also occasion for a fortress, to secure himself from the
enemy. He therefore made himself master of that port, and ordered the
building of a citadel.

As for his preparations of war, he made them so secretly, that the
Portuguese had neither any news, nor even the least suspicion of them.
Five thousand soldiers, trained up in wars, and well-experienced in naval
fights, were chosen out for this glorious expedition; and five hundred of
them, called Orabalons, were the flower of the whole nobility, and
accordingly wore bracelets of gold, as a distinguishing mark of their
high extraction. There was besides a great number of Janisaries newly
arrived at the court of Achen, who served as volunteers, and were eager
of shewing their courage against the Christians. The fleet consisted of
sixty great ships, all well equipped and manned, without reckoning the
barks, the frigates, and the fire-ships. It was commanded by the Saracen,
Bajaja Soora, a great man of war, and so famous for his exploits in arms,
that his prince had honoured him with the title of King of Pedir, in
reward for his taking Malacca even before he had besieged the town.

There was no other intelligence of this at Malacca, but what the army of
Achen brought itself. They came before the place, and entered the port
on the 9th of October, in the year 1547, about two o'clock in the
morning, resolved to assault it while they were favoured by the darkness.
They began by a discharge of their artillery, and sending in their
fire-ships against the Portuguese vessels. After which the most daring of
them landed, ran without any order against that part of the wall which
they believed weakest, filled up part of the ditch, and mounted the
ladders with a furious assault. They found more resistance than they
expected: the garrison, and the inhabitants, whom the shouts and
artillery of the barbarians had at first affrighted, recovering courage
through the imminence of danger, and the necessity of conquering or
dying, ran upon the rampart, and vigorously repulsed the assailants;
overthrowing their ladders, or tumbling their enemies headlong from them,
insomuch that not a man of them entered the town, and great numbers of
them lay dead or dying in the ditch.

Soora comforted himself for the ill success of his assault, by the
execution which his fire-ships and cannon had done. All the vessels
within the port were either burnt or disabled. And the rain which
immediately fell, served not so much to extinguish the flames, as the
violent wind which then arose contributed to kindle them. Those of Achen,
proud of that action, appeared next morning on their decks, letting fly
their pompous streamers, and shouting, as if already they were
victorious. But their insolence was soon checked; the cannon from the
fortress forced them to retire as far off as the isle of Upe. In the mean
time, seven poor fishermen, who had been out all night about their
employment, and were now returning to the town, fell into an ambuscade of
the Infidels, were taken, and brought before the general. After he had
cut off their ears and noses, he sent them back with a letter, directed
to Don Francisco de Melo, governor of Malacca, of which these were the
contents:

"I Bajaja Soora, who have the honour to carry in vessels of gold the rice
of the Great Souldan, Alaradin, king of Achen, and the territories washed
by the one and the other sea, advertise thee to write word to thy king,
that, in despite of him, I am casting terror into his fortress by my
fierce roaring, and that I shall here abide as long as I shall please. I
call to witness of what I declare, not only the earth, and all nations
which inhabit it, but all the elements, even to the heaven of the moon;
and pronounce with these words of my mouth, that thy king is a man of no
reputation nor courage; that his standards, now trampled under foot,
shall never be lifted up again without his permission who has conquered
him; that, by the victory already by us obtained, my king has under his
royal foot the head of thine; that from this day forward he is his
subject and his slave; and, to the end, that thou thyself mayest confess
this truth, I defy thee to mortal battle, here on the place of my abode,
if thou feelest in thyself sufficient courage to oppose me. "

Though the letter of Soora was in itself ridiculous, and full of fustian
bravadoes, according to the style of the barbarians, yet it put the
governor and officers of the fortress to a shrewd demur; for how should
they accept the challenge without ships to fight him, and how could they
refuse it with their honour? A council of war was summoned to deliberate
on this weighty and nice affair, when Father Xavier came amongst them. He
had been saying mass at the church of our Lady Del Monte; so called, from
its being built on a mountain near the city, and dedicated to the blessed
Virgin. Don Francisco, who had sent for him to consult him in this
troublesome business, gave him the general of Achen's letter to peruse,
and demanded his advice what was to be done on this occasion.

The saint, who knew the king of Achen's business was not only to drive
the Portuguese out of Malacca, but also, and that principally, to
extirpate Christianity out of all the East; having read the letter,
lifted up his eyes to heaven, and answered without the least pause, that
the affront was too great to be endured; that the honour of the Christian
religion was more concerned in it than that of the crown of Portugal: If
this injury should be dissembled, to what audaciousness would the enemy
arise, and what would not the other Mahometan princes attempt after this
example? In conclusion, that the challenge ought to be accepted, that the
infidels might see the King of Heaven was more powerful than their king
Alaradin.

"But how," said the governor, "shall we put to sea, and on what vessels,
since, of eight gally-foysts which we had in port, there are but four
remaining, and those also almost shattered in pieces, and half burned;
and, in case we could refit them, what could they perform against so
numerous a fleet? " "Suppose," answered Xavier, "the barbarians had twice
so many ships, are not we much stronger, who have heaven on our side; and
how can we choose but overcome, when we fight in the name of our Lord and
Saviour? "

No man was so bold to contradict the man of God; and they all went to the
arsenal. There they found a good sufficient bark, of those they call
catur, besides seven old foysts, fit for nothing but the fire. Duarte de
Bareto, who by his office had the superintendance of their naval stores,
was commanded to fit out these foysts with all expedition. But he
protested it was not in his power; for, besides that the kings magazines
were empty of all necessaries for the equipping of them, there was no
money in the treasury for materials.

The governor, who had no other fund, was ready to lose courage, when
Xavier, by a certain impulse of spirit, suddenly began to embrace seven
sea captains there present, who were of the council of war. He begged of
them to divide the business amongst them, and each of them apart to take
care of fitting out one galley: At the same time, without waiting for
their answer, he assigned every man his task. The captains durst not
oppose Xavier, or rather God, who inclined their hearts to comply with
the saint's request. Above an hundred workmen were instantly employed on
every vessel; and in four days time the seven gallies were in condition
for fighting. Melo gave the catur to Andrea Toscano, a man of courage,
and well versed in sea affairs. He divided amongst the seven captains an
hundred and fourscore soldiers, chosen men, and appointed Francis Deza
admiral of the fleet. Xavier was desirous to have gone along with them,
but the inhabitants, who believed all was lost if they lost the Father,
and who hoped for no consolation but from him alone in case the
enterprize should not succeed, made such a disturbance about it, that,
upon mature deliberation, it was resolved to keep him in the town.

The day before their embarkment, having called together the soldiers and
the captains, he told them that he should accompany them in spirit; and
that while they were engaging the barbarians, he would be lifting up his
hands to heaven for them: That they should fight valiantly, in hope of
glory, not vain and perishable, but solid and immortal: That, in the heat
of the combat, they should cast their eyes on their crucified Redeemer,
whose quarrel they maintained, and, beholding his wounds themselves,
should not be afraid either of wounds or death; and how happy should they
be to render their Saviour life for life.

These words inspired them with such generous and Christian thoughts,
that, with one voice, they made a vow to fight the infidels to their last
drop of blood. This solemn oath was so moving to Xavier, that it drew
tears from him: he gave them all his blessing; and, for their greater
encouragement, named them, "The Band of our Saviour's Soldiers:" in
pursuit of which, he heard every man's confession, and gave them the
communion with his own hand.

They embarked the clay following with so much cheerfulness, that it
seemed to presage a certain victory. But their joy continued but a
moment. They had scarcely weighed anchor, when the admiral split, and
immediately went to the bottom, so that they had hardly time to save the
men. The crowd of people, who were gathered together on the shore to see
them go off, beheld this dismal accident, and took it for a bad omen of
the expedition; murmuring at the same time against Father Xavier, who was
the author of it, and casting out loud cries to recal the other vessels.
The governor, who saw the people in an uproar, and apprehended the
consequences of this violent beginning, sent in haste to seek the Father.
The messenger found him at the altar, in the church of our Lady Del
Monte, just ready to receive the blessed sacrament: he drew near to
whisper the business to him, but the Father beckoned him with his hand to
keep silence, and retire. When mass was ended, "Return," said Xavier,
without giving the man leisure to tell his message, "and assure the
governor from me, that he has no occasion to be discouraged for the loss
of one vessel. " By this the saint made known, that God had revealed to
him what had happened. He continued some time in prayer before the image
of the Virgin; and these words of his were overheard: "O my Jesus, the
desire of my heart, regard me with a favourable eye; and thou, holy
Virgin, be propitious to me! Lord Jesus," he continued, "look upon thy
sacred wounds, and remember they have given us a right to ask of thee
every thing conducing to our good. "

His prayers being ended, he goes to the citadel: The governor, alarmed
with the cries and murmurs of the people, could not dissemble his
disturbance, but reproached the Father for having engaged them in this
enterprize. But Xavier upbraided him with his distrust of God; and said,
smiling, to him, "What! are you so dejected for so slight an accident? "
After which, they went in company to the shore, where the soldiers
belonging to the admiral stood in great consternation for the hazard they
had run so lately. The Father reassured them, and exhorted them to remain
constant in their holy resolution, notwithstanding their petty
misadventure: he remonstrated to them, that heaven had not permitted
their admiral to sink, but only to make trial of their faith; neither had
themselves been saved from shipwreck, but only that they might perform
their vow. In the mean time, the governor held it necessary to summon the
great council. All the officers of the town, and the principal
inhabitants, were of opinion to give over an enterprize, which, as they
thought, was begun rashly, and could have no fortunate conclusion. But
the captains and soldiers of the fleet, encouraged by the words of the
holy man, and inspired with vigour, which had something in it of more
than human, were of a quite contrary judgment. They unanimously
protested, that they had rather die than violate that faith, which they
had solemnly engaged to Jesus Christ. "For the rest," said they, "what
have we more to fear this day than we had yesterday? our number is not
diminished, though we have one vessel less, and we shall fight as well
with six foysts, as we should with seven. But, on the other side, what
hopes ought we not to conceive, under the auspices and promise of Father
Francis? "

Then Xavier taking the word, "The lost galley shall be soon made good,"
said he with a prophetic voice; "before the sun goes down, there shall
arrive amongst us two better vessels than that which perished; and this I
declare to you from Almighty God. " This positive prediction amazed the
whole assembly, and caused them to put off the determination of the
affair until the day ensuing. The remaining part of the day was passed
with great impatience, to see the effect of the Father's promise. When
the sun was just on the point of setting, and many began to fear the
accomplishment of the prophecy, in the very minute marked out by the
Father, they discovered, from the clock-house of our Lady del Monte, two
European ships, which were sailing directly from the north. Melo sent out
a skiff immediately to hail them, being informed that they were
Portuguese vessels, one belonging to James Soarez Gallego, and the other
to his son Balthazar, who came from the kingdom of Patan, but who took
the way of Pegu, without intentions of casting anchor at Malacca, to
avoid paying customs. He went in search of Father Francis, who was at his
devotions in the church del Monte, and told him, that his prophecy would
be accomplished to little purpose, if the ships came not into the port.
Xavier took it upon himself to stop them; and, going into the skiff which
had hailed them, made directly to the two vessels. The masters of the
ships, seeing the man of God, received him with respect. He made them
understand the present juncture of affairs, and earnestly besought them,
by the interests of their religion, and their country, to assist the town
against the common enemy of the Christian name, and the crown of
Portugal. And to engage them farther, by their particular concernment, he
let them see the danger into which they were casting themselves, in case
they should obstinately pursue their voyage; and that they were going,
without consideration, to precipitate themselves into the hands of the
barbarians.

They yielded to the reasons of the Father; and the next morning entered
the port amidst the shouts and acclamations of the people. After this,
there was no farther dispute of fighting the enemy; and the most timorous
came about to the opinion of the captains and the soldiers.

All things being in a readiness to set sail, the admiral, Francis Deza,
received the flag from the hands of Xavier, who had solemnly blessed it,
and mounted the ship of his brother George Deza, instead of his own,
which was already sunk. The rest of the captains, who had been on shore,
returned on ship-board; and, with the two newly arrived vessels, the
whole fleet consisted of nine, their number also being increased by fifty
men; they were in all two hundred and thirty Portuguese. The fleet went
out of port the 25th of October, with strict orders from the general not
to pass beyond the Pulo Cambylan, which is the farthest bounds of the
kingdom of Malacca on the west. His reason was, that since they were so
much inferior in strength to the enemy, who vastly outnumbered them in
men and shipping, their glory consisted in driving them from off their
coasts, and not in farther pursuit of them: That what hope soever we have
in God, yet it becomes us not to tempt him, because heaven is not
accustomed to give a blessing to rashness and presumption.

Thus setting out full of assurance and of joy, they arrived in four days
at Pulo Cambylan, without having any news of the enemy, notwithstanding
their endeavours to find him out. The admiral, in obedience to the
governor, was thinking to return; though the courage of his soldiers
prompted them to pass beyond the bounds prescribed them, and to go in
search of the barbarians into whatsoever corner of the world they were
retired. The admiral, I say, was disposed to have gone back, when the
moon suddenly went into an eclipse. It was one of the greatest which had
ever been observed, and seemed to them to prognosticate the total defeat
of the Mahometans. But the same night there arose so violent a wind, that
they were forced to stay upon their anchors for the space of
three-and-twenty days successively. Their provisions then beginning to
grow short, and the wind not suffering them to turn to the coast of
Malacca, they resolved on taking in fresh provisions at Tenasserim,
towards the kingdom of Siam.

In the mean time, all things were in confusion at Malacca. The hopes
which Father Xavier had given the people, supported them for some few
days. But seeing a month was now expired, without any intelligence from
the fleet, they believed it was either swallowed by the waves, or
defeated by the Achenois, and that none had escaped to bring the news. At
the same time, the Saracens reported confidently, they had it from good
hands, that the fleets had met, that the Achenois had cut in pieces all
the Portuguese, and had sent the heads of their commanders as a present
to their king. This bruit was spread through all the town, and was daily
strengthened after the rate of false rumours, which are full of tragical
events. The better to colour this report, they gave the circumstances of
time and place, and the several actions of the battle. The sorcerers and
soothsayers were consulted by the Pagan women, whose husbands and sons
were in the fleet; and they confirmed whatever was related in the town.
It came at last to a public rising against Xavier; and the governor
himself was not wholly free from the popular contagion.

But Xavier, far from the least despondence in the promises of God, and of
the knowledge he had given him concerning the condition of the fleet,
with an erected countenance assured, they should suddenly see it return
victorious. Which notwithstanding, he continued frequent in his vows and
prayers; and at the end of all his sermons, recommended to their
devotions the happy return of their desired navy. Their spirits were so
much envenomed and prejudiced against him, that many of them treated him
with injurious words; while he was rallied by the more moderate, who were
not ashamed to say, his prayers might be of use for the souls of the
soldiers, who were slain in fight, but were of little consequence to gain
a battle which was lost.

Some fresh intelligence, which arrived from Sumatra, increased the
disorders and consternation of the town. The king of Bintan, son to that
Mahomet, whom Albuquerque the Great had despoiled of the kingdom of
Malacca, sought for nothing more than an opportunity of reconquering what
his father had lost by force of arms. Seeing the town now bare of
soldiers, and hearing that the Achenois had beaten the Portuguese, he put
to sea, with three hundred sail, and put in at the river of Muar, within
six leagues of Malacca, towards the west.

That he might the better execute his design, by concealing it, he wrote
from thence to the governor Melo, "That he had armed a fleet against the
king of Patan, his enemy, but that having been informed of the defeat of
the Portuguese, he was come as a friend and brother of the king of
Portugal, to succour Malacca, against the king of Achen, who would not
fail to master the town, if the course of his victories was not stopped;
that therefore he desired only to be admitted into the place before it
came into the possession of the conqueror; after which he had no farther
cause of apprehension. "

Melo, whom the constancy of Father Xavier had reassured, discovered the
snare which was laid for him; and tricked those, who had intended to
circumvent him. He answered the king of Bintan, "That the town had no
need of relief, as being abundantly provided both of men and ammunition:
That so great a conqueror as he, ought not to lay aside an expedition of
such importance, nor to linger by the way: That, for themselves, they
were in daily expectation of their fleet; not defeated, according to some
idle rumours concerning it, but triumphant, and loaden with the spoils of
enemies: That this report was only spread by Saracens, whose tongues were
longer than their lances:" For these were the expressions which he used.
The Mahometan prince, judging by the governor's reply, that his artifice
was discovered; and that, in reason, he ought to attempt nothing till it
were certainly known what was become of the two fleets, kept himself
quiet, and attended the success.

To return to the Christian navy: Before they could get to Tenasserim,
their want of fresh water forced them to seek it nearer hand, at Queda,
in the river of Parlez; where being entered, they perceived by night a
fisher-boat, going by their ships. They stopped the boat, and the
fishermen being examined, told them, "That the Achenois were not far
distant; that they had been six weeks in the river; that they had
plundered all the lowlands, and were now building a fortress. " This news
filled the Portuguese with joy; and Deza, infinitely pleased to have
found the enemy, of whom he had given over the search, putting on his
richest apparel, fired all his cannon, to testify his joy; without
considering that he spent his powder to no purpose, and that he warned
the barbarians to be upon their guard. What he did with more prudence,
was to send three gallies up the river, to discover the enemy, and
observe their countenance, while he put all things in order for the
fight, The three foysts, in their passage, met with four brigantines,
which the enemies had detached, to know the meaning of the guns which
they had heard. Before they had taken a distinct view on either side, the
three foysts had grappled each a brigantine, and seized her; the fourth
escaped. The soldiers put all the enemies to the sword, excepting six,
whom they brought off, together with the brigantines. These prisoners
were all put to the question; but whatsoever torments they endured, they
could not at first get one syllable out of them, either where the enemy
lay, or what was the number of his men, or of his ships. Two of them died
upon the rack, and other two they threw overboard; but the remaining
couple, either more mortified with their torments, or less resolute,
being separated from each other, began at last to open: And told the same
things apart; both where the Achenois were lying, and that their number
was above ten thousand, reckoning into it the mariners, which were of
more consideration than the soldiers; that the king of the country, where
now they lay, had been constrained to avoid a shameful death, by flight;
that having massacred two thousand of the natives, and made as many
captives, they were building a citadel, on the passage which the ships
ordinarily make from Bengal to Malacca; and that their design was not
only to block up that road, but to murder all the Christians who should
fall into their hands.

This report inflamed anew the zeal and courage of the soldiers. The
admiral was not wanting to encourage them to fight. Entering into a
skiff, with his drawn sword, he went from vessel to vessel, exhorting his
men to have Christ crucified before their eyes, while they were in fight,
as Father Francis had enjoined them; and ever to keep in mind the oath
which they had taken; but, above all things, to have an assured hope of
victory, from the intercession of the holy Father, who had promised it.

All unanimously answered, "That they would fight it out to death; and
should be happy to die in defence of their religion. " Deza, animated by
this their answer, posted himself advantageously on the river, so as to
be able from thence to fall upon the enemy, without endangering his
little fleet, to be encompassed by their numbers.

The Achenois no sooner were informed by their brigantine of the
Portuguese navy, than they put themselves into a condition of attacking
it. They were not only insolent by reason of their strength, but provoked
also by the late affront they had received in their brigantines; so that,
full of fury, without the least balancing of the matter, they set sail
with all their navy, excepting only two vessels, and two hundred land
soldiers, which were left in guard of two thousand slaves, and all their
booty. Having the wind for them, and coming down the river, they were
carried with such swiftness, that Deza was hardly got aboard the admiral,
when he heard their drums, and their yelling shouts, which re-echoed from
the shores and neighbouring mountains. They were divided into ten
squadrons, and each of them composed of six vessels, excepting only the
first, which consisted but of four, but those the strongest of the fleet.
The admiral, on which the king of Pedir was on board, was in the first
squadron, and with him were three Turkish gallions.

That fury, which transported the barbarians, caused them, at the first
sight of the Portuguese navy, to discharge against it their whole
artillery; but they aimed so ill, that they did them little or no
mischief. Immediately after, the two admirals met, and stemmed each
other. They engaged on either side with so much resolution, that the
advantage was not seen, till a shot was made from the vessel of John
Soarez, and out of the cannon called the camel It took place so justly,
that Soora's vessel sunk to rights. The three gallions which were in
front with him, on the same time, immediately changed their order, and
left off fighting, to save their general, and the principal lords of his
retinue. But these gallions, which were across the stream, and took up
half the breadth of it, stopped their own vessels, which followed file by
file; insomuch, that those of the second rank striking against the first,
and those of the third against the second, they fell foul on each other,
with a terrible confusion.

The Portuguese seeing the army of the enemy, on a heap together, without
being able to disengage their ships, encompassed them, and battered them
with their cannon. They discharged every tier, three rounds successively,
and so to purpose, that they sunk nine great ships, and disabled almost
all the rest. Then four of the Portuguese foysts set upon six Mahometans,
which the cannon had used more favourably than the rest; the soldiers
boarded them with their swords in their hands, and calling on the name of
Jesus, in less than half an hour they destroyed above 2000 men. The
fright and the disorder of the enemy was redoubled, at the sight of this
slaughter, and at the thundering of the guns, which did such dreadful
execution; insomuch, that the Achenois leaped into the river of their own
accord, chusing rather to die in that manner, than by the hands of the
Christians.

Their general being taken up, when he was just drowning, and drawing new
courage from despair, endeavoured to have heartened up the remainder of
those who were about him. But having himself received a musket-shot, he
lost all manner of resolution, and made away with only two vessels. The
five hundred gentlemen Orobalans were either slain or drowned, with all
the Janisaries. None escaped, but those who followed Soora in his flight.
On the side of the Christians there were twenty-six slain, of whom four
only were Portuguese by nation The spoil was great; for, besides the two
guard-ships which came into the power of the conquerors, and wherein was
all the pillage which the enemy had gained, they took at least forty-five
vessels, which might again be made serviceable. There was found amongst
the spoils a prodigious quantity of Saracen and Turkish arms; 300 pieces
of cannon of all sorts; and, what was yet more pleasing, sixty-two pieces
of ordnance, whereon were graven the arms of Portugal, and which had been
lost in divers wars, returned at length to the possession of their lawful
lord and owner.

The king of Parlez no sooner had notice of the enemy's defeat, than,
issuing out of the woods where he lay concealed, he came with 500 men,
and fell upon the workmen, who, by Soora's orders, were building a
fortress, and on the soldiers appointed for their guard. Having cut them
in pieces, he went to visit Captain Deza, and congratulated the valour of
the Portuguese, and their success. He owned the preservation of his
kingdom to their arms; and offered, by way of acknowledgment, a yearly
tribute to the king of Portugal.

Deza immediately ordered a frigate to carry the news of his victory to
Malacca; but it was fully known in that city, with all its circumstances,
before the frigate was sent off, and thus it happened.

Father Xavier, preaching in the great church, betwixt nine and ten of the
clock on Sunday morning, which was the 4th of January, according to
the old calendar, at the same time when the two fleets were actually
engaged, stopped short on the sudden, and appeared transported out of
himself, so manifest a change appeared, both in his countenance, and his
whole person. Having somewhat recovered himself, instead of following his
discourse, inspired with a divine impulse, he declared to his audience
the encounter, and shock of the two navies, but in a mysterious and
figurative manner.

The assembly, not comprehending their preacher's meaning, were of opinion
that he was distracted; still as the fight grew warmer, and the
engagement came to be more close, he seemed to be more and more inflamed,
with all the motions of a man inspired, and speaking still prophetically.
At the length, fixing his eyes on the crucifix that was before him, he
said, with tears in his eyes, accompanied with sighs, but with an audible
and distinct voice, "Ah Jesus, thou God of my soul, and Father of all
mercies, I most humbly implore thee, by the merits of thy sacred passion,
not to forsake those who fight thy battle! " After these words, he hung
down his head, as overwearied, and leaned upon his pulpit, without
farther speaking. Having continued in that posture for some time, he
sprung up, on the sudden, and said aloud, with all the motions of joy,
which he could not master, "My brethren, Jesus Christ has vanquished for
you. At this moment, while I am speaking, the soldiers of his blessed
name have completed their victory, by the entire defeat of the enemy's
navy. They have made a great slaughter, and we have lost but four of our
Portuguese. You shall receive the news of it on Friday next, and may
shortly expect the return of your victorious fleet. "

How incredible soever this appeared, yet Melo, and the principal persons
of the town there present, gave credit to it, without the least scruple;
considering the manner of his speaking, and his air, which had somewhat
of divine in it, and bore the testimony of its truth. Yet the wives and
mothers of the absent soldiers, apprehending still it might be false, and
fearing the more, the more they desired it should be true, the Father
assembled them all in the afternoon, at the church of our Lady del Monte,
and there repeated so distinctly the whole series of what he had said in
the morning, that they durst no longer doubt of it.

Even in the beginning of the week, they had almost evident signs of the
victory, by the news which came of the king of Bintan; who having sent on
all sides to be informed, whether the Portuguese had been defeated, being
advertised from the river of Parlez of what had passed, forsook Muar, and
retired with expedition, bewailing the misfortune of his allies, and
ashamed of his ill-timed enterprize.

The frigate dispatched away by Deza, under the conduct of Emanuel
Godigno, arrived exactly on the day mentioned by the saint. The fleet
followed shortly after, and made a triumphant entry into the port, with
trumpets sounding, and a general discharge of all their artillery. The
town received them with repeated shouts of welcome; and Father Francis,
who was at the head of the people on the shore, held forth a crucifix in
his hand, to give both the inhabitants and soldiers to understand, that
they owed their victory to Christ alone.

Both the one and the other joining their voices, gave solemn thanks to
the Saviour of mankind; but they also broke out into the praises of the
saint, upon the truth of his predictions, and could not hold from
publishing, that it was he who had obtained from heaven this wonderful
success.

The burden of these praises did no less hasten the saint's intended
voyage to Goa, than the necessity of those affairs which called him
thither. He had remained four months together at Malacca, since his
return from the Moluccas, and was just on his departure, when the ships,
which early come from China, arrived in the port. A Japonese, whose name
was Anger, came with these vessels, expressly to see Xavier. He was about
thirty-five years of age, rich, nobly born, and one whose life had been
sufficiently libertine. The Portuguese, who two years before had made the
discovery of Japan, had been acquainted with him at Cangoxirna, the place
of his birth, and understood, from his own mouth, that, having been much
troubled with the remembrance of the sins of his youth, he had retired
himself amongst the solitary Bonzes; but that neither the solitude, nor
the conversation of those heathen priests, had been able to restore him
the tranquillity of his soul, and that thereupon he had returned into the
world, more disquieted than ever with his remorse of conscience.

Some other Portuguese merchants, who at that time came to Cangoxima, and
who had seen Father Francis at Malacca, the first voyage he had made
thither, made an intimate acquaintance and friendship with Anger. And
this Japonese, discovering to them the perplexity of his soul, which
augmented daily more and more, they told him that in Malacca there was a
religious man, eminent for his holy life, well experienced in the conduct
of souls, and most proper to settle his perplexed conscience; and that if
he would try this remedy, they would facilitate the means to him, and
bring him to the saint, of whom they had spoken: That it was Father
Francis Xavier, their friend, the refuge of sinners, and comforter of
troubled minds.

Anger found himself possessed with a strong desire of going to see the
holy man; but the length of the voyage, which was 800 leagues, the
dangers of a tempestuous sea, and the considerations of his family,
somewhat cooled him. A troublesome affair, which he had upon his hands at
the same time, at length resolved him. For, having killed a man in a
quarrel, and being pursued by justice, he could not find a more secure
retreat than the ships of Portugal, nor a surer way of preserving his
life, than to accept the offer they had made him.

Alvarez Vaz, who had most importuned him to take this voyage, and who had
many times offered to bring him to Father Xavier, had not yet finished
all his business, when this Japonese came to take sanctuary in his ship.
He therefore gave him letters of recommendation to another Portuguese,
called Ferdinand Alvarez, who was at another port of Japan, and who was
suddenly to set sail for Malacca.

Anger departed by night, attended by two servants. Being arrived at the
port, and enquiring for Ferdinand Alvarez, he lighted accidentally on
George Alvarez, who was just ready to weigh anchor. This George was a
wealthy merchant, a man of probity, and who had an extreme affection for
the Father. He received the letters of Alvarez as if they had been
addressed to himself, took the three Japonians into his ship, entertained
them with all kindness, and brought them to Malacca; taking great
satisfaction in the good office he should do in presenting them to the
man of God, who might, perhaps, make them the first Christians of their
country. But the misfortune was, that they missed the Father, who was
just gone for the Moluccas. Anger, more disquieted in a foreign land
than he had been at home, and despairing of ever seeing him, whom he had
so often heard of from his friends, had it in his thoughts to have
returned to Japan, without considering the danger to which he exposed
himself, and almost forgetting the murder which had caused his flight,
according to the custom of criminals, who blind themselves in those
occasions, and whom divine justice oftentimes brings back to the same
place where they had committed their offence. Whereupon, he went again to
sea, and having made some little stay in a port of China, he pursued his
voyage. Already some Japonian islands were in sight, when there arose a
furious tempest, which endangered the sinking of the ship, and which in
four days brought him back into the same port of China, from whence he
had set out. This was to Anger a favourable effect of God's providence;
for the same hand which drives the guilty to the precipice, sometimes
preserves them from falling into it, and pulls them back, after a
miraculous manner.

The Japonese, very happily for himself, met there Alvarez Vaz, just ready
to set sail for Malacca. The Portuguese, who loved Anger, reproved
him for his impatience, and offered to reconduct him to the place which
he had so abruptly left; withall telling him, that, according to all
appearances, the Father by this time was returned from the Moluccas.
Anger, who still carried about him a troubled conscience, and thereby was
easily induced to any proposition which tended to compose it, followed
the advice of Vaz, and returned with him.

Coming on shore, he there found George Alvarez, the same person who had
brought him the first time to Molucca. Alvarez, surprised to see him once
again, told him, that Father Xavier was returned from the Moluccas, and
immediately brought Anger to his presence. The Father, who foresaw, not
only that this Japonian should be the first Christian of that kingdom,
but also, by his means, the gospel should be preached in it, was
transported with joy at the first sight of him, and embraced him with
exceeding tenderness. The sight of the saint, and his embracements, gave
such consolations to Anger, that he no longer doubted of receiving an
entire satisfaction from him. Understanding, in some measure, the
Portuguese language, Xavier himself assured him, that the disquiets of
his mind should be dissipated, and that he should obtain that spiritual
repose, in search of which he had undertaken so long a voyage; but that
before he could arrive to it, it concerned him first to understand and
practise the law of the true God, who alone could calm the troubles of
his heart, and set it in a perpetual tranquillity. Anger, who desired
nothing so much as to have his conscience in repose, and who was charmed
with the great goodness of the Father, offered himself to be directed in
all things by him. The servant of God instructed him in the principles of
faith, of which his friends, the Portuguese, had already given him some
knowledge, as far as men of their profession were capable of teaching
him. But to the end his conversion might be more solid, he thought it
convenient to send him and his servants to the seminary of Goa, there to
be more fully taught the truths and practice of Christianity before their
baptism. The Father had yet a further purpose in it, that these first
fruits of Japonian Christianity should be consecrated to God by the
Bishop Don John d'Albuquerque, in the capital city of the Indies.

Since in his voyage to Goa he was to visit the fishing coast, he would
not take the three Japonians with him, and gave the care of conducting
them to George Alvarez. He only wrote by them to the rector of the
College of St Paul, giving him orders to instruct them with all
diligence. He put on board the ship of another Portuguese, called
Gonsalvo Fernandez, twenty or thirty young men whom he had brought from
the Moluccas, in order to their studies in the same college; after which,
himself embarked in another vessel, which went directly for Cochin.

In passing the Strait of Ceylon, the ship which carried Xavier was
overtaken with the most horrible tempest which was ever seen. They were
constrained, at the very beginning of it, to cast overboard all their
merchandize; and the winds roared with so much violence, that the pilot
not being able to hold the rudder, abandoned the vessel to the fury of
the waves. For three days and nights together they had death continually
present before their eyes; and nothing reassured the mariners but the
serene countenance of Father Xavier amidst the cries and tumults in the
ship. After he had heard their confessions, implored the help of heaven,
and exhorted all of them to receive, with an equal mind, either life or
death from the hand of God, he retired into his cabin. Francis Pereyra,
looking for the man of God in the midst of the tempest, to have comfort
from him, found him on his knees before his crucifix, wholly taken up and
lost to all things but to God. The ship, driven along by an impetuous
current, already struck against the sands of Ceylon, and the mariners
gave themselves for lost, without hope of recovery; when the Father
coming out of his cabin, asked the pilot for the line and plummet, with
which he was accustomed to fathom the sea; having taken them, and let
them down to the bottom of the ocean, he pronounced these words: "Great
God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, have mercy on us! " At the same moment
the vessel stopped, and the wind ceased; after which they pursued their
voyage, and happily arrived at the port of Cochin on the 21st of January,
1548.

There the Father gave himself the leisure of writing divers letters into
Europe, by a vessel of Lisbon, which was just in readiness to set sail.
The first was to the King of Portugal, John III. : the letter was full of
prudent counsels concerning the duties of a king: he advertised him anew,
that his majesty should be guilty before God of the evil government of
his ministers, and that one day an account must be given of the salvation
of those souls which he had suffered to perish, through neglect of
application, or want of constancy in his endeavours; but he did it with
all manner of precaution, and softened his expressions with Christian
charity.

"I have long deliberated," said he, "whether I should certify your
majesty of the transactions of your officers in the Indies, and what
ought further to be done for the establishment of our faith. On the one
side, the zeal of God's service, and his glory, encouraged me to write to
you: on the other, I was diverted from that resolution by the fear I had
of writing to no purpose; but, at the same time, I concluded, that I
could not be silent without betraying my ministerial function: and it
also seemed to me, that God gave me not those thoughts without some
particular design; which probably was, that I might communicate them to
your majesty; and this opinion, as the more likely, has at length
prevailed with me. Nevertheless, I always feared, that if I should freely
give you all my thoughts, my letter would only serve for evidence against
you at the hour of your death, and would augment against your majesty the
rigour of the last judgement, by taking from you the excuse of ignorance.
These considerations gave me great anxieties, and your majesty will
easily believe me: For, in fine, my heart will answer for me, that I
desire not to employ all my strength, or even my life itself, for the
conversion of the Indians, out of any other prospect than to free your
majesty's conscience, as much as in me lies, and to render the last
judgment less terrible to you. I do in this but that which is my duty;
and the particular affection which you bear our Society well deserves
that I should sacrifice myself for you. "

After he had informed his majesty, how much the jealousies and secret
divisions of his officers had hindered the progress of the gospel, he
declares, that he could wish the king would bind himself by a solemn
oath, to punish severely whosoever they should be who should occasion any
prejudice to the farther propagation of faith in the Indies; and farther
assured him, that if such who had the authority in their hands were made
sensible, that their faults should not escape punishment, the whole Isle
of Ceylon, all Cape Comorine, and many kings of Malabar, would receive
baptism in the space of one year; that as many as were living in all the
extent of the Indies would acknowledge the divinity of Jesus Christ, and
make profession of his doctrine, if those ministers of state, who had
neglected the interests of the faith, had been deprived of their
dignities and their revenues.

After this he petitions the king to send him a supply of preachers, and
those preachers to be of the Society, as judging them more proper than
any others for the new world. "I beg and adjure your majesty," says he,
"by the love you bear to our blessed Lord, and by the zeal wherewith you
burn for the glory of the Divine Majesty, to send next year some
preachers of our Society to your faithful subjects of the Indies: For I
assure you, that your fortresses are in extreme want of such supplies; in
garrison, and to the new Christians established in the towns and villages
depending on them. I speak by experience; and that which I have seen
with my own eyes obliges me to write concerning it. Being at Malacca, and
at the Moluccas, I preached every Sunday, and all saints' days twice;
and was forced upon it, because I saw the soldiers and people had great
need of being frequently taught the word of God.

"I preached then, in the morning, to the Portuguese at mass: I went again
into the pulpit in the afternoon, and instructed their children, their
slaves, and idolaters newly converted, accommodating my discourse to the
measure of their understanding, and expounding to them the principal
points of Christian doctrine, one after another. Besides which, one day
in the week, I assembled in the church the wives of the Portuguese, and
catechised them on the articles of faith, on the sacraments of penance,
and the eucharist. Much fruit would be gathered in a few years, if the
same method were constantly observed in all places. I preached also,
every day, in the fortresses, the principles of religion, to the sons and
daughters of the soldiers, to their servants of both sexes; in fine, to
the natives of the country, who were born Christians: and these
instructions had so good effect, that they totally renounced the
superstitions and sorceries which were in use amongst those stupid and
ignorant new converts.

"I descend into all these petty circumstances, to the end your majesty
may judge, according to your prudence, what number of preachers may be
necessary here; and that you may not forget to send many to us: for if
the ministry of preaching be not more exercised amongst us, we have
reason to apprehend, that not only the Indians, who have embraced the
faith, will leave it, but that the Portuguese also may forget the duties
of Christianity, and live afterwards like Heathens. "

As Father Simon Rodriguez, who governed the Society in Portugal, had
great credit at the court, Father Xavier writ to him at the same time,
desiring him, he would support his demands with his interest. He
recommended to him in especial manner, "That he would make choice of
those preachers, who were men of known virtue, and exemplary
mortification. " He subjoined, "If I thought the king would not take amiss
the counsel of a faithful servant, who sincerely loves him, I should
advise him to meditate one quarter of an hour every day, on that divine
sentence, 'What does it profit a man to have gained the world, and to
lose his soul? ' I should counsel him, I say, to ask of God the
understanding and taste of those words, and that he would finish all his
prayers with the same words, 'What will it profit a man, to gain the
world, and to lose his soul? 'Tis time," said Xavier, "to draw him out of
his mistake, and to give him notice, that the hour of his death is nearer
than he thinks: that fatal hour, when the King of kings, and Lord of
lords, will summon him to judgment, saying to him these dreadful words,
'Give an account of your administration. ' For which reason, do in such
manner, my dear brother, that he may fulfil his whole duty; and that he
may send over to the Indies all needful supplies, for the increase of
faith. "

Xavier also wrote from Cochin to the fathers of the society at Rome; and
gave them an account, at large, of his voyages to Malacca, to Amboyna, to
the Moluccas, and the Isle del Moro; with the success which God had given
to his labours. But he forgot not the relation of his danger in the
Strait of Ceylon, and made it in a manner which was full of consolation
to them.

"In the height of the tempest," said he in his letter, "I took for my
intercessors with God, the living persons of our society, with all those
who are well affected to it; and joined to these, all Christians, that I
might be assisted with the merits of the spouse of Christ, the holy
Catholic Church, whose prayers are heard in heaven, though her habitation
be on earth: afterwards I addressed myself to the dead, and particularly
to Piere le Fevre, to appease the wrath of God. I went through all the
orders of the angels, and the saints, and invoked them all. But to the
end that I might the more easily obtain the pardon of my innumerable
sins, I desired for my protectress and patroness, the most holy Mother of
God, and Queen of Heaven, who, without difficulty, obtains from her
beloved Son whatsoever she requests. In conclusion, having reposed all my
hope in the infinite merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, being
encompassed with this protection, I enjoyed a greater satisfaction, in
the midst of this raging tempest, than when I was wholly delivered from
the danger.

"In very truth, being, as I am, the worst of all men, I am ashamed to
have shed so many tears of joy, through an excess of heavenly pleasure,
when I was just upon the point of perishing: insomuch, that I humbly
prayed our Lord, that he would not free me from the danger of my
shipwreck, unless it were to reserve me for greater dangers, to his own
glory and his service. For what remains, God has often shewn me, by an
inward discovery, from how many perils and sufferings I have been
delivered, by the prayers and sacrifices of those of the society, both
such as labour here on earth, and such who enjoy the fruits of their
labours in the heavens. When I have once begun the mention of our
society, I can never leave; but the departure of the vessels constrains
me to break off: and behold what I have judged most proper for the
conclusion of my letter. If I ever forget thee, O Society of Jesus, let
my right hand be unprofitable to me, and may I even forget the use of it!
_Si oblitus unquam fuero tui, Societas Jesu, oblivioni detur dextera
meu_. I pray our Lord Jesus Christ, that since, during the course of this
miserable life, he has gathered us into his society, he would reunite us
in a blessed eternity, in the company of saints, who behold him in his
glory. "

After he had written these letters, and given some time to the service of
his neighbour, he took the way of Comorine, doubled the Cape a second
time, and arrived at the coast of Fishery. The Paravas, who were his
first children in Jesus Christ, were overjoyed at the sight of their
saint, and good Father, as they called him. All the villages came to meet
him, singing the Christian doctrine, and praising God for his return. The
satisfaction of the saint was not less than theirs: but above all things
his consolation was unspeakable to see the number of Christians so much
augmented, by the labours of his brethren. There were in that place many
of the society, of whom the chief were Antonio Criminal, Francis
Henriquez, and Alphonso Cyprian; for Father Xavier having written from
Amboyna for the greatest number of missioners whom they could spare,
towards the cultivation of those new plants at the coast of Fishery, all
those who came from Portugal, after his own arrival in the Indies, went
thither, excepting the three who went to the Moluccas, and two who stayed
at Goa, for the instruction of the youth.

The fervency of those new converts did not less edify Xavier than their
number. In visiting a certain village, they shewed him a young man, a
native of the country, who, having embarked in company of a Portuguese,
had been cast, by tempest, on the coast of Malabar. The Saracens, who
inhabit that place, having murdered the Portuguese, would have forced his
companion to renounce his faith. Thereupon they brought him into a
mosque, where they promised him great store of money and preferments, in
case he would forsake the law of Jesus Christ, and take up that of their
prophet Mahomet. But seeing their promises could not prevail, they
threatened him with death, and held their naked weapons over his head to
fright him; but neither could they shake his resolution with that
dreadful spectacle: then they loaded him with irons, and used him with
extraordinary cruelty, till a Portuguese captain, informed of it, came
suddenly upon them with a troop of soldiers, and rescued the young man
out of their hands. Xavier embraced him many times, and blessed Almighty
God, that his faith was imprinted so lively in the heart of a barbarian.
He heard also, with great satisfaction, of the constancy of some slaves,
who, having fled from the houses of their Portuguese masters, and living
amongst Gentiles, far from being corrupted with the superstitions of the
Infidels, complied exactly with the obligations of their baptism, and
lived in a most religious manner. It was reported to him of these slaves,
that when any of them died, they suffered not his body to be burnt,
according to the custom of the Pagans, neither would they leave it
without sepulture; but buried it according to the ceremonies of the
church, and set up a cross over the grave.

Though these infidels, whom they served, did not hinder them from
continuing in Christianity, and that every one of them in particular was
resolved to persevere in his faith, even in the midst of idolatry, yet
they had a longing desire to return into the company of the faithful,
where they might be supplied with those spiritual succours which they
wanted, and lead a life yet more conformable to their belief: so that as
soon as they had the news of Father Xavier's return, who had baptized the
greatest part of them, they came to desire him, that he would make their
peace with their masters, whom they had left to free themselves from
slavery, and declared, that they were content once more to lose their
liberty in prospect of the salvation of their souls. Xavier received them
with open arms, as his well-beloved children, and afterwards obtained
their pardon.

After he had visited all the villages, he made some stay at Manapar,
which is not far distant from Cape Comorine. As the only end which he
proposed to himself, was to plant the gospel in the Indies, and that in
order to it he must there establish the society, he began to regulate all
things according to the principles, and in the spirit of Father Ignatius,
general of the order. Having reassembled all the labourers in the gospel
of that coast, he examined their several talents and virtues, in familiar
conversation with them, by causing them to give an account of what passed
betwixt God and them in their own hearts. After he had assigned to each
of them the places which were most convenient for them, both in regard of
their bodily strength, and of their spiritual endowments, he constituted
Father Antonio Criminal superior of all the rest: and to the end they
might be more capable of serving that people, he ordered every one of
them, with all possible care, to apply himself to the study of the
Malabar language, which obtains through all that coast. Upon this
account, he commanded Father Francis Henriquez to reduce that tongue into
the rules of art, and to compose an exact grammar of it, according to the
method of the Greek and Latin grammars. The work seemed impossible,
especially to one who was newly come from Europe, and who had little
knowledge in the Indian tongues; nevertheless Henriquez compassed it in a
small time, which was apparently a miracle of obedience. In the mean
while, Xavier judging that the exposition of the Christian doctrine,
which he had made for those of Molucca, might be of use to his dear
Paravas, ordered a Malabar priest, who was well versed in the Portuguese,
to translate it into his own language. But to the end that the conduct of
the missioners might be uniform, and that the same spirit might animate
all of them, besides the instructions which he gave them by word of
mouth, he gave them the following rules in writing.

In the first place, "Wherever the lot of your ministry shall fall, be
mindful of baptising infants newly born, and perform it yourselves,
without trusting the care of it to any other person: there is nothing at
present of more importance. Do not wait till the parents bid you come; as
they may easily neglect it, it behoves you to run through all the
villages, to enter into the houses, and to christen all the infants you
can find.

"After the great concernment of giving baptism, you ought to be careful
of nothing more than of entering those little children into the
principles of faith, who are grown capable of instruction. Not being able
to be in all places, you shall cause the Canacapoles, and the teachers of
the catechism, to perform their duty, and religiously to observe the
customs established. To which purposes, when you visit the villages, to
take an account of what passes there, assemble the masters, with their
scholars, and know from the children, in the presence of those who are
accustomed to instruct them, what they have learned, or forgotten, since
your last visit; this will double the ardency of the scholars, and the
diligence of their teachers.

"On Sundays, gather the men together in the church to repeat their
prayers; and observe well, whether the Pantagatins, or chief of the
people, are there present. You are to expound the prayers which they
repeat, and reprove them for the vices then in fashion, which you are to
make them comprehend, by using familiar examples. In fine, you are to
threaten the more stubborn sinners with the wrath of God; and tell them,
that if they do not reform their lives, their days shall be shortened by
all manner of diseases; that the Pagan kings shall enslave them, and that
their immortal souls shall become fuel to the everlasting flames of hell.

"When you come to any place, you shall inform yourselves what quarrels
are stirring in it, and who are the parties; after which, you shall
endeavour to reconcile them. These reconciliations are to be made in the
church; where it will be fitting to assemble all the women on Saturdays,
as the men on Sundays.

"When the Malabar priest shall have translated the exposition of the
creed, you shall take copies of it, which you shall cause to be carefully
read to the women on Saturdays, to the men on Sundays. If you are there
present, you shall read it yourselves, and add to the exposition what you
think convenient for the farther clearing it.

"Distribute to the poor those collections which are made for them in the
churches, by the charity of the congregation; and beware of taking any
part of them for your own uses.

"Fail not every Saturday and Sunday to put the faithful in mind of giving
you notice when any one falls sick, to the end you may visit them; and
give them to know, that if they do not advertise you, and that the sick
person dies, you will not allow him burial amongst Christians, in
punishment of their neglect.

"When you visit the sick, take especial care that they repeat to you the
apostles' creed in their mother tongue. Interrogate them on every
article, and ask them if they believe sincerely. After this, make them
say the confiteor, and the other Catholic prayers, and then read the
gospel over them.

"For the burial of the dead, you shall assemble the children; and, coming
out of the church with them, the cross being at the head of the
procession, you shall sing the Christian doctrine, coming and going. You
shall say the prayers of the church at the house of the dead person, and
before he is put into the ground. You shall also make a short exhortation
to the assembly before the corpse, upon the necessity of death, the
amendment of life, and the practice of virtue.

"You shall give notice to the men on Sunday, and to the women on
Saturday, to bring their sick children into the church, that you may read
the gospel over them for their cure; and that the parents from thence may
receive increase of faith, and respect to the temples of our Lord.

"You shall yourselves determine all litigious causes; and, if you cannot
end them on the place, defer them to the next Sunday; and, after divine
service, cause them to be expedited by the principal inhabitants of the
place. Yet I will not that these sort of affairs should take up too much
of your time, nor that you prefer the care of your neighbour's temporal
concernments before works of charity, which respect the salvation of
souls; and am of opinion, that when any important business of that kind
shall happen, you should remit it to the Portuguese commandant.

"Do all things in your power to make yourselves beloved by those people;
for by that you will be able to do more good upon them, than by being
feared. Decree no punishment against any person but by the advice of
Father Antonio Criminal; and, if the commandant of the Portuguese be
present, do nothing without his order. In case any man or woman shall
make a pagod, or idol, banish them from the village, if Father Criminal
consent to it. Testify great affection to the children who frequent the
Christian schools; pardon, and wink at their faults sometimes, lest a
severe usage should fright them from us.

"In presence of a Portuguese, abstain from reproving and condemning the
natives of the country who are Christians; on the contrary, commend and
excuse them on all occasions; for, considering how lately they have
embraced the faith, and what assistance is wanting to them to live like
good Christians, it is only to be admired that they are not more vicious.

"Be serviceable in all you can to the Malabar priests, in what relates to
their spiritual advantage; take care that they confess themselves, and
say mass, and give good examples, and write nothing against them to any
person whatsoever.

"Live so well with the Portuguese commandants, that no misunderstanding
be ever perceived betwixt you and them. For the rest of the Portuguese,
use all sort of means to make them your friends: Have never any quarrel
with any of them, though they should bring you into law, or quarrel with
you without the least provocation on your part. If they use the new
Christians hardly, oppose them, but with much mildness; and, if you find
your opposition may be likely to succeed, make your complaint to the
Portuguese commandant, with whom I once again beseech you never to have
any difference.

"Let your conversation with the Portuguese be always confined to
spiritual subjects; of death, of judgment, of purgatory, of hell, of the
frequentation of sacraments, and the exact observation of God's
commandments; for, if you never speak to them but concerning these
matters, they will never rob you of those hours which are set apart for
your function.

"Fail not to write to Goa, to the fathers and brothers of our society,
giving them an account of the fruit of your labours, and proposing to
them what you think may be to the advancement of piety. You shall write
also to the bishop, but with much reverence and submission, as to the
common father, and pastor-general of this new world.

"What, above all things, I recommend to you, and which I can never
sufficiently repeat, is, that whatsoever voyage you make, and wheresoever
you shall be, you shall endeavour to gain the love of all people, by your
good offices and fair demeanour, by which means you will have greater
opportunities for the gaining of souls, which God Almighty grant you all
the grace to do, and abide for ever with you. "

Things being thus regulated on the coast of Fishery, the Father would
pass into the isle of Ceylon before his return to Goa. His design was to
gather the fruit of that precious blood which two years before was shed
by the king of Jafanatapan; or, at least, to see what inclination those
people had to receive the gospel, who had heheld the constancy of the
martyrs. Indeed, the death of the two young princes converted, who
pretended to the crown of Jafanatapan, destroyed almost all hopes of
planting Christianity in that isle. Notwithstanding which, Xavier
converted the king of Candè, who is one of the kings of Ceylon. After
which he went to the tyrant, who had treated the Christians with so much
cruelty, to try if he could work him, though against all human
appearances, to suffer the law of Jesus Christ to be preached in his
dominions, and to bring him also to be a Christian.

As reasons of state prevail most with princes, so the Father represented
to this infidel, that his throne could never he established but by the
arms of the Portuguese; that, if he once contracted with them a strict
alliance, he had nothing farther to apprehend, either from his enemies or
his subjects. The barbarian, who feared all things, both from within and
from without, forgetting that Don Alphonso de Sosa would have made war
upon him in favour of the two baptized princes, hearkened to the
propositions of peace, and even permitted the Father to explain to him
the mysteries of the Christian faith. The instructions of the saint
wrought so much upon the tyrant, that being changed, in a very short
space of time, he promised to embrace the faith, and labour to bring his
subjects into it; offering for the pledge of his word, to put his kingdom
into the hands of the king of Portugal, and to pay him such tribute as
should be thought fitting, without any farther demand in his own behalf,
than of two things. The one was, that the governor of the Indies should
conclude a firm alliance with him, as he had clone with other Indian
kings, who had made themselves vassals to the crown of Portugal; the
other, that, in order to hinder those revolts and troubles which might
arise from the change of religion, he might have a company of Portuguese
soldiers, to be entertained at his own charges.