_He writes into Europe for a supply of missioners. The saint's letter to
the doctors of Sorbonne. Ambassadors from the isle of Manar to the saint.
He sends a missioner to the isle of Manar. The constancy of the
Christians of Manar. A miraculous cross, and its effects. The enterprise
of Xavier against the persecutor. New motives for his journey to Cambaya.
He persuades Michael Vaz to go to Portugal. His letter to the king of
Portugal. The success of the voyage undertaken by Michael Vaz. He
converts a debauched Portuguese. He engages the viceroy of the Indies to
make war on the king of Jafanatapan. Divers predictions of the saint. He
goes to join the Portuguese fleet, and raises one from the dead. He frees
the island of Manar from the plague. The enterprise of Jafanatapan
defeated. He designs the voyage of Macassar, and the conversion of many
kingdoms. He goes to the sepulchre of St Thomas, to consult God
concerning his voyage to Macassar. What happened to him in his passage to
Meliapor. He comes to Meliapor; the monuments which he there finds of the
apostle St Thomas. He is threatened by devils, and afterwards beaten by
them. He learns the will of God concerning his design. The conversions
which he makes at Meliapor. He brings a great sinner to repentance.
Divers wonderful events which encrease his fame. He persuades a rich
merchant to evangelical perfection. The new convert falls from grace, and
becomes suspected to the Saint. His charity to a soldier, who had lost
all his money at play. He arrives at Malacca; a digression concerning it.
In what condition he found the town, and what he did in order to reform
it. He labours with success at Malacca. He revives a dead maid. He
receives letters from Europe by the new missioners who are sent him. He
defers the voyage to Macassar, and designs another. He foreknows, and
foretels the ruin of Malacca. He goes to Amboyna, and what happens to him
in his voyage. He arrives at Amboyna: What he performs there. He converts
the idolaters and Moors of Amboyna. A Spanish fleet arrives at Amboyna.
He assists the Spanish fleet during the contagion amongst them. He passes
into divers islands. He recovers his crucifix, which was fallen into the
sea. He foretels the holy death of a new convert. He goes to the island
of Ulate, and the miracle there wrought by him. He goes to the Moluccas.
What happens to him in his way. He declares to the people the death of
John Araus. He makes many converts at Ternate. Conversion of a queen at
Ternate. He hears of the isles del Moro. Great endeavours are used to
dissuade the saint from going to the isles del Moro. He complains of
those who make opposition to his voyage to the isle Del Moro. He goes for
the isle Del Moro, and writes to Rome. God reveals to him what is doing
in a distant island. He arrives at Del Moro; the condition in which he
found it. He gains the inhabitants of the isle Del Moro. He speaks to
them of hell. He exhorts them to repentance. He says mass in the midst of
an earthquake. He is admired by the barbarians. He is persecuted by a
cruel and savage people. His sufferings in the isle Del Moro; and the
consolations which he there received. He goes for Goa; and the reason
that induced him. He returns to Ternate. His proceedings at Ternate. He
endeavours the conversion of the king of Ternate. What hindered the king
of Ternate's conversion. He labours with great fruit in the court of
Ternate. He leaves to the islanders a Christian instruction written with
his own hand. The counsel he gave the Ternatines at parting. He renews
his labours at Amboyna. He is endued with the supernatural knowledge of
some things. A cross, erected by Xavier, becomes famous. The constancy of
the Christians in Amboyna_.
The reputation of Xavier was not confined to the kingdom of Travancore;
it was spread abroad through all the Indies; and the God of the
Christians, at the same time, was had in so great veneration, that the
most idolatrous nations sent to desire the saint, that he would come and
give them baptism. His joy was infinite, to find the Gentiles, of their
own free motion, searching after the way of eternal life; but, on the
other side, he was afflicted that he was not sufficient alone to instruct
so many vast countries as were gone astray from it.
Seeing the harvest so great, and the labourers so few, he wrote earnestly
to Father Ignatius in Italy, and to Simon Rodriguez in Portugal, for a
supply of missioners. He had such transports of zeal on that occasion, as
to say, in one of his letters, "I have often thoughts to run over all the
universities of Europe, and principally that of Paris, and to cry aloud
to those who abound more in learning than, in charity, Ah, how many souls
are lost to heaven through your default! It were to be wished, that those
people would apply themselves as diligently to the salvation of souls, as
they do to the study of sciences; to the end they might render to
Almighty God a good account of their learning, and the talents which he
has bestowed on them. Many, without doubt, moved with thoughts like
these, would make a spiritual retreat, and give themselves the leisure of
meditating on heavenly things, that they might listen to the voice of
God. They would renounce their passions, and, trampling under foot all
worldly vanities, would put themselves in condition of following the
motions of the divine will. They would say, from the bottom of their
hearts, behold me in readiness, O my Lord; send me wheresoever thou shalt
please, even to the Indies, if thou commandest me.
"Good God, how much more happily would those learned men then live, than
now they do! with how much more assurance of their salvation! and, in the
hour of death, when they are ready to stand forth before the dreadful
judgment-seat, how much greater reason would they have, to hope well of
God's eternal mercy, because they might say, O Lord, thou hast given me
five talents, and behold I have added other five.
"I take God to witness, that, not being able to return into Europe, I
have almost resolved to write to the university of Paris, and namely to
our masters, Cornet and Picard, that millions of idolaters might be
easily converted, if there were more preachers, who would sincerely mind
the interests of Jesus Christ, and not their own concernments."
It is pity that his letter to the doctors of Sorbonne is irrecoverably
lost; for certain it is, he wrote to them from the midst of the Indies,
to engage them to come, and preach the gospel. And for this we have the
testimony of Don John Derada, one of the chief magistrates of the kingdom
of Navarre, who, studying at Paris, saw the letter sent from Father
Xavier, admired the apostolical charity with which it was replenished,
and took a copy of it, as did also many divines, to whom it was directed.
Amongst those idolatrous nations, which breathed after baptism, and
desired to be instructed, the Manarois were the first, who made a
deputation to the saint.
The isle of Manar is situate towards the most northern point of Ceylon,
and at the head of the sands of Remanancor. It has a very convenient
port, and is a place of great traffic. But the soil is so sandy and so
dry, that it produces nothing, unless in some few places, which also are
cultivated with much care and labour. For Manar has no resemblance to
Ceylon, though placed so near it: Ceylon being the most delicious and
most fruitful part of all the East; where the trees are always green, and
bear fruits and flowers in every season; where there are discovered mines
of gold and silver, crystal, and precious stones; which is encompassed
with forests of ebony, cinnamon, and cocoa; and where the inhabitants
live to an extreme old age, without any of the incommodities which attend
it, The wonder is, that, being distant from the equinoctial but six
degrees, the air is temperate and pure, and the rains, which water it
from heaven regularly once a month, joined with the springs and rivers
which pass through it, refresh the ground in a greater measure than the
scorching heats can parch it.
Father Xavier was employed in establishing Christianity in Travancore,
when he received this embassy from Manar. As he could not forsake an
infant church without a reasonable apprehension of its ruin, he sent to
Manar one of the priests whom he had left on the coast of Fishery. And
God so blessed the labours of that missioner, that the Manarois not only
became Christians, but died generously for the faith; and this was the
occasion of their martyrdom.
The isle of Manar was at that time under the dominion of the king of
Jafanatapan; for by that name the northern part of Ceylon is called. This
prince had usurped the crown from his elder brother, and enslaved his
subjects. Above all things, he was an implacable enemy of the Christian
faith; though in appearance he was a friend to the Portuguese, whose
forces only could set bounds to his tyranny. When he understood that the
Manarois were converted to Christianity, he entered into that fury of
which tyrants only can be capable; for he commanded, that his troops
should immediately pass over into the island, and put all to the sword,
excepting only the idolaters. His orders were punctually executed; and
men, women, and children, were all destroyed, who had embraced the
Christian faith.
It was wonderful to behold, that the faithful being examined, one by one,
concerning their religion, and no more required for the saving of their
lives, than to forsake their new belief, there was not one amongst them,
who did not openly declare himself a Christian. The fathers and mothers
answered for the newly baptized infants, who were not able to give
testimony of their faith; and offered them to the death, with a
resolution, which was amazing to their executioners. Six or seven
hundred of these islanders gave up their lives for the name of Jesus
Christ; and the principal place which was consecrated by so noble blood,
from Pasim, which it was called before, now took the name of the Field of
Martyrs.
This dreadful massacre, far from abolishing the Christian law, served
only to render it more flourishing. The tyrant had even the shame of
seeing his officers and domestic servants forsake their ancient
superstition in despite of him. But what most enraged him, was the
conversion of his eldest son. This young prince, inspired of God, caused
himself to be instructed by a Portuguese merchant, who had dealings at
the court; which yet could not be so secretly performed, but that the
king had notice of it. At the first news, he cut his throat, and threw
the body into the fields, to serve for food to savage beasts.
But Heaven permitted not, that a death which was so precious in the sight
of God, should be without honour in the sight of men, The Portuguese
merchant buried his disciple by night; and on the next morning, there
appeared a beautiful cross, printed on the ground, which covered the body
of the martyr. The spectacle extremely surprised the infidels. They did
what they were able, to deface, and (if I may so say) to blot out the
cross, by treading over it, and casting earth upon it. It appeared again
the day following, in the same figure, and they once more endeavoured to
tread it out. But then it appeared in the air, all resplendent with
light, and darting its beams on every side. The barbarians who beheld it,
were affrighted; and, being touched in their hearts, declared themselves
Christians. The king's sister, a princess naturally virtuous, having
privately embraced the faith, instructed both her own son, and her
nephew, who was brother to the martyr. But, while she directed them in
the way of heaven, she took care to preserve them from the cruelty of the
tyrant. To which purpose she addressed herself to the merchant above
mentioned, and intrusting him with the lives of the two princes, ordered
him to convey them to the seminary of Goa.
This Portuguese managed all things so discreetly, with the concurrence of
the princess, that he escaped out of the island, with the two princes,
undiscovered. He took his way by the kingdom of Travancore, that he might
behold Father Xavier, and present to him these two illustrious new
converts. The father received them as angels descended from above, and
gave immortal thanks to God, for so noble a conquest. He fortified them
in the faith, gave them excellent instructions, and promised so to
mediate in their favour, with the viceroy of the Indies, that they should
have no occasion of repenting themselves for having abandoned all things
for the sake of Jesus Christ.
When the king of Jafanatapan had notice of the flight of his son and
nephew, he broke out into new fury against the Christians, and put to
death great numbers of them. Being apprehensive that his brother, from
whom he had usurped the crown, and who now led a wandering life, might
possibly change his religion also, and beg protection from the
Portuguese, he sent officers round about, with orders to bring him into
his hands, or, at the least, to bring back his head. But he failed of
getting him in his power either alive or dead; for this unhappy prince,
attended by ten horsemen, having passed to Negapatan, came by land to
Goa, after having suffered extreme hardships, in a journey of more than
two hundred leagues.
Father Xavier, who was informed of all these proceedings, thought it
necessary to make advantage of these favourable opportunities without
loss of time. He considered with what perfection Christians might live in
a kingdom where they died so generously for the faith, with so imperfect
a knowledge of it. On the other side, he judged, that if the injustice
and cruelty of the tyrant remained unpunished, what an inducement it
might be to other idolatrous kings, for them to persecute the new
converts in their turn; that the only means for repairing the past, and
obviating future mischiefs, was to dispossess the tyrant of the crown,
which he so unjustly wore, and restore it to his brother, to whom it
rightfully belonged; that, for these considerations, recourse ought to be
had to the Portuguese to engage them, by a principle of religion, to take
arms against the usurper of the kingdom, and the persecutor of the
Christians.
In order to this, the father caused Mansilla to be recalled from the
coast of Fishery; and having intrusted him with the care of christianity
in Travancore, took his way by land to Cambaya, where the viceroy of the
Indies then resided.
Besides these reasons, relating to the king of Jafanatapan, the saint had
other motives which obliged him to take this journey. The greatest part
of the Europeans, who were in the Indies, and chiefly the officers of the
crown of Portugal, lived after so infamous a manner, that they made the
Christian faith appear odious, and scandalised alike both the idolaters
and the faithful.
The public worship of the pagods was tolerated at Goa, and the sect of
the Brachmans daily increased in power; because those Pagan priests had
bribed the Portuguese officers. The people professed heathenism freely,
provided they made exact payments of their tribute, as if they had been
conquered only for the sake of gain. Public offices were sold to
Saracens, and the Christian natives stood excluded, for want of money,
which does all things with corrupt ministers. The receivers of the king's
revenues, who were to pay the Paravas of the coast of Fishery,
constrained those poor fishers to deliver their pearls almost for
nothing; and thus the exaction of a lawful tribute, in the constitution,
became tyranny and oppression in the management. Men were sold like
beasts, and Christians enslaved to Pagans at cheap pennyworths. To
conclude, the king of Cochin, an idolater, but tributary to the crown of
Portugal, was suffered to confiscate the goods of his subjects, who had
received baptism.
Father Francis was wonderfully grieved to perceive, that the greatest
hindrance to the growth of Christianity, in those vast dominions of Asia,
proceeded only from the Christians. He bewailed it sometimes to God, in
the bitterness of his heart; and one day said, "That he would willingly
return to Portugal to complain of it to the king, not doubting, but so
religious and just a prince would order some remedy for this encroaching
evil, if he had notice how it spread."
Xavier had taken the way of Cochin, along by the sea coast. He arrived
there the 16th of December, 1544, where he happened to meet with Michael
Vaz, vicar-general of the Indies. In acquainting him with the reasons of
his journey, he made him sensible, that the weakness of the government
was the principal cause of the avarice and violence of the officers; that
Don Alphonso de Sosa was indeed a religious gentleman, but wanted vigour;
that it was not sufficient to will good actions, if, at the same time, he
did not strongly oppose ill ones; in a word, that it was absolutely
necessary for the king of Portugal to be informed of all the disorders
in the Indies, by a person who was an eye-witness of them, and whose
integrity was not liable to suspicion. Vaz immediately entered into the
opinions of the father, and his zeal carried him to pass himself into
Portugal, in a vessel which was just ready to set sail. Xavier praised
God for those good intentions; and wrote a letter by him to King John
the Third, the beginning of which I have here transcribed:--
"Your Majesty ought to be assured, and often to call into your mind, that
God has made choice of you, amongst all the princes of the world, for
the conquest of India, to the end he may make trial of your faith, and
see what requital you will make to him for all his benefits. You ought
also to consider, that, in conferring on you the empire of a new world,
his intention was, not so much that you should fill your coffers with the
riches of the East, as that you should have an opportunity of signalizing
your zeal, by making known to idolaters, through the means of those who
serve you, the Creator and Redeemer of mankind."
The saint, after this beginning, gave the king to understand the good
intentions of Michael Vaz, and the ill conduct of the Portuguese, who
were in the government of the Indies. He suggested to him the means of
putting a stop to those disorders, and advised him, above all things, not
only to recommend, by letters, the interest of religion, but rigorously
to punish all those officers, who were wanting to their duty in that
respect; "for there is danger," said he, "that when God shall summon your
Majesty to judgment, that will then come to pass which you least expect,
and which is not to be avoided; there is danger, great Prince, that you
may then hear these words of an offended God. Why have you not punished
those who, under your authority, have made war against me in the Indies,
you who have punished them so severely, when they were negligent in
gathering your revenues? Your cause will be little helped by your return
of this answer to Jesus Christ;--Lord, I have not wanted yearly to
recommend, by letters to my subjects, all that concerns thy honour and
thy service. For, doubt not, it will be thus answered;--But your orders
were never put in execution, and you left your ministers, at their own
disposal, to do whatever they thought good.
"I therefore beg your Majesty, by that fervent zeal which you have for
the glory of our Lord, and by the care which you have always testified of
your eternal salvation, to send hither a vigilant and resolute minister,
who will bend his actions to nothing more than to the conversion of
souls; who may act independently to the officers of your treasury; and
who will not suffer himself to be led and governed by the politics of
worldly men, whose foresight is bounded with the profit of the state. May
your Majesty be pleased a little to inspect your incomes from the Indies,
and, after that, look over the expences which are made for the
advancement of religion; that, having weighed all things equally on
either side, you may make a judgment, if that which you bestow bears any
proportion with that which you receive; and then, perhaps, you will find
a just subject to apprehend, that, of those immense treasures, which the
Divine Goodness has heaped upon you, you have given to God but an
inconsiderable pittance.
"For what remains, let not your Majesty defer any longer the payment of
so just a debt, to so bountiful a giver, nor the healing of so many
public wounds. What remedy soever you can apply, what diligence soever
you can make, all will be too little, and of the latest. The sincere and
ardent charity of my heart, towards your Majesty, has constrained me to
write to you in this manner, especially when my imagination represents to
me, in a lively sort, the complaints which the poor Indians send up to
heaven, that out of so vast a treasure, with which your estate is
enriched by them, you employ so little for their spiritual necessities."
The letter ended, in begging this favour of Almighty God, "that the king,
in his lifetime, might have those considerations, and that conduct, which
he would wish to have had when he was dying."
Michael Vaz negotiated so well with King John the Third, pursuant to the
instructions of Father Xavier, that he obtained another governor of the
Indies, and carried back such orders and provisions, signed by his
Majesty's own hand, as were in a manner the same which the father had
desired.
These orders contained, That no toleration should be granted for the
superstition of the infidels in the isle of Goa, nor in that of Salseta;
that they should break in pieces all the pagods which were there, and
make search, in the houses of the Gentiles, for concealed idols, and
whosoever used or made them should be punished according to the quality
of his crime; that as many of the Brachmans as were found to oppose the
publication of the gospel, should be banished; that out of a yearly rent
of three thousand crowns, charged on a mosque at Bazain, a subsistence
should be made for the poor, newly converted from idolatry; that
hereafter no public employment should be given to Pagans; that no
exaction should remain unpunished; that no slaves should henceforth be
sold, either to Mahometans or Gentiles; that the pearl fishing should
only be in the hands of Christians, and that nothing should be taken from
them, without paying them the due value; that the king of Cochin should
not be suffered to despoil or oppress the baptized Indians; and, last of
all, that if Sosa had not already revenged the murder of the Christians
in Manar, who were massacred by the king of Jafanatapan's command,
Castro, who succeeded in his place, should not fail to see it done.
To return to Father Xavier;--he put to sea at Cochin, and sailed towards
Cambaya. In the ship there was a Portuguese gentleman, much a libertine,
and one of those declared atheists who make a boast of their impiety.
This was motive enough for the holy man to make acquaintance with him. He
kept him company, and was even so complaisant as to entertain him with
pleasant conversation. The Portuguese was much delighted with his good
humour, and took pleasure in hearing him discourse on many curious
subjects. But if Xavier offered to let fall a word concerning the
salvation of his soul, he laughed at it, and would hear no more. If
the father mildly reproved him for his profane and scandalous way of
living, he flew out into a fury against the holy practice of the church,
and swore he would never more come to confession.
These ill inclinations did not at all discourage Xavier from his
undertaking. He treated this hardened sinner after the manner that
physicians use a patient raving in his sickness, with all manner of
compassion and soft behaviour. In the meantime, they came to an anchor
before the port of Cananor, and, going ashore together, they took a walk
into a wood of palm-trees which was near their place of landing. After
they had made a turn or two, the saint stripped himself to the waist, and
taking a discipline, pointed at the ends with wire, struck so hard and so
often on his naked body, that, in a very little time, his back and
shoulders were all bloody. "It is for your sake," said he to the
gentleman who accompanied him, "that I do what you see, and all this is
nothing to what I would willingly suffer for you. But," added he, "you
have cost Christ Jesus a much dearer price. Will neither his passion,
his death, nor all his blood, suffice to soften the hardness of your
heart?" After this, addressing himself to our blessed Saviour, "O Lord,"
said he, "be pleased to look on thy own adorable blood, and not on that
of so vile a sinner as myself." The gentleman, amazed and confounded,
both at once, at such an excess of charity, cast himself at the feet of
Xavier, beseeching him to forbear, and promising to confess himself and
totally to change his former life. In effect, before they departed out of
the wood, he made a general confession to the father, with sincere
contrition for his sins, and afterwards lived with the exemplary
behaviour and practice of a good Christian.
Being returned to the port, they went again on shipboard, and continued
their voyage to Cambaya. When they were arrived at that place, Xavier
went to wait on the viceroy, and easily persuaded him to what he desired,
in reference to Jafanatapan; for, besides that Sosa reposed an entire
confidence in Father Xavier, and was himself zealous for the faith, the
expedition, which was proposed to him, was the most glorious that the
Portuguese could undertake, since the consequence of it was to punish a
tyrant, to dispossess an usurper, and to restore a lawful king.
The viceroy, therefore, wrote letters, and dispatched couriers, to the
captains of Comorin and of the Fishery, commanding them to assemble all
the forces they could make at Negapatan, and make a sudden irruption into
the tyrant's country, without giving him time to provide for his defence.
He gave them also in charge to take the tyrant alive, if possibly they
could, and put him into the hands of Father Francis, who desired his
conversion, not his death, and hoped the blood of the martyrs of Manar
might obtain the forgiveness of his crimes.
Xavier, encouraged by these hopes, returned towards Cochin, where he
proposed to himself to follow his ministerial vocation, while the
preparations of war were making. Coming back by Cananor, he lodged in the
house of a Christian, who himself was religious, but his son debauched,
and subject to all sorts of vices. The good man, sensibly afflicted at
the ill conduct of his graceless son, wept day and night; and Xavier
began at first to comfort him, saying, those vices were ordinary in
youth, and riper age would reclaim him from them. Having done speaking,
he stood mute awhile, and recollected himself; then, suddenly lifting up
his eyes to heaven, "Know," said he, "that you are the most happy father
in the world. This libertine son, who has given you so many disquiets,
shall one day change his manners, he shall be a religious of the order of
St Francis, and at last shall die a martyr." The event verified the
prediction. The young man afterwards took the habit of St Francis, and
went to preach the faith in the kingdom of Cande,[1] where he received
martyrdom from the barbarians.
[Footnote 1: Cande is a kingdom in the island of Ceylon.]
Father Xavier, being come back to Cochin, was very kindly received by the
secretary of state, Cosmo Annez, his intimate friend, who was there on
some important business. Being one day together, and talking familiarly,
Xavier asked Annez, if the year had been good for the Portugal merchants?
Annez answered him, that it could not have been better: that not long
since, seven vessels had been sent off, which were now in their passage
to Europe, and richly laden. He added, that himself had sent the king of
Portugal a rare diamond, which had cost six thousand ducats at Goa, and
Avould be worth more than thirty thousand at Lisbon. Xavier had a farther
curiosity to enquire, which of the ships had carried the diamond; and
Annez told him, it was the ship called the Atoghia, and that he had
entrusted the jewel to John Norogna, who was captain of the ship.
Xavier then entered into a profound meditation; and after he had kept
silence for some time, all on the sudden thus replied; "I could have
wished that a diamond of so great value had not been entrusted to that
ship." "And for what reason?" answered Annez; "is it not because the
Atoghia has once formerly sprung a leak? but, father, she is now so well
refitted, that she may be taken for a new vessel." The saint explained
himself no farther; and Annez, upon a second consideration, began to
conjecture, both from the father's words, and afterwards from, his
silence, that there was some danger in the matter, whereupon he desired
him to recommend that ship to the protection of almighty God; "for in
conclusion," said he, "the Atoghia cannot be lost without a very
considerable damage to me. I have had no order," said he, "to buy that
diamond; so that in case it should miscarry, the loss will be wholly
mine."
Sitting one day together at the table, and Xavier observing Annez to be
in great concernment, "give thanks to God," said he, "your diamond is
safe, and at this very time in the hands of the queen of Portugal." Annez
believed Xavier on his word; and understood afterwards, by letters from
Norogna, that the ship opened in the midst of her voyage, and let in so
much water, that being upon the point of sinking, the mariners had
resolved to have forsaken her, and thrown themselves into the sea, but
after having cut down the main mast, they changed their thoughts without
any apparent reason; that the leak stopped of itself, and the ship
pursuing her course, with only two sails, arrived safely in the port of
Lisbon.
The man of God remained about three months in Cochin, and towards the end
of May set sail for Negapatan, where the Portuguese fleet was now in
a readiness. Passing by the Isle of De las Vaccas, which is near the
flats of Ceylon, towards the north, he raised to life a Saracen's child,
which is all that is known of that miracle. He was desirous in his
passage to see the isle of Manar, where so many Christians had been
massacred for the faith; and going ashore, he often kissed the ground,
which had been sprinkled with the blood of martyrs at Pasim. While he
rejoiced at the happy destiny of the dead, he had cause to be afflicted
for the misfortune of the living: a contagious disease laid waste the
island, and there died an hundred every day.
When the Manarois had notice, that the great father, so famous in the
Indies, was at Pasim, they assembled together, above three thousand of
them, for the most part Gentiles, and being come to the village, besought
him humbly to deliver them from the pestilence.
Xavier asked three days, wherein to implore of God, for that which they
had begged from him. During all which time, he only offered up to our
Lord, and set before him the merits of those blessed martyrs, who had
suffered for his name at Pasim. Before those days were ended, his prayers
were heard, the plague ceased, and all the sick were restored to health
at the same moment. So visible a miracle wrought on all of them to
believe in Jesus Christ; and the apostle baptized them with his own hand.
He could make no longer stay with them; for the naval army then expected
him, and his presence was necessary to encourage the soldiers, and mind
the captains of the performance of their duty.
He passed over from Manar to Negapatan; but there he found all things in
a far different condition from what he hoped. The Portuguese navy
diminished daily; and the commanders, who at the beginning had been so
zealous for the Holy War, were now the first to condemn it. It was in
vain for him to set before their eyes the honour of their nation, and
that of God: interest did so blind their understanding, that they forgot
they were either Portuguese or Christians: behold, in short, what
overthrew so glorious an expedition.
While they were equipping the fleet, it happened that a Portuguese
vessel, coming from the kingdom of Pegu, and laden with rich merchandise,
was driven by tempest upon the coast of Jafanatapan. The king made
seizure of it, and possessed himself of all within it, according to the
custom of the barbarians. The captain and the ship's company foreseeing,
that if, in this conjuncture, war should be made against the heathen
prince, they should never be able to retrieve their wealth out of his
hands, corrupted the officers of the fleet with large presents, to desist
from their undertaking. Thus the tyrant, whom Father Xavier designed to
drive out from his ill-gotten kingdom, was maintained in it, by the
covetousness of Christians; or rather by the secret decrees of
Providence, which sometimes permits the persecutors of the church to
reign in peace, to the end a trial may be made of such as dare to
continue constant in their faith.
As holy men resign their will to that of God, Xavier wholly abandoned the
enterprize of Jafanatapan, and thought only of returning to the kingdom
of Travancore. Being now on sea, he cast back his eyes on the Isle of
Ceylon, which he saw from far; and cried out, lamenting for it, "Ah!
Unhappy island, with how many carcases do I behold thee covered, and what
rivers of blood are making inundations on all sides of thee!" These words
were prophetical of what happened afterwards, when on Constantine de
Braganza at one time, and Don Hurtado de Mendoca at another, destroyed
all those islanders with the sword; and the king of Jafanatapan being
himself taken, together with his eldest son, was put to death in his own
palace; as if the divine justice had not deferred the death of this
persecutor, but only to render it more terrible, and more memorable.
Father Xavier was very desirous of returning to Travancore; but the winds
blew so contrary, that they always drove him from the coast. By this he
judged that God had called him to some other place; and thereupon formed
a resolution of carrying the light of the gospel from isle to isle, and
from kingdom to kingdom, even to the utmost limits of the East. The news
he heard, during his navigation, caused him suddenly to cast his thoughts
on an island situate under the equinoctial, betwixt the Moluccas and
Borneo, stretched in length two hundred leagues from north to south, and
divided into sundry kingdoms, called by the geographers Celebes, by the
historians Macassar, from the names of the two capital cities, of the two
principal kingdoms; as to the rest, well peopled, and abounding in all
sorts of riches.
It was related to him, that about the year 1531, two brothers, both
idolaters, as were all the inhabitants of Macassar, going on their
private business to Ternate, the chief of the Moluccas, had some
conference, relating to religion, with the governor, Antonio Galvan, a
Portuguese, one of the most famous warriors of his age, and celebrated in
history both for his piety and valour: that having learnt from him the
vanity of their idols, they embraced the Christian faith, and at their
baptism took the names of Antonio and Michael: that being returned into
their country, they themselves taught publicly the faith of Jesus Christ:
that all their countrymen, with one accord, sent their ambassadors to the
governor of Ternate, desiring him to send them some to instruct them in
the principles of faith; and that the heads of this embassy were the two
brothers, known to Galvan: that these ambassadors found a very kind
reception; and that for want of a priest, Galvan gave them a soldier for
their teacher, whose name was Francis de Castro; a man knowing in
religion, and of exemplary piety. In conclusion, that Castro, who was
thus chosen to instruct that people, embarking for Macassar, was driven
by a tempest another way.
Besides this, Xavier was likewise informed, that not long before, a
Portuguese merchant, called Antonio Payva, going to Macassar in the name
of Ruys Vaz Pereyra, captain of Malacca, for a ship's lading of sandal, a
precious wood growing in that island, the king of Supa, which is one of
the kingdoms of Macassar, came in person to see him, and asked divers
questions relating to the Christian faith: that this honest merchant,
better acquainted with his traffic than his religion, yet answered very
pertinently, and discoursed of the mysteries of faith after so reasonable
a manner, that the king, then threescore years of age, was converted,
with all his family and court: that another king of the same island,
called the king of Sion, followed his example; and that these two
princes, who were solemnly baptized by the hand of Payva, not being able
to retain him with them, desired him to send them some priests, who might
administer the sacraments, and baptize their subjects.
These pious inclinations appeared to Father Xavier as an excellent
groundwork for the planting of the gospel. He wept for joy at the happy
news; and adored the profound judgments of the Divine Providence, which,
after having refused the grace of baptism to the king of Travancore, when
all his subjects had received it, began the conversion of Sion and of
Supa by that of their sovereigns. He even believed, that his evangelical
ministry exacted from him, to put the last hand to the conversion of
those kingdoms.
In the mean time, he thought it his duty, that, before he resolved on the
voyage of Macassar, he should ask advice from heaven concerning it; and
to perform it as he ought, it came into his mind to implore the
enlightnings of God's spirit at the sepulchre of St Thomas, the ancient
founder, and first father of Christianity in the Indies, whom he had
taken for his patron and his guide, in the course of all his travels. He
therefore resolved to go in pilgrimage to Meliapor, which is distant but
fifty leagues from Negatapan, where the wind had driven him back. And
embarking in the ship of Michael Pereyra, on Palm-Sunday, which fell that
year, 1545, on the 29th of March, they shaped their course along-the
coasts of Coromandel, having at first a favourable wind; but they had not
made above twelve or thirteen leagues, when the weather changed on a
sudden, and the sea became so rough, that they were forced to make to
land, and cast anchor under covert of a mountain, to put their ship into
some reasonable security. They lay there for seven days together, in
expectation of a better wind; and all that time the holy man passed in
contemplation, without taking any nourishment, either of meat or drink,
as they observed who were in the vessel with him, and as James Madeira,
who was a witness of it, has deposed in form of law. He only drank on
Easter-Eve, and that at the request of the said Madeira, a little water,
in which an onion had been boiled, according to his own direction. On
that very day, the wind came about into a favourable quarter, and the sea
grew calm, so that they weighed anchor, and continued their voyage.
But Xavier, to whom God daily imparted more and more of the spirit of
prophecy, foreseeing a furious tempest, which was concealed under that
fallacious calm, asked the pilot, "If his ship were strong enough to
endure the violence of bad weather, and ride out a storm?" The pilot
confessed she was not, as being an old crazy vessel. "Then," said
Xavier, "it were good to carry her back into the port." "How, Father
Francis," said the pilot, "are you fearful with so fair a wind? you may
assure yourself of good weather by all manner of signs, and any little
bark may be in safety." It was in vain for the saint to press him
farther, not to believe those deceitful appearances; neither would the
passengers follow his advice, but they soon repented of their neglect.
For far they had not gone, when a dreadful wind arose, the sea was on a
foam, and mounted into billows. The ship was not able to withstand the
tempest, and was often in danger of sinking, and the mariners were
constrained to make towards the port of Negapatan, from whence they set
out, which, with much ado, they at length recovered.
The impatience of Father Xavier to visit the tomb of the apostle St
Thomas, caused him to make his pilgrimage by land; and he travelled with
so much ardour, through the rough and uncouth ways, that in few days he
arrived at Meliapor.
That city is now commonly known by the name of St Thomas; because that
blessed apostle lived so long in it, and there suffered martyrdom. If we
will give credit to the inhabitants, it was once almost swallowed by the
sea; and for proof of this tradition, there are yet to be seen under
water, the ruins of great buildings. The new town of Meliapor was built
by the Portuguese; near the walls there is a hill, which they called the
Little Mount, and in it a grotto, wherein they say St Thomas hid himself
during the persecution. At the entry of this cave there is a cross cut in
the rock; and at the foot of the mountain there arises a spring, the
waters of which are of such virtue, that sick people drinking of them are
ordinarily cured.
From this small ascent you pass to a higher and much larger mountain,
which seems formed by nature for a lonely contemplative life; for on one
side it looks upon the sea, and on the other is covered with old trees,
always green, which at once make a fruitful and a pleasing object. Hither
St Thomas retired to pray with his disciples; and here it was also that
he was slain by a Brachman with the thrust of a spear.
The Portuguese, who rebuilt Meliapor, found on the top of the mountain a
little chapel, of stonework, all in ruins. They were desirous to repair
it, in memory of the holy apostle; and, as they were rummaging all about,
even to the foundations of it, they drew out a white marble, whereon was
a cross, with characters graved round about it, which declared, "That God
was born of the Virgin Mary; that this God was eternal; that the same God
taught his law to his twelve apostles; and that one of them came to
Meliapor with a palmer's staff in his hand; that he built a church there;
that the kings of Malabar, Coromandel, and Pandi, with many other
nations, submitted themselves to the law preached by St Thomas, a man
holy and penitent."
This marble, of which we make mention, having on it divers stains of
blood, the common opinion is, that the apostle suffered martyrdom upon
it. Howsoever it be, the marble was placed upon the altar when the chapel
was rebuilt; and the first time that a solemn mass was said there, the
cross distilled some drops of blood, in the sight of all the people;
which also happened many times in the following years, on the day whereon
his martyrdom is celebrated.
When Xavier was come into the town, the vicar of Meliapor, who had heard
speak of him as a successor of the apostles, and a man sent from God,
for the conversion of the Indies, came to offer him a lodging in his
house. The father accepted of it, because it was adjoining to the church,
wherein were kept the relicks of St Thomas; and that he could easily step
from thence by night, to consult the will of God concerning his intended
voyage to Macassar.
In effect, as soon as the vicar was laid to sleep, for they were lodged
in the same chamber, Xavier rose as softly as he could, and went to the
church, through a church-yard which parted it from the house. The vicar
perceived it, and advertised Xavier, that this passage was not over-safe
by night, and that horrible phantoms had been often seen in it. The saint
believed this only said to frighten him, and hinder him from rising
before day; so he continued his usual prayers; but it was not long before
he found that the advice was true: for, the nights ensuing, as he passed
through the church-yard, he saw those dreadful spectres, which
endeavoured to have stopped him; yet he saved himself from them, and even
laughed at them as vain illusions.
The demons are too proud to bear contempt without revenge, when God
permits them. One night, when the saint was at his devotions before the
image of the blessed Virgin, they assaulted him in great numbers, and
beat him so violently, that he was all over bruised, and forced to keep
his bed for some days together. He said nothing of his adventure to the
vicar; but it was discovered by a young man of Malabar, who lodged near
the church, and was awakened with the noise; rising from his bed, he
heard the blows distinctly, and what Father Xavier said to the holy
Virgin, invoking her assistance against the infernal powers, insomuch,
that the vicar, to whom the young man had related the words which he had
heard, sometimes repeated them to Xavier with an inoffensive kind of
raillery.
The servant of God having recovered some little strength, returned to the
church, and there continued all the night. What rage soever the devils
had against him, they durst no more attempt his person, nor so much as
endeavour to affright him. They only made a noise to distract him in his
prayers; and one time, disguised in the habit of canons, they
counterfeited so well the midnight matins, that he asked the vicar, "Who
were those chanters who sung so admirably?"
But the favours which Xavier received from heaven, made him large amends
for all the injuries of hell; for though the particulars of what passed
betwixt God and him were kept secret, it is known, at least in regard of
the principal affair, for which he consulted God, that he had an interior
light, which gave him clearly to understand, that he was commanded to
pass to the more southern islands, and to labour in their conversion. The
Christian, strength, with which he found himself animated at the same
time, caused all the dangers, which naturally he might apprehend, to
disappear, as is manifest by what he wrote from Meliapor on that
occasion, to two of his friends at Goa, Paul de Camerin, and James Borba,
of whom we have made so frequent mention.
"I hope that God will confer many favours on me in this voyage; since,
through his infinite mercy, I have learned, with so much spiritual joy,
that it is his holy pleasure I should go to those kingdoms of Macassar,
where so many Christians have been made in these latter years. For what
remains, I am so much resolved on executing what our Lord has revealed to
me, that if I should be wanting on my part, I should go, to my thinking,
in direct opposition to his orders, and render myself unworthy of his
favour, both in this life and in the next. If I cannot find this year any
Portuguese vessel bound for Malacca, I will embark myself on any ship
belonging to the Gentiles or the Saracens. I repose, withal, so great a
confidence in God, for the love of whom I undertake this voyage, that if
there should only pass this way some little bark of Malacca, I should go
aboard without the least deliberation. All my hope is in God; and I
conjure you by his love, to remember always in your prayers so great a
sinner as myself."
Though his intentions in coming to Meliapor were only to receive the
instructions of heaven in his solitude, yet he employed some part of his
time in the good of others. His holy life gave a lustre and value to his
discourse; and the sight of him alone was of efficacy to touch the heart.
The people had received it as a maxim, "That whoever followed not the
counsel of Father Francis, should die an enemy of God." And they related
the unhappy end of some sinners, who, being urged by Xavier to make a
speedy repentance, had deferred the work of their conversion. This
popular opinion contributed much to the change of manners in the town;
and the fear of a disastrous death served frequently to break off in one
moment the criminal commerce of many years.
There was in Meliapor a Portuguese gentleman, who lived a debauched and
scandalous life. His house was a seraglio, in little; and the greatest
part of his business was making a collection of beautiful slaves. Xavier
went one day to visit him about dinner time: "Are you willing," said the
Father, "that we should begin an acquaintance by dining together?" The
Portuguese was somewhat discomposed, both at the visit and the
compliment; yet he forced himself into good humour, and made shew of
being very glad of the honour which the Father had done him. While they
were at table, Xavier spoke not one word to him concerning his
debauchery, and only entertained him with ordinary talk, though they had
been served by young damsels whose habit was not over modest, and whose
air was very impudent. He continued in the same way he had began, after
they were risen from dinner, and, in conclusion, took his leave, without
making him the least reproach.
The gentleman, surprised at the conduct of Father Francis, believed his
silence to be a bad omen to him; and that he had nothing else to expect
but an unhappy death, and a more unhappy eternity. In this thought, he
went with all diligence to find the Father, and falling down before him,
"Your silence," said he, "has spoken powerfully to my heart: I have not
enjoyed one moment of repose since you parted from me: Ah, Father, if my
everlasting damnation be not already fixed, I put myself into your hands;
do with me what you shall judge necessary for the salvation of my soul,
behold me ready to pay you a blind obedience."
Xavier embraced him; and after he had given him to understand that the
mercies of the Lord are infinite, that it is our duty never to despair,
that he who sometimes refuses to sinners the hour of repentance, always
grants pardon to the penitent; he caused him to put away those occasions
of his sin, and disposed him to a general confession, the fruit of which
was a chaste and Christian life.
In short, the Father did what he could desire to be done at Meliapor; and
witnesses of known integrity have deposed on oath, that he left the town
so different from what it was, at his coming thither, that it was hardly
to be known for the same place; which also gave him so entire a
satisfaction, that giving it a thousand benedictions, he said that there
was not in all the Indies a more Christian town. And at the same time he
prophecied, that one day it should become flourishing and wealthy; which
prediction was accomplished some few years afterward.
Though all these conversions drew the public veneration on Father
Francis, it seemed that God took pleasure in making the name of his
servant yet more illustrious, by certain wonderful events. A merchant of
Meliapor being just ready to embark for Malacca, went to take his leave
of him. In receiving his blessing, he begged of him some little token of
his friendship. The Father, who was very poor, could find nothing to give
him but the chaplet which was hanging at his neck: "This chaplet,"[1]
said he to the merchant, "shall not be unprofitable to you, provided you
repose your trust in the Virgin Mary." The merchant went away in full
assurance of the divine protection, and without fear of pirates, winds,
or rocks; but God would make a trial of his faith. He had already almost
crossed, without the least hazard, the great gulph which is betwixt
Meliapor and Malacca, when suddenly there blew a furious storm, the sails
were torn, the rudder broken, and the mast came by the board, and the
vessel afterwards being driven against the rocks, was split: The greatest
part of the seamen and passengers were drowned; some of them held upon
the rocks, where they were cast away, and the merchant himself was of
that number; but, being upon the wide sea, and not having wherewithal
to supply nature, to avoid dying by hunger, they took a resolution which
only despair could have inspired; having gathered up some floating planks
of their wrecked vessel, and joining them together the best they could,
they put themselves upon them, and abandoned their safety to the mercy of
the waves, without other hope than of lighting on some current which
might possibly carry them on shore.
[Footnote 1: Or beads.]
The merchant, full of confidence in the blessed Virgin, had still
preserved the chaplet of Xavier, and feared not drowning while he held it
in his hand. The float of planks was hardly adrift upon the waves, when
he found he was transported out of himself, and believed he was at
Meliapor with Father Francis. Returning from his extacy, he was strangely
surprised to find himself on an unknown coast, and not to see about him
the companions of his fortunes, nor the planks to which he had entrusted
his life. He understood, from some people who casually came that way,
that it was the coast of Negapatan, and, in a transport mixed with joy
and amazement, he told them, in how miraculous a manner God had delivered
him from death.
Another Portuguese, by profession a soldier, called Jerome Fernandez de
Mendoza, received a considerable assistance from Xavier, in a different
manner, but full as marvellous. Fernandez, having put off from the coast
of Coromandel, in a ship belonging to him, wherein was all his wealth, to
go to another coast more westward, was taken near the cape of Comorin, by
the Malabar pirates, equally covetous and cruel. To save his life, in
losing his goods, he threw himself into the sea, and was happy enough, in
spite of his ill fortune, to swim to land, on the coast of Meliapor.
Meeting there Father Francis, he related his misfortune to him, and
begged an alms. The father was almost sorry, at that time, for his being
so poor himself, that he had not wherewithal to relieve the miserable
man; yet he put his hand into his pocket, as if he were searching there
for something, but finding nothing, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and
afterwards turning to Fernandez, with looks full of compassion, "have
courage, brother," said he to him, "heaven will provide for you." After
which, walking forward four or five paces, he once more put his hands
into his pockets, and pulled out fifty pieces of gold: "receive," added
he, "what heaven sends you; make use of it, but speak not of it." The
surprise and joy of Fernandez were so great, that it was impossible for
him to keep silence. He published, in all places, the bounty of his
benefactor; and the pieces of gold were found to be so pure and fine,
that it was not doubted but they were miraculous.
But perhaps nothing is more admirable, than what passed betwixt the
Father and John Duro, or Deyro, as some have called him. He was a man of
about five-and-thirty years of age, who had formerly borne arms;
afterwards became a merchant and owner of a ship, very wealthy and
fortunate in all his traffic; all which notwithstanding, he was ill
satisfied with the world, uneasy to himself, unquiet in the midst of all
his wealth, and persuaded that God alone could content his soul. He went
one day to see the holy man, and told him, that for many years he had a
desire of changing his condition, and of serving God as perfectly as he
was able, but that two reasons had always hindered him: the one was, that
he never yet could meet with any person, who was capable of shewing him
the way of perfection; the other was, that he was afraid of falling into
poverty. He added, that he was now out of pain concerning those two
points. That for the first, he hoped he should walk surely in the way of
heaven, having so able a guide as he; and for the second, he had got
sufficiently for his maintenance in an honest and comfortable way, during
the remainder of his life. He begged leave of Father Xavier, that he
might follow him, and promised, on all occasions, to defray his charges.
The Father made Deyro understand, how far he was yet from the kingdom of
heaven; that, to arrive at perfection, he must perform what our Saviour
counselled the young man, who seemed willing to follow him, that is to
say, he must practise these words in the literal sense, "sell all thou
hast, and give it to the poor." Deyro, thus undeceived, immediately
desired the Father to take all his goods, and distribute them amongst the
poor; but the Father would neither do what Deyro had proposed to him, nor
permit that he should himself dispose of any thing, before he had made
confession to him. Foreseeing, without doubt, that being so rich, he
should be obliged to make restitution of some part of that which he had
gained.
The confession of the merchant was three days in making; after which,
having sold his ship and his merchandise, he restored what he had got
unjustly, and gave great alms. And in consequence of this, under the
direction of the saint, he gave himself to the exercises of piety and
penitence, thereby to lay a solid foundation of that perfection to which
he aspired.
But these fair beginnings were not attended with any answerable fruit;
and that spirit of retirement, of mortification, and of poverty, was soon
extinguished in a man accustomed to the turmoils of the world, who had
always lived in plenty, and who passionately loved his profit. He
returned to the thoughts of his former condition, and having recovered
some jewels, and bought a small vessel in secret, he set himself to
follow his former way of living.
When he was just on the point of setting sail, a catechist, called
Antonio, came and told him, that Father Xavier desired to speak with him.
Deyro, who thought of nothing more than of making his escape, and who had
not entrusted his design to the knowledge of any person, made as if he
took him for another. But Antonio persisting in it, that it was himself
whom the Father meant, he durst not dissemble any longer, and went to
find him; resolved, however, of denying all, as thinking the Father at
most could have but a bare suspicion of his change and intended flight.
He therefore assumed an air of confidence, and presented himself boldly
before the saint; but God had given him knowledge of Deyro's intentions.
"You have sinned," said Xavier, as soon as he beheld him; "you have
sinned." These few words so deeply struck him, that he threw himself at
the feet of the Father, all trembling, and crying out, "it is true, my
Father, I have sinned:" "Penitence then, my son," replied the Father,
"penitence!" Deyro confessed himself immediately, went to sell off his
ship, and distributed all the money to the poor. He returned afterwards,
and put himself once more under the conduct of the Father, with a firm
resolution of following his counsels more sincerely, and of serving God
more faithfully.
How unfeigned soever the repentance of Deyro seemed, Xavier had no
confidence in it; and these new fervours were suspected by him. He would
not receive him into the company of Jesus, which requires solid spirits,
and such as are firm to their vocation.
Yet he refused not to admit him for his companion, in quality of a
catechist, and carried him with him to Malacca: for having continued four
months at Meliapor, he parted thence in September 1545, notwithstanding
the tears of the people, who were desirous of retaining him; and held the
course of Malacca, designing from thence to pass to Macassar.
Before he went on board, he wrote to Father Paul de Camerine at Goa, that
when the fathers of the society, who were daily expected from Portugal,
should arrive, two of those new missioners should accompany the princes
of Jafanatapan, whensoever the Portuguese should think fit to
re-establish the lawful king. For there was a report, that the expedition
should be renewed, which a base interest had set aside. But this project
was not put in execution; and both the princes died, one after the other,
in less than two years after their conversion, which was only profitable
to their souls. While the ship that carried Xavier was crossing the Gulph
of Ceylon, an occasion of charity was offered to the saint, which he
would not suffer to escape. The mariners and soldiers passed their lime,
according to their custom, in playing at cards. Two soldiers set
themselves to it, more out of avarice than pleasure, and one of them
played with such ill fortune, that he lost not only all his own money,
but the stock which others had put into his hands to traffic for them.
Having nothing more to lose, he withdrew, cursing his luck, and
blaspheming God. His despair prevailed so far over him, that he had
thrown himself into the sea, or run upon the point of his sword, if he
had not been prevented. Xavier had notice of these his mad intentions
and execrable behaviour, and immediately came to his relief. He embraced
him tenderly, and said all he could to comfort him; but the soldier, who
was still in the transports of his fury, thrust him away, and forbore not
even ill language to him. Xavier stood recollected for some time,
imploring God's assistance and counsel; then went and borrowed fifty
royals of a passenger, brought them to the soldier, and advised him once
more to try his fortune. At this the soldier took heart, and played so
luckily, that he recovered all his losses with great advantage. The
saint, who looked on, took out of the overplus of the winnings, what he
had borrowed for him; and seeing the gamester now returned to a calm
temper, wrought upon him so successfully, that he, who before refused to
hear him, was now overpowered by his discourse, never after handled
cards, and became exemplary in his life.
They arrived at Malacca the 25th of September. As this is one of those
places in the Indies, where the saint, whose life I write, had most
business, and whither he made many voyages, it will not be unprofitable
to say somewhat of it. It is situate beyond the gulph of Bengal, towards
the head of that great peninsula, which, from the mouth of the Ara, is
extended to the south, almost to the equinoctial line; and is of two
degrees and a half of elevation, over against the island of Sumatra,
which the ancients, who had not frequented this channel, believed to be
joined to the continent.
Malacca was under the dominion of the kings of Siam, until the Saracens,
who traded thither, becoming powerful, first made it Mahometan, then
caused it to revolt against the lawful prince, and set up a monarch of
their own sect, called Mahomet. There was not, at that time, any more
famous mart town than this, and where there was a greater concourse of
different nations. For, besides the people of Guzuratte, Aracan, Malabar,
Pegu, Sumatra, Java, and the Moluccas, the Arabs, the Persians, the
Chinese, and the Japonians, trafficked there; and accordingly the town
lay extended all along by the sea side, for the convenience of trade.
Amongst all the nations of Asia there is not any more inclined to
pleasure; and this seems chiefly to proceed from the mild temper of the
air. For there is an eternal spring, notwithstanding the neighbourhood of
the line. The inhabitants follow the natural bent of their complexion;
their whole business is perfumes, feasts, and music; to say nothing of
carnal pleasures, to which they set no bound. Even the language which
they speak participates of the softness of the country: It is called the
Malaya tongue, and, of all the orient, it is the most delicate and sweet
of pronunciation.
Don Alphonso Albuquerque conquered Malacca in the year 1511, and thirty
thousand men, with eight thousand pieces of artillery, and an infinite
number of elephants and ships, were not able to defend it. It was taken
by force, at the second assault, by eight hundred brave Portuguese,
seconded by some few Malabars. It was given up to pillage for three days;
and the Moor king, after all his endeavours, was forced to fly with only
fifty horsemen to attend him. The Portuguese built a citadel, which the
succeeding governors took care to fortify; yet not so strongly, as to be
proof against the attempts of the barbarians, who many times attacked it,
and half ruined it.
As soon as Xavier came on shore, he went to visit the governor of the
town, to inform him of his intended voyage to Macassar. The governor told
him, that he had lately sent thither a priest of holy life, with some
Portuguese soldiers, and that he expected to hear of them very suddenly:
that, in the mean time, he was of opinion, that the Father and his
companion should stay at Malacca, till the present condition of the
Christians in Macassar were fully known. Xavier gave credit to the
governor, and retired to the hospital, which he had chosen for the place
of his abode. The people ran in crowds to behold the countenance of that
great apostle, whose fame was spread through all the Indies, and over all
the East. The parents showed him to their children; and it was observed,
that the man of God, in caressing those little Portuguese, called every
one of them by their proper names, as if he had been of their
acquaintance, and were not a stranger newly come on shore.
For what remains, he found the town in a most horrible corruption of
manners. The Portuguese who lived there, at a distance both from the
Bishop and the viceroy of the Indies, committed all manner of crimes,
without fear of laws, either ecclesiastical or civil. Avarice,
intemperance, uncleanness, and forgetfulness of God, were every
where predominant; and the habit only, or rather the excess and number of
their vices, distinguished the Christians from the unbelievers.
This terrible prospect of a sinful town, gave Xavier to comprehend, that
his stay in Malacca was necessary, and might possibly turn to a good
account; but before he would undertake the reformation of a town so
universally corrupted, he employed some days in serving of the sick; he
passed many nights in prayer, and performed extraordinary austerities.
After these preparatives, he began his public instructions, according to
the methods which he had frequently practised at Goa. Walking the streets
at evening with his bell in his hand, he cried, with a loud voice, "Pray
to God for those who are in the state of mortal sin;" and by this, he
brought into the minds of sinners, the remembrance and consideration of
their offences. For, seeing the ill habits of their minds, and that the
disease was like to be inflamed, if violent remedies were applied, he
tempered more than ever the ardour of his zeal. Though he had naturally a
serene countenance, and was of a pleasing conversation, yet all the
charms of his good humour seemed to be redoubled at Malacca, insomuch,
that his companion, John Deyro, could not but wonder at his gaiety and
soft behaviour.