The Works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 16

by John Dryden

Besides all this, he kept his senses curbed and recollected, examined his conscience often every day, and daily confessed himself when he had the convenience of a priest. By these means, he acquired such a purity of soul and body, that they who were of his intimate acquaintance, have declared, that they could never observe in him ought that was not within the rules of the exactest decency.

In like manner, he never forgave himself the least miscarriage; and it is incredible how far the tenderness of his conscience went on all occasions. In that vessel which carried him from Lisbon to the Indies, a child, who was of years which are capable of instruction, one day happened to die suddenly: Xavier immediately inquired if the child had been usually present at catechism, together with the ship's company? It was answered in the negative; and at the same moment the man of God, whose countenance commonly was cheerful, appeared extremely sad. The viceroy, Alphonso de Sosa, soon observed it; and knowing the cause of his affliction, asked the Father if he had any former knowledge that the child came not to catechism? "If I had known it," replied Xavier, "I had not failed to have brought him thither:" "But, why then," said the viceroy, "are you thus disquieted for a thing you know not, and of which you are no ways guilty?" "It is," replied the saint, "because I ought to upbraid myself with it as a fault, that I was ignorant that any person, who was embarked with me, wanted to be taught the Christian faith."

A body so chaste, and a mind so pure, could not have been but of one who was faithfully devoted to the Holy Virgin. The saint honoured and loved her all his life, with thoughts full of respect and tenderness. It was in the church of Mont Martre, dedicated to the mother of God, and on the day of her assumption, that he made his first vows. It was in that of Loretto that he had his first inspiration, and conceived his first desires of going to the Indies. He petitioned for nothing of our Lord, but by the intercession of his mother; and in the exposition which he made of the Christian doctrine, after addressing himself to Jesus to obtain the grace of a lively and constant faith, he failed not of addressing himself to Mary. He concluded all his instructions with the Salve Regina; he never undertook any thing but under her protection; and in all dangers, he had always recourse to the blessed Virgin as his patroness. For the rest, to shew that he depended on her, and made his glory of that dependence, he commonly wore a chaplet about his neck, to the end that Christians might take delight in seeing the chaplet; and made frequent use of it in the operation of his miracles.

When he passed whole nights at his devotions in churches, it was almost always before the image of the Virgin, and especially he offered his vows to her for the conversion of notorious sinners, and also for the remission of his own offences; as himself testifies in a letter of his, which shews not less his humility than his confidence in the intercession of the blessed Virgin: "I have taken the Queen of Heaven for my patroness, that, by her prayers I may obtain the pardon of my innumerable sins." He was particularly devoted to her immaculate conception, and made a vow to defend it to the utmost of his power.

In conversation he frequently spoke of the greatness of the blessed Mary, and attracted all men to her service. In fine, being just upon the point of drawing his last breath, he invoked her name with tender words, and besought her to shew herself his mother.

These are the principal virtues which were collected, to be presented to the Holy See. The archbishop of Goa, and all the bishops of India, seconded the designs of the king of Portugal, by acting on their side with the Pope, for the canonization of Xavier; but no one, in process of time, solicited with more splendour than the king of Bungo.

This prince, who was upon the point of being converted when Xavier left Japan, had no sooner lost the holy man, but he was regained by the Bonzas, and fell into all the disorders of which a Pagan can be capable. He confessed the Christian law to be the better; but said it was too rigorous, and that a young prince, as he was, born in the midst of pleasures, could not brook it. His luxury hindered him not from the love of arms, nor from being very brave; and he was so fortunate in war, that he reduced four or five kingdoms under his obedience. In the course of all his victories, the last words which Father Francis had said to him, concerning the vanity of the world, and the necessity of baptism, came into his remembrance: he made serious reflections on them, and was so deeply moved by them, that one day he appeared in public, with a chaplet about his neck, as it were to make an open profession of Christianity.

The effects were correspondent to the appearances: he had two idols in his palace of great value, which he worshipped every day, prostrating himself before them with his forehead touching the ground; these images he commanded to be thrown into the sea. After this, applying himself to the exercises of piety and penitence, he totally renounced his sensual pleasures, and was finally baptized by Father Cabira, of the Society of Jesus. At his baptism he took the name of Francis, in memory of the holy apostle Francis Xavier, whom he acknowledged for the Father of his soul, and whom he called by that title during the remainder of his life.

The king of Bungo had hitherto been so fortunate, that his prosperity passed into a proverb; but God was pleased to try him. Two months after his baptism, the most considerable of his subjects entering into a solemn league and covenant against him out of hatred to Christianity, and joining with his neighbouring princes, defeated him in a pitched battle, and despoiled him of all his estates. He endured his ill fortune with great constancy; and when he was upbraided by the Gentiles, that the change of his religion had been the cause of his ruin, he made a vow at the foot of the altar to live and die a Christian; adding, by a holy transport of zeal, that if all Japan, and all Europe, if the Father's of the Society, and the Pope himself, should renounce our Saviour Jesus Christ; yet, for his own particular, he would confess him to the last gasp; and be always ready, with God's assistance, to shed his blood, in testimony of his faith.

As the piety of this prince diminished nothing of his valour nor of his conduct, having gathered up the remainder of his troops, he restored himself by degrees, partly by force of arms, and partly by amicable ways of treaty. His principal care, after his re-establishment, was to banish idolatry out of his estates, and to restore the Catholic religion. His devotion led him to send a solemn embassy to Pope Gregory XIII. who at that time governed the church. Don Mancio, his ambassador, being arrived at Rome, with those of the king of Arima, and the prince of Omura, was not satisfied with bringing the obedience of the king, his master, to the vicar of Jesus Christ, by presenting him the letters of Don Francis, full of submission and respect to the Holy See; but he also petitioned him, in the name of his sovereign, to place the apostle of Japan amongst those saints whom the faithful honour; and declared to his Holiness, "That he could not do a greater favour to the king of Bungo."