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

by John Dryden

Being arrived at Ternate, he lodged by a chapel, which was near the Port, and which, for that reason, is called "Our Lady of the Port." He thought not of any long stay in that place, but only till the ship which was intended for Malacca should be ready to set out. The Christians, more glad of his return, because they had despaired of seeing him again, begged of him to continue longer with them, because Lent was drawing near; and that he must, however, stay all that holy time, in the island of Amboyna, for the proper season of navigation to Malacca. The captain of the fortress of Ternate, and the brotherhood of the Mercy, engaged themselves to have him conducted to Amboyna, before the setting out of the ships. So that Xavier could not deny those people, who made him such reasonable propositions; and who were so desirous to retain him, to the end they might profit by his presence, in order to the salvation of their souls.

He remained then almost three months in Ternate; hearing confessions day and night, preaching twice on holidays, according to his custom; in the morning to the Portuguese, in the afternoon to the islanders newly converted; catechising the children every day in the week, excepting Wednesday and Friday, which he set apart for the instruction of the Portuguese wives. For, seeing those women, who were either Mahometans or idolaters by birth, and had only received baptism in order to their marrying with the Portuguese, were not capable of profiting by the common sermons, for want of sufficient understanding in the mysteries and maxims of Christianity; he undertook to expound to them the articles of faith, the commandments, and other points of Christian morality. The time of Lent was passed in these exercises of piety, and penitence, which fitted them for the blessed sacrament at Easter. All people approached the holy table, and celebrated that feast with renewed fervour, which resembled the spirit of primitive Christianity.

But the chief employment of Father Xavier was to endeavour the conversion of the king of Ternate, commonly called king of the Moluccas. This Saracen prince, whose name was Cacil Aerio, was son to king Boleife, and his concubine, a Mahometan, and enemy to the Portuguese, whom Tristan d'Atayda, governor of Ternate, and predecessor of Antonio Galvan, caused to be thrown out of a window, to be revenged of her. This unworthy and cruel usage might well exasperate Cacil; but fearing their power, who had affronted him in the person of his mother, and having the violent death of his brothers before his eyes, he curbed his resentments, and broke not out into the least complaint. The Portuguese mistrusted this over-acted moderation, and affected silence; and according to the maxim of those politicians, who hold, that they who do the injury should never pardon, they used him afterwards as a rebel, and an enemy, upon very light conjectures, Jordan de Treitas, then governor of the fortress of Ternate. a man as rash and imprudent as Galvan was moderate and wise, seized the person of the prince, stript him of all the ornaments of royalty, and sent him prisoner to Goa, in the year 1546, with the Spanish fleet, of which we have formerly made mention.

The cause having been examined, in the sovereign tribunal of Goa, there was found nothing to condemn, but the injustice of Treitas: Cacil was declared innocent; and the new viceroy of the Indies, Don John de Castro, sent him back to Ternate, with orders to the Portuguese, to replace him on the throne, and pay him so much the more respect, by how much more they had injured him. As for Treitas, he lost his government, and being recalled to Goa, was imprisoned as a criminal of state.

The king of Ternate was newly restored, when Xavier came into the isle for the second time. King Tabarigia, son of Boleife, and brother to Cacil, had suffered the same ill fortune some years before. Being accused of felony, and having been acquitted at Goa, where he was prisoner, he was also sent back to his kingdom, with a splendid equipage; and the equity of the Christians so wrought upon him, that he became a convert before his departure.

Xavier was in hope, that the example of Tabarigia would make an impression on the soul of Cacil after his restoration, at least if any care were taken of instructing him; and the hopes or the saint seemed not at the first to be ill grounded. For the barbarian king received him with all civility, and was very affectionate to him, insomuch that he could not be without his company. He heard him speak of God whole hours together; and there was great appearance, that he would renounce the Mahometan religion.

But the sweet enchantments of the flesh are often an invincible obstacle to the grace of baptism. Besides a vast number of concubines, the king of Ternate had an hundred women in his palace, who retained the name and quality of wives. To confine himself to one, was somewhat too hard to be digested by him. And when the Father endeavoured to persuade him, that the law of God did absolutely command it; he reasoned on his side, according to the principles of his sect, and refined upon it in this manner: "The God of the Christians and of the Saracens is the same God; why then should the Christians be confined to one only wife, since God has permitted the Saracens to have so many?"

Yet sometimes he changed his language; and said, that he would not lose his soul, nor the friendship of Father Xavier, for so small a matter. But, in conclusion, not being able to contain himself within the bounds of Christian purity, nor to make the law of Jesus Christ agree with that of Mahomet, he continued fixed to his pleasures, and obstinate in his errors. Only he engaged his royal word, that in case the Portuguese would invest one of his sons in the kingdom of the Isles del Moro, he would on that condition receive baptism.

Father Xavier obtained from the viceroy of the Indies whatever the king of Ternate had desired; but the barbarian, far from keeping his promise, began from thenceforward a cruel persecution against his Christian subjects. And the first strokes of it fell on the Queen Neachile, who was dispossessed of all her lands, and reduced to live in extreme poverty during the remainder of her days. Her faith supported her in these new misfortunes; and Father Xavier, who had baptized her, gave her so well to understand how happy it was to lose all things and to gain Christ, that she continually gave thanks to God for the total overthrow of her fortune.

In the mean time, the labours of the saint were not wholly unprofitable in the court of Ternate. He converted many persons of the blood-royal; and, amongst others, two sisters of the prince, who preferred the quality of Christians, and spouses of Christ Jesus, before all earthly crowns; and chose rather to suffer the ill usage of their brother, than to forsake their faith.