"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.