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

by John Dryden

"Use particularly this method towards the governors, the treasurers, the receivers, and other officers belonging to the revenue. Whensoever they present themselves before you in the sacred tribunal, interrogate that sort of people, by what means they grow so rich? what secret they have to make their offices and employments bring them in such mighty sums? If they are shy of telling you, turn and wind them every way, and the most mildly that you can, make them speak, in spite of themselves. You shall soon discover their tricks, and secret ways of management, by which an inconsiderable number of those they call men of business, divert, to their own private advantages, what was designed for the public profit. They buy up commodities with the king's money, that, by selling them again, they may be able to make up their accounts: And by taking up all the commodities in the port, they put the people upon a necessity of buying at their price, that is, at most intolerable rates.

"Too often also, they make men languish at the treasury, with long delays, and cunning shifts, or some other captious trick; men, I say, to whom the exchequer is owing, that they may be driven to compound with those sharks of state for half their due, and let them go off with the other half. This open robbery, this manifest villainy, those gentlemen call, by a mollified name, 'the fruits of their industry.' When you have squeezed out of them the confession of these monopolies, and the like, by wire-drawing them, with apt questions, you will come more easily to the knowledge of their ungodly gains, and what they ought to make restitution of to their neighbour, in order to their being reconciled to God, than if in general you should interrogate them concerning their injustice. For example, demand of them, what persons they have wronged? they will immediately answer, that their memory upbraids them not with wronging any man; and behold the reason! Custom is to them in the place of law; and that which they see done before them every day, they persuade themselves may be practised without sin. As if custom can authorize, by I know not what kind of prescription, that which is vicious and criminal in its own nature. You shall admit of no such right, but shall declare to such people, that if they will secure their conscience, they must restore what they possess unjustly.

"Remember especially, to obey the vicar of the bishop. When you are arrived at Ormuz, you shall go to wait on him, and, falling on your knees before him, you shall humbly kiss his hand. You shall neither preach, nor exercise any other employment of our institute, without his permission; above all things, have no difference with him for any whatsoever cause; on the contrary, endeavour, by all submissions, and all possible services, to gain his friendship, in such sort, that he may be willing to be taught by you, to make the meditations of our spiritual exercises, at least those of the first week. Use almost the same method with all the other priests; if you cannot persuade them to retire for a month, according to our custom, engage them to a retreat of some few days, and fail not to visit them every day, during that recess, to explicate to them the subjects of those meditations.

"Pay a great respect to the person of the governor, and make it apparent, by the most profound submissions, how much you honour him. Beware of any difference with him, on whatsoever occasion, even though you should observe, that he performs not his duty in matters of importance; but after you perceive, that your demeanour has instated you in his favour and good graces, go boldly to visit him; and after you have testified the concernment you have for his safety and his honour, by a principle of good will to him, then declare, with all modesty and softness of expression, the sorrow you have to see his soul and reputation endangered, by what is reported of him in the world.

"Then you shall make known to him the discourse of the people; you shall desire him to reflect on the bad consequences of such reports; that they may possibly be put in writing, and go farther than he would willingly they should, if he bethinks him not in time of giving satisfaction to the public. Nevertheless, take not this upon you before you are in some sort satisfied of his good disposition, and that it appears probable to you that your advertisement may sort to good effect.

"Be yet more cautious in charging yourself with bearing to him the complaints of particular persons; and absolutely refuse that commission, by excusing yourself on your evangelical functions, which permit you not to frequent the palaces of the great, nor to attend whole days together for the favourable minutes of an audience, which is always difficult to obtain. You shall add, that when you should have the leisure to make your court, and that all the doors of the palace were open to you at all hours, you should have little hopes of any fruit from your remonstrances; and that if the governor be such a man as they report, he will have small regard to you, as being no way touched, either with the fear of God, or the duties of his own conscience.

"You shall employ, in the conversion of infidels, all the time you have free from your ordinary labours which indispensably regard Christians. Always prefer those employments which are of a larger extent to those which are more narrowly confined. According to that rule, you shall never omit a sermon in public, to hear a private confession; you shall not set aside the catechising, which is appointed every day, at a certain hour, to visit any particular person, or for any good work of the like nature. For the rest, an hour before catechism, either you or your companion shall go to the places of most concourse in the town, and invite all men, with a loud voice, to come and hear the exposition of the Christian doctrine.

"You shall write, from time to time, to the college of Goa, what functions you exercise for the advancement of God's glory, what order you keep there, and what blessing God gives on your endeavours. Have care that your relations be exact, and such that our Fathers at Goa may send them into Europe, as so many authentic proofs of what you perform in the East, and of what success it shall please God to bestow on the labours of our little Society. Let nothing slip into those accounts which may reasonably give offence to any man; nothing that may seem improbable; nothing which may not edify the reader, and give him occasion to magnify the name of God.

"When you are come to Ormuz, I am of opinion that you should see particularly those who are of greatest reputation for their probity, the most sincere, and who are most knowing in the manners of the town. From such, inform yourself exactly what vices are most reigning in it, what sorts of cheats; enter most into contracts, and societies of commerce, that so understanding all things thoroughly and truly, you may have your words and reasons in a readiness, to instruct and reprove those who, being guilty of covert usuries, false bargaining, and other wicked actions, so common in a place which is filled with such a concourse of different nations, shall treat with you in familiar conversation, or in sacramental confession.

"You shall walk the streets every night, and recommend the souls of the dead to the prayers of the living; but let those expressions which are used by you be proper to move the compassion of the faithful, and to imprint the thoughts of religion in the bottom of their souls. You shall also desire their prayers to God for such as are in mortal sin, that they may obtain the grace of coming out of so deplorable a condition.