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

by John Dryden

Though the Father was nothing doubtful of their constancy, yet he would fortify them by good discourses, before he left a town and kingdom where there was no farther hope of extending the Christian faith. For which reason he daily assembled them; where, having read some passages of scripture, translated into their own language, and suitable to the present condition of that infant church, he explained to them some one of the mysteries of our Saviour's life; and his auditors were so filled with the interior unctions of the Holy Spirit, that they interrupted his speech at every moment with their sighs and tears,

He had caused divers copies of his catechism to be taken for the use of the faithful Having augmented it by a more ample exposition of the creed, and added sundry spiritual instructions, with the life of our Saviour, which he entirely translated, he caused it to be printed in Japonese characters, that it might be spread through all the nation. At this time the two converted Bonzas, and two other baptized Japonians, undertook a voyage to the Indies, to behold with their own eyes, what the Father had told them, concerning the splendour of Christianity at Goa; I mean the multitude of Christians, the magnificence of the churches, and the beauty of the ecclesiastic ceremonies.

At length he departed from Cangoxima, at the beginning of September, in the year 1550, with Cozmo de Torrez, and John Fernandez, carrying on his back, according to his custom, all the necessary utensils for the sacrifice of the mass. Before his departure, he recommended the faithful to Paul de Sainte Foy. It is wonderful, that these new Christians, bereft of their pastors, should maintain themselves in the midst of Paganism, and amongst the persecuting Bonzas, and not one single man of them should be perverted from the faith. It happened, that even their exemplary lives so edified their countrymen, that they gained over many of the idolaters; insomuch, that in the process of some few years, the number of Christians was encreased to five hundred persons; and the king of Saxuma wrote to the viceroy of the Indies, to have some of the fathers of the Society, who should publish through all his territories a law so holy and so pure. The news which came, that the Portuguese vessels, which came lately to Japan, had taken their way to Firando, caused Xavier to go thither; and the ill intelligence betwixt the two princes, gave him hopes that the king of Firando would give him and his two companions a good reception.

They happened upon a fortress on their way, belonging to a prince called Ekandono, who was vassal to the king of Saxuma. It was situate on the height of a rock, and defended by ten great bastions. A solid wall encompassed it, with a wide and deep ditch cut through the middle of the rock. Nothing but fearful precipices on every side; and the fortress approachable by one only way, where a guard was placed both day and night. The inside of it was as pleasing as the outside was full of horror. A stately palace composed the body of the place, and in that palace were porticoes, galleries, halls, and chambers, of an admirable beauty; all was cut in the living stone, and wrought so curiously, that the works seemed to be cast within a mould, and not cut by the chizzel.

Some people of the castle, who were returning from Cangoxima, and who had there seen Xavier, invited him, by the way, to come and visit their lord; not doubting but Ekandono would be glad to see so famous a person.

Xavier, who sought all occasions of publishing the gospel, lost not that opportunity. The good reception which was made him, gave him the means of teaching immediately the true religion, and the ways of eternal life. The attendants of the prince, and soldiers of the garrison, who were present, were so moved, both by the sanctity which shone in the apostle's countenance, and by the truth which beamed out in all his words, that, after the clearing of their doubts, seventeen of them at once demanded baptism; and the Father christened them in presence of the Tono, (so the Japonese call the lord or prince of any particular place) The rest of them were possessed with the same desire, and had received the same favour, if Ekandono had not opposed it by reason of state, and contrary to his own inclinations, for fear of some ill consequences from the king of Saxuma; for in his heart he acknowledged Jesus Christ, and permitted Xavier privately to baptize his wife and his eldest son. For the rest, he promised to receive baptism, and to declare himself a Christian, when his sovereign should be favourable to the law of God.

The steward of Ekandono's household was one who embraced the faith. He was a man stepped into years, and of great prudence. Xavier committed the new Christians to his care, and put into his hands the form of baptism in writing, the exposition of the creed, the epitome of our Saviour's life, the seven penitential psalms, the litanies of the saints, and a table of saints' days as they are celebrated in the church. He himself set apart a place in the palace proper for the assemblies of the faithful; and appointed the steward to call together as many of the Pagans as he could, to read both to the one and the other sort some part of the Christian doctrine every Sunday, to cause the penitential psalms to be sung on every Friday, and the litanies every day The steward punctually performed his orders; and those seeds of piety grew up so fast, that some few years after, Louis Almeyda found above an hundred Christians in the fortress of Ekandono. all of an orderly and innocent conversation; modest in their behaviour, assiduous in prayer, charitable to each other, severe to themselves, and enemies to their bodies; insomuch that the place had more resemblance to a religious house, than to a garrison. The Tono, though still an idolater, was present at the assemblies of the Christians, and permitted two little children of his to be baptized.

One of these new converts composed elegantly, in his tongue, the history of the redemption of mankind, from the fall of Adam to the coming down of the Holy Ghost The same man being once interrogated, what answer he would return the king, in case he should command him to renounce his faith? "I would boldly answer him," said he, "in this manner: 'Sir, you are desirous, I am certain, that, being born your subject, I should be faithful to you; you would have me ready to hazard my life in your interests, and to die for your service; yet, farther, you would have me moderate with my equals, gentle to my inferiors, obedient to my superiors, equitable towards all; and, for these reasons, command me still to be a Christian, for a Christian is obliged to be all this. But if you forbid me the profession of Christianity, I shall become, at the same time, violent, hard-hearted, insolent, rebellious, unjust, wicked; and I camiot answer for myself, that I shall be other."

As to what remains, Xavier, when he took leave of the old steward, whom he constituted superior of the rest, left him a discipline, which himself had used formerly. The old man kept it religiously as a relique, and would not that the Christians in the assemblies, where they chastised themselves, should make a common use of it. At the most, he suffered not any of them to give themselves above two or three strokes with it, so fearful he was of wearing it out; and he told them, that they ought to make use of it the less in chastising their flesh, that it might remain for the preservation of their health. And indeed it was that instrument which God commonly employed for the cures of sick persons in the castle. The wife of Ekandono being in the convulsions of death, was instantly restored to health, after they had made the sign of the cross over her, with the discipline of the saint.

Xavier, at his departure, made a present to the same lady of a little book, wherein the litanies of the saints, and some catholic prayers, were written with his own hand. This also in following times was a fountain of miraculous cures, not only to the Christians, but also the idolaters; and the Tono himself, in the height of a mortal sickness, recovered his health on the instant that the book was applied to him by his wife. So that the people of the fortress said, that their prince was raised to life, and that it could not be performed by human means.