LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
FREE ADAPTAION OF TEIXEIRA
VALIGNANO AND OTHERS
IGNACIO ARELLANO
LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
FREE ADAPTAION OF TEIXEIRA,
VALIGNANO AND OTHERS
IGNACIO ARELLANO
TRANSLATION BY
APARAJIT CHATTOPADHYAY
Life and Adventures of St Francis Xavier: English translation
of abridged version of Vida y aventuras de San Francisco Javier,
original in Spanish written by Ignacio Arellano and published by
Fundación Diario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
First edition: December, 2006
Collaboration of Fundación Diario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
is gratefully acknowledged.
Published by:
C B Processor & Publishers
D - 6 1 8 , C R Park
New Delhi - 110019
(India)
Price: 100 Rupees
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
(1506-1552)
INDEX
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
INTRODUCTION
LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF S T FRANCIS XAVIER
• His land and his family:
Formation
• With Ignatius in Paris
• Resistance by Xavier
• Conversion
• Pilgrimmages: to Venice
• To Rome
• It isn't possible to go to Jerusalem
• In Bologna
• In Rome, 1538
• Formation of the Society
• Xavier embarks for India
• Departure from Mozambique for India
• In Goa
• Customs of East Indians
• Moors and Pagans
• How they dress
• Houses: Palm Tree
• Rice
• Courtesies, ceremonies, vices and virtues
• Castes
• Sciences and arts
• Religion of the Indians. The Brahmins
• City of Goa
• Goa as found by Father Francis
• Charity and humility of Francis in Goa
• Chant of the doctrine
• In Goa again
• Portrait of Father Francis
• Preperations for going from India to China
• Problems in Malacca
• Sickness and death of Father Francis
• Body Exhumed in Malacca and taken to Goa
• Solemn reception in Goa
• Testimony of un-corruption of the body of Father Francis
• Holiness
Final note
Translator's note
When I visited Navarra, the birth place of St. Francis Xavier
in Spain in October, 2005 I came across a copy of Vida y aventuras
de San Francisco Javier written by Prof. Ignacio Arellano, one of
the most renowned scholars of Spanish literature. I was fascinated
by this biography which I found was different from traditional way
of portraying a religious figure and that too of the stature of St.
Francis Xavier. Free adaptation of texts from two of his existing
biographies and imaginative use of the correspondence of the Saint
has created altogether a new style in biography writing.
The story of the Saint's journeys is an epic of adventure. I
have mainly concentrated on those portions which have reference
to India. While doing it I have followed the style of the original
Spanish text. My sincere thanks to Prof. Arellano for his help and
assistance.
rd
Delhi, December 3 , 2006
Aparajit Chattopadhyay
1
INTRODUCTION
La Vida del bienaventurado padre Francisco Javier (The Life of
blessed Father Francis Xavier), by Manuel Teixeira is the first
specific biography of the Saint. Its author knew personally the
protagonist of his narration. These two circumstances provide
the narration of Teixeira an extraordinary interest as a biographical
source and as a repertory of letters of St. Francis, which is
reproduced abundantly in his work.
Manual Teixeira was born in 1536 in Miranda do Douro, Portugal
and died on March 19 , 1590 in Goa. Towards 1551, still novitiate,
he arrived in India, where he knew personally St. Francis, who in
a letter refers to him as "The child Teixeira".
th
From Rome he received the order for preparing a biography of
St. Francis Xavier, which he wrote in India in 1579, submitting it
in 1580 to Father Mercuriano, General of the Society. He added
two more chapters in 1581.
In the prologue of his work he reasons out his venture:
Because the Lord has already taken away for him almost all belonging to the
Society of Jesus who in these parts of India knew and conversed with the
blessed Father teacher Francis Xavier, first Provincial of the Society, and for
remaining those who knew him except the one who writes this, whose life will
last little, which is miserable and short, it appeared that it would be a service to
Our Lord and consolation of many specially of the Society who desired and
requested, not to let go from memory everything about such a magnificent and
holy man, apart from writing some things which we knew in his life time and
remained written about him.
In 1584 he sent a letter to Ribadeneira correcting him some data
3
on Xavier which he had published in the first Spanish edition oí
the life of St. Ignatius, with a clear keenness for historical rigour
He wrote the biography in Portuguese and it was translated inte
Italian and Spanish. The Spanish version is abbreviated and copies
of it remain in Spain and in the National library of Mexico.
Schurhammer studies the different versions of the manuscript and
of the copies that were made of this work and the path traversed
till being published in Monumenta Xaveriana / / i n 1912. The
German Jesuit resumes the value of the Vida by Teixeira in the
following manner:
For Europe, Teixeira follows the life of Ignatius de Ribadeneira, as he himself
says, but he also had the oral testimonies by the secretary Mascarenhas on
travel of Xavier to Portugal. For Japan he refers to the edition of the Letters of
Alcalá of 1575 and to the letters of Xavier and to an Itinerary, now lost, which
was sent to him by Juan Fernandez in 1563. On his trip to China and the death
of Xavier, apart from oral testimonies of Xavier, of Perez, of the Japanese
Bernardo, of the pilot of Xavier in his voyage to Ceylon and whom Xavier
converted, of the missionaries of the Fishery Coast and others. One important
source for him was the processes of Canonization of 1556-1557, and also the
letters of Xavier. The latter ones he jumbled up in his text, though retouching
or distorting them at times.
Being one of the first ones, the data and the features which it
contributes to the saint were fundamental in the formation of the
image which has reached us. Turselino, Luis Guzman, Lucena
and others repeat Teixeira.
The most known edition of the Castilian version is the one
appearing in Monumenta Histórica Societatis Jesus, Monumenta
Xaveriana, Madrid 1912, pages 815-918.
Father Guillermo Furlong prologues in 1945 an edition which is
4
presented as Vida del bienaventurado padre Francisco Javier, by
Manuel Teixeira, published in Buenos Aires by the Grupo de
Editoriales Católicas. In reality the work which is edited in this
volume is not that of Teixeira, but the first part of Historia del
principio y progreso de la Compañía de Jesús en las Indias
orientales (History of origin and progress of the Society of Jesus
in East Indies) by Father Valignano.
Alessando Valignano was born in 1539 in Chieti, kingdom of
Naples. In 1566, in presence of the Head, St. Francis de Borja, and
Father Pedro Ribadeneira entered into the novitiate of the Society
in Rome, where he professed priesthood in 1570. Four years later
he left for India, Malacca and Japan, where he held the post of
visitor. He died in Macao (China) in 1606. In his capacity as visitor
to East Indies he knew the territories of India and Japan. The last
Spanish text of the report Sumario de las cosas de la India (Resume
of the things of India) is of 1583. His Adiciones al sumario
(Additions to the Resume) correspond to 1592, and the Principio y
progreso de la religión cristiana en Japón (Origin and progress of
Christian religion in Japan) corresponds to 1601 - 1603.
During his travel to India he was carrying the responsibility of
collecting news and profiles about the life of St. Francis Xavier.
He could know the companions of the saint such as father Francis
Perez y Henriques; in 1577 he travels through Bassein
accompanied by Father Manuel Teixeira. He handed over the
entire compiled material to the latter so that he could prepare a
book which he, it was thought, would write on his return. Teixeira
was his collaborator till his death in 1590.
The part which Valignano dedicates to the life of St. Francis
coincides with some passages by Teixeira, and distances in others.
5
It is not possible to know whether Valignano follows Teixeira, or
the latter Valignano, or both are handling common materials.
The text of Teixeira was published by Father Ramon Gavina, in
Bilbao, and by El Siglo de las Misiones publishers, in 1951.
Gavina restored the texts of the letters of St. Francis which were
eliminated in the edition of Monumenta
Xaveriana
for
abbreviating it (including in other volumes of Monumenta where
it had been published), and moreover, the texts of the letters which
reintegrate are the criticisms of the edition by R Schurhammer
and Wicki.
At the time of preparing a brief biography of St. Francis, for this
"Biblioteca Javeriana"' (Xaverian Library) it seemed to me that it
would be interesting to rescue the Vida by Teixeira for the said
reasons, but without being involved in this case in a task of a
more or less critical edition, of a text that, on the other hand, is
preserved only in a translation of faithfulness impossible to certify.
Placed in the above mentioned crossroads I decided to take upon
myself, the authority of adapting or recasting Teixeira's work,
which I have used as a connecting thread, but from which I have
distanced myself whenever I thought pertinent, inserting other
materials of different narrations, new things by Father Valignano,
for example, or by changing some fragments of letters of
St. Francis by others, by abbreviating some portions and making,
at last, a totally free biography, managing in each case the materials
which have come to my thoughts, technique, on the other hand,
which is very similar to the one put in practice by the biographers
of that time, such as Turselino and others, who use Teixeira with
full liberty, or recycle previous lives in successive recastings.
6
I. Palomino. XVIIIth Century. National Library. Madrid
7
So this book which is in the hands of the reader is not exactly the
Vida by Teixeira, nor the first part of the Historia by Valignano,
nor any other biography.
This Vida y aventuras de San Francisco Javier (Life and
adventures of San Francis Xavier) is a pastiche, a mosaic of texts,
which mainly follows Teixeira, from the editions of Monumenta
and Gavina, but which introduces passages from Valignano,
Turselino and other documents. I abbreviate, rewrite, record, select
... compose, finally, do very free paraphrase, in which the main
events of St. Francis's life are collected, and the narrative person
of "Teixeira" is maintained and his general style - which is very
clear -, but in which I take all types of liberty. That is why, it is
not a critical edition of any text, neither it concerns itself too
much about the bibliographical precision; I am maintaining some
references of dates because a biography without chronological
landmarks would not have necessary ordering, but I do not take
pain in discussing the debatable places in some sources which I
use at my will. I have kept long passages from Teixeira, Valignano,
or letters of St. Francis, but in many other places I have distanced
myself from the original writings of those sources, proposing my
own paraphrase.
My objective is, in short, to sketch, with due modesty, an elemental
biography, rescuing in certain manner the first of the biographies
of the Saint, and trying a text of bearable interest and of fidelity
essential to the documented events.
The main things of this Vida y Aventuras de San Francisco are
not mine; but mine are the modifications which I have introduced
in the mentioned testimonies. I am stating it here so that none is
disoriented.
Mutilva Alta, May, 2005
8
LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
His land and his family:
Formation
The blessed Father Francis Xavier, of the Society of Jesus, was a
Spaniard, was a native of Navarre, son of noble parents, of the
families of the Azpilcuetas and Javiers, courageous people of those
lands. In his earthly life, before professing in the Society of Jesus,
his name was Francis Azpilcueta Javier.
As a child, he learnt the first letters in the house of his parents
and later they sent him to France so that he could study in the
famous University of Paris, where Our Lord called him and chose
for Him.
He was one of the first who met our blessed Father Ignatius of
Loyola, of holy memory, founder of the Society of Jesus, who too
was studying in the University of Paris, where he was trying to
unite a group of companions for service of God.
Father Francis progressed in the study of philosophy, in which he
was so good that later on he dedicated himself for teaching it for
some time.
He lived in the Santa Barbara School; and was the study mate as
well as the inn-mate of the blessed teacher Peter Favre, the first
follower of our Father Ignatius and his disciple in science and
divine philosophy, although in the lessons of natural and human
philosophy, he was his teacher.
9
With Ignatius in Paris
The two friends welcomed our Father Ignatius in their group, and
he, on seeing the good conditions which they had for serving
Our Lord, made friendship with them and started talking about
the divine things as well as of the salvation of their souls.
First he persuaded them to examine their consciences everyday,
and after which they should make a general confession of the
entire past life, with other exercises of virtue, carrying them
gradually, according to the disposition which each one of them
was having.
He continued in this manner for a period of four years, and by
sensing a better disposition in Father Favre and a greater
inclination towards the inner things, he gave him the spiritual
exercises of the Society, with which Favre devoted himself entirely
to the service of God and towards the salvation of the souls.
Resistance by Xavier
Father Francis was more tough and difficult, because although
he admired the friendship of Ignatius a lot, he did not decide
completely to change the projects which he had to do for the
worldly life and thus felt inclination towards honour and vanity,
according to some who knew him very closely at that time.
But finally he could not bear the strength of the Holy Spirit which
through his servant Ignatius was talking to him, and surrendered
everything to his service and salvation of the souls completely in
such a manner that he was always one of those who was
distinguished more, as will be found in the story of his life.
10
On a certain day when Xavier was more proud and was wearing
more ornamented dress, he took him alone in the same dormitory
and before a crucifix with the gospel open in the hand told him
this evangelical maxim: Xavier, what's the use of winning the
whole world for a person if he loses his soul? At this moment, the
spirit of Xavier got illuminated.
Conversion
Converted, thus, Father Francis, still continuing with his studies,
decided to dedicate himself to the Lord; and thus, on the day of
the Asuncion of the Virgen Santisima Nuestra Señora of the year
1534, in the same Church of Santa Maria del Monte de los
Mártires, near Paris, he confessed and received communion
together with the rest of the companions (who at this point of
time were seven), and all took a vow, that on finishing their studies
they would leave everything for devoting themselves totally to
God and his service, and to the salvation of the souls of the
neighbours.
They thought of going to preach in Jerusalem to the infidels before
the passing of a year, and if they could not comply with this
objective, they would all return back to Rome and prostrating at
the feet of the Pope they would surrender themselves in his hands,
so that His Holiness might employ them in the service of Our
Lord.
Francis and the rest of the companions used to renew this vow
every year until they finished their studies, keeping themselves
with love and charity during those years, taking up prayer and
penance and frequenting the sacraments of the confession and
communion, practicing holy conversations, according to the
11
instructions which the Father Ignatius had left with them when
he returned to Spain to cure his diseases.
Pilgrimages: to Venice
th
Once that Father Francis finished his studies on October 15 ,
1537, he parted with his companions, who were already nine by
this time, from Paris for Venice, where Ignatius had called them,
with the intention of embarking for Jerusalem to comply with
their vow and religious procession.
All went walking, with poor clothing, loaded with their books on
their back, with abject poverty, since they had vowed already for
the same.
Those who were not priests were confessing and receiving
communion everyday, and those who were, were offering mass.
On their way they kept on praying and chanting hymns and psalms
to the Lord talking of his things and meditating in them.When
they reached an inn the first thing that they did was to pray
mentally for a while, by giving thanks to the Lord for the charity
received, and repeated the same while they left the inn.
They didn't eat in excess other than sustaining on the spiritual
conversations, and therefore although they didn't have any
experience of this way of walking and the weather was very bad,
with strong rainfall in France and chilling snowfall through
Germany, yet, they could make their way through all these with
immense gaiety, trying to pass over huge spiritual charities to the
villages through which they passed; since their conversation was
virtuous, their examples saintly and their talks of Godly things,
and therefore, they always won over some souls in favour of the
12
Lord, some of heretics and others of Catholics who were living
without performing their duties.
They passed through a lot of danger amidst the German Lutheran
heretics, but they didn't do them any harm; on the contrary, the
same heretics guided them and showed them their way and helped
them with their necessities. Including some converted themselves
to the Holy Church, which seemed to be the sign of great
achievement which the Society had to obtain later on for our Lord
among fidels and infidels, and amongst heretics and Catholics.
And thus it is said that on the first day when these companions
left Paris, they asked a farmer for others who were seen walking
going in that manner, what kind of people were they and where
did they go, and he replied back to them in French, as if the Lord
might have inspired him by a prophecy:
- They are going to reform some land.
They and those would follow them in the Society had to do certain
prediction for the big reformation and result for all parts of the
world.
th
Father Francis arrived at Venice on January 8 , 1537, where Father
Ignatius, who had come from Spain, was present, and they were
waiting for some days, for going to Jerusalem, with two other
companions, who together added upto twelve.
Since it was still not the time for embarking, they decided to
leave their studies for helping the neighbours, and they spread
themselves through the hospitals of that city, serving the patients
with such charity that till now the good fame of this work exists.
13
The Father teacher Francis who did admirable things,
distinguished himself here in a very special way: one day for
overcoming the natural repugnance that he felt while curing the
wounds of a patient, with notable victory over himself, went on
to lick the pus. It was the action which showed his tormentation
and charity with the patients and which served him for educating
himself in self control and strength that he was going to need in
future.
In the middle of the Lent of the year 1537, and before their
projected departure for Jerusalem, they all headed towards Rome,
where they wanted to take the benediction and permission from
His Holiness.
To Rome
Their manner of walking through this path was like in the past,
on foot, with poor clothing, carrying their books on their backs,
confessing and receiving the communion everyday.
They fasted, for being Lent, eating only what was given to them
as alms, and which was sometimes so little, that not even the
bread and water were not enough for their sustenance. Some days,
they had to walk thirty miles with just one piece of bread, and
bare feet, under rain, crossing rivers, which reached chest-high
for them.
Another extraordinary thing occurred with one of the companions
who had legs full of scabies, and who, while crossing one of those
streams, got cured of it.
When they reached Rome they appeared before the Pope, who at
14
that time was Paul III, who received them with lots of love and
wanted them to eat with him on that day and converse about
theology, being very satisfied. Dealing with their attempt to go
to Jerusalem and their objectives, which seemed very well to
him, and he gave them his benediction and permission, besides
the alms for the road.
With this permission Father Francis went back with rest of his
companions for Venice, where they again spread themselves
through the hospitals like before, waiting for the time of departure
for Jerusalem.
It isn't possible to go to Jerusalem
But God had other intentions, and though every year usually there
used to be ships for the pilgrims who went to the Holy Land, that
very year there wasn't any due to the war between the Turks and
the Venetians, as a result of which they were left with no being
able to go to Jerusalem.
They continued in the hospitals till the end of June of that 1537,
in which Francis was ordained priest on the day of St. John the
Baptist.
After receiving the orders , and seeing that they could not go over
to Jerusalem that year, and much work in the hospitals was not
giving him time even for offering the first mass, he decided with
other companions to leave for Venice for living isolated at places
nearby from the city, and he settled with Father Salmeron in a
place called Monte Celso.
There they devoted themselves during forty days to prayer,
15
meditation and contemplation of divine things and reading of
sacred books. All the time except the time they were spending on
asking for alms for feeding themselves, which was twice a day.
Many a time they could eat a piece of loaf (when they had oil and
something to spread over the loaf, for them it was a banquet).
They slept on the floor, in a type of thatched houses. It is said that
the house of Father Ignatius was an old, half ruined, without the
support of any door or window, exposed to rain and air, the roof
covered with straw which they collected in the field.
When they spent these forty days of penance and prayer, all of
them thought of going out to preach in the squares and streets
and without knowing one another, they went out to preach through
different parts on the same day and hour.
They were shouting, calling everybody to hear the word of God,
asking for with the religious robe in the hand and when the people
gathered with curiosity, they preached them the evil of sin and of
goodness of virtue, of disdain of the world, of the fear and love of
the Lord and of the pain which one had to have for committing
sins.
They were teaching in Tuscan language and mixed with different
languages, for not knowing even well the Italian language, and
also for avoiding the vanity of the words and for humility.
But nothing affected the crudeness of their language, as it was
Lord who was speaking through them, and for that they were
creating marvelous things in the souls of the listeners.
After having offered the first mass Father Francis with much
16
devotion, went to meet Father Ignatius, who was in Vicence, and
seeing that his trip to Jerusalem was not possible, they decided to
spread over the universities of Italy, for preaching in them and
mainly to see if Our Lord moved some students in those
universities to follow their path of the Lord and spread it over
Europe as they could not go to the Holy Land.
In Bologna
In this division Father Francis and father Nicolas were assigned
to the University of Bologna. In which they worked so much and
so well in the service of Our Lord that till today lasts the fame left
by them.
Even Father Francis being very sick, yet after having offered his
early morning prayer and his mass, whatever time was left he
spent on the health of the souls of the neighbours, preaching and
confessing, visiting and serving in the hospitals and jails, and
teaching the doctrines to the children and to the ignorant persons.
The two companions of Bologna had made a pact of obeying one
another in alternate weeks and he who obeyed had the task of
calling people, to the square for the sermon. And when he had
collected people, he would ask for a bench on loan and put it in
the middle of the square and then the one who was superior that
week appeared, climbed over the bench and preached to the
people.
The number of persons attending the sermon in this new way
was big, the result was great which the Lord was doing for them
and the alms were bigger which were offered to them; nothing
used to remain, as all of them shared it with the poor and later
17
on they were asking for alms from door to door for themselves.
If they saw that somebody was impressed by the sermons, by
talking to him separately, they taught him as to what more was
necessary for his salvation.
From that little beginning and departure the name of the
companions and of the Society started getting publicity more and
more in Italy and in its universities, and its great charity and
conscientiousness with the souls.
In Rome, 1538
In the middle of the Lent in the year 1538, Father Francis with
other companions joined Father Ignatius in Rome, so that the
Lord could order them.
They lived then in a poor house which was in a vineyard, where a
devoted man gave them shelter, and they spent their life with
much poverty, begging for love of God everyday what they needed
to sustain themselves.
Between the two Easters they spread themselves to preach in
Rome Father Francis was going with Father Favre and converted
many with their words and examples, persuading to frequent the
sacraments, holy custom which the people had forgotten for many
years.
In this time they lost all hopes to go over to Jerusalem, and seeing
the Pope the result which they produced in Rome and what they
had done in the Italian universities, and the great love which all
had for them, thought it would be wise to send some of them to
18
different parts in useful missions for divine service and good of
the Church.
Father Ignatius saw then that it was necessary for them to part,
and spread over different parts of the world, and started thinking
that it would be good to form some kind of congregation and
society which might not end with them, but would be long lasting.
They all agreed that it was important for great service to God and
devoted time to pray, meditate, do penance, increasing a lot
sacrifices and prayers for this intention; and thus doing this way
and working days together helping the neighbours, and thinking
at nights in the projects of the society, they were studying the
details which would be of use to this congregation, in which many
things had to be decided, as were things of obedience, poverty
and punishment, or schools and houses, all that was necessary
for achieving the objectives which they were intending.
Formation of the Society
And thus they kept on doing the essential part of the Society and
the congregation which we see now; and trying to give a name
Father Ignatius requested everybody that he be permitted to put
the name which the Lord would inspire him; and as everybody
agreed, he named it the Society of Jesus, a similarity with the
companies of soldiers, who many times were called by the name
of their captains.
Because these first companions were soldiers in the spiritual war
of the Lord, and thus he wanted to put the name of the captain
whom they followed: Jesus Christ Our Lord, all those who entered
in this Society had or have to follow.
19
In this first congregation Father Francis was present in Rome
with other companions.
Ordained thus the Society, and before the Pope had confirmed it,
the fame of its virtue spread over many parts of the Christian
world, from where they were called, in a manner the fame reached
the kingdom of Portugal.
Xavier embarks for India
Father Francis embarked for India, with his two companions on
April 7 , 1541 along with Governor Martin Alonso de Sosa, who
then was coming by order of the king to govern this state of India,
with a lot of gaiety of everybody, and a greater console for him
for going to a place where he wished to go so much, and leaving
a place where he was scared to remain.
th
Once the voyage started, he and his companions started exercising
great charity with all those aboard the ship, specially with the
sick, having great care and diligence with them, thus in the spiritual
cure of their souls, as well as in the health of their bodies: with
his own hand he was giving them enemas and he was cleaning
the chamber pots with his own hands.
In this voyage Father Francis and his companions got very good
opportunities to show examples of patience and charity which
they had.
There cannot be worse conditions than those of the ships, in so
much of narrow and uncomfortable place and with so much of
difficulties for curing the sick, as everything becomes worse than
in the hospitals, lacking the most necessary, and specially in the
20
zone between the two tropics, where the diseases are greater and
the deaths more frequent due to terrible heat.
Without making efforts it is difficult to live in those conditions,
and for that serving in that hour, with so much of hardship of
such a big number of sufferers, is an unbearable task, but the
charity was very powerful than all these difficulties.
With the healthy people he also practiced charity, confessing them
and teaching them, bringing peace in discord, reprimanding the
swearings and bad expressions, serving everybody; and more than
anything, he used to teach them with his life, with his secluded
life and prayer, which he had and he was over burdened with
these tasks.
He used to show such nicety, which in little time won him
friendship of everybody, particularly of Mr. Governor, who had
special love for him, both because the king had commended it to
him and for the works and virtue which he saw him doing on the
ship. He spent this entire trip with the companion with much
poverty, for whom he had so much affection, that though the king
had ordered to give him whatever was necessary, he never wanted
to live without alms which the Governor and others in the ship
were giving him, for him and for the sick, with whom he spent
almost whatever he used to have.
He ate only the essential for sustenance of nature, and body forces,
that much necessary for the service of God; as his life was a
perpetual pilgrimage full of work, he ate whatever was given to
him.
21
Departure from Mozambique for India
Finally, the convenient time arrived for departure from
Mozambique for India. Governor Martin Alonso de Sosa, in whose
company he was coming, wished to reach India before everybody,
and embarked the commercial ship for India, which used to leave
every year from that fort some days before the other ship was
coming from Portugal.
Father Francis was also in a hurry for reaching his destination,
and left his two companions in the hospital so that they could
come later on in the Royal ships and left Mozambique, leaving
the entire population very sad in his absence, because all had
developed great love for him.
This departure was in April of 1542 and within few days the ship
reached the island of Socotora, which is in the mouth of the Strait
of Mecca or Red sea, where they found some Christians, who are
from the time of blessed apostle St. Thomas, with some temples
in their style.
With this the Father was very happy and encouraging them in the
best way he could and taking leave of them with the intention of
helping them as much as he could, and he did it later on by writing
to the King of Portugal, John the Third, requesting him to send
his armadas to liberate them from a Moor who was a tyrant for
them, which the king did after some time.
In Goa
h
They left Socotora and reached Goa on May 6' , 1542, blessed
day for the city and for all those parts of India, where God created
22
so many wonders through intercession of Xavier, which we shall
see later in more details, when we shall deal with the things relating
to Father Francis's stay in India, where by the divine kindness we
saw him, knew him and conversed with him, alive and dead, and
we know more in particular about him.
Customs of East Indians
This name of India corresponds exactly only to the coast which
runs from the city of God till Cape Comorin, which are around
two hundred and fifty leagues and only includes some kingdoms
of Malabar and others very little, up to Cambay.
But considering this name of India as ordinarily is considered in
Europe, includes India of so much diversity of provinces and
kingdoms, which one cannot understand without moving through
them, because it is extended to infinite amount of territory. It
reaches up to Persia and Ethiopia on one side, and on the other
side it includes the kingdoms of Bisnaga, Pegu, of Bengal and of
Siam, and passes to Malacca and Moluccas, and reaches up to
China and Japan which is infinite thing.
There are innumerable provinces and kingdoms in these parts,
some of white people, others of copper colour, and others darker,
and there is a great distance between one and the other, and a
great difference in the climate, qualities and customs which would
be infinite things to deal with: and although it is of pleasure and
curiosity it doesn't pertain to our history.
Moreover, because we shall deal with some other kingdoms in
due course for which the Society was expanding by trying to
convert the people, now we shall only tell about the qualities and
23
customs of those who live in the Indian coast.
This region is inhabited by people of yellowish shade, and is a
fertile, habitable and comfortable land. That entire coast is divided
into several kingdoms of different nations and different languages
in a way that one does not understand the other, and is governed
by Pagan and Moor kings; the Pagans rule the territory which is
in the south of Goa, and the Moors in the North, though they live
mixed in some places.
Moors and Pagans
Between the Moors and Pagans there is a lot of difference not
only regarding religion, but also in their customs and lifestyle.
As the Moors came from outside, from Mecca or Persia (though
later on many natives from India took to their sects), we are not
going to deal with them now - they have the customs and
ceremonies common to the other Moors - we shall talk about the
Pagans and natives of India.
These people are half naked, and the Portuguese and the other
Europeans consider them very badly and consider them as
worthless, and it is true that they seem to be of little delicacy, and
are generally poor and miserable, so that for any profit they can
do a lot of despicable act.
But they have a different idea about themselves, they consider
themselves as noble and clean people; and when they wish to
eulogize those from Europe a lot, they say that they resemble
them. Between them there are very powerful kingss and nobles
having money and manpower, who are able to gather in a little
24
time very huge army of sixty and hundred thousand men of war.
In the Eastern part there are big noblemen, having five or eight
hundred thousand men, and of a million and more, with a lot of
cavalry and elephants, and armed with spears, swords and shields,
bows and arrows; and though the Portuguese came to India later
on, in many parts they make very crude artillery and a great number
of guns, and gun powder and other ammunitions necessary for
them.
Under these kings there are other different nobles, who command
a lot of authority, similar to Counts and Dukes of Europe, though
they are called by different names; they have plenty of land and
men at their command, and they can kill and do anything with
their subjects, as they are very feared and respected.
Very often they are tyrants, as they do not have law nor conscience
which prevent them from snatching away from their subjects
anything that they wish, they are very rich and the subjects very
poor.
How they dress
The nobles dress as other men and women, all half naked, with
uncovered heads and barefoot, covering with some white cloth
or painted from the waist up to the knee, leaving other portions
uncovered; though some persons, specially those living among
the Moors, are dressed with robes of white cotton or the entire
body painted.
But either because of heat, or it is customary in these parts of the
East, even those who are dressed more are not bothered about
taking them out and leave most parts of the body uncovered.
25
C. Klauber, XVIIIth Century, University of Navarra, Ancient collection
26
Men and women in this coast of India are used to wear gold,
silver or brass rings in ears conforming to the category of the
person; and women wear some rings which hang from their noses,
and bracelets of gold or brass around their wrists, and many wear
large rings around their feet, and a lot of rings in their fingers.
Men keep long hair, which they tie on the top of the head, and if
they shave they leave a lock as a bunch of hair.
In the South of Goa, the Malabarese people, be men or women,
keep their ears reaching almost their shoulders, as they make a
hole in the lowest part, and keep on widening gradually the hole
till it becomes very big and hanging, and this they consider as
symbol of great honour.
Houses : Palm Tree
Their houses are low, of only one floor, covered with palm leaves,
which is the most beneficial tree that is found in the world for
service to men, because they make wine, vinegar and oil, and a
type of sugar from it. It gives one type of fruit which they eat
fresh and dry, and use its milk or juice for most part of the food;
they make cords, thick ropes and mats, very good for sails of
their boats; they cover the roof of their houses with their leaves.
The same leaves serve for writing, on which they write with pens
made of iron, and by boiling them later on with a cord they are
put together and make their books this way.
Rice
The most common food in the entire East is rice, which is a
substitute of wheat, as if it were bread, with which they eat other
dishes, be it meat, vegetables or fish.
27
Courtesies, ceremonies, vices and virtues
They are well brought up people, though their courtesies and
ceremonies are different from those used in Europe. Those seem
to be discourteous for the oppositeness of customs, but they use a
lot of courtesy among themselves in their own manner, and respect
it much better than ours.
They give great importance to things which they consider as their
honour, but the honour of women does not matter them.
Their conscience is spoiled because of the bad life they lead, the
natural light and the remorse of conscience seem to be subdued
in them. In spite of that these noblemen govern in such a manner
that only they are tyrants and thieves, do not permit others to be
so, so that they can live among themselves peacefully.
Castes
They are divided by their castes or families in the most strange
manner of the world; not only they are divided in tribes, as were
the children of Israel, but also having other divisions and
ceremonies with their degrees and categories, and a caste is greater
and of more dignity than the other, up to the most vile and the
lowest people of the land.
Neither one caste can marry with the other nor can have
relationship; one cannot touch the other, nor eat together, nor stay
in the same place, nor some can enter in the houses of the others,
specially where there is lot of difference between the castes.
They have for this reason a very strange way of communicating,
28
that some castes cannot pass through the streets in the same time
when others are passing, but they have to keep distance and escape,
leaving space for the most noble ones, with so many ceremonies
and superstitions which is a frightening thing.
It is wonderful to know that how little children can know about
this sort of ceremonies; the ones they perform without fail, because
apart from being castigated severely by their kings, they may be
whipped and injured by those whom they did not show due
courtesy.
Those who meet or eat or do things which are prohibited with
the people of the other lower caste lose their caste and remain
contaminated, separated from their own brothers and relations
and spouses.
Not only exists this division of caste; but also the professions
have it, as not everyone can exercise a profession which he wishes
to do, but these are divided among castes, so that some are tailors,
some blacksmiths, some carpenters, others land-labours, others
fishermen, others washermen and others soldiers, and similarly
other professions; and all belonging to the same caste have to
exercise the same profession and not other, without being able to
go up to the other profession than what is natural to that caste;
the women maintain the same, taking care more of cooking and
cleaning the house.
Sciences and arts
These people cultivate very little sciences, specially things of other
life, though there are many among them who are very wise, mostly
in things which are of interest to them.
29
They think mostly in food; some have knowledge of astrology
and medicine, and know accurately about the eclipses as us.
Generally they know how to write and compose their books of
histories and songs in prose and verse; and always are, rational
men, who know to govern in their style, and have their own way
of knowing and behaving. Once they become Christians and are
well cultivated, they are capable of learning very well the doctrine.
Religion of the Indians . The Brahmins
Among these Indians the main and the most honoured caste is
that of the Brahmins, who are very revered and respected, for
being the most powerful and noble for the royal and priestly
authority that they took upon themselves. They are kings and
masters who command over the territory, and they themselves
take care of the religion and cult of the idols.
They cannot have servants from other castes, for not contaminating
them, and thus they have among themselves different degrees of
dignities for distributing the jobs, but up to the lowest category
the Brahmins are more honoured than other castes.
The Brahmins are very moderate in their food, and none of them,
even if he is a king, can eat meat or fish or any other live thing,
nor they can drink wine; and all maintain a lot of fast, feeding
themselves with rice, milk, fruits and vegetables and other similar
things.
They are of very subtle talent and very skilful in land deals.
The main belief of these and other Indians is that there is one
Lord to whom they give all attributes which we give to true God,
though they add monstruosities and fantasies.
30
They call it Lord Parabrahma, and attribute him other names
meaning that it is the first and perfect thing, and having life by
itself it gives life to all things.
It is said that He created heaven and earth with the elements, and
afterwards being invisible, became visible, taking human form.
Desiring to have a son conceived with his desire the first one,
who came out of his mouth and called him Maheswara.
Afterwards, he had one from the chest, and called him Vishnu.
And not being even happy, desired to have another son, which he
created from his navel calling him Brahma.
Having thus produced in this manner three children, He desired
to have a daughter, whom He called Sati and got her married to
Maheswara, making him master of his brothers. To these He gave
as home the first heaven, which is exactly below the sky of
Parabrahma, by giving them power on the elements to create out
of them whatever they wanted. From the elements they created
lives in the world, remaining with control over them.
To his second son, Vishnu, he gave the second heaven which is
under the heaven of Maheswara, with the task of doing justice in
the world, and rescuing them who are in need.
And to Brahma, the third son, he gave another heaven under the
heaven of Vishnu, giving him the control over all sacrifices,
ceremonies and rituals, which men had to perform, and it is said
that from this were born the Brahmins, who, with these fantasies
deceived these blind Pagans and occupied the top place and
controlled them all.
Of all the sons of Parabrahma
a trinity is made to whom the
31
same divinity is attributed, respecting them as three Gods; and
constructing many temples in their honour with three towers,
whose end is pointed.
All Brahmins wear a string around their neck, which passes under
one arm crossing over the chest, and is made of three threads tied
by a knot to signify the union of divinity that these three Gods
have.
It is said that Vishnu, who is entrusted with doing justice and
looking after the necessities of the world, came down to the earth
many times for saving men, taking different forms, of men and
animals who are decorated in their forms, and in innumerable
idols.
About other sons of Parabrahma so many fabulous things, and
so many stories and dirty and dishonest transformations are said,
which exceed the ones narrated by Ovid in Metamorphosis, in a
way it is impossible for the people with reason to believe in such
monstrous things as they believe.
In which one sees the grace and light which we Christians receive
from God, without which we would believe in similar things, as
the Greeks and Romans believed, who were so wise, and now the
Japanese, Chinese and many other nations of great wisdom and
natural justice believe in.
City of Goa
Though India is dominated by the Pagan and Moor kings, the
king of Portugal has a lot of power in the entire country, because
in the entire coast it has very powerful cities and forts, inhabited
32
by Portuguese and natives of the lands, subjects of His Highness
with whom, and with the great Armadas He always sends, is master
of this part of the sea in India.
Nobody can travel safe by sea without written license and without
paying fees to the forts of His Highness.
The most important city which the Portuguese have in India is
the royal city of Goa, situated in a small island which is having a
periphery of four to five leagues.
It is very big and populated by the Portuguese and natives of the
land, noble and principal city, both for buildings, and for people,
trade and wealth that it has, so that it can be compared with the
biggest and the most beautiful cities of Europe.
There lives the Viceroy, with his Royal Council, and the
Archbishop, and it is a place of great trade and abundance of
merchandise and of all types of provisions.
This island was first owned by a Moor called Dialcan, very
powerful and rich, but by the effort of the Portuguese, specially
by the illustrious and famous Captain Alonso de Albuquerque, it
was conquered twice by the power of arms; and from the second
one, which was in the year 1510, with a magnificent and
miraculous victory, as it is read in the chronicles, it was always
under the control of the Portuguese.
Apart from this city the king has seven other forts, and between
them the city of Cochin, which after Goa is the biggest and most
important of all, which is at a distance of hundred leagues from
Goa.
33
With these forts they have stopped all the Kings and nobles of
that coast, and its dominance is extended up to Cape Comorin, in
spite of the opposition of the King of Calicut, who always fought
with the Moors and the Portuguese.
The king has in other provinces, very far off and remote parts of
India, other cities and forts were very populated and rich, as we
shall talk about them in due place, which were conquered and
maintained miraculously by the Portuguese, extending with its
courage the law of God, and fame and glory of its king and his
name throughout East.
Goa as found by Father Francis
When Father Francis reached Goa there was very little Christianity,
because the city and other neighbouring islands were inhabited
by Pagans and Moors, who were living mixed with the Portuguese.
Entire India at that time was very slack in spiritual matter because
there was only one Bishop who resided in Goa, where from he
used to govern as best as he could all other places and forts of His
Highness.
The Bishop whom Father Francisco Xavier found was Don Juan
de Albuquerque, of Franciscan order, an educated and virtuous
person, and a great friend of the Society. The Father showed him
the nomination of the Papal Nuncio which the king had given
him, telling that he would not like to use it without in a manner
the Bishop wanted. The Bishop admired this with great humility,
which he received with great affection.
There was a great necessity as to who would sow the word of
34
God and help the Portuguese, as in the entire India there were
hardly two or three preachers; as a result in most of the places
they have never heard sermons, and in many places there was
nobody who could administer the sacrament nor conduct mass.
And for being so mixed up with Moors and Pagans and being the
land of very relaxed natives and full of comforts, there was a lot
of chance of getting corrupted, and many unmarried persons, (who
were majority) lived publicly with concubines. Plenty of young
women and ladies were available, who were bought very cheap
from different kingdoms, and many were not happy with only
one but had four and five and as many as they wanted in their
houses, which the Moors and the Pagans did.
They had forgotten the sacraments and spent years together
without confessing, and their spouses or concubines, for being
native of the place or daughters of it, though were Christians,
they knew so little about the things of our law and were so badly
trained, that they were living almost like Pagans, with thousand
of superstitions, idolatries, and were rearing the children with the
same errors; in a manner that in entire India there was very little
religion and lot of dilution among them.
The greed for many and very rich merchandise was added to this,
which the Portuguese go on buying and selling throughout the
East in the land of Moors and Pagans, who are not bothered about
its usury nor of the conscience, and the entire income is taken as
lawful. Imitating them the Portuguese, who are so mixed up with
them, used to practice the same business deals, with little scruples.
In a way that the use and custom of the land had contaminated
the Portuguese so much, that they were living very little differently
from the natives.
35
This, was the state of India, in spiritual terms, when Father Francis
arrived in Goa; and who now sees the way it is, understands well
what a great effort the Society did.
Charity and humility of Francis in Goa
As Father Francis came so full of charity and zeal for helping the
souls, the necessity which he found in India was to do things
rapidly; and thus he started doubling up his work more than what
can be said of him.
With admiration of all he got himself involved tirelessly in helping
the neighbours, without stopping day and night, confessing,
preaching, serving the sick and the prisoners and doing thousands
of charity. It is said that he kept the most needy patient at the feet
of his bed in order to be able to rescue him at night if need be.
And all this was accompanied by continuous prayer, spending
great part of the nights in it, and adding natural forces to the
spiritual forces.
With his sermons and private conversations he provided a lot of
benefit to the Portuguese, taking them out of many errors and
ignorance. On one hand he was taking them out of many sins and
with the fear of death and condemnation to hell he was informing
them in his preaching; on the other hand with his affability he
was moving them to the confession and to the use of holy
sacraments by consoling them and encouraging them whenever
they confessed.
The humility of Father Francisco is shown well in what he did
with his dress. He used to go, with his companions with a poor
36
Illustration of El peregrino Atlante, by Francisco de la Torre. 1679.
National Library, Madrid
37
and torn dress, but seeing that what they brought from Portugal
was different from the one used in India, he wanted to make a
clothing similar to the one used by the poor priests of the place,
and requested the superintendent of the hospital to send for one.
The superintendent, with a great respect gave him a dress made
of silk, but he did not want to receive it, telling him:
-Commads His Worship, that send this dress to one of the poor
priests and make me another very rustic.
They made him one as he wanted, of a certain type of thick linen,
and he wore it in the Indian style, without wrapping, and this way
he walked the entire period he remained in these parts, and his
other companions were dressing imitating him.
Chant of the Doctrine
He was very interested in teaching the doctrine to the children,
slaves and ignorant people who had not received any education.
The way he had to do it was to move with a small bell through the
streets and squares calling all to the doctrine.
This new way, which nobody had seen before attracted a lot of
public, and taking them to the church, he used to teach them the
doctrine by singing it, as it is done now, so that the children could
learn it better.
Thus he introduced in this part of India the good custom which
even today lasts, of teaching by singing to the children and slaves
in all the houses after playing Ave Maria, thus making the doctrine
very easy and convenient for them, with some very devoted
prayers, which they say in the beginning and at the end.
38
It was very useful, because ordinarily all know very well the
doctrine, and with it they are helped a lot, as is seen by experience.
So that one could understand better, he used to explain on Sundays
and holidays, speaking to them in half native tongue as they do
when they speak our Portuguese language.
Men and women, children and old people were moving in the
streets singing the commandments of law of God, and the
fishermen used to sing them in his boat and the farmer in his field
and the cobbler in his bench: all used to sing and enjoy.
For all these the opinion of his virtue and of the Society increased
so much in that winter that they entrusted him with the task of
heading the Colegio of Goa, which had started then in a way
which we shall comment later.
In Goa again
Before going to our school in Goa he went to visit the hospitals
and other religious persons in the city. Later on he came home
where the fathers and brothers were waiting for him at the door,
with great desire of seeing him and he was embracing each one
with his usual affability.
Portrait of Father Francis
Father Francis was tall, with well proportioned face, white and
reddish, happy and of very good grace, with black eyes, large
front, dark hair and beard. He used to wear modest and clean
dress and loin cloth without wrapping nor any other cloth, because
this was the dressing style of poor Indian priests: and when he
used to walk he used to lift it a little with both hands.
39
He used to move almost always with his eyes gazed at the sky, at
whose sight, it is said, he used to get consolation and happiness,
as in his country where he used to think of going; and thus his
joyful and glowing face used to move around which produced
gaiety in all those who used to watch him. And it so happened
that sometimes when some brothers found themselves sad, they
used to go to see him for becoming happy.
He was very affable with outsiders, joyfull and familiar with those
at home, specially for those who were humble and simple, and
who had less of self esteem; and on the contrary he used to be
severe, serious and sometimes rigorous with the people of higher
strata and who had very high opinion about themselves, till they
met him and were made modest; he used to eat very little, though
for avoiding any distinction he used to eat whatever was offered
to him.
He used to take great care of the patients, treat them with great
charity, as he showed on his arrival; because no sooner had he
embraced the brother, he asked whether there were patients in
the house. He was told in affirmative and he went to visit them
before entering his room.
We had a brother who was already having a lot of pain, given up
by the doctors and with the burial prepared, but everybody had so
much hope in Father Francis that they thought if he met him before
his death he would cure him of that disease. And it happened so,
as finding him alive he went to visit and console him, he chanted
the Gospel placing the hands on his head and later on he started
improving till he got cured.
40
Preparations for going from India to China
Father Francis was in Goa for a few days, because it was time to
travel by ship to China. He discussed with the Viceroy the issues
relating to the embassy, and showed interest in the matters of the
Society under his charge.
The Viceroy Don Alonso de Norona treated him very well, giving
necessary orders, and nominated Diego Pereira as Ambassador,
handing him over the nominations and credentials for going to
China in the name of the King of Portugal, and trying to develop
friendship and trade with the King of China.
In that brief spell he was in Goa he took up several missions, and
gave order that it was necessary that India was well governed in
his absence and thus left Father Gasper as Father Superior in his
place, who had come from Ormuz by his order and command,
and sent Father Melchor to Bazain to take care of the house there.
Father Francis Enrique went to Cochin and Brother Luis Mendez
to Cape Comorin, where Brother Duron went a little later; and
thus he was handing over charges and nominations.
He also gave order to many other things which were presented,
leaving some instructions in writing to Father Gaspar; and leaving
the fathers and brothers of that School very animated and benefited
by his examples and exhortation he embarked upon his return trip
in April, 1552 for going to China, taking along with him Father
Baltasar Gago and Brothers Pedro de Alcaceba and Duarte de Silva,
who had to go to Japan, and another brother with an interpreter and
an attendant who had to be his companions in China.
The people of the city of Goa were appalled to see the great effort of
41
heart of the Father; after having just arrived from such a long and
tedious pilgrimage, not only he did not take any rest but he started
embarking upon another equally dangerous trip such as this one.
On reaching Malacca, they had a temporary encounter with such
a dangerous storm that it was necessary to unload the ship by
throwing out the goods in the sea. They were very inconsolable;
some were confessing and others were behaving like men who
were watching imminent death; seeing them in this manner, full
of sadness, the father went to them with a face full of joy
encouraging and consoling them, telling them not to be afraid of,
as Our Lord would save the ship.
And after climbing to the top of the mast of the ship, he threw his
reliquary in the sea, making sign of cross on the waves and saying:
-In the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit, three
persons and only one God, have pity on us and on these people
who are over here.
And by collecting them in his cabin later on for prayer, and after
conducting confession of some people, prayed to Our Lord so
that the storm was calmed immediately; and after finishing, told
the pilot:-Mr. Pilot, I am afraid that in this trip you are going to
have a lot of work. And it was like this, as it passed over some
sandbanks and rocks, which they had to cross with lot of danger.
He also told those who were going on the ship.
- Gentlemen and my brothers, we comment to God the Malacca
fort, where we are proceeding to, because it is in great danger.
42
Villafranca, Illustration of the Prince of the sea. by Lorenzo Ortiz. 1688.
Historical library, University of Valencia
43
Problems in Malacca
When they reached Malacca they found that many Portuguese
people had died, of great diseases which took place after the siege
of Jaos which occurred little earlier, and the diseases were still
lasting.
Also he was very scared that in Malacca his passage to China
would be disturbed; and he said this many times to his brother
that they should pray to Our Lord for the smooth travel, as he was
worried that the Captain of Malacca would prevent him, because
they suspected what happened to them later.
On reaching Malacca, and after discussing with Father Baltasar
Gago, and consoling those who were in Moluccas through letters
he remained there for going with his companions in the ship of
Diego Pereira.
The captain who was afraid of loosing some benefits which he
was getting in China in case the new embassy went there, tried
all possible means to stop the departure, ordering for lowering
down the mast and sails of the ship in which the ambassador and
the Father had to travel.
The request and authority of the Father were not sufficient, neither
the orders which they brought from the Viceroy, nor the fear of
the king or of God, for persuading the captain from preventing
this embassy. So much can be the greed in a man when he
surrenders to it.
The Father felt it a lot, as one can understand of how much he
used to love Our Lord, and was watching his service being
44
disturbed by a person who was supposed to help him. He tried as
much as he could with the captain, at times with softness and
requests, at times mixing with some strictness, telling him about
the punishment he would receive from God and from His
Highness if he did such a great injustice and wrong, for moving it
over here so that Diego Pereira was permitted to go.
And after seeing that with this he was not getting any benefit,
finally he showed his powers and the Papal document empowering
him which he had from Papal Nuncio (which till then he had not
used out of humility).
He showed the said document to him, through the Vicar of
Malac " censors and excommunications which the captain would
incurr if he prevented this embassy, as he was going there as
Nuncio sent by His Holiness.
But the captain was so stubborn and obstinate in his intention
that neither of this was sufficient for taming him; and by not having
any respect nor fear of incurring censors, not only he prevented
Diego Pereira from his mission, moreover he did show a lot of
discourtesies and disobedience to the said Father, using against
him bad words, neither respecting the authority the Father had,
nor his well known holiness, for which he was so loved and
respected by all Portuguese.
Finally this captain behaved as a person who had degenerated
much from the illustrious lineage and Christian pride which his
forefathers and which those of his same caste had and who became
later on captains of Malacca.
On seeing, then, the Father that whatever he tried with the captain
45
was in vain, and such a great service of God which he was
intending was prevented, he felt so sad as having suffered in his
life from many persecutions and work, none, as he himself said,
gave him so much pain as this senseless person did here; so much
so that, according to public voice and fame of all who heard the
Father, and as can be seen from his letters, delivered the captain
sentence of God, telling about him with sighs and a lot of pity:
- Poor of him! Why he has to be punished by God in honour,
body and wealth; and prayed to his divine goodness not to punish
in soul.
And said and done; it was not long and for many injustices he
was doing the King ordered his arrest with infamy and dishonour,
and was sent as prisoner to Goa; and then sent to Portugal, where
his ill gotten wealth was confiscated, and with great disrespect,
disgraced by the King, suffering from a very bad kind of leprosy
his life ended in Portugal miserably; and pray to God that, as the
same father used to say, his soul should not be punished.
About this persecution, the Father writing to the Father Gasper
from the Strait of Singapore on July 21 , 1552 in a chapter narrates
this way:
st
You cannot believe, Father teacher Gasper, how much persecuted I was in
Malacca, neither I can tell you that; you will come to know about that through
other means.
I have entrusted Father Francis Perez to write to you in details. Father Francis
Perez will write to you everything about ex-communions which Don Alvaro
incurred, for preventing our travel to China, and for going against the bulls
granted by the Pope Paul and of this one granted by Julio III to the Society in
the name of Jesus, hindering the service of God. [...]
46
I am going to the Canton islands, devoid of any human favour, but with the
hope in the divinity of Our God, that some infidel, Moor or Pagan is carrying
me to mainland China, though the fidels prevented me in Malacca my voyage;
well the captain of the ship did not want to keep the provisions we brought
from the Viceroy, nor was afraid of the censors by the church which the holy
Father order to those who prevent their Nuncios and Papal repetitives the ones
it will be well that the bishop will send if for notification and declaration though
I shall never require a Prelate to ex-communicate somebody, yet I shall not
prevent that they declare their censors to those who are already excommunicated so that they may come out of those things and do penitence for
those evils which they committed; and also in future they do not do similar
things, which prevent so much the service of God Our Lord, and those of the
Society from going to Malacca, China and Japan and other parts for the business
of conversion.
Sickness and death of Father Francis
If the effort and greatness of energy in embarking upon big and
new ventures is known, one can understand well the great merit
of Father Francis.
After writing several letters and the departure of the ships which
were carrying them, the father continued with his tasks till his
sickness and death, of which we have news from the Portuguese
who were there.
It was that port of Sanchon, sterile and barren, and in an island,
where the Portuguese used to arrive with their ships.
For not having yet license for working in the mainland, they used
to live in their ships with continuous vigil, doing secretly, as best
they could, business with the Chinese.
47
As there was no inhabitant, at times they used to construct some
small thatched houses on the bank of the sea. There was a great
scarcity of food and necessary things, because the majority of the
Portuguese had gone, and it was prohibited to carry merchandise
to the said port.
In this place and in this hour Father teacher Francis became sick,
in the beginning for some days, and he was cured; moreover as
he did not have any comfort for convalescing and his time has
come, in which Our Lord wanted to take him out of these works
and reward him, he fell sick again while waiting for the Chinese
who had to take him to Canton secretly.
His last moments have been documented by a Chinese interpreter
who was accompanying him and which is as follows:
As far as you would like to know from me, dear brother, about the illness and
death of our blessed Father teacher Francis, because I was the only one from*
the Society who witnessed it, that the brother who was accompanying him had
returned to India, this happened actually. [
]
nd
He died on a Sunday before break of dawn, on December 2 ,
1552 in the island and port of Sanchon, in a far off thatched house,
ten years after having come to these parts from India. [ ]
Thus Father Francis ended his hard pilgrimage which for love of
Our Lord he underwent throughout his life, and specially in last
ten years and seven months less four days, which he spent in
these parts of the East.
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Body Exhumed
in Malacca and carried to Goa
th
The body was in Malacca till August 15 , 1554, when it was
exhumed again.
Father Juan de Beira had arrived in April, who was travelling
with others of the Society for Moluccas, and had to wait till August
for his ship, which is the time of departure of the other ships. He
had been a close friend and devotee of Father Francis, and on
hearing, that the body was intact, wanted to see it before it went,
thus God ordering his devotee.
Night before his departure he went with his friends who
accompanied him, with burning candle to the chapel of the church
where (Father Francis) was buried, and on discovering it they found
it intact and incorrupt, though it was there for last five months.
Father Beira thought that it was not proper to bury him again,
because it seemed that God wished to show it, and sent for making
a box in which he placed Father Francis decently, ordering that it
to be kept with much reverence, and later left for Moluccas,
leaving a brother with the task of carrying the sacred body to
Goa.
Reaching timely when the ships were sailing from Malacca for
India, the brother embarked with the body of the blessed Father.
The captain, knowing that it was the body of Father Francis,
accepted it with joy, and placed it in a special chamber, covering
with silk and perfuming it with many scents, as the body of the
holy man that he was.
50
During the voyage the ship steered clear of some dangers, as
everybody believed, by the grace of the blessed Father whose
body they were carrying, because after facing many storms on
the way, they came out safe from all of them.
On reaching the island of Ceylon, the ship dashed against a huge
sanhead, and being almost lost, with the mast broken and all
having lost faith in their rescue, invoked the favour of Father
Francis, and the ship came out miraculously of that danger. They
reached Cochin, where already people knew about the arrival and
where many devotees gathered to receive it.
From Cochin it sailed towards Goa. They were stopping in some
places on their way, such as Varkala port, where crowds came out
in the same manner to pay their respect.
Among the people of Varkala, there was the spouse of the
administrator of the port, who was rich, and who requested for,
after kissing and paying respect to the body, for a little of the
cord with which the face of the Father was tied. She insisted so
much that it was given to her which she kept in a box. Keeping it
with herself, after having later on a premature child with high
fever, she put the piece of thread around her neck and got cured,
and the same happened later on when the same child met with
another serious accident. After this a pregnant woman who spent
two days with much difficulty, and by putting the thread around
her neck, the Master wanted to liberate her of all risks. Same
thing happened to another sick woman having fever and to some
children having very dangerous swellings; all got cured with the
thread.
At this time it was already known in Goa that a ship was coming
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with the incorrupt body and news were pouring in from Malacca
and Varkala, and also what had happened in China, and all this
was discussed in the city with great rumours and desire of seeing
him and accord him a great reception, because in Goa the people
loved him a lot.
It was Father Melchor Nunez, Director of the San Pablo School,
who desired to go and receive the Father in a boat which the
Viceroy provided him. He went with three brothers of the Society
and four and five children of the orphanage, for celebrating the
body when it would reach him.
They sailed three or four days in search of the ship and finally
they found it without mast next to Varkala, and found the body in
its cabin, covered with silk.
They kissed the casket and prayed with devotion while the captain
was ordering decoration of the ship with flags and festoons, and
loaded the artilleries with gun powder for gun salute at the time
of taking out the body, because the Rector wanted to carry it in
his boat.
They took out
singing hymns
palm leaves in
with the sound
the body of the Father while the children were
and psalms, with flower rings on their head and
their hands, and put it in the boat of the Viceroy
of gun salute.
They returned with the body to Goa, and stopped to sleep in the
church of Our Lady of Presentation, within the city. The Father
Rector uncovered the body so that all could see it: it was dressed
in priest's attire, so healthy and fresh as if they had just buried it.
52
Under the robe there was a very rich surplice which he had taken
from Goa for talking to the king of China dressed in it, and it was
so fresh, though he was carrying it for more than a year under the
earth, which was later on taken to Japan by Father Rector Nunez
for visiting the kings of that land.
His face was covered with a piece of linen because his nose was
little damaged when he was buried in Malacca, and the hands
crossed over the chest, feet and hands uncovered, which were with
flesh, though they were somewhat darkish because of lime coat.
It was received in the Goa school with lot of gaiety and nobody
slept that night. The Church was with black cloths because of the
Lent, but they decorated it as if it were a day of festival, uncovering
the altarpieces and preparing everything with gaiety that the Lord
wished to manifest in his disciple.
Solemn reception in Goa
Next day the body embarked again in a boat with the decorated
casket placed on the canvas top, and around the railings with
many candles, and a grand accompanying procession on way to
the city.
Before its arrival Diego Pereira, great friend of the Father, came
out to receive the procession, with a boat carrying people known
to him, all with big, white candles in their hands, and thus upon
reaching the casket they embraced it and wept.
When they reached the city all the church bells started ringing as
if a great prince, or better said, a great and saint servant of God
had arrived.
53
And though the Viceroy wanted the bells to ring to the tunes of
gaiety and festivity, and the reception of that of a saint, those of
the Society did not permit it, asking him for God's sake not to do
so till the Pope ordered it, and thus the dead was received.
When the bells were heard throughout the city and it was known
that it was due to the arrival of the body of Father Francis, all went
out to the streets and so many people thronged over the body that
many went down in the sea to be able to touch the casket.
The Viceroy, with all other noblemen was waiting for the arrival,
and the entire clergy of the city, with the religious ones, the
Brothers of Compassion, the orphan children and others, in all,
everyone who could serve for solemnizing the reception.
Those of the Society carried the casket on their shoulders and
took it out from the ship.
Then the procession was ordered. Ninety children dressed in white
with cross, flower garlands on their head and olive branches in
their hands were moving. The Brothers of the Compassion
followed them with their standards and flags, followed by the
clergy with surplices and among them were the Fathers of the
Society of Jesus, who were carrying on their shoulders the holy
body. The Viceroy with his Council and all noblemen of the city
were at the end of the procession.
The roads were decorated with the most precious things from
India, fine linens from the cloth houses and very rich hangings,
the floors with carpets and very fine runners, there were many
victory arches, fountains and other inventions; all the citizens
were dressed in their Sunday best as on the best festive day which
54
neither Goa nor India ever saw and all the windows and terraces
were full of people who were sprinkling flowers on the casket of
the saint.
At this moment of time all the bells were ringing and the artillery
was giving gun salute; everything was a festival in that blessed
city which was more proud with this triumph than Rome with its
emperors.
The cover was taken off the body and on seeing it so intact the
devotion was so great that they broke the grill of the chapel, and
it was necessary to take it away from there, but so many people
gathered that they kept it for four entire days with the casket open.
The sky contributed to make more solemn this pomp and more
gaietyful this day with a lot of miracles; the first one was in
celestial fragrance which was coming out of the sacred body and
all perceived it, even people from far off, which not only delighted
the senses but also gave an impulse to pity and devotion.
Many got cured having gone out in search of health in the streets
through which it was passing.
It is said that a person who was blind for seven months, after
touching the body of Father Francis, started improving till he
regained his sight.
Another woman testified under oath that after being sick for three
months, with so much of seriousness that the doctors had given
up hope, prayed to the Father and started improving and got cured.
Thus expressed Our Lord about the sanctity of his servant, because
he desired that the body was received with so much solemnity.
55
Testimony of un-corruption of the body of Father Francis
Doctor Ambrosio Ribero, Vicar General of the Archbishop's office
in India, certified under oath the following:
I certify under oath of my office, that it is true that I came here nine years ago
and am serving in this Ministry, and in the said time I saw Father Francis till
his death moving around teaching things of our holy faith ... [... ]
He built churches and did great work till his death, and his body after coming
over to this city of Goa was received with great solemnity and accompaniment
...[...]
And the next day of his arrival, for affirming that the body came intact and
uncorrupted, which undoubtedly is a supernatural thing, as the Father had died
long ago in China, had been buried under ground for three months and covered
with lime so that it was consumed very soon, and later on was carried to Malacca
in a casket, and was under the earth for eight months or more, I collected the
necessary information. [...]
The casket was opened with two axes which was in the chapel, at nine in the
morning and we saw the body very slowly and felt with my own hands from
the feet upto the knees and almost all parts of the body, and I certify that the
flesh was intact and covered with natural skin, with its substance and humidity
and without any deformation.
In the left foot, little above the joint, from outside, it had a cut out of an injury,
of a finger, which it seemed was due to some blow it had received in that place,
and around the said injury there was sign of blood, though somewhat black for
being old, and above, in the left side, towards the heart's side, it had a small
hole which also seemed to be due to some blow through which I put my fingers
inside as much as I could and found it hollow, and only inside I touched some
small portions of things which seemed to me to be some parts of the intestines,
56
which were dry as the body remained buried for a long time. And I did not feel
any deformation in the said body, though I put my face very close to it. Under
the neck there was a small pillow of Chinese brocade, which had a stain which
seemed to be of blood.
And after having examined in the manner stated, I ordered my
writer to write this way and I put my signature.
And the doctor of the Viceroy also prepared his report:
I, Doctor Cosme de Sarabia, doctor of the Viceroy, testify that after the arrival
of the body of the Father teacher Francis to this city of Goa, I went to see it and
felt all its parts and specially the stomach, in which I found corpulence in its
intestines, without being embalmed or having any artificial thing.
On the left side, towards the side of the heart, I found an injury or wound and
told some brothers of the Society to put their fingers in and having done so the
blood oozed out, which did not have any bad odour, and the feet and other
parts of the body were intact and with flesh, in a manner that as per rules of
medicine it could not be preserved naturally in that manner.
Holiness
It will please Our Lord that thus as considered saint in these parts
of India before men, will be so in the heaven before the Lord, and
on earth in his Holy Church by the universal Shepherd, when the
Lord decides it, for his glory and honour and of this his holy
servant.
Final Note:
St. Francis Xavier together with St. Ignatius de Loyola was
canonized by Gregory XV on March 1-2 , 1622.
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