lently well cut, after the fashion of that of the Military Order of Aviz in Portugal, and over it a Dove or Peacock (for the learned are not agreed which twas) and above that a bloody Dagger. There was also an Infcription on the Stone, but in Letters that no Body knew what to make of. There was a Cross of the fame Saint, and found much after the fame manner by the Portuguezes in Meliapor in the Year 1522. with this Infcription: At the time when Thomas founded this Temple, the King of Meliapor made him a Grant of the Customs of all the Merchandizes that were brought into that Port, which Duty was the Tenth part of the Gods. With this Crofs were alfo found the Bones of St. Thomas, which were reckoned by all the World before to have been lodged at Edeffa. There was alfo found an ancient Record of St. Thomas's having converted the King of Meliapor (who it's like was the Prince that gave him the forementioned Grant) by drawing a great piece of Timber afhore, which the King and St. Thomas both pretended a right to, after all the King's Elephants, and all the Wit of Man were not able fo much as to wag it. A Prophecy of St. Thomas was also found in the fame Treasure, declaring that whenever the Sea fhou'd come up to Meliapor, which was then Twelve Leagues from it, a Nation fhou'd come from the West, which shou'd preach the very fame Faith that he had preached.

And to put all this Indian Treasure together, for it is pity any of it fhould be loft, the Bones of the Three Kings were found in the fame

a 4

Grave

Grave with those of the Apostle, which were known to be theirs, by an ancient MS. which gave the following account of them. The King

Nubia and Arabia was Melchior, Baltasar was King of Goli and Saba, Galpar was King of Turfi, Infula, and Grifola or Malabar, where the Body of St. Thomas lieth, by whom they were all three confecrated Bishops, and were afterwards martyr'd with him. I leave the Examination of the truth of this MS. to the City of Cologne, whofe concern it is.

Among other things there was a Copper plate found, with the following Donation engraved upon it: This is the Teftimony of Alms, by which Paradife is acquired, and which all the following Kings, who shall diftribute the faid Alms, shall certainly obtain: Whereas they that shall refufe to give them, fhall be Six Thousand Years with Worms in Hell. This Imprecation is literally used by the ancient Kings of Spain in most of their charitable Donations; but whether the Spanish Kings had it from the Indian, or the Indian from the Spaniard, is not certainly known.

In the Year 1645. Dom Joan Dalbuquerque the first Arch-Bishop of Goa, being ashamed, it's like, of their talking fo much in Europe, and doing fo little in India in the matters of Religion, fends one Vincent, a Franciscan Friar, of which Order the Arch-Bifhop himfelf was, to Cranganor, to try what he could do towards the reducing of thofe Chriftians to the obedience of the Roman Church. The Labours of this

fingle Friar are fo ftrangely magnified by the Portuguezes, that it looks as if it were done on purpose to excufe their not employing of more Hands in a Work, which here in Europe they pretended was their chief Business in the Indies. For he is faid not only to have preached daily in their Churches, which were built after the fashion of the Pagod Temples, but also to have built several Churches among them after the Latin way; and at last, by the order of the Vice-Roy and Archbishop, upon his having inform'd them of the small fuccefs that his preaching had had among them, to have erected a College at Cranganor in the Year 1546. in order to the instructing of their Sons in the Learning and Ufages of the Latin Church.

By the way, It is fomewhat strange how Friar Vincent, who is not faid to have had the gift of Tongues, no more than the Jefuite Xavier, who himself complained, That for want of it he was forc'd to prattle more like a Child, than preach like an Apostle among the Infidels, shou'd commence fo powerful a Preacher among the Malabars, the very firft Year of his being in the Indies; a Year being a very fhort time for a Man to make himself fo far Master of a strange Language, as to be able to Preach therein to any purpose.

But tho' the Chriftians of St. Thomas did not deny to fend their Sons to this College, feveral of whom, after their having been taught Latin, were Ordained Priests, according to the Roman

Rites: Yet this had little or no effect as to the reducing of that Church to the Papal Obedience, to which they still continued fo averfe, that they treated thofe Natives with the fame disregard that they did the other Latin Priests.

Thus matters continued with the Church of Malabar till the Year 1587. when the Jefuits imagining the reason why this Christianity was fo little benefitted by having feveral of their Sons bred in the College at Cranganor, was their not being taught Chaldee or Syriack, which is the Language all their Offices are in, did thereupon erect a new College, which was built at the fole charge of Antonio Guedes Morales, at a place called Chanota, or Vaipicotta, a Village inhabited by those Christians, and which is about a League from Cranganor.

But notwithstanding the Jefuits, by educating feveral of the Malabars in the Chaldee Tongue, and inftructing them thorowly in the Latin Faith, did qualify them to ferve the Roman Church in her Pretenfions. Yet all this fignified very little, none that had been educated by them daring fo much as to mutter the leaft Word against any of their ancient Doctrines, or in favour of the Roman, or to alter any thing in their Offices, or forbear praying for the Bishop of Babylon as their Patriarch, in the Mafs.

Wherefore the Portuguezes finding that these Christians were not by any thing that Friars could fay or do to them, to be perfwaded out of their ancient Faith, or to forfake their prefent

fent Bishop to fubmit themselves to the Pope, against whom they were fo poffeffed, that they cou'd not endure fo much as to hear him named, refolved, at laft, to try other methods with them, that is, to try what Violence would do, the Method to which Popery, where-ever it is, owes both its Propagation and Establishment.

And that they did not betake themselves to this course fooner, we are not to imagine was in the least owing to their temper, or to any difpofition that was in them, to try first what fair and gentle means would do; for they must know nothing of the Spirit of Popery, that can imagine it to be capable of any fuch thing, but it was owing purely to the circumstances of their Affairs; for that before their Government had fpread it felf, and taken a good root in those Parts, it would not have been fafe for them to have made use of those rude and boisterous Methods for the reduction of thefe Christians, which we shall see they did afterwards, when they had in a manner gotten that whole Countrey into their own Power: In purfuance of the forementioned Refolution, the Portuguezes determined to have their Bishop, to whose presence among them they attributed their conftancy in their ancient Faith, feized in order to fend him to Rome, which was executed accordingly.

Their Bishop at that time (for they had but one of that Order anong them) was one Mar Jofeph, who, according to ancient Custom, had been fent thither by Mar Audixa, Patriarch of

Babylon.