confiderable Chriftians to confult together what was beft to be done. It was agreed on all hands, that the Arch-Deacon fhou'd go and wait upon his Lordship, who was a Perfon of that Authority as to be able to undo them all at once, by depriving them of their Pepper-Trade, if they fhould difoblige him, and befides, he was able to oblige their Kings, who were all very much at his Devotion, to Sacrifice all their Lives and Eftates to his difpleasure; and what made them the willinger to comply with him therein, was, their being confident that they should be quickly rid of his Company, fince Winter was at hand, which they thought would certainly call him to Goa.

Upon all which Confiderations it was agreed, That they should give way to his faying of Mafs, and his Preaching in their Churches, which their Books told them was a common Civility, that is every where paid to Bishops, tho' out of their own Dioceffes; but as for any Acts of Jurifdiction, fuch as Vifiting, Conferring Orders, Excommunicating, and the like, if he fhould pretend to exercise any fuch Acts, as it was to be feared he would, that they thou'd then put him off as well as they cou'd with delays, until he returned to Goa, which they thought he would in two Months at fartheft; by which means they might, without embroiling themfelves with fo powerful a Prelate, wait till they had a Bishop fent them by the Patriarch of Babylon, to whom they had writ for one of all which they made a pub

lick Inftrument, and for their further Security, brought together a Body of 3000 brave Men, who were all well Armed; the Chriftians of St. Thomas being, by much, both the stouteft and best Firemen in the Indies, as the Portuguezes knew very well, which made them be the more zealous to reduce them to the Roman Church, in order to make them Subjects to the King of Portugal.

The Arch-Bishop fent alfo at the fame time to fome of their Paniquais, fome of which have 4000, fome 6000 Men at their Command, to come and speak with him at Cochim; but they, instead of going thither, took an Oath folemnly to make themselves Amonços, after the Custom of the Malavars, against him, in cafe he offer'd any violence to their Arch-Deacon, or to any other of their Priests. When the Malavars devote themselves to be Amonços for any cause, they defend it to the last drop of their Blood, without either fear or wit.

With two of these Paniquais, and 3000 Men well Armed, the Arch-Deacon came to wait upon the Ard-Bishop at Cochim. Don Antonio de Noronha, the Governour of the City, met them without the Gates, and conducted them to the Arch-Bishop's Palace. The Arch-Deacon, when he came before the Arch-Bishop kneeled down and kiss'd his Hand, as did all the other Caçanares that were in his Company; the two Paniquais were alfo prefented to his Lordship by the Arch-Deacon, who when the Arch-Bishop, and the Governour,

and

and the Arch-Deacon came to fit down, placed themselves at the Elbows of the Arch-Bishop's Chair, where they stood all the while with their broad Swords naked over his Head. The door of the Room where they were being shut, to keep out the Crowd, thofe that ftood without imagining that it was done to make their ArchDeacon a Prifoner, faid to one another, this is the time to die for our Arch-Deacon, and for the Church of St. Thomas, but being affured that their Arch-Deacon was in no danger, they were quieted.

After the hubbub was over, and they had dif courfed together for fome time, it was agreed, that the Arch-Bishop fhould go next day to Vaipicotta, which upon the account of its having a College of Jefuites in it, fhould be the firft Church he fhould Vifit, and that the Arch-Deacon with his Caçanares, should repair thither immediately.

The Arch-Bifhop having furnished himself with all Neceffaries for his Voyage, embarked with all his Retinue upon feven Tones or Gallies,and Roque de Mello Peregro, who had been Governour of Malaca, attended him with two Gallies more, and Joan Pereyra de Miranda, who was afterwards Governour of Cranganor with one.

Being arrived at Vaipicotta, he was conducted by the Jesuites, and their Scholars, and the whole Village to the Church, where, with his Mitre on his Head, and his Crofier in his hand, he gave them a long Sermon. His Text was, He that

enter

entereth not in by the door, &c. on which words he told them at length, That none were true Paftors, but what entered in by the door of the Roman Church, and were fent by the Pope, who was Chrift's Vicar; which none of their former Prelates having been, who had been all fent to them by the Schifmatical Bishops of Babylon, they were all Thieves and Murderers of the Flock. When he had done his Sermon, he bid them come next day to the Church to be confirmed, which fome did; to whom, after he had confirmed them, he told the news of Purgatory, a place most of them had never heard of before.

All this while no Arch-Deacon appeared, who came not to Vaipicotta, till two days after the arrival of the Arch-Bishop. He had delayed his coming on purpose, that he might not by his prefence, feem to confent to any of thofe things, which he knew the Arch-Bishop would offer to do at that place.

Tho' the Arch-Bishop knew well enough what it was that had made the Arch-Deacon loiter fo behind, yet he diffembled fo far as to receive him very kindly, treating with him about the course he was to take in the reduction of the Church, who seemed to approve of every thing that was proposed to him.

The Arch-Bishop went daily to Matins and Vefpers, which were fung by thofe of the Seminary in Chaldee, but coming to understand at last, for he understood Chaldee no more than he did Malavar, that they prayed therein for the Patri

arch

arch of Babylon, ftiling him the Univerfal Paftor of the Church, a Title that all Patriarchs, as well as the Pope, have affumed to themselves for fome Hundred of Years (nay, by what Gregory I. has faid of that Title, I do not know but the Pope might be one of the last that affumed it) he refolved not to permit fo wicked a thing to be done any longer, notwithstanding all that the good Jefuites, who out of Policy had all along complyed with it, could fay to diffwade. him; and fo having one Evening, without communicating his defign to any one, called all the Jefuites, Mafters of the Seminary, and the ArchDeacon, and his Caçanares, together at his Lodgings, having first made a Speech to them to prove, That the Pope was the only Head of the Church on Earth, and that the Bishop of Babylon was a Heretick and Schifmatick, he pulled out of his Pocket an Excommunication late fententie, commanding his Secretary to read it with an audible Voice, and his. Interpreter to declare it to thofe that did not understand Latin, in Malavar, by which he Commanded, That no Perfon Secular or Ecclefiaftick do from henceforward prefume to pray for the Patriarch of Babylon. He Commanded the Arch-Deacon and Caçınares to fign it, and finding the Arch-Deacon had a great mind to have shuffled it off, he faid to him, Sign it, Father, for it is full time the Axe were laid to the Root of the Tree; to which the Arch Deacon returned no anfwer, but Signed it without faying a word, as did all the other Caçanares, after which

it