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

of Asia, spared no labour to reduce that perverse generation to the true knowledge of Almighty God. He conversed often with those of that religion, and one day found a favourable occasion of treating with them: Passing by a monastery, where above two hundred Brachmans lived together, he was visited by some of the chiefest, who had the curiosity to see a man whose reputation was so universal. He received them with a pleasing countenance, according to his custom; and having engaged them by little and little, in a discourse concerning the eternal happiness of the soul, he desired them to satisfy him what their gods commanded them to do, in order to it after death. They looked a while on one another without answering. At length a Brachman, who seemed to be fourscore years of age, took the business upon himself, and said in a grave tone, that two things brought a soul to glory, and made him a companion to the gods; the one was to abstain from the murder of a cow, the other to give alms to the Brachmans. All of them confirmed the old man's answer by their approbation and applause, as if it had been an oracle given from the mouths of their gods themselves.

      Father Xavier took compassion on this their miserable blindness, and the tears came into his eyes. He rose on the sudden, (for they had been all sitting,) and distinctly repeated, in an audible tone, the apostles' creed, and the ten commandments, making a pause at the end of every article, and briefly expounding it, in their own language; after which he declared to them what were heaven and hell, and by what actions the one and other were deserved.

      The Brachmans, who had never heard any thing of Christianity before, and had been listening to the father with great admiration, rose up, as soon as he had done speaking, and ran to embrace him, acknowledging, that the God of the Christians was the true God, since his law was so conformable to the principles of our inward light. Every one of them proposed divers questions to him; if the soul were immortal, or that it perished with the body, and in case that the soul died not, at what part of the body it went out; if in our sleep we dreamed we were in a far country, or conversed with an absent person, whether the soul went not out of the body for that time; of what colour God was, whether black or white; their doctors being divided on that point, the white men maintaining he was of their colour, the black of theirs: the greatest part of the pagods for that reason being black.

      The father answered all their questions in a manner so suitable to their gross understanding, which was ignorant alike of things divine and natural, that they were highly satisfied with him. Seeing them instructed and disposed in this sort, he exhorted them to embrace the faith of Jesus Christ, and gave them to understand, that the truth being made known to them, ignorance could no longer secure them from eternal punishment.

      But what victory can truth obtain over souls which find their interest in following error, and who make profession of deceiving the common people? "They answered," said the saint in one of his letters, "that which many Christians answer at this day, what will the world say of us if they see us change? And after that, what will become of our families, whose only subsistence is from the offerings which are made to the pagods? Thus, human interest, and worldly considerations, made the knowledge of the truth serve only to their greater condemnation."

      Not long afterwards, Xavier had another conference with a Brachman, who lived in the nature of an hermit. He passed for the oracle of the country, and had been instructed in his youth at one of the most famous academies of the East. He was one of those who was knowing in their most hidden mysteries, which are never intrusted by the Brachmans, but to a certain select number of their wise men. Xavier, who had heard speak of him, was desirous to see him; and he, on his side, was as desirous to see Xavier. The intention of the saint was to try, in bringing over this Brachman, if he could gain the rest, who were proud of being his disciples.

      After the first civilities which commonly pass betwixt two men, who mutually covet an acquaintance, and know each other by reputation, the discourse fell upon religion; and the Brachman found in himself, at the very first, so great an inclination for Xavier, that he could not conceal from him those secrets which a religious oath had bound him never to disclose to any. He confest plainly to him, that the idols were devils, and that there was only one God, creator of the world, and that this God alone deserved the adoration of men: that those who held the rank of wisdom amongst the Brachmans, solemnized the Sunday in his honour as a holiday; and that day they only said this prayer, "O God, I adore thee at this present, and for ever: " that they pronounced those words softly, for fear of being overheard, and to preserve the oath which they had made, to keep them secret. "In fine," said he, "it is to be read in our ancient writings, that all the false religions should one day cease, and the whole world should observe one only law."

      The Brachman having disclosed these mysteries to Father Xavier, desired him, in his turn, to reveal to him what was most mysterious in the Christian law; and to engage him to deal the more freely with him, and without the least disguise, swore, that he would inviolably, and for ever, keep the secret. "I am so far," said the father, "from obliging you to silence, that I will inform you of nothing you desire to know, but on condition that you shall publish in all places what I tell you." The Brachman having given him his word, he began to instruct him by these words of Jesus Christ; "He who will believe, and be baptized, shall be saved." This he expounded to him at large; at the same time, declaring to him how baptism was necessary to salvation: and passing from one article of faith to another, he placed the truth of the gospel in so advantageous a light before him, that the Brachman declared upon the place he would become a Christian, provided he might be so in secret; and that he might have a dispensation from some certain duties of Christianity.

      This so wicked a disposition made him unworthy of the grace of baptism; he remained unconverted. Notwithstanding which, he desired to have in writing the apostles' creed, together with our Saviour's words, which had been expounded to him.

      He saw Father Xavier a second time, and told him he had dreamed he was baptized, and that afterwards he became his companion, and that they travelled together preaching the gospel in far countries; but this dream had no effect, and the Brachman would never promise to teach the people, that there was one only God, creator of the world, "or fear," says he, "that if he broke that oath which obliged him to secrecy, the devil should punish him with death."

      Thus the master, though convinced, yet not submitting, the scholars all stood out; and in the sequel, of so great a multitude of idol-priests, not one embraced the Christian doctrine from the heart. Nevertheless, Xavier, in their presence, wrought many miracles which were capable of converting them. Having casually met a poor creature all naked, and full of ulcers from head to foot, he washed him with his hands, drank part of the water wherewith he had washed him, and prayed by him with wonderful fervency; when he had ended his prayer, the flesh of the diseased person was immediately healed, and appeared as clean as that of an infant.

      The process of the saint's canonization makes mention of four dead persons, to whom God restored their life, at this time, by the ministry of his servant. The first was a catechist, called Antonio Miranda, who had been stung in the night by one of those venomous serpents of the Indies, whose stings are always mortal. The second was a child, who fell into a pit, and was drowned. The two others were a young man and a maid, whom a pestilential fever had carried off after a short sickness.

      But these miracles, which gave to the father the name of saint among the Christians, and caused him to be called the God of Nature amongst the Gentiles, had no other effect upon the Brachmans than to harden their hearts, and blind their understandings. Xavier, despairing of their conversion, thought himself bound to publish all their wicked actions, and bring them into disrepute. And he performed it so successfully, that those men, who were had in veneration by the people, came to be despised by all the world; insomuch, that even the children laughed at them, and publicly upbraided them with their cheats. They began at first to threaten the people, according to their custom, with the anger of their pagods; but seeing their menaces turned to scorn, they made use of another artifice, to regain their credit.

      What malice soever they harboured in their hearts against Father Xavier, they managed it so well, that, to see their conduct, they might have been taken for his friends. They made him visits; desired him to have some kindness for them; they gave him many commendations; they presented him sometimes with pearls and money. But the father was inexorable; and for their presents, he returned them without so much as looking on them.

      The decrying of those idol-priests contributed not a little to the destruction