But the chief employment of Father Xavier was to endeavour the conversion of the king of Ternate, commonly called king of the Moluccas.  This Saracen prince, whose name was Cacil Aerio, was son to king Boleife, and his concubine, a Mahometan, and enemy to the Portuguese, whom Tristan d’Atayda, governor of Ternate, and predecessor of Antonio Galvan, caused to be thrown out of a window, to be revenged of her.  This unworthy and cruel usage might well exasperate Cacil; but fearing their power, who had affronted him in the person of his mother, and having the violent death of his brothers before his eyes, he curbed his resentments, and broke not out into the least complaint.  The Portuguese mistrusted this over-acted moderation, and affected silence; and according to the maxim of those politicians, who hold, that they who do the injury should never pardon, they used him afterwards as a rebel, and an enemy, upon very light conjectures, Jordan de Treitas, then governor of the fortress of Ternate. a man as rash and imprudent as Galvan was moderate and wise, seized the person of the prince, stript him of all the ornaments of royalty, and sent him prisoner to Goa, in the year 1546, with the Spanish fleet, of which we have formerly made mention.

The cause having been examined, in the sovereign tribunal of Goa, there was found nothing to condemn, but the injustice of Treitas:  Cacil was declared innocent; and the new viceroy of the Indies, Don John de Castro, sent him back to Ternate, with orders to the Portuguese, to replace him on the throne, and pay him so much the more respect, by how much more they had injured him.  As for Treitas, he lost his government, and being recalled to Goa, was imprisoned as a criminal of state.

The king of Ternate was newly restored, when Xavier came into the isle for the second time.  King Tabarigia, son of Boleife, and brother to Cacil, had suffered the same ill fortune some years before.  Being accused of felony, and having been acquitted at Goa, where he was prisoner, he was also sent back to his kingdom, with a splendid equipage; and the equity of the Christians so wrought upon him, that he became a convert before his departure.

Xavier was in hope, that the example of Tabarigia would make an impression on the soul of Cacil after his restoration, at least if any care were taken of instructing him; and the hopes or the saint seemed not at the first to be ill grounded.  For the barbarian king received him with all civility, and was very affectionate to him, insomuch that he could not be without his company.  He heard him speak of God whole hours together; and there was great appearance, that he would renounce the Mahometan religion.