of one vessel.”  By this the saint made known, that God had revealed to him what had happened.  He continued some time in prayer before the image of the Virgin; and these words of his were overheard:  “O my Jesus, the desire of my heart, regard me with a favourable eye; and thou, holy Virgin, be propitious to me!  Lord Jesus,” he continued, “look upon thy sacred wounds, and remember they have given us a right to ask of thee every thing conducing to our good.”

His prayers being ended, he goes to the citadel:  The governor, alarmed with the cries and murmurs of the people, could not dissemble his disturbance, but reproached the Father for having engaged them in this enterprize.  But Xavier upbraided him with his distrust of God; and said, smiling, to him, “What! are you so dejected for so slight an accident?” After which, they went in company to the shore, where the soldiers belonging to the admiral stood in great consternation for the hazard they had run so lately.  The Father reassured them, and exhorted them to remain constant in their holy resolution, notwithstanding their petty misadventure:  he remonstrated to them, that heaven had not permitted their admiral to sink, but only to make trial of their faith; neither had themselves been saved from shipwreck, but only that they might perform their vow.  In the mean time, the governor held it necessary to summon the great council.  All the officers of the town, and the principal inhabitants, were of opinion to give over an enterprize, which, as they thought, was begun rashly, and could have no fortunate conclusion.  But the captains and soldiers of the fleet, encouraged by the words of the holy man, and inspired with vigour, which had something in it of more than human, were of a quite contrary judgment.  They unanimously protested, that they had rather die than violate that faith, which they had solemnly engaged to Jesus Christ.  “For the rest,” said they, “what have we more to fear this day than we had yesterday? our number is not diminished, though we have one vessel less, and we shall fight as well with six foysts, as we should with seven.  But, on the other side, what hopes ought we not to conceive, under the auspices and promise of Father Francis?”

Then Xavier taking the word, “The lost galley shall be soon made good,” said he with a prophetic voice; “before the sun goes down, there shall arrive amongst us two better vessels than that which perished; and this I declare to you from Almighty God.”  This positive prediction amazed the whole assembly, and caused them to put off the determination of the affair until the day ensuing.  The remaining part of the day was passed with great impatience, to see the effect of the Father’s promise.  When the sun was just on the point of setting, and many began to fear the accomplishment of the prophecy, in the very minute marked out by the Father, they discovered, from the clock-house of our Lady del Monte, two European ships, which were sailing directly from