visit.  When the sick man was come, by little and little, to himself, Xavier began to speak to him of eternity, and of the conditions requisite to a Christian death.  This discourse threw Martinez back again into his former terrors; and the servant of God, in this occasion, found that to be true, which he had often said, that nothing is more difficult than to persuade a dying man to hope well of his salvation, who in the course of his life had flattered himself with the hopes of it, that he might sin with the greater boldness.

Seeing the evil to be almost past remedy, he undertook to do violence to heaven, that he might obtain for the sick man the thoughts of true repentance, and the grace of a religious death.  For he made a vow upon the place, to say a great number of masses, in honour of the most Holy Trinity, of the Blessed Virgin, of the angels, and some of the saints, to whom he had a particular devotion.  His vows were scarcely made, when Martinez became calm; began to have reasonable thoughts, and received the last sacraments, with a lively sorrow for his sins, and a tender reliance on God’s mercies; after which, he died gently in the arms of Xavier, calling on the name of Jesus Christ.

His happy death gave great consolation to the holy man; but the apostolic labours of Francis Perez and Roch Oliveira increased his joy.  He had sent them the year before to Malacca, there to found a college of the Society, according to the desire of the people, and they had been very well received.  Perez had begun to open a public school, for the instruction of the youth in learning and piety, according to the spirit of their institute.  Oliveira had wholly given himself to the ministry of preaching, and the conduct of souls; but tying himself more especially to the care of Turks and Jews, of which there was always a vast concourse in the town.  For the first came expressly from Mecca, and the last from Malabar, to endeavour there to plant Mahometanism and Judaism, where Christianity then flourished.

The example of the two missioners drew many Portuguese to that kind of life, of which they both made profession.  The most considerable of all, was a young gentleman, whose name was Juan Bravo; who, by his noble birth and valour, might justly hope to raise his fortunes in the world.  But he preferring evangelical poverty, and religious humility, before all those earthly expectations and establishments, was just then ready to have taken ship for Goa, there to execute those thoughts with which heaven had inspired him, when he was informed, that Xavier would take Malacca in his way.  He therefore waited for him, and in the mean time lived with Perez and Oliveira as if he had been already of the Society.  At least he conformed himself as much as he was able to their manners, and habited himself like them; that is to say, instead of rich garments, he put on an old threadbare cassock, with which he looked the world in the face without having yet forsaken it.  He performed the spiritual exercises for a month together, and never came out of his retirement, but to employ himself in works of charity in the hospital.  There, for three months, he attended the sick, living in poverty, and begging his bread from door to door, even in the sight of James Sosa his kinsman, admiral of the fleet, which was rigging out for the Moluccas.