receiving baptism.  At length he was christened, but very secretly; so that, in appearance, he remained an infidel, to keep the better correspondence with his people.  Yet he was not without some scruple concerning the manner of his life; and, in order to satisfy his conscience on so nice a point, he desired the bishop of Goa to send him an apostle; for by that name the Fathers of the Society were called by the Indians, as well as by the Portuguese.  Father Gomez, who was sent to the king of Tanor, told him positively, that God would be served in spirit and in truth; that dissembling in religion was worse than, irreligion; and that Jesus would disown before his angels, those who disowned him before me.  The king, who preferred his salvation before his crown, believed Gomez, and resolved to declare himself solemnly a Christian, as soon as he had made a treaty with his enemies.  Having concluded a peace through the mediation of the Father, who had advised him to it, he came to Goa, in despite of all his subjects, who, not being able to gain upon him, either by their reasons, or their desires, had seized upon his person, and shut him up in one of the strongest citadels of the kingdom.  He escaped out of his prison, swam a river, and having found eight foists, or half galleys, belonging to Goa, which were purposely sent to favour his passage, he had the good fortune to arrive safely at the town.  The bishop and the viceroy conducted him to the cathedral, amidst the acclamations of the people; and at the foot of the altar, he made a public profession of his faith; with such expressions of true devotion as melted the assistants into tears.

The other prince, whose conversion gave so much joy to Father Xavier, was the king of Trichenamalo, who is one of the sovereigns of Ceylon This king, while he was yet an infant, was set upon the throne, and afterwards dispossessed by an usurper, when he was but eight years old.  The tyrant, not content to have taken the crown from him, would also have murdered him, but was prevented by a prince of the blood-royal, who carried him out of his reach, being accompanied by forty lords of the loyal party, and sought sanctuary for him on the coasts of Fishery.  The Paravas received him with all the charitable compassion which was due to his illustrious birth, to the tenderness of his years, and to his misfortunes; they also promised his attendants to serve him what was in their power; but, at the same time, advised them, to procure him a more durable and more glorious crown; and withal informed them of what they had been taught, concerning the adoption of the sons of God, the kingdom of heaven, and inheritance of the saints.  Whether those considerations prevailed upon the prince of the blood-royal, or that the spirit of God wrought powerfully on his heart, lie consented to what the Paravas desired, and put himself into the hands of Father Henriquez to be instructed.  The rest of the lords followed his example, and were all baptised together with the