He ceased not for a month together to solicit the governor; sometimes beseeching him by the wounds of a crucified Saviour, sometimes urging him with the fatal consequences of a miserable eternity, and endeavouring to let him understand, what a crime it was to hinder the publication of the gospel; but these divine reasons prevailed as little with Don Alvarez, as the human had done formerly.  This strange obduracy quite overwhelmed the Father, when he saw that all these ways of mildness were unsuccessful, and the season of navigation passed away; after he had well consulted God upon it, he concluded, that it was time to try the last remedies.  Ten years were now expired since his coming to the Indies, and hitherto no one person, excepting only the bishop of Goa, was made privy to his being the apostolic Nuncio.  He had kept this secret in profound silence, and had not once exercised his power; but now he thought himself obliged to own it, in a business of so great consequence, and to strike with the thunders of the church, if occasion were, the man who made open war against the church.

Which notwithstanding, he would not dart the thunderbolt himself, but used the hand of the grand vicar.  Having sent for him, he began with shewing him one of the briefs of Paul III., which constituted him his Nuncio in all the kingdoms of the East.  After this, he requested Suarez to shew this brief to Don Alvarez, and to explain to him the censures which were incurred by those, who should oppose the pope’s legates in matters of religion, and to exhort him, by what was most holy in the world, to suffer the embassy to proceed.  In case of refusal, to threaten him with ecclesiastical punishments from the vicar of Jesus Christ, and to adjure him at the same time, by the death of the Saviour of mankind, to take compassion on himself.

Xavier had always hoped, that the governor would open his eyes; and in that writing which he gave the vicar to engage him in that nice commission, there were these following words:  “I cannot believe that Don Alvarez can be so hardened, but that he will be mollified, when he shall know the intentions and orders of the holy see.”  He desired the grand vicar, in the same writing, to send that very paper back to him, together with the answer of Don Alvarez, that both the one and the other might be an authentic evidence to the bishop of Goa, that he had omitted nothing for advancing the embassy; and that if it succeeded not, the fault lay not at his door.  Suarez proceeded with the governor, according to all the directions which had been traced out to him by the Father.  But nothing could work upon Alvarez.  He laughed at the threatenings, and broke out into railing language against the person of Xavier, saying loudly, “That he was an ambitious hypocrite, and a friend of publicans and sinners.”