last kind office, of accompanying his corpse to burial.  To content him, and to make themselves merry at his folly, they attended him into the church:  in their presence he received the viaticum, and the extreme unction, without being sick; afterwards he laid himself upon the bier, and caused them to sing the mass for the dead.  The people gathered in a crowd at the strangeness of the report; some drawn by the novelty of the sight, the rest to be eye-witnesses how the prediction of Father Xavier would succeed.  Mass being ended, the priest, attended by his inferiors, performed all the ceremonies of the church about the grave, and, at length, sung the last words belonging to a Christian burial over the old man, who was alive, and bore his part in the responses.  There now remaining no more to do, the servant of Veglio coming to help his master off the bier, he found him dead.  All the assistants were witnesses of the matter of fact, and every one went home full of admiration of God’s mercy towards this merchant, who had been so charitable, and blessing the memory of the holy apostle of the Indies.

This was not the only prophetical light, which Xavier had in the isle of Sancian.  A ship, which went from Macao to Japan, appeared in sight of Sancian, to be overtaken by a dreadful hurricane.  The Portuguese, who had great concernments in that vessel, being alarmed at so inevitable a danger, came running for comfort to Father Xavier; but the Father assured them, they had no cause of fear, and that the ship was safely arrived at her port.  They kept themselves quiet, upon the assurance of his word, till finding that the ship made no return, which was to stay at Japan but some few days, they gave her for lost.  Xavier reproved their want of faith, and positively told them, that she should come back before the week were ended.  In effect, she returned two days afterwards, laden with rich merchandizes, and proud of her escape from the fury of the hurricane.

At the same time, Xavier was inspired with the knowledge of the quarrel betwixt Don Alvarez de Atayda, governor of Malacca, and Don Bernard de Sosa, who was newly arrived from the Moluccas; and told the circumstances of it to the Portuguese, who, having afterwards the particulars of it from some of Malacca, were astonished to find them the very same which the Father had related.

This miraculous foreknowledge was accompanied by actions as surprising; and without speaking of a dead infant, which Xavier restored to life, but whose resurrection is without circumstances in the acts of the saint’s canonization, he cleared the country of the tygers, which laid it waste.  These furious beasts came in herds together out of the forests, and devoured not only the children, but the men also, whom they found scattered in the fields, and out of distance from the entrenchments which were made for their defence.  One night the servant of God went out to meet the tygers, and when they came near him, he threw holy water upon them, commanding them to go back, and never after to return.  The commandment had its full effect, the whole herd betook themselves to flight, and from that time forward no tygers were ever seen upon the island.