In the midst of the conversation, the king sent for the Prince of Portugal, his son Don Juan, and the Infanta Maria, his daughter, that the two missioners might see them.  And from thence his majesty took occasion of relating to them, how many children he had still living, and how many he had lost, which turned the discourse on the education of youth; and before the fathers were dismissed, the king recommended to their care, an hundred young gentlemen, who were bred at court.

Though an officer of the palace had orders to prepare an handsome lodging, with good accommodation, for Xavier and Rodriguez, they returned to their hospital, and there continued.  They would not so much as receive their entertainment of diet, which was assigned them from court, but went the round of the city begging alms at their appointed hours, and lived in poverty, according to the manner of life which they had prescribed themselves.

The fleet not being to set sail till the next spring, and these apostolical persons not knowing what it was to live in idleness, Xavier was not satisfied only to instruct those young gentlemen in piety, whom the king had committed to his charge; he gave himself an employment, and did at Lisbon what he had done at Venice, Bolognia, and Rome, for the space of two years and more.  But, besides that he assisted the sick in the hospital day and night, visited the prisoners every day, and catechised the children many times in the week, he often discoursed with the principal persons of the court, and engaged them in the spiritual exercises of Ignatius.

At first he preached not in the churches, judging, that the ministries of the gospel ought to begin with less public actions; and went not into the pulpit, without being first requested by the king, who one day sending for him to the palace, acquainted him with the desire he had to hear him preach; and told him, “That the Bishop of Lisbon was of opinion, that they ought not any longer to defer his public exhortations.”

Father Simon Rodriguez laboured also on his part, in the service of his neighbour, according to the same method, and with the same spirit.

In the mean time, Martin d’Azpilcueta, surnamed the doctor of Navarre, who was uncle to Xavier, on the mother’s side, and who was chief professor of divinity in the university of Coimbra, having heard the news of his nephew’s arrival, wrote earnestly to the king, that it would please him to send Father Francis to him.  He added, that in case the Father might have leave to remain with him till the departure of the fleet, he would oblige himself to make two new lectures, at his own expence, the one in canon-law, the other in mystical divinity.  And farther, that in few years afterwards he would follow Xavier to the Indies, and preach the gospel in conjunction with him, to the eastern idolaters.