But what yet appears more wonderful, the Portuguese themselves lived more like idolaters than Christians.  For, to speak somewhat more particularly of their corrupt manners, according to the relation which was sent to King John III. of Portugal from the Indies, by a man in power, and worthy of belief; some few months before the arrival of Father Xavier, every man kept as many mistresses as he pleased, and maintained them openly in his own house, even in the quality of lawful wives.  They bought women, or took them away by force, either for their service, or to make money of them.  Their masters taxed them at a certain sum by the day, and, for fault of payment, inflicted on them ail sorts of punishment; insomuch, that those unhappy creatures, not being able sometimes to work out the daily rate imposed on them, were forced upon the infamous traffic of their bodies, and became public prostitutes, to content the avarice of their masters.

Justice was sold at the tribunals, and the most enormous crimes escaped from punishment, when the criminals had wherewithal to corrupt their judges.

All methods for heaping up money were accounted lawful, how indirect soever, and extortion was publicly protest.  Murder was reckoned but a venial trespass, and was boasted as a piece of bravery.

The Bishop of Goa, to little purpose, threatened them with the wrath of heaven, and the thunder of excommunications.  No dam was sufficient for such a deluge; their hearts were hardened against spiritual threatening and anathemas; or, to speak more properly, the deprivation of sacraments was no punishment to such wicked wretches, who were glad to be rid of them.

The use of confessions, and the communion, were in a manner abolished; and if any one by chance was struck with a remorse of conscience, and desired to reconcile himself to God, at the foot of a priest, he was constrained to steal to his devotions by night, to avoid the scandal to his neighbour.

So strange a depravation of manners proceeded from these causes.  Its rise was taken from the licence of arms, which permit, and almost authorize, the greatest disorders in a conquered country.  The pleasures of Asia, and the commerce of infidels, aided not a little to debauch the Portuguese, as starched and regular as they naturally are.  The want of spiritual directors contributed largely to this growing mischief.  There were not four preachers, in all the Indies, nor any one priest without the walls of Goa; insomuch, that in many fortified places whole years were passed without hearing a sermon or a mass.

Behold a draught, not unresembling the face of Christianity in this new world, when Father Xavier arrived in it.

The author of the relation from whence mine is copied, seems to have had some kind of foresight of his coming; for, in the conclusion of his memorial, he prays Almighty God, and earnestly desires the king of Portugal, to send some holy man to the Indies, who might reform the manners of the Europeans, by his apostolic instructions, and his exemplary virtues.