The saint gave the king to understand, that it was only Jesus Christ to whom he ought to pay his acknowledgments; and, as for himself, he ought only to be regarded as a weak instrument, who could do nothing of his own power.  The Pagan king comprehended nothing of his meaning; and the two vices which are the common obstacles to the conversion of the great, that is to say, the concupiscence of the flesh, and pride of heart, hindered him afterwards from embracing of the faith; which notwithstanding, he caused an edict to be published throughout his kingdom, whereby all men were commanded to obey the Great Father, as they would his proper person; and that whoever desired to be a Christian, might be so without any apprehension of danger to ensue.  He went so far as even to call Xavier his brother; and bestowed on him large sums of money, all which the servant of God employed in charities on the poor.

An edict so favourable to the law of our belief, made many Christians even in the court, though contrary to the example of the prince.  But the miraculous actions of Xavier finished the conversion of the whole kingdom.  Besides his curing all sorts of diseases, he raised four persons from the dead, two women and two men.  The act of canonization relates no more of the resurrection of the women, but the bare matter of fact, without any circumstances; but the resurrection of the men is related at large, of which the substance is in the ensuing account.

Xavier preached in one of the maritime villages of Travancore, called Coulan, near Cape Comoriu.  Some were converted by his first sermons; but the greater party remained in their ancient superstition, after having often heard him.  The most obstinate, it is true, listened to him with delight, and found the maxims of the gospel to be most conformable to the light of reason:  but the pleasure which they took in hearing, produced nothing; and they satisfied themselves with admiring the Christian law, without troubling themselves to follow it.

The father one day finding, that he spoke to them of God without working any thing upon their hearts, prayed fervently to the Almighty in their behalf; and, with his eyes lifted up to heaven, his countenance more than ordinarily inflamed, and with abundance of tears, besought him to take pity on those obstinate idolaters.  “O Lord,” said he, “all hearts are in thy hands; thou canst bend, as it pleases thee, the most stubborn, and soften the most obdurate; do that honour, on this day, to the blood and the name of thy beloved Son.”  Scarcely had he ended his prayer, when he was assured it was answered:  turning himself to his audience, with the air of one inspired, “Well,” said he, “since you will not believe me on my word, behold that which will make me be believed.  What testimony do you desire from me, of those truths which I have declared to you?” At the same instant he recalled to his remembrance, that a man had been there buried the day before.  Then resuming his discourse in the same tone that he began it, “Open,” said he, “the sepulchre which you closed yesterday, and bring out the body; but observe carefully, whether he who was buried be truly dead.”