The Isle of Amboyna is distant from Malacca about two hundred and fifty leagues; it is near thirty leagues in compass, and is famous for the concourse of merchants, who frequent it from all parts.  The Portuguese, who conquered it during the time that Antonio Galvan was governor of Ternate, had a garrison in it; besides which, there were in the island seven villages of Christians, natives of the place, but without any priest, because the only one in the island was just dead.  Xavier began to visit these villages, and immediately baptized many infants, who died suddenly after they were christened.  “As if,” says he himself in one of his letters, “the Divine Providence had only so far prolonged their lives, till the gate of heaven were opened to them.”

Having been informed, that sundry of the inhabitants had retired themselves from the sea-side into the midst of the woods, and caves of the mountains, to shelter themselves from the rage of the barbarians, their neighbours and their enemies, who robbed the coasts, and put to the sword, or made slaves of all who fell into their hands, he went in search of those poor savages, amidst the horror of their rocks and forests; and lived with them as much as was necessary, to make them understand the duties of Christianity, of which the greatest part of them was ignorant.

After having instructed the faithful, he applied himself to preach the gospel to the idolaters and Moors; and God so blessed the endeavours of his servant, that the greatest part of the island became Christians.  He built churches in every village, and made choice of the most reasonable, the most able, and the most fervent, to be masters over the rest, till there should arrive a supply of missioners.  To which purpose he wrote to Goa, and commanded Paul de Camerine to send him Francis Mansilla, John Beyra, and one or two more of the first missioners which should arrive from Europe:  he charged Mansilla, in particular, to come.  His design was to establish in one of those isles a house of the company, which should send out continual supplies of labourers, for the publication of the gospel, through all that Archipelago.

While Xavier laboured in this manner at Amboyna, two naval armies arrived there; one of Portugal with three ships, the other of Spaniards with six men of war.  The Spaniards were come from Nueva Espagna, or Mexico, for the conquest of the Moluccas, in the name of the emperor Charles the Fifth, as they pretended; but their enterprise succeeded not.  After two years cruising, and long stay with the king of Tidore, who received them, to give jealousy to the Portuguese, who were allied to the king of Ternate, his enemy, they took their way by Amboyna, to pass into the Indies, and from thence to Europe.  They were engaged in an unjust expedition against the rights of Portugal, and without order from Charles the Fifth; for that emperor, to whom King John the Third addressed his complaints thereupon, disavowed the proceedings of his subjects, and gave permission, that they should be used like pirates.