The Works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 16

"God is my witness, my dearest Father," says he in another letter, "how much I wish to behold you in this life, that I might communicate to you many matters, which cannot be remedied without your aid; for there is no distance of places which can hinder me from obeying you. I conjure you, my best Father, to have some little consideration of us who are in the Indies, and who are your children. I conjure you, I say, to send hither some holy man, whose fervour may excite our lazy faintness. I hope, for the rest, that as you know the bottom of our souls, by an illumination from heaven, you will not be wanting to supply us with the means of awakening our languishing and drowsy virtue, and of inspiring us with the love of true perfection." In another of his letters, which is thus superscribed, "To Ignatius, my holy Father in Jesus Christ," he sends him word, that the letter which he received from his holy charity, at his return from Japan, had replenished him with joy; and that particularly he was most tenderly affected with the last words of it: "I am all yours, yours even to that degree, that it is impossible for me to forget you, Ignatius." "When I had read those words," said he, "the tears came flowing into my eyes, and gushing out of them; which makes me, that I cannot forbear writing them, and recalling to my memory that sincere and holy friendship which you always had, and still have, for me; nothing doubting, but that if God has delivered me from so many dangers, it has principally proceeded from your fatherly intercessions for me." He calls himself his son in all his letters, and thus subscribes himself in one: "The least of your children, and most distant from you, Francis Xavier." But the high ideas which Francis had of Ignatius, caused him frequently to ask his advice in relation to his own conduct. "You will do a charitable work," said he, "in writing to me a letter, full of spiritual instructions, as a legacy bequeathed to one who is the least of all your children, at the farthest distance from you, and who is as it were banished from your presence, by which I may partake some part of those abundant treasures which heaven has heaped upon you. I beseech you not to be too niggardly in the accomplishment of my desires." "I conjure you," says he elsewhere, "by the tender love of Jesus Christ, to give me the method which I ought to keep, in admitting those who are to be members of our Society; and write to me at large, considering the smallness of my talent, which is well known to you; for if you give me not your assistance, the poor ability which I have in these matters, will be the occasion of my losing many opportunities for the augmentation of God's glory."

In prescribing any thing that was difficult to his inferiors, he frequently intermixed the name of Ignatius: "I pray you by our Lord, and by Ignatius, the Father of our Society. I conjure you by the obedience, and by the love which you owe to our Father Ignatius." "Remember," said he farther, "to what degree, both great and small, respect our Father Ignatius."

With these sentiments, both of affection and esteem, he depended absolutely on his superior. "If I believed," says he, writing from the Indies to Father Simon Rodriguez, "that the strength of your body were equal to the vigour of your mind, I should invite you to pass the seas, and desire your company in this new world; I mean, if our Father Ignatius should approve and counsel such a voyage: For he is our parent, it behoves us to obey him; and it is not permitted us to make one step without his order."

In this manner, Xavier had recourse to Ignatius on all occasions, as much as the distance of places would permit; and the orders which he received, were to him inviolable laws. "You shall not suffer any one," so he writ to Gaspar Barzæus, rector of the college of Goa, "to receive the orders of priesthood, who is not sufficiently learned; and who has not given, for the space of many years, sufficient examples of his good life in our Society; because our Father Ignatius has expressly forbidden it." For the same reason he exactly observed the constitutions of the Society. "Make not haste," writes he in the same letter to Barzæus, "to receive children which are too young; and totally reject such sorts of people, whom Father Ignatius would have for ever excluded from our order." But nothing, perhaps, can more clearly discover how perfect the submission of Xavier was, than what his superior himself thought of it. At the time when Xavier died, Ignatius had thoughts of recalling him from the Indies; not doubting, but at the first notice of his orders, this zealous missioner would leave all things out of his obedience. And on this occasion he wrote to him a letter, bearing date the 28th of June, in the year 1553. Behold the passage which concerns the business of which we are speaking: "I add," says Ignatius in his letter, "that having in prospect the salvation of souls, and the greater service of our Lord, I have resolved to command you, in virtue of holy obedience, to return into Portugal with the first opportunity; and I command you this in the name of Christ. But that you may more easily satisfy those, who are desirous of retaining you in the Indies, for the good of those countries, I will present you with my reasons: You know, in the first place, of what weight are the orders of the king of Portugal, for the confirmation of religion in the East, for the propagation of it in, Guinea and Brasil; and you can rightly judge, that a prince so religious as he, will do all things necessary for the advancement of God's honour, and the conversion of people, if one of your ability and experience shall personally instruct him; And besides, it is of great importance, that the holy apostolical see should be informed of the present state of India, by some authentic witness; to the end, that Popes may issue out spiritual supplies, as well to the new as to the ancient Christianity of Asia; without which, neither the one nor the other can subsist, or cannot subsist without much trouble; and nobody is more proper than yourself for this, both in respect of your knowledge in the affairs of the new world, and of your reputation in these parts.

"You know, moreover, of what consequence it is, that the missioners, who are sent to the Indies, should be proper for the end proposed; and it is convenient, on that account, that you come to Portugal and Rome: for not only many more will be desirous of going on those missions, but you will make a better choice of missioners, and will see more clearly to what parts such and such are proper to be sent. You judge yourself of what consideration it is, not to be mistaken in these affairs; and whatsoever relation you can send us, your letters are not sufficient to give us a true notion of what labourers are fitting for the Indies. It is necessary that you, or some one as intelligent as you, should know and practise those who are designed for those countries. Besides what it will be in your power to do for the common benefit of the East, you will warm the zeal of the king of Portugal, in relation to Ethiopia, which has been under consideration for so many years, but nothing yet performed. You will also be of no little use to the affairs of Congo and Brasil, on which you can have no influence in India, for want of commerce betwixt them and you. But if you think your presence may be necessary, for the government of those of the Society who are in the Indies, you may govern them more easily from Portugal, than you can from China or Japan. For what remains, I remit you to the Father, Master Polanque, and recommend myself most cordially to your good prayers, beseeching the Divine Goodness to multiply his favours on you; to the end, that we may understand his most holy will, and that we may perfectly perform it."

Father Polanque, who was secretary to Father Ignatius, and confident to all his purposes, has given testimony, that the intention of the holy founder was to make Xavier general of the Society. The letter of Ignatius found Xavier dead. But we may judge of what he would have done, by what he writ before his death to Ignatius himself, who had testified so earnest a desire to see him: "Your holy charity," says he in his letter, "tells me, that you have an earnest desire to see me once again in this present life: God, who looks into the bottom of my heart, can tell how sensibly that mark of your tenderness has touched me. Truly, whenever that expression of yours returns to my remembrance, and it frequently returns, the tears come dropping from my eyes, and I cannot restrain them; while I revolve that happy thought, that once, yet once again it may be given me to embrace you. I confess, it appears difficult to compass my desires, but all things are possible to holy obedience."

Undoubtedly, if the letter of Ignatius had found Xavier alive, he had soon been seen in Europe; for having offered, of his own free motion, to leave the Indies, Japan, and China, and all the business which he had upon his hands, and having said, that the least beckoning of his superior should be sufficient for it, what would he not have done, when he had received a positive command to abandon all, and repass the seas?

His maxims of obedience shew clearly what his own submission was.

"There is nothing more certain, nor less subject to mistake, than always to be willing to obey. On the contrary, it is dangerous to live in complaisance to our own wills, and without following the motion of our superiors; for though we chance to perform any good action, yet if we never so little deviate from that which is commanded us, we may rest assured, that our action is rather vicious than good.

"The devil, by his malicious suggestions, tempts the greatest part of those who have devoted themselves to God's service: 'What make you there?' he secretly whispers; 'See you not that you do but lose your labour?' Resist that thought with all your strength; for it is capable not only of hindering you in the way to perfection, but also of seducing you from it: and let every one of you persuade himself, that he cannot better serve our Lord, than in that place where he is set by his superior. Be also satisfied, that when the time of God is come, he will inspire your superiors with thoughts of sending you to such places, where your labours shall abundantly succeed. In the mean time, you shall possess your souls in peace. By this means, you will well employ your precious time, though too many do not understand its value, and make great proficiencies in virtue. It is far otherwise with those restless souls, who do no good in those places where they wish to be, because they are not there; and are unprofitable both to themselves and others where they are, because they desire to be otherwhere.

"Perform, with great affection, what your superiors order you, in relation to domestic discipline, and suffer not yourself to be surprised with the suggestions of the evil spirit, who endeavours to persuade you, that some other employment would be fitter for you; his design is, that you should execute that office ill in which you are employed: I entreat you, therefore, by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to consider seriously, how you may overcome those temptations, which give you a distaste of your employment; and to meditate, more on that, than how to engage yourself in such laborious affairs, as are not commanded you. Let no man flatter himself; it is impossible to excel in great matters, before we arrive to excel in less: and it is a gross error, under the pretence of saving souls, to shake off the yoke of obedience, which is light and easy, and to take up a cross, which, without comparison, is more hard and heavy.

"It becomes you to submit your will and judgement to your governors; and to believe that God, will inspire them, in reference to you, with that, which will be most profitable to you. For the rest, beware of asking any thing with importunity, as some have done, who press their superiors with such earnestness, that they even tear from them that which they desire, though the thing which they demand be in itself pernicious; or if it be refused them, complain in public, that their life is odious to them: they perceive not, that their unhappiness proceeds from their neglect of their vow, and their endeavour to appropriate that will to themselves, which they have already consecrated to our Lord. In effect, the more such people live according to their own capricious fancy, the more uneasy and melancholy is their life."

The holy man was so thoroughly persuaded, that the perfection of the Society of Jesus consisted in obedience, that he frequently commanded his brethren, in virtue of their holy obedience, thereby to increase their merit.

"I pray you," said he to two missioners of Comorine, "to go to the Isles del Moro; and to the end you may the better have occasion of meriting by your obedience, I positively command you."

But it is impossible to relate, with what tenderness he loved the Society, or how much he concerned himself in all their interests, though of the smallest moment. Being in Portugal, before his voyage to the Indies, he wrote not any letters to Rome, wherein he did not testisfy his great desire to know what progress it made in Italy. Writing to the Fathers, Le Gay, and Laynez, he says thus: "Since our rule is confirmed, I earnestly desire to learn the names of those who are already received into our order, and of such as are upon the point of being admitted. He exhorts them, to thank the king of Portugal, for the design which his majesty had to build a college, or a house for the Society: and we ought to make this acknowlegment to the king," said he, "to engage him thereby to begin the building."

The news which he received from Father Ignatius, and the other Fathers who were at Rome, gave him infinite consolation. "I have received your letters, which I expected with much impatience; and have received them with that joy, which children ought to have in receiving some pleasing news from their mother. In effect, I learn from them the prosperous condition of all the Society, and the holy employments wherein you engage yourselves without intermission." He could scarcely moderate his joy, whensoever he thought on the establishment of the Society. Thus he wrote from the Indies to Rome: "Amongst all the favours which I have received from God in this present life, and which I receive daily, the most signal, and most sensible, is to have heard that the institute of our Society has been approved and confirmed by the authority of the Holy See I give immortal thanks to Jesus Christ, that he has been pleased his vicar should publicly establish the form of life, which he himself has prescribed in private to his servant, our Father Ignatius."

But Xavier also wished nothing more, than to see the Society increased; and he felt a redoubling of his joy, by the same proportion, when he had notice of their gaining new houses in the East, or when he heard, from Europe, of the foundation of new colleges.

To conclude, he had not less affection for the particular persons, who were members of the Society, than for the body of it. His brethren were ever present in his thoughts; and he thought it not enough to love them barely, without a continual remembrance of them. "I carry about with me (thus he writes to the Fathers at Rome) all your names, of your own handwriting, in your letters; and I carry them together with the solemn form of my profession." By which he signifies, not only how dear the sons of the Society were to him, but also how much he esteemed the honour of being one of their number.

The love which he bore to gospel-poverty, caused him to subsist on alms, and to beg his bread from door to door, when he might have had a better provision made for him. Being even in the college of Goa, which was well endowed, he sought his livelihood without the walls, the more to conform himself to the poverty of his blessed Saviour. He was always very meanly clothed, and most commonly had so many patches on his cassock, that the children of the idolaters derided him. He pieced up his tatters with his own hand, and never changed his habit till it was worn to rags; at least, if the honour of God, and the interest of religion, did not otherwise oblige him. At his return from Japan to Malacca, where he was received with so much honour, he wore on his back a torn cassock, and a rusty old hat on his head.

The Portuguese, beholding him always so ill apparelled, often desired him to give them leave to present him with a new habit; but seeing he would not be persuaded, they once devised a way of stealing his cassock while he was asleep. The trick succeeded, and Xavier, whose soul was wholly intent on God, put on a new habit, which they had laid in the place of his old garment, without discovering how they had served him. He passed the whole day in the same ignorance of the cheat, and it was not till the evening that he perceived it; for supping with Francis Payva, and other Portuguese, who were privy to the matter, – "It is perhaps to do honour to our table," said one amongst them, "that you are so spruce to-day, in your new habit." Then, casting his eyes upon his clothes, he was much surprised to find himself in so strange an equipage. At length, being made sensible of the prank which they had played him, he told them, smiling, "That it was no great wonder that this rich cassock, looking for a master in the dark, could not see its way to somebody who deserved it better."

As he lived most commonly amongst the poorer sort of Indians, who had nothing to bestow, and who, for the most part, went naked, he enjoyed his poverty without molestation. All his moveables were a mat, on which he lay sometimes, and a little table, whereon were his writings, and some little books, with a wooden crucifix, made of that which the Indians call the wood of St Thomas.

He cheerfully underwent the greatest hardships of poverty; and, writing from Japan to the Fathers of Goa, his words were these: – "Assist me, I beseech you, my dear brethren, in acknowledging to Almighty God the signal favour he has done me. I am at length arrived at Japan, where there is an extreme scarcity of all things, which I place amongst the greatest benefits of Providence."

Mortification is always the companion of poverty, in apostolical persons. Xavier bore Constantly along with him the instruments of penance; haircloth, chains of iron, and disciplines, pointed at the ends, and exceeding sharp. He treated his flesh with great severity, by the same motive which obliged St Paul, the apostle, to chastise his body, and to reduce it into servitude, lest, having preached to other men, he might himself become a reprobate.

At sea, the ship tackling served him for a bed; on land, a mat, or the earth itself. He eat so little, that one of his companions assures us, that, without a miracle, he could not have lived. Another tells us, that he seldom or never drank wine, unless at the tables of the Portuguese; for there he avoided singularity, and took what was given him. But, afterwards, he revenged himself on one of those repasts, by an abstinence of many days.

When he was at Cape Comorine, the viceroy; Don Alphonso de Sosa, sent him two barrels of excellent wine. He did not once taste of it, though he was then brought very low, through the labours of his ministry, but distributed the whole amongst the poor.

His ordinary nourishment, in the Indies, was rice boiled in water, or some little piece of salt fish; but during the two years and a half of his residence in Japan, he totally abstained from fish, for the better edification of that people; and wrote to the Fathers at Rome, "that he would rather choose to die of hunger, than to give any man the least occasion of scandal." He also says, "I count it for a signal favour, that God has brought me into a country destitute of all the comforts of life, and where, if I were so ill disposed, it would be impossible for me to pamper up my body with delicious fare." He perpetually travelled, by land, on foot, even in Japan, where the ways are asperous, and almost impassible; and often walked, with naked feet, in the greatest severity of winter.

"The hardships of so long a navigation," says he, "so long a sojourning amongst the Gentiles, in a country parched up with excessive heats, all these incommodities being suffered, as they ought to be, for the sake of Christ, are truly an abundant source of consolations: for myself, I am verily persuaded, that they, who love the cross of Jesus Christ, live happy in the midst of sufferings; and that it is a death, when they have no opportunities to suffer. For, can there be a more cruel death, than to live without Jesus Christ, after once we have tasted of him? Is any thing more hard, than to abandon him, that we may satisfy our own inclinations? Believe me, there is no other cross which is to be compared to that. How happy is it, on the other side, to live, in dying daily, and in conquering our passions, to search after, not our proper interests, but the interests of Jesus Christ?"

His interior mortification was the principle of these thoughts, in this holy man; from the first years of his conversion, his study was to gain an absolute conquest on himself; and he continued always to exhort others not to suffer themselves to be hurried away by the fury of their natural desires. He writes thus to the fathers and brethren of Coimbra, from Malacca: – "I have always present, in my thoughts, what I have heard from our holy Father Ignatius, that the true children of the Society of Jesus ought to labour exceedingly in overcoming of themselves.

"If you search our Lord in the spirit of truth," says he to the Jesuits of Goa, "and generously walk in those ways, which conduct you to him, the spiritual delights, which you taste in his service, will sweeten all those bitter agonies, which the conquest of yourselves will cost you. O my God, how grossly stupid is mankind not to comprehend, that, by a faint and cowardly resistance of the assaults of the devil, they deprive themselves of the most pure and sincere delights which life can give them."

By the daily practice of these maxims, Xavier came to be so absolute a master of his passions, that he knew not what it was to have the least motion of choler and impatience; and from thence proceeded partly, that tranquillity of soul, that equality of countenance, that perpetual cheerfulness, which rendered him so easy and so acceptable in all companies.

It is natural for a man, who is extremely mortified, to be chaste; and so was Xavier, to such a degree of perfection, that we have it certified from his ghostly fathers, and, amongst others, from the vicar of Meliapore, that he lived and died a virgin. From his youth upward he had an extreme horror for impurity; notwithstanding, that he was of a sanguine complexion, and naturally loved pleasure. While he was a student at Paris, and dwelt in the college of Sainte Barbe, his tutor in philosophy, who was a man lost in debauches, and who died of a dishonest disease, carried his scholars by night to brothel-houses. The abominable man did all he could towards the debauching of Francis Xavier, who was handsome, and well shaped, but he could never accomplish his wicked purpose; so much was the youth estranged from the uncleanness of all fleshly pleasures.

For what remains, nothing can more clearly make out his love to purity, than what happened to him once at Rome. Simon Rodriguez being fallen sick, Father Ignatius commanded Xavier to take care of him during his distemper. One night, the sick man awaking, saw Xavier, who was asleep at his bed's feet, thrusting out his arms in a dream, with the action of one who violently repels an enemy; he observed him even casting out blood in great abundance, through his nostrils, and at his mouth. Xavier himself awaking, with the labour of that struggling, Rodriguez enquired of him the cause of that extreme agitation, and the gushing of his blood. Xavier would not satisfy him at that time, and gave him no account of it, till he was just upon his departure to the Indies; for then being urged anew by Rodriguez, after he had obliged him to secrecy, "Know," said he, "my brother, master Simon, that God, out of his wonderful mercy, has done me the favour, to preserve me, even till this hour, in entire purity; and that very night I dreamed, that, lodging at an inn, an impudent woman would needs approach me: The motion of my arms was to thrust her from me, and to get rid of her; and the blood, which I threw out, proceeded from my agony."

But whatsoever detestation Xavier had, even for the shadow of a sin, he was always diffident of himself; and withdrew from all conversation of women, if charity obliged him not to take care of their conversion; and even on such occasions, he kept all imaginable measures, never entertaining them with discourse, unless in public places, and in sight of all the world; nor speaking with them of ought, but what was necessary, and then also sparing of his words, and with a grave, modest, and serious countenance. He would say, "That, in general conversation, we could not be too circumspect in our behaviour towards them; and that, however pious the intentions of their confessors were, there still remained more cause of fear to the directors in those entertainments, than of hope, that any good should result from them to the women-penitents."