V.

CHAP. natural for them to despair of seeing him again. Accordingly they sent to Mar Simeon, patriarch of Babylon, to supply his place with another Bishop. The patriarch immediately complied with their request, consecrated one Abraham for the diocese, and sent him to the Serra.

Mar Joseph arrives at Goa; his dissimulation detected.

The Portuguese had used great precautions to prevent all intercourse between the Christians of Malabar and their patriarch; and when they found that their vigilance had been eluded, and that a Syrian Bishop was on his way to the country, they endeavoured to intercept him. Apprised of their intention, Mar Abraham travelled in disguise, and thus succeeded in gaining the place of his destination. The poor people received him with every demonstration of joy. Since the departure of Mar Joseph, they had been as sheep without a shepherd in the midst of wolves, and they welcomed their new Bishop, as their protector against the craft and violence of the Jesuits.

8. But they did not long enjoy the tranquillity of his government, which was soon disturbed by Mar Joseph's return to Malabar. The Archbishop of Goa was greatly disappointed at his arrival, as he had written expressly to Portugal, that he might never be allowed to return. Since, however, the authenticity of his letters was not to be disputed, the Portuguese authorities were obliged to permit him to proceed to the South; but they did not dismiss him without putting his sincerity to the test. As he had been sent back with such tokens of royal favour, in consequence of his promise to endeavour to bring over his flock to the Church of Rome, the Archbishop and the Viceroy desired him to take some Portuguese ecclesiastics with him, to instruct his people in the Roman creed

and ritual. Instead of immediately complying with their demand, he required time to consider of it; and on the following day he told them, that he had received a revelation during the night which expressly forbade him to do as they wished. The Archbishop was now confirmed in the suspicion he before entertained, that Joseph had dissembled at the court of Lisbon, and immediately replied, And I have found a better revelation in the Holy Scriptures, which convinces me that you are not the pastor whom the Lord would have to guide this flock, but a wolf in sheep's clothing, of whom our Saviour said, "Ye shall know them by their fruits:" your fraud shall certainly be made known to the prince and princesses upon whom you have imposed; for had they suspected your hypocrisy, they would not have honoured you with their letters of recom

mendation.

to return to

which cre

cese.

9. The Archbishop, however, was too skil- Is permitted ful a politician not to discover the advantage Malabar, afforded him by the arrival of another Bishop ates a schism in Malabar; and he understood too well the in the Diomaxim, Divide and conquer, to hesitate to seize upon the opportunity to promote disunion among the people. It did not require much sagacity to foresee that the two rival prelates would soon contend for the pre-eminence, and that each would gain over a strong party to support his pretensions. By espousing the cause of either side, the Archbishop might seem to establish a claim upon their gratitude, and would hope to be more successful in his endeavours to persuade them to acknowledge the Pope's supremacy. With this view, he allowed Mar Joseph to return to his diocese, notwithstanding the recent detection of his duplicity; and not long

CHAP.
V.

Joseph applies to the Romanists for assist

ance: Abra

ham is apprehended and shipped

for Europe, bce

but escapes to Mosul.

after his arrival, the wished for schism, like a leprosy, began to spread in the church. Many of Mar Joseph's friends rejoiced at his return, and immediately attached themselves to his interests but the majority of the Syrians regarded him as a renegade from their ancient faith, in consequence of his compliances with the Church of Rome; and they supported Mar Abraham, because he was quite free from popish contamination.

10. Mar Joseph now disclosed his real character. Feeling the weakness of his cause, he applied for succour to the very men of whose malicious designs against his church he had such unquestionable proof: like the unfaithful Israelites who, in danger, forsook the God of their fathers, and placed their confidence in the Egyptians, who had held them in bondage, and sought their destruction.' Mar Joseph complained of his rival to the Archbishop of Goa, calling him an intruder, accusing him of inculcating many pernicious doctrines, especially against the faith of Rome, and entreating that he might be removed.

This was just what the Archbishop desired and expected. He gave immediate information of the circumstance to the viceroy, who despatched orders to the commanding officer at Cochin to apprehend Mar Abraham, and send him to Goa without delay. These orders were speedily executed, as the Rajah of Cochin permitted the Portuguese troops to enter his dominions for the purpose, and assisted them with a considerable force of his own. Mar Abraham was seized and sent to Goa, where he embarked for Portugal, with a view to his being forwarded to

1 Isaiah xxx., xxxi.

Rome, to answer to the pope for his conduct and his doctrines. As the ship in which he sailed approached the island of Madagascar, a violent gale arose, and compelled them to seek refuge in the port of Mosambique, then belonging to the Portuguese. While there, Mar Abraham contrived to effect his escape, and he proceeded to Mosul by way of Melindo and Ormus. Here he obtained from the Syrian patriarch fresh credentials, confirming his title to the bishopric of Malabar.

pope reim

quires

of

11. At first he intended to return direct to to Rome and He proceeds India, but was induced to alter his purpose conforms to when he considered the state of the country. He knew that none but his own flock would acknowledge the validity of his credentials, and that, should he succeed in rejoining them, which was most improbable, neither the Portuguese authorities, nor the heathen rajahs on the Malabar coast, would leave him unmolested. Seeing, therefore, that he must either abandon his diocese, or endeavour to regain it through the sanction of the pope, he boldly adopted the latter alternative. For this purpose he set out at once for Rome, where he arrived during the pontificate of Pius IV. When the pope had heard his story, he required him first to renounce the Syrian faith, and embrace that of Rome: then to anathematize his ancient creed, and engage to bring over the Christians of Malabar to the obedience of the pontiff. With all this he complied without hesitation, and thus betrayed as great a want of principle as his rival had shown in a similar emergency. Indeed, romanist writers charge him with an act of duplicity on this occasion, which, if true, cannot be too strongly condemned. They assert, that in the confession of faith which he

S

A. D.

1566.

CHAP.

V.

made before the pope, and carried back to India, instead of saying that the Eternal Word took upon Him human nature, he dexterously substituted a Syriac word which signifies person, or what the schoolmen call, hypostasis; so that, while pretending to abjure his creed, he was actually maintaining it. Whatever truth there may be in this allegation, there is too much reason to fear that he had recourse to some disingenuous means to accomplish his end; otherwise he would not have succeeded so easily in obtaining permission from the "his Holiness" to return to India. No doubt, he by this time saw enough of his adversaries to be convinced, that the justice of his cause would prove a weak ground of defence at the tribunal of Rome; and he, most probably, thought himself at liberty to use dissimulation, in order to recover what they had taken from him by violence and injustice. Such conduct, however, is indefensible, for no circumstances can justify the defence of what is right by what is wrong: but the accusation comes with an ill grace from the mouth or the pen of a romanist. The miserable man was only practising against them their own atrocious maxim-The end justifies the

means.

The pope, however, was satisfied with his promise: but before he sent him away, he required him to be re-ordained by Roman Bishops. In the case of Mar Joseph a mistake had been committed, in the policy of Rome, by allowing him to return to his diocese with a recognition of his orders. It is incompatible with the pretensions of this church to acknowledge any ecclesiastical authority not emanating from herself. In the present instance, therefore, it was determined to re-ordain Mar Abraham, to