CHAP. V. effective than any that might be drawn from "Holy Scriptures or reason, he wrote immediately to the Governor of Cochin, Don Antonio de Noronha, desiring him to send the rajah's prime minister to him at Molandurté, where he would wait for him. He was well aware, says Gouvea, that the reduction of the Malabar Christians would distress the rajah, who, by that means, in case of a rupture with the Portuguese, would be deprived of the service of at least fifty thousand of his best musketeers. Under this apprehension, it could not fail greatly to annoy him to see the measures now taking to bring this brave and numerous body of men under the jurisdiction of the Portuguese prelates, who would always combine with the viceroys of Goa, to promote their temporal interests, expecting thereby to secure their services, even against their native prince. As, however, it was important to maintain even a nominal sovereignty over them, and this could only be done by keeping on good terms with the Portuguese, the rajah resolved to preserve the appearance of friendship, and gave a verbal assent to all that the Archbishop desired; but, at the same time, he determined secretly to exert himself to prevent the subjugation of his Christian subjects to the Church of Rome. Accordingly, the governor of Cochin had no difficulty in prevailing upon him to allow his minister to wait upon the Archbishop. When that officer arrived at Molandurté, Menezes made bitter complaints against the rajah for his oppression of the inhabitants, and for his violence in sending some of the chief men in custody to the Archdeacon and all this was said, but because done for no other reason, he 1599. former visit to the place. The minister did A. D. what he could to pacify him, promising to acquaint his master with what he had said, and assuring him, "That if any thing were amiss the rajah would certainly redress it, and give him all the satisfaction he could desire." To this the Archbishop abruptly answered, "That he expected no kindness from his master, since he had already denied him so small a favour, as to order the muskets that were kept in the choir of the church to be removed to a more suitable place: that he had indeed promised that it should be done, but that he understood that the muskets were there still." The minister, either not thinking, or fearing, to ask him what he had to do with the church, quietly answered, "That the officer of the place was to blame for that, and not his master, who, to his knowledge, had given the order required." 3. Thus the Archbishop showed that he knew, both whom to brow-beat, and whom to bribe. He required the minister to prove his friendly disposition by going with him to the church, and there pacifying the peoples' fears. This he did immediately, desiring those present, in the rajah's name, to do whatever the Archbishop commanded them. But though he spake thus in the hearing of Menezes, he privately caused it to be known, that the rajah would be much better pleased with their adherence to their own Archdeacon and their ancient customs, than with their submission to the Archbishop. The people, however, chose to follow his open exhortation, rather than his secret suggestion. As soon as he had taken his departure, Menezes entered the church, where he officiated, it is said, greatly to the satisfac The inhareconciled to the Rome. bitants Church of V. CHAP. tion of the assembly. Many present were in their hearts favourable to the Portuguese; and although the day before they durst not meet the Archbishop, yet now, without any other apparent cause than the prime minister's public injunction to obey him, they gave in their ad hesion to the Church of Rome. But the heathen inhabitants were not tranquil observers of these proceedings. The evening had hardly closed, when thirty Naires, armed with matchlocks, came to the persons in attendance upon the Archbishop, and told them, that their prelate had better retire without advancing any further into the rajah's dominions; that if he persisted in his enterprise, they would pay him as he deserved for all the trouble that he had occasioned their prince; and that as for the Christians of the country who had welcomed him, they should do so no longer without having cause to repent of their treacherous conduct. When these threats were reported to Menezes, he affected to treat them as unworthy of his notice. 4. Just as he had made up his mind to leave Molandurté, a native priest, of the Portuguese diocese of Cochin, returned from the Archdeacon, to report the result of a commission with which Menezes had charged him to that ecclesiastic. This man was related to him, and, though now of a different communion, it was expected that one with whom he was nearly connected would be more likely to make a favourable impression upon his mind, than a stranger. But the answer received from the Archdeacon disappointed this expectation. He admonished Menezes to desist from his rash crusade; told him that it was in vain to expect the Christians to comply with his wishes; and warned him, that in all his proceedings he put his life in imminent danger, for that the principal rajahs of Malabar, and especially the rajah of Cochin, were resolved to favour the Christians who maintained their ancient rites and government; and that, in case of necessity, they would raise an army of one hundred and fifty thousand Naires for their defence. A. D. 1599. affected for his know 5. This letter was publicly read, and it had Menezes the effect of dividing the Archbishop's party. bearance Some were of opinion that he ought immediately Specimen of to withdraw, and have nothing more to do ledge of among them. Others, more determined to Scripture. cleave to him, thought that they treated the Archdeacon with too much consideration; that he ought rather to be excommunicated, and his person seized. Menezes, who understood human nature well, knew that an appearance of lenity would tend to confirm this favourable disposition towards him, and to reconcile the party that had manifested some opposition. He therefore answered, that meekness and patience were virtues which the Son of God had taught them when upon earth; and that those who thought he had not acted right while among the Christians, should pray to God to inspire him with more wisdom and a better spirit, that he might be able henceforth to conduct himself in a manner more certainly for the peoples' benefit. "This was truly the most sure way of succeeding," says Gouvea, "and therefore this good prelate had these words of the Psalmist perpetually on his lips,-Bene patientes erunt ut annuntient,' which he interpreted thus, That they who preach the word 1 Gouvea's reference is to Psalm xci., where, in the Vulgate, these words occur. In the original Hebrew, the LXX and English versions, the passage will be found, in Psalm CHAP. V. of God to hard hearts, ought to have great patience. And truly the patience and forbearance of the Archbishop, both in his labours, and also in his tolerance of the rebellion of this Archdeacon and his adherents, was the best remedy for propagating Christianity in these regions, and that which obtained all that he aimed at. For had he adopted any other mode of conduct, he would have failed in every thing, as he himself confesses to this day." Enough has been seen already, and more remains to be related, of the arrogance and intolerance, the subtilty and violence of this man, to enable us rightly to interpret this encomium. Father Du Halde also speaks in terms equally flattering of the learning and great knowledge of the Scriptures, which Menezes, and other Roman Theologians in India possessed.2 The present instance is, certainly, no very satisfactory proof of this assertion, if the Archbishop could really think that the passage quoted was descriptive xcii. 14, 15: Literally, they shall be fat and flourishing, or green, (viz. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, &c. See Job xv. 32. Psalm xxxvii. 35. Cant. i. 16.) To shew that the Lord is upright, &c. In the Septuagint ἐν παθοῦντες ἔσονται κ.τ.λ. : They shall be at their ease which may correspond with the Latin-bene patientes. But the words, Ut annuntient, which Menezes joined to the foregoing verse, for the purpose of making it speak the sentiment which he desired to express, manifestly belongs to the verse at the head of which it stands, even in the Vulgate, from which Menezes must have quoted the text. This the celebrated Bishop of Meaux has remarked, in his notes on the Psalms, p. 301. Whether this perversion of the passage were made in ignorance or with design, it will suffice at least to show, how little this Archbishop of Goa was entitled to the commendations that are bestowed upon him for his knowledge of Holy Scriptures. Gouvea, ch. xvi. pp. 248, 249. La Croze, p. 152. See note. 2 Du Halde. See the epistle before the twelfth selection of his Edifying Letters,' p. 17. La Croze, p. 153. |