over the rectors of those churches, especially the latter, since he was chief of the northern division. After some deliberation, however, it was concluded, that it would be more expedient to defer the journey for the present, as the authority of the Archdeacon in those parts rendered the undertaking unpromising, and perhaps dangerous. Father Vincent returned to Corolongate, where his brethren were assembled. There the commissary of the Inquisition, together with some Portuguese gentlemen and soldiers, paid them a visit. When he had passed through Carturté, he met a Christian of the Archdeacon's party, with whom one of the soldiers of his train picked a quarrel, and then murdered him, to avenge, it is said, the cause of his church. A. D. 1657. 29. From Corolongate the missionaries wrote Success at to the Rector of Mangate, who answered them Mangate. with civility, and invited them to come and visit his church. The invitation was immediately accepted; but, while on the way, they had the indiscretion to send several ecclesiastics, whom the Archdeacon had admitted to holy orders, to be re-ordained by Don Garzia, the Jesuit Archbishop of Cranganore. This was, perhaps, intended to conciliate the Jesuits; but on the Syrians it produced the opposite effect, as will soon appear. At Mangate they met with a favourable reception, and found the cattanars of Cinotta, Angamale, Paru, Cagnur, and the other churches in the vicinity, awaiting their arrival. When all were assembled in the church, the missionaries first proposed the deposition of the Archdeacon, to which no objection was made. Indeed, they found little difficulty at this place, the people being inflexible upon only one point, their determination never more to be CHAP. 1. Jesuits im pede them; to proceed. encouraged subject to the Jesuit Archbishop, whose name they would not allow even to be mentioned. They came, however, to the conclusion, to submit to the Carmelites until a prelate should arrive from Rome. 30. This resolution soon reached the ears of the Jesuits, who had watched the progress of the Carmelites with a jealous eye. On their arrival at Cochin, they found letters from Goa, forbidding them to exercise their missionary functions, and commanding them immediately to quit the country. These letters, it was pretended, were sent by order of the King of Portugal; and they were addressed both to the Portuguese magistrates, and also to the Rajah of Cochin. At first the Carmelites were thrown into great consternation by them, and even the Portuguese were perplexed how to act. Considering, however, the importance of the Syrians' friendship in the present juncture of their affairs, the Portuguese governor in council took upon himself the responsibility of maintaining the mission; merely requiring of the Carmelites a written engagement, to abstain from all interference with matters within the King of Portugal's jurisdiction, and to confine themselves to the conversion of the Christians. Father Vincent then waited on the Dewan, or prime minister of the Rajah of Cochin, to entreat him to pay no regard to the letters from Goa. The Dewan received him very favourably, assuring him, that he was well aware that the Jesuits were the sole authors of all the attempts that were made to throw impediments in his way. Thus encouraged, the missionaries pursued their work with renewed energy. They would have made an easy conquest of the Syrians, but for the perseverance of the Archdeacon, whom nothing could induce to abdicate the episcopal office. His principal counsellor was the cattanar, Iti Thomas, who has been already named. He was an inflexible and discerning man, who penetrated all the Carmelites' designs, and preserved the Archdeacon from falling into several snares that were craftily laid to despoil him of his dignity. A. D. 1657. device to 31. Besides this impediment, they had ano- F. Garzia's ther which it proved very difficult to surmount. destroy The Jesuit prelate, Don Garzia, and other their credit. Fathers of his order, greatly desired the reunion which the missionaries were labouring to effect. The loss of this church was not only detrimental to their interests, but it had begun to injure their reputation. They deemed it, however, still more injurious to their order for any reconciliation to take place which did not insure to them the entire jurisdiction of the diocese; and finding this impracticable, in consequence of the detestation in which they were held by the Christians, they resolved secretly to throw every possible obstruction in the Carmelites' way. The Archdeacon used no argument that made a deeper impression on the minds of the people, than the assertion which he incessantly reiterated, that a reunion, on whatever terms effected, would tend only to bring them again under subjection to the Jesuits and their former prelate. A circumstance happened about this time which tended to confirm this assertion, and, while it greatly contributed to strengthen his cause, almost ruined that of the missionaries. The Archbishop of Cranganore had written to them, strongly recommending his interest to their attention; to whom they replied, that they would exert themselves for him with all their power so soon as they should have effected the СНАР. I. deposition of the Archdeacon. When this alarm had subsided, the missionaries had hardly begun to recover their credit with the people before it received another shock from the same quarter. Don Garzia, finding his former device succeed, followed it up with another no less unworthy of his sacred office. Having selected a cattanar of his party in whom he could confide, he sent him with letters addressed to the Carmelites, proffering them his services in any way they might direct, and expressing himself in such a manner as to make the impression, that a good understanding subsisted between them. These letters were left open, that the cattanar might take every opportunity to show them to the Christians he met with on his way; which he did, reproaching them, at the same time, for not paying sufficient attention to these good monks, for whom the Archbishop had so great regard, that he was resolved to assist them in all things to the utmost of his power. The missionaries, hearing of this, and attributing it to the Machiavelism of the Jesuit, refused to receive the letters, and wrote to entreat him to abstain from practices so calculated to obstruct the reunion of the Indian Christians with the Church of Rome. This served only to irritate the haughty prelate; and to avenge himself on them, he published throughout the diocese several extracts from the Briefs which they brought from Rome, that appeared favourable to himself and his order. Not long after this, he published a letter at Cochin, purporting to be written by a Jesuit at Lisbon to one of that order in India, wherein it was asserted, that the Carmelite missionaries were devoted to the interests of the Jesuits; that they had been selected and nominated to their mission at the instance of the general of that order; and that, however they might find it expedient at first to dissemble their real object, it would in the end appear that they were acting wholly in their favour. 32. The collision between these rival orders considerably weakened the cause of Rome, and strengthened that of the Archdeacon, who, with the assistance of his confidant, Iti Thomas, showed that he knew how to turn it to his own advantage. The Carmelites now began to despair. Wearied with the resistance of the Christians, on the one hand, and with the vexatious intrigues of the Jesuits, on the other, they saw very little prospect of success, and began to entertain serious thoughts of abandoning their mission. While deliberating upon this important step, they received letters from the tribunal of the Inquisition, thanking them for their past exertions, encouraging them to persevere, and assuring them that the governor of India had at last given his consent to their proceedings. A. D. 1657. They begin to despairare encouraged by the Inquisition. exertions Rapolino 33. Finding themselves thus supported by Renew their the Portuguese authorities, they took fresh cou- general rage, and tried harder than ever to gain acces- assembly at sions to their party. At their instance, the exertions Archdeacon was induced to consent to a general deacon and assembly being summoned at Rapolino, his friends to of Arch |