An abridgement of the life of S. Francis Xaverius of the Society of Iesus, new apostle of India and Japony together with some few of the innumerable authentical miracles wrought by him of late years / by W.B.

AN ABRIDGEMENT OF THE life of S. Francis Xauerius.

S. FRANCIS XAVERIVS by Gods grace new Apostle of the Indies and Iapony, had for the place of his Natiuity the Castle of Xauier in the Kingdom of Na∣••ar; for his extraction, he was descended from noble Ancesters; for his education, his Parents no less Pious then Honorable, taught him from his childhood to fear God, and keep himself pure from sin; when he was mature for studies, they sent him to the Famous Vniuersity of Paris where he was first à scholar, and afterwards à Master of Philosophy, but leauing those profaner sciences, he betook himself to the sacred and more certain studies of Diuinity in the same Academy. Here he happily fell in to the Com∣pany and acquaintance of S, Ignatius, who by his holy prai∣er and other Pious endeauors drew him to a more strict and perfect Kind of life, and made him one of his first Compa∣nions in Founding the Society of Iesus Being now entred into the strait way which leads vnto life, he most seuerely mortified his body according to the example of the an∣cient holy Fathers For by à seuere Interdict he denied him∣self the vse not only of flesh and wine, but also of wheaten bread, contenting himself with cours and l••ss sauory meats, and these also in a very sparing quantity Morouer oftenti∣mes he wholy abstained from all Kind of food, somtimes for two, otherwhiles for three daies together: this for his diet: his sleep also was very sparing and shorr, and this other vpon the ground or a poor bed which was litle better. Not wanted he other inuentions to aflict his poor body, of∣tentimes making it all on a go••t blood with cruel iron whips. To omit the holy reuenge he took vpon himself for the leuity of his youth, girding about his thighes so strait, with certain litle cords as the flesh yeelding to them and growing ouer them, they could not be loosed but by an euident miracle, Thus he treated his own body; but he was not more seuere to himself then he was good and charita∣ble to others. The cōmon hospital was his ordinary lodging

wheresoeuer he came; in which he assisted both the so•••• and bodies of those infirm people with such cheerfulnes an•• alacrity, as those humble charitable seruices were comonl•• called his delights, with such mortification and triumph ou•• nature, as he oftentimes drunck vp that filthy water, with which he had washed horrid and incurable vlcers: nay his story testifies how, that he might ouercome that horro•• which nature hath of poor Lazars, laying his mouth to •• fetid vlcer, he greedily sucked out the purulent matter. This glorious victory ouer himself, God Almighty rewar∣ded with a strange delight, which he euer after took in those hūble offices of charity. Morouer, he performed these offices of corporal and spiritual charity with such diligence and constancy, as no weaknes or sicknes of his own body could make him interrupt them. Hence, at Bolonia, when he was become a very picture of death, by the hardship he en∣dured, continual labors, and a quartan ague, he would not for all this giue ouer his publick preaching, cate chizing of children, visiting of prisons and Hospirals,; nay when he was tyed to his bed in the Hospital at Mozambico, by a ma∣lignant dangerous feauer, he made shift to scramble out of it, to assist à poor frantick mariner who lay rauing vpon the ground, first carrying him to his owne bed, and then restoring him to his ••enses, and afterwards to the grace of God by administring him the holy Sacraments. Nor was his piety to God himself less admirable and notorious, then was his charity to the poor of God for Gods sake. Such was his vnion with almighty God, and such the seruor of his spirit in holy praier, as he spent whole nights in it; nor, when he was vpon the sea, were eminent dangers of death and most terrible tempests able to make him break it off, or in the least to disturb the quiet of his holy soul: and somtimes he was seized vpō by such a sacred extasy, as with his eyes fixed vpon heauen he was lifted vp by diuine force from the earth, with his face so enflamed, as he liuely represented the bur∣ning charity of the Angels; nor being able to bear the hea•• of diuine loue, oftentimes he exclamed, satis est Domine, sa¦tis est, It is enough Blessed Lord, it is enough. Nor had the ho∣ly Saint God Almighty in his heart and mouth, only wh••••

•••• was awake, but also while he slept he was often heard ••••th rauishing sweetnes to cry out: O my good Iesus! •• whom my soul loues! O my Creator! my Lord! But perhaps honors and dignities would make him chan∣••e these his pious, and humbly charitable manners; no such matter. For Iohn the third King of Portugal of worthy memory, demanding some of S. Ignatius his companions, for the propagating of the Gospel in the vast regions of the East Indies, Francis Xauerius by the aduice of S. Ignatius, was pitched vpon by his Holiness Paul the third, who endo∣wed him with most ample power, and dignity of Apostoli∣cal legat which not withstanding, he would not accept ether of a seruant to assist him, or money, or any thing els but a poor coat, and a few bookes which he thought, he should not finde in the Indies; Professing, that he had made a vow of pouerty, and he was resolued to keep it, hoping that our Lord would prouide him what was necessary for his seruice, and that he had no need of a seruant so long as our Lord preserued his hands and feet, as for going to the Kitchin and accommodating his Chamber he did not think it would diminish his Religious Autority, so long as he did not hereby offend God. The gouernor of India with whome he embarked, could not perswade him to sit at his table, the allowance of other passengers he accepted of, but without eating any thing of it, he distributed it amongst the necessitous; as for himself, he liued vpō what he begged in the ship, with an vnwearied charity seruing the fick night and day in the most abiect offices: his bed, as atlād it was ordinarily the groūd, so at sea it was the cable of the ship. Being arriued in India he immediately betook him∣self with a feruor of spirit truly Apostolical to preach the Gospel, and with such fruit, God Almighty cooperating by his holy grace and euident miracles, as that he not only refor∣med the depraued manners of the Christians he found there, but also regenerated to God many hundred thousands of the Infidels by the sacred waters of Baptisme. For not only amongst the Indians, Brachmans, and Malauarians, Aposto∣••ical preaching, which lorg ago had flourished there, but by the fraud of the enemy of mankind was now quite aboli∣••hed, by Xauerius was reuiued, but also he first preached the

Gospel of Christ to the Parauians, Malaians, Iaians, ••••¦nians, Malacensians and Iaponians and brought many King and great Princes of those nations to submit their ••e•••• to the sweet yoak of Christ. In order to these great conu••r¦sions, he was miraculously endowed with the perfect know¦ledge of different languages: somtimes when he spoke onl•• in one language, diuers people of different languages vnder¦stood him at the same time what he suffered for the name o•• Christ in his Apostolical labours is incredible. For in thos•• vast Regious, he went through diuers Kingdoms, alwaie•• asoot, and very often barefoot, and also through score hi•• Sands, he was oftentimes persecuted with contumelies, re¦proaches and scoffes, nay with blowes and stones, he ofte•• suffered shipwrack, he endured wa••chings, cold and naked¦nes, hunger and thirst, contracting by his continual and vn¦supportable labours, most grieuous sicknesses: but with the great Apostle he contemned his life, that he might consum¦mate his course and ministery of the Gospel, which he had receiued. And which is not a litle admirable, amidst these and his other singular vertues, and great things which he did and suffered for God, he was so humble, that he alwaies wrote vnto his Superior S, Ignatius vpon his knees: and as if he had been the vnworthiest of all, he would be exercising himself in the most abject offices of the house: he wore such poor and patched cloths, as the boys in the street, laughed at him. But he did not more contemne himself then God Almighty honored him both aliue and dead; mercifully re∣newing by his seruant Xauerius, the miracles and prodigies he heretofore wrought to confirm the Doctrin of his first Apostles. Besides his miraculous speaking of diuers langua∣ges, the Acts of his Canonization (to omit many other eui∣dent miracles there recorded) make mention of fiue and twenty raised by him from death to life. One of which was resu••citated in the maner folloving, At the promon••ory of Comorino, as this seruant of God was vpon a time prea∣ching in a certain Church to the Infidels, and by reason of the hardnes of their hearts, without effect: hauing first praied to Almighty God, he commanded a graue to be opened, in which was buryed one that dyed the day before, signifying

〈…〉〈…〉 ••••uld again come to life, to confirm the truth of the Chri∣••••••n Faith, the dead corps then being taken vp, and the sheet ••••••ned in which it was wrapped, hauing again made his p••••ier to God, he commanded the dead man to liue, who presentely to the amazement of all, tose vp aliue. By which •••• notorious a miracle not only those who were present, ••••t also many others were moue•• to belieue in God. If this •••• ••rue, as is most certain, then no man, can vpon good grounds be¦lieue the Christian F••ith, but he must also belieue the Roman-Ca∣tholik Christian Faith for the Roman-Catholik Christian Faith, was the Faith which S. Francis Xauerius preached to those Infi∣dels, and which God Almighty by this and many other euident miracles confirmed. Nor did Christ our Lord endow this his new Apostle, only with the grace of working miracles but al∣so with the gift of Prophesy. Frequent eue••••s which he fore∣told proued him a Prophet. At length, after he had vnder∣gon innumerable and extraordinary labors, after he had to•• firmed the Roman-Catholick Faith by miracles of all Kind, wrought by him, and after he had left the world ma∣ny rare examples of Apostolical vertues, he went from Sanciano an Iland of China to heauen, vpon the second of December, on a Friday, in the year, 1552. His Feast not with∣••tanding is Kept vpon the third of December He liued fif∣••y fiue yeares, twelue of them as a Religious of the Socie∣••y of Iesus, ten and seauen months of those twelue as Apostle of the Indies His body after his death was twice o•• many months buryed in quick lime, yet notwithstanding remains in corrupt to this very year 1666: and is Kept ••ith great veneration at Goa the Metropolis of the East In∣••ies, ••t being brought to Malaca did immediately free that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 from a most terrible plague. God Almighty through 〈◊〉〈◊〉 intercession of this his seruant has wrought diuers mira∣les of late years, which haue been approued by Seue∣•• P••e••ates in their particular Diocesses. The Bishop of ••alaca r••••k••neth eight hundred wrought in his Diocess ••••e. Pot••mo a towne of Calabria recounts two hun∣••••ed forty two wrought in one year, towit in the year ••6••2, And yet nerer vs, Flanders rings of the late miracu∣lous

fauours obtained by the 〈…〉〈…〉 our daies. He has cured madnes, witch craft, blindnes, d••¦••es, fore eyes, necks, arms, breasts, leggs, and other parts mans body; women in childbearing, and such as were danger at sea haue found him propitious; other, he •••• freed from ruptures, palsy, and gout, he has driuen away •• kinds of feauers and deadly di••eases, as the sole refuge •• the sick and aflicted. God grant that our poor Country •• England also, may glory in his protection, and supernatur•• graces: and no doubt but she will, if she be not wanting i•• making her addresses to him, Amen,

To the greater glory of God and S. Fran¦cis Xauerius.

Ex Bul. Canon. & vit.