himself, that he had not wherewithal to relieve the miserable
man; yet he put his hand into his pocket, as if he were searching there
for something, but finding nothing, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and
afterwards turning to Fernandez, with looks full of compassion, "have
courage, brother," said he to him, "heaven will provide for you." After
which, walking forward four or five paces, he once more put his hands
into his pockets, and pulled out fifty pieces of gold: "receive," added
he, "what heaven sends you; make use of it, but speak not of it." The
surprise and joy of Fernandez were so great, that it was impossible for
him to keep silence. He published, in all places, the bounty of his
benefactor; and the pieces of gold were found to be so pure and fine,
that it was not doubted but they were miraculous.

But perhaps nothing is more admirable, than what passed betwixt the
Father and John Duro, or Deyro, as some have called him. He was a man of
about five-and-thirty years of age, who had formerly borne arms;
afterwards became a merchant and owner of a ship, very wealthy and
fortunate in all his traffic; all which notwithstanding, he was ill
satisfied with the world, uneasy to himself, unquiet in the midst of all
his wealth, and persuaded that God alone could content his soul. He went
one day to see the holy man, and told him, that for many years he had a
desire of changing his condition, and of serving God as perfectly as he
was able, but that two reasons had always hindered him: the one was, that
he never yet could meet with any person, who was capable of shewing him
the way of perfection; the other was, that he was afraid of falling into
poverty. He added, that he was now out of pain concerning those two
points. That for the first, he hoped he should walk surely in the way of
heaven, having so able a guide as he; and for the second, he had got
sufficiently for his maintenance in an honest and comfortable way, during
the remainder of his life. He begged leave of Father Xavier, that he
might follow him, and promised, on all occasions, to defray his charges.

The Father made Deyro understand, how far he was yet from the kingdom of
heaven; that, to arrive at perfection, he must perform what our Saviour
counselled the young man, who seemed willing to follow him, that is to
say, he must practise these words in the literal sense, "sell all thou
hast, and give it to the poor." Deyro, thus undeceived, immediately
desired