ng a great cross to be
made, set it up, on the highest ground of all the town; and there, on his
knees, amongst a crowd of soldiers, and men, women, and children,
attracted by the novelty of the sight, as much as by the expected
succour, he offered to God the death of his only son, and prayed him, by
the merits of that crucified Saviour, who had poured out his blood for
the sake of all mankind, not to deny a little water, for the salvation of
an idolatrous people.

Scarcely had the saint begun his prayer, when the sky began to be
overcast with clouds; and by that time he had ended it, there fell down
rain in great abundance, which lasted so long, till they had made a
plentiful provision of water. The enemy, now hopeless of taking the town,
immediately decamped; and the king, with all his people, received
baptism from the hand of Father Xavier. He commanded also, that all the
neighbouring islands, who held of him should adore Christ Jesus, and
engaged the saint to go and publish the faith amongst them. Xavier
employed three months and more in these little voyages; after which,
returning to Amboyna, where he had left his companion, John Deyro,
to cultivate the new-growing Christianity, and where he left him also for
the same intention, embarked on a Portuguese vessel, which was setting
sail for the Moluccas.

That which is commonly called by the name of the Moluccas, is a country
on the Oriental Ocean, divided into many little islands, situated near,
the equator, exceeding fruitful in cloves, and famous for the trade of
spices. There are five principal islands of them, Ternate, Tidor, Motir,
Macian, and Bacian. The first of these is a degree and a half distant
from the equinoctial to the north, the rest follow in the order above
named, and all five are in sight of one another. These are those
celebrated islands, concerning which Ferdinand Magellan raised so many
disputes amongst the geographers, and so many quarrels betwixt Spain and
Portugal. For the Portuguese having discovered them from the east, and
the Spaniards from the west, each of them pretended to inclose them,
within their conquests, according to the lines of longitude which they
drew.

Ternate is the greatest of the Moluccas, and it was on that side that
Father Xavier took his course. He had a gulph to pass of ninety leagues,
exceedingly dangerous, both in regard of the strong tides, and the
uncertain winds, which are still raising tempests, though the sea