treated him with
honour, testified great affection to him, and discoursed with him the
better part of the night. They could not but be astonished, that he and
his companions were come from another world, and had passed through so
many stormy seas, not out of an avaricious design of enriching themselves
with the gold of Japan, but only to teach the Japonese the true way of
eternal life. From the very first meeting, the king cautioned Xavier to
keep safely all the books and writings which contained the Christian
doctrine; "for," said he, "if your faith be true, the demons will be sure
to fly furiously upon you, and all manner of mischief is to be expected
from their malice." Afterwards he granted permission to the saint to
preach the Christian law within the whole extent of his dominions; and
farther, caused his letters patent to be expedited, by virtue of which,
all his subjects had free liberty of being made Christians, if they so
desired.

Xavier took advantage of this happy conjuncture, and deferred no longer
his preaching in Cangoxima. He began by explaining the first articles of
the creed. That of the existence of one God, all powerful, the Creator of
heaven and earth, was a strange surprise to his auditors, who knew
nothing of a first Being, on whom the universe depended, as on its cause
and principle. The other articles, which respect the Trinity and
Incarnation, appeared to them yet more incredible; insomuch, that some of
them held the preacher for a madman, and laughed him to scorn.
Notwithstanding which, the wiser sort could not let it sink into their
belief, that a stranger, who had no interest to deceive them, should
undergo so many hardships and dangers, and come so far, on set purpose to
cheat them with a fable. In these considerations, they were desirous of
clearing those doubts, which possessed them, in relation to those
mysteries which they had heard. Xavier answered them so distinctly, and
withal so reasonably, with the assistance of Paul de Sainte Foy, who
served him for interpreter in case of need, that the greatest part,
satisfied with his solutions, came over to the faith.

The first who desired baptism, and received it, was a man of mean
condition, destitute of the goods of fortune; as if God willed, that the
church of Japan should have the same foundations of meanness and poverty
with the universal church: The name of Bernard was given him, and, by his
virtue, he became in process of time illust