rt, reported to the king with
what respect his letter had been received; and took upon him to persuade
that prince, that this European Bonza was to be treated with greater
honour, and far otherwise than their ordinary Bonzas; even so far as to
say, that it would be an enormous sin to level him with them; that for
the rest, he was not so poor as his enemies had suggested; that the
captains and Portuguese merchants would bestow on him both their ship and
all their treasure, in case he would accept of them; and that, properly
speaking, he was not to be accounted poor, who possessed as much as he
desired. In the mean time, the Portuguese being assembled, to consult how
Father Xavier should appear in court the next morning, all of them were
of opinion, that he should present himself with all the pomp and
magnificence they could devise. At first he opposed it, out of the
aversion he had for this pageant show, so unsuitable to the condition of
a religious man; but afterwards he yielded to the request, and withal to
the reasons of the assembly. Those reasons were, that the Bonzas of
Amanguchi, having written all they could imagine, to render Xavier
contemptible, it was convenient to remove those false conceptions from
the people; and at the same time, to let them see how much the Christians
honour their ministers of the gospel, that thereby the Heathens might be
the more easily induced to give credit to them; so that the honour would
reflect on Jesus Christ, and the preaching would be raised in value,
according to the esteem which was given to the preacher.

They prepared therefore, with all diligence, for the entry of the saint,
and set out the next morning before day-light, in a handsome equipage.
There were thirty Portuguese, of the most considerable amongst them,
richly habited; with their chains of gold, and adorned with jewels. Their
servants and slaves, well clothed likewise, were attending on their
masters. Father Xavier wore a cassock of black chainlet, and over it a
surplice, with a stole of green velvet, garnished with a gold brocard.
The chalop and the two barques, wherein they made their passage from the
ship to the town, were covered on the sides with the fairest China
tapestry, and hung round with silken banners of all colours. Both in the
sloop, and in the barques, there were trumpets, flutes, and hautboys, and
other instruments of music, which, playing together, made a most
harmonious concert: the news which was