exercises, which were too sublime for them, he
failed not to punish them severely. From thence arose murmurs and
combinations, and even despair began to seize on those young ill-treated
Indians; and from thence also it came to pass, that many of them, not
able to endure so violent a government, leapt over the walls by night,
and fled from out the college. Gomez, who could not bear the least
contradiction, upon this became more assuming and fantastical; so that
one day he turned out all the remaining scholars of the seminary, as if
they had been incapable of discipline, and, receiving into their places
seven and-twenty Portuguese, who desired to be of the Society, without
having any tincture of human learning, he changed the seminary into a
noviciate. As he had gained an absolute ascendant over the mind of George
Cabral, at that time viceroy of the Indies, no man durst oppose his mad
enterprizes, not so much as the Bishop Don Juan d'Albuquerque, who was
unwilling to displease the viceroy, and feared to increase the distemper
by endeavouring to cure it. Neither was the rector so confined to Goa,
that he made not frequent sallies into the country; whether his natural
activity would not suffer him to take repose, or that his zeal required a
larger sphere; or that, in fine, he looked upon himself as superior
general of the missions, and therefore thought it incumbent on him to
have an inspection into all affairs, and to do every thing himself.

The town of Cochin being willing to found a college for the Society, he
went thither to receive the offer; but he spoiled a good business by ill
management. The captain of the fortress immediately gave him a church,
called the Mother of God, against the will of the vicar of Cochin, and in
despite of a certain brotherhood to which that church belonged. The
donation being disputed in law, Gomez, who had it still about him to make
a false step, that is, having much _opiniatrete_, great credit, good
intentions, took upon him to stand the suit, and to get the church upon
any terms. This violent procedure exasperated the people, who had been
hitherto much edified by the charily of the Fathers; and the public
indignation went so high, that they wrote letters of complaint concerning
it to the King of Portugal and Father Ignatius.

This was the present face of things when Xavier returned from Japan; and
it was partly upon this occasion that the letters which he received at
Amanguchi so earnest