CHAP. I. alas! is a restless creature, and ever "given to change: "7 and when bent on the indulgence of this propensity, he seldom takes time to deliberate upon the necessity or expediency of his projected alterations; and is blind to the excellences of any mode of faith or worship of which he may have become impatient. Our Reformers were actuated by a wiser spirit. They took time to discriminate between good and evil; they proceeded in the spirit of prayer; and in separating from the Church of Rome, rejected nothing but "the vile.” Were this rule more regarded, many a breach in the unity of the Church would have been prevented, and many, that are yet open, would speedily be healed. May God of His infinite mercy, promote among all Christians greater simplicity in the love, in the holding, and in the teaching, of Divine truth. Then we shall learn to entertain greater confidence in each other's motives and principles; brotherly love will continue; and God will be in the midst of us, and that to bless us. 7 Prov. xxiv. 21. BOOK V. CHAPTER I. MENEZES' VISITATION OF THE DIOCese. A. D. 1599. Menezes his visita enters upon com posed in tion-an commemora. is well 1. THE Synod ended, Menezes lost no time in entering upon his visitation of the whole diocese for the purpose of carrying into effect the Decrees that had been passed. In India, as in ancient Greece and Rome, and in most countries of the East to the present day, the natives are fond of recording in poetic numbers the tion of his exploits of their heroes and benefactors. Ac- deeds. He cordingly, on the present occasion the partisans received. of the Archbishop composed an elaborate ode in Malayalim, detailing in flattering terms the work he had achieved. This laudatory composition was circulated in all directions; and wherever Menezes halted on his journey, it was chanted in his presence, accompanied with music and dancing. The inhabitants of the places which he visited seemed to vie with each other who should give him the most flattering reception. They strewed his way with cloths, matting, or branches of trees; carried him in I. CHAP. procession to their churches; kissed his hands, invoked his blessing, and entertained him in the best manner they could. His general mode of 2. Nor did the Archbishop, on his part, proceeding. neglect to improve these favourable indications. He spared no pains to secure the good will of the people, and to recommend to them the doctrines and ceremonies of his Church: but in this he did not always succeed. Auricular confession proved his chief difficulty, for the people were either too simple to comprehend what it meant, or too reluctant to submit to it. As, however, little would have been done towards the subjugation of this Church to the Pope, without the establishment of this inquisitorial system, he gave to it his special attention with what success, will be seen in the sequel. His next care was, to induce them to bring him all their Syriac books, which he delivered to Francisco Roz, and three cattanars whom, for form's sake, and to conciliate the Syrians, he had associated with him, to be examined. These books were either corrected or burned, as the examiners determined, in pursuance of the Synod's Decrees. The Archbishop then exacted of the ecclesiastics who were not at the Synod, the oath which their brethren had taken; and he afterwards endeavoured to prevail upon the people to receive confirmation, a rite to which he found them in general no less averse, than to the practice of auricular confession. The cattanars whom he had nominated to the different cures, were, for the most part, says Gouvea, very ignorant; and he endeavours to justify the appointment of persons so incompetent for the office, by alleging, that the faults of others laid this necessity upon the Archbishop. He alludes to the senior cattanars; but it is difficult to understand to what faults in them he refers, unless it is to their ignorance of those Romish ceremonies, which these novices in the priesthood, who were to supersede their elders, had been taught to use. He acknowledges, however, that the appointment of men so young to situations of such responsibility, soon became a cause of great embarrassment to both the clergy and laity. Menezes settled the stipend of these curates at three hundred Malabar fanams,1 exclusive of the contributions for masses, the various customary dues, and whatever alms they might receive from the people. A. D. 1599. at Diamper. 3. The Archbishop commenced his visitation Commences at Diamper, which was one of the churches that had been dedicated to the two pretended saints, Mar Xobro and Mar Phrod, mentioned in one of the decrees of the Synod.2 According to the decree in question, Menezes now dedicated the church to All Saints, who, by the way, had never before been heard of in this diocese; and he appointed their festival for the 1st of November, according to the Roman Calendar. The order for the administration of baptism at this place, was the same as that which was read at the Synod.3 It is described by the Portuguese as much corrupted-an avowal on their part, whatever opinion may be formed of the mode in use, that it differed materially from that of their own church. When objected to, the cattanars present ventured to interpose, declaring, that they had baptized according to 1 This, it is presumed, was the Madras single fanam, worth about two-pence; and 300, about fifty shillings, must have been the monthly, not the annual allowance of these cattanars, 2 Session 8th, Dec. 25. 3 Session 4th. Dec. 1. CHAP. I. their present ritual for fifty years. This they, no doubt, hoped would induce the Archbishop to allow them to retain it: but he, on the contrary, considered it so objectionable, as actually to invalidate the sacrament; and accordingly he re-baptized even the cattanars of the place, as well as the laity. However, to avoid giving offence, he performed the service in private. It has been remarked upon this proceeding of Menezes, that if he had possessed equal power over all the Churches of the East, wherever the form of baptism might differ from that of the Roman Church, he would have been well entitled to the name that Jerome, in his Dialogue against the Luciferians, gave to the deacon Hilary, whom he called the Deucalion of the human race, because he also wished to re-baptize the whole world, though for very different reasons from those that actuated the Portuguese prelate. Menezes persisted in his determination to tolerate nothing but what emanated from Rome; and herein he did but act in conformity with the assumption of his Church. The church at Diamper, with all its faults, real or feigned, had never ceased to be a source of great vexation to the heathen inhabitants, who had a pagoda very near it which was now falling into decay. This they attributed solely to the jealousy of the Christians' God, who, they said, could not bear to have their idol's temple in a better condition than his own. holding of the Synod at Diamper was a still greater annoyance to the brahmins who attended upon this idolatrous temple; for they regarded all the Christian ceremonies and processions performed on that occasion, as insults offered 4 La Croze, p. 284. The |