A. D. 1599. Arrives at Coulan 18. The next place of note 5 visited by Menezes, was Coulan.6 The church there was dedicated to St. Thomas, and belonged to the Portuguese, who had taken it from the Malabar history of Christians when they gained possession of the by the Portown. It was one of the most ancient churches tuguese. on the coast, and is said to have been founded by the Nestorian saints, Mar Xabro and Mar Prodh, 733 years before the year 1603, that is to say, A. D. 870. This, as we have seen from Cosmas, was many ages after the establishment of Christianity in these parts. When the Portuguese first captured Coulan, the Syrians there attached themselves to them as fellow Christians: but when they became better acquainted with the doctrines and forms of the Roman Church, they withdrew from them, and built a church for their own use about half a league from the town. Here they were visited by Menezes, who,, says Gouvea, found the divine service very much neglected. 19. There was another church about twentyfive leagues off, near Cape Comorin, which was 5 In his account of the Archbishop's visitation, Gouvea mentions several places, and even kingdoms, of which no trace is to be found in any chart or history extant. This may arise from the frequent changing of their names, as well as from the insignificance of those petty kingdoms, several of them being comprised within a space of country hardly enough to make one respectable kingdom in any other part of the world. It were needless, therefore, to mention such places, unless any thing remarkable should occur at any of them; as their mere names would tend rather to embarrass, than assist the reader in following the prelate through the country. 6 Quilon. 7" We are told of a lively thing spoken by a Portuguese captain, that was very brave, but had scarcely bread to eat, who, in this siege, having seven of his teeth struck with a musket bullet, after he had wiped his mouth, said, the Mahometan had done him no injury, and had known, doubtless, that he had no need of teeth."-Geddes, p. 75. be in a neighbour A gross ing village reformed. CHAP. I. situated in the kingdom of Travancore, where, it is asserted, the Christian religion had wholly disappeared for there remained neither priest, nor the administration of the sacraments; the inhabitants were never baptized, and they publicly worshipped a monstrous image of a serpent. So that scarcely a vestige was left of F. Xavier's labours there. Notwithstanding all this, they retained the Christian name, in order to entitle themselves to the honours and immunities enjoyed by all Christians in Travancore. When they came to Coulan, another Christian station, for traffic or any other purpose, they entered the church, and even took the sacrament with the rest of the communicants. It is hard to believe how such an abuse of sacred things could have been tolerated even in those degenerate days of Christianity in India: but Gouvea positively asserts it, and there is too much ground to think that he is correct. The fact, it seems, was notorious, and the Archbishop had been informed of it during the sitting of the Synod: and now, finding himself so near the spot, he desired to visit it for the purpose of removing the scandal. But his travelling thither was unsafe; for the Portuguese were not on good terms with the rajah of Travancore, whom they had injured too seriously at the taking of Coulan, as well as on other occasions, for him so soon to forgive their injustice. The road also had become impassable in consequence of the heavy rains that were still falling, the S. W. monsoon having set in. Accordingly Menezes changed his mind, and took the opportunity of speaking to eight of the principal inhabitants of the place, whom trade and some other business had at that time brought to Coulan. Having called them into his pre sence, and instructed them, he proceeded forthwith to baptize them and their attendants, amounting in all to thirty persons. How extraordinary that a people so ignorant and superstitious, should be thought in so short a time to have received sufficient instruction to justify their baptism! But this, as we have seen, and shall see again, was not extraordinary in the Romish missionaries. On the contrary, it was their usual practice. When these people took leave of the prelate, he sent with them an intelligent cattanar, whom he appointed vicar of their church. This ecclesiastic is said to have led the rest of the inhabitants very soon to the belief and obedience of Christianity, and to have prevailed upon them to renounce the worship of their idol and, according to Gouvea, this church has remained ever since as stedfast in the faith as any other of the diocese. A. D. 1599. views taken 20. It is foreign from the object of this History Opposite to enter into the affairs of state which Menezes of Menezes regulated at Coulan. The Portuguese historian conduct. says, that he conducted them with astonishing address for the advantage of his own nation: but other writers declare, that he paid little or no attention to the rights of the people, or the possessions of their sovereign. "If he could have had hands to have executed it, he had served the King of Travancore a much worse trick than violating a solemn agreement openly, within a week after it was made, and the ordering a fort belonging to a prince, that was in peace with him to be treacherously demolished." 8 All this, and more than this, as we have seen," he had done at his former visit to these parts; but he had now grown even 8 Geddes, p. 75. 9 B. iii. ch. 3. s. 8-11. CHAP. less scrupulous in the prosecution of his de I. Reform at Tivellycare preserved there on copperplates. signs. 21. His next visit was to the church of Tivelcharter lycare, in the territories of the Rannee of Changanate. This was one of the best built churches in the country, but the people were very ferocious and intractable. Divine service had been much neglected; some of the cattanars wore their hair long, without the tonsure; appeared in public with a sword and buckler richly set; and, what was a greater offence than all, in the judgment of the Romish prelate, they led a domestic life with their wives and children. The first day that the Archbishop went to their church, a very small number of Christians were present; and even these few took care to keep aloof from him and his attendants, through a superstitious notion that they should be polluted by mixing with Europeans. Circumstances so unfavourable to his progress compelled Menezes to sojourn here longer than usual nor did he tarry in vain. By the preaching both of himself and his cattanars, he gradually conciliated the people; and, in the end, he prevailed upon the priests to wear the ecclesiastical habiliments; and upon the people, to submit to confirmation and confession, as well as to give up their bigoted aversion to hold familiar intercourse with strangers. To preserve them in these improved dispositions, he left them one of the most learned ecclesiastics of the diocese, appointing him vicar of their church. So completely did he, by these proceedings, ingratiate himself with the people, that they now ventured to shew him three large plates of copper, which they considered an inestimable treasure. On these were engraven, in different native characters, the privileges and revenues granted by the rajah who founded Coulan, to the church that Mar Xabro and Mar Probh had erected at Tivellycare. The high value they set upon these ancient monuments caused them, before shewing them to the prelate, to exact from him an oath that he would not remove them to Angamale, where, it will be remembered, the archives of the diocese were at that time preserved. These copper-plates resembled those formerly belonging to the church of Cranganore, which, as already related, the Portuguese had lost.1 A. D. 1599. dans' hostile 22. But the Archbishop had some formidable Mahomeenemies to encounter here. The Mahomedans, intentions who were very numerous and powerful in those defeated. parts, took great offence at the unusual solemnities and processions of the Christians, during the prelate's sojourn in the town; and on the day of his departure they assembled together, determined to raise a disturbance, and lay violent hands on his person and his attendants. But the Christians having taken up arms in his defence, and being joined by the Naires, who regarded them as brethren and allies, the Mahomedans found themselves too weak to resist them, and were glad to retreat. Menezes then departed in safety. 23. From Tivellycare he proceeded to a small church at Gundara, in the midst of a wood, where he found the inhabitants very poor and ill taught, but extremely docile, and inclined to do whatever he required of them. His visit, therefore, to this place, caused him little trouble. Indeed, his busy mind would soon have looked out for more employment, had it not been fur 1 Book i. ch. 4. sec. 8. Gundara Rajah of invested with the Brother in king of Portugal. title of, Arms to the |