hearts, behold me in readiness, O my Lord; send me wheresoever thou shalt
please, even to the Indies, if thou commandest me.

"Good God, how much more happily would those learned men then live, than
now they do! with how much more assurance of their salvation! and, in the
hour of death, when they are ready to stand forth before the dreadful
judgment-seat, how much greater reason would they have, to hope well of
God's eternal mercy, because they might say, O Lord, thou hast given me
five talents, and behold I have added other five.

"I take God to witness, that, not being able to return into Europe, I
have almost resolved to write to the university of Paris, and namely to
our masters, Cornet and Picard, that millions of idolaters might be
easily converted, if there were more preachers, who would sincerely mind
the interests of Jesus Christ, and not their own concernments."

It is pity that his letter to the doctors of Sorbonne is irrecoverably
lost; for certain it is, he wrote to them from the midst of the Indies,
to engage them to come, and preach the gospel. And for this we have the
testimony of Don John Derada, one of the chief magistrates of the kingdom
of Navarre, who, studying at Paris, saw the letter sent from Father
Xavier, admired the apostolical charity with which it was replenished,
and took a copy of it, as did also many divines, to whom it was directed.

Amongst those idolatrous nations, which breathed after baptism, and
desired to be instructed, the Manarois were the first, who made a
deputation to the saint.

The isle of Manar is situate towards the most northern point of Ceylon,
and at the head of the sands of Remanancor. It has a very convenient