necessities of so many.

He laboured in the knowledge of the Malaya tongue, which is spoken in all
the isles beyond Malacca, and is as it were the universal language. His
first care was to have a little catechism translated into it, being the
same he had composed on the coast of Fishery; together with a more ample
instruction, which treated of the principal duties of Christianity. He
learnt all this without book; and, to make himself the better understood,
he took a particular care of the pronunciation.

With these helps, and the assistance of interpreters, who were never
wanting to him at his need, he converted many idolaters, as also
Mahometans and Jews; amongst the rest, a famous rabbi, who made a public
adjuration of Judaism. This rabbi, who before had taken for so many
fables, or juggling tricks, all those wonders which are reported to have
been done by Xavier, now acknowledged them for truths by the evidence of
his own eyes: for the saint never wrought so many miracles as at Malacca.
The juridical depositions of witnesses then living, have assured us, that
all sick persons whom he did but touch, were immediately cured, and that
his hands had an healing virtue against all distempers. One of his most
famous cures, was that of Antonio Fernandez, a youth not above fifteen
years of age, who was sick to death. His mother, a Christian by
profession, but not without some remainders of paganism in her heart,
seeing that all natural remedies were of no effect, had recourse to
certain enchantments frequently practised amongst the heathens, and sent
for an old sorceress, who was called Nai. The witch made her magical
operations on a lace braided of many threads, and tied it about the arm
of the patient. But instead of the expected cure, Fernandez lost his
speech, and was taken with such violent convulsions, that the physicians
were called again, who all despaired of his recovery. It was expected