THE AUTHOR'S ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER.


Having already presented you with the Life of St Ignatius, I thought
myself obliged to give you that of St Francis Xavier. For, besides that
it was just that the son should attend the father, it seemed to me, that
these two saints being concerned so much together, the history of the
apostle of India and Japan would give you a clearer knowledge of him
who was founder of the Jesuits. I may add likewise, that many
considerable persons, and particularly of the court, have testified so
great a desire to see a complete history of St Xavier in our language,
that I thought my labour would not be unacceptable to them; and that in
satisfying my own private devotion, I might at the same time content the
curiosity of others.

The writings out of which I have drawn this work, have furnished me with
all I could desire for the perfection of it, in what regards the truth
and the ornaments of this history: for without speaking of Turselline and
Orlandino, I have diligently read Lucena and Bartoli; the first of which
Wrote in Portuguese with this title, "The History of the Life of Father
Francis Xavier, and of what was done in the Indies by the Religious of
the Society of Jesus." He informs us, that he had in his hands the
authentic copies of the informations which were made by order of John
III. king of Portugal, concerning the actions of the blessed Father
Xavier, and the originals of many letters, written from the Indies on
that subject, which are to this day deposited in the archives of the
university of Coimbra. As for Bartoli, who is so famous by his writings,
and who is accounted amongst the best of the Italian authors, he has