them adored the devil under an obscene figure, and with ceremonies which
modesty forbids to mention. Some amongst them changed their deity every
day; and the first living creature which happened to meet them in the
morning was the object of their worship, not excepting even dogs or
swine. In this they were uniform, that they all offered bloody sacrifices
to their gods; and nothing was more common, than to see bleeding infants
on the altars, slaughtered by the hands of their own parents.

Such manifold abominations inflamed the zeal of Father Xavier. He wished
himself able at the same time, to have applied remedies to them all; yet
thought himself obliged to begin with the household of faith, according
to the precept of St Paul; that is to say, with the Christians: and
amongst them he singled out the Portuguese, whose example was like to be
most prevalent with the baptised Indians. Behold in what manner he
attempted this great enterprise of reformation.

To call down the blessing of heaven on this difficult employment, he
consecrated the greatest part of the night to prayers, and allowed
himself at the most but four hours of sleep; and even this little repose
was commonly disturbed: for, lodging in the hospital, and lying always
near the sick, as his custom had been at Mozambique, his slumber was
broken by their least complaint, and he failed not to rise to their
relief.

He returned to his prayers at break of day, after which he celebrated
mass. He employed the forenoon in the hospitals, particularly in that of
the lepers, which is in one of the suburbs of Goa. He embraced those
miserable creatures one after the other, and distributed amongst them
those alms which he had been begging for them from door to door. After
this he visited the prisons, and dealt amongst them the same effects of