Storia do Mogor 332
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 332
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Contents
332.1.1
Certificate by the Reverend Father Manuel, Vice-Commissary-General of the Order of Our Seraphic Father Saint Francis, set over all the Friars of that Observance upon the Coast of Choromandal [142]. [September 23, 1650.] I, the undersigned, Father Manuel de St. Joseph, a professed religious of Our Seraphic Father St. Francis in the Province of the Apostle St. Thomas in the East Indies, hereby certify as follows: When I was rector of the church and parish of Our Lady of the Light at San Thome, and Commissary throughout the Choromandal coast set over the friars and Province of the said order, there came to Madras, a fortress of the English, a Capuchin monk, French by nation, named Father Ephraim of Nevers. He was in search of a passage to Pegu upon some English vessel; and his object was to assist there as a missionary sanctioned by His Holiness to aid in the work of one of our fathers then working in that Mission (Pegu).
332.1.2
But the English governor, who is the head of that fort, begged him with great urgency and warmth to remain where he was, and to found there a church for the consolation of all the French — I mean to say, the Roman Catholic Christians living there. These Christians could not enter the jurisdiction of the Portuguese on account of their criminal courts or for other reasons, when they wanted either to get married or to partake of the other sacraments. In addition, those living at Pallacatta, belonging to the Dutch, and about seven leagues from San Thome, could not go there owing to the war between the Dutch and the Portuguese. If Father Ephraim settled in Madras, all these grievances would be remedied. He would render a great service to our Church, and give exceptional succour to forsaken souls. For if his zeal constrained him to undertake such perilous voyages to search for lost souls, and forward the conversion of others already beginning to doubt, right reasoning required that he should still more eagerly seek to gain over souls already converted, who were straying in the paths of perdition, merely from want of a shepherd to gather them within the fold of Holy Church. They needed spiritual pasturage by means of the sacraments, of which they had been so long deprived, to the danger of their salvation. Thus they lived excommunicated, sunk in grossness, and dying in evil state, forfeited both soul and heaven.
332.1.3
Father Ephraim, moved by these reasons, and out of zeal for the salvation of these poor people, also because he was glad to be able to establish a public church within the country of the English and in sight of their fort, decided to take up his abode at Madras. He built a church dedicated to the Apostle St. Andrew, and in it celebrated publicly divine service, carried out the procession of the Blessed Sacrament in the streets, accompanied by many people. There was great reverence and much devotion, not solely by the Catholics of Madras, but by those of San Thome. The latter went to Madras out of devotion, in order to assist in celebrating the festivals with greater solemnity. Even the English fired their cannon when the procession passed in front of the Fort.
332.1.4
During Lent the father preached publicly on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and set forth the mysteries of our Faith with a singular devotion. Thus there were to be seen a crowd of persons from Madras, San Thome, and Puliacat; even the English and their clergyman were present at these representations. In Holy Week he conducted all the offices in his church, sang Matins and Tenebrae with his scholars, the whole after the manner of the Capuchins [143]. On Holy Thursday he decorated the sepulchre and the oratory, where the most Blessed Sacrament was laid. On Good Friday he represented the Passion and preached on it, having displayed an image of Our Lord's body being brought down dead from the cross. We other friars went to help him at the solemn festivals, since the father did not begin until we had finished at San Thome.
332.1.5
At the Christmas festival he represented the mystery of the birth of the Infant Jesus laid in a cradle. He thus excited the devotion of the people, while many Mahomedans and Hindus came during the most solemn festivals to see this father's church. The English gave him every year what he demanded for his decorations. He took no alms for Masses nor for burials; but imitating the example of Tobias, he buried them without fee for the love of God. This he did even when they were poor, and if there were not enough men to carry the dead body he helped in the task. He has never received any gifts for administering Baptism or Marriages, and all the other sacraments were performed gratis.
332.1.6
Neither did he receive pecuniary gifts for the support of his own person; but he took the gifts made to him of a little rice or other things necessary to sustain life. This conduct provoked the admiration of the Catholics, the English, and even of the Mahomedans and Hindus. They saw him acting contrary to other ecclesiastics and the secular priests. He kept up in his dwelling a public school for children, several of whom were English. These children were taught the doctrines of Christianity. At all times he argued against heretics, and convinced them out of their own Bible. By this he showed that he was extremely well read in controversial books, and understood all the errors of these heresies, and could refute them. He did this not only with the English, but the Dutch — an obvious proof that he knew the sacred writings very well and also foreign tongues. He was learned and well read, which was the motive — nay, one of the principal reasons — and the occasion of the troubles and disagreeables which he suffered, and at this moment suffers in the dungeons of the Holy Office. The cause was the extraordinary envy and hatred entertained against him by the Jesuits and the secular priests of San Thome. This was due to the fruits reaped by the labours of this truly apostolic missionary, and the esteem, respect, and veneration felt for him by the Catholics, the heretics, the Hindus, and the Mahomedans.
332.1.7
These all applied to him the name of Apostle, a holy and perfect man, not only by reason of his exemplary life and his practising the evangelical virtues, but also for his eminent doctrine. For it seemed as if Our Lord had led him to this country and these unbelieving kingdoms among Hindus, Mahomedans, and enemies of our Holy Faith, in order that by the saintliness of his life and the excellence of his teaching, he should increase the glory of the Gospel and work for the conversion of souls. He had a special gift for all languages, for in addition to the dead languages which all the learned know, he understood Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Mosarabic, and English. For the greater profit of his people he extracted from the Holy Gospels the mysteries of our faith and salvation, and translated them into Portuguese in the form of a catechism. This he gave to his pupils to read, and made them learn it by heart, so that our holy religion might be imprinted better on their memory. This work was useful not only to children, but to old people.
332.1.8
I also certify that I have always heard evil words about Father Ephraim from the Priest Governor of the San Thome bishopric; his name is Hyeronime de Saa. He showed himself [144] openly the Father's deadly enemy, proclaiming at every turn the ill-will he bore to him for having founded a church without his orders and without his consent. He had wished to establish there one of his priests and eject Father Ephraim, to which he would willingly have consented. But the English would never consent, on account of the scandalous lives of the San Thome fathers. They knew well they were all licentious — a fact quite scandalous and public, each one keeping a mistress in his house. In this accusation was also included this same administrator of the diocese, according to the public voice in the town of San Thome.
332.1.9
Since the women they lived with were poor and subsisted by infamous prostitution of their bodies, they sometimes visited Englishmen in the town [of Madras] and submitted themselves to them. They confided to these men all that passed between them and the fathers of San Thome. This is the reason that the English refused to look at the Portuguese fathers, and in their talk spoke of their evil lives. I have often heard Father Ephraim say that his hardest task was to defend the priests of San Thome against the tongues of the English, and reply to the scandalous accusations made against and stories told about them. These stories were founded on the statements of the public women. It was also the case that they (the priests) went themselves to Madras to collect alms, and there drank with the English to such excess that they always came away drunk; in fact, so drunk that, unable to walk, it was requisite to carry them home. This happened to that same priest-administrator of the diocese and three other of his priests, greatly to the scandal of the public.
332.2.1
Furthermore, in several other conversations that I have had with the said priest-administrator I have heard him make great complaint that Father Ephraim unjustly occupied the post of one of his priests, and that the place was one subject to his jurisdiction. To which I replied that Madras was not within his jurisdiction, it being a country owned by a Hindu king who had given it to the English, and they had built a fort and established a government. For this reason neither the King of Portugal nor the Bishop of Meliapur (Mailapur) had any jurisdiction in that territory, and still less could make any claim thereto. Further, I told him several times that there was not a single priest at San Thome fit to live among heretics and convert them by an exemplary life. Still less was there any who could by his knowledge refute errors and heresies as Father Ephraim did. Not one of them was able even to read his breviary properly, or to say a Mass as it ought to be done. In this way, if any one of them occupied the said church [at Madras] he would create a great confusion, he would be a great dishonour, and would commit great affront to our Holy Catholic faith.
332.2.2
It was from these differences that arose so much animosity and ill-will against the father. Not only did the secular priests enter into the quarrel, but the fathers of the Society of Jesus took a leading part. They incited the priests against the poor father. Neither the one nor the other group could, however, revenge themselves or deprive him of his employment. Thus they made a malicious accusation against him to the Holy Office that he was the author of certain false assertions and of other statements they only partly understood. For, not being learned, but, on the contrary, very ignorant, they caused by their depositions and accusations the issue of an order from the Holy Office. It was directed to the said priest administering the diocese of San Thome, and required him to cause Father Ephraim to be arrested, and sent to Goa to the Holy Office.
332.2.3
The order was carried out with such harshness as to make it quite manifest that passion was the moving force with the said administrator, his priests, and the Jesuits. For, first of all, this capture and this imprisonment were entirely opposed to the rules followed by the officials of the Inquisition — at least, were opposed to the rules of the Holy Office in similar affairs. What is meant is that the law of the Inquisition enjoins that a capture be made secretly, while this one was so public that it resembled rather (if I may be permitted the comparison) the seizure of our Lord Jesus Christ than a hidden arrest. It was such that, since the Holy Office was established in the East Indies, never has an arrest been seen so public or so degrading. The practice of the inquisitors when they order the taking of some Jew or some new Christian layman, is to capture the man by means of a familiar, with a great deal of secrecy, conveying him in a palanquin securely closed. But the priest-administrator of the diocese of San Thome sent a company of soldiers and armed satellites to seize Father Ephraim. Two of them dragged him along bound : one went in front hauling at the rope round his gown, while the other followed, holding another rope, which he had tied round the prisoner. In this scandalous manner they took him publicly through the whole town of San Thome. Thereby they affronted the poor father and greatly dishonoured the habit of Saint Francis.
332.2.4
Many people — Christians, Mahomedans, and Hindus — followed weeping and wailing over his lamentable state. They detested what was being done, and invoked Heaven against the cruelty practised on a man they held to be a saint. The administrator of the diocese preceded his captive, lying at full length in his palanquin, borne by six to eight coolies, just as if he were a conqueror leading his enemy in triumph. In this manner, as cruel as it was to be deplored, he conducted Father Ephraim, his prisoner, in the midst of his satellites, to the college of the fathers of the Society of Jesus. There they put fetters on his feet so heavy that the father fell three times and fainted as one dead, owing to the weight of the irons, he being a man of feeble and delicate constitution. He was also overcome at finding himself in such a degraded and disgraced position.
332.2.5
In this condition the priest-administrator sent the imprisoned father to a cell so narrow that he could hardly move in it, and so dark that there was only light to see his sufferings and the cruelty of his brethren. The Jesuits, on seeing the good friar in such a pitiable condition, and for three days unable to eat, grew afraid that he might die in their house and college. They went to the administrator and warned him to be careful. On their solicitation he changed the heavy irons then on the prisoner's legs for ones smaller and more humane. Nevertheless, he was left in his dark dungeon, where he could speak to no one. In time he grew so weak that it was thought he was dying. He was attacked by diarrhoea, which lasted eighteen days, and he was unable to eat. As he really believed that death was at hand, he prayed the fathers that one of them might have the kindness to confess him. This they would never consent to do, in spite of their being under obligation as ecclesiastics to administer to him the Sacrament of Penitence, since he asked for it and was in peril of death. They should not have listened to the administrator's opposition, for the tribunal of the Holy Office grants to prisoners sacramental confession whenever asked, and prisoners are even exhorted to confess.
332.2.6
Furthermore, the Jesuits ought not to have allowed the administrator of the diocese to put irons upon the father when he placed him under guard in their college, for they knew quite well that such was not the order of the Inquisition nor of the inquisitors. What is more, if the father had so wished, he need never have fallen into their hands. For the Agent of the English had warned him [146] not to go to San Thome, because he knew that the governor there had an order from the Holy Office to arrest him. The said governor [of San Thome] made so little of a secret of the subject that before Father Ephraim was seized everybody was aware of the order he had received to that effect. He had read his commission and the warrant of arrest sent him by the inquisitors to a Dominican named Father Francois de Fonseca, and to another father named Thomas Mexia. The latter published the fact everywhere, so that even the English knew it and warned the father. But he was so confident in his innocence that he paid no heed to this advice, and went to Our Lady of the Light, a [Capuchin] church within our jurisdiction. He had been invited there by a letter from the said administrator saying that he wanted to communicate with him on certain business. There the administrator also went himself in order to seize the father's person in the way already indicated. Subsequently he caused the father to be put publicly on board a ship with the irons on his legs.
332.2.7
He was taken to Negapatam, and there sent ashore in the above condition in the sight of the whole town, greatly to the disgrace and dishonour of the habit of St. Francis. He was sent on board again in the same way, and carried to Manaar. I heard of this when I was for a time in the country of Jafnapatam, near Manaar. I was then inspecting the convents of our order under a commission from the reverend father our Commissary-General. My duty was to collect our brethren for a Provincial Chapter that was about to be held. I threw up my inspection and all my other work in order to reach Manaar. There I found the said Father Ephraim with the same irons upon him as above described. On beholding this, I promptly sent for the captain of the ship to whom he had been made over. I gave an undertaking in writing to produce him before the tribunal of the Holy Office ; and in case of default I agreed to answer with my own person. The captain transferred his responsibility on to my shoulders, and made over the father to me. Forthwith I had his leg-irons removed. This I did not only to remove the opprobrium thereby cast upon our religion and our habit, but because I knew his virtue and holiness, having been for five years and a half his confessor, and we had been on very familar terms of intercourse. I knew, in addition, that all the things imputed to him proceeded from the malignity of his accusers. It was nothing, all of it, but envy, mere hatred, and falsehood.
332.2.8
I also certify it to be true that if this good friar had wished to take to flight after his irons had been removed, he could easily have done so. He could have gone away to Tuticorin, which is a country of the Hindus, or to Cochin ; for he was always in freedom, and went by himself wherever he pleased without my paying any heed. I knew his innocence, of which he has given sufficient proof; for although able to deliver himself from the prisons of the Holy Office, he has disdained to do so. I say, further, that the said father was of the greatest service to the Portuguese of San Thome; and in all the disputes they had with the English, whether important or not, they obtained a favourable issue by the mediation of this father, for the English respected him greatly. As a proof thereof, take the case of a Portuguese who killed an Englishman in their fort of Madras, and the English intended to execute the murderer on the spot, not even leaving him time to confess himself. The Pere Ephraim succeeded in obtaining from the Agent, in teeth of his council's opposition, a respite of three days in order that the man might prepare himself worthily for confession, and set his conscience at rest. During these three days the father lived continuously in the prison, consoling the guilty man both day and night. He accompanied him to his execution with a crucifix in his hand, and never abandoned the man until his last sigh, and this he did against the will of the English.