Storia do Mogor 338.12
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 338.12
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338.12.1
To this intent, on the 28th of the month [? August, 1704], they all went in a body to throw themselves at the feet of the Reverend Vicar-General, begging as a favour that he would absolve them. After having examined them and found them without fault, he sent the whole of them to the house of the secretary to the Lord Bishop to take an oath that they were not the cause of the non-delivery of the silver. They were then to return to be absolved. They all came out much relieved, and went at once to take the oath. While they were there [180] ready to take it, the Reverend Father Friar Diogo do Sacramento appeared with a protest, in which it was asserted that the certificate they drew up was forced upon them; for this reason he prayed and protested that they must delay the absolution until that doubt was investigated. The Reverend Vicar-General postponed it, and sent the wretched brothers to the house of the Dominican, being that of the complaining party. They obeyed at once, and went to throw themselves at the feet of the Reverend Father Friar Diogo do Sacramento, praying him as a favour to have compassion upon them in the piteous state they were in. The decision they obtained from his mouth was that there was no other means of delivering themselves from the excommunication than the drawing up of a document, showing how Father Friar Michel Ange compelled them forcibly to prepare the certificate about the delivery into their custody of the silver and the key pertaining thereto.
338.12.2
To this they all replied with one voice that they could not in their consciences raise up so great a falsehood against Father Friar Michel Ange, and as little could they swear that the said certificate was drawn up under compulsion. For they had drawn it up of their own accord, as was reasonable, without any objection or constraint, things which were not necessary, seeing that Father Friar Michel Ange did not thereby ask them any favour, nor had they done him any. Moreover, to ask an acknowledgment of what has been delivered seems no more than what is just, and to deny what you have received can never fail to be an act of bad faith; they were not in the custom of employing such subterfuges in such matters. To receive the things and not admit it, even if they wished to act thus, would produce no result, for they could always be placed under compulsion. For the document which his paternity wished them to execute would not do the slightest harm to Father Friar Michel Ange; but it would bring evils on them, poor creatures! for having published falsehoods under constraint from the said Father Friar Diogo do Sacramento.
338.12.3
Who is there that could be persuaded that such dreadful proceedings, an absurdity so dreadful, would be resorted to by the Reverend Father Friar Diogo do Sacramento, a regular cleric, so aged, so able, of such authority? There can be no doubt of it, since the thing really happened, and it was spoken of by all the brothers present at the time. They came forth much cast down at the act of the said Reverend Father Friar Diogo do Sacramento. Things continued thus, and they stopped for three days more preparing papers, and more papers, without doing themselves the slightest good. They endured great privations.
338.12.4
For in San Thome there was not one man who would give them as much as a glass of water, and all persons there thrust them aside as excommunicated. It was a sorrow to see the poor creatures wandering from door to door among the Hindu Malabāris asking for a mouthful of rice and some water. They received these in the palms of their hands, and out of them they ate. The rice and the water were dropped into them from a height by the Hindus, it not being their habit to come into contact with Christians, or to touch them in any matter of eating or drinking. Then for sleeping the poor things had no other accommodation than the hard stone benches at those Hindus' street-doors, on which they passed the nights. These Hindus still showed some humanity, but the Christians were without compassion. But why wonder at the Christians not succouring them, when the Church (I mean those who governed it there) showed no commiseration for them, although they appealed for it by making themselves out culprits (simply to show their obedience) about a thing wherein they were in nowise guilty.
338.12.5
Unable to endure any longer, they appointed an attorney, who in their absence might plead for their absolution. They then returned to their houses in Madras. Within a very few days one man died and another began to spit blood, while one old man fell very ill from the hardships suffered by first walking all day long in the sun, which at that season in these regions is very powerful, then by passing the whole night in the chilly open air. Nearly all of them were men advanced in years, afflicted with misery and poverty to such a degree that they could hardly feed themselves in their own homes. In those homes it was not a less but a much greater grief to behold the clamour with which the poor wives and daughters implored Heaven, praying from God the help and remedy which they did not receive from His ministers upon earth, after having prostrated themselves at their feet so many times. Four days afterwards, being September 3 [1704], they went back to throw themselves at the feet of the Very Reverend the Vicar-General, praying to be absolved by him. His answer was that he would be very pleased to grant absolution, but it was also necessary to satisfy the complaining party ; that done, he would absolve them at once.
338.12.6
On getting this reply, they went on to the house of the Dominican. As soon as he saw them he dropped on his knees before them and, almost weeping, said to them : ' Gentlemen and brothers, for the love of God and the Most Holy Virgin of the Rosary, will you not do me the pleasure of handing to me the silver?' To this they all replied that they would so do with all their heart, if the silver were only in their control. His paternity knew very well that it was no longer in their hands ; yet on hearing these words the father rose in a great rage, and in a loud voice, growing louder as he went on, he said : 'Brothers, either the silver or its money value ; there is no middle term.' In this he did not speak badly, for, as is herein to be seen, in all that he did about this wearisome silver there appeared nought but extremes, and his acts concerning it passed from one extreme to another. He continued : ' Unless one [181] or the other is delivered, there is no way for you to get absolution.'
338.12.7
The brothers gave once more the same answer. Then the father went on : 'I will show you a good expedient. Go, all of you, and fall at the feet of the Reverend Father Friar Michel Ange, and beg him for the love of God and His Most Holy Mother to solicit the return of the silver, and then all your troubles will be ended.' ' Reverend father,' retorted the brothers, ' we know very well that it is not from the hands of Father Friar Michel Ange that we should solicit the return of the silver, for if he could have done it we should not have had to wear ourselves out thus and anger your reverence.' Then, giving up this effort, he thrust them out of his house, saying as they left : ' You will have to stop as you are, excommunicated.'
338.12.8
Vexed and cast down at the great inhumanity they found in the Reverend Father Friar Diogo do Sacramento, they sought out the Most Illustrious the Lord Bishop, and, dissolving into tears, they prostrated themselves at his lordship's feet, and supplicated his compassion on their misery and his aid in the difficulty overwhelming them ; for they knew not what fresh steps to take, nor had they anyone else they could have recourse to. Beholding this, the Lord Bishop was moved to pity, and asked them if they had instigated the Lord Governor of Madras to take away the key, so that the plate might not be delivered. All asseverated that this was not the case, and they spoke with such force that the Lord Bishop acquired the clear conviction that they were innocent in the case. He accorded them his blessing and sent them home, saying three times, as reported by several brothers, that none of them was under ban any longer. Happy in an extreme degree, the poor things rose from the ground ; but as this verbal order would not be enough to satisfy the common crowd, they asked the Lord Bishop to be pleased to give them a writing, so as to convince the populace who were treating them as excommunicated persons. His lordship directed them to draw up a petition, and send it to him in the morning. The brothers did so, and left it in the secretary's office to be dealt with as promised by his lordship. This done, they went home.