The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c24.68

v1.c24.68

7. For the rest of the day he was extremely busy with the study of the languages of the country. Shortly after his arrival in Cochin he had taken up the study of Tamil. In his letter to Prince Boncompagno, quoted above, he says: "As soon as I came here I began to learn the language which, on account of its rich vocabulary and its syntax, is difficult. But God helped me, so that after six months I could hold conversation and preach without an interpreter" ⁴. Two years later he wrote again that 'he finds it more difficult to speak Italian or Portuguese than Malabar (Tamil)' ⁵. Writing to Card. Bellarmino, he says: 'I find their language very fine, very copious and very elegant' ⁶. About the same time, Fr. Laerzio wrote to Fr.