76 CEYLON BRANCH— ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



In A. D. 1544, when the inhabitants of Manaar embraced 

 the Christian religion, which was preached there by the dis- 

 ciples of St. Francis Xavier, the then King of Jaffna, who, 

 according to Father Bouhours, had usurped the crown from 

 his elder brother, sent a body of his troops to Manaar and 

 caused 600 of the Christians of both sexes and of all ages to 

 be cruelly massacred ; by this, however, he failed in arresting 

 the progress of the Gospel in his dominions, the more he per- 

 secuted So much more did it diffuse itself, verifying the old 

 saying that " the blood of martyrs was the seed of the Church, " 

 and had soon the mortification of seeing not only many of his 

 courtiers and domestics but likewise his eldest son, who was 

 destined to succeed him, become converts to it. The conver- 

 sion of the young prince was effected by his intercourse with 

 a Portuguese Merchant, who had dealings at the Court ; and 

 the King no sooner heard of it than he caused him to be put 

 to death, and his body to be dragged into the woods and l»ft 

 a prey to dogs and jackals. After this, when the King thought 

 that he had put a total stop to the further diffusion of Chris- 

 tianity in Jaffna, his sister having privately embraced it, in- 

 structed both her son and nephew, who was brother to the mar- 

 tyred prince, and in order to preserve them from the fury of 

 her brother, caused them to be conveyed privately to Goa 

 by the above mentioned Portuguese Merchant, The King was 

 so provoked at this, that he renewed the persecution of the 

 Christians with more severity than before, and also sought an 

 opportunity to destroy his brother, (from whom he had usurped 

 the crown and who now led a wandering life,) being appre- 

 hensive that he might possibly change his religion and secure 

 the assistance of the Portuguese for the recovery of his king- 

 dom i but he having timely notice of his treachery, crossed over 

 to Negapatam and from thence escaped to Goa. 



When Xavier was informed of these transactions, he pro- 

 ceeded to Cambaya, where the Viceroy Don Alphonso De 



