600 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XL 



Although night had set in they were still hovering round 

 with ferocious yells, sometimes retiring to throw spears and 

 shoot arrows, which although they did not do much damage, 

 were yet sufficient to annoy. The General, ever vigilant 

 throughout all this distress, having lost that night the best 

 soldiers he had, never once gave up hope : his courage never 

 nagged, but seemed to increase with the danger. After 

 looking to the wounded he encouraged every man, and 

 made them lie down and eat what they could whilst the 

 darkness continued : then he left them to repose, after having 

 eaten so much as was necessary to recruit their bodies after 

 such toil and watching, which had weakened and taken away 

 the strength they so much needed. Scarcely had our men 

 commenced to eat, when a great thunderstorm burst over 

 their heads with torrents of rain and hail, as if Heaven itself 

 was conspiring against these poor wretches, and as if its 

 anger would not allow even that brief repose, assisting in 

 their ruin and helping the barbarous infidels to bring about 

 our destruction — means which God invariably sends as a 

 punishment for the happy and profitable justification of his 

 Catholics. 



These considerations often make me smile at our human 

 frailty, when pride and blind error tries to search for 

 mortals the unfathomable and hidden mysteries, when it 

 is better for them to trust with firm faith than to inquire 

 in ignorant curiosity. For the afflictions and calamities 

 which the Christians suffered, and the successes which the 

 infidels gained, appear to our ignorance an argument in 

 favour of Divine impiety, careless as to reward or punish- 

 ment, without examining the merits of each; the truth being 

 that there can be no fault in the equality with which 

 Providence singularly governs things. Inscrutable are the 

 judgments of that First Cause of Causes whom we worship 

 under that infallible name of God : although many are 

 mysterious, none are unjust. Who, for the greater justification 

 of His elect and predestinated, and for the eternal damnation 

 of the reprobate, desires that his Church Militant should 



