97 Accountof the Chrhtlans on the Malabar Coast, [January 



ted the Portuguese clergy. In this tbey followed their antient 

 canons, regarding the Potuguese with the courtesy due to stran- 

 gers, but their children, who had embraced the ritual of the Latin 

 church, a? apostates from their own. 



The Jesuits seeing the failure of the Franciscans, formed a wiser 

 expedient for the attainment of the same object. They obtained 

 funds from the king of Portugal* for a college, which they found- 

 ed at Vaipicotta at the distance of one league from Cranganore, 

 where there was an antient christian population. There under the 

 auspices of the viceroy of Goa, and with the permissipn of the king 

 of Cochin, they instructed the children of the christians in the Syriac 

 language. This Institution, though in some measure it promoted their 

 views, did not produce all the effects they anticipated ; for the'in- 

 dian youth whom they educated, when ordained, did not presume 

 to preach against their own prelates, and the Jesuits had the morti- 

 fication of hearing them, even within the walls of their college, 

 support their old opinions, and retain the name of the Patriarch of 

 Babylon in their liturgy. 



The Portuguese, seeing the little effect of the measures hitherto 

 pursued, determined to sieze the Syrian bishop, and send him to 

 Rome for the double purpose of effecting his conversion from the 

 errors of Nestorius and leaving the churches of Malabar more open 

 to the instruction of their missionaries during his absence. This 

 bishop was called Mar Joseph, and had been consecrated by Mar 

 £]bed Jeshu^ the patriarch of Babylon, who had assisted at the coun- 

 cil of Trent in the year 1562. He was arrested at Cochin, and car- 

 ried to Goa to give account of his heretical opinions, from whence 

 lie was sent to Portugal. At that court however, he was received with 

 great kindness by the Queen, (Catherine) who sent him back to 

 India with letters of recommendation to the authorities of Goa, de- 

 siring that he might be left in peaceable possession of his diocese. 



In the mean time, the christians of Malabar, seeing themselves 

 thus deprived of their bishop, and uncertain what might be the 

 issue of his voyage, wrote to their patriarch Mar Simeon, and en- 

 treated him to send them another. He complied with their request, 

 and Mar Abraham, whom he ordained and sent on this service, ar- 

 rived on the coast in disguise, to the great joy of the whole church. 

 While he was administering holy orders, and exercising the functions 

 of his office, Mar Joseph returned from Portugal, and though ire- 

 garded with suspicion by the archbishop of Goa, v;as by virtue of 



* Geddes says that it was built at the sole charge of Antonio Guedes 

 Myraies, History of the Church oj Malabar ^ page 11. 



