1840.] 



Zife and Writings of Father BescJii, 



253 



He is represented with this habit and appearance in a picture in tlie 

 convent of the < paulist's at Borne, under which is the following in- 

 scription,—' " Father Roberti Nobili, a paulist of the city of Rome^ 

 and of an illustrious family ; a godly and learned personage, who 

 laboured to convert the heathens 45 years, eating nothing but rice and 

 vegetables, and died happily at Mylapoor (St. Thome nenv Madras) 

 on the 16th January 1656/' ' That which was written at Yelacurchi 

 Xthe principal residence of Beschi) in 1729 in his praise is as follows : — * 



As the resplendent sun runneth his coarse in the firmament, but 

 alloweth not his radiant face to be seen, so although St. Thomas, one of 

 the twelve disciples of our Lord Jesus, and St. Xavier, far renowned 

 for innumerable miracles, entered and preached the Gospel throughout 

 this country, yet for a long time the darkness thereof was not dissipa- 

 ted. At last, as if the obscurity of the night, that elsewhere lowereth 

 over all, had been dispelled by the rising of the sun, it pleased our 

 Lord to turn his gracious eyes towards this country covered by pagan- 

 ism as by a cloud, and one hundred and twenty-two years past, to send 

 hither orthodox priests to enlighten all souls. Tatwa-Bodhaca Swami, 

 who then appeared steadfi-ist in austere devotion, confirmed in the true 

 faith, and perfect in virtue, was first sent by the Lord, and long resided 

 here, bright as the morning star. Are not his Cdndam (the Jijana- 

 bodhaca Cdndam) which, from soundness of religious doctrine, seems 

 as if written in rays of light, and his other works, well known and re"* 

 ceived as a sun of everlasting brightness that hath never set. From 

 that lintie to this, innumerable priests, devoted to their duty, have suc- 

 ceeded each other in succession, like an undivided garland.*' 



Father Nobili had taken the title of Roman Brahman and was an 

 incomparable Sanscrit pundit and poet. (His life and writings are about 

 being published in a work, called the Hindoo Christian Observer). Fa- 

 ther Beschi's anxiety was to produce abundant fruils on the tree 

 of the Christian faith, which had been planted by St. Thomas the 

 Apostle, and nourished by the zealous labours of St. Francis Xavier. 

 Accordingly he defended the true faith from the attacks of its enemies, 

 who viewed its prospering growth with envy, and exerted all his zeai 

 to preserve it from decay. He spared no pains in composing luminous 

 Tamil works, explaining the Christian faith. The rapid publication 

 of these works, and the examples of all the various species of eloquence 

 with which they abound, have stamped upon them a character of ex- 

 cellence, which every reader of them is anxious to admit. Although 

 they were written above one hundred years ago, their language has 

 undergone no change, not one word has become obsolete or sulfered that 



