104 DISCOVERIES OF THE PORTUGUESE. 
began a long discourse, to shew the vanity of this 
worship. Seeing, however, that his arguments were 
of no avail, he determined to employ a sharper in- 
strument — the whip. Such was the awe of the mis- 
sionaries, that not one of the attendants attempted 
to defend their mistress in this extremity. The 
father, therefore, immediately directed his two at- 
tendants to begin the work of flagellation. In 
proportion as the blows descended on the sacred 
person of her majesty, her understanding, he says, 
was gradually opened ; so that, when a due number 
had been applied, she declared herself wholly un- 
able to withstand such sensible proofs of the excel- 
lence of their doctrine. The fair convert, how- 
ever, is not said to have expressed gratitude for 
this mode of delivering her from the errors of pa- 
ganism \ nor would it appear, as if she reported 
the occurrence very favourably to the king. That 
monarch shewed, ever after, the most marked cold- 
ness to the missionaries, and was evidently deter- 
red, only by the dread of the Portuguese power, 
from banishing them instantly out of his domi- 
nions. The only thing which they could now do, 
was to steal secretly into the idols' temples, and 
set them on fire. By this proceeding, they ex- 
posed themselves to imminent hazard of their 
lives, and incurred the furious displeasure of the 
king. The ladies of the court, too, who did not 
approve the mode of conversion which had been 
