638 
A Defcripion of the Coaftf of 
Baldteus. 
Another 
Miracle. 
Hii Death 
* Tom. I, 
J557. 
the Gonverfion of a vaft number of Pa- 
gans, arriv'd to a great Authority among 
them i this fo incenfed the Brahmansy that 
one of them kill'd him with his Launce 
upon a Hill near the City, where he ufed 
to perform his Devotion. They had be- 
fore that accusM him falfly of a Murder, 
but St. Thomas having refufcitated the 
Child from Death, he declar'd his own 
Father to have been his Murderer 
which had fo powerful an influence upon 
many of the chief Men of the Country, 
and the King hinifeif, that they received 
Baptifm. Some fay that St. ThomM was 
kill'd at Calammhay by miftaking this 
word for Calurmina, i. e. upon a Stone , 
Calur fignifying in the Malabar Language 
a Stone, and mina upon St. Thomas having 
been (lain upon a Rock : whence it is, 
that if to this day you ask one of the 
Chriftians of St. Thomas , where St. Tbo- 
mas fufFer'd Martyrdom,they will tell you, 
Maliapour Calurmina, at Maliapour upon 
the Stone y where he was fton'd, and at 
lafl run through with a Launce. 
They tell you of a certain Crofs made 
by his Blood, and a vaft number of Mi- 
racles wrought by it, for which I will 
refer my felf to Lucena, OforiuSy and 
Baronm"^. The Chriftians of St. Tho- 
mas teach their Children in their very 
Infancy thefe following Heads concerning 
St. Thomas. St. Thomas was the Man who 
firft abolifli'd Idolatry •, ic was he who 
converted the Chinefes and Negroes j it 
was he that baptiz'd them, and taught 
them the true Faith, and to profefs God 
the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghoft. 
They alfo tell you, that he converted 
the three Kings of the Eaft (one of 
whom, call'd Perumal, they fay was King 
of Ceylon) and t! it St. Thoma/i^s Body 
was transferr'd from Maliapour to Edejja 
in Mtfopotamia. 
But fetting afide all thefe uncertain 
Relations, the moft fecure way ( founded 
upon no fmall Probabilities) is, that 
St. Thomas was aftually in thefe Parts, 
and converted a great number of People 
to the Chriftian Faith \ which contradids 
that bold Aflertion of the Roman Catho- 
licks, that all Nations have receiv'd 
the Chriftian Faith from Rome \ it being 
beyond all queftion, that at the time of 
the arrival of the Fortuguefes in thofe 
parts under de Gama, the Inhabitants de- 
clar'd themfelves to be Chriftians from 
moft antient times, deliring the Pro- 
tedion of the King of Portugal againft 
the Pagans, and in token of their Obe- 
dience prefented him with a Silver Scep- 
ter gilt. Nay, the Church of Rome can'C 
boaft of that Honour, even of all parts 
of Europe it felf ; fince the Kings of Eng- VamBoafls 
land and Scotland, Lucius and Donaldm, f 
embrac'd the Chriftian Faith >2+years^*^f 
after our Saviour's Nativity, without ha- 
ving the leaft Communication with the 
Church of Rome \ whence TertuUian 
rightly fays, Britannorum loca Roma^ 
nvs inaccejfa Chnjlo fubdtta funt. And 
Cyprianus fays to the fame purpofe, 240 
years after the Birth of Chrift, That the 
Fine- branches of the Gofpel have f^read them- 
felves beyond the extent of the Roman Em- 
pire. Thus Dorothcus Bilhop of Tyrus un- 
der the Reign of Conflantine the Great, 
pofitively aflerts, That the Chamber- 
lain of Queen Candace did introduce 
the Gofpel into Ceylon and the Happy 
Arabia. 
The Chriftians of St. Tliomas remain'd 
many years in the Primitive Purity of the 
Chriftian Religion, till in time, for want 
of good Paftors, they began to be in- 
feded with fome Pagan Superftitions, and 
were in moft imminent danger of lofing 
the Remnants of the Truths of the 
Gofpel, had not Martome a Native of 
Syria, taken care of the decay 'd ftate of 
Chriftianity in thefe parts ; and being 
feconded in his Endeavours by divers o- 
ther Teachers out of Syria, Babylonia, 
Chaldaa and Egypt, the Syriac Language ne chri- 
was introduc'd, and the former Furity fians of 
of Religion reftor'd among them, till in ThtJ- 
time the Nejlorian Herefy got footing ™^f/^- 
in Syria, and was from thence tranfplan- afterwards 
ted hither, as is fufficiently evident from refior'd 
the Records of the Malahars. fheh Pri- 
This Martome (fignifying in their '^'^'^^ 
Language as much as Lord Thomas ) be- 
ing much refpeded by the Kings of Cran- 
ganor and CoUlang, and by the Chriftians 
of St. Thomas in general, was declar'd 
by them their Head : and the Bifhops of 
Cochtn,Coulang and Cranganor,ht\ng after- ifad their 
wards fent for out of Syria, thefe intro- own Bi- 
duc'd the Syriac Language, and acknow- f'°P^' 
ledg'd the Patriarch of Alexandria or Ba- 
bylon for their Metropolitan, till at laft 
they fubmitted to the Pope of Rojne : 
For the Supreme Ecdefiaftical Head of 
the Indians (at the perfwafion of the Acknow- 
Fortuguefes') did 1562. acknowhdg the ledg the 
Supremacy of the Pope of Rome., pro- 
vided they might continue in the former "^^^^ 
free Exercife of their Religion, which 
was confirm'd in the Synod of Goa^ where 
they would not confent to the leaft Alte- . 
ration of any of their Church-Ceremo- 
nies. But after the Deceafe of this Bi- 
lhop, his SiiccefTor 1 599, embrac'd with 
the reft of his Clergy in another Synod, 
the Roman Faith. The 
