1804.7 
archbifhop both in civil and ecclefiattical 
matters, paying a very moderate tribute 
to the Rajahs, in whofe territories they 
lived. They paid no tithes to the clergy, 
but at their weddings they ufed to offer 
the tenth of the marriage gift to their 
churches. At theie tetiivais they were 
very profufe and ottentatious, and they 
celebrated them with great pomp 3 it was 
then principally that they had occafion 
to make a thew of the privileges granted 
them by one of the Peruntals ; as of the 
bride and bridegroom riding upon ele- 
phants, of having the hair ornamented 
with flowers of gold, of different mufical 
inftruments playing, as alfo of flags of 
different colours carried before them. 
They all wore fwords and targets, and 
fome of them had  firelocks they were 
great marklimen, and, from their eighth 
year, uled to frequent their firing {chools. 
The girls were precluded from all 
inheritance, evenif no fons were in the 
family. This fingular law, which is fo 
contrary to all Malabar cuftoms, proves 
that the St. Thomé Chrittians were im, 
ported oviginally trom Syria. 
Tn religion, they followed the dofrine 
of Neltorius: they rejected the divine 
nature of Chrift, and called the Virgin 
Mary, only the Mother of Chrift, not of 
op: they maintained that the Holy 
Ghott proceeded only from God: they 
admitted no images of faints in their 
churches, where the crofs alone was to 
be feen : they had only three facraments ; 
Baptifm, the Eucharitt, and the Orders: 
they did not believe in tranfubftantiation, 
nor in purgatory; the faints they fay are 
“not admitted to the prefence of God, 
but are kept in a third place till the day 
of Judgment. 
‘Their priefts were permitted to marry, 
and the whole ceremony of marriage con- 
fits in tying a ittring round the girls 
neck. They reckoned their Sunday from 
Saturday evening Vefpers, till the firft 
matin of Sunday, fo that after fun-rife 
they might work again. 
Such was the happy fituation of the 
Chrittians of St. Tnomé till the arrival 
of the Portuguefe in India, who finding 
all mild meatures to reclaim them to the 
Roman rites in vain, feized their archbi- 
thop Mar Jofeph, and fent him prifoner 
to Portugal, but he had the art to ingra- 
tiate himéfelf with the Queen, who per- 
mitted him to return, upon promifing to 
bring about an union between his flock 
and the See of Rome. | 
Tn the mean time the St. Thomé Chrif 
tians had applied to the then Patriarch of 
Proceedings of Learned Soctetiés. 
Babylon for a new Metropolitan, whom 
they obtained in the perfon of Mar 
Abraham. But he had fcarcely taken 
pofleflion of his See, when Mar Jofeph 
returned. The confequence was, that 
all che Malabar Chriftians divided them- 
felves into two parties, one adhering 
to Mar Jofeph, and the other to Mar 
Abraham. The former, however, pre- 
vailed and caufed Abraham to be feized 
in order to be fent to Europe. The 
veffel in which he was, touched at Mo- 
fambique, where he found means to ef- 
cape, and from thence to get to Babylom 
over land, from whence he proceeded to 
Rome, and, pretending to recant the 
Neftorian herefy, he was newly ordained, 
confecrated and loaded with the highelt 
ecclefattical dignities, though it after- 
wards appeared that he was ftill a zealous 
adherent to his old faith. 
The Portuguefe clergy were much dif- 
pleafed with the conduét of Mar Jofeph, 
who, notwithftanding all his promifes ta 
the Queen, continued to govern his flock 
according to the tenets of Neftorius, and 
to prevent rather than promote a re-union 
with the Roman Catholics, fo that a new 
order for his imprifonment was made in 
the year 1567. He was accordingly a 
fecond time tranfported, firft to Portugal, 
and afterwards to Rome, where he con- 
trived to make his peace with the Pope; 
but before he could undertake a new voy- 
age to India, he died at Rome, cn the eve 
of being made a cardinal. 
Marc Abraham had in the mean time 
arrived at Goa, with new authority from 
the Pope, ‘but the archbifhop De Menezes 
on examining his credentials, pretenaed 
that Mar Abraham had deceived his hol} 
ne(s, and confined hiin in a convent, from 
which, however, he efcaped, and was re~ 
ceived with exultations by all the Str. 
Thomé Chriflians, and was left in quiet 
poffeflion of his See till his death. Mea- 
fures were, however, taken that no Syrian 
prieft might in future find his way to 
the Maiabar Chriitians, and as the Portu- 
guefe were completely maiters of Ormuz, 
and the whole navigation on this fide of 
India, they eafily prevented all intercourie 
between the Neftorian ‘Patriarch at Ba- 
bylon, and the St. Thomé Chriftians at 
Angamalee. They ftand even accufed 
of having drowned a new Syrian bilhep 
in the year 1644 in the road to Cochin. 
Mar Abraham died about the year 1597, 
profeffing to the laft moment of his liie 
his adherence to the Neftorian church, 
and his abhorrence of the tenets of the 
Popihh religion, 
' Menezes 
