will it give to the sons of the Society in Europa! And what desires will they have to come where they may have opportunity to shed their blood also for the honor of their Creator! Blood shed by the hands of barbarian Mahometans instigated by their casique [20]--especially against the priests, the preachers of our holy faith, as we learned from one who escaped from them; and with so remarkable tokens of special hate against religion, that they tore to pieces the very body of the father, so that the head was the largest part of it. However much they may claim that in order that there should be no planting [of Christianity?] they did not spare his life, their actions show that they took life away from him in hatred of Christ our Lord, and of His holy religion, which the father was preaching and extending. And even if the Mahometans did not have that intention and hate against Christ and His holy faith, which this shows that they have, not only is the death inflicted and suffered in this manner a true martyrdom, but also in more general terms Christ our Lord said through St. Mark in the 8th chapter: _Qui perdiderit animam suam propter me, et evangelium, salvam faciet_. [21] On those words is founded every form of true martyrdom, which embraces that of the innocents, and those who gave their lives to serve those sick with the plague, and for any virtue whatever; and thus say the saints. St. Augustine pondering these words in his sermon 100 (_De diversis_) section 2, [22] makes a strenuous effort for martyrdom, in the occasion of dying, in these words: "_Qui perdiderit," inquit, "propter me." Tota caussa ibi est. "Qui perdiderit," non quomodocumque, non qualibet caussa, sed "propter me." Ylli enim yn prophecia yam dixerant martires, "Propter te mortificamur tota die." Propterea martiremnon facit pena, sed caussa_. And if this is Christ our Lord, and one loses his life either in order not to offend Him--for example, by denying His faith, or losing his chastity, or by lying, etc.--or in order to serve Him--for example, by preaching His holy gospel, or by practicing the doctrine of succoring one's neighbors with the spiritual or corporal works of charity--even if the tyrant does not deprive him of life as a mark of hatred against the faith, assuredly he gains the crown, _salvam faciet eam_. Accordingly, he who dies in the mountains when fleeing from persecution, or by means of wild beasts or robbers, or who is drowned in the sea, says St. Cyprian in his Epistle number 56, _Ad Tibaitanos_, is and must be called a martyr, for his death is [suffered] for Christ. Thence can one well see what we feel in the present case, and in the occasions that we have in hand. I will quote his words here, for they are a consolation for all those who are liable to lose their lives, in the sea or in the mountains, because of the preaching of the holy gospel and the persecution of the enemies of the gospel. _Si fugientem in solitudine ac montibus latro oppresserit,