By this procedure, the apostle gained the hearts of all and became in some manner, lord of the city. At the very first, he rooted out an established custom, which permitted the young maids to go in the habit of boys whenever they pleased, which occasioned a world of scandal. He drove out of doors the concubines, or turned them into lawful wives, according to his former method. As for the children, who had no knowledge of God, and who learnt songs of ribaldry and obsceneness as soon as they began to speak, he formed them so well in a little time, that they publicly recited the Christian doctrine, and set up little altars in the streets, about which they sung together the hymns of the Catholic church. But that in which he was most successful, was to restore the practice of confession, which was almost entirely lost. But now men and women crowded the tribunal of holy penitence, and the Father was not able to supply the necessities of so many. He laboured in the knowledge of the Malaya tongue, which is spoken in all the isles beyond Malacca, and is as it were the universal language. His first care was to have a little catechism translated into it, being the same he had composed on the coast of Fishery; together with a more ample instruction, which treated of the principal duties of Christianity. He learnt all this without book; and, to make himself the better understood, he took a particular care of the pronunciation. With these helps, and the assistance of interpreters, who were never wanting to him at his need, he converted many idolaters, as also Mahometans and Jews; amongst the rest, a famous rabbi, who made a public adjuration of Judaism. This rabbi, who before had taken for so many fables, or juggling tricks, all those wonders which are reported to have been done by Xavier, now acknowledged them for truths by the evidence of his own eyes: for the saint never wrought so many miracles as at Malacca. The juridical depositions of witnesses then living, have assured us, that all sick persons whom he did but touch, were immediately cured, and that his hands had an healing virtue against all distempers. One of his most famous cures, was that of Antonio Fernandez, a youth not above fifteen years of age, who was sick to death. His mother, a Christian by profession, but not without some remainders of paganism in her heart, seeing that all natural remedies were of no effect, had recourse to certain enchantments frequently practised amongst the heathens, and sent for an old sorceress, who was called Nai. The witch made her magical operations on a lace braided of many threads, and tied it about the arm of the patient. But instead of the expected cure, Fernandez lost his speech, and was taken with such violent convulsions, that the physicians were called again, who all despaired of his recovery. It was expected every moment he should breath his last, when a Christian lady, who happened to come in, said to the mother of the dying youth, "Why do you