rdinary upon
record of a man whom, before I begin, I must (to set him out in just
colours) represent in terms very much to his disadvantage, in the account
of Protestants; as, first, that he was a Papist; secondly, a Popish
priest; and thirdly, a French Popish priest. But justice demands of me
to give him a due character; and I must say, he was a grave, sober,
pious, and most religious person; exact in his life, extensive in his
charity, and exemplary in almost everything he did. What then can any
one say against being very sensible of the value of such a man,
notwithstanding his profession? though it may be my opinion perhaps, as
well as the opinion of others who shall read this, that he was mistaken.

The first hour that I began to converse with him after he had agreed to
go with me to the East Indies, I found reason to delight exceedingly in
his conversation; and he first began with me about religion in the most
obliging manner imaginable. "Sir," says he, "you have not only under
God" (and at that he crossed his breast) "saved my life, but you have
admitted me to go this voyage in your ship, and by your obliging civility
have taken me into your family, giving me an opportunity of free
conversation. Now, sir, you see by my habit what my profession is, and I
guess by your nation what yours is; I may think it is my duty, and
doubtless it is so, to use my utmost endeavours, on all occasions, to
bring all the souls I can to the knowledge of the truth, and to embrace
the Catholic doctrine; but as I am here under your permission, and in
your family, I am bound, in justice to your kindness as well as in
decency and good manners, to be under your government; and therefore I
shall not, without your leave, enter into any debate on the points of
religion in which we may not agree, further than you shall give me
leave."

I told him his carriage was so modest that I could not but acknowledge
it; that it was true we were such people as they call heretics, but that
he was not the first Catholic I had conversed with without falling into
inconveniences, or carrying the questions to any height in debate; that
he should not find himself the worse used for being of a different
opinion from us, and if we did not converse without any dislike on either
side, it should be his fault, not ours.

He replied that he thought all our conversation might be easily separated
from disputes; that it was not his business to cap principles with eve