ernment,
considered of the means to remedy the growing evil, the foundation of
which had been discovered to them by Borba; and he himself excited the
people to be instrumental in so good a work. For, one day preaching, he
passionately bemoaned the damnation of so many Indians, and charged it on
the conscience of his auditory, that the salvation of that idolatrous
people depended, in some sort, on them. "I pretend not," said he, "that
you should go yourselves to the conquest of souls, nor learn barbarous
languages on purpose, to labour in the conversion of Gentiles. What I beg
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, is, that each of you would
contribute something towards the maintenance of the new Christians. You
will perform by that, what it is not in your power to do by the preaching
of the gospel; and gain, by your temporal goods, those immortal souls,
for which the Saviour of the world has shed his blood."

The Holy Spirit, who had inspired his tongue, gave efficacy to his words,
by touching the hearts of those who heard them. Many of them being joined
together, it was resolved to form a company, which should provide for the
subsistence of those young Indians newly converted; and that society at
first was called, the Brotherhood of St Mary of the Light, (or
Illumination,) from the name of that church where the fraternity
assembled, to regulate that new establishment.

It is true, that, as great works are not accomplished all at once, in the
beginning of this, there was only founded a small seminary, for the
children of Goa, and those of the neighbourhood; but the revenues were
increased so much afterwards by the liberality of Don Estevan de Gama,
governor of the Indies, and by the bounty of John III., king of Portugal,
that all the idolatrous children, who turned Christians, of what country
soever, were received into it.

There was also a fund sufficient for the building a fair house and a
magnificent church in a larger plot: and the seminary, over which Borba
presided, was then called, the Seminary of Holy Faith.

Matters being thus disposed, above threescore children, of divers
kingdoms, and nine or ten different languages, were assembled, to be
educated in piety and learning. But it was soon perceived, that these
children wanted masters, capable of instructing and forming them,
according to the intention of the institute. God Almighty had
pre-ordained the seminary of holy faith, for the Society of Jesus; and it
w