Page:Siam in 1688 - Frankfurter - 1908.pdf/36

 Sir. When I left you to go to this Kingdom of Siam, I regarded as a command, which I had to fulfil to the best of my capacity, the request which you addressed to me to inform you of the progress of Christianity in this distant place. What I have related to you in my previous letters seems to have fully satisfied you, because you admit in all letters with which you have honoured me, that you did not believe that these rude people should have been enlightened in such a short time in the mysteries and truth of our Religion. I blamed you for your misbelief and attempted to persuade you to reflect a little on the conduct of our August Monarch for such a great work when you would have agreed with me that all these projects being established for the advancement of the Religion. Heaven would surely grant all necessary assistance to succeed in this enterprise. Indeed everything had been so well done, that it seemed as if the Catholic Religion in Siam would be that which at all times had governed the people of this vast Kingdom. But God, who never better manifests His glory than in making such things which appear to us impossible succeed, willed it that the enemies of Religion should foment new troubles in this country in order that our King might recommence his work at a time when he was fully occupied with the same enemies of the Religion of his state. Here is in substance how things happened.

The Dutch who are the nation who do the greatest amount of trade in Siam, seeing that the zeal of our great King was chiefly directed to establishing the faith of Jesus Christ there, and that indeed the Revd. Jesuit fathers