_ 316 _ 9. I say nothing of Christianity in this country because I lay no foundation for it: firstly, because this is an island that possesses nothing but this city, in which everything, and the Moors in it, live by freight from Persia and Arabia. As well as there being so many departures whenever they want, without there being any way of preventing it, those who become Christians all live among the rest. There is a house in the city in which live Christians, Moors, Jews and Hindus, all using one door. There are others in which one daughter is Christian, the mother and sisters are Moors. I do as much as I can to remedy this and put an end to it. In the past few days, with the help of God and the Captain,(A) we have put all the single Christian women, who were scattered through the city, in two streets, to separate them from the Moors and from having anything to do with them; and all the Christian people were made to congregate in that area. There is no other remedy for the salvation of these Christian men and women but marriage, because there are no holy women here nor friars, nor could they remain as they are because it is a country at war. Also, when they are harmful to the faith, we can send them to India, and this is often done. (A) D. Antão de Noronha, who was succeeded by Bernardino de Sousa in April. (Cf. Couto, Dec, VI, X, ch.183).
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