_ 207 _ Portuguese officials in the customs-house. The Moors of Bahrein, hearing the news of this treason on the part of the King of Ormuz, set upon the Portuguese and killed them all. Among these was the factor, Rui Boto, with whose blood, spilt by the Moors in hatred of our Holy Faith, it pleased God to embellish the pearls of Bahrein and to show the world that if the Portuguese nation defended the Catholic faith with the sword and spread it throughout the Orient with life, it also acknowledge it by dying and affirmed it with blood. This is what happened: the Moors took Rui Boto’s hands and tried to persuade him that he should renounce the faith of Christ and assume the false belief of Muhammad, and if he became a Moor, they promised him great things. However, when they saw that the good Christian and valiant soldier of Christ did not give in but abominated the false belief, they applied fire and the sword to compel him to do so by means of torture. They subjected him to greater torments and performed such acts of great cruelty that if he had not been armed with divine grace and favour he would have died at the outset; but it was the Lord’s wish to preserve him and
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