Page 208 - A History of Siam

A HISTORY OF SIAM
196
number, Father Thomas, was a skilful architect and
Father Thomas and
engineer. designed superintended
the construction of new forts at Bangkok, Ayut'ia,
Nontaburi, and other places, designed primarily against
Dutch The that was
aggression. King, thinking Ayut'ia
too accessible from the moved his residence
easily sea,
to Lopburi, where a new palace, forts, and other buildings
were likewise with the of Father Thomas.
put up, help
A tower was also built at to be used as an ob-
Ayut'ia,
servatory.
The French missionaries were land and houses
given
and were encouraged to build churches. The great
favours thus showered on them by King Narai misled
them into that he had a
supposing personal leaning
towards the Catholic faith, and they began to form the
of and him the whole
design converting him, through
Kingdom.
In the of returned to
1665 Bishop Heliopolis Europe.
He the Alexander VII, and Louis
regaled Pope, King
XIV of France, with wonderful accounts of the advance
of the faith in Siam. The Pope promised to take steps
to forward the and Louis sent several
push good work,
architects and craftsmen to assist Father Thomas with
his more tasks.
worldly
The of and his followers had their
Bishop B6rythe
first interview with Narai about the time
personal King
of the of Pallu for
departure Bishop Europe. They
seized the opportunity of expounding to His Majesty the
of He to be
principles Christianity. appeared impressed,
and their hopes of success were raised by further grants
of land.
A of which a
couple years elapsed, during good many
converts were gained, but the King remained a Buddhist.
In 1668 Mohammedan missionaries arrived from Acheen,