'Apostle of the Indies'.- Torsellino (Orazio) De vita Francisci Xaverii qui primus e Societate Jesu in Indiam & Japoniam evangelium invexit, libri sex, third enlarged edition, title with woodcut Jesuit device recto and fine engraved portrait of St. Francis verso, woodcut historiated or decorative initials, closely trimmed at head, occasional spotting, contemporary limp vellum, lacking ties, spine soiled, some staining, [Cordier BJ, 128-9], 8vo, Liege, Hendrik van den Hoven, 1597. *** Rare at auction. St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552) was a Catholic missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He worked mainly in the Portuguese Empire, most notably in Goa and Japan, and also in Borneo and the Maluku Islands. He was know variously as 'Apostle of the Indies [Far East, Japan, or China]'. Provenance: ‘Stanislaus Kostlla de Stacpoole, 13 Nov. 1846’, 3rd Duke of Stacpoole, priest and Domestic Prelate. He acquired the remains of Fontenelle Abbey, which had been partially destroyed during the French Revolution, where he lived until his death in 1896 (ink inscription to title).