For more than half a century the great voice of Antonio Vieira (1608-1698) made the churches of Portugal and Brazil echo with its resonance. For more than half a century, on both sides of the ocean, the illustrious preacher never stopped expounding to the faithful the dogmas they should believe and the duties they had to practice. This tireless apostolate produced the just renown of Vieira. But if preaching is the best known of his claims to fame, one must not forget that he had another, of an order as high, perhaps even higher still: his long and difficult missions among the Indians of Brazil and his struggles on their behalf. Nor is this all. A man of many facets, with the richest talents and the most varied aspirations, he was much interested in public affairs and undertook diplomatic missions, with varying success, in France, the Low Countries, and in Italy.