Beschi will be remembered chiefly for his Tēmpāvaṇi and his Dictionaries. The Indian mentality is and was attuned to poetry and good verses delight the ear while helping memory.

The Tēmpāvaṇi is the noblest epic poem in honour of St. Joseph. This great poem was completed before 1729 and was the result of several years of hard toil.

The other great work but less known is the poem on the life of St. Quiteria of Portugal.

The grammar of Common Tamil of Beschi is the first work of its kind and was compiled on European lines. This was completed round about 1738, the year it was published. He also wrote Tamil prose.

4. REV. KARL AUGUST HERMANN BEYTHAN

Karl August Hermann Beythan was born at Teichel in Thuringia on 29th May 1875, and studied at the Leipzig Seminary. He was ordained at Rudolstad on 8th April, 1901. He arrived in India on the 9th February, 1902.

5. J. CH. BREITHAUPT

Breithaupt was born at Dransfeld in Hanover. He was a close relative of the famous J. J. Breithaupt D.D. He was ordained in 1745 at Wernigerode. He came to Tranquebar where he learned Tamil. In 1747, he went to Cuddalore and two years later in 1749 accompanying Fabricious he arrived in Madras. He was Fabricious’s main assistant. When war between England and France broke out in India in 1757⁵ he along with Fabricious took refuge in Pulicat. It is believed that the plundering of the church and mission house was so complete (by the French) that even the meager clothing around Breithaupt’s babe was removed and he had often to turn his pockets inside out to prove that they held nothing. Famine and epidemics followed the war and

5. South Gate. S. W.; Mod. Eng. Hist. II, P. 360.