who was desirous to haue landed Howbeit for that they did not know the land he commaunded them to cast about a sea boord and so they passed along by the same vntill tewsdaie following at what time they came to perfect viewe and sight of the land perceiuing the same to lye lowe and that there was a great bay which as it was a conuenient place for the ships so he commanded them to fall to an anker there of purpose to take in water And afterward they named it the Iland of Sancta Haelena The people of the countrie within the said Iland as our men afterward found the same bée lyttle men ill fauoured in the face and of colour blacke and when they did speake it was in such manner as though they did alwayes sigh theyr apparell is of beastes skinnes made after the manner of the French Cloakes they truste vp and hide theyr members in certeine Cases made of woode verye well wrought They haue for armes or weapons certaine staues of an Oke trée bathed or toasted with fire at the endes whereof are hornes of beasts somwhat burnt or hardened with fire also seruing them for swoords and wherewith they do hurt their enimie These people doe mainteine themselues with rootes of hearbes with Sea Woulfes and Whale fish of which the countrie there hath great plentie and likewise of sea crowes and sea mewes Also they doe eate of beastes which they call Gazelas and of doues and other beasts and birds which they haue in the land They kéepe also dogs as those ben of Portingale barking after the same manner The Generall thus lyeng at Anker commaunded to goe rounde about the Ilande to sée if there were anie riuer of swéete water and finding none he then sent Nicholas Coello in his boate along the coast to séeke out water which he found fowre leagues of from thence the which he named Sancty Ago from whence the whole Fléete prouided themselues of fresh water The next day the Generall and the other Captaines and some of their companie went a shore intending to sée and view what manner of people they were that inhabited that countrie or land and whether they coulde informe him how farre from thence the Cape of Buena Esperansa was which he knew not neither was the head or chiefe Pilot of that voyage of any certeintie which it was for that in the voyage wherein hée went before with Bartholome Dyas he departed in the morning from the Cape into the Sea and past the same in the night with a fore-winde and at his first going came not néere the Shore By reason wherof he did not know the land notwithstanding hée coniectured and déemed it not aboue thirtie leagues distaunt from thence at the vttermost The Generall being disimbarked and come to land and walking there he ouertooke a man one of the inhabitaunts of the same who was going to gather honny at the foote of a bush where the Bées made the same without anie hiue with this man y e general returned vnto his ship right well contented thinking he had gotten by him an interpreter but it happened not so for ther was not any of that company could vnderstand him The Generall commaunded to giue him meate and he did both eate and drinke of all that was giuen him and when they saw he vnderstood none of their languages nor any of them had any vnderstanding of his he was the next daye set vppon the shore well apparelled from whence he went as it appeared amongst others his countrey men for that y ◠next day then following vpon shew of himselfe to them there came about the number of fiftéene of his Countrey men where our ships were At sight of which the Captaine generall went to lande carrieng with him Spice Golde and Pearle to make triall whether those people had any knowledge of the same or of any part thereof but by the lyttle estimation they seemed to make of those things it appeared they had no knowledge of the same Then they gaue them bells little rings of tinne and counters and of these things they wer very glad and from thence forward vnto the next Saterday following very many of them repayred to our Fléete and those people so returning to their Townes one of our men desirous to sée the same and to viewe the order and manner of their liues craued then licence of the Generall to goe with them whose petition albeit he was verye vnwilling to condescend vnto yet vanquished by importunitie he graunted the same Fernan Veloso for so was his name that was licensed then going in their company they tooke a Sea Woulfe which they rosted at the foote of a hill and supped altogethers after which it then appeared that they of that Countrey had armed themselues and practised treason against our men for so soone as they had supped they caused Fernan Veloso to returne to our Fléete againe which was hard by and when he was departed from them they followed and came after him a little and a little the manner whereof Fernan espieng fearing he therefore hasted to the water side and hailed to our ships The Generall then being at supper and hearing that call and looking out to landward sawe those sauage people comming after him and presently imagined they meant him harme and therefore foorthwith he commaunded the whole Fléete to put themselues in battaile araye and he himselfe with certaine others went to landward without anye weapons déeming verely that those blacke men meant him no harme nor would offer anye force and indéede when they sawe our boates comming to the shoreward they began to runne away with a great clamour and outcrie and so did manye others also which lay secretly hidden amongst certeine bushes there which policie they vsed to traine our men the rather to lande for when ours were disimbarked and landed they then returned and furiously set vpon them shooting their darts and vsing their other weapons in such sort as they inforced our men to retire to their boates and imbarke themselues and that in hast taking with them Fernan Veloso which being done the Negroes retourned to theyr townes hauing hurt the Captaine generall thrée others who afterward remaining in that road foure dayes coulde not sée any moe of those people and therefore could not vse any reuenge for the damage they had done them ¶ How the Captaine generall doubled the Cape of Buena esperansa and what hapned vntill they passed the Riuer called El Ryo del Infante Cap. 3. THE Fléete hauing taken in fresh water and flesh which they néeded the Generall and the rest then departed thence vpon the Thursday being the sixtéenth daye of Nouember in the forenoone of the same daye making their waye into the Sea with a South southwest winde and vpon the Saterdaye then next following in the euening he came within sight of the Cape of Buena esperansa and for that the winde was contrarye as being then
Southwest and the Cape lyeng Northeast Southeast hée made his retourne into the Seawarde whilest the daye did indure and when the night came hée cast about towards the shore and so in that order he sayled vntill the Wensdaye following which was the twentith day of Nouember in which time he doubled the Cape And going along the Coast with a fore winde he passed with great pleasure of sundry pastimes and in sounding of the trumpets in all their ships chiefly hauing their whole confidence in God by whose diuine furtherance they hoped to finde out and attaine to that which they sought for So passing in this sort along that Coast they sawe vppon the land great store of Cattell whereof some were large some small but all of them were growen and fat Howbeit ther appeared to them no Townes within this lande by reason that along those Coasts ther are none scituated but further within the same there be Townes and Villages inhabited the houses whereof are all of earth couered with strawe The people are of colour somewhat blacke and be apparailed as those of the Countrey of Sancta Helena speaking the selfe same language and vsing the selfe same sorte of darts with some other weapons also for their defence and anoyaunce of their enimie This Countrey is verye pleasaunt with Trées and Waters and ioyning to this Cape on the South side there is a great Harbour which reacheth into the Lande sixe leagues and at the entering it containeth well as much more The Cape of Buena esperansa béeing thus doubled the Captaine Generall foorthwith vpon the Sundaye after which was Saint Katherins day came to the Watering of Saynt Blaze which is thrée score leagues beyonde the Cape béeing a verie great Baye and passing good for all Windes except onelye the North winde The people héere are somewhat blacke of coulour they couer themselues with skinnes they fight with Dartes of woode tosted or hardened in the fire and vse for Swoordes Hornes and Bones of Beastes and also they vse Stones to defende themselues agaynst theyr Enimies In this Lande bée manye Elephauntes and great also Oxen manye both large of stature and very fat whereof some haue no hornes and vpon the fattest and fairest of the same the people do vse to ride sadling them with pannells stuffed with the strawe of Rye as the manner is in Spayne and vpon the same they put a certaine frame of woode and so vse it as a saddle to ride vppon putting through the noses of such of them as they will sell a péece of woode of that kinde whereof they make their arrowes In this Harbour thrée Crossebow shot from the shore within the Sea lieth a Rocke in the which there be many Sea Woulfes which are as large in bignes as great Beares they be terrible hauing great and long téeth also so wilde and fierce that they do forcible set vpon men their skinnes be so hard that no speare can pearce the same albeit it be forced vpon it with great strength and valure they are like vnto Lions and their little ones crye like young Goates there be so many of them in y â— Rocke that when our men went thether of pleasure one day they saw of them at that instant the number of thrée thousand little and great In this Rocke also be many Stares which are as great as Duckes but they doe not flye by reason they haue no feathers in their wings and they braye lyke vnto an Asse The Captaine Generall being come to this Port or Baye and lieng at Anker there caused the shippes which carried their victualls to be discharged thereof and bestowed the same in the others commaunding those Vessells to be then burned as it was ordained and commaunded by the King in that behalfe In doing whereof other things also which were necessarye and néedfull to be looked vnto and foreséene for their more safetie in the rest of their voyage they remained ten dayes in that place where vpon the Friday next after the Captaine generall and the rest had ariued ther appeared vnto them about the number of foure score and ten men of that Countrey some along vppon the landes and some vpon the top of their Mountaines which when the Generall sawe he and other the Captaines went to the shore ward and all the company of the shippes went armed in their boates carrieng ordinaunce with them as fearing the lyke chaunce y â— happened to them in the Ilande of Sancta Helena the Boates then drawing neere to the shore the Generall threw on lande little belles which the Negroes tooke vp and some of them came so neere vnto him that he gaue them the bells into their owne handes whereat he wonderfully meruailed for that Bartholome Dyas had informed before that when he was there they did run away and wold not be allured to come so néere view The Generall therfore finding perceiuing contrary to his expectation the gentlenesse of those blacke people hée then leapt out on lande with his men making exchaunge of certaine red night caps with the Negroes for Bracelets of Iuory which they had and so for that time departed The Saterday next after came to the number of two hundreth blacke men and more some little some great bringing with them twelue Oxen and foure shéepe and as our men went on shore they began to play vpon foure Flutes accordingly with foure sundry voyces the Musicke whereof sounded very well which the Generall hearing commaunded the trumpets to sound and so they daunced with our men In this pastime and feasting and in buying their Oxen and shéepe that daye passed ouer and in the selfe same sort vpon the Sunday following â—unâ—ry of the same and many moe with them as well men as women came againe bringing with them many Kine and hauing solde one Oxe our men saw certaine little Nigroes which were hidden in certayne bushes who had with them the weapons of the greater sort of men wherein our men coniectured that some treason was ment to them and therfore the Generall commanded our people to retire to another place which was of more securitie and those blacke men went all along the shore directlye against our boates vntill they came to the place where ours disimbarked themselues and went vppon the lande in armour The Nigroes then ioyned themselues as though they intended to fight which the Generall perceiuing and not wilyng to doe them anye harme did then retyre imbarking himselfe and for to feare them commanded two brasse péeces of Ordinaunce to be shot off whereat they were amazed and ranne away without any order leauing their weapons behinde them After this the Captaine generall caused to be carried on the shore a certaine marke or Piller with the King of Portingales Armes and a Crosse which being there set and erected the Nigroes pulled downe the same our men yet being there These dayes thus passed ouer the Captaine generall with the rest of the Fléete departed
araied withall his best apparell carrieng with him twelue of the most principall men of his shippes his brother onely except whom he left with charge of y e same The boates of each part being come néere together and the one making countenance of friendly salutation entertainment to the other the King then said to the Generall that he would speake with him in his owne boat of purpose to sée view him the better whervpon foorthwith he receiued him into his boat the King then giuing to the Generall as great honour curtesie as though he had also ben a King he very earnestly noted beheld him his men as a strange sight and matter to him and his people he required the Generall to tell him the name of his King and being tolde he commaunded the same to be then presently written he also inquired matter perticularly of him of his power whervnto the Generall aunswered and in euerye point satisfied his demaund declaring also for what cause y e king his master had sent him to discouer Calicut which was to haue from thence spices whereof in his dominion countrey was none And after he had thus talked with the King informed him somewhat of the same of the straights of y e red Sea the King then promised to him a Pilot to carry him to Calicut also very earnestly desired him to goe with him into his Citie there to take his pleasure solace himself in his Pallaice saieng it was néedfull necessary after so many troubles in so long a voyage sustained to vse some recreation and take some rest further then promising that if he would so do that afterward he in like manner would go with him to sée his ships make merry in the same whervnto the Generall aunswered that he had no license of the King his Master to go a shore therefore if he shuld varie from his Princes wil commaundement therein he shuld then giue an euill accompt of himselfe to which excuse the King replied saieng that if he shuld go to sée his ships what accompt should he then make to those of his Citie or what might they déeme adiudge of him therein yet notwithstanding he said y t it was a griefe to him y t he refused to go with him to his Citie which was shuld be at y e commandemēt of him of y e king his master to whom he wold send his Embassador or els write if he wold come y t way at his returne from Calicut The General yéelding thanks to the King promised him to returne y ◠way whilest they were thus talking there did send for those Moores which he had taken captiues and gaue them to the King saieng that if he could do him any further pleasure he would gladly doe the same with which gift the King was so content that he said he did more estéeme of the same then if he had giuen him such another Citie as that of Mylynde was Now hauing ended their talke and confirmed the friendship betwéene them the King then rowing amongst our ships and behelde the same with great pleasure and admiration out of which great store of shot of Ordinaunce passed wherewith they were greatlye delyghted all which time our Generall went with him to whom he declared that he neuer saw any men of whom he tooke so great pleasure as he did of those of Portingall whereof he woulde gladye haue some with him to helpe him in his warres which he hath sometime with his enimies for it well appeared they were men apt to offend their enimie and to abide and suffer any trauell or paine that should happen vnto them To which his speaches the Generall aunswered that if hée had experience of their doings he woulde then a great deale better lyke of them and further that they would helpe him if the King his Master would sende his ships of warre to Calicut as he doubted not but he would if it wer Gods good pleasure to permit the same to be discouered After the King had in this sort solaced himself he then desired the General that since he would not go with him to his Citie he shuld then let him haue two of his men to go and sée his Pallaice and for pledge of the same he would giue him his sonne and one of his chiefe Chaplaines the which they call Cacis wherevnto the Generall yéelded and appointed two of our men to go with the King who at his departure requested the Generall that the next day he would goe along in his boate hard by the shore where he shuld sée his horsmen running so they departed for that time the next day being Thursday the Captaine generall Nicholas Coello went in their boates armed along the shore the one somewhat distant from the other betwéene whom vpon the shore were many men on horsebacke skirmishing as our boats approched néere the shore there came certaine footemen downe certaine stayres of stone from the Kings house which was in sight where they tooke the King vp in a chaire and caried him verye néere to the Boate of the Generall to whom he spake verye louing wordes and once more requested him to enter vpon land and go to his Citie for that his father being a lame man was desirous to sée him and that whilest he should remaine on shoare both he and his children would enter and abide in his ships But our Generall fearing least vnder such sugred speach some bitter baite might lie couered did therfore still excuse himself for going on land alleadging hée must obey his Prince who gaue him no license or commission so to do at anie time And so taking his leaue of the king hée went a while hard by the ships of the Indias shooting off much Ordinaunce who when they sawe vs passe by lifted vp their hands saieng Christe Christe and that night with the kings license our men made them a great feast with much pastime also of Squibs Gunne shot and great and lowde cryes The Fléet thus lyeng in y e harbour there came vpon y e sundaie béeing the. 21. day of Aprill from the king a man that was in great credit with him to visite the Captaine Generall who at that instant was very sad and heauie for that it was then two daies since any man came to the Fléet from the Citie by reason whereof he feared least that the king were offended with him as taking occasion of offence for that he refused to go on shoare supposing also that he wold therevppon breake the peace and league made betwéene them for which he was sorrowfull especially since as yet he had no Pilots And when he sawe that he which was so great with the king did bring him no Pilots he then began to haue some iealousie and suspition of the king who being informed therof and knowing the Generall remained there for that cause did therefore forthwith send him
a Pilot a Gentile called in their language Gosarate whose name was Canaca making excuse that hée had not sent him sooner and so the king and the Generall remained friends and continued the peace before concluded vpon betwéene them ¶ How the Captaine Generall departed from Mylynde came to Calicut and of what greatnesse and noblenesse that citie is Cap. 13. THE Captaine Generall béeing thus prouided of all things necessarie for his voyage departed from Mylynde towards Calicut vpon the Tewsday being the 22. day of Aprill and from thence he began to cut ouer a goulfe which is of seauen hundreth and fiftie leagues for the land there doth make a certeine great valley which doth runne along the coast from the North to the South and our voiage in demaunding of Calicut lay to the Eastward in following whereof the next Sunday our men sawe the North which a long time before they had not séene and also they sawe the South of which good fortune they thanked God in that it represented as then to them winter of the Indias where alwaies in that goulfe are great stormes they now found none but rather faire weather The Fridaye being the .xvii. daye of May and xxiii daies next after their departing from Mylynde in which time they had séene no land they then discouered came to sight of land And the Fléete béeing viii leagues of seaboord from the shoare the land séemed high their Pilot whose name was Canaca did as then let fall the Plommet found fortie fiue fathom wherevpon to auoide and apart himselfe from that coast he made his way to the Southeast vppon the Saterday he made to landward howbeit he ranne not so néere the same as he might certainly knowe it but he perceiued by small showres of raine which fell as they made towards land y ◠they were on the coast of y e Indias for y ◠at y ◠present time of y e yere y ◠winter is euer in those Indias The sunday being y e xx day of May the Pilot sawe certeine high hils which were ouer the Citie of Calicut and came so néere to land that he did reknowledge the same and with great ioy and pleasure demaunded of the Generall Albrycias saieng that this was the land which he and his companie so greatly desired to sée and come to The General replenished with ioy of that good fortune gaue Canaca his demaund forthwith went to praier saieng the Salue wherein they gaue God greate thanks for this their happie and safe arriuall vppon that coast and in sight of the place which they so earnestly longed for to sée when praier was done they made great ioy and feasted on shipboord and the selfe same daie in the euening the Generall came to an Ankor two leagues from Calicut and immediatly came certeine people of that land in fowre boates called Almaydyas to our Fléete to vnderstand what ships these were hauing neuer before séene any of that making come to that cost These people came all naked sauing that their members were couered with little péeces of linnen cloath they are browne people At their comming to vs some of them entered into the Generalls shippe and albeit the Pilot Goserate tolde him that they were Fishermen a poore kinde of people for so they call all such as bee poore men in the Indias yet hée receyued them all well and commaunded his men to buye of their Fish which they brought with them And hauing some talke with them he did vnderstand that that towne was not Calicut for it was they said further off offered to carrie our Fléete thether Wherevpon the Generall required them so to doe and therewith departed thence and were brought by those Fishermen to Calicut which is a Citie scituated on the Coast of Malabar which is a Prouince of the second Indias that hath his beginning in the Mount Dely and endeth at the end of Comory which is in lentgh thréescore leagues and one and fiftéene in breadth All the Countrie lyeth lowe and is apt to be couered with water Ther be many Ilandes in the same it doth enter into the Sea Indico There is a verie high hill which diuideth the limits betwéene them and a great kingdome called Narsinga The Indians do report that this land of Malabar in olde time was maine Sea and ran as far as y e hill where now the Ilands of Maldiua are which were then firme land did couer discouer y e other of Malabar in which are many and pleasaunt Cities those also very rich by reason of y e trade they haue principaly with thē of Calicut which in riches vice doth excel al in our time whose foundation was on this sort This Prouince of Malabar was in the olde time gouerned altogether by one king who made his aboade in the Citie of Conlan and in the last kings daies of this land whose name was Saranaperimal and died sixe hundreth yeares agone the Moores of Meca discouered the Indias and came to the Prouince of Malabar the inhabitaunts wherof then were Gentiles and the king himselfe was a Gentile From the time of the comming of these Moores they beganne to account the yeares as we account from y e birth of our Lord God And after they came thether they grew into such familyaritie with this king and hée entered into such conference good opinion of their lawes that he renounced the manner of religion of his owne Countrie and minded thence forth to imbrace theirs and the loue and liking he had of this sect of Mahomet so déepely tooke roote and entered into his heart that he determined to goe and ende his lyfe in the house of Meca Thus béeing resolued for the loue he bare to that sect to abandon and leaue his kingdome for euer and goe with them before his departure he imparted to his kinred and diuided amongest them all his Lordships and territories and hauing distributed and giuen the same so farre forth that there remained to him no more but xii leagues of his Countrie which laye néere to the shoare where he meant to imbarke himselfe the which was neuer before inhabited therfore he then gaue y e same to a cosin of his which then serued him as his Page commaunding y ◠the same circuit shold be inhabited in perpetuall memorie of his imbarking there To the same his kinsman hée also gaue his swoord a towell after the Morisco sort as things apperteining and incident to the estate gaue commaundement to all the Gentlemen to whom he had giuen all the rest of his lands that they should be obedient true subiects vnto him and to take him for theyr Emperour the kings of Conlan and Canamor onely except whome also he commaunded and charged likewise al the others that they nor no other Lordes shoulde coine money in the Prouince of Malabar but onely the King of Calycut So hauing thus bestowed and giuen
be deliuered by order And going in this necessitie and also with fowle weather the people began to fall sicke a disease in their gums as they did in the riuer De buenas Sennalâ—s when as they went to Calicut also their armes and legs did swell besides other swellings which did rise in their bodyes by reason of a pestilent stinking humour which did cast them into a laske and of this new infirmitie there dyed to the number of thirtie persons And after that they began once to die and had continued this kinde of weather vppon the Seas ther arose such a feare amongst those that did remain aliue that they fared in the same as it were men amazed and beléeued verely that they should neuer goe from thence for that as they thought this kinde of weather was alwayes durable there and that the same was the cause that it indured so long The Masters and Pilots of the Fléete were of the lyke opinion which made the rest beléeue it the sooner that by this meanes the crye of all those that were there as well of them that were sicke as of the other was great saieng that since the weather would not serue them to goe from thence yet they requested him not to be an occasion of their death but rather consent to retourne vnto Calycut or els to some other place in the Indias and béeing ther to receiue what God shuld appoint them rather then to dye in those seas of to terrible diseases for which ther was no likelihoode of any remedie in especiall hauing lacke of all other things as of victuals and water which as then they began to want by reason that by their long continuaunce in the said place was all spent The Captaine generall séeing the great feare that his men were in and for to animate them the more sayd vnto them all on this sorte requesting them to be content and not to beléeue that such weather as was there coursed by them on that sorte was alwayes lyke to continue for if so bée that it were so then there woulde be no Nauigation from the Goulph to the Strayghtes of Meca nor to Mylynde nor yet from anye other place by the which they shoulde passe And that it was not vnpossible but that they might somewhat digresse from their right course and therefore they met with these calmes and windes which they indured yet those he saide should haue an ende and with the same their troubles will lykewise ende But for all this the Marriners woulde not beléeue him for that in this trouble they had continued foure monethes and also that there were dead of theyr fellowes thirtie persons so that there were so fewe of them remayning that there was not to euery ship sixtéene persons left to gouerne the same and of them there were some that were verye sicke of the disease aboue sayde By this meanes they fell into such a desperation by reason that they thought they shoulde goe no further and as they doe affirme that Paulo de la Gama and Nicholas Coello béeing both of them Captaines made agréement each of them in theyr Shippes to the other that if so bée that there woulde come anye Winde by the which they might retourne into the Indias that then they woulde surelye doe so Béeing thus determined vppon a sodayne there came a fresh gale of Winde with the which the Fléete might goe forwarde and with the same in sixteene dayes they came within sight of lande béeing on a Wednesday the seconde of Februarye at the which the Marriners reioyced in such sort that by meanes of the same they had forgotten theyr troubles and daungers that they were past and gaue vnto God great thankes for all his gracious benefites And when that they hadde sight of the Lande they founde themselues so néere vnto it that the Captaine generall gaue commaundement to cast about into the Sea so much as might bée thought sufficient for to staye vntill the morning the which béeing come they went foorthwith for to reknowledge the Lande and for to sée where they were for that as now there was none that knewe the same although that one of the Moores sayde that they hadde then taken theyr Course directlye towardes Monsanbique which standeth betwéene certaine Ilandes standing ouer against them thrée hundred leagues of the shore whereas the people of the same Countrey are continually sicke of the same disease that our men were The morning being come he went to reknowledge the land and came before a goodly great Citie which was walled round about and within the same very faire and high houses and in the midst of the same there was a great Pallaice which stood very high and séemed to be of a goodly building all this they saw very well out of their ships This Citie is called Magadoxo which standeth at the ende of the said goulfe in the Coast of Aethiopia a hundred thirtéene leagues from Mylynde the scituation whereof I shall declare héereafter And for that the Captaine generall knew the same to bée a Citie of Moores when as hée went along the Coast hée commaunded to shoote of manye péeces of Ordinaunce and also for that he coulde not tell how farre hée was from Mylynde from thence forward he stayed in the night because he would not passe the same Foorthwith on Saturday being the fifth of Februarie lieng ouer against a village of the Moores which they call Pate being a hundred and thrée leagues from Magadoxo there came from thence eight Terradas which is a certaine kinde of Boates of that Countrey being all full of Souldiours and made theyr waye straight towarde our Fléete fromwhence we shot so many péeces of Ordinaunce that they thought themselues happy to haue escaped by running awaye Howbeit our men did not followe them for lacke of winde The next Mundaye following the Generall arriued at Mylynde and béeing there the King sent to visite the Captaine Generall with sundrye fresh victualls sending him word also how glad hée was of his comming The Generall aunswered him againe by Fernan Martines by whome hée sent him a Present and for because of those that were sicke whome hée was desirous to haue cured hée tarryed there fiue dayes in the which time there died of them many At this present by the kings license he caused to be set a land a marke in token of friendship And after that he had prouided himselfe of victuals he departed on a wednesday in the morning béeing the xvii of Februarie with an Embassadour whome the king did sende to the king of Portingale for a perpetuall confirmation of friendshippe betwéene them Of the death of the Captaine Generalls brother and of the burning of one of the ships called Saint Raphael also how he arriued in Portingale and of the honour the king gaue him at their meeting cap. 27. NOw for that the Captaine Generall had not men inough to gouerne the whole Fléete he thought good and
had brought in the which wer these péeces a Bason of siluer and gylt wrought a fountaine to the same a Cuppe with his couer gylt of the same worke two Masses of siluer foure Cushions two of them of cloath of golde and other two of Crimson Veluet vnshorne a Cloath of Estate of Golde being welted and garded with the selfe same Golde and of Crimson veluet a verye fine Carpet two clothes of Arras the which were very rich the one with figures and the other with gréene workes Of this present and of the Embassage which the Captaine generall had done vnto him as it appered the King was very glad and tolde the Captaine generall that he might goe to his lodging to rest himselfe or els to his ships as he would himselfe for that he thought necessary to send for his Pledges which are Gentlemen and daintely brought vp and could not awaye with the Sea to tarry there longer And whilest they were ther he was assured that they would neither eate nor drinke for such was their custome And if fo be that the Captaine generall wold goe to his ships and come the next day againe to make full agréement and consent about the order of the trade in Calicut he would then send those Pledges againe The Captaine generall hauing good confidence in those his wordes went to his ships leauing behinde him with his stuffe Alonso Hurtado with other seauen And being at the water side ready to departe a seruaunt of one of those Pleadges went before aboord in a small Pinnace and tolde them that the Captaine generall did retourne aboorde this messenger was sent by the commaundement of the Clearke and Controller of the Kings house as who shoulde saye to giue them counsayle to come their waye which they did as soone as they heard what the slaue had tolde them in their language and with that they leapt into the Sea thinking to take that Pinace in the which the slaue went As soone as Aries Correa saw this he leapt into his owne boate which was harde by the ships side with certaine of his Marriners and rowing with force tooke two of the Pledges and also thrée or foure of those that wore in the Pinace the other fled and carried the Catuall with them which was also one of the Pledges This being concluded the Captaine generall came aboord who after that he had knowen what had passed because that those Pledges the which he had in his custodie should not returne and 〈◊〉 their waye he commaunded them to be put vnder the hatches of his ship and afterward sent to complain to the King of that which they had done laieng all the fault vpon the Clarke Controller Also he sent worde after what sort they remained in his ship promising that if so be y t he wold send him his stuffe such of his men as remained a land he would immediatly sende those Pleadges which he had and for that it was night there was no more at that time done The next daye following the King came to the water side accompanyed 〈◊〉 xii thousand men and sent with the Captaine Generalâ— stuffe and men to the number of thirtie Almadias for that they might returne with those Pledges that did remaine aboord howbeit for all that they were so many yet there durst none of them come néere the ships for the feare they stoode in of our men which remained in the Fléete least they wold take them and so they returned with the same againe to land The Captaine Generall séeing the feare that they stood in of his Fléete sent the next daye in certaine of his owne boates those Pledges that he had in custodie commaunding that they should goe and sée them deliuered somwhat aloofe of from the fléet that brought him his men and stuffe And while they were deliuering the same Araxamenoca which was the eldest of the Pledges leaped into the water vppon a sodaine with intent to runne away but for all that he could not escape forsomuch as our men caught handefast of him The other that remained whilest our men were thus busied fled lykewise The lyke did Alonfo Hurtado practise with fiue of those that wer with him The Captaine generall meruailed to see how little honestie or truth they vsed did therefore commaund Araxamenoâ—a to be well looked vnto And being thrée dayes past and yet the King not sending for him he had pittie to see him that in so many dayes he had eaten nothing and thervpon he sent him to the King also he sent sundry weapons which were taken of his mens and requested him to send the other two of his men that were yet a land which the King did sende béeing moued therevnto more for shame then otherwise for that he had broken his word promise Now being thrée dayes past and there came no kinde of aunswere vnto the Captaine generall thereby he had sufficient tryall or vnderstanding how variable he was and therefore he woulde tarrye no longer for his aunswere but sent vnto him to knowe whether he wold make an end of the agréement y t was begun betwéene them and for the conclusion of the same hée would sende Aries Correa which came with him for Factor Howbeit for the better assuraunce therof he willed him to send him certaine Pledges This message was sent 〈◊〉 King by a certaine Gentleman called Francisco Correa which did offer himself to carry the same when all the rest of the Fléete was afeard least that the King woulde take him prisoner or command him to be slaine To this message y e king made answere y t he was well pleased to agrée to haue the Trade setled and that he shoulde sende vnto him Aries Correa about the same or whom els he should thinke good But first of all he tolde him that he woulde sende two Nephewes of one Gosarate which is a great rich Merchaunt for pledges which indéed was so done After that those pledges were entred immediately departed toward the land Aries Correa to whom the King commaunded to be giuen a faire house to lye and rest himselfe and to lay his Merchandize in which he brought with him which house belonged to Gosarate who was Grandfather to those two Pledges that the king had sent But he commanded that forasmuch as Aries Correa was yet not well knowen in the Countrey nor acquainted with their orders prices how he might sel his Merchandize nor yet what the buyer shuld giue to instruct him therein But he did not so but rather cleane contrarye forasmuch as he was a friend to y e Moores of Meca which were great enimies vnto our men not onelye for that they were Christians but for feare least that for our cause they shuld loose part of ther credit which they had in Calicut by meanes wherof they tooke their Merchandize for what price so euer they would themselues And also for the feare they conceiued of them many times the Gentiles durst not
so be that he minded so to doe it shall be with the King of Calycut for that he had broken the peace he had made with him onely out of that ship he tooke a Pilot for to safeconduct him till he had past the gulfe And he being in the same vnder saile on a certaine night which was the xii of February they lost the ship of Sancho de Toar which in a storme that rose sodainly vpon them being hard by the shore side violentlye they ranne vpon it by meanes whereof there was kindled in the same a great fire so that nothing was saued but onely the men Following their course in this tempest they past by Mylynde onely for that they could not take harbor there nor on any other land but only Monsanbique which he tooke in his waye as well for the want they had of water as also to new rig their ships for y t they went all open In the meane while he sent Sancho de Toar to discouer Sofala and from thence to retourne towarde Portingale with relation thereof The shippes béeing all in a readinesse they returned toward the Cape Buena esperansa and ther by reason of another great storme that ouertooke them there was shot out of a ship a great péece of Ordinaunce which ship was neuer séene after in all that voyage After so many great and cruell stormes and other great daungers which are innumerable to write of he past the foresaid Cape the xxii of May which fell on Whitsundaye and so following their course came to an Ankor at Cabo Verde where he found Diego Dias whose company he had lost before when as he went toward the Indias who was driuen into the red Sea where he did winter and lost his boate and where also dyed the most part of his men and for that his Pilot durst not venture to carry them to the Indias did return toward Portingale And so after that he came out of the red Sea what with hunger thirst and othe diseases all his men were consumed sauing seauen persons wherein God of his great goodnesse shewed a miracle forsomuch as in many dayes before they were not able to gouerne their sailes for that they were so féeble and weake The Captain generall séeing that ther came no more ships departed towards Lishborne wherevnto he came the last daye of Iuly in the yeare of our Lord 1501. And after that he was arriued in came the ship which shot off the péece of Ordinaunce in the storme before that he doubled the Cape Buena esperansa and after him came also Sancho de Toar who went to discouer Sofala and made relation thereof to be a small Iland standing hard to the firme lande and that it was inhabited by blacke men which are called Caâ—res and that out of the firme lande there commeth much golde where as they say there are mynes thereof And for that cause there goe out of the Indias thether many Moores that receiue the same in trucke of Merchandize of small valew Moreouer he brought with him a Moore which was giuen him in pawne of one of his men which he sent into y e firme land for to view the same This Moore gaue large information thereof as héereafter I shall declare With this last ship there did returne vnto Portingale of twelue that went for the Indias onely sixe the other sixe were lost ¶ How Iohn de la Nueuâ— went for Captaine general of the third Fleet that was sent to the Indias what hee did after his arriuall there how from thence he returned toward Portingale Chap. 42. IN this yeare of our Lord 1501. the King of Portingale supposing that all contention and strife in Calycut was finished that y e trade was setled as well there as in Quiloa and Sofala and for that he had sent the selfe same yeare for that purpose one Pedro Aluares therefore he thought best not to send any more then 3. ships a Caruell of y e which two caried Merchandize to Sofala the other two to Calycut Of this Fléete he made Generall one called Ioan de la Nueua born in Galyzia this charge was giuen him for y t he was accoÌ„pted to be a valyant Gentleman moreouer Francisco de Nauoys Diego Barboso Hernando de la pyna war appointed for his captains Ther went in this Fléet no more then lxxx men That which the king had giuen him in commandement to do was this that in his way he should touch at the Ilande of S. Blaze And being come thether if it should to chaunce that he shoulde finde missing any of his ships that then he should there remaine ten dayes and from thence he should depart toward Sofala and being there if so be that ther were setled a Factorie to discharge the Merchandize the which were appointed for that place From the which he might haue recourse vnto the Indias And if so be that he found not all thing so that then he should trauell with all diligence and as much as in him lay to settle the same before he should goe from thence which being finished that then he should leaue for Factor of that place Aluoro de Braga with all such Merchandize as wer appointed which went in the Caruell FroÌ„ thence he shuld go for Quiloa after y t he had bene ther he shuld kéepe his right course toward Calicut And if so bée that he shuld finde ther as yet Pedro Aluares to know whether he stand in any néed of him that he shuld obey him as his general wil him to settle a factory in Sofala if it were not done alredy This general being departed froÌ„ Lishborn he came safely to y e Iland of S. Blaze wherin a branch of a trée was fouÌ„d a shoe in y e same was a letter which made mention y e Pedro de Tayde captain of y e fléet of Pedro Aluares Cabral which was hound to Portingale was past by and so making further relation what had chanced vnto him in Calycut and of the good entertainment they had in Coching where as then did remaine some of our men and also how the King of Cananor shewed himselfe very curteous This as it appeared was written by Pedro de Tayde to aduertise all such Captaines as should passe by to Calycut The Captaine generall with the other Captaines perusing this letter did then determine y t it was not requisit to leaue the Caruell in Sofala for that they had but few men which was not aboue foure score And with this they thought it conuenient to go to Quiloa where they founde a banished man whom Pedro Aluares had left there who likewise informed the Generall what Pedro Aluares had past in Calicut the which he had learned of certaine Moores and also of the ships that he had lost From thence he went to Mylinde where he talked with the King which tolde him as much more as the banished man had done
the Ordinaunce with the which the enimyes were receiued At this instaunt those Nayres that were of Coching did all runne awaye onely Grandagora and Frangora remained for that they were in the Caruell otherwise they woulde haue gone as the others did which had bene no matter but that they should sée how valiantly our men defended themselues in the battell into the which they went in a great heate The Ordinaunce went off so often and lykewise the small shot that there was none that coulde see one another for the smoake of the same The Caruell and the Boates did so flame in fire and did so cruelly handle the enimyes at the first entering that there were torne in péeces some of their Paraos and manye of their men slaine and hurt without any of ours hurt or standing in any daunger therof at all By this time the enimyes were come within the throwe of a Dart. Howbeit as they were many and that without order the one did hurt and hinder the other so that they could not fight Yet notwithstanding the xxv Paraos that went before did trouble our men very much with theyr Ordinaunce which they had for that they went cheined together Our men being wearied and hurt and the battaile hauing endured a good while the Captaine Generall commaunded a Saker to bee shotte at them the which till that time had not béene shot at the enimies And after that the same was twice discharged they all fledde and for that they laye very thicke together it did immediatlye sinke foure of them and with that they were all ouercome and so they ran theyr waye The residue of the Paraos which did continue in the battaile were eightéene sunke and thirtéene fledde awaye the residue gaue place in the which there were of the enimyes greate numbers slaine and hurt After all this came the Vize Admerall called the Lord of Repelyn with another squadron and gaue a proud onset so did the king of Calycut giue the lyke vpon the land This battaile was farre more vehement then the first in the which were manye more of the enimyes slaine then before as appeared by the water which was of the coulour of bloud Yet for all this the Lorde of Repelyn made lowde outeryes commaunding them to laye the Caruell aboorde but for all that they durst not venture to doe it but rather were desirous to goe theyr waye as they also that were a land did the like It was now at this present past Euensong from the time the battell did first beginne in the which were of the enymies slaine not onely by land but also by water 350. men which were knowne besides others the which were aboue a thousand and of our men there were some hurt but none slaine And although theyr pellets were made of cast yron yet they did no more hurt then a stone béeing throwne Howbeit our defences were all torne in péeces and one of our boates also neuerthelesse not in such sorte but that it might bée new rigged before that it was night How the king of Calicut seeing the ill successe that hee had in the warres did enter into councell to leaue the same Chap. 68. THose kings and noble men which came to succour and aide the king of Calicut perceiuing that he was thus ouerthrowne and that with great losse both of his men vessells although his power were great and ours but very smal that the captain Generall neuer made any reckoning of the king of Calicut nor of his force but for al that did ouerrun the Countrie destroyed it some there were of them that made a greate wonder thereat sayd that our God did fight for vs whervpon they lost all the hope they had for euer to giue vs the ouerthrowe and from thence forth they had themselues in no reputation but rather were very sorie that it was their euill hap to come in the aide of the king of Calycut Those that did most repent themselues of their comming wer subiects to the king of Coching for that their countries were scituated along the riuers which did put them in the more feare of the Captaine Generall that he wold set fire to their townes houses or otherwise destroie them And for that cause they determined to leaue the king of Calycut wold make no more wars against our men more thē that which was past alreadie And vpon this condition they returned to the king of Coching with whom they reconcyled themselues and those that did thus were one called Marugata Muta Caymal and his brother and Cousins who immediatly after the battaile did so secretly depart from the kinge of Calicuts Campe from whence they went to the Iland of Vaypin to stay there till they might see their time as I haue sayd But when the king of Calicut had knowledge that they were gone and also vnderstoode where they were become he was very sory therefore which also was the occasion that he renewed all his griefe that hee had conceyued for his ouerthrow which he had receyued at our mens hands that were so few Wherupon he tooke occasion to rebuke his captaines saying that they were good for nothing and that through their defaulte our men continued and kept these passages And if so he that they had had any shame they would or this time haue dryuen them from thence in especially hauing geuen so often the enterprise to passe the same Then those two Italians that were presente did replie vnto the king that although our men had done most valiantly yet that which they did was like vnto the dedes of desperate men Notwithstanding that they were not able to defende themselues long from such a power as his was in especially not hoping to haue any succour And therefore they willed him to set vpon them often times for by that meanes it was possible to take them Some also of those kinges and noble men that came to succoure the king and that were desirous of warres did confirme that which the Italians had saide before addinge moreouer that God doth permitte his enemies sometime to haue the victorie for a more greater losse vnto them and therefore it were good saide they that he followed his friends counsell and prooued their stedfastnesse And although it were so that he had not the victorie immediatelye yet hee should not therefore dispaire The king finding himselfe somewhat vexed in minde with those wordes aunswered them saying Although that eche of you is so valiant that it appeareth vnto you a small matter to ouercome those Christians yet I am not so obstinate to thinke the same Howbeit I suppose yet that you doe sée in me no such a feare that thereby you might iudge it néedefull to strengthen me with those words For what can you tell me in this case that you may satisfie me withall For if so bee that you will consider as much as I doe you would soone know how great an acte this is that
¶ The first Booke OF THE HISTOrie of the Discouerie and Conquest of the East Indias enterprised by the Portingales in their daungerous Nauigations in the time of King Don Iohn the second of that name VVhich Historie conteineth much varietie of matter very profitable for all Nauigators and not vnpleasaunt to the Readers Set foorth in the Portingale language by Hernan Lopes de Castaneda AND NOW TRANSlated into English by N. L. Gentleman ¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas East 1582. ⧠To the right Worshipfull Sir Fraunces Drake Knight N. L. G. wisheth all prosperitie THey haue an auncient custome in Persia the which is also obserued throughout all Asia that none will enterprise to visit the king noble man or perticularly any other person of countenance but he carieth with him some thing to present him with all worthy of thanks the which is not onely done in token of great humilitie obedience but also of a zealous loue friendly affection to their superiours wel willers So I Right worshipfull following this Persian president hauing taken vpon me this simple translation out of the Portiâ—gale tongue into our English language am bold to present dedicate the same vnto you as a signification of my entire good will The history conteineth the discouerie and Conquest of the East Indias made by sundry worthy Captaines of the Portingales in the time of king Don Manuel of the king Don Iohn the second of that name with the discription not onely of the country but also of euery harbor apperteining to euery place whervnto they came of the great resistance they found in the same by reson wherof there was sundry great battels many times fought likewise of the commodities riches that euery of these places doth yeeld And for that I know your worship with great perill daunger haue past those monstrous bottomelesse seas am therfore the more encouraged to desire pray your worships patronage defence therof requesting you with all to pardon those imperfections which I acknowledge to be very many so much the more by reason of my long many yeares continuaunce in foreine countries Howbeit I hope to haue truly obserued the literall sence full effect of the history as the Author setteth it forth which if it may please you to peruse accept in good part I shal be greatly emboldened to proceede publish also the second third booke which I am assured will neither be vnpleasant nor vnprofitable to the readers Thus alwaies wishing your good worship such prosperous continuance and like fortunate successe as God hath hetherto sent you in your daungerous trauaile affayres and as maye euerye waye content your owne heartes desire doe euen so take my leaue From London the fift of March 1582. ¶ Your worships alwayes to commaund Nicholas Lichefield Gentleman ¶ TO THE MOST HIGH and mightie Prince our King and fouereigne Don Iohn the third of that name king of Portingale and of the Algarues c. IT hath séemed to me so straunge and waightie a thing most high mightie Prince our king and Souereigne to vndertake to write of the most worthy and valyaunt acts which the Portingales haue enterprised in the discouery and conquest of the Indias that oftentimes I thought to giue ouer and relinquish the same but as the attempt and dooing thereof was principally taken in hande for the glorye of Almightye God and to conuert those barbarous Nations to the Christian Faith and the great honour of your highnesse wherein God gaue them by his Omnipotent power fauour and mercye such fortunate successe in the atchieuing of those famous actes without whose great prouidence it coulde neuer haue béene performed or brought to passe And therefore doe hope and altogether comfort my selfe with the ayde and assistaunce of his diuine goodnesse in publishing the same by writing yéelding the glorie thereof onely to his celestiall Godhead and the praise terestriall vnto your excellent highnesse and to that famous and most happie king Don Manuel your Father And although the same be well knowne and spread abroad ouer all the worlde yet it cannot be so perfectlye published vnlesse it bée set forth in writing For by this meanes the memorie thereof will indure for euer because that the writings will alwayes shew the same to bée present Like as it doth continue those actes of the Gréeks and of the Romanes the which long since is past so many yeares And therefore they lyke wise men perceiuing the same to be true did trauaile all that was possible to leaue the memorie thereof by writing and noting that the worthinesse of the same did consist much in the eloquence of the writer did therefore choose such excellent learned men as those were that wrote the same béeing thereto aided with much fauour and helpe of others that were nothing inferior vnto theyr own possible were far greater but for that the same did not remaine in writing there is no memorie thereof euen as those of the Assyrians of the Medes of the Persians of the Affricans against the Romanes of the Sweuians against Iulius Caesar of the Spaniards against the Moores in the recouerye of their Countrey of Spayne Principallye of those inuincible and holye Kinges of Portingale your auncestours the King Don Alonso Henriques the King Don Sancho his sonne the King Don Alonso the which did gettte the Kingdome of Portingale and of the Algarues in the which conquest there was wonderfull greate actes done and that by force of Armes Of all the which almost there hath remayned no memorie of that there shoulde haue béene yea those matters of the Indyas the which was done but yesterdaye there is no man that hath the same in memorye more then foure personnes so that if they had dyed all the same hadde ended with them the which woulde haue béene imputed to theyr greate shame and rebuke And I hauing a regarde and partlye a remorse to sée this losse did therefore determine my selfe to note of those notable actes the which your subiects hath done in the discouerie and Conquest of the Indias of whose valiauntnesse there is none of theyr progenitours of any age or antiquitie that euer did excéede them no nor yet were equall with them For leauing a side the Conquest of the Semyrian of Cyro Pirhus and of other barbarous all the which was nothing in comparison of this and take amongest them also that great Alexander the which was so feared and wondred at throughout all the world since that the Indias is frequented by the Portingales theyr dooings are no more meruailed at then a dead Lyon in respect of one aliue for the Conquest of Alexander was all by lande and against people that were smallie accustomed or trayned in the feates of warres hée alwayes going in his roiall person but this of the Indias was done by sea and that by your Captaines béeing vpon the same a whole yeare and eight monethes and at
with the executing of my office with great trouble not onely of the body but also of the spirite made an end of this Booke with others the which I doe humbly offer vnto your Highnes whome God after manye and most fortunate yeares remayning in your place the Prince take and receiue you from the senurie of the earth vnto the ioyes of heauen Your Highnes most humble Orator Hernan Lopes de Castaneda ⧠How the King Don Joan the second of that name did send to seeke out by sea and by land the East India and of the newes that was brought him of the same Cap. 1. THIS King Don Ioan the second of that name of the Kings of Portingale the thirtéenth perceiuing that all the Spices Drugs Stones and other riches which came to Venice were brought out of a certaine Prouince of the East parte And as he was a Personage of an hautie stomacke and valiaunt minde so was he desirous to inlarge his Kingdome and increase the Christian faith and therefore he determined to discouer by Sea the Country from whence so great plentie of riches came that thereby his Subiects might be inriched and his Kingdome of Portingale enioy all such commodities as came from thence to Venice Moreouer to discouer the same Countrey he was the rather animated and enclined for that he was giuen to vnderstand that in the East India where Christians which were gouerned by a King of great power called Praesbiter Ioan with whom Don Ioan thought good to haue acquaintaunce and to know him by his Ambassadors and the rather for that he was reported to be a Christian Prince And therefore consulting with the Cosmographers of that time he gaue them in charge to procéede and goe forwarde by example of others which had sayled along the Coast of Guynee which Coast was before that time discouered by commaundement of the Prince his Vnckle Master of the Order of Christ who had sent for that purpose one Bartholome Dyas one of the Officers of his Storehouse in Lyshborne who did discouer that great monstrous Cape not knowen of our Auncestours which is now called the Cape of Buena esperansa And finding there matter of great terrour and daungers he passed beyond the same one hundred and fortie leagues where comming to a Riuer which he named Rio del infante from thence he retourned to Portingale In this voyage he gaue to the Ports Herbours and Riuers where he tooke in fresh water theyr names which at this present they doe retaine Likewise he erected there certaine markes with Crosses and with the roiall Armes of Portingale and the last that he erected was in a Rocke the which they named El pennol de la crus which standeth fiftéene leagues on this side the foresayde Riuer And from thence he retourned without hearing any newes or yet hauing any further intelligence of that India by reason all the Inhabitaunts along those Coasts bée almost a sauage and a wilde kinde of people and of coulour blacke This voyage and intelligence being intimated and reuealed to the King Don Ioan he foorthwith minded to 〈◊〉 couer that India by land albeit before that time he 〈…〉 and sent for the same discouerie intended 〈…〉 of the order of Saint Fraunces called Fryer 〈…〉 Lixbona by land in the company of a 〈…〉 two persons for want of the Arabian 〈…〉 trauaile those parts so that they went 〈…〉 Ierusalem from whence without 〈…〉 of that iourney they returned into Portingale The King neuerthelesse continuing to prosecute to effect his determination for discouerye of that India by lande did therevppon choose two of his owne seruauntes men of good knowledge and dilygent in whatsoeuer they were to be imployed the one called Pedro de Couillian borne in the saide Village and the other called Alonso de Payua borne in the Towne of Castil Blanco which did verye well vnderstande the language of Arabia to whome he tolde how that he had made choyce of them as of persons apt to execute his pretence which was to discouer by lande as well the Countrey of Presbiter Ioan as also that from whence the Drugges and Spices come to Venice Giuing them in charge and that earnestlye to make dilygent enquirye and gather certaine knowledge whether that from the Cape of Buena Esperansa forwarde there were anye Nauigation to the East India and that they shoulde set downe all thinges they founde necessarye to bée knowen or that they coulde by anye possible meane learne or gather of the same for certaintye Commaunding also a Sea Carde to bée giuen them which was taken out of a Maâ—pe of the whole worlde by a Maister of Arte called Calsadilla Bishoppe of Vyseu who was a good Astronomer Moreouer hée gaue them a Letter of credite whereby they might bée succoured and protected from and in daungers of death and in cases of necessitie and want of money in whatsoeuer Kingdomes and Countreyes theyr happe shoulde be to trauayle And for theyr charges hée commaunded to giue them foure hundreth Crownes out of the Chest of the Orcherd of Almeryn Of which summe they tooke as much as they déemed would suffice for theyr expence vntill they came to Valencia in Aragon putting the residue in the Baâ—cke of Bartelme Florentine to be deliuered them there and so he gaue them the blessing of God and his in the presence of the King Don Manuel who at that time was Duke of Vesa After this they departed from the Village of Santaren the seauenth day of May in the yeare of our Lord a thousand foure hundred foure score and seauen and came to Naples vpon Saint Iohns daye the same yeare from whence they were set forward on their way by Cosmo de Medicis sonnes and so went they from thence to the Rhoodes of which Religion wer then none other but Portingales And from the Rhoodes they went to Alexandria from thence to the Cayro as Merchaunts and from thence in the companie of certaine Moores of Feez and Tremencen they came to Toro which is a place that hath his harbour in the Straights of the red Sea in the Coast of Arabia at the foote of the Mountaine Sinay where they vnderstood mainie matters of the Indias and of the trade those places had out of the Straightes to Calicut and therevpon they trauailed to another place in the selfe same Sraightes of the Redde Sea ouer the Coaste of Aethiopia from whence they went to Edin And for that it was out of the waye to the Indies they parted companye and seuered themselues Alonso de Payua remained to go ouer by land to the Emperour of Aethiopia which is he whom we before haue named vpon errour Presbiter Ioan for the certaintie is this is he of whom Marco Paulo maketh mention in his booke who gouerneth all the Indies and whose Countrey ioyneth vnto the great Cam of Catayo where in a battaile betwéene them fought the saide Prester Ioan was vanquished and dyed And so thencefoorth finally ended
his Kingdome so that in these dayes there is in trueth none of that name or race that raigneth or gouerneth It is to be vnderstoode that Alonso de payua did verely beléeue that this Emperour of Aethiopia was this supposed Presbiter Ioan by reason he was informed and had intelligence that the same Emperour was a Christian and the People of his Kingdome were also Christians as héereafter I shall declare when occasion shall serue For which cause I am in opinion y ◠Alonso did depart towards his Court taking order and determining with Pedro de Couillian that at a time appointed they shuld méet in the great Cayro This conference and determination betwéene them so had and accorded vpon Pedro de Couillian went towards the Indies in a shippe of the Moores of Cananor and béeing come to the Indies he went to the towne of Calicut and to the Ilands of Goa where hée gathered perfect information intelligence of the spices which they haue in the Indies and of the commodities which come from other places and of the lyke sorte of Townes which were ther in the Indies of all which he set downe the names in the Card he carried with him albeit ill written And after he had séene those places he went to Sofala where he gathered knowledge of the great Iland of San Laurenso which the Moores doe call La ysla de la Luna And séeing the people of Sofala to be blacke as those of Guynee are he therevpon surmised that all that coast was subdued and that they might goe by Sea to the Indias and therefore returning thence he went to Ormuse and so to Cayro where hée vnderstoode that Alonso de Payua was dead And béeing desirous to returne to Portingale by chaunce hée mette with two Iewes of Spaine the one called Raby Abraham borne in Vesa the other Ioseph borne in Lamego These after the departure of Pedro Couillian and Alonso de Payua from Portingale tolde the King Don Ioan that they had béene in the Cayro vnderstoode there much newes of Ormuse and of theyr tract had with and into the Indies Wherevpon the King sent letters by Raby Abraham to Pedro Couillian and to Alonso de Payua declaring that his pleasure was they shoulde retourne in the companie of those Iewes if they had séene all those thinges whereof hée gaue them charge and commaundement at their departure if not that then they shoulde sende by those Iewes a declaration and true reporte what they had séene and had intelligence of And moreouer that they shoulde procure to atteine to the sight of Presbiter Ioan and also shewe and informe what they coulde concerning Ormuse to Raby Abraham for that hée had sworne by his lawe neuer to retourne to Portingale vnlesse hée first sawe the same Vppon receipte of which letters and message Pedro de Couillian his purpose of retourning to Portingale was then stayed And therefore he forthwith dispatched Ioseph with letters to the King his Lorde and Maister wherein hée related and fully declared in euery respect what hée had séene in the Indias and of Sofala and lykewise hée sent the Carde in which all the Townes names were put downe that hée had séene Informing also the King Don Ioan that the Emperour of Aethiopia is hée who is supposed to bée y e Presbiter Ioan But I am of opinion that in Portingale remaineth this name of Emperour of Aethiopia for that in his kingdome hée is not called by the name of Prester Ioan as I will heereafter declare When Ioseph was departed Pedro de Couillian with Raby Abraham went towards Ormuse and thence to the straights of the red sea and hauing shewed to the same Raby those places and scituation therof Pedro Couillian then sent him to Portingale with letters to the king importing what hée shewed him and how that hée himselfe was determined to make his voyage to Presbiter Ioan and after this pursuing that his intent accordinglye he came to the presence of y e Emperour that then ther reigned and gouerned whose name was Alexander of whome hée was verye well receiued and when hée had presented vnto him the letters of the king Don Ioan he accepted the same verye ioyfully in that they came from a Christian Prince so farre distaunt from his Countrie Howbeit hée gaue to the same little credite and yet neuerthelesse hée gaue vnto Pedro de Couillian great honour and gifts and when hée was in readynesse to departe thence and expected lisence for the same which hée had requested and should haue béene graunted him the Emperour then deceased after whome succéeded in the Empire another named Nahu hée coulde not by him bée lycensed to depart thence neither yet of his sonne Dauid who was Emperour also and succéeded Nahu so that Pedro de Couillian remayned in that Countrie and neuer after returned into Portingale neyther yet the King Don Ioan euer hearde or vnderstoode more of him and therefore supposed him to bée dead Onely there remaineth the information of his trauailes which hée had sette downe and written in the letters which the Iewes carryed After this came to Lishborne a Frier out of the Countrie of Presbiter Ioan to whome the king shewed great curtesie and vpon whose reporte and great relation made of that countrie the king then determined to procéede in and follow the discouering of the Indias by Sea and therefore hée commaunded two little Shippes to bée made committing the charge of that preparation and appointing for ouerséer or surueiour of the Timber then cut for that purpose one Ioan de Braganca his seruaunt borne in the woodes in a village called Daluor and was brought to Lishborne to the house of the Myna in the yeare of our Lord a thousande foure hundred nintie fiue the fiue and twentie daye of October in the same yeare and afterward did succéede in that Kingdome the most high king of glorious memorye Don Manuel by whome also it appeared that he was there elected by diuine prouidence for discouery of those Countries and Prouinces whereby the Christian faith is so greatly increased and inlarged the róyall house of Portingale so mightely honoured and the subiectes of the same so plenteously enriched ¶ How King Don Manuel the first of that name prepared after the decease of King Don Ioan to discouer the Indias by one Vasco de la Gama and by other Captaines and howe they departed from Lyshborne Chap. 2. THE King Don Ioan béeing dead Don Manuel then succéeded him in whome appeared a higher stomacke and more valyauntnesse of minde for atteining of things impreagnable making triall and executing matters that passed common capacitie of man and aboue the retch of naturall knowledge then was in Alexander the greate Don Manuel now come to the crowne and earnestly minded bent to prosecute that which his predecessour Don Ioan had begun for discouering of the Indias and being therein greatly furthered by such matter order and intelligence as he found and were
thence towards the Riuer called Ryo del infante vpon the Friday being the eight day of Nouember which was the Feast daye of the conception of our Lady and in sailing forward on their voyage ther arose so great a storme with a forewinde vpon the daye of Saint Luke that our whole Fléete did runne with there small sayles and that also verye low In this course they lost the company of Nicholas Coello howbeit the next night after they all met and ioyned together againe Now hauing past and sailed through this great storm or rather torment of wind which then was ceased the Captaine Generall vppon the sixtéenth daye of December did discouer lande which were certaine small Rockes being distaunt from the Harbour of Saint Blaze thréescore leagues and fiue leagues also from the other part of the Rocke called De la cruze where Bartholome Dyas did erect his last marke from which place to the Riuer Del Infante are fiftéene leagues This Countrey is very pleasant and sightly in viewe and in the same is great store of Cattell and the further our Fléete sayled on that Coast the better and higher the Trées were all which things our men might well perceiue and discerne by reason they went so néere the shore with their ships And vpon the Saterday they past hard by and within sight of the Rocke De la cruze and for that they were then come so far forward as the Riuer Del infante they were loath to passe the same and thereof taking counsell all the next night they went somewhat wide from the Coast with a fore-winde vntill Euensong time and then the Winde came to the East which was right against them wherefore the Captaine generall made to Seawarde going in such sort as sometime he kept the Sea and sometime droue towards the lande vntill the Tuesday being the twentith of December at the setting of the Sunne the winde then comming to the West which was a forewinde and whether to attayne to haue knowledge of the Lande they consulted all that night which were best to doe The next daye at tenne of the Clocke in the fore noone they came to the Rocke aforesayde which is thrée score leagues a stearne the place wherevnto they minded to goe This Rocke is the cause of the great Currents that are there and the selfe same daye the Fléete through passed the same Course with a great forewinde which had also indured them thrée or foure dayes and wherewith they ranne through those Currents which greatlye they feared and were in doubt to haue done These daungerous Currents thus safelye and happelye passed without losse or damage they all were very glad and ioyfull that theyr good Fortune was to haue passed the same in manner as Bartholome Dyas before that time had accordinglye done Wherefore the Captaine generall béeing animated and encouraged with this his great good lucke and Fortune and after thankes giuen to God for the same did then saye that hée verelye beléeued that it was Gods good will and pleasure that the Indias should be founde ¶ How the Captaine generall came to the Lande called La terra de la buena gente and after went to the Riuer called Ryo de las buenas sennales how hee brought theyr shippes on grounde and of the great sicknesse our people had after they arriued there Chap. 4. THus following their voyage they perceiued that vpon Christmas daye they had discouered along the Coast thrée score and tâ—nne leagues to the Eastward which was the waye he carryed with him in his Register and wherein the Indias are And héere the Fléete went along vpon the Sea without taking land so farre that they began to want and haue lacke of water for to drinke and were inforced to dresse their meate with salt water so that no man of that Fléete had then allowaunce of water to drinke more then one pinte a day Howbeit vpon the Friday being the eleuenth day of Ianuary in the yeare of our Lord God 1498. drawing néere the lande they went out in their boates along the Coast to take view thereof and so passing by the same they saw many Nigroes with a great company of women all of them of great stature which went along the Sea side and when the Captain generall saw and perceiued that they showed themselues to bée a people flexible to ciuilitie and of a quiet disposition hée commaunded one of our men called Martin Alonso who coulde speake manye languages of the Nigroes and one other with him to leape out on Lande and to goe to them which immediatelye those two persons did and at theyr comming to the same blacke People they were of them verye well receyued and especiallye of the chiefe person or Gouernour of the same to whome our Generall viewing his and theyr manner of courtesie foorthwith sent a Iacket a payre of Hose and a Cappe beeing all redde and a Bracelet of Copper of which things he was very glad and rendered great thankes to the Generall for the same saieng that with a verye good will hée shoulde haue of gifte anye thing he would desire or had néede off that was to be had in his Countrey All which Martin Alonso vnderstanding theyr language tolde to the Generall who was verye ioyfull that by his interpretation those people and ours might of each other haue vnderstanding giuing also at that instant license to y e same Alonso one moe of our men to goe with those people for one night to their Towne at the request of the same gouernour who verie earnestly required the same The gouernour then apparelled himselfe with those Garments which the Generall gaue him and with great pleasure gaue commaundement to many of his chiefe men to goe before and receiue him when he came to their towne The people as they went viewed and beheld with greate pleasure and admiration those vestures which our General had giuen him clapping their hands for ioy thereof which manner of gladsome reioysing they vsed thrée or foure times before they came to their towne And after their entraunce therein they went round about the same to the end all the people and inhabitants thereof might sée and behold those giuen garments and straunge arraie Which béeing done the gouernour entered into his house where he commaunded Alonso and his companion to be well lodged and gaue to them for their supper a Hen euen such as ours bée and Pap made of Mylyo which is a kinde of graine of a yeolow coulour whereof also they make bread This night repaired many Nigroes to their lodging to sée them And the next daie after the gouernour sent them to their ships with certaine Nigroes of his loden with hens for the Captaine Generall who rendered thanks for the same and required by his interpretour those Nigroes to saie vnto their Gouernour that he now saw and perceiued him to be a noble man or king of that countrie forasmuch as the Generall and the rest
of our men in those fiue daies wherein they had houered vpon and viewed that Coast had no manner domage done or offered them and saw both many quiet and gentle people there also many noble men he gaue to this land an apt name calling it The Land of good people in the Towne where Martyn Alonso was theyr houses bée made all of strawe and verie well furnished within The owmen be more in number then the men for in the companie of fortie women there are no more but twentie men They carrie with them long bowes with arrowes and darts of yron and vpon their armes and legges they weare many braceléets of Copper and some péeces of them in their haires Also they carrie daggars the hafts or handles of Pewter and the sheathes of Iuorie so that it is manifest that they haue in that Countrie plentie of copper and tinne Moreouer they haue great store of Salt which they make of Salt water carrieng the same from the Sea side in gourds and putting it into certeine Caues where they make the Salt These kinde of people were so gladde of the linnen that our men carried with them and brought with them thether that they gaue for one shirt much Copper They also were so quiet amongest our men that they brought them water to their boates from a riuer which was two Crosbowe shotte from the place where our men tooke in the same which riuer they call Ryo de Cobio From this place our Fléete departed the fiftenth daye of Ianuarie and going vnder saile did discouer land of an other countrie which lyeth very lowe wherein were trées verie high and thicke and so procéeding forward they discouered or found a riuer which was verie open at the entering of the same And for that the Generall thought it necessarie to reknowledge or haue notice of that Countrie there to learne whether they might heare anye newes or intelligence of the Indias hée commaunded to come to an Ankor which was vpon the Thursday béeing seauen daies before the end of Ianuarie and the same night he with his brother Nicholas Coello entered the riuer and at the dawning of the daye did well perceiue the lande to bée lowe and couered with water hauing trées of great height and thicke loaden with sundrie sortes of fruites Our men then beholding the land which was verie pleasaunt they sawe also certeine boates at that present comming towardes them with men in the same whereof the Generall was very glad supposing vppon sight of those people and view of their countrie in that manner which argued they had some knowledge and experience of the Sea that therefore they were not farre of from the Indias or at leastwise could not then goe far but they should heare newes of the same when the people with their boates came néere to our Fléete our men perceiued they were all blacke people of good stature howbeit all naked sauing their priuie members which wer couered with little péeces of linnen made of Bomebast or Cotten they came neere and entered into our ships without any feare and in such sorte vsed themselues towardes our men as though they had ben of long acquaintance and familiaritie with them They were very well receiued of our people of the Fléet the Captaine Generall commanded the same and also that there shuld be giuen vnto them certeine little Bels other things he talked with them by signes for they did not vnderstand any of Martin Alonso his languages nor any other interpretour y t our men thē had After this their good interteinment they departed and as it séemed well liking of the same they and many others with them afterward returned in their boates to our ships bringing vnto them such victuals as their countrie yéeldeth They in appearance shewed themselues verie well contented with our men as they came by water so also did many others of those people repaire thether by land amongst them women of indifferent good beautie especially y ◠young maides which goe after the same sort that the men doe They haue in their lips thrée holes and in euery hole a péece of tinne which they estéeme as a thing very gallant and gaye They tooke with them certeine of our men to make merrie at a countrie towne there néere hand and where they fet water for our ships And after the thrée daies space that our Generall was in that riuer there came of curtesie two noble men of that countrie to visit him in their boates whose apparell was none other then of the rest sauing the péeces of lynnen wherewith they couered their members were farre greater then those the common sorte vsed and one of them ware vpon his head a tucke or kerchiefe wrought with silke and the other had a night cap of gréene Satten The Captaine Generall séeing those men somewhat addicted to cleanlinesse was verie glad thereof receiued them in curteous manner and commaunded to giue them meate and moreouer he gaue them apparell and certeine other things but it appeared by their countinaunces they smallye or nothing at all estéemed thereof Howbeit while they remained in our Shippes the Generall perceiued by tokens and signes which a young man that came with them then shewed that their countrie was farre of thence and that they had séene as great ships as ours were wherof he greatly reioysed and all our people in like manner as then verely hoping and thereby coniecturing that the Indias were néere to that place which their hope and coniecture was also farre the more augmented and confirmed for that after those noble men were gone to shore they sent to the Fléete certeine linnen cloth to sell which was made of Cotten vpon which also were certeine marks of Okar in respect of which good newes and intelligence héere found and likely to ensue the Captaine Generall gaue to this riuer a name calling it The Riuer of the good tokens or marks and caused there a marke to be erected calling the same San Raphael according with the name of the shippe wherein hée was and went that voyage And forasmuch as he perceiued by the signes of the young man that those noble men inhabited a Countrie farre thence and that they had séene shippes as greate as ours hée thereby and vppon other coniectures gathered that their Countrie was néere to the Indias and so consequently that the Indias was farre of from that riuer where our ships then lay wherefore consulting héereof it was by him and the other Captaines then determined vpon that all the shippes should be brought on ground which determination was executed accordinglye the same ships repaired dressed and trimmed in all points néedfull and necessarie In dooing whereof they spent and passed ouer two and thirtie daies in which time our men susteined and passed ouer great troubles and tormentes of minde by occasion of a sicknesse there happened amongest them which was thought to growe by meanes of the aire
of that countrie for that the hands and féete of so many of them and also their gums in such sorte did swell that they could not eate and the same so rotted that the stinke which came out of their mouthes was so great and pestiferous that none could abide the sauour therof with this pestilent infection sicknes our men were greatly discomfited many of them dyed thereof which also put the rest of the companie in greate feare and perplexitie of minde Yea and further would haue increased and aggrauated their griefes of bodye and sorrowes of minde were it not that one De Gama a man of good nature and condition had taken speciall care and vsed greate dilligence for the recouerye of their healths and putting them in comfort who continually visited the sicke and liberally departed vnto them such wholesome and medicinable things as for his owne bodye hée had prouided and carried with him through whose good counsell giuen great pains taken and franke distribution of that he had many of our men were recouerd which would otherwise haue died and all the rest thereby were greatly recomforted ¶ How the Captaine Generall with all his Fleete came to the Iland of Monsambicke Chap. 5. THe Fléet béeing furnished and prouided of all things necessarie the Captaine Generall then mindfull of his voyage departed thence vpon the Saturday béeing the 24. day of Februarie and the same day and al the night following for that he was incalmed and to auoide the shore made way into the sea and vppon Sunday by Euensong time our men discried thrée Ilands a Seaboord all of them being but little or small they were distant one from another foure leagues Two of them were replenished with great woords the third was plaine to arriue to these Ilands the Generall was not willing for that he sawe or coniectured no cause to occasion the same therefore he still kept the sea staieng comming to an ankor alwaies as the night approched which manner of course order he vsed and continued the space of sixe daies And vppon the thursday being the first day of March towards euening our men came within sight of foure Ilands whereof two were néere the shore and the other two a Seaboord for that they would not that night fall with them they stil kept the Sea minding to passe betwéene them as indéede they did Wherevpon the Captaine Generall determined commaunded that Nicholas Coello by reason his ship was lesse then the others shuld go first so going vpon the friday within a certein harbour which was betwéene y e maine land one of the Ilands the said Nicholas missed y e channell and ranne on ground which daunger when our other ships sawe comming after they did cast then about went backe and as they were returned they perceiued comming out of that Iland seauen or eight little boates vnder saile béeing distant from Nicholas Coello a good league At sight of those boates comming towards them Nicholas Coello and those which were with him tooke great pleasure for ioye gaue a great crye and at their repaire to them Coello and they went to the General and saluted him to whom the same Coello sayd How say you sir héere is an other kinde of people wherevnto the Generall answered that hée was very glad of that good Fortune and therewith commanded to let them go a Seaboord with their boates for that his meaning was to beare with them to that Ilande from whence they came and there to come to an Ankor of purpose to vnderstand what land that was whether amongest those people he might heare or haue anye newes or certeine intelligence of the Indias yet notwithstanding y e generals cōmandement they in their boats followed our ships alwaies making signes and calling to our men therein to stay and tarrie for them wherefore the Captaine Generall with the other Captaines came to an Ankor and so they in their boates approched néere and came to our Fléete And then by view of their persons it appeared they were men of a good stature and somewhat blacke They were apparelled in linnen cloth of Cotten welted with sundry colours some girdeled vnto their knées and others carried the same vpon their shoulders as cloaks and vpon their heads they weare a certeine kinde of tucks or kerchiefe somewhat wrought with silke and gold thrid They haue swoords and daggers as the Moores doe vse them in their boates they brought with them their instruments called Sagbuts These men being thus come to our ships they forthwith came a boord the same with great opinion of assuraunce euen as though they had knowne our men a long time and immediatlye began to be conuersant and very familiar with them vsing their speaches which they vttered in the language of Algarauia and would not be knowne they were Moores The Generall commaunded to giue them meate they did both eate and drinke with a good wil of whatsoeuer was giuen them And béeing asked at commaundement of the General by one Fernan Aluares who could speake y t language what land that was they answered that it apperteined to a great king which was before how that Iland was called Mōsambicke and the towne there full of Merchantes which haue traficke with the Moores of the Indias who bring thether siluer linnen cloth pepper ginger siluer ringes many pearles and rubie stones and that out of another Countrie which remained behinde they doe bring them golde Declaring further that if our men would enter into the Harbour there they would bring them thether and they shuld perceiue and sée the truth and more at large touching those thinges they then gaue information of The Generall hearing this entered into counsell with the other Captaines debating the matter thereof and argued whether it were good to enter the Harbour and sée if those things were of truth which those Moores had imparted to them and also there to take some Pilottes to carrye them further since they were nowe destitute of such Vppon which consultation it was there determined that Nicholas Coello shuld first make an assay proofe for enterance and sounding of the barre by reason his ship was the least of the Fléete which accordingly he forthwith did And so going to enter he went and touched the point of the Iland and therewith brake his helme howbeit through God his goodnesse he perished not there although he was in great daunger and hasard thereof for as he went vpon the point vnwares so with quicke spéede and good fortune he gote of the same Neuerthelesse he perceiued and found y ◠the barre was good to enter and therfore he came to an anker two crosbow shot from the towne scituated in that Iland which is in fiftéene degrées towards y ◠South it hath a very good harbour and also great plentie of the victuals of that countrie the houses of that towne be made of strawe and the dwellers therein
of them shoulde happe to dye the other yet might remayne and serue theyr purpose and for that consideration our Generall required a couple After this time the Gouernour once more came to visit the General bringing with him both the Pilottes he had made promise of to each of which was giuen thirtie Crownes and a coate euery Crowne worth in money fiue shillings with this condition and from that day forward that when the one of them would goe to shore the other should remaine in ship for that our men would alwaies haue one of them on shipboord whilest they remained in Harbour ¶ How the Gouernour of Monsambicke vnderstanding that our Fleete was neither of the Turkes nor yet Moores would haue taken and killed them and how the Captaine generall vnderstood thereof and what further than followed Cap. 7. THese méetings and speaches thus had for assuraunce of friendship betwéene them the concourse of them being ended and the Gouernour departed yet then immediately after appeared that those Moores hauing had such company and long talke with our men had gathered and come to knowledge that they were Christians wherevpon all former good will and friendship of the Moores was now couerted into wrath and furie for they practised meanes to kill our men and so to take the ships The Gouernour had thereof consulted and made prouision for execution of their mischeuous enterprise which had bene likely to haue taken place and sorted to a sorrowfull hap and euent had not the Almightie of his diuine goodnesse moued the heart of one of the Moores which was receiued for Pilot to discouer the same to the Captaine generall who fearing least those Infidells should sodainlye indaunger him and his for that they were manie in number and with him were but a small companye did therefore determine to remaine no longer in that harbour And so vpon the Saterday being the tenth daye of March seuen dayes after his arriuall there he departed thence and went with his ships into the Sea and came to an Ankor harde by an Ilande in the same which was one league from that of Monsambicke and this was done to purpose that vppon Sunday they would heare Masse on lande confeâ—â— themselues and receiue the Sacrament which since 〈◊〉 comming from Lixborne they had not done After our shippes wer thus at an Anker the Captain general then perceiuing the same to be in place of assurance so as the Moores should not burne them whereof before he was greatly afrayde which now by their remooue was preuented and put out of doubt he then determined to retourne to Monsambicke in his boate to demaund the other Pilot that remayned on lande at their comming thence and so leauing his brother with the Fléete in order and readinesse to come and succour him if he should sée him in daunger he departed towardes Monsambicke carrieng with him Nicholas Coello in his boate and the other Pilot Moore Going in this sort they saw how there came bearing right with his boate sixe boates with many armed Moores hauing long bowes arrowes and also shieldes and speares who when they sawe our men beganne then to call vnto them willing them to come to the harbour of their Towne The Pilot Moore tolde the Generall what they meant by their signes and tokens they made and gaue him counsell to retourne thether for that otherwise the Gouernour woulde not delyuer the other Pilot which remained on the shore at which his speach the General was very angry supposing he gaue that counsell to the ende at their comming néere the shore hée might escape and runne away and therefore commaunded him to prison and caused foorthwith to shoote at theyr boats with their Ordinaunce which shot when Paulo de la Gama heard and beléeuing it had bene some further matter of daungers to the General then the cause thereof was indéed he immediately came forwarde with the ship called Berrio vnder saile which when the Nigroes perceiued they fied made away with great hast and so fast that the Captaine generall could not ouertake them therfore he returned with his brother to the other ships where they lay at Ankor The next day the Generall with all his men went on land heard Masse and receiued the Sacrament very deuoutlye being the night before confessed which being done they all went aboord their ships and made sayle the same day The Generall perceiuing no hope to remaine for recouerie of the other Pilot which was on shore in Monsambicke gaue them commaundement to release him that was in the ship committed to prison as before you haue heard whome they carried with theÌ„ on their voyage This Pilot minded to be reuenged vpon y â— Generall in stomacke of his imprisonment determined to cary theÌ„ to y â— Iland Quiloa which was peopled all with Moores and as it séemed meant to informe the King of that place that our shippes were of the Christians of purpose thereby to occasion him to kill and destroy them all and therefore subtillie to shaddowe his wicked intent he willed and perswaded the Captaine generall not to trouble himselfe with the want of the other Pilot for that he would carrie him to a great Iland which was from thence one hundreth leagues and inhabited as it were the one halfe by the Moores and the other by Christians which alwaies were at wars the one with the other from whence also he might furnish himselfe with Pilots to carry him to Calycut But as the Captaine generall had good liking of those speaches so yet gaue he no great credite to the man neuerthelesse he did promise him great giftes if he did carrie him to that Countrey and so went forward on his voyage with a small winde The Tuesdaye after being within sight of lande from whence he departed hée was incalmed which did indure Tuesdaye and Wensdaye the next night after with an Easterly wind being but smal he made way and went into the Sea and vpon Thursday in the morning founde himselfe and all the Fléete foure leagues backe behinde Monsambicke so going vntill the Euening the same day came then to an Anker hard to that Iland where the Sunday next following he heard Masse The winde thus being contrary to his purpose of Nauigation he therefore remained in that place eight daies to wait for such gale thereof as would serue to put him forward on his iourney In which time repaired to our ships a white Moore which was a Minister of the Moores of Monsâ—mbicke who comming on boord the ship of the Generall declared that the Gouernour of the same Towne greatlye did repent him of the breach of peace friendship he had made with him that he would gladly renew the same againe confirme it so remaine a friend To whom the Generall returned aunswere by that messenger to this effect that he would make no peace with the Gouernour neither would he be his friend vntill such time as
Paulo de la Gama did take foure Moores in a boate And although ther were other boats wherin many Moores were yet could not they be taken for making hast to the shore atteining the same they ran away leauing their boats as a pray to our men who found in y e same much linnen cloth made of cotten also books of their lawes of Mahoma which the Generall commanded to bee safely kept And albeit he went that day along and before the town in his boate as other his Captaines did in like manner in theirs yet could not they procure anie talke or speach with anye of the Moores of the towne and to goe on shoare he durst not for that he had but few men in number with him wherefore for that time hee departed thence and the next day retourned to shoare to take in water which without anye resistaunce was done Nowe beeing without all hope to recouer the Nigro and the two Indians the generall then determined to depart without them howbeit before his departure he ment to visit the town of Monsambick the dwellers therein with some sufficient reuenge by sending to the same such messengers as thereby they might deeme him their mortall enimy through the offence they had giuen him wherefore vpon the munday following hee went before the towne of the Moores with his Ordinaunce and shooting into the same destroied it in such sorte as the people thereof were inforced to abandon the same and flye into an Ilande within the country And so vpon the Tewsday being the xxvii daie of March our Fleet wayed Ankor departed from the Towne of Monsambicke so in going forwarde came to an Ankor hard by two little rocks of Saint George for so they named it after they came thether where they remained for that the winde was contrarie to their purpose Neuerthelesse hauing after a small winde they departed howbeit the same was so small and the currents there so great that they were cast backward Hovv the Captaine Generall after his departure from Monsambicke went tovvards the citie of Quiola hovv hee lost himselfe going to rhe Iland of Mombassa how the ship called S. Raphael stroke vpon the Flats the vvhich novv haue the same name Cap. 8. THe Captaine Generall following his voiage and being very glad that they had found that one of the foure Moores which Paulo de la Gama toke in the boate was a Pilolt could carry them to Calicut vpon the Sunday being the first daye of Aprill came to certeine Ilands which were very neere to the shore to the first whereof they gaue a name calling it the Ilande of the Asotado which they so named for that they there did whippe the Pilot Moore of Monsambicke by commaundement of the Generall as well for that he had told them those Ilands were firme land as also before that he wold not shew the Generall the water at Monsambick in the night when they fought for the same as before is declared and therefore now taking him with the lie as informed of those Ilands y â— Generall was very angrie with this Pilot supposing as it was likly that he did carrie them thether of intent the ships should be cast away amongst the same The Moore being cruellye whipped confessed y â— indeed he did cary train them thether of purpose they shuld there haue perished and bene cast vpon the daungers and rockes of the Ilands These Ilands were so manye and so neere together scituated that they coulde hardlye bee discerned one from another which when the Generall perceiued he made into the Seaward and vpon the Fridaye which was the fourth daye of Aprill made his way to the Northwest before the noone tide of the same had sight of a gâ—eat land and of two Ilandes neere to the same about which were many shoeâ—s now being come nere to y â— shore y â— pilots Moores did recknowledge y â— same howbeit they said y â— the Iland of the christians is that of Quiloa which was behind or a sterne vs 3. leagues wherwith the generall was much grieued beleeuing y â— certeinly they were Christians as the Pilots had informed him and that they had willingly lost their course for that the shippes should not arriue at that place The Pilottes shaddowing their treason made shew of a reasonable excuse saieng that as the winde was greate so were the currents swift by reason whereof the shippes had further made saile then they thought for But the truth was indéede that they more sorrowed their missing and passing by the Iland where they informed to be Christians then did our Captaine Generall For they were verely in hope to haue ben reuenged ther vpon our men by death of them all But GOD beholding the daunger and perill meant towards them of his diuine goodnesse and mercye deliuered them from the same and that by a great miracle For if our men had gone thether not one of them had escaped with lyfe since the Generall hauing such a beliefe opinion that there were Christians in that Iland as the Pilot had tolde him would no doubt haue gone presently on land at his arriuall there and so thereby runne headlong into a place where he and his people should haue bene put to slaughter The Generall thus sorrowing the misse of that Iland for that he supposed there to haue found Christians and the Pilots Moores in chafe with themselues for that they had missed their course thether for purpose afore said it was then on each part determined to goe back and assaie to finde the same neuerthelesse although they earnestly bent themselues to attaine vnto that desired Ilande and spent that daye in trauell to winne their purpose therein yet coulde they not preuaile thereto For still the winde was so contrarie and the currents so great as doe what they could they failed of their wills and were put off from arriuall there which no doubte was done by Gods prouidence and of his méere fauour and goodnesse towards our men as not willing they should receiue anie daunger or susteine crueltie or losse of lyfe amongest those Infidels and therefore miraculously he preserued our people from the effect and sequele of the malice of those two Pilots of the Moores of Monsambicke which had imagined in their mindes and trauailed to bring to finall and execution their diuellish intent The Captaine generall and the other Captaines thus tossing vp and downe to and fro as well with their ships as also in their mindes determined to beare towards the Ilande of Mombassa in which as those two Pilots gaue information wer two Townes peopled and inhabited as well with Moores as Christians which instructions these Pilots gaue to the intent to deceiue our men and to traine them thether of purpose there to kill them for that in déede that Ilande was altogether and whollye inhabited by Moores as in lyke manner all that Coaste is and therefore vnderstanding that from
thence to Mombassa are seauentie seauen leagues they made way to goe thether and being then towards Euening they sawe a great Ilande scituated towards the North in which the Moores Pilots sayde there were two Townes one of Christians and the other of Moores as aforesayd Thus they sayd and inuented to the intent to bring our men in opinion and make them beléeue that there were in that Land and those Coasts many Christians In this sort our ships going vnder saile certayne dayes the ship called Saint Raphael by fortune one morning two houres before daye light came on ground vppon certaine shoells two leagues from the firme lande and as she strake on ground they within made signes to the other ships to take héede and beware wherevpon they shot by the shoells and came to an Ankor launching out their boats to giue succour to Paulo de la Gama Captaine in the Raphael and perceiuing when they came to the same that the water did ebbe the Generall was meruailous glad thereof for then he well knew that at the next floud the ship would be afloate againe so that now he lost the feare and iealousie he had conceiued vpon the doubt he had that she was lost Thus recomforted with the certaintie they saw of y â— safetie of the ship they foorthwith layed into the sea many ankers By this time it was daye lyght and after that it was a lowe water she then remained drye vpon the shore being a Sandie ground which was the cause she tooke no harme by striking vpon the same Our men placed their Ankers which were layd foorth right ouer against themselues and walked vpon the Sandes whilest the Ebbe endured So staieng for the floud and beholding and viewing that Ilande so farre as they coulde sée they gaue for name to those Sandes the Shoells of Saint Raphael in respect of the name the shippe there so hazarded did beare And to certayne great Ilandes and Hilles which were within the firme Land directly ouer against those shoells or sands they gaue the name of The Hills and Ilandes of Saint Raphael vpon the same consideration The shippe thus being drye our men sawe two boates and Moores of that Country in the same comming towards them to sée our shippes bringing manie swéete Orenges farre better then those of Portingale and gaue the same to our men saieng also to the Generall that in no wise hée should feare anye damage that coulde ensue to the shippe on grounde for that when it were full Sea she woulde then be on floate agayne so as at will and pleasure the same might passe on the intended voyage thereof with which speaches the Generall was very glad not onelye for the good comfort they gaue him but also in that they came in so good season and time opportune and therefore he gaue them certayne giftes which they accepted with manye thankes and certayne of them vnderstanding that our Fléete intended their Course to Mombassa they desired the Generall to carry them with him thether who graunted their requests permitted them to abide and remayne with him the others retourning from our Fléete to their Countrey And when it was a full Sea the shippe before on ground was afloat and so came off from the Sandes wherevpon the Captaine general returned and procéeded on his way with all his Fléete ¶ The description of the Iland and Citie of Mombassa and how the Captaine generall arriued there and what was the sequell that hapned him after he came thether Chap. 9. THe Generall following this voyage did vpon the Saterday béeing the seauenth day of Aprill about the going downe of the Sunne the same daye come to an Ankor without the Barre of the Iland of Mombassa which is harde by the firme lande and is verye plentie of victualls that is to saye Millyo Rice and Cattell as well great as lyttle but all well growne and fat chiefly their shéepe which be all without fayles Also they haue manye Hennes Moreouer the Ilande is verye pleasaunt hauing many Orchards wherein are planted and are growing great store of hearbes many sorts of fruites that is to saye Pomegranets Figges of the Indias Oreâ—ges both swéete and sower Lymons and Cidrons and in the same are manye excellent good waters In this Ilande there is a Citie bearing the selfe same name of the Ilande being in foure degrées on the South side it is a verye great Citie placed and scituated vppon an Hill which also is a Rocke wherevpon the Sea doth beate so that it cannot bée vndermined At the entering into the Protes or Heauen there is a Marke and at the enteraunce vppon the Barre there is planted or builded a lyttle Fort lowe and néere to the water The most parte of the houses in this Citie are builded with lyme and stone with the loftes thereof wrought with fine knottes of Plaister of Paris the stréetes therein are verye fayre They haue a King of themselues and the dwellers or inhabitaunts of the same are Moores whereof some bée white and some browne of coulour both men and women it appeareth they are good men on horsebacke They goe gallantly arayed especially the women which go apparelled in gownes of silke and be decked and garnished with Iewells of golde and precious stones In this Citie is great trade of all kindes of Marchandize There is also a good Harbour where alwayes are manye shippes lieng at Road and from the firme land commeth thether great plentie of Honnie Waxe and Iuorie the Captaine Generall thus come to the Barre of this Citie did not then enter foorthwith for that it was almost night when he came to an Ankor But he commaunded to put foorth the flagges and to toll their shippes reioycing and making great mirth for that their good fortune and hope they conceyued that in that Ilande there dwelled manye Christians and that the next daye they should heare Masse on the shore Moreouer they were greatly comforted as hauing such confidence that in this place they might and woulde cure and heale all such as were then sicke amongest them as in truth were almost all that were there present albeit in number but fewe for all the others were dead Yet such as remayned and had escaped the sicknesse and diseases past and were not dead of the great infirmities and troubles before in this voyage chaunced vnto them Being thus at an Ankor and the night almost approched our men saw about an hundred men in a great Barcke euery one of them hauing a Sworde and a Target who at their comming to our shippes woulde haue entered therein with all theyr weapons howbeit the Generall would not consent thereto neither permitted he anye more to enter then foure of them and those also without weapon declaring to them in their language that they shoulde pardon him since he was a straunger and therefore coulde not tell whom he might trust and vnto those whom he gaue license to enter aboorde his ship he gaue
returne all that daye for that they were enimies to the Captaine generall by reason of the Moores who were his enimies also and had receiued newes what he had done in Monsambicke and of the taking of the Sambuco in Mylynde and that we were Christians and that our comming was to discouer Calicut Bontaybo also told the Moores that Spices were estéemed in Portingale very much and that as he iudged they wer not come to discouer Calycut but to settle there a trade and to carrie Spices into their Countrey in the which there is of all sorts of Merchaunts that come to Calycut by the way of the straights and great store of golde and siluer and hauing the Trade setled there woulde redowne vnto the King great profite thereby To the which words the Moores gaue great eare and made their reckoning vpon Bontaybos speach and allowed the same That we being Christians and once come to settle a Trade in Calycut their commoditie then would fall of the price they were at and so would abate the most part of their gaine About this they layed their heads together to worke all meanes they could possible with the king to take the Captaine generall prisoner and to commaunde his ships to be taken also and to kill all our men and this the rather for that in no wise they should retourne to Portingale to carry newes of Calicut And héerevpon they ioyned those that were in credit with the King and went vnto him and one in the name of them all said vnto the king That he shoulde not deceiue himselfe with our men for that the Captaine Generall was no Embassadour but a théefe that went to rob which they knew for most certaine by their Factors which had certified them that assoone as we were come to Monsambicke wher the Xeque went to visite the Captaine generall aboord his shippe and sent him presents and established with him friendship and also giuing him a Pilot to carrie him to Calicut whether he said that he would goe He after this shot his Ordinaunce at the towne with the which he killed of his Subiects and tooke certaine Sambucos laden with Merchaunts and handeled both him and his like vnto Enimies And being departed from thence to Mombassa likewise vnder y e color of friendship saieng that he was bound towarde Calicut the King therevpon tooke occasion to send to visite the Captaine generall aboord his ship requesting him to enter into his harbour who being determined so to doe whether that it was for that he saw within the same many ships or y t he thought he could not make his partie good did flye away so fast that he left one of his Ankors behinde him and from thence also the Pilot ran away which he caried from Monsambicle for the ill lyfe which he lead with him with whipping of him and putting of him vnto other punishment And being departed from Mombassa and come néere vnto Mylynde did take perforce a Sambuco laden with Moores of y e which there were some that dyed in the battaile others that are yet aliue remaining captiues And for that those that were captiues willed him to carry them to Mylynde saieng that there they woulde giue him a newe Pilot to carrye him to Calycut by that meanes onely he came thether And hauing there by the King of Mylynde bene receiued very well yet the Captaine generall would no more come a lande fearing the hurts which he had done and taking the Moore prisoner which the King had sent to visit him and would not delyuer him vntill such time that he had a Pilot sent him Wher by it might well be considered that if so be that he were an Embassadour and were come to maintaine peace he would neuer haue vsed those disorders but wold haue brought the King a present with him Of this his demeanour we giue thée to vnderstand as our dutie bindeth vs that now thou maist doe as thou shalt thinke good therein With this newes the king remained amazed and told the Moores that he would determine himselfe what shall be thought most conuenient they séeing this thought the same not to be the waye to cause the King to doe as they would haue him and did afterward tell the Catuall thereof who was in great credite with the King requesting him to perswade with the King not to receiue any such Embassage as that was and the cause thereof the rather was that he tooke this present for so small a valew With this the Catuall went immediately to the King who told him what the Moores had said to whom the Catuall gaue counsaile to doe as the Moores had requested him immediately the King began to change his countenaunce against the Captaine generall but not so much as the same might be perceiued But as soone as the Moores had knowledge by the Catuall concerning the present that the Captaine generall would haue sent to y e King and that he would not consent therevnto the Moores tooke occasion to go to y e Generalls lodging with a fained friendship offering themselues to instruct him what he should best doe and talking with him they sayd that in that Country it was accustomed that those the which came from other places about businesse with the King shoulde bring him a Present and therefore it were good that hée did sende him one The Captaine Generall béeing offended with that iniurye they hadde offered him and that the Catuall and the Kings Factour would not consent therevnto did vpon the same take occasion to shew them those péeces the which he was minded for to send who hauing séene the same they saide to the Generall that the Catuall and the Factor had great reason to be offended thereat for that the same was not a present for to be sent to a King neyther would they wish him to send it for that it would be iudged that by the sending thereof he did mocke the King All this they tolde him and as they said as friends in shewing him their minde Bontaybo told him also in the same manner meruailing what was the cause he brought no other things since there was plentie of all things in Portingale◠But the Captaine generall excused himselfe saieng that he was not certaine that he should come to Calycut ¶ How the Captaine generall returning spake with the King of Calycut how he gaue him license to returne vnto his ships Chap. 19. ALL this daye the Captaine generall was greatly offended for that the Catuall the Factor were not returned so that he was once determined to goe to the Court with out them yet he thought best to tarry till the next daye on which in the afternoone they came with whome he shewed himselfe to be offended for their long tarrieng But they did aunswere him touching that matter nothing at all but talked of other things and so went with him to the Court. And for that the King was somewhat chaunged as I haue said against the
same a boorde and so take them and kill all those that were within them which thing for that it did so manifestly appeare to the Captaine General he would not commaund the Shippes to bée brought anye néerer And also for that the same was so appareaunt vnto the others of his men that were with him They gaue him counsaile not to deale therein The Catuall séeing that he would not commaunde those Shippes to bée brought néere the shoare and for that there was no cause to staye him or offer him any wrong and séeing that hée could not kill him did then beginne to request him to bring his Sailes and the Rudder of the Shippes a lande With that the Captaine Generall beganne to laugh sayeng that he would neither doe the one nor yet the other since that the king did giue him frée license to goe without any condition And therefore hée willed him to doe what he would and how that of all the iniuryes which hée had offered him the king shoulde bée made priuie who he knewe woulde doe him iustice but yet for all this both hée and his remayned in some feare of suspect although they did not outwardly shew the same At length the Captaine Generall with the rest feigning themselues to be an hungred and that they were vnprouided of victualls did request him that some of his men might goe to prouide the same and hée woulde remaine alone but for all that the Catuall woulde not agrée therevnto Nowe our men béeing in feare to sée themselues in such a daunger Then came Gonsallo Peres supposing that the Captaine Generall had ben at his liberty and that they were tarrieng for him and the others who tolde him that hée hadde mette with Nicholas Coello and with the others which tarryed for him with theyr Boates a lande This newes being brought to the Captaine Generall hée was afeard least the Catuall should know thereof which if he had knowne indéed he would haue sent Pinnaces and many men in them for to haue taken them Therefore did he procure by all the meanes he could that Gonsallo Peres shoulde secretlye returne from thence vnto their shippes and put themselues in good order And also that he should goe with them and informe them in what case he doth remaine Nicholas Coello hauing receiued this dispatch did forthwith depart and that in hast and immediatly after he was departed the Catuall was aduertised thereof who sent after him sundrie Pinnaces well appointed but yet they could not ouertake him and therefore they returned againe vnto the Catuall Then the Catuall after that they were come did once more request the Captaine Generall to write vnto his brother to bring the shippes néere to the lande but he could not perswade the Captaine Generall so to doe saieng that if he should doe it yet his brother would not consent therevnto and although he would yet he knew that the companye would not To this the Catuall did replye that he shoulde not make him beléeue that forsomuch as he did well know that all things should be done as he would commaund Howbeit the Captaine Generall wold write no such letter for that he was afeard of the bringing of the ships so néere the shoare for the causes aboue mentioned ¶ How the Catuall was contented that the Captaine Generall should goe to his ships after that what chaunced cap. 21. AFter this sorte they spent that day in the which our men remained in great feare forsomuch as in the night they were put in a great yarde that was vnderfoote layed with Brick and compassed about with walls also had to kéepe them far more men then they had in the day Then the Captaine Generall perceiued by the countenance of his men y ◠they feared least they shuld be departed y e one from y e other y t next day after as he himselfe suspected the lyke although he gaue no outward shew thereof but rather had a confidence that as soone as the king of Calicut had knowledge after what sorte they were stayed would commaunde them to be released for that he did neuer vse with him double dealing it was thought that the Catuall did staye the Captaine Generall after this order because he should giue him some reward And for that he would giue as it were no outwarde shew that he was offended he would néeds come to supper to him that night at the which they hadde both Rice and Hens which he commaunded to be bought the day before The Catuall did much meruaile to sée how little they did passe for their close kéeping after that sort and of the great constancie of the Captaine Generall that he woulde not commaund those shippes to be brought néere to the shoare nor yet condescended to any of the other his request And for that hée thought that it was but a follye to kéepe him prisoner thereby the rather to constraine him to doe it it was Gods pleasure to put him in the head to sette him at lybertie for feare least that the king shoulde knowe thereof for that he gaue him frée lybertie to goe to his shippes The next day which was Saterday the second of Iune hée then tolde him that since he had certified the king that he would bring his Merchandise a land he should command the same to be brought For it was a custome that whatsoeuer Merchants did come to Calicut he should immediatly vpon the same command his Merchandise to be brought a land and his men also and they not to returne vnto their ships vntill such time that they had solde the same notwithstanding as soone as the Merchandise were come he would then let him go aboord his ships And although his wordes were with the Captaine Generall of small credite to send vnto his brother a certeine dispatch for them yet he did not lette to tell him that immediatly he would sende for them if so be that they wold giue him Almadias or pinnaces in the which the same might be brought for that his brother woulde not consent that his boates should come a lande vntill such time that hée were there himself with this the Catuall was content for that he thought to make himself possessour of the Merchandise hauing a speciall hope that they were of a great value as the Captaine Generall had tolde him Then he dispatched two of his men with a letter vnto his brother in the which he had made relation after what sorte hée did remaine And that he had no other iniury offered him but that he kept his lodging And for any thing else hée was very well willing him that hée should sende him part of the Merchaundise to content the Catuall withall that he might let him depart And after that hée had receiued the same if then hée would not let him go he would then beléeue that hée did kéepe him prisoner by the King of Calicuts commaundement who hée knew would not commaund the same except it
were to take his shippes which hée would not doe but hauing time to arme his owne Fléet so to set vppon them wherefore hée aduertised them that if so bée were not set at liberty immediatly after y â— the Merchandise were landed that then they should not remaine there any longer but goe their wayes toward Portingale informe the king his Maister what had chaunced vnto him and also what hee had done that there might not bée lost a Countrie of so greate a profite for Portingale as that was and also to tell him after what sort that hée did remaine there and what confidence hée hadde in his highnesse that he would send him such a Fléete of ships and men that by the same hée doth hope to be sette at lybertie béeing assured that as nowe they woulde not kill him He that carried these letters béeing come to Paulo de la Gama did deliuer them vnto him giuing vnto him large instructions of all that which they had past since they did departe Nowe Paulo de la Gama hauing séene this Letter which was sent him from the Captaine General did send immediatlye the merchaundise with an aunswere to this Letter in the whsch hée sayde that GOD would not permit him to retourne to Portingale without his companye And if so bée that their enimyes would not sette him at lyberty that then hée did hope in GOD that hée woulde strengthen those fewe that remained in the Fléet with whome and with the Ordinance that they haue hée woulde come and set him at lyberty and of this hée might make full accompt and of no other thing The Merchaundise béeing landed the Captaine General did deliuer the same vnto the Catual and also to Diego Dyas whome he lefte for Factour of the same and to Aluora de Braga the Scriuenor who remained in a house which the Catuall had sought out for them In this space the Captaine Generall made himselfe in a readynesse to goe aboorde his shippes but first the Catuall did reforme and make himselfe friendes with him After that hée was a boorde hée would send no more Merchaundise a lande vntill such time hée heard newes the same were solde neyther yet would goe anye more a lande because hée would runne in no such daunger with this the Moores were grieuously offended for that they thought that if so be that he would come a land that there they might doe him more hurte then a Seaboorde And for that they woulde the rather so do they beganne to make a mocke at the merchandise which he had left a land Also they wrought all the means they could to hinder their sales therof saieng y t they wer litle or nothing worth Of al this y e Captain general was informed for y â— as he thought the king knew nothing of all these things neither yet what discurtesie the Catuall had offered him for that he should vnderstand the cause why the Captaine Generall did not returne a land neither yet wold send any more merchandise he did therfore send him word within fiue dayes after hy his Factour of all that they hadde done vnto him and also what iniurye the Moores hadde shewed him touching their Merchants promising notwithstanding that he would not let to be at his commaundement with all the whole Fléet Then the king seemed to be very greatly offended for that which they had done to y e Captaine general insomuch as he had sent him vnto his shippes But for all that the Catuall went vnpunished although he sent the Captaine Generall worde that he would punish those that had so vsed him which out of doubt were naughtie christians so that it did well appeare that it grieued him verye much to heare thereof And as touching the Merchaundise he promised to sende thether such as shoulde buye the same as hée did indéede seauen or eyght Merchauntes which are Gentiles Gusarates and with his Factour hée sent a Nayre which was a principall honest man to the intent hée might remaine in the Factorye with the Factour to whome hée gaue commaundement diligentlye to beware that there shoulde not come any Moores to kill him But for because that this was done but vnder couloure that the Moores shoulde not séeme to subborne the Merchauntes they bought nothing but rather did abate the price of the which the Moores were verye gladde and said that nowe it did well appeare that they were not alone that woulde not buye of theyr Merchaundise yet for all that ther durst come no Moore to the Factorie they once hauing notice that there was placed a Nayre by the kinges commaundement And if so be that before they did not abide or loue vs they ten times worse loued vs afterwarde so that whensoeuer any of our men should come a land they receiued the same as an iniurie done vnto them spitting on the ground saieng Portingale Portingale But our men which vnderstoode their meaning did laugh thereat to the ende thereby they might sée howe little they did estéeme their doinges for so the Captaine Generall commaunded them to doe Nowe perceiuing that there was none that would buy of the Merchants he supposed the cause to be for that they lay in a place where there were no Merchaunts And therfore supposing that if so be that they were in Calicut where other Merchants are he should sell the better did therfore â—â—ue y e King of Calicut by a messenger for license to send the same which he gaue immediately and commanded the Catuall to sée the same brought forthwith to such as should carrie them to sée them paid at his owne costes and charges for that he would not that any thing of y e king of Portingales shuld be at any charges in his Country and so it was done but for all this the Captaine generall wold neuer come more a lande for that which the Catuall hadde done vnto him and for that Bontaybo which came to sée him manye times did giue him counsaile so to doe for that the King was moueable and therefore it was possible that the Moores would alter his minde for the great credite that they were of with him But the Captaine general was very warie and because that he was a Moore he would not much trust him neither yet woulde giue him account what he was minded to doe yet for that he would séeme to haue him in some reputation that he should bring him alwayes newes of that which did passe on shoare he departed with him both money and other rewards ¶ How the Captaine generall being desirous to retourne toward Portingale sent to demaunde lycense of the King to haue a Factor and a Scriuener with such Merchaunts as he thought good how the King caused the messenger with one other that was found a shoare to be craried to prison Chap. 22. THe Merchaunts being brought to Calicut the Captaine generall therewith gaue all his men license to goe and sée the Citie of Calycut
for that they followed him an houre and a halfe And by reason of a showre of raine which came vpon a sodeine the Captaine Generall was driuen a sea boord with all his Fléete in the meane while the enimies fledde their waye and bearing his course towards Mylinde in great calmes that along the coast thought good conuenient although y e king of Calicut had abused him sundry waies that for the necessitie y ◠those that should returne to Calicut should haue of his friendship and fauour to receiue from thence theyr lading of Spices to vse as it were some friendship with them since that the king would be gladde thereof in especiall being exalted did therefore write vnto him a letter in the Arabian tongue which was penned in that language by Bontaybo in the which he did craue pardon for the carrieng awaye of those Malabars with him which was done for no other intent then that they shoulde be as witnesses of that the which he had discouered as before hée had sent him worde And for that he lefte no Factorie in Calycut the which he was sorrie for was for feare least that the Moores shoulde kill him which was also the occasion that he was not often times a land Yet for all that he did not leaue but woulde bée alwayes at his commaundement since that the king his Maister would be gladde of his friendshippe and also foorthwith woulde sende him in his Fléete greate abundaunce of all such merchaundise as he doth demaund for by the trade that from hence forth hée shoulde haue with the Portingales in his Citie would redound vnto him great profit This letter was deliuered vnto one of the Malabars to carry the same a land to the place where it was cōmāded to be deliuered And afterward he knew y t the same was deliuered to y e king of Calicut Then y e Captaine general going forward in his course that along the coast on the next Thursday after he fell amongst certeine rocks with all his Fléete and from one of them that was inhabited there came forth sundry Pinnaces with men within the same to sell them Fish and other victualls The Captaine Generall did receiue them very curteously who commaunded to giue them both shirts and other things of the which they were verye gladde wherevpon he tooke occasion to aske them whether they woulde be content that there shoulde be erected a marke with a crosse in the same with the royall armes of Portingale in token that the Portingals are theyr friends And they aunswered that they were contented and thereby they well knew that we were christians and so was the marke placed and since that time it is called El Padron de Sancta Maria. Now to this day by the foresaid name the rocke is called From hence as soone as the night drew on and that the winde began to blow of the shoare the Captaine Generall made saile and kéeping alwayes along the coaste on the Thursdaie after béeing the 19. of September hée fell with a goodly high lande and harde to the same there laye sixe little Ilandes and there he came to an Ankor and going a lande to take in water did there finde a young man which did demaund concerning the Captaine Generall whether he were a Moore or a Christian they aunswered him that hée was a christian This he did as it was thought with feare least that they should haue killed him forsomuch as in that place there were no christians This young man did carrie our men within a certeine riuer shewed them most excellent water the which issued out betwéene certeine rocks and so his paines they gaue him a red night cap. The next morning following there came from the land foure others in a small boate a boord the Captaine Generall which brought with them to sell many gourds and Cowcombers and they wer demaunded by the Generall whether there were in that Countrie any Cinamon or Pepper They aunswered that there was nothing but Cinamon and for that he was desirous to sée the same he sent with them two of his men the which at their return brought w t them two gréene boughs of certeine trées which they doe take to be the same reporting that thereof there was a great groue howbeit the same was wilde And at their retourne there came with them more then 20. of that Countrie men which brought to sell hens gourds Cowes milke Also they requested the Captaine Generall to send with them certeine of his men for that shortly after they should retourne with greate store of drie Cinamon Hogges and Hennes but for all their great offers he would let none of his men goe for that hée feared least the same was some treason The next daye after before dinner our men going a lande to cut woode somewhat farre of from the place where they were fell on a soddeine vppon two Boates the which laye harde by the shoare side The Captaine Generall woulde not immediatlye procure to knowe what they were till it was after Dinner for then he thought to know the same And being in a redinesse to depart did first commaund one of his Marriners to go vp to the top to sée whether that he could discry any other vessels a sea boord or not who being there tolde him that he had sight of eight great ships which wer incalmed with this newes he left his going to sée the others put himselfe in a readinesse the winde was in such sort that it might serue them both as they came within two leagues of our Fléete the Captaine Generall made toward them The enimies perceiuing that did immediatly flye toward the shoare And they bearing after this sorte was broken the Rudder of one of the same by reason whereof those that were within the ship were forced to go in their boats toward the lande Nicholas Coello who was next to this ship went immediatly and layde the same aboord thinking indéede to finde in it some greate shore of riches howbeit there was nothing els but Cocos and Melasus which is a certeine kinde of Sugar made of Palmes or Date trées Also he founde therein manye bowes arrowes swoordes speares and targats and the other seauen ranne themselues a ground and for that our men could not come néere vnto them with their ships they followed them in their boats and from thence did beate them with their ordinaunce so that their enimyes were driuen to leaue their shippes and béeing yet the next day at an Ankor there came vnto him seauen men of the country in an Almadias who tolde him that those eight ships were of Calicut the which the king had sent for to take him as by those that fled away they vnderstood How the Captaine Generall went to Ansandina to take in water also how he toke there a Moore prisoner which was seruant to the Lord of the Iland of Goa called Sabayo the which was taken for a spie cap.
25. AFter that the Captaine Generall was thus informed he would tarrie there no longer but immediatlye came to an Ankor at the Ilande of Ansandina the which was distaunt from thence as it were two Gunne shotte where it was tolde him there was excellent swéete water This Iland is but little and but a league of from the firme land There are in the same many woods and also two conduit heads made of frée stone of excellent sweete water the which are springs and do rise ther wherof one is sixe foote déepe Also in the sea about the sayde Iland is great store of fish Before that the Moores did vse to traficke to the Indias the same was inhabited by Gentiles in the which there were goodly buildings in especiall their Pagodes was a goodly thing And after that the Moores which came from the red sea began to saile that way they resorted thether alwayes to take in their water and wood and did so abuse the inhabitants that they could not wel abide the same so that they left their dwellings ther but before their going away they plucked downe almost all their Pagods so that they left nothing standing but the verye Chappell the lyke they did to all other their buildings yet for all that these Gentiles that wer of the firme land which belong to the king of Narsingas had to this Pagode such deuotion that from thence they would goe sundry times to make in the same their praiers vnto thrée black stones that were lieng in the middest of the said Chappell The Iland is called Ansandina which in the Malabars language is called the â—iue Ilandes for that rounde about the same there lye the other foure The Captaine Generall hauing come to an Ankor sent Nicholas Coello with his companye to discouer the same who founde it according as afore is declared and a goodlye place or grounde where they might newe graue their ships And for that the Captaine Generall had a great course to run and also for that he knew not when to finde so conuenient a place he consulted with the other Captaines to bring their shippes there a ground The first ship that they brought there a grounde was the Shippe the which they called Berâ—â—o And whilest they were thus occupyed there came many people to sell them victualls At which time there came two small Brickentines that hadde out theyr Standerds and Flagges in the toppes of theyr Mastes and within them theyr Trumpettes and Drumnies wherevppon they came playeng at theyr pleasure In these Brickentines there came manye men and they all at the Oare and along the shoare side there were other fiue which came to succour them if they shoulde haue anye néede The Captaine Generall after that hée hadde fight of them had warning giuen him by the Malabars to beware of them for that they were rouers and vnder a couloure of peace did robbe all that they coulde take And after that hée was entered into his shippe hée perceiued that hée might haue taken them if so bée that hée woulde haue consented to lette them to come aboorde him but hée woulde not agrée to the same And therefore as soone as they came within Gunne shotte commaunded all theyr Ordinaunce to be shot at them from those two shippes that were a floate They fearing this shotte gaue out a lowde voice crieng Tambarane Tambarane for so they doe call God and with this often shooting they fledde theyr way Nicholas Coello béeing as then in his Boate went after them alwayes shooting his Ordinaunce who pursued them so farre that the Captaine Generall was driuen to put vp his Flagge for a signe hée shoulde retourne and so he did The next daye after the Captaine Generall with all his men béeing a land working vpon the ship called Berrio there came in two litle Paraos to the number of twelue men of the Countrie the which in their apparel séemed to bée of some countenaunce who brought for a present a bundell of Sugar Canes and immediately as soone as they had deliuered the same they asked license to goe aboord and to sée the ships for that they neuer saw any before The Captaine generall was greatly offended with this their request for by that he feared least that they were spies and whilest they were in this talke there came thether other two Paraos with as many more men Those that came first séeing that the Captaine generall was somewhat growen in cholar did will those that came afterward not to come a lande but to returne againe The ship Berrio being made in a redinesse afterward that the Generalls ship was brought a ground to be new rigged and hauing a lande about hir all the other Captaines there came a man in a little Parao who séemed to be of the age of fortie yeares and not of that Countrey for that he had vpon him a Sabaco of fine Cotten which reached downe to his héeles and about his head a toocke or towell which also couered part of his face and at his gyrdell a Fawâ—â—in or Skeyne And assoone as he leapt a lande he went immediately to imbrace the Captaine generall as one that had séene him or knowen him before and after the selfe same sort he vsed the other Captaines telling them that he was a Christian and borne in Italy and that hée was brought into that Countrey of a childe and that his dwelling was with a Noble man that was a Moore called Sabayo the which was Lord of a certaine Iland called Goa lieng about twelue leagues from thence and had forty thousand horsemen within the sayd Iland And for that his habitation was amongst the Moores he obserued their lawe howbeit it was but for an outward shew but inwardly in his soule he was a Christian and being in Sabayos house it was tolde him that there was come by Sea to Calycut certaine men in ships whereof there was neuer séene y e like in the Indias and that there were none that vnderstoode their language and also that their bodies were couered ouer with cloathes And when he had vnderstanding of the same he immediatelye iudged them to be Frangnes for so they do call those that are Christians in that Countrey and for that he was desirous to sée them had therefore asked lycense of Sabayo saieng that if so be that he woulde not giue him license to goe and sée them that he knewe verye well that he should dye with very thought and anger by reason whereof he gaue him license by whome hée sent them word that if so be that there were in his Countrey anye thing y t they had néede of they shuld haue the same in especiall shippes and victualles And moreouer if they woulde come and dwell in his Countrey he would be very gladde thereof and would giue both them and theirs sufficient lyuing with the which they should liue very honourably After that he had ended thus his talke the Captaine generall asked him perticularly for
the Countrey of Sabayo and other things Wherevppon he requested of the Captaine generall a chéefe for to sende to a companion of his which remained in the firme Lande for that it was agréed betwéene them that if so be that he were well entertained that he woulde sende vnto him a token in signe thereof This kinde of dealing made the Captaine generall suspect him notwithstanding he commaunded a chéefe to be giuen him and also two newe loaues the which he sent to his companion as aforesaide and he remained alwayes talking with the Captaine Generall His talke was so much that some time hée discouered himselfe to bée a spye Paulo de la Gama which noted the same asked of certaine countrey men what hée was and they vp and tolde him that he was a Rouer and that he had laide aboorde other Shippes which had bene there brought a grounde before that time The Captaine Generall béeing thereof informed commaunded him to be carried aboorde his shippe which was then a grounde and there he commaunded him to bee well whipped to confesse whether that all or anye parte of the same was true that hée had tolde him and also what he meant by his comming thether and whether he were a Moore or a Christian who aunswered that he was a Christian as he had said before al the rest he denied therefore the General sought one other more cruell torment then whipping which was by hanging of him vp by his members by a pulley to hoist him vp and downe and by the great paine which he suffered there he requested to be let downe for that as their he would tell him the truth and being come downe he declared that hée was a spie and was sent thether to discouer how manye men the Captaine generall had and what weapons forsomuch as he was ill beloued along all that Coast because he was a Christian And that there were manyr Atalayas or Foysts placed in euery Baye or Kricke to set vpon him howbeit they durst not vntill such time as there came thether other fortie great Vessells which were a making in a readinesse for to ioyne with those that are armed and so to set vpon him and to take him and therefore in the meane space he was sent to knowe what he sayd he affirmed also that he knewe not certainelye when those fortie sayle woulde come This much he declared after that he had receiued thrée or foure torments all the rest they vnderstood by coniectures forsomuch as he did not perticularlye declare the same The Captaine generall séeing that he would declare no more was contented with the aduice he had giuen him and commaunded him to prison vnder the hatches for to carrie with him vnto Portingale also to be cured verye well and to giue him some refreshing of victualles Afterward he tolde him that he did not minde to kéepe him prisoner to haue him as his Captiue but to carie him vnto the King his Master to the ende he might tell him some newes of the Indias knowing verye well that he would rewarde him Now the Captaine generall hauing knowledge of the comming of his enimies would therefore tarrie no longer then whilest his ship was new dressing the which was done in ten dayes At this instaunt the Captaine generall was offered for the shippe the which shippe he had taken of the eight that did set vpon him a thousand Fanons but he wold not take it saieng that he wold not sell any thing y t was his enimies but commaunded the same to be burnt The Captaine Generalls ship being ready and the water being taken in hée immediately departed vpon the fifth daye of October and going a Sea boord about a two hundred leagues from thaf Iland then the Moore which he caried with him as prisoner seeing there was no other remedie said that now he would tell him the truth how that indéede he did dwell with the Sabayo to whom word was brought that the Captain generall went wandring vpon the Seas as one that knewe not where he was and therefore there was in preparing a great Fléete for to take him The Sabayo hauing notice thereof commaunded him to goe thether to visite him and to marke how they went and also to sée whether that hée could bring them to Goa which if so be that he could bring to passe he would as then laye hand vpon them for that the fame went that they were valyaunt and so meant to kéepe them to make warres against other Kings his next neighbours These newes the Captaine Generall was glad to heare of and gaue him from thenceforth better entertainment allowed him both apparell and also money afterward he was made a Christian to whom he gaue for name Gaspar in honour of one of the thrée Kings called Magus of that name and for that the Captaine generall was his God father he gaue him the title of his surname and so euer after he was called Gaspar de la Gamas ¶ How the Captaine generall went forwarde on his Voyage towarde Mylynde and of the great troubles he past vntill such time as he came thether Chap. 26. FOllowing from hence his course towards Mylynde whether hee was minded to returne to take in there an Embassadour he went alwayes in cruell stormes which the Captaine generall continually indured vntil such time he had entred the goulfe hauing alwayes the winde right against him it was the occasion that the shippes made but small way and therefore it was the longer time before he entered the gulfe But after that he was entered within the same he was again troubled with great calmes which on the Sea is very troublesome not only for the gouerning of their ships but also with the heat which is more hurtfull vpon the sea then vpon the land for that ther is no couering to defend the Sunne whereon with the same only men are stiffeled vp as hath bene séene in the voyage toward the Indias And as I say the winde hauing coursing thus with the heates the space of many dayes together did afterward returne and breake vp in contrary windes to go forward and very good to goe backward But the Captaine generall being loath to go backward wold yet rather tarie ther wher he was as indéed he did And when he perceiued that the winde was so great and the Seas went so high that there was no tarrieng for him with his shippes then was he driuen of force to kéepe the Seas sometime on this boord and sometime that so that both he and his men passed great troubles by reason they all had inough to doe to gouerne their ships And hoping that after so great stormes there would come faire weather were driuen once more to pray for those great calmes which they had before And when they sawe that this weather was like to endure many dayes and that their water beganne to fayle them was the occasion that the Captaine Generall commaunded the same to
that by the aduise of the other Captaines to burne one of those shippes and that the same should be Saint Raphael which they determined to doe the rather forsomuch as the same was al open and they had not brought him a grounde as they did the others and also determined to burne the same vppon the shoels of Saint Raphael vnto which place they came on the Sunday following where what for taking in of her furniture as also for burning the same he spent fiue daies and during that time from a village the which is called Tangata there were brought to sell many hens This béeing done the Captaine Generall departed hauing with him in his shippe his brother called Paulo de la Gama and on the .xx. of Februarie he found himselfe with onely Nicholas Coello in the Iland of Zenziber which standeth in the altitude of sixe degrées lieng but ten leagues from the firme land This Iland is verye greate with the other two that standeth néere vnto it whereof the one is called Pemba and the other Mofya and are verye fertill and haue in them great store of victualls Their groues are of Orenge trées which bringeth forth goodly Orenges They are inhabited by Moores which are but a weake kinde of people and they haue but small store of weapons howbeit they goe very well apparelled in silke and fine cloath made of Cotten the which they doe buye in Mombassa of Merchants of Cambayo The women haue store of iewells of golde from Sofala and of siluer from the Iland of Saint Larence They are merchants their trade is in the firme land and thether they do carry victuals to sell in litle boats Each of these Ilands hath a king of himselfe the which also doe obserue Mahomets lawe as all the rest of the subiectes doe As soone as the king of Zenziber hearde that the Captaine Generall was there arriued he sent to visit him and sent him great presents of the fruits of the country requesting him of his friendship to the which he agréed After all this he departed on the first of March and came to an Ankor before the Ilands of Saint George in Monsanbique and the next day after he sent a marke to be erected within that Ilande where at his going thether he heard Masse without any conuersation with those of Monsanbique he departed And on the third of March he came to the Iland of Saint Blase where he stayed to take in his water and to victuall himselfe of Sea woulfes and of Solitarius which they salted to eate whilest they were on the sea and for the same they gaue God great thanks After that they were departed from thence being once before putte back with westerly winds which blew right against them God of his goodnes sent them so prosperous a winde that on the twentith of March they hadde doubled the Cape of Buena Esperansa with great pleasure forsomuch as all those that came thether were all in health and verie strong and as they thought were all in good liking to arriue at Lishborne And finding héere a colde Winde which endured well twentye dayes did set them in a good forwardnesse towarde the Ilande of Santiago which by theyr Sea cardes was by the Pilots we known not to bée at the vttermost a hundred leagues from thence Some there were that thought themselues to bée with the same but it was not so Héere that goodly and fayre winde did faile them and forsomuch as the Captaine Generall would néedes knowe where that he was for that hée coulde not tell by reason there fell certeine showres which came from the landewarde he commaunded to make as much waye as they coulde possible And going after this sorte on Thursdaye being the xxv of Aprill he commaunded the Pilot to let fall his Plommet who founde that they were in xxv fathome Yet in all that daye sailing and kéeping the selfe same course the least water that they came to was at xx fathome and therefore the Pilottes iudged themselues to bée vppon the shoels Del zio Grands All the rest of this voyage perticularlye what aduentures the Captaine Generall did passe vntill such time as he came to the Ilande of Santiago I coulde not come to the knowledge thereof but only how that as they went néere to the same Nicholas Coello to carry the king newes of this discouerie did on a certeine night a parte himselfe from the Captaine Generall and followed his course vnto Portingale where hée arriued at a place called Cascais on the x. of Iuly in the yeare of our Lorde God 1499. who informed the king of all that the Captaine Generall hadde past in the discouery of the Indias and of the commodytyes that he had brought with him from thence Of whose discouery the king was so gladde to heare of and that they might trade into the Indias by sea as when he was proclaimed king of the kingdomes of Portingale Now after that the Captaine Generall founde missing Nicholas Coello hée went forwarde on his course towarde the Ilande of Santiago for because his Brother was verye sicke of a Tyssicke and also for that his Shippe made but small waye for that shée was all open and therefore hée did fraight there a Caruell which he found there for to carrye him to Portingale before that he should dye who left there Iohn de Sala for Captaine of his ship as I sayd before who as soone as the ship was new rigged had charge to bring the same to Portingale from the which place the Generall departed with his brother in the Caruell whose infirmitie did dayly increase in such sort that the Captaine Generall was driuen to beare with the Iland of the Terceras And béeing there arriued commaunded that his brother might be brought a lande where he was so cruellye handled with his disease that he dyed thereof who at his end shewed himselfe to be a good and perfect christian and a very honest Gentleman After that he was dead and buried the Captaine Generall departed toward Portingale who came to Belen in the moneth of September in the selfe same yere 1499. being two yere two moneths past after his departure frō Lishborne with 108. men of them came backe but fiftie aliue which considering theyr great trauaile and trouble that they had past was verye much After that the Captaine Generall had giuen God greate thanks for that he had escaped so many great daungers he sent word of his arriuall vnto the king of Portigale who for the great pleasure that he receiued of his comming sent Don Diego de la Silua de Menesis Lord of Portugalete with many other Gentlemen to receiue him as they did brought him vnto y e court w t an excéeding great number of people that came thether to sée so new rare a matter as that was of y e Captaine General not onely for that hée had done but also for that they tooke him for dead
temporall Lord but also the eternall God who is spirituall And also that euery one might wel know that none of all the nobles the which are so highlye commended as well in the Grecian histories as in the Latine and barbarous was equall vnto the Captaine Generall in taking vpon him this voyage And further he gaue him other greate prayses for the which hée was enuyed at the Masse béeing ended there was a Banner which had the royall armes of Portingale vpon the same deliuered vnto the Bishoppe who after that hée had blessed the same the king with his owne hand did deliuer it vnto the Captaine Generall for to bestowe it in his maine toppe And after that hée had receiued the same he tooke at the Bishops hands a bonnet or night cap the which the Pope had blest and sent for a great iewell and with his owne hands did put the same on the Captaine Generalls head sayeng that he did present vnto him a iewell the which he did much estéeme And afterward that the Bishop had giuen him his blessing the king with the same did accompanie him to the water side where the Captaine generall with al the Captaines of the fléete tooke their leaue of the king and did kisse his hands and the king gaue them Gods blessing his with the which they went all a boorde from whence they shot off all the ordinance that was in the Fléete the which made a wonderfull noise The king béeing returned to Lishborne for that the Fléete could not that daye depart by reason of the weather The next daye which was the ninth of March in the yeare of our Lorde 1500. hauing a sufficient good gale of winde with the which the Fléete might goe out of the Riuer The Captaine Generall did then make a signe that the rest of the Fléete shoulde weye their Ankors the which immediatlye they did begin with great diligence and triumph that the Marriners made And when it was eight of the clocke in y â— morning the whole Fléete hauing wayed did then begin to cut and spread their sayles with a great pleasure and crie saieng altogether Buen viage that is to say A luckie and prosperous voyage After all this they beganne all to be ioyfull euery man to vse his seuerall office the Gouernour in the midst of the ship haling the maine shéetes with the Capsteine The Mariners and ship boyes some in the forecastell haling bollings braces and Martnets other belying the shéetes both great and small and also seruing in trimming the sayles and others the nettings and foretop sayles other some vering the trusses and also beleying brases and toppe sayles shéetes and coyling euery sort of ropes It was wonderfull to sée such a number of diuersities of offices in so small a roome as is the bredth and length of a ship All the Fléete being vnder sayle departed that daye without anye stay by a quarter winde and béeing with the same vnder sayle on the xiiij of March they came within the sight of the Canarâ—as and on the xxij of the same moneth they past by the Iland called Santiago and on the xxiiii of the same moneth they lost the company of one of their ships of the which went for Captaine one Vasco de Tayde who was Captaine of the Fléete also although he neuer declared the same the which neuer after was seene ¶ How the Captaine generall came vnto Brasill and afterward how there was lost foure ships of the Fleete Chap. 29. THis ship being thus gone the Captaine generall tarried for the same two dayes and on the xxiiii of Aprill they did desâ—ry land of the which they were verye glad not only for that they had discouered the same but because that the Pilots supposed the same to be some other land that Vasco de la Gama had not discouered for that it stoode to the East and immediatly the Captaine Generall commaunded his Master to goe in his small boate and to sée what kinde of people were those that dwolt in the sayd Countrey who retourned with an aunswere saieng that the same lande was a goodly fayre and fertill Countrey in the which there were great store of wordes and that there walked many men along the water sides with this newes the Captaine generall came to an Ankor sent once more his Master with great dilygence to enforme himselfe of the Countrey and of their dwellings and found that the people were of colour somewhat blacke and men well proportioned howbeit they went all naked hauing both bowes and arrowes But when night was come there fell so great a storme that the Captaine generall with all the rest of the Fléete were faine to wey theyr Ankors and runne along the Coast vntill such time as they found a good Port in the which they came to an Ankor vnto the which the Captaine generall did giue for name Puerto Seguro forsomuch as the same serued for all wethers Héere our men tooke two men of that Countrry the which went in an 〈◊〉 who were brought before the Captaine generall that he might informe himselfe what Country that was which could not be known notwithstanding forsomuch as there was none in all the fléete that could vnderstand them by any tokens or signes The Captaine general séeing y t ther was no meanes for to informe himselfe by theÌ„ coÌ„manding to giue them apparell y t the others might be desirous to bring theÌ„ victuals to sel w t other things which they had in their country with this they went their way w t great ioy of y t Captain generals gift And when they wer come a land amongst their coÌ„panions they perceiued their good entertainment did aduenture to come to conferre with our men The Captaine general finding himself indifferently in this country did determine to take in fresh water to coÌ„fort his men wtall for y t he knew not when he shuld chance w t like opportunitie And for y t God might y e rather and theÌ„ he commanded on y e next day which was on Easter wéeke a Masse shuld be said a land y t which was so done w t great solemnitie that vnder a pauillion in which ther was made a Sermon by Fraij Henrique Doctor of Diuinitie And whilest y â— diuine seruice was a celebrating there assembled many of y e country people together which shewed theÌ„selues to be very merry w t plaieng leaping which they made besides their sounding vpon cornets horns other instrumeÌ„ts After Masse was ended that y e Captaine generall was going a ship boord these people went w t him vntil he tooke his boat singing making a thousand manner of pastimes this day after dinner y â— Captaine general gaue our men license to go a land to buy sell w t them which they did in truck of paper cloth they gaue them parrats other sundry sort of birds which were all very faire whereof they haue great abundance
with the which they make fethered hats night caps which are very gallant Some of our men y t went to sée their townes do declare y e the same is a goodly country fertill of woods w t great store of goodly waters plentie of fruits that ther is gathered in y e same gret quantitie of cotten And for y t this country is y t which we cal Brasil which to all men is common I will not speake of y â— same further but only y t in viii daies that y â— Captaine generall staid ther was séene a fish which y e sea did cast a land y t was greater then any Tonel of y e bredth of two of theÌ„ howbeit he was round y â— head eyes were much like vnto a hogs his cares like vnto an Elephants he had no téeth but vnder his belly he had two issues his taile was thrée quarters of a yard in breadth as much in length his skinne was lyke vnto a Hogges skinne which was a finger thicke In this Ilande the Captaine generall commaunded to be erected a high Crosse of stone and therfore he gaue the same to name La tierra de Santa Crus From hence he sent a Caruell which he brought foorth with him for the same purpose with letters vnto the King his Lorde of all that which had chaunced him vnto this place and how that he had left there two bannished men of those twentie the which he carried with him to the ende they might better enforme themselues what Countrey that same was and whether it were a firme lande as it did appeare vnto them all by the great distance of the Coast that they had found and because of the great voyage which he had taken in hande to make he could not send to know perfectly With this Caruel he sent a man of that Countrey for a shew by what kinde of people the same was inhabited This Caruell being departed the next day after being the second day of May the Captain generall departed with all his Fléete bearing his course toward the Cape Buena espeâ—ansa the which was from thence almost 1200. leagues which is a great and fearfull gulph to passe by reason of the great windes which doe course in those partes most of the time And being vnder sayle in the same on the xii of Maye there appeared in the Element a great Comet with hir beames the which came out of the Orient and for the space of x. dayes did alwayes appeare as well in the night as in the daye alwayes inlarging his beames On Saterday being the xxiii of May there came amongst all the Fléete such a storme from the Northeast that all the Fléete was faine to take in their sayles hauing the Seas very high mingled with pretie showers of raine And for that the same storme was afterwarde somewhat abated they brought themselues vnder their forefailes againe and at night the winde being altogether calme such ships as wer left behind did spred out also their sprit saile to ouertake those y t went before And going by after windes following their course by the South the Sunday being the xxiiii of May the winde beganne to increase which was the occasion that the Captaine generall commanded their sailes to be taken in and to fardle vp their sprits sailes the which being done the like did all the other Captaines and going on this sort on Sunday betwéene x. and xi of the clocke of the day did begin to ariue in the Northwest a spowte with the which the winde calmed in such sorte that the sailes did beate against the Mast and the Pilots being not as yet acquainted with the secret signification of a spowte for that they had not trauayled those Seas thought the same to bée a signe of faire weather and of great calmes by reason whereof they neuer made any kinde of alteration in anye thing appertaining to their sayles Vpon this on a Sundaye there came such a winde and so furious that then they had no time to amayne and take in theyr sayles by reason whereof there were foure Shippes sunke without escaping one person of them all and of one of these was Captayne one Bartholomew Dias The other seauen remayned halfe full of water which they had taken in which lykewise had sunke if so be that parte of theyr sayles had not bene torne And after that the winde verred to the Southwest they bare with the same the which was so great that they were driuen to roue all that daye and the next night following without sailes so that the one could not sée the other howsoeuer as yet the returne of any other wind was not come they were driuen to such daunger that they thought thereby they should loose their liues forsomuch as the rest of the Fléete was so cast away before their eyes wherewith they were stroken into a very great pensiuenesse The next day the winde being somewhat incalmed with the same the Fléete did ioyne themselues together againe and immediatly after the winde came to the East and Northeast which was so great that it made the Seas to goe higher then euer they did before and so the same endured the space of xx dayes and all this time the shippes laye a hull although they proued fiue times to hoyse vp their sayles as aforesaid Now the Seas went so high to all theyr iudgements they thought it vnpossible for the shippes to escape for ouer and besides that by the working of them it was thought that sometime they did hoyse vp theyr shippes aboue the Element and other times when the shippes began to descend they fell as it were downe a monstrous hill that they feared they should be all swallowed vp in the Intralles of the Earth In the daye the water was of the colour of pitch and in the night of fire The tackling with the other furniture of the Shippes with the great force of the winde made such a terrible noyse and was so fearefull to heare that the same is incredible to be beléeued but by those onelye that endured and passed the same with the force of this the Fléete was separated into sundry places The Captaine Generall bare vp with Symon de Myranda and Pedro de Tayde whether the winde would carry them all the others went at Gods mercie Of the meeting of the King of Quiloa the Captaine generall at which time there was set downe a Trade and Factorie and how the King repented himselfe of the same afterward Cap. 30. AFter that the Captaine Generall had past with parte of his Fléete these great stormes didde finde himselfe to haue doubled the Cape without anye sight of the same hauing in his company no more then two Shippes which bare alwayes vp with him And the Lorde hauing vsed alwaies towardes them his wonderfull great mercie he came within sight of the lande the sixtéenth day of Iuly towarde the which he
commaunded to beare howbeit the Pilots did not knowe the same notwithstanding they found that it stoode in the altitude of xxvii degrées they were so néere vnto lande that the Shippes laye with their beake heads close to the same But the Captaine generall would not consent that anye of his men shoulde goe a lande yet from their shippes they might easilye perceiue that the same was well inhabited for the great number of people they did sée there and yet of all those there came none to the water side to sée what we were After that he sawe that there was no hope to haue anye refreshing from thence hée did afterwarde procure the same from the Sea where there was great plentie of fish where our men was driuen to fish for it Afterwarde the Captaine generall commaunded to weye their Ankors and to followe his course so néere vnto the shore that he might well sée great numbers and store of sundrye beastes which fed along the Riuer that entred into the Sea and also they sawe many people Now going on that sort the Captaine generall did passe vnto Sofala with the which as yet the Pilot was not acquainted and being néere to the same he sawe two Ilandes and right ouer against one of them there was riding at an Ankor two Shippes which as soone as they had discouered our Fléete did beginne to flye awaye towarde the shore And for that the Captaine generall sawe that they fiedde he commaunded to followe them which was done in such sort that our men did ouertake them and tooke some of them prisoners for that they did not defende themselues and concerning the chiefest person that was in these Shippes the Captaine Generall was aduertised that he was the King of Mylyndes néere kinsman and was going from Sofala laden with Golde to Mylynde Who confessed that when they had descryed our Ships they receiued such a feare as though they shoulde bée taken and that therefore they did throwe the most part of theyr Golde into the Sea and they themselues ranne a lande After that all this was done y e Captaine general told him that he was very sory for theyr so great mischance losse in especially for so much as the King of Mylynde was in so great a credite with the King of Portingale his Master which is the occasion that all Portingales are and shall bée alwayes at his commaundement And hauing shewed vnto him great courtesie he commaunded the Shippes to be retourned with all the golde they hadde founde in the same The Moore asked of him whether he had brought with him any Witches that they might with words of inchantment fetch vp such golde as was throwen into the Sea To whom the Captaine generall made aunswere that the Christians doe beléeue in the true God who hath and doth defende them so that they doe not vse nor beléeue in witchcraft and therefore they do not vse the same Of this Moore the Captaine generall was aduertised that he hadde somewhat ouer runne Sofala and for that he would not returne backe he did at this time leaue it and hauing dispatched the Moore followed his course and on the xx of Iuly arriued at Monsanbique where he tooke in his water and a Pilot to carry him to the Ilande of Quiloa toward the which he directed his course running along the Coast In this his voyage he saw sundry profitable Ilands which were belonging to the King of Quiloa which as I haue declared is a great Prince and is Lord from the Cape De las correntes almost vnto Mombassa y e which is welnéere foure hundred leagues of Coast in the which there doe enter the two Ilands that I haue spoken of before ouer and besides Sofala and other sundry Townes vnto Monsanbique and from thence as many more vnto Mombassa with an infinit number of Ilandes that doth yéeld him great rents Notwithstanding as touching his estate it is but small for he is not able to make many men of warre his abode is alwayes in Quiloa in a certaine Ilande which is a hundred leagues beyonde Monsanbique in the Coast of Aethiopia néere to the firme lande the which is verye fertill of Orchardes and Woodes that beare sundry sorts of fruites there are excellent good waters and also they doe ripe great store of Miso and other seedes which they doe sow and there is bred vp in the same great store of small Cattell In those Seas there is great plentie of Fish and that verye good So that what with the victualls that they haue in the lande and what there commeth from other places of the firme land the Citie is plentifully prouided which citie is compassed about with faire gardens on the one side with the sea on the other which causeth the same to shew very pleasant it standeth in ix degrées to the South is also greate and full of people Their houses are made of lime stone in the which there are goodly chambers Their king is a Moore and so are the inhabitants the naturall people of the Countrie are a kinde of blacke people and those that are strangers are white their common language is Algarauia They doe apparell themselues very richly in especiall the women for they carry alwaies vpon them great store of iewels of gold They are great Merchants for their trade is of the gold that commeth from Sofala and from this citie it is dispearsed to all the Countrie of Arabia Felix other places and therfore there resort thether many merchaunts frō other places Ther are alwaies in this port many ships which lyeth alwayes a ground when they haue no néed of thē These ships haue no nailes but are sowed together w t ropes made of Cairo pitched ouer with wildincense for because as in all y t countrie there is no other kind of pitch The winter in this countrie doth begin in Aprill maketh an end in September The Captaine Generall béeing come to the harbour of this Citie and hauing obteined of the king a safe conduct that hée might send him a messenger did send vnto him Alonso Hurtado who went accompanied with seauen of the principals of their ships and that they might shew themselues in more countenaunce authoritie they went in their best apparell Béeing come before the king he represented vnto him the message which the Captaine Generall gaue him which was to signifie vnto him y t he was come thether with y e king of Portingale his Maisters fléete to settle a trade in y e citie to the same end had brought with him great store of merchandise y ◠were conuenient to be spent in y ◠country therfore he was desirous to talk with him therin howbeit y e king his maister did countermand him y t in any wise he shuld not leap a land but make the agréement a sea boord forasmuch as that is the auncient custome which the Captaines doe alwaies obserue in his coūtry
because y t if so be ther shuld chance any misfortūe to their general which is their head immediatly are cast away the rest that are vnder his gouernment To this the king made answere with a good countenance y t he was also desirous to see the Captaine Generall and to speak with him a sea boord since there was no other remedie Alonso Hurtado hauing receiued this answere made y e Captaine Generall priuie therof who y e next day after tarryed for y e king in his boat which was couered ouer set out with flags There did attend vpon him al the rest of y e Captaines in their boates at this present arriued there Sancho de Toar with other two ships The king thus being looked for at the length he came in an Almadia béeing well accompanied with sundrie Gentlemen in other boats lykewise furnished which also were set out with flags and had in them those that sounded vpon trumpets cornets Sagbuts which made a wonderfull great noise Now the king being come where the Captaine Generall was tarrieng for him all his ordinance went of in such sort with such a force that it made the sea to tremble wherwith the king and all his traine forsomuch as they were not accustomed vnto the same were greatly afeard As soone as the ordinaunce went of the king the Captaine General met that with great pleasure And after that the king of Portingales letter was read which was for y ◠setling of a trade in his citie he answered that he was contented therewith did agrée that the next day he should send Alonso Hurtado a land to tell him the sorts of the merchaundise that he had brought with him he wold giue him gold for y e same Vpon this agréement Alonso Hurtado was sent a land the next day following howbeit he found the king far from y e which was agréed vpō with y e captain general y e day before yelding therfore sundry excuses why he could not accōplish his promise in especial for y t he han no néed of his merchandise also for y t he beléeued that y e Captaine generall came thether to take his country from him This sodeine chance was for this cause forsomuch as he was a Moore and wée were christians it gréeued him to haue any conuersation or trade with vs. This being come to y e Captaine generalls knowledge he did as yet tarrye thrée or foure dayes to sée whether y ◠the king wold change any thing of his determination or not howbeit he did nothing alter his mind but rather had our men in iealousie fearing least that he shuld be driuen to do y ◠by force which he was loth to do therfore did fortifie himselfe with many men in a readinesse As soone as the Captaine Generall heard of his dealing he would spend no more time there but departed toward Milinde kéeping alwaies along the coast How the king of Milinde and the Captaine Generall met together and how hee departed afterwards toward Calicut Chap. 31. ON the second day of August he came to an ankor in the port of Mylinde where hée found riding at an ankor thrée ships of y e Moores y e which wer of y t Merchannts of the kingdome of Cambaya but he would not meddle with them although they were laden w t great riches because of y e king of Milinde Being come with al his fléet to an ankor he saluted y e citie w t all his ordinance The king with this sent to visit him sending also vnto him for a present both shéep ducks hens wtout all number besides sundrie sorts of fruits Then y ◠Captain general sent likewise to kisse his hands by one of his fléet also to signifie vnto him y t thether he was come by his Master y e king of Portingales cōmandement to know whether he had any need of this fléet to do him seruice wtall also to certifie him y ◠he had to deliuer vnto him a rich present with a letter the which y e King his master had likewise sent vnto him which he wold send whēsoeuer he wold cōmand y e same with this message y e king shewed himself to be wel pleased cōmanded the messenger to remaine with him that night with whom he talked and spent most part thereof in matters of Portingale And as soone as it was day the king sent by two principall Moores word vnto the Captaine Generall that he was very glad of his comming and also to knowe whether he had néede of anye thing in his countrie which he might commaund as his owne and make as much account thereof while he was there as if he were in Portingale considering the greate good will which hée doth owe vnto the king of Portingale and that in all his affaires he shuld make as much reckoning as of his owne home The Captaine Generall hauing well vnderstood the kings message vpon the same determined to send him the kings letter which hée had brought and also the present which was all the furniture of a Iennet horse which was also both rich gallant And hauing taken his counsel vpon y e same it was agréed vpon to send it and that Aries Correa should haue the cariage thereof forsomuch as hée was the factor of the whole Fleete and also for that hée went for Factor to the king of Calicut and that he should so goe accompanyed with the principalls of the Fléet besides the trumpetors that should goe alwaies sounding before him which was so done The king being informed of y e cōming of Aries Correa sent of the nobles of his Court to receiue him which might the more easilye bée done for that the kings pallaice was hard by the water side and going altogether there were certeine women which by the kings commaundement were tarryeng for their comming with perfuming pans in their hands out of the which there came so excellent a perfume that it did replenish the whole earth therewith And passing after this sorte by these women hée came to the kings pallaice who was sitting in his chaire of estate and accompanyed with many noble mē Gentlemen who also receiued Aries Correa with great honour and pleasure and also the present Afterward he gaue him the letter which was written on both sides on the one side was Portingale the other in the Arabian tongue which the king commanded forthwith to be read which both he and all the nobilitie were very gladde to heare And all they together with a lowde voice gaue God and Mahoma great thanks that they had permitted them to haue friendship w t so great a Prince as y e king of Portingale And also being very wel pleased with the furniture of the Ienet he requested Aries Correa to stay with him whilest the Fléete did there remaine which with the Captaine Generalls license he did during the three daies that he was with
those Moores that were aboorde the ten great ships and then commanded them to be set a fire also of the great destruction which he brought vpon the citie in reuenge of the death of those that were slaine therein Cap. 37. AFter that these newes were brought to the Captaine generall he was not onely very sorrowfull for the death of those that were slaine but also to sée how little preuailed the present which he gaue vnto the King of Calicut as also the taking of the ship in the which was the Elephant now thrée moneths were past that he had bene there and yet had laden no more then two ships nor yet could tell when to lade the rest fearing also least in Coching he shoulde not be well accepted for taking of the ship in the which was the Elephant And further waying with himselfe how little or none occasion at all there was giuen to vse such treason against our men he did therefore determine to reuenge himselfe vpon y e King of Calycut if so be that he did not vse some excuse for that which was past wherevnto if he would willingly yéelde then would he be content so that he might ther haue his lading But the King of Calycut was farre off from the matter for he was very glad of that which y e Moores had done and commaunded all such Merchaundize to be taken as were within the Factorie the which wer well worth foure thousand duckets also take all such of ours as wer found aliue for captiues although they were hurt of the which there were foure that died After all this the Captaine generall séeing that in all that daye the King of Calicut sent no messenger to excuse himselfe of the fact he put the matter in question wheras it was determined that he forthwith shuld reuenge those iniuries that were past for feare leastif he should delay so to doe that then the King might haue time to arme his Fléete which would not then be so easelye done This being determined our men put themselues in a readinesse to lay aboord x. great ships which lay in y ◠harbor full of Moores these at the first would haue defended themselues yet for all y t our men did ioyne with them fought with them so valyantly that they brake their order killing many of them and of those that remained some leaped into the water and were drowned others hid themselues in their ships and other were taken aliue whom the Captaine generall commaunded to prison that they might afterwarde serue for Mariners in the Fléet The ships being thus come into our mens possession they found within the same some Spices and other Merchaundize which were hidden within them also they found thrée Elephants which the Captaine generall commaunded to be killed and salted for their victualls he commaunded also those Moores that were slaine to be told and there was found of them 600. The ships being discharged of all that they had they wer set a fire before all the Citie in the sight of many that came to the water side to succor them whom being Moores as they were comming in their Almadias our men encountered and fought with them but they durst not goe forward for feare of the ordinaunce This was a wonder to those of the Citie to sée ten ships burnt together The King also was sory therefore for that he could not send to succour them But if that which was done this day was a wonder to the enimies to behold then y e next day was much more to be meruailed at for the Captaine generall not being contented with the burning of these ships commaunded his ships in the night to be brought as néere the shore as he could the one somewhat separated from the other They had also their boats before them that they might reach the most part of the Citie As soone as the morning began to appeare immediately all the great Ordinaunce went off amongst their houses which after that the enimies had séene and how néere our ships lay to the shore they began to shoote at thē with smal péeces which they had without hurting any of our men howbeit of our ordinance for that the enimies came running in flockes there was no péece that mist and by that meanes there were manye that fell and the others that drew towards the Citie where our ordinaunce also had made a great destruction as well in the Temples of their Gods as in their dwelling houses The feare was so great amongst the Citizens that the King of Calycut himselfe was driuen to leaue his Pallaice and to goe out of the Citie for that our men went thether to séeke him out with their pellets so that hard at his héeles they killed a Nayre which was a noble man and ouerthrewe part of the Kings Pallaice This destruction dured no more but this daye and whilest it was a doing there appeared two ships y t wer comming to the harbor which as soone as they had discried vs went their way therefore this fight ceased The Captain generall made after thē w t al his fléet to Panderane which is a Port not far off where there was other seuen néere to the land ready to succour them in which there came a multitude of Moores to defend them and for that our ships could not come néere vnto the shore they lefte them And the Captaine generall contenting himselfe with that which he had done in Calycut for that it was verye late to make his voyage toward Portingal went toward Coching ther concluded a peace to sée whether he might lade ther for y t he well knew it that ther was more Pepper then in Calicut ¶ How the Captaine generall arriued at the harbour adioyning to the citie of Coching ther he concluded a peace betweene him the King afterward began to lade his ships Cap. 37. GOing vnder saile along by this citie y e Captaine generall tooke two ships of y ◠Moores which after that they had discried our ships bare as néere the shore as they coulde for feare of our ships but our men tooke them and when they were discharged of certayne Rice which they carried the Generall caused them to be set a fire and so following his course he ariued at Coching the xx of December which standeth in the Prouince of Malabar xix leagues from that parte of Calycut going into the South and being in ix degrées toward the North. The scituation therof is along the riuer in the which the Sea doth enter by meanes whereof the Citie standeth as it were in an Ilande and that verye strong for that there is no comming to it but by certaine wayes It hath belonging vnto it a goodly great and a sure Port which lyeth before the mouth of this riuer The land round about is watry and low and made into Ilands they haue smal store of victuals but for all that those which they haue is
very fresh This Citie is buylded much after the manner of Calycut and is inhabited by Gentiles and sundry Moores strangers which are come thether from manye places and are great Merchaunts amongst whom there are two that haue fiftie shippes a péece In this Countrey is great store of Pepper and the most parte that they haue in Calycut commeth from thence But forasmuch as in Calycut there are more store of Merchaunts which come from other places therefore the same is richer then Coching The King is a Gentile and is of the behauiour and propertie of the King of Calycut howbeit he is verye poore by reason his Countrey is but small neither can he commaund any money to be coined in his Citie The Kings of Coching are in great subiection to the Kings of Calicut for as often as ther chanceth a new king to succéede in Calycut he immediately goeth to Coching and dispossesseth him that hath the same of the whole kingdome and taketh possession himselfe therof so that by this meanes it lyeth in his hands whether he will restore that King to the crowne againe or not Also the King of Coching is bound to aide and accompany the King of Calycut in battaile against any other King also he is bounde to dye in the religion of the King of Calicut The Captaine generall being come to this harbour did there let fall his Ankor for that he was afearde to send Gaspar with a message to the king least he would runne awaye he choosed rather to send one whose name was Michael Iogue which although hée were a Gentile a straunger yet he came vnto our Fléete with intent to turne Christian saieng that he would goe for Portingale wherevpon the Captaine generall tooke occasion to baptize him and gaue him the name of Michael for his surname as he was called before By this man he sent to y e king of Coching his message certifieng him of all that they had past in Calicut also y ◠the Captain generall had brought w t him great store of Merchandize to giue in trucke for such commodities as there were in Coching with the which if so be that the King wer not contented that then he would buy the same for ready mony wherof he had brought with him great store and therefore his request was that in trucke of his merchandize or for his ready money he would giue him lading for foure ships The answere that the king made to this messenger was That he was very glad of his comming to this his Port for that he was wel informed of his strength and valiantnesse and therfore he estéemed them all the better as héereafter he should well perceiue And as for such Spices as he had there he would giue him y e same in trucke of his Merchaundize y ◠he had brought with him from Portingale or els for money as he should thinke best And also that without any feare he might send a land whom he should thinke good to prouide the said lading for the assurance of such as shuld trauel about y e same he sent him 2. of y ◠principal Naires in pledge vpō cōditiō y t euery day he shuld chaunge them and take others for that all such as did féede a sea boorde could not come anye more in the kings presence The Captaine Generall was well contented therewith who had the sending of those pleadges so quietly a boord for a good beginning and therfore he sent immediatly for Factor of this lading Gonsallo Gilbarbosa which was sent before with Aries Correa and for his Scriuenor he sent Larenco Moreno and for Interpretour one called Maderade Alcusia Also the Captaine Generall commaunded to be deliuered vnto them and to serue them in all kinde of affaires foure banished men The king hauing notice of the comming of the Factor a land sent to receiue him the Rogedor of the Citie who went accompanyed with many noble men of the Courte who brought them before the king This king euen as his rents did farre differ in value from the king of Calycuts so he did also differ very much in his estate not onely for y e furniture of his person but also of the place in the which he was in For there appeared nothing else but the verye bare walls The king himselfe was sitting within certeine grates made much lyke a Theatre with the which the whole house was compassed aboute and there was attending vppon him verie few men The Factor béeing come before the king did present vnto him a present which the Captaine Generall sent him which was a Bason of siluer to wash his hands in full of Saforne and a greate Ewer of siluer full of rose water besides certeine braunches of Corall this present the king receiued very ioyfulfully giuing vnto the Captaine Generall great thanks for the same and after that he had talked a while with the factor and with Larenco Moreno he commaunded them to be lodged and so there remained those thrée a land besides the other foure banished men But the Captaine Generall would not consent there should remaine a land anye more for he iudged that the fewer ther remained a land the fewer would be lost if so be that there should chaunce the lyke misfortune to that which did in Calycut Howbeit that was farre vnlike for y t the king of Coching séemed to be a man inclined to vertue all the loialtie in the world which wel appeared in his fauour in the vsing of our men in the dispatch he made for the lading of our ships with spices in the commanding of helpe to be giuen by those of y ◠countrie which they did so willingly and with so great a zeale that the same séemed to be ordeined of God that the trade might be brought from Calycut to Coching that his holy Catholike faith might increase in the Indias as y e same did besides the estate of y e king of Portingale which might increase also in riches as the same hath done Hovv the Captaine General being at Coching ther came vnto him a Priest vvhich vvas an Indian and a christian from the citie of Grangalor to go vvith him to Portingale and also vvhat els he tolde him of the christians of this citie Chap. 39 THe Captaine Generall béeing in this citie laden there came vnto him two Indians which as they said were christians naturally borne in y e citie of Grangalor which is hard by Coching these were brothers were desirous to go to Portingale frō thence to Rome to sée the Pope afterward to Ierusalem to visit y e holy sepulchre And being demanded by y e Captaine generall what city y ◠Grangalor was whether the same was only inhabited by christians also whether they do estéeme y e christiā order of y ◠Gréeks or of y e church of Rome one of thē made answere y ◠Grangalor was a gret city in y e prouince
newlye rigged they departed And within seauen dayes after there fell a great leake in the ship y t Lewis Cotine was in for that it was in such a place that they could not come by it they were therefore driuen with all the Fléete to retourne to Monsanbique to new rigge the same Now the winde was scant they were faine to remaine in a certeine créeke vntill she was finished and afterwarde they retourned to their voyage and at the Cape of the Correntes they were so ouertaken with stormes which came sodeinly and with such a force vpon them and that against them that they were forced to stay there with all the Fléete The ship that Steuen de la Gama went in did beare vp onely with her fore saile and his sprit Saile all to torne by reason wherof he lost the companie of the whole Fléete and was no more séene And within sixe dayes after that the Captaine Generall arriued at Lishborne shée came in also with her Mast broken This storme being past from this Cape of the Currents the Captaine Generall followed his course toward Lishborne where he arriued the first day of September All the noble men of the Court went as farre as Cascaes to receiue and accompanie him till he came to the king He had going before him his Page which carryed a Bason of siluer within the same was layde all the tribute which the king of Quiloa had paide Béeing come where the king was his grace honourably receiued him according as he did deserue who had done him so great seruice as it was to discouer the Indias and to leaue setled Factoryes in Coching and in Cananor which things must néeds redound vnto the king to most certeine gaine and profit besides the great fame and honour which he got therby in being the first king that had sent to discouer the East partes whereof he might make conquest if so be that it pleased him So in satisfaction the king made him Admerall of the Indias and also gaue him the title of Lord of Vydeguero which was his owne Of the newes that were giuen out in Coching how the king of Calycut put himselfe in a readinesse for the warres and how Vincente Sodre wold not succour him but went to the cape of Quardafum Chap. 50. AS soone as the king had knowledge that y e Captaine general was departed toward Portingale he immediatly determined to put his warres in execution which he had signified to y e king of Coching before And so he marched toward the village of Panane where he beganne to ioyne his power which was immediatly knowne vnto all those of Coching for that it was not far of Wherfore the dwellers there were wonderfully afeard saieng that they had cause so to be for that the king of Coching did all things contrarie to iustice and equitie And since he did the same vnto those that are of his sect and all most naturally borne with him why should he not doe the like vnto the christians which are our enimies And for that God doth well perceiue the iust quarrell the king of Calycut hath to make him warres that he will therefore aide and succour him therein vpon the charges of those that are innocents thereof This they did not onelye tell our men but also in euery place they railed at them and endeauoured to procure as much hurt as they coulde against them Some of them also that were in credite with the king and ought vs no great good will did openlye saye that if so bée that the king of Calycut did come with a greater power then they hadde they would immediatlye deliuer our men vnto him since the warres were begunne in respect of vs and for our sakes they did put in hazarde the losse of their kingdome The king meruailing much of the boldnesse of his subiects aunswered them with louing wordes saieng that they had offended him verie sore with theyr vaine speach assuring them that if so bee that the king of Calycut woulde come and séeke him out yet hée woulde notwithstanding defende himselfe onely for that hée well knoweth that God will fauour him for his iust dealing in defending those christians as he had taken vppon him to doe But for all this his subiects coulde not bée well pacified whereof some were desirous to set vppon our men but yet they durst not for that the king had allowed them a gard to attend vppon them and also appointed a strong place for their lodging Vpon this there came newes that Vincente Sodre was come to Coching who had left greate hurt done along the coast of Calicut both by water and by land Of whose comming all our men were very glad for that they were before in great daunger But the Factor perceiuing that they came not a land sent the Captaine generall word by Laurenco Moreno the certeintie they heard of the warres which the king of Calycut was minded to make vppon the king of Coching and where hée was at that present in a readinesse for the same Requesting him on his behalfe and requiring him in the name of the king of Portingale that he woulde forthwith disimbarke himselfe for that with his béeing in Coching they were certein they should remaine conquerours yéelding sufficient reason for the same otherwise that they were in greate daunger The Generall aunswered that he was appointed for Captaine Generall of the Sea and not of the lande and did therefore remaine in the Indias onelye to kéepe the seas Neuerthelesse if so bée that the king of Calycut had prepared his warres against the king of Coching by sea he would haue defended him but since it was by lande he had nothing to doe withall but to suffer the king to defend himselfe for that he would depart to discouer the redde Sea The Factor vpon this determinate answere did once more send vnto him requiring him on Gods behalfe and the king of Portingales that he would not leaue them so for that the king of Cochings power was but small to defend himselfe withall in these warres against the king of Calicut who had begun the same onely and for none other cause but to destroy our Factorie And therfore he as Captaine Generall of the king of Portingale was bound for to defend him and that this was the principall cause why he remained in the Indias But for all this the General would not tarrie and so he departed with the rest of his Fléet toward the Cape de Quardafum where he did well knowe that he shoulde take sundrye rich prises This was that which he did better remember then to stay and defend the king of Coching or the king of Portingales Factorie How the king of Calicut signified vnto his noble men all such as did assist him the causes why he made this warre against the king of Coching And how the Prince Nabeadarni was hee that onely spake against the same chap. 50. AFter that the king of Calycut
was come to Panane thether also came presentlye sundry noble men his subiects and others his friends whome he had sent for to aide and succour him in this enterprise Others there were that came before they were sent for For as soone they heard that the warres were begun and that for our sakes that remained in Coching of the which they were all glad hoping therby to hunt vs out of the Indias therfore they came with the better good wil to séeke the destruction of the king of Coching There were also of his owne subiects that arose against him and some of his nobilitye as the Caimall of Chirapipill and hée of Cambalane and also he of the greate Iland which is ouer against Coching who carryed with them all the power that they were able to make And béeing come into the presence of the king of Calycut he spake vnto them all IF that good workes doe engender friendshippe amongest men then I and you for my sake and generally all the Malabars ought to beare the same greatly vnto the Moores for that it is well knowne that it is sixe hundred yeare since they came into the Prouince of Malabar and in all this time yea to this daie there was neuer anie that euer receiued at theyr handes anye hurt or losse But hauing no sooner receiued straungers newly come into anye of our Countries immediatlye we receiue losse by them wheresoeuer they doe beginne to settle theyr trade But the Moores doe trade with the people with all friendship and loue as ought to doe one naturall neighbour with an other by whose meanes the Countrey hath béene alwayes well prouided of much victualls and merchaundise which hath béene a cause to enrich our Townes and that our rents are greatly increased in especiall within this our Citie For whilest the Moores are héere resident they haue made the same the greatest mart Towne that is in all the Indias For this cause I am bounde in conscience and haue greate reason to fauour them and to mislyke of the christians which to my greate hinderaunce yea and against my good will settle in my lande more for to take the same and to destroye mée then to bring mée anye profite or gaines as the Moores doe hauing giuen of themselues greate shewes and signes thereof within these few daies that they were héere as in taking of my Captaine Generall and my Embassadour prisoners in making of new lawes in my Citie to lade their shippes first and before the Moores shuld lade And vpon this they tooke an occasion to staye a certeine Shippe of the Moores which was the cause that the Moores did as you doe heare and as I maye iudge by the sequeale thereof was so ordeined of God for theyr pride of the which hée was in no fault Yet this notwithstanding they burnt ten of my shippes which lay within my harbour After all this they with theyr Ordinance destroyed my Citye so that I was driuen to runne awaye out of my pallaice Not contented with this they burnt me other two shippes which they woulde not haue done if so be that they had come to settle a trade But first of all since they found themselues agréeued they shoulde haue come and made theyr complaint to mée of the Moores and tarryed till I had punished them and not to doe as they haue done by which it was apparant that they are théeues and no Merchants as they name themselues to be that vnder this coulour they might conquere the whole Countrie Which things the king of Coching would neuer vnderstand nor giue credit vnto although I sent him worde And being as he is my subiect wel vnderstanding what they had done vnto mée yet he would not but receiue them giue them lading for their ships and now he hath giuen them a factorie I sending him word and praieng him many times that he wold not consent therevnto For this cause therfore I haue sent for you that you should ioyne your selues And also to request you to tell me your opinions whether I haue reason to reuenge my selfe or no This determination to them all séemed verie good and they praised his purposed intent but principally the Lord of Repelyn forsomuch as hée was a greate enimie to the king of Coching for that he had vsurped an Iland of his called Arraul also of the selfe same opinion were other principall Moores But against this his pretended iourney spake the kings brother called Nambeadarin which was the onely heire to the Kingdome after the death of his brother who immediatlye in the presence of them all sayde THE kindred that is betwéene thée and mée beside sundrie other thinges may certifie thée that I do desire more thine honour and profit then anye that bée héere present and therefore my councell ought to be of a more efficacie then anye others For as they are not so greatlye bound to giue thée the same as I am so as it appeareth they doe feede thy humour and councell thée according to thy will since thou art desirous to accept it and not according to good reason which thou hast to leaue it But if so bée that they without flatterye and thou without passion wouldest iudge or weigh the cause of these Christians thou shouldest finde that vnto this present time they haue giuen thée no cause but that they should be well receiued into thy Countrie and so into all the Prouince of Malabar and not to hunt them foorth lyke théeues which they cannot bée called although they were present And forasmuch as from all the places of the worlde men doe resorte hether and assemble themselues to buye those Merchaundise which they haue not in theyr Countryes and bring those hether which we haue not héere In the same sorte come these Christians and as the custome is of Merchauntes they brought thée in their kings behalfe the richest present that thou diddest yet euer receiue And besides theyr merchandise they brought much Golde and siluer made in coine which they doe not vse to bring which come to make warres And if so bée they hadde come in anye such sorte they woulde not haue dissimuled the running awaye that the Pleadges offered vnto them whome thou doest call Embassadours that were kepte in Prison for that theyr Captaine was a Lande But they reconciling themselues vnto thée went and tooke the shippe at thy request in the which was the greate Elephant and afterward did present thée therwith and with all that the same ship carried besides those that are théeues doe not vse so to doe nor yet paye so well nor vse so much truth as they did for all the time that they were in Calycut there was none that did complaine of them but onely the Moores which they did for that they are their enimies and being mooued with enuy to sée them pertakers of their profite did accuse them that they hadde taken greate store of Pepper from the owners against theyr wills they
Portingale Portingale and all those that were with him did the lyke Our men also out of their boates did aunswere after the selfe same manner saieng Coching Coching in despite of the King of Calycut As Francisco de Albuquerque did leape a land the King of Coching was there ready and tooke him in his armes with the teares in his eyes for excéeding ioye saying that his desire was to lyue no longer but to see himselfe restored to Coching that his Subiectes might well perceiue how much he was bound to passe so great troubles as hée had past all for to serue the King of Portingale In whose name the Captaine generall gaue him great thankes with promise to reuenge his quarrell vpon his enimies And for his part he gaue him ten thousand crownes to spend during the time that he did not receiue his rents and this money was taken out of the Coffer he carried which gift y e king of Coching estéemed very much for that he was very poore Also his subiects iudged this to be done right liberally as it was noted amongst them all and from thencefoorth they thought all to be well bestowed that the King had done for our men Foorthwith they carried the King to Coching where he entered with great glorye besides the reioycing which his subiects made and from thenceforth all our men were amongst them well estéemed Now it was not long after that the newes how that the King was retourned to Coching was brought to the King of Calycuts cares and of the money that the Captaine generall had giuen him who seeing that there was likelyhood of wars sent certain Caymales into his Countrey to defend the same for that it ioyned vnto the kingdome of Coching How Francisco de Alburquerque began the warres against all those that were enimies to the king of Coching and how the Caymall of the Ilande of Charanaypin was slaine Chap. 57. THe King of Coching being put in his possesion Francisco de Albuerquerque tooke his leaue of him His entent was that yet afore night he would partly reuenge himselfe vpon his enimies And so he went to the Iland which is ouer against Coching Now as the inhabitants thereof were somewhat forgetful and thought not that as that daye he woulde retourne so therefore did our men set vppon them before they were aware and that vpon such a sodaine that there were slaine of them a great number and sundry of their Townes set a fire and afterward they imbarked themselues without receiuing any harme And Francisco de Alburquerque going toward his Fléete met with the King and tolde him what he had done The next day after he returned to the same Iland to destroy it altogether He caried with him to y â— number of sixe hundred men for so many he had with those that he found in the other two ships and there went with him al his Captaines The Caymall of that Ilande was tarrieng for him along the water side with two thousand Nayres wherof the most part were bow men y â— others had speares swords and targets They did all they coulde to kéepe our men from landing which they did without receiuing anye hurt and they being galled sore with our Crossebowes were driuen away Our men followed them vnto the other side of the Ilande with so stout a stomacke that they had no other remedie but to take the water leauing behinde them many of their companye slaine and hurte And our men not hauing with whom to fight did set fire to all the Townes y â— were in the Ilande so that the whole Iland was destroyed The next day following Erancisco de Alburquerque went to another Iland called Charanaipin which was belonging to a Caymall subiect to the king of Coching who serued in al these warres with the King of Calycut Concerning whom by certaine spyes that the King of Coching had in that Iland he vnderstood that he had made himselfe in a readines to defend himselfe against the Captaine generall hauing redie in armes thrée thousand Nayres of the which were seauen 〈…〉 and fortie with shot besides all their houses 〈◊〉 with sundry trenches round about Also he had by 〈◊〉 certeine Paraos with Ordinance in the same which the king of Calycut had giuen him These wer aâ—â—oat in a certaine harbor where our men pretended to disimbarke themselues which were there placed that they shoulde resist our comming into that place if that it were possible About this place there was great store of boates all furnished with Ordinance but the enimies at the length were driuen to runne away so that our men remained quietly in the harbour where there stood in the water yea euen vp to their girdles a great number alwaies 〈◊〉 our landing throwing at vs both stones and spâ—â—res and shooting off their arrowes in great plentie But as one as our Ordinaunce began to go off then they desperatâ—ly began to run away and giue place Howbeit they 〈…〉 did so ioyne themselues together that in such sort they gaue our men inough to do to disimbarke themselues for that the same was so valiantly by them resisted And for all that our men could doe they woulde reuer leaue their olde altogether but by a â—wordfâ— and a lyttle they retired themselues to their Palme trée or to haue amongst them succour and there what with the hinderance that our men found by those trées they defended themselues a small time But afterward they ranne awaye and that without order so that our men followed them to the vttermost in especiall the Constable of Francisco de Alburquerque whom they call Pedro de lares who found himselfe alone with thrée Nayres which came toward him The one of these shot an arrow which strake him in the breast and for that he wore a breast plate it did him no harme And as the Nayre loosed off his arrow went off lykewise his shot and strake the Nayre in the breast so that he ouerthrewe him and afterward shot off another péece vpon one of the others that remained and killed him also By the third he himselfe was hurte in the legge with a certaine weapon which they doe call a Gomya and with the same hée that hurt him would haue run awaye but at length this Pedro lares killed him with his sword Thus all the enimies béeing put to flight Francisco de Alburquerque did then determine to march toward the Caymalls house wher he had gathered together all his force which was somewhat strong by reaâ—on of certaine trenches that he had made about the same The Captaines were diuided on both sides of the Iland and each of them had their men with them and in the middes of the Iland were placed those of Coching In this order they went all burning and spoylyng such Townes as there were and that without any resistaunce Going in this order there came certaine Paraos from Calycut on that side of the Ilande which Edwarte Pachecho had the
two orders of Palme trées and other strong timber firmely set into the ground and yoked together with hoopes of yron and nayled with great nayles Betwéene the two orders of trées they were rampered vp with much earth sande and at the ende of each of these Corners wer builded bulwarks which were replenished with Ordinaunce Also there was cast about the same a Caue or Ditch which alwaies was full of water The next daye after that this Fort was ended there was made a solemne Procession in the which went the Vicar of this Forte who rarried in his hande a Crucifix vnder a Canapie which the Captaine 's caried ouer him sounding before the same their Trumpets with great ioye With this solemnitie they entred into y e Castle which the Vicar did blesse And by commaundement of the Captaines they caused the same to be called Manuel in perpetuall memory of the King Don Manuel vnto whom all those that made the same were subiects The Fort being blessed ther was a Masse sang at y e which ther was also a Sermon made by Frier Gaston wherein was made mention how much they were bound to giue God great thankes y t would permit and condescend that from so small a kingdome as that is of Portingale and lieng on the cape of the Occident there should goe Portingales to a land so farre of as are the Indias and to make there a fort amongst such a multitude of enimyes vnto the Catholike faith And that by the clemencie of God this should be but a beginning of many others Also he made mention how greatly bound they wer to y â— king of Coching for y e good seruice y â— héerin he had done to the king theyr souereigne which words béeing brought to y e king of Coching he reioyced therat very much gaue y e generals thanks for y e same After all this they returned followed their warres against all such as were enimies to the king of Coching and beset certeine townes which wer along the coast fiue leagues from Coching the rather for that they were aduertised by their spies that those Nayres that should kéepe the same were but few in number They carried with them for that place seauen hundred men and departed two houres before day notwithstanding it was nine of the clocke before they came thether in the which townes there were more then sixe thousand soules ouer besides children and such Naires as were there in garison which were thrée hundred and those all bowmen Alonso de Alburquerque with other of the Captaines leapt a land hard by the first towne Francisco de Alburquerque w t the others into the other towns which were a Fawlcon shot off In the first they tooke the enimies vpon a sodeme with the feare thereof they made them runne awaie for that immediatly as soone as they landed they set fire vnto them all Our men seeing the enimies to runne awaie went after them and in ouertaking them there were many slaine of them and after that they were wery of following them they destroied the countrie In the meane while the larome was raised and for that this Ilande was well inhabited there was assembled together well nigh sixe thousande Nayres which did set vpon our men at theyr imbarking so that they were in greate daunger in especiall Edwarto Pacheco which found not his boat wher he had left the famâ— They followed him so narrowlye that with their Bowes and arrowes there were of his men hurt to the number of eight although they defended themselues valiauntly and killed many of their enimies But for that the enimyes were so many in number they had beene worse handled if so bâ— those Captaines Generalls which were inbarked had not disimbarked themselues and â—â—â—coured them The enymies séeing this and hauing lost their hope to reuenge their iniuries more then that they had done did runne awaye leauing behinde them the 〈◊〉 well couered ouer with dead men which fell with their bowes and hand guns in theyr hands The enimies 〈◊〉 gone after this force our men did set a fire fiftéene Paraos which were a ground and tooke other seauen which were a floate and so departed going their way alwaies hallowing and crieng as who shuld say they 〈◊〉 them which thing gréeued the Lord of Repelyn whose Ilande that was considering howe all they found the same prouided And they fearing least our men would 〈◊〉 vpon another towne which stoode a league from the same vp the riuer he sent certeine Naires thether immediatly How the Captaines Generall returned to Repelyn and afterward went to 〈…〉 what Edwarte Pacheco did in those two 〈◊〉 Chap. 60. THe Captaines generall hauing knowledge of these townes to the end ther shuld remaine nothing of the Lords of Repelyn y â— were not destroied they determined so follow them victory And therfore y t selfe same night they departed but before they would so do they rested themselues till it was midnight hard by y e castle y t they might by the dawning of the day come to the town whether they minded to 〈◊〉 And for at y â— it was dark yet they departed at y â— time although y e one of them could not see the other And Alonso de Alburquerque being 〈◊〉 to remaine behinde he commanded his men row a apacâ— by y t meanes he was the first that came to the towne that a great deale before day And being weary with staieng for the rest of his companye he commaunded to set fire to the towne with intent to burne the same for that the enimies were vnprouided for his coÌ„ming he supposed he might therfore doe the same the better and so he did The enimies séeing the fire arose forthwith to quench the same which our men perceiuing did set vpon them slew some the others ranne their wayes Thus they did for that they were of a base kinde of people and poore and without weapons The Naires knowing that it was our men that had set y e fire came thether all such of them as were in garison within y e towne which were more then two thousand who being together did set vpon our men very desperatly insomuch that Alonso de Alburquerque with his men was driuen to retire for that they were no more then fortie of y e which ther was one slaine of the others there were some hurt with their arrowes They had all of them hardly escaped if so be that they had not retired which was done not without great trouble And yet he could not haue done so much if the boys of the ships which remained in their boats had not set fire to a Fawlcon for feare of the which as soone as the same was shot of the enimies aparted themselues By this time it was day light at the which came thether Francisco de Alburquerque who wheÌ„ he had knowledge what had past commaunded to be shot of all the ordinance
that the boats carried which made the enimies to flie from the shoare Whilest they were thus doing Edwarte Pacheco did determine to leape a land somwhat farther of from the others going forth to doe so he found ther many Naires w t theyr weapons which had past by a narrow way to y e intent to succour their felows As soone as he had sight of theÌ„ he commanded to bring his boat hard to y e streight where w t his ordinance he did hinder and keepe that passage Then immediatly came thether our men which forthwith did leape a land setting vpoÌ„ their enimies inforced theÌ„ to ruÌ„ away and for that they knew not the countrie they followed them not but did set fire to the towne Then Edwarto Pacheco Pedro de Taide did part themselues with their men to go and burne another Towne which stoode a little aboue the â—ther and in the way they met with eightéene Paraos all armed of the king of Calycuts which they did put to flight and the towne being burnt as they before had determined they returned to their Generalls And for that it was somwhat rath for to returne they went to the Iland of Cambalan minding to destroie y e same for that the Caimall was enimie to the king of Coching where they burnt a greate towne From thence Edwarto Pacheco with sixe Paraos of Coching went to burne another towne but before they could accomplish the same they fought a good while with their enimies of the which there were some slaine The Towne being set a fire he retourned with his men of the which were seauen hurt and béeing retyred he fought with thirtéene Paraos of Calicut which he did ouercome with the helpe of Pedro de Tayde Antonio del campo which came thether at that instant The enimies being retired into a certeine créeke there went after them Edwarto Pacheco and was the cause that one of those Paraos ran a ground and so he tooke the same and in the meane while the others went their waie And for that our men that rowed were wearyed they went not therefore after them but returned vnto their Captaines generall with whome they went to Coching And giuing the king an account of that which they had done hée yéelded himselfe sufficiently contented with reuenge of his enimies and prayed them to giue ouer the warres What the captaine Generall had done going for a Tone laden with pepper and how Edwarto Pacheco did put to flight 34. Paraos chap. 6â— NOw by reason of these foresaid wars there was none that durst bring one graine of Pepper to sell at the Factorie Neither yet durst the merchants goe to seeke the same out and for all that they were able they could not get more then thrée hundred Bahares And so they sent word to the generalls willing them to send for it being nine leagues of from Coching y â— which they immediatly did béeing accompanied with all the other Captaines of the Fléete for that they shoulde goe for the same amongst all their enimyes And because they woulde not be knowne they departed in the night and in their way Edwarte Pacheco did destroy an whole Ilande where hee with onely those of his owne companie fought with sixe thousand of his enimies the Generalls did in the meane while put to slight xxxiiii Paraos This béeing done Edwarte Pacheco and Antonio del campo went and destroied a great towne in the firme land fighting with putting to slight two thousand Naires of the which ther were many slaine and hurt and of our men not one With this victorie they returned to their Captaines Generall who sent immediatly for the pepper which was but a lyttle way of and being night themselues did depart toward Coching from whence they were minded to send the Tone which carried the pepper laden with merchandise to giue in truck of the same And for that it might goe the surer Edwarte Pacheco was sent with other thrée Captaines who carried each of them fiftie men a péece of Coching therwent 500. Paraos Edwarte Pacheco being departed did passe the foresaid straight before it was day therfore he was not seens being broad day did passe by the mouth of a 〈◊〉 where ther were bow men without number y â— which shot at our men with their arrowes And if so be y â— our boates had not ben paueicâ—d or fenced with their shields a targets our men had receiued great hurt for that the riuer was but narow so y e with their arrows they might reach them Edwarte Pacheco séeing that they were ioyned all together and iudging that on that sort they might do them some harme commanded immediatly one of the Captaines to kéepe y â— Tone and he with the other two also those of Coching did determinatly come with y e proers of their boats a land where there were two thousand men of the enimies amongst the which he commaunded the Fawlkons to be shotte off the which did so enter amongest them all that with the same there were many torne in péeces so that it made the residue to retire from the water side there remained place inough for our men to disimbarke themselues without daunger so they did And as the most part of them carried handguns so they did set vpon them with the better stomacke The enimies for all that gaue no place but shot of their arrowes which were so many in number that it was thought that one met in the aire with another The skirmish was valiantly handled of the one side and of the other which in such sort indured a quarter of an houre yet notwithstanding the enimie at length did runne away and left of their company many slaine the cause whereof was for that they brought no weapons to offend their enimies withall Then our men pursued them to a village out of the which there issued many Naires which ioyning theÌ„selues with those y â— fled away returned vpon our men with such a stomacke that they ran in great daunger for that there were of the enimies wel néere sixe thousand men A great multitude of those y t were ther did then as much as they could to go betwéene the riuer and our men but to resist them that they should not so doe and to kill them all our men defended themselues and repelled them with greate difficultie And as the riuer was thus defended so they ran into the same in the which they shewed themselues to be valiant And when they drew néere to those that were in their boates they separated themselues into two seuerall places leauing one broad way that our men might the better imbark themselues standing without the daunger of their Ordinaunce with the feare of the which the enimyes did suffer our men to imbarke themselues whereat there was none either slaine or hurt which séemed to be a miracle ¶ Heere is contained the scituation of the Citie of Coulan
and how the Apostle Saint Thomas came thether and there was martyred and Alonso de Alburquerque went and laded there and in what place did settle a Factorye Chap. 62. IMmediatly after this was the king of Calicut aduertised of the losse of those â—araos and also of all the successe that our men had in those wars for the knowledge wherof he vsed all diligence in respect of the great desire he had to turne vs out of the Indias for that naturally they could not abide vs. And fearing least that we shuld take their countrie from them they were so much the more desirous to hunt vs away This thing they procured with great instance and also were the occasion that we should haue no Pepper Making this account that if so be that we should goe without the same vnto Portingale it would be the occasion that we would not retourne againe to the Indias By this meanes therfore we were driuen to prouide for the Fléete in their riuers and that with such a number of men that we could neuer haue aboue a 1200. quintall of Pepper of 4000. Bahares that the Merchants had promised and yet this we got with great shot of Ordinaunce and hurt of our men and with infinit shedding of bloud of the enimies In the ende the king of Calycut found the meanes by merchants his friends to perswade with the merchants of Coching to giue to the Captaine general no more pepper excusing themselues with the warres Which thing was done in such sort that neither with the request of the king of Coching neither with anye gifte that was giuen them by Francisco de Alburquerque hée coulde moue or perswade them to giue them anye more Pepper Now the hope of our men for hauing the same anye more in Coching béeing past Alonso de Alburquerque with Pedro de Tayde and Antonio del Campo were driuen to séeke for the same at the citie of Coulan which they did the sooner for that they knew that the gouernours of y â— Towne were desirous of our factorie the which was offered to Pedro Aluares Cabrall and the Lorde Admerall Those that thus went thether were fully bent to make warres against them if so be that they woulde not giue them lading for theyr ships Alonso de Alburquerque béeing departed from Coching with certaine Captaines came into the port of the Citie of Coulan the which standeth twelue leagues from Coching and from Comarin xxiiii the which is beyond the same bearing toward the South This Citie as 〈◊〉 saye before that Calycut was builded was the principall of the Poruince of Malabar and the greatest and most principallest Port of all that Coast Notwithstanding as yet their houses be both greate and fayre and so are also theyr Pagodes and Chappell 's comparable to these of Calycut Their harbour or hauen is verie good they are well prouided of all sortes of victualls the people are in condition lyke vnto those of Calicut The inhabitants are Malabars Gentiles and Moores and the Moores are verie rich and greate merchauntes in especially since the warres beganne betwéene Calycut and vs for many merchauntes of Calycut lefte the same and nowe dwell there They doe trade in Coromandyll Ceilan in the Ilands of Maldyua Bengala Pegu â—â—matia and in Malaea The king of this countrie is Lorde of a greate Kingdome wherin are many great Cities and rich which haue belonging vnto them sundrye goodlye harbours by reason whereof his customes are great and for that cause they are riche of Treasure and are able to make a greate power of men of warre which are for the moste parte men but of lyttle stature He hath alwayes in his gard thrée hundred women which doe vse bowes and are very perfect in the skill of shooting They haue about their breasts certaine bands of lynnen of silke with the which they doe binde them so harde that they are no hinderaunce vnto them in their shooting This king hath for y e most part of his 〈◊〉 war with the king of Narsinga which is a great trouble vnto him He doth continually or for the most part remain◠〈◊〉 a Citie the which they doe call Calle The Gouernours of Coulan are as it were Aldermen in the which there is a certaine Church which y e Apostle Saint Thomas builded comming thether to preach the Catholike faith by reason wherof there were great numbers that turned Christians as well of the Gentiles as otherwise so that of them there are procéeded from generation to generation the number of twelue thousand householders that are scattered abroad in the Country wher they haue their Churches The King of Coulan séeing how many were daylye conuerted and the daunger thereof did banish him out of his Countrey who being thus gone went to a Citie called Malapur lyeng along that Coast and is parcell of the Kingdome of Narsingas And yet being there for y t he was so followed by y â— Gentiles and by y e Christians of Coulan did apart himselfe to y e Mountains wher they affirme y t he dyed from thence he was brought to be buried in Coulan in a vante y t was made in the foresaide Church This Church is now ouergrowen with bâ—shes and woodes for that the Citie is disinhabited onely there remaineth a poore Moore which doeth kéepe the same for that there are no Christians néere vnto it and there he liueth vppon the almes of all those y t commeth thether in Pilgrimage aswell of Christians as of the Gentiles for y e Moores doth not let to giue their almes likewise vnto him for that he was buried in their Countrey Alonso de Alburquerque being come to the harbor of this citie the Gouernours hauing knowledge therof they came to visite him a boord his ship where within the same there was setled a peace y â— which was made vpon condition that we should haue our Factory in the Citie also should haue as much lading of spices and other commodities as would lade presently those ships the which immediatly they went about to prouide In the meane while that our men were there and whilest that the one ship tooke in his lading the other two kept abroad in the sea to watch all such as past by from other places and those that they could discrie were brought some with their good wills and others there were brought against their wills to speake with Alonso de Alburquerque and to shew him obedience as to a Captaine general of y e king of Portingales He offered no hurt to any but onely to the Moores of the red sea for all such of them as he tooke he would cause their ships first to be ransacked and afterward to be burnt in reuenge of that they had done to Pedro Aluares Cabrall of the which those of Coulan were greatly afraid The house for the Factorie béeing finished and the shippes laden Alonso de Alburquerque lefte there for Factor one Antonio de Sala
in the battel of our men that the enimies could ouercome The Supper being done they went to rest themselues till midnight and being confessed and absolued by the Vicar the Captaine generall said vnto them MAsters and my friends I am very merie glad that you doe remember the principall thing which is your soules for that I doe well knowe that with this remembrance God will haue vs in his high glorious memorie to giue vs the victory against our enimies not onely for the satisfaction of our troubles but also for the increasing of his holy and Catholike faith and that the King of Coching and his people might vnderstand that our God is a true God and mightie aboue all mighties and that hée doeth not fayle those which doe put theyr confidence and trust in his name As for the King of Coching you did well sée him yesterdaye howe sadde and heauie and without hope he went away 〈◊〉 in the victory which God I doubt not hath promised vs making sure account that we were all lost and vtterly cast awaye perswading me withall that I shuld in time prouide for mine owne safetie Surely I did neuer finde in him so much feare nor yet so great cowardnesse the occasion therof was that they heard that the power of the king of Calicut was much greater then it was before And although it were so great as they doe thinke yet farre greater without al comparison is our God and that haue you well seene in the helps past that he hath sent vs and euen so now do I hope that he will likewise helpe vs and send vs the victory And with this hope let vs assuredly trust to ouercome the enimyes for he will maintaine the honour that wée haue gotten and from hence forth will so encrease the same that we should remaine in this worlde for lightes of valiaunt men and for the same be so feared in the Indias that neither the king of Calicut nor any else will dare set vpon vs and the honour being gotten we shall be assured of rest for the troubles we haue had As he had ended they sayd all that without the victorye they would not liue And at this time which was two houres after midnight some of the Ordinaunce of the fléete of the king of Calycut beganne to discharge making theyr way towards the Captaine Generall and the king himselfe went by land being accompanied with more then thirtie thousand men with his field péeces as his vse was and with great hope y e he should giue vs the ouerthrow with this double pride much more then he euer had he came forward The Lord of Repelyn marched before with certeine men that should make rampyres of earth in the point of Arrâ—â—l for a defence for our enimyes in the battell He brought with him great noises cries with great pleasure and dauncing the which the Captaine generall didde heare and went verie secretly a lande and placed himselfe in the very point where the enimies shuld come the which he did defend that the enimies should not make there any rampyers about the which our men killed some of them This being knowne to the king of Calicut that the Captaine Generall came thether to méete with him hée commaunded his souldiers with a stout stomacke to set vppon him and take him aliue the better to reuenge himselfe on him at his pleasure About this there was a great skirmish and many of the enimies were slaine without taking of the Captaine Generall neither yet could they make theyr rampiers As the morning came on which was the Ascention day the other Fléete did appeare y â— which was not far off and by this the Captaine generall was retired vnto his boates but it was with great trouble because of the great multitude of the enimies which came vpon him howbeit he imbarked both himselfe and his men without lacking any of them but there were of the enimies many slaine and hurt The point béeing now cléere vnfurnished the enimies came and placed themselues there and then they began to shoote off their Ordinaunce at vs to the which wée did aunswere with ours dooing them great hurt therewith for that all our shot went amongst the enimies where they lay open and our men were well fenced therefore their ordinaunce could doe vs no hurt The king of Calicut séeing this sent word to his Fléete that they should rowe a pace and come to helpe and deliuer him from the daunger and feare that our men did put him in The Fléete being come it was a fearefull sight to beholde them for that there was driuen before them certeine raffes the which went alwaies burning with intent to set the Caruells on fire and after them an hundred and ten Paraos full of men ordinance many of them cheined together and after them a hundred Catures in the same manner and foure score Tonis de coxia ancha and in each of them thirtie men besides theyr ordinaunce and the eight castles in kéeping of these the which stoode hard by the point for that the ebbe was not as yet altogether entered The enimies came with great clamor making great laromes and cries and plaieng vpon instruments accounting vs as ouercome already and with this they shot off so many péeces of Ordinance as it was wonderfull to see and with their fagots which they brought before them burning they drew very neere to the Canizo which was placed before the Caruells and therefore they could not come to set the Caruels a fire neither any other of all the Fléete Wherefore all those that went before did ioyne with the Canizâ— and therewith did giue vs battaile without all doubt they had closed with vs at this time if this defence had not bene In this sodaine fight which was very great the battel indured a good while vntill such time the ebbe came on and at this time the enimies receiued great hurt not onely in their Fregates that were torne in péeces and sunke but also many of their men that were slaine and hurte The Ebbe being come the Paraos with their Castles did put off from the poynt and to the ende they should goe the swifter they were rowed with boats These came right towards the Caruells and in the greatest of them all went fortie fighting men and in the other of the middle sort in each of them fine and thirtie and in the lesser sort thirtie men All these were bowmen shot and besides that they did carrie Ordinaunce and stoode all abroad which did shewe so terrible and monstrous a front as was fearful to be séene the rather being so great a fléet in comparison of our small power to defend them we hauing but two Caruells two boats But this was y e day wherein God did well shew the great regard he had to preserue vs for that neither the sight of so many men and so many sorts of wayes whereby they had compassed
and beset vs neither yet such a Fléete that was so great and mightye with the fearefull cryes that the Enimies did make nor the terrible thundering of the Ordinance could any wayes discourage or make vs afeard The greater of the Castles being come hard to this defence did then shoote off all his ordinance at the Caruels the Captaine generall commaunded to shoote at the same with a Saker the which caused the said Castle to stand wauering but yet did them little harme neither yet with another péece that they shot off foorthwith with the which Captaine generall was so sad that he lifted vp his eyes vnto heauen saieng Lord doe not retourne my sinnes to my face at this time and this he said with such a loude voyce that some there were that heard the same In the meane while came the other Paraos which did set themselues right equal with the first with the comming of these the battell did increase more and more very stoutly on all parts Their arrowes came so thicke which made so great a shadow that sometimes ther appeared neither heauen nor earth with y â— great smoke of their Ordinaunce The Captaine generall did tourne and commaund to shoote at the great Castle the Saker againe as with y â— other shot past they had somwhat shaken their yron works which were not very strong so with the same shot they presently brake after y t the yron workes were thus broken some of their beams being likewise caried away with certeine of their men slaine with y â— same our men gaue a great cry the Captaine general falling down on his knées gaue God great thankes returning to shoot the Saker againe did carrie away another row of beams with many more slaine and hurt and the Ordinaunce being shotte off againe it was all torne in péeces in a small space and so the enimies went with their Castle further of but the others remayned there fighting very stoutly And after this both parts endured more trouble all the day folowing then in all the battells that were past but in the ende we did so much hurt vnto their Castles and sunke and rent so many of their Paraos in péeces y â— the enimies could not abide the same therfore they shrank thence The fight did endure till euensong time began in y â— morning of the enimies wer many slain as afterward was séene in y â— water of vs none nor any hurt but only brused with a shot which went through y e Admiral y e bullet went among many that were there but they receiued no harme The Captaine generall séeing the enimies went their waye followed them in their Boates and such Paraos as he had shooting alwayes at those that were vppon the point Arâ—aul with the king and with the force of their Ordinaunce made them runne away leauing behinde them slaine thrée hundred and thirtie men This béeing done he then returned to his Caruells where that euening came to visit him the Prince of Coching in the behalfe of the king who sent to excuse himselfe that he could not come to visit him in his owne person But he sent him againe word that he wold receiue no discharge vntill such time he knew his heuines was past but praied him froÌ„ hence forth to beléeue better in God for that the daungerous daye of the Castles was past and he remained in the passage as he did before all safe and in readinesse to serue him The selfe same daie came to visit him certeine noble men of those that were of the king of Cochings side with whome there was made great triumph for this victorie and likewise there went to sée him many Moores Merchants which brought him great presents supposing to get of him thereby great friendship He receiued them very gently praieng them to be true subiects to the king of Coching for thereby they should finde him assured at any time whensoeuer he might stand them in any stéede wherevpon they faithfully promised so to do to binde them the more he made them very great chéere Also the next day in the morning the king of Coching came to visit him who imbraced him with as great gladnesse as could be deuised saieng that he did wel performe y e which he had promised in giuing the king of Calycut the ouerthrowe But vnto this he answered that he had not performed all his promise since that he did not put him on the Caluete but he was not in fault thereof for that the king kept himselfe alwayes farre from him He declared also to the king diuerse other matters of pleasure which the king answered in like manner praising very much his valiantnes that he had wel séene y e God did fight for vs asking of him forgiuenesse for y e distrust he had in him how greatly he was bound to succour him declaring also that the affaires of Portingale were very great and confessing lykewise that he through his worthinesse had made him king After this victorie the inhabitants of Coching did cast off the feare they had of the king of Calycut in such sort that neuer from thence forth they stoode in anye dread of him neither yet made account of his habilitye Of the counsell which the king of Calycut tooke of his brother and how hee was gaine-saide and also by what pollicie meanes the king of Calycut sought to kill the Captaine generall chap. 72. THE king remained greatly ashamed and very sad for that at the same time he could not ouerthrowe the Captaine Generall the rather because he neuer accounted any thing more certeine then to ouer come him in that conflict because of the Castles which he had prepared for his confusion And now leauing a side all hope euer to haue the victorie he desired to haue with vs no more warres and therefore he called before him into his tents all those kings and noble men that came to helpe him and sayd thus vnto them YOV doe well sée how little our power profiteth vs against these men and how little our pollicies preuaileth since they doe not regard vs and would neuer giue ouer the passage notwithstanding the greate power we had against them The like account also they make of vs in their feasts and pastimes when we goe against them as though wee were the fewer and they the more and as though the land which they are in were theirs we were the Christians whereby it appeareth they alwayes make account of the victorie for certeine which either they obteine by witchcrafts or else their God doth fight for them which cannot bée otherwise considering the great victories they haue had against vs and the greate hurt that we haue receiued of them Wherefore I suppose that God would it should be so for the litle iustice y t is obserued in these wars as hath wel appered in the beginning of the same And if I had ben wel aduised it shuld
suffer one ship leye the other a boorde as they haue done alreadie whereby they ranne all into greate daunger Also there were others he said that had no regard to kéepe theyr right course but vnaduisedly there were some that would go before and others come after and others by the winde by meanes of which disorder they might haue cast away themselues And the better to auoid these daungers and to kéepe the Fléete in good order he did set down certaine rules in writing by his Scriuenor and firmed therevnto his name with the names of the other Captaines which they should obserue and kéepe Inprimis That all the Fléete as soone as it is night shall follow his course remaining alwayes a sterne the Generall and that no ship shall carry other light then onely that which is in the Bytoke and within the Captaines cabin Also that the Masters and Pilots kéep their watch and that they haue a good regard that one ship doe not lay the other a boord and that they do all aunswere when the Admirall doth make any signe Item That as soone as it is day they doe come and salute their Generall and that in the night they doe not go before him He that doeth not obserue these commaundements shall paye ten Crownes and be kept in prison vntill they arriue there and that without wages And for that there was some Masters and Pilots very neglygent by whose default one ship did lay the other a boord he commaunded to remoue them from one ship to another and by this diligence that was thus vsed euery man had a regard therevnto and the Fléete went in good order neuer after ranne in any daunger Thus going on their course in the month of Iune and iudging themselues ouer against the Cape Buena spuransa there fell vpon them a meruailous great storme of winde with the which all the Fléete ranne two dayes and two nights without sayles so y t they were in great daunger to haue bene all cast away the wether being so darke and close that it séemed rather night then day These two dayes béeing past they saw certaine signes of lande the which as it did appeare could not bée farre off and for that cause was the weather so close After that they had discryed y e same were come néere thervnto then these signes appeared the greater And therefore the Captaine generall commaunded that out of his shippe there should be shot two péeces of Ordinaunce that the others might after the same manner aunswere with the like and the better kéepe companie the one with the other This storme being past they founde missing the ship of Lope Mendez And the Captaine generall séeing that he hadde lost the sight thereof did not let to goe forwarde on his course And so within certaine dayes through the neglygence of the Officers one shippe layde the other a boorde and gaue therewith so great a blow vpon the how of y e other that with the same there was opened so great a hole that they might sée through the shippe verye well by the which hole there entered such aboundaunce of water vppon a sodayne that she was almost sunke The Captaine generall bare with the same shippe immediately and came so néere them that they might well heare him and the great comforte he gaue them willyng them not to bée a fearde but to goe forwarde in stopping the leake without feare to be lost for that he was there to succour them with his men which he did sende in his Boats not fearing the Seas that went so high nor the daunger that they were in And for all that the Mariners of the ship did so work that or euer it was night the leake was halfe stopped yet that they might end y ◠rest that remayned to doe the Captaine generall commaunded to be made a sign by the same shippe that the other Captaynes might come and succour him if there were any such néede The wether being y e next daye somewhat calme the leake was wholly ended the which was stopped with certaine hides nayled therevnto and pitched vpon This daunger béeing past without anye other mischaunce woorth the writing they arriued at Monsanbique on Saynt Iames daye where the Gouernour receiued him verye well and sent him great refreshing of fresh victualls and the Letter that Pedro de Tayde had lefte there for him before hée dyed as I haue sayd before Who vnderstanding by the same of the warres that the King of Calycut had begunne agaynst our men didde as soone as the shippe was rigged and made in a readinesse which they had brought a grounde for the same purpose he departed towarde Mylynde béeing the first of August And immediatelye after his arriuall there the King sent to visite him by one of his principall Moores by whome hée sent for a Present sixtéene of our men the which did escape out of the ship that Pedro de Tayde was Captaine of Within two dayes after this hée departed toward the Indias and so came to Ansadina where hée founde two Gentlemen the one called Antonyo de Saldanua and the other Ruy Lorenso which were Captaines of two shippes and were in groat feare supposing that our Fléet had bene of the Rumes Then Antonyo de Saldanua informed largelye the Captaine generall how he departed the last yeare from Portingale for Vice admirall with Ruy Lorenso being giuen him in commission to go discouer the red Sea with the Countreyes adiacent And how that in doublyng the Cape they were verye sorelye troubled with a storme which was the onelye cause of the separating the one of them from the companye of the other But Ruy Lorenso as he kept his course after their seperation met by chaunce in the way to Sofala with a certaine ship of the Moores being laden with much golde the which hée tooke afterward that he had taken the spoyle of the same hée lefte the Hull in kéeping at Mylynde Antonyo de Saldanua went to Quardafum where he tooke many great and excéeding rich prices without entering at all into the Straights and from thence he went into the Indias And for that he came not to Ansadina before it was the Winter he was therefore driuen to tarry there with Ruy Lorenso who hauing passed many dangers came afterward thether where hée past great troubles for lacke of victualls ¶ Howe the Captaine generall came to Cananor and spake with the King and how the Gouernour of Calycut woulde haue made peace with him howbeit he woulde not consent therevnto Chap. 76. THe Captaine generall béeing héere came thether vnto him Lope Mendez de Vascon celis who had lost the companye of his Generall with the foule wether past And immediately after that he was come the Captaine generall made him prest for his departure towarde Cananor where he arriued the first daye of September There the Factor enformed him of the warres of Calycut and how that he with his other
his good seruice make warres vpon him And therefore hauing knowledge that the King of Calicut was minded to set forwarde and to succour the Citie of Grangalor and that his Captaine generall was marching toward the same he did assemble 4000. Nayres which he placed in certaine straights by the which y e king of Calicut shuld passe at his comming did set vpon his whole campe ouerthrew the same with the death of 2000. of his men which was the cause y t he came not to succour the citie of Grangalor but with this losse returned to Calicut Wherefore hauing done this exployt he remaineth in feare least he wil come and set vpon him And therfore his request is that the Captaine generall will succour him since most hūbly he doth demaund y e same which if he will doe he will promise him to be true subiect to y e king of Portingale To this Embassage y e General aunswered y t he was wel content to accept him for y e kings subiect to send Pedro Raphael with his Caruell in y e which were an 100. men the most whereof were Crossebowmen shot It was a great chance y t the same daye our men came to Tanor thether came also y e king of Calicut by land with his whole camp gaue to y e king of Tanor battell in which through y e valor of our men he was ouerthrowen many of his slaine And for this succor y t the Generall sent thether the king of Tanor remained subiect to y ◠king of Portingale With this ouerthrow y e king of Calicut continued in great feare in lesse credit with y e Moores then he had with y e victories that Edwarte Pacheco had gottē against him because those wars wer made with strangers but this with y e king of Tanor who is his neighbor Which thing was y e cause y r all such Moores as dwelt in Calicut Grangalor conceiued now so great a misliking to trade toward Meca y t they determined to return to their coūtries for this cause they laded xvii great ships in Pandarane fortifieng them to defend thēselues from our men y e better to offend thē if they shuld come Also there were many Paraos and Tones lykewise a lading as fast as they could plye it ¶ How the Captaine generall fought in Pandarane with seuenteene great ships of the Moores and how he ouercame them and burned them Chap. 79. THe Captaine generall perceiuing that of force he must néedes returne with all such ships as were laden by counsaile of the Captaines and for securitie of the King of Coching and of the Fort there did therefore appoint and leaue in Coching a Captaine generall with whom he left a ship and two Caruels the one of Pedro Raphael and the other of Diego Pieres This Captaine was a Gentleman called Manuel telez de Vasconcelos whom the Captaine generall did present to the King of Coching who had a great deale more desire that Edwarte Pacheco should haue remained for his good seruice and affection he bare him as I haue sayd Howbeit notwithstanding he durst not demaund his tarrieng at the Captaine generalls hands forsomuch as he was of a very ill condition Edwarte Pacheco hauing knowledge of his going for Portingale purposed first ere that he departed to speake with the King of Coching the which he so did For whose departure the King remained very sorrowfull requesting him to tarrie if so be it were possible in the Indias and not to leaue him for that as yet he did not think himselfe sure from the King of Calicut and also he tolde him that he remembred that he had promised him sundry times not to goe away vntill such time he had made him King of Calicut and since as yet he had not the possession of the same he desired him not to leaue him Edwarte Pacheco aunswered him that he left him now in a good time hauing his Countrey verye quiet forsomuch as the King of Calycut hath bene and now is abated so greatly of his pride that he néeded not to stande in no feare of him anye more For sufficient proofe whereof was if none other thing that now he sawe the Moores of Meca to go theyr way from Calycut as men desperate for the losse of their trade Also that his going for Portingale was not but to returne and then to serue him for a longer time and more at his pleasure With this aunswere the King was somwhat satisfied and with the teares in his eyes desired him to pardon him for that he did not giue him all that was his desire in recompence of the seruice he had done for him in consideration that he was so poore as he did well knowe Howbeit he intreated him that of his Pepper which hée had he would take what he woulde But Edwarte Pacheco would haue nothing saieng that he did trust in God that when he retourned to Coching hée should finde him very rich in his prosperitie and then he would receiue reward of him And with this he departed the King with all his subiects remaining verye heauie for his departure Moreouer the King wrote vnto the king of Portingale of all Edwarte Pacheco successes in the warres and what he had done for him After this the Captain gerall departed toward Cananor the xxvi of September carieng in his companye those Captaines which shoulde remaine in the Indias His good wil intent was to come to an Ankor in the harbour of Panane and there to visite the King of Tanor But by reason of the ill weather they had and their naughtie Pilots they could not reach y ◠same but were driuen to Calycut and Pandarane And from thence he commaunded Pedro Raphael and Diego Pieres to go before the Fléete and to looke out whether they could see any ships of the Moores Being ariued at Pandarane bearing along the Coast with a small winde there came vpon them x. Paros of the xvii ships that were ther a lading Our men hauing sight of them began forthwith to shoote at them with their ordinaunce The other Captayns being a Sea boord and hearing the sound of the ordinance did returne and bare as close by the winde as they could And hauing sight of the ships of the Moores to be a ground came to Cananor by the Captaine generalls commaundement who immediately entered into counsaile in y e which it was determined by the whole consent of his Captains that they shuld fight with those Moores and that they shuld goe in their boates for that their ships could not come néere vnto them by reason they were within the Barre And for that the enimies were many that therefore they should do what they could to close with the ships the which as soone as they had done they shuld set the same a fire This being appointed the Captaine general with all y e other Captains of the Fléete did imbarke
themselues in their boates the which were in all xv in the which all the souldiers of the Fléete did imbarke themselues and that with a great courage for that they went to fight with their enimies These Moores as I sayd had their ships within the Barre lyeng one close by another with their stearnes toward the land and in the most part of them wer many souldiers y e which were men of coulour white Their weapon were bowes and arrowes and also they had much ordinaunce And on the land at the entering of the barre were placed two péeces of ordinaunce vpon a small bulwarke which they had made Our men bearing néere to this barre had sight of the Captaine generall and how the Caruells were somewhat farre off the shore and that they came not for that y e wind was but small and therefore were perforce driuen to returne backe for them to bring them by force of the oare within the Barre for to succour their boates The other Captaines although they saw him returne went forward by force of the oare and at the entering of the Barre the Pellets fell as though it had rayned amongst them But for all this they entered shooting of all their Ordinaunce But as their enimies were farre more then they so theyr arrowes were without number And for that our men by reason they wer somwhat low vnder their ships wer open without any defence therefore did they receiue great hurt not onely by their ordinance but also by their arrowes Héere as it appeared was all the force of the battaile and for all the stoutnesse that was shewed by the enimies yet our men entred into the middes of all the multitude of the shot by force of the oare in such sort y t it appered as though the boats did flye the men crying out S. Iames S. Iames with y t they laid those ships aboord y e first y t laid any ship aboord was Tristim de la Silua as soone as he was within the bar And as y e men of this ship were many so they did shoote such abundance of arrows threw so many stones y t they made our men put off who béeing off did immediately close with another in y ◠which for that there wer not so many they boorded the same in despite of the Moores for all their stoutnes in y e which wer some of them slaine those that remained aliue leapt for feare into the water swam away About y e same time y t Tristim de la Silua had layde this ship a boord Alonso de la cocta did the like vnto another which he tooke to be y e Admirall of y e which a Turke was Captaine with all his company which were manye And at the boording of this ship were throwen such a multitude of stones and darts that it was a wonder to sée It chaunced that before our men came to this ship the enimies shooting at them with a péece y e which was lieng vpō the vpper decke with y e recoyling it rent out a péece of the ship side so y t ther was made so great a hole the enimies not regarding it thought it more néedfull to succor y t fore-part of their ship And when our boat came hard a boord y e same side where this hole was our men did enter by the same The first that entered was Alonso Lopes Master another Aluoro Lopes who was y e things seruant is now towne Clarke in Santaren with 〈◊〉 others These altogether with those y t came afterward so fought with their enimies that in the same conflict there were many slaine others hid themselues vnder the hatches also others lept into y e water at y e which time the most part of them were drowned for that they wer laden with shirts of male Immediatelye one Pero Alonso de Aguylar layde another ship a boord hauing in his company Lyonel Cotinuo and also Edwarte Pacheco Vasco Caruallo Antonyo de Saldano and Ruy Lorenso who all behaued themselues very valyauntly And as soone as they had taken this ship they immediately set the same a fire and it tooke the same very furiously so that thereby their enemies were so excéedingly afeard that the most part of them leapt into the water and drowned themselues While this was a doing thether came the Captayne generall with the Caruells and béeing entered within the Barre he lefte them Then one of the péeces that were on the lande was shot off with a pellet which strake the Caruell of Pedro Raphael in such sort in such a place that with the same were thrée of his men slaine and ten sore hurt and for lacke of winde the floude carried him vnder the forecastle of a ship of those that wer not as yet layd aboord the which had many men And for that the shippe was higher then the Caruell who had the same vnder his sprit saile therefore the enimies did enter and handeled our men very ill for that they altogether did set vpon them Also there was another péece shot with the which the Master of the ship was slain being at the helme gouerning the Caruell which being thus left at randon before that there came any other to the helme the Caruell fell vpon certaine Rockes where she remained till the battaile was ended The Captaine generall viewing the danger that Pedro Raphael was in commaunded him to bée succoured and so it was done Then our men entering into the Caruell the which was full of Moores they behaued themselues so valyantly that they made them flye awaye but notwithstanding all our men that were within y e Caruell were sore hurt In the meane space all the ships of the enimies were burnt and this also at the last in the which was burnt great store of Merchaundise for that the same was laden Which was done the rather for that vpon the land there were many of the enimies which wer assembled together And for that of our men there were many hurt the Captain generall came his way with all his Captains toward their ships where he found that there were slaine of our men xxv and hurt an hundred and xxvii men But for all this the victorie was great For ouer and besides the burning of the shippes with all their riches the which was much the Captaine generall was giuen to vnderstand by the Moores of Cananor to the which place from thence he went that ther were slaine in this battell two thousand men With this spoyle the king of Calicut remained so ill contented that frō that time for a good while after he could not restore himself for that his losse was great besides that the Moores went from Calycut by reason whereof there was so great necessitie lacke of victuals there that the citie remained almost vninhabited Of the safe arriuall of the Captaine Generall at Lishborne and of the great honour the king Don Manuel gaue to Edwarte Pacheco
iiii voiage froÌ„ Portingal to the Indias The king of Coching reioyceth at the comming of the Portingale fleete The king of Coching ioyfully be holdeth the return of y e Portingale Fleete Liberalytie vvinneth the hearts of the most barbarous vnfrieÌ„dly people The Caymal 〈◊〉 povver put to flight by the Portingaleâ— The great valiencye of the Moores in resisting theyr enimies landing The Caymal slaine in defending his house valyauntlye Knights made after a valiant victorie The king of Coching thinketh him selfe sufficiently reuenged of his enimies Heere the king of Coching gâ—ue license to Francisco Alburquerque to build a Fort in Coching A description and comendatioÌ„ of the Forte of Coching They followe the vvars farther for y e king of Cochingâ— reuenge At the alarome souÌ„ded the force of y e Moores increaseth The readinesse and forvvardnes of Alonso de Alburquerque A base minded cowardise kinde of people The enimies tovvne set on fire They returne froÌ„ pursuing theyr enimies The valiant 〈◊〉 of Edvvarte Pacheco An hot valiant skirmish Why the Indias wer most earnest to hunt our men out of their Countrie The discriptioÌ„ of the citie of CoulaÌ„ A gard of vvomen vvith bovves arrovves S. Thomas banished y e country The conditions of the peace made vvith the inhabitaÌ„ts of this Citie The generals coÌ„fortable aunsvvere vnto y e king of Coching Edwarte Pacheco apointed Captaine generall for the Indias 1504 They depart from the Indias and saile tovvardes Portingal A valiant skirmish vvith an hot ship of the Moores What great feare y e king of Coching vvas put into by his traiterous subiects The aunsvvere vvhich the Captaine Generall made to y e king of Coching A fevv valiant men are better theÌ„ many more naked and cowardly The generals Oration to the Mores coÌ„cerning his abode in the Indias Hovv fevv Portingals haue vanquished thousaÌ„ds of therr enimies An hard thretning but polytike and necessary they cal y e Captaine Generall a Diuell The captaine generall his men inforced to retire vnto theyr boates 1504 These words the Captaine Generall speake vnto y e king at his departure to vvards the passage the vvords of y e king of Coching to the captaine generall The annsvvere the captaine generall made to y e king of Coching Heere the battell vvas offered by the king of Calicut vnto the captaine Generall The captaine generals words spoken vnto his meÌ„ The kings and Caimals that assist the king of Calicut against the Portingales The Naires of Coching do all run avvay The enimies vtterly discomfited doe run their vvaye The king of Calicut much blameth his captaines for being ouerthrovvne by so fevv the kings aunsvvere vnto this aduice No doubt but God doeth fight for his seruants God chasticeth meÌ„ sometime for theyr trial somtime for their offences The Princes Oration vnto the King Nobles assembled Amongst other vertues grate fulnes coÌ„mended The Lord of Repeâ—â—ns aunsvvere to the prince in the 〈◊〉 house The dissimulâ—ng vvorfs of y e Moores to y e King A Caluete and vvhat the meaning thereof is The king of Cochings vvords to the Captaine generall The aunsvver that the captain generall made to the King of Coching The Captain generals Oration to his company MeÌ„ make warres to the inteÌ„t to liue in peace The king of Calicut being in danger sendeth for succor to y e rest of his fleete The praier of a distressed minde in the bitternesse of heart The king of Calicuts oration vnto his noble men The counsell that the king of Calicuts brother gaue him touching the making of peace with the captaine generall A subtile deuice by meanes of a lye to haue brought our meÌ„ to destructioÌ„ but it toke no effect An aunsvvere vvhich y e king of Calicut made vnto certein noble meÌ„ The Oration of certeine captains vnto their generall for his better aduise in administration of iustice A false alarome giueÌ„ forth by y e Calicutians to terrifie the Portingals vvith all the kings Oration made to such princes noble meÌ„ as came to aide him in these vvarres A Torcull is as much as vvith vs an hermitage or such lyke pore kind of solitary relgious place The Mothers message to y e King of Calycut being in the Torcull Wher credit is impaired it is better to lurke then to runne abroad vvith dishonour the goodnes of the King of Cochings nature noted in being a meane to procure peace for his enimies The Lord of Repelin is also reconciled vnto the captain generall 1504. The fifte voiage to the Indias made by y e Portingales The Captain generals oration vvhith he made to his captaines masters and Pilots Orders that vvere giuen to euery captain Master and Pilot to keepe the same in their voyage The penalty laid vppon the breach of these coÌ„maundements A great leake giueÌ„ vnto one of y e ships through negligeÌ„ce of the sailers The leak stopped and the daunger thereof past they sayle forvvard Certaine Portingales sent vnto the Captain generall for a present The Captain generall goeth a land to visite the king of Cananor The state which the Captaine generall kept at his going to visite y e king of Cananor The preseÌ„t vvhich y e king of Portingal sent to the king of Cananor The king of Cananors brauery and state at his meting vvith the captaine generall The Mores for sake Calicut goe els vvhere to dvvell He vvold haue theÌ„ to escape froÌ„ their keepers come svvimming vnto him Two tvvo Italian ruÌ„agates iustly required by the Captaine generall to be deliuered A craftye deuise of the Italians to haue the captiues closelye kept for the assurance of theÌ„selues Embassadors are to keepe theyr estates for the honor of theyr Princes that sende them They met vvith spices better cheap nerer haÌ„d then at GraÌ„galor A ship of Calicut taken caried away The king of Calicut is novve come forth of y e Torcul taketh y e gouernement vppon him The Captaine generall of the enimies and his tvvo sons slaine The fire commanded to be quenched for y e pore christians takes that dvvelt there After a valiant exploit the Captaine Generall maketh knights in recoÌ„pence of theyr vertue An embassador sent to the captain generall from the king of Tanor vvho made the Oration folovving The king of Calycuts vvhol povver ouerthrovven at Tanor by y e king therof the Portingales the effect of the vvordes which the King of Coching spake to Edvvarte Pacheco at his departure The aunswere that Edvvarte Pacheco gaue to y â— king of Coching The good vvill of a thankfull minde is much more vvorth theÌ„ many gifts The great prouision of the Moores against so fevv small boates It had ben better to haue called vppon God to haue succoured them in that extremytye The Mores for feare leap into the sea drovvne theÌ„selues Here vvas a great slaughter of the Portingals in respect of other battailes sought The â—â—â—ber of ships and men vvhich vvere left in the Indias vvith Manuel Telez the Captain generall 1525. Indeede this Edvvarte Pacheco vvel deserued great honor coÌ„mendacioÌ„ for his seruice ⧠Imprinted at London by Thomas East dwelling betweene Paules Wharse and Baynards Castle 1582.
left by the late king for Nauigation to those farre countries he then commaunded that Fernan Lorenso Treasurer of the house of the Myna should cause to be made and prepared of the timber which was bought in king Iohns time two shippes wherevnto after they were finished he gaue the names to the one the Angel Gabriel being of an hundred and twentie tunne and to the other Saint Raphael a shippe of one hundred tunne And to goe in the companie of these ships the King then bought of a Pilot that was borne in Lagus called Berrio a Caruell of fiftie tunne which had and bare the selfe name of the Pilot Moreouer he bought a ship of two hundred tunne of one Ayres Correa These Shippes thus made readie and prepared and the king then being in Monte mayor the new with his first wife the Quéene Dōna Izabel in the yeare a thousand foure hundreth nintie seuen he then gaue the chiefe Captaine shippe of this voyage vnto the Indias to Vasco de la Gama his seruaunt who also before was seruaunt to Don Ioan borne in the towne of Synis a harbour towne in the fields of Dorricke The same was a man experimented in matters of the Sea and of Nauigation wherein he had done to this kingdome great seruice And forasmuch as he was a man of greate courage and valure and therefore very apt and likely to atteine and atchieue the end y ◠was by the king desired the king then accordingly in presēce of many noble personages to his great praise and no lesse incouragement commaunded him when he gaue him the charge of that iourney earnestly also requiring him to aunswere and satisfie the expectation and credit he had conceiued of him and reposed in him which if he did he would then very largely reward that his indeauour and trauell and so liberally deale towardes him as he shoulde finde himselfe satisfied for that his dilligence and seruice imployed and for some proofe of those princely and louing speaches he then beganne to make performaunce of parte thereof at that verye instant giuing him an Encommenda with money to put himselfe in a readinesse for that voiage And for to goe with him the king also dispatched one Paulo de la Gama brother to the Captaine Generall and one Nicholas Coello both of them the kings seruants and men méete and apt for whatsoeuer matter of enterprise or cause of valiauntnesse Moreouer he appointed one Bartholome Dyas to goe with them in a Caruell to the Myna And for that in the ships of warre sufficient victualls for the people in the same could not be carried further then to a place called Saint Blaze where they must of course take in fresh water the king gaue commaundement that the shippe of Ayres Correa should goe loaden with victuals vnto that place in the companie of the Fléet and there to take out the same and then to burne the said Ship The Captaine Generall thus informed and dispatched departed with the other Captaines from the Kings court towardes Lishborne where the ships being in a readinesse he imbarked his companie béeing one hundred fortie and eight persons in Belen one league from Lishborne vpon the Saturday being the eight day of Iulye in the yeare of our Lorde God a thousand foure hundred nintie and seauen At which imbarking all the religious men of our Ladie Church in Belen which is a Monestrarie of Saint Hierome went in Procession bare footed and in their cowles with waxe Candles in their hands praieng and the most part of the people of Lishborne with them al of them wéeping and pitieng those that so imbarked themselues supposing they shuld all die in that so aduentrous and daungerous voiage as in déede the p resumption and common opinion thereof was greate and no lesse to be adiudged of The Generall and other his Captaines with their people so imbarked and by the multitude and companie then present commended to God and good fortune they forthwith made saile and departed The Captaine Generall went in the Ship called Saint Gabriel hauing Pilot for y e same one Pedro de Alanquer which was Pilot with Bartholome Dyas when he went to discouer y e riuer called El ryo del ynfante The brother of the Captaine generall went in the ship called S. Raphael Nicholas Coello went in the Caruell Berrio one Gonsalo Gomes seruaunt to the Captaine generall went for Captaine of the ship that carried their victuals Thus being set forward and vnder saile the Captaine generall commaunded that if by any happe whatsoeuer they should bée seuered and loose each other they shuld euery one make and kéepe their roote or course to Cabo Verde where they would ioyne themselues together againe And so following their voiage they came within eight dayes after to the sight of the Ilandes of the Canaries from whence going ouer against the Riuer called Ryo de Oro the night did growe so darke and such great tempest and storme rose as they lost each other and therefore they retourned their course towardes Cabo Verde and Paulo de la Gama Nicholas Coello Bartholome Dyas and Gonsalo Gomes hauing met and after eight daies failing together they came to sight of their Captaine Generall vpon the wednesdaye in the Euening and saluting him with many shot of ordinaunce and with sound of Trumpets they spake vnto him each of them heartely reioysing and thanking God for their safe méeting and good fortune in this their first brunt of daunger and perill The next day béeing the twenteth day of Iuly the Captaine general with all his Fléet attained vnto the Ilands of Sancty Ago wher cōming to anker in y ◠play de Santa Maria they remained there seuen daies taking in such water as they had néed of repairing the yards of their ships and other harmes they had receiued in the storme past Tewsday being the third day of August the Captaine Generall departed thence following his course to the East but first before his departure he tooke his leaue of Bartholome Dyas who returned into Portingale And going towarde the Cape of Buena Esperansa with all the ships of his companie hée entered the goulfe into the Sea and from thence sailed all August September and October in which time they susteined many and great tempests or rather torments of outragious windes and raine so that they expected nothing but present death which still was represented before them by view of the manifolde daungers and perills they presently then sawe and whereof they were forced to abide the euenture Béeing thus perplexed God of his diuine goodnesse recomforted them for vpon the saturdaye being the fourth day of Nouember at nine of the clocke in the fore-noone they sawe land whereat they greatly reioysed and all the Captaines béeing together they then saluted the Generall all of them apparelled in their best araie and hauing decked and garnished their shippes with Flagges accordingly they drew néere the land as the generall had commaunded