AND PORTO SANTO. 73 



adventure of the unfortunate Macliim ; and as one or two Portu- 

 guese scribblers have lately thought it worth their while to 

 contradict this historical fact, by mere affirmation instead of 

 reasoning, (to advance their pretensions to patriotism, by pushing 

 their antipathy to the Enghsh to the utmost) it may be as well to 

 observe, that the name of the town still records that of jNIachira ; 

 that the altar-piece of the church (in which the remains of the 

 cedar cross are still preserved and shewn) is avowedly raised " in 

 memoria Machim"; that the latter part of the adventure is the 

 subject of a curious old oil painting in the Government-house at 

 Funchal, and that the story has not only been recorded in the 

 first instance by the ancient Spanish and Portuguese writers', but 



' The story is thus related by Alcaforado : In the reign of Edward III, Robert 

 Machim, an accomplished gentleman of the second degree of nobility, loved, and was 

 beloved, by the beautiful Anna d'Arfet, the daughter of a noble of the first class. 

 Machim was incarcerated for his presumption, by virtue of a royal warrant, and on 

 his release, endured the bitter mortification of learning, that Anna had been forcibly 

 married to a noble, who carried her to his castle, near Bristol. A friend of Machim's 

 had the address to introduce himself into the family, and became the groom of the 

 broken-hearted Anna, who was thus persuaded and enabled to escape on board a 

 vessel with her lover, in the view of ending her days with him in France. In their 

 hurry and alann they embarked without the pilot, and the season of the year being 

 the most unfavourable, were soon at the mercy of a dreadful storm. The desired 

 port was missed during the night, and the vessel driven out to sea. After twelve 

 days of sulFering, they discovered faint traces of land in the horizon, and succeeded 

 in makino- the spot still called Machico. The exhausted Anna was conveyed on 

 shore; and Machim had spent three days in exploring the neighourbood with his 

 friends, when the vessel, which they had left in charge of the mariners, broke from 

 her moorings in a storm, and was wrecked on the coast of Morocco, where the crew 

 were made slaves ; Anna became dumb with sorrow, and expired three days after. 

 Machim survived her but five days, enjoining his companions to bury him in the 

 same grave, under the venerable cedar, where they had, but a few days before, erected 

 a cross in acknowledgment of their happy deliverance. An inscription composed by 

 Machim was carved on the cross, with the request, that the ne.xt christian who might 

 chance to visit the spot would erect a church there. Having performed this last sad 

 duty, the survivors fitted out the boat which they had dravra ashore on their landing, 



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