THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 153 



With the firft part of thefe difpatches, it is plain, Mat- 

 thew, as an envoy, might have pafTed unmolefted ; he had 

 only to give to the fecret wifhes of the emprefs, with which 

 he was charged, what kind of mercantile colour he pleafed. 

 But the laft part of the letter brought home 10 him a charge 

 of the deeped dye, both of facrilege and high-treafon, that 

 he meditated againft the Ottoman empire, whofe Raya* he 

 was ; and, there can be no doubt, had thefe letters been in- 

 tercepted and read, Matthew's embafly and life would have 

 ended together under fome exquifite fpecies of torture. This, 

 indeed, he feems to have apprehended ; as, after his arrival 

 in India, he conftantly refufed to fhew his difpatches, even 

 to the Portuguefe viceroy himfelf, from whom, in the in- 

 ftant, he had received very lingular favour and protc6Uon. 



The king, when of age, never could be brought to ac- 

 knowledge this embaflfy by Matthew ; but, as we fhall fee, 

 did conftantly deny it. If we believe the Portuguefe, the 

 defpair of the emprefs was fo great, that fhe offered one- 

 third of the kingdom to the king of Portugal if he relieved 

 her. Nothing of this kind appears in the letters ; but, if 

 this offer was part of Matthew's private difpatches, we may 

 fee a reafon why David did not willi to own the commiffion 

 and offer as his. 



. Matthew had a fafe paflage to Dabul in India, but here 

 his misfortunes began. The governor, taking him for a 

 fpy, confined him in clofe prilon. But Albuquerque, then 

 viceroy of India, refiding at Goa, who had himfelf a defign 



^ upon 



* lii fubje£l paying Capitation. 



