454 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [August, 1910. 



At fol. 15v of the Latin, Father Botelho speaks of Father 

 Mathew de Payva as having been greatly respected by the 

 natives for his purity of life. 1 Elsewhere he alludes to 

 writings of Sir Tnomas Roe's being preserved in the Library 

 of St. Paul's College at Goa: ki Si haec et plura alia legeret 

 quae in annoiatis scriptis a Thoma Roeus continentur et 

 servantur in Bibliotheca Collegii D. Pauli Goae vetitos inter 

 libros" I fear this only refers to Purchas' volumes; but, it 

 might hint to some MSS. of Roe which have disappeared. 



An interesting point mentioned by Father Botelho is that 

 he saw several statues or figures sculptured at Akbar's tomb at 

 Sikandra, and that among them were the heads of several of 

 the Catholic Padris. There is also an account of the Taj Mahal. 



but no allusion to European artists having been employed on it. 



Here are some of the more interesting passages. 



Summa memorandarurn rerum quas [sic] apud Magni Mogori* 

 Regnum vidit et observavit Pater Antonius Botelho Societatis Jesu 

 Goance Provincice Praepositus Provincialis intra sexennium quo 



imc superior vixit et Missionarius 



11 Juste, ut cunidis Euronse ? 



P. Sebastiani de Almeyda Societatis Jesu in Japonise episco- 

 ■ pum electi, aliqua Magni Mogoris mira in lucem edere statui : 

 " eo tamen pacto, ut solum quae viderim et visa demiratus 

 "fuerim, exponerem. Quippe si vellem, quidquid fama et 

 " annales referunt, scribere, nee meum esset, nee pauca fierent 

 " probae magnitudinis volumina, in Europse Regum admira- 

 tionem; a quibus me promptius expedirem, ni adnotata, 

 quae, dum memoria erat praesentior, scripsi, non injucun- 

 da, excidissent. Memoriam tamen iterum cogam ut quaeque 

 meminerit, exponat. Faxit Deus ut senbendarum rerum 

 ;< magnitudo fidem qu£m verissimis precor scriptis, non obs- 

 curet. Dicam de vario incolarum genere, de civitatum, quas 

 sum expertus, natura; de Regum, Principumque et moribus, 

 et amplltudine; ad calcem, postremo, operis de re Christiana 

 libabo praecipua. 



< • 



< 6 



a 



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a 



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a 



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Ab Aquilone ad Austrum per nongentas circiter leucas 

 protenditur Magni Mogoris Regnum; longitudine quam 

 latitudine majus; tredecim dividit Regna, quorum Regimen 

 propinquius agunt quinquaginta Rajas, purpurati omnes ad 



embarked on April 22, 1668, and reached Goa only on March 30, 1669. 



(Cf. A. Franco, S.J., Synopsis op. cit., p. 345). Now, as Father 



Botelho alludes to his nomination as Bishop of Japan, which nomina- 

 tion had taken place before his second departure from Lisbon, and as, 

 on the other hand, Father Botelho wrote his report at the Bishop's 

 suggestion, 1669 or 1670 is the earliest possible date. From a note by 

 the late Fr. J. B. Van Meurs, S.J., T learn that, while Provincial at 

 Goa, he wrote in 1670: M De moribus et natura regionis Mogoris." 



} Matthew de Payva was in Mogor, according to our Catalogues of 

 Goa, in 1620, 1621 and 1624. In 1633, he was superior of the Mogor 

 Mission, and was then aged 41. He died the same year, 2nd (?) August. 



