VA&ENTYN'S TJESCRTPTTON OF MALACCA. 71 



commerce, than the Moors and Arabs pointed out to the King that 

 the Portuguese did not come here to trade, but that it was their 

 intention to drive the Prince out of his kingdom, They spoke so 

 in fear that, when the Portuguese were once allowed to trade hers, 

 their own traffic by means of caravans from Cairo and Alexandria 

 in Egypt and to Europe, would be totally ruined. 



They aspersed the Portuguese character to the utmost, and told the 

 King that they had acted in that very manner at Cochin, Cana- 

 noor, Ormus and other places, that they had seized upon the said 

 countries and had built fortresses in all those places to vindicate 

 their rights. 



The consequence of these instigations was that Maiimud at 

 once made up his mind to violate his word and to break the treaty 

 already made with ISequecra, and he intended to invite him with 

 his principal officers to a dinner and to kill them all at that party. 

 The Moors thought this plot to be carried out as easily as it had 

 been easy to their cunningness to persuade the King to their pur- 

 poses, but we will see that they did not succeed so readily as they 

 had imagined. 



True, Skquetra had already accepted the invitation, but, in the 

 meantime, having been informed of the said plot, he pretended to be 

 unwell and betrayed nothing. 



The King had also aUowed SequEira to have a building on 

 shore, in which house Ro-Ditmo Arange ( x ) had already established 

 himself as the Supercargo, for the trade of the Portuguese. 



The Chinamen living \iere and a Persian woman had informed 

 Sequeira in time, by means of a tailor, of the intended treachery, 

 .but at first neither he nor his companions would believe that it was 

 true, and they went on courting the girls in the town behaving 

 unchastely. 



One Nakhoda Beo.ua and one Istjtee Mutis, ( 2 ) a Javanese E^ja 

 (I really don't know how to spell these uainesj, the wealthiest inha- 

 bitants of this place next to the King, meantime did their 

 best to kindle this fire and to conSrm the King of Malakka more 

 and more in his hatred to the Portugueser. They made splen- 

 did presents to the King and to his uncle, thus trying to obtain 

 their villainous object ; but the Admiral of the King of Malakka, 

 an honest man, fully disapproved this shameful treason, and main- 

 tained that the King was obliged to keep the treaty at least as long 

 as these new customers had not given bim a reason to do something 



(!) According to the Commentaries of Albuquerque, " Ruy cle Araujo." 

 (2) Utirnuti, a Javanese title, 



