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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XI. 



we made them capable of reason, teaching and ministering 

 unto them the true belief and evangelical law ; then, if they 

 will not adore and recognize the true God, worship and 

 reverence Him by divine, human, and natural laws, they 

 merit (as the Ishmaelites did) the penalty of death and the 

 confiscation of all their goods. Albeit in the beginning it was 

 the common opinion of the Spanish theologians (and as they 

 advised the Emperor Charles the Fifth) that it was not lawful 

 to set out on the conquest of souls in the same way as to the 

 hunting of wild beasts, baptizing and compelling belief by 

 force ; for souls should be governed by free will and by the 

 grace and help of God, which alone are of any value in 

 vocations. 



In this way the Portuguese first treated them, making use 

 of navigation, treaty, and commerce for their redemption ; 

 but, disabused by their inhumanity and barbarism, and 

 seeing that the Zing alas were enemies to nearly the whole 

 human race, they used force to domesticate them, prieste 

 to teach them, and legislators to make them understand that 

 they were men, and to maintain them in the received faith ; 

 for it was thus God gave the power to teach his gospel, so 

 they had to take the proper means to convert the Gentiles and 

 protect the converted. On these principles, which were for 

 the glory of God and the universal good of the Church, the 

 high pontiffs, lords, and keepers of the souls of the 

 universe had the power to distribute amongst the faithful 

 of the Roman Church the lands which were in possession 

 of those who were not her subjects, nor members of its 

 spiritual yoke, who were therefore incapable of enjoying 

 the benefit of our laws so long as they remained in their 

 idolatry. They divided the dominion of a new world 

 between the two monarchs, the pillars of the Church, 

 as were the kings of Castile and Portugal, with ample 

 donations, and to whose title was added the infallible 

 right to the conquest of Ceylan as the share of the Portu- 

 guese. The tribute of vassalage which Boenagaho-pan- 

 dar was obliged to pay King Don Manuel, through Don 



