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



inhabitants as he did of its commerce. Observant and well- 

 informed of all that was passing round him, he chose for 

 companions the best and worthiest soldiers : although there 

 was one amongst them who drew blood from him in peace, 

 what never happened to him in war, for he was never 

 wounded until he received his death-blow ; but the miscon- 

 duct of a bad friend can do more mischief sometimes than 

 all the power of declared enemies. 



It happened as he was riding one day on horseback 

 through Goa,* little dreaming of treachery of any kind.f 

 They foully set upon him and wounded him grievously 

 in the hand with a cutivala, which is a short dagger used 

 by the Nairs, so that it very nearly lost him his hand. 

 The author of this deed managed to conceal his infamy so 



* Goa. — The capital of the Portuguese Indies, the seat of the Bishop, and 

 the most considerable place, of all the East at that time for traffic. In 1510 

 it was subjected to the Crown of Portugal by the great Don Alfonso de 

 Alboquerque. According to the relation which was sent to King John 

 III. of Portugal from the Indies by a man of power and worthy of belief, 

 some few months before the arrival of Father Xavier(St. Francis Xavier) 

 every man kept as many mistresses as he pleased, and maintained them 

 openly in his own house, even in the quality of lawful wives. They 

 bought women, or took them away by force, either for their service or 

 to make money of them. Their masters taxed them at a certain sum by 

 the day, and for fault of payment inflicted on them all sorts of punish- 

 ment, insomuch that these unhappy creatures, not being able sometimes 

 to work out the daily rate imposed on them, were forced upon the 

 infamous traffic of their bodies, and became public prostitutes to content 

 the avarice of their masters. 



Justice was sold at the tribunals, and the most enormous crimes escaped 

 from punishment when the criminals had wherewithal to corrupt their 

 judges. 



All methods for heaping up money were accounted lawful, how indirect 

 soever, and extortion was publicly professed. Murder was reckoned but a 

 venial trespass, and was boasted as a piece of bravery. 



The Bishop of G-oa (John de Alboquerque) to little purpose threatened 

 them with the wrath of heaven and the thunder of excommunication ; 

 no dam was sufficient for such a deluge, their hearts were hardened 

 against spiritual threatenings and anathemas, or, to speak more properly, 

 the deprivation of sacraments was no punishment to such wicked wretches, 

 who were glad to be rid of them, — Life of St. Francis Xavier. 



f For the best and most accurate account of G-oa and its lawlessness at 

 this period, I would recommend the perusal of Mr. Albert Grey's admirable 

 translation of Francois Pyrard's interesting and minute description of it 



