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



more fear than the most dangerous war ; even when he was 

 the first to break the peace, he carried with him half the 

 fortune of the war, for he was both warlike and brave and 

 did not fear our arms ; the coalitions and leagues he planned, 

 the dispositions he made, showed how ambitious his designs 

 were, and which our patience and forbearance made so easy, 

 giving him time to become powerful and to hide his wicked 

 designs ; he stirred up the provinces and the Zingalas who 

 were still faithful, to rebel and go over to his side ; it was 

 enough to make him wait with great vigilance for the repar- 

 ation of so many evils, that which he might expect by the 

 arrival of the Calvinists, for they were a people not con- 

 tented with a little, but openly aimed at the universal 

 dominion over India, and were bent on driving the Portu- 

 guese from off the face of it ; and to counteract these designs 

 it was most necessary that His Majesty should continue the 

 war for the conquest of Gandia with all diligence and the 

 necessary men and money, worthy of so great a monarch, for 

 if once he could finish with those idolators, always traitors 

 and enemies to our religion, and His Majesty remained 

 absolute master of the Island, the Catholic Faith would take 

 root and spread glorious rays of truth, which was the principal 

 end and object of our princes in their wars of conquest ; it 

 would increase the royal revenues and treasury in provinces 

 and of vassals, for in name, greatness, and riches Ceylan alone 

 was more important than all the Indian States belonging to 

 one master ; since nowhere has the empire so increased in so 

 much surrounding land, and so many populous kingdoms, 

 provinces, and cities, such fertility and abundance, being in 

 short the largest and finest country that the Portuguese ruled 

 over in Asia ; they had increased its importance ; and it was 

 said that to make it the best place in the world nothing 

 more was wanted but the care and favour of their King, and 

 it was the constant opinion of its statesmen that, when all 

 was abandoned, it was sufficient to hold Ceylan for the 

 Portuguese nation to be still the ruling one in the East ; 

 there was no doubt that the place had many advantages, 



