f)80 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XI. 



foretold ruin to him, if he did not manage to bring about his 

 death beforehand. He therefore secretly bound himself 

 over to them, and the traitors, fearing that they would be 

 discovered in time, commenced their machinations in the 

 following manner. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



The Conspirators prepare their Plot in Columbo. 

 Their Method of proceeding. 



The authors of the conspiracy were four of the richest 

 and most influential Zingala Modeliares of Columbo, who 

 had been favoured by, and were on intimate terms with, the 

 General ; by whose liberality they had been made headmen 

 of many villages, with rents varying from 3,000 to 4,000 

 xaraflns. They had been baptized when they were eight 

 days old, and brought up in the Christian religion and in 

 the closest friendship with the Portuguese ; and having 

 many family relations through intermarriage, the Governor 

 had favoured and courted their society ; so that by long 

 service and experience he had known them as friends. 

 He never treated them with suspicion nor distrust ; but 

 trusted them as much as it was possible for ministers to do 

 who live with their officers — only with these he made a 

 perilous exception : although I have it for a certain fact that 

 with all this he acted with caution, and that already they 

 could not do what they once did. They called themselves 

 Don Cosmo, Don Theodosio, Don Alexo, and Don Baltasar. 



For three years they had been quietly and comfortably 

 hatching their wicked plot, and having command of the 

 lascarins, they were always with the army going in and out 

 of Candia, so that they were . within easy communication 

 with the King of Candia and the Prince of Uva, his eldest son. 

 Determined on rebellion they began to exhort one another 

 with mutual zeal and hatred, and tried to draw over to their 



