584 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XL. 



place, and asking him to come down from the mountains 

 with his power and ravage the lands belonging to the natives 

 who were faithful and friendly to the Portuguese ; for stirred 

 up to vengeance by so unforeseen an accident they could 

 gather them more easily into the net they had all ready 

 prepared, and thus successfully carry out their insurrection. 



With this decision they gave orders to the Moor armourer, 

 who had already notice of the rebellion, to surround the 

 Portuguese and Mestices (half-castes in Columbo), and make 

 himself master of the Fort, leaving Don Manuel to open the 

 gates of the city to the King of Gandia and hand over the 

 Government to him. 



Having thus arranged the conspiracy they above all recom- 

 mended secrecy, the most important thing in ail emergencies 

 of the kind, and being most cunning in their evil designs, they 

 were many days waiting for the Prince of TJvcCs coming. 



It is true how wonderful time is, and what time does : it 

 is more wonderful than all man's caution, for with every 

 day of delay the danger increases to those who meddle with 

 great stakes ; for many an accident may occur which may 

 reveal all. For the number of the conspirators was great, 

 and the vigilance of the General and his Captains was none 

 the less ; the intercourse too, and close friendship which 

 existed between a great number of the Portuguese and 

 Zing alas, of whom so many were married with Mestices: so 

 that in this way great secrets and underplots are often 

 discovered. But, notwithstanding all this, so marvellous 

 was the secrecy of these infidels that not a whisper of 

 information was let out about the compact that existed 

 among themselves, as if it had been the will of Heaven : 

 because in the beginning great evils might be avoided, as 

 so often has been the case in this Island. But when were 

 the ways of God not kept secret to us blind mortals? It 

 seems by these means that God, as the author of the evils 

 of punishment but never of crimes, wished to punish our 

 sins during the days of our prosperity in Ceylan ; for by His 

 secret judgments He brings about from time to time the 



