NO. 41.-1890.] REBELION DE CEYLAN. 



605 



The barbarians, mad with rage and cruelty, then rushed on 

 the body of the General, cutting it up and hacking it so that 

 they only left the head, which they brought in great triumph 

 to the King of Candia. After it had been held up for all to 

 see that they might know that he was dead, and to remove 

 from them the terror of his name, it was carried from one 

 end of the kingdom of Candia to the other, and afterwards 

 nailed to a high tree in the Seven Corlas, in the centre of 

 other heads of famous Portuguese Captains who had also 

 perished in this fight. 



It is miraculous what I have heard said by persons of 

 credit who were in Geylan at this time that six months 

 after this unfortunate disaster the General's head was found 

 still fresh and pure, with a beautiful colour on it, and with- 

 out any injury from time or other accidental causes, whilst 

 those of his companions were dried up, and the skulls laid 

 bare, quite disfigured from what they were. And what is 

 more worthy of consideration is that it has been affirmed 

 that from the first day it was nailed upon the tree it shed 

 blood, so that it could not be dried up — a marvel which caused 

 such veneration amongst the barbarians that they did not 

 wish to give it up for ransom ; for his own soldiers loved 

 him so much that even when dead they offered large sums 

 to have it back. It is not my intention to invent miracles, 

 nor qualify with such this event. I would prefer to doubt 

 in the probability and examine the causes of similar cases, 

 but in a thing so marvellous we cannot put it down to 

 natural causes. It would be right that, by command of His 

 Majesty, it should be verified for the glory of God and for 

 the honour of such a vassal who died in manner so becoming a 

 Christian, as a knight and soldier of Christ and of his king. 



Such was the death of Constantino de Sa y Norona, 

 glorious by many titles, and so much so that it can be justly 

 called a martyrdom rather than a death ; inasmuch that it 

 is to be believed that by these means he passed away from 

 this worn-out perishable life to the eternal and blessed one. 

 It happened on the 20th of August of the year 1630, at the 



