NO. 59. — 1007. J PORTUGUESE IN CEYLON. 



341 



et nobilium 15 multitudo, relicto intermedio spatio, qua 16 patebat 

 liber et inoft'ensus ad regem aditus. Ibi 17 adeuntes legatos nostros 

 rex honorificentissime suscipit, 18 gratissime audit 19 et humanissime 

 ad postulata respondet, 20 omnia cum nostris obsequentissime 

 pacificans ; 21 in quibus etiam se quotannis centum quinquaginta 

 cantaria cinnamomi in ea insula excellentissimi nobis pensurum 

 pollicetur, 22 primam illico pensionem persolvens ; in quam quidem 

 summam nostri perinde 23 consensere, si gratum ad 24 viceregi 

 nostro foret. Confecto sic Taprobanse insula 25 negotio, nostri 

 inde degressi nonnulla oppida saracenorum maritima in conti- 

 nent! sita expugnavere et igni consumpsere, captatoque simul 

 toto mari magno hostilium navium numero, et in his ingenti preda, 



infesta et sollicita omnia saracenis reddidere 



Ex oppido Abrantes, 26 xxv° septembris mdvii. 



1 There are several variants of this letter extant. The copy from 

 which I quote is printed in the Diarii di Marino Sanuto vi. 198-201 

 (see infra y B 6). Another (very faulty) is printed in Rebello da Silva's 

 Corpo Diplomatico Portuguez i. 116-19, the source from which it was 

 taken being thus described in a footnote : — " Ex Cod. Vat. Regio 557, 

 pag. 88. Copy of the xvmth century, in the Bibliotheca de Ajuda. 

 Symmicta lusitanica, MSS. of the Vatican, torn. ii. f. 212." There is 

 also a manuscript copy in the British Museum Library (Bibliotheca 

 Harleiana 3468 — Tractatus varii historic], philolog. , &c, p. 115). 

 This letter and that to the cardinals (see infra, B 4) were printed at 

 Rome (probably) in 1507 (?) in the form of a small quarto pamphlet, in 

 black letter, with the title : Epistole serenissimi Regis Portugalie de 

 victoria contra infideles habita. Ad Julium papam Secundum et ad 

 sacrum Collegium Reuendissimorum [sic] dominorum Cardinalium. 

 There is a copy of this rare pamphlet in the Grenville Library at the 

 British Museum (G. 6953. 1.), in which is pasted a slip with the following 

 manuscript note ( ? by Heber , the former owner of the book) : ' ' Emanu- 

 elis Epistola ad Julium 2 de victoria 4° 1507. I have another different 

 edition with the same date, which contains an additional letter of 

 King Emanuel to the College of Cardinals : it is difficult to ascertain the 

 priority of these two editions." I do not understand the reference here 

 to another different edition containing an additional letter to the 

 cardinals : the only letter to the cardinals that I know of is that 

 quoted from below (B 4), and this, as I have said, is printed in this 

 edition. The letter to the pope occupies four pages, and that to the 

 cardinals two. Of this edition the British Museum Library possesses 

 another defective copy, wanting the title-page and the letter to the 

 cardinals. In the Grenville Library of the British Museum are two 

 copies of a different edition of the first letter. One of these copies 

 (G. 6953. 2.) is bound up with G. 6953. 1. (and it seems probable that 

 the slip referred to above ought to have been pasted in this second 

 pamphlet, and not in the first). The title of this edition is: Epistola 

 serenissimi Regis Portugalie ad Julium papam Secundum de victoria 

 contra infideles habita. The letter is printed in roman type, with very 

 few stops ; and there are transpositions of words, and slight variations 

 and omissions. Like the other edition, this one has no date or place of 

 printing ; and it is difficult to judge whether this was a hastily printed 

 first edition, or a carelessly printed second edition. The other copy in 

 the Grenville Library (G. 6952. 3.) is identical with G. 6953. 2. It is 

 bound up with some other pamphlets, and contains a slip with a manu- 

 script note (by Grenville), from which I quote the following : " 



