NO. 59. — 1907.] PORTUGUESE IN CEYLON. 



345 



was in the above year that D. Lourenco de Almeida, son of the first- 

 viceroy of India, D. Francisco de Almeida, went with Portuguese for 

 the first time to Ceylon, or Taprobane, and made a chief of it tributary 

 to the king of Portugal. {Vide Couto, Decad. 5, 1. 1, cap. 7, and 

 Castanheda, 1. 2, cap. 24.) " The numbers of the chapters in both 

 these references are wrong (see infra, B 7 and B 11). Couto is the 

 only one of the two writers who distinctly says that Dom Lourenco's 

 landing took place in 1505, though Castanheda certainly seems to 

 imply it. But the papal expeditions against Perugia and Bologna 

 took place in 1506, and not in 1505 as Sr. Rivara states ; so that the 

 oration could not possibly have been delivered in the latter year. That 

 1507 is the real date there cannot be the least doubt. 



B 6. 



I Diarii di Marino Sanuto 1 vii. 235. 

 [December 1507.] 

 21st, St. Thomas's Day ...... 



From Rome. — Secret matters inter caetera. That the pope had 

 read in consistory a letter written to him by the king of Portugal, 

 saying that his caravels had gone as far as the island of Taprobano 

 [sic]. And that they had spoken with that king, who had 

 on his head a crown of the most beautiful gems, and, although 

 it was day, there were hidden (?) 2 candles, so that the gems 

 might be seen shining. Which king had agreed to be a friend 

 of the king of Portugal's, and his tributary with a certain 

 amount of spices, &c, ut in liiteris ; I shall note the treaty below. 

 And that the pope had said that he was thinking of bestowing 

 some title of honour upon the king of Portugal, just as the king 

 of France has that of Most Christian, the king of,; Spain that of 

 Catholic, etc. 



28th. After dinner there were prayers. And the following 

 etters were read : 



From Rome from the orator. z — Sends the copy of the letter 

 from the king of Portugal to the pope, regarding the progress to the 

 islands discovered by his caravels, which had gone as far as the 

 island of Taprobana, the copy of which shall be entered below. 4 

 And on the 21st, St. Thomas's day, a solemn procession was made 

 on this account in Rome, 5 etc. 



1 This invaluable work, containing diaries written in Venice by 

 Marino Sanuto the younger, and extending over a large number of 

 years, has been published by the Deputazione Veneta di Storia 

 Patria. 



2 The word in the original is impiati, the meaning of which I 

 am not sure of. 



3 The word "orator" is here used in the sense of " ambassador" 

 (see New Eng. Diet. s.v.). The person referred to was Zuan Badoer 

 (or Giovanni Badoaro), doctor and knight, a member of a noted 



