360 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIX. 



B 12. 



Gouto V. i. v. 1 

 [1505 '?] 



In the time of this king Boenegabo Pandar, 2 Dom Lourenco 

 d 5 Almeida, son of the viceroy Dom Francisco d' Almeida, in the 

 year of Our Lord 1505, 3 made landfall at this island, and 

 sending on shore to get water and wood, they tried to prevent 

 him ; wherefore he ordered to be fired from the galleons several 

 bombard-shots, with which he so astonished them, that they 

 betook themselves into the interior, these natives not being 

 accustomed to hear that new noise amongst them, 4 because at 

 that time there was not a single matchlock in the whole island 5 ; 



And, to return to our subject, as soon as this king knew of the 

 Portuguese armada that was in his port, his fear was so great 

 that he sent to propose peace with Dom Lourenco, and to offer 

 vassalage, which was accepted of him, with a yearly tribute of 

 four hundred bares of cinnamon, which is equal to twelve hundred 

 quintals.* 



1 In this chapter Couto gives a sketch of the history of Ceylon, with 

 a summary account of the reigns of the kings from 1400 to 1537, the 

 details of which, he says, he_got from manuscripts that he found in the 

 possession of Sinhalese princes at Goa. The chapter is interesting, as 

 containing the earliest printed account of Ceylon history ; but there 

 are many errors. 



2 The details given by Couto in the paragraph preceding this show 

 that Vijaya Bahu is meant. 



3 It is curious that Couto antedates by a year both the first landing 

 of the Portuguese in Ceylon and the erection by them of the first fortress 

 at Columbo (see infra, C 20). 



4 Gf. the (alleged) report of the natives to the king as recorded in 

 the Rdjdvaliya (infra, B 15). 



5 Gf. Varthema's statement in the extract given above (A 18). 

 8 See B 1, note 5 . 



B 13. 



Specimens of Sinhalese Proverbs, by L. de Zoysa, Mudaliydr. 



(Journal of the Ceylon Asiatic Society, 1870-71, 139.) 

 [1506 ?] 



C3<5<>(So85 ®ss>f©®>c)c) cScflj €)®<x*, " Like the Portuguese going to 

 Kotte." Applied to a long and circuitous path. It is said that 

 shortly after the Portuguese had landed at Colombo they were 

 conducted to Kotte, then the capital of the kings of Ceylon, by a 

 long and circuitous road, through Panadure and Rayigam 



