86 



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



Translation. 



With this [sword] I overcame this [man], it being 23 (?) years that 

 I have been in India, and 15 (?) that I have served as captain ; and as 



soon as (?) the kings and the king of Jafanapatao, I, Simao 



Pinhao, conquered him. 



From this we learn that the armed warrior depicted on the 

 stone is the Portuguese captain Simao Pinhao. But who 

 was he ? And who was the foe he overcame ? And what was 

 the ©vent which the stone commemorates ? These three 

 questions I shall consider in their order. 



(1) Who was Simao Pinhao ? 



It is unfortunate that the above inscription contains no date, 

 and that the figures given are so worn as to be scarcely legible. 

 We learn from it that our hero had been 23 (?) years in India, 

 and 15 (?) years a captain, at the time when he performed the 

 deed of valour which he thus blazons forth to an admiring 

 world ! This, however, does not help us very much. Having 

 written to Sr. David Lopes of Lisbon for any information he 

 could give me regarding Simao Pinhao, that gentleman very 

 kindly applied to the authorities at the Torre do Tombo, who 

 sent him the following document, which, they say, is the only 

 one they know of referring to the person in question : — 



Dom Sebastiao, etc. — A todo Yos corregedores ouvydores Juizes e 

 Justigas de meus Reynnos e Senhoryos que esta minha carta de perdao 

 for mostrada e o conhecimento della com direito pertencer. Saude, 

 fago saber que Symao Pinhao filho famillias de fernao pinhao homem 

 que vive por sua f azenda morador no lugar de punhete me enviou dizer 

 por sua pitigao que elle f ora preso na cadea do dito lugar e acusado por 

 hum jorge fernandes morador no dito lugar que Ihedera huma cutillada 

 pello rostro pello quail caso f ora condenado em cinquo annos de degredo 

 pera af riqua com pregao em audiencia e antes de ser sollto f ugira da 

 dita cadea pella parta della sem quebrar f erro nem pao nem Romper 

 parede nem telhado nem porta e por que andava amorado com temor 

 de ser preso pello que me pidia Ihe fizesse merce perdoar Ihe a fogyda 

 da dita cadea e Receberya merce E eu vendo o que elle suplicante asi 

 dizer e pidir me enviou se asi he como elle diz e hi mais nao ha e 

 querendo Ihe f azer graga merce visto hum Praz me asinado pello doutor 

 Simao gongalves Cardoso do men conselho e meu desembargador de 

 pago e pitigoes a quern pera ello tenho dado poder ei por bem e me 

 Praz de Ihe perdoar e o Relevar da culpa que teve em f ogir da cadea de 

 punhete de que em sua pitigao f az mengao pello modo que nella declara 

 e pagara trezentos reis pera as dispezas da Relagao e da dada desta a 



