No. 60.— 1908.] 



LIFE OF COUTO. 



9 



continuing, and sending me all that you shall do, in order to 

 have it printed, for which reason I shall keep in mind your 

 services, in order to do you the favor that I shall think well." 



Another thing that inspired Couto with hope was probably 

 the receipt, shortly before he penned his letter to the king, 

 of a copy of his Decade IV. in print, it having been published 

 in Lisbon in 1602. But it is just at this point that Couto's 

 outturn of Decades falls off, the reason not being evident. As 

 we have seen, according to his own statement, he had com- 

 pleted Decades X., XL, and XII. (only half of this last piob- 

 ably) by 1595 ; and of these the first had been dispatched 

 to Portugal. Why the other two were not sent immediately 

 afterwards I do not know ; probably they were kept back for 

 revision. When they were actually sent we have no record 

 to show: all we know is, that they were in Portugal by 161 4 1 , 

 and that the half Decade XII. at any rate was not sent home 

 before 1612 2 . It must be remembered that Couto was now 

 over sixty years of age, and had spent the greater part of his 

 life in India. The high pressure at which he had been work- 

 ing to produce so many volumes in addition to carrying out 

 his official duties doubtless began to tell on him, and he realized 

 with regret that he was no longer able to produce a Decade 

 each year, as he had hoped to do. 



From the time when he wrote his letter of 6 November 

 1603 to the king until the early part of 161 1 3 I can find not a 

 single reference to him in the official documents : we only 

 know that he continued to hold his office of guarda mor of the 

 Torre do Tombo, and we may surmise that he continued with 

 the compilation of the two Decades (VIII. and IX.) needed 

 to fill the existing gap. From a royal letter to the viceroy, 



1 So Couto states in his letter of 28 January 1616 (prefixed to Dec. 

 VIII.). 



2 This is proved by the fact that in XlL in. v. Couto speaks of 

 " this [year] of 1611 in which I write this." 



3 In a letter of 9 March 1611 (Doc. Rem. ii. 77) to the viceroy 

 the king refers to his letter of 5 March 1598, and his provisions of 

 1595 and 1602, which he orders to be fulfilled, and he gives certain 

 instructions for Couto to carry out in connection with his duties at the 

 Torre do Tombo. 



