



24 JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XX. 



wished to send a message to the king, they offered to take and 

 bring back the persons that he should select for that purpose, 

 who were, Payo de Sousa, who went in the capacity of ambas- 

 sador, and for his clerk Gaspar Diaz, son of Martim Alho, a 

 resident of Lisbon, andDiogo Velho, a servant of Dom Martinho 

 de Castellobranco, the king's comptroller of revenue, who 

 afterwards became Conde de Villanova, and one Fernam Cotrim , 

 and other persons of his service 1 . These being intrusted to 

 the Moors who had arranged this expedition were conducted 

 through such dense thickets that they could scarcely see the 

 sun, taking so many turns that it seemed to them more like 

 a labyrinth than a direct road to any place ; and after travel- 

 ling for a whole day they brought them to an open place, where 

 were many people, and at the end of it were some houses of 

 wood which seemed to be something superior, where they said 

 he had come to take his pleasure, that place being a kind of 

 country-seat. At the end of this open space, at a good dis- 

 tance from the houses, they made them wait, saying that it 

 was not proper for them to go further without leave of the 

 king; and they began to go and" come^with messages and 

 questions to Payo de Sousa, as if they came from the king, 

 feigning to be pleased at his coming. Finally Payo de Sousa 

 with only two of his company was conducted to that place, 

 where, according to the Moors, was the person of the king ; 

 and as soon as they reached him he at once dispatched them, 

 feigning to be pleased at seeing things of the king of Portugal's, 

 giving thanks to Payo de Sousa for coming and to the captain- 

 major for sending them to him ; and saying that as regarded 

 the peace and amity that he desired to have with the king of 

 Portugal, he would send his ambassadors to Cochij, and that 

 in token thereof he had sent the cinnamon, and would order 

 to be given them whatever they might need for the provision 

 of the armada ; and with this he dispatched him. The which 

 manner of Payo de Sousa's going and coming at the hand of 

 these Moors, and his arrival at this place, and the conversa- 

 tion that he had with this person, who they told him was the 

 king of Ceilam, — the whole was a trick of theirs, and in a 

 way a representation of things that did not exist, part of which 

 Payo de Sousa understood, and afterwards knew of a truth. 

 For this man with whom he spoke, although from the bearing 

 of his person and the reverence paid to him by his people he 

 seemed to be what they said, was not the king of Ceilam, but 

 the lord of the port of Galle ; and others had it that it was not 

 he, but some other noble personage, who by his order and the 



1 On the embassy see my paper referred to, pp. 309-10. 



