No. 60. — 1908.] barros-couto : HISTORY OF CEYLON. 57 



Francisco Velho, Joao Lobato, Manuel da Veiga, Manuel 

 Vieira, Joao Coelho, Vasco Rabello, and Thome Rodriguez, 

 there embarked on it four hundred men ; and being on the 

 point of leaving, there came news to the governor that 

 Boenegobago Pandar 1 , king of Cota in Ceilam, was besieged 

 by Patemarcar 2 , captain- major of the king of Calecut, who 

 through his sea-ports was doing him much harm through hatred 

 of us, and in favour of Madune Pandar, brother of the same 

 king of Cota 3 ; wherefore it being necessary to succour that 

 king, he being a vassal of the king of Portugal's, the governor 

 ordered Martim Afonso to set out at once, and cross over to 

 Ceilam, and succour the king Boenegobago Pandar. Martim 

 Afonso made the voyage as he had been ordered, and arrived 

 at Columbo 4 , where he did not now find Patemarcar, who 

 on getting news of our armada betook himself into the rivers 

 of the island in parts where our ships being large could not 

 come at them, and Madune Pandar raised the siege that he 

 had laid to his brother. 



Martim Afonso, in order not to lose his monsoon 5 , was un- 

 willing to be detained in Ceilam, and with much plunder that 



1 We find Barros and Couto applying this name to several kings 

 erroneously. Vijaya Bahu VII. was still reigning at Kotte, Bhuwaneka 

 Bahu VII. not succeeding until 1534, according to the generally received 

 chronology. 



2 Couto in V. n. iv. says that the proper name of this man was Paichi- 

 marca (? Payichchi Marakkar). He seems to have first turned pirate 

 in 1519 (see Correa ii. 569), the reason for his action being told us by 

 Barros below (p. 92); and for many years he proved one of the 

 most formidable enemies the Portuguese had to contend with in the 

 Indian seas. We shall hear of him again. In Cast. VII. xviii. we 

 read of his being on the way to attack the king of Ceylon with a 

 large fleet in January 1527. 



3 Barros and Couto both state that Madune, the king's brother, was 

 besieging him ; but I think they must be in error. As I have said, 

 Bhuwaneka Bahu did not come to the throne until 1534, when his 

 brother Mayadunne began an active campaign against him, and did 

 besiege him in Kotte in 1537-8, as we shall see. Perhaps these writers 

 have made two events out of one, and Martim Affonso de Mello Jusarte 

 may have been confused with Martim Affonso de Sousa. At any rate, 

 Castanheda, who records the war waged by Patimarcar on the king of 

 Ceylon (VII. lxv.), says nothing of Madune ; while Correa (iii. 262) is 

 absolutely silent regarding any call at Ceylon by Martim Affonso. 

 Equally silent on the subject are the Rdjdvaliya and Zinuddhi. 



4 He seems to have left Cochin in March 1528, and therefore reached 

 Columbo in that month or in April. 



5 If the south-west monsoon burst while he was at Columbo he would 

 be unable to get to the Coromandel coast. 



