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



ashore to get water and wood, they tried to prevent him, 

 wherefore he ordered to fire from the galleons some bombard 

 shots, wherewith he astonished them in such manner that 

 they betook themselves into the interior, those natives not 

 being accustomed to hear that new noise amongst them 1 , 

 because at that time there was not a single firelock in the 

 whole island ; and after we entered it, with the continual use 

 of the war that we made on them, they became so dexterous 

 as they are today, and came to cast the best and|ihandsomest 

 artillery in the world, and to make the finest firelocks, and 

 better than ours 2 , of which there are in the island today more 

 than twenty thousand. This was the reason why Scipio was 

 of opinion that one should never make war continuously on 

 one same nation, lest they should become dexterous, as we 

 have done to the Chingalas and Malavares, who by continual 

 use are today more skilful than all the nations of the East, 

 and so have given us more trouble to the state than all others. 



And returning to our subject, as soon as this king learnt 

 of the Portuguese armada that was in his port, so great was 

 his fear that he sent to proffer terms of peace to Dom Lourenco, 

 and to offer vassalage, which was accepted of him with a yearly 

 tribute of four hundred bares of cinnamon, which are equal to 

 one thousand two hundred quintals 3 . 



These three infantes, nephews and stepsons of this king, 

 beginning to grow up and arrive at manhood, their uncle and 

 stepfather began to find them such an incumbrance" that he 

 resolved to murder them, as he had already done with three 

 other nephews, first cousins of these ; but there was not 

 wanting someone who warned the youths, whereupon they 

 fled from the anger of their uncle to the kingdom of Candia 4 . 

 Thence, with the help of that king 5 and of other lords, they 

 sallied forth with large armies and attacked Cota, killing their 

 uncle, and taking from him the kingdom 6 . And as in these 



1 Cf. Rdjdv. 73, 74. On the knowledge of firearms among the natives 

 of India and Ceylon, see Whiteway 37 ff. 



2 Cf. infra, p. 117, note 11 . 



3 See supra, p. 23. 



4 See Rdjdv. 74-5. According to this authority the three fled to 

 Jaffna, where Mayadunne left the elder two and proceeded to Kandy 

 (or, rather, " the hill-country," the city of Kandy being not yet founded). 



5 Jayavira Baiidara, according to the Rdjdvaliya (75) ; he was 

 first cousin to Mayadunne (see infra, p. 124). 



6 See Rdjdv. 75-6. According to this chronicle no one could be got 

 to undertake the assassination of Vijaya Bahu, until at length " a 

 stranger, Salma by name " (Val. Ceylon 76 has " Seelam "), consented 

 to do the bloody deed. 



