No. GO. — 1908.] cottto : history of ceylon, 



175 



(which is one of the corlas 1 ), because of his being a close con- 

 nection of his 2 , and he entertained him well, and assisted him 

 against Madune, and gave him everything necessary for war ; 

 but as Tribuli Pandar was wicked and perverse, in payment of 

 this great kindness he one night murdered the prince, and took 

 possession of the city 3 , in which he fortified himself with his 

 followers, making himself master of the palace, house, and 

 treasure of the prince 4 . This tyrant seeing himself in power 

 and master of Urungure determined to get possession of the 

 whole of the Seven Corlas, which was a large dominion, and in 

 which neither the Portuguese nor Madune could do him harm, 

 it consisting entirely of high mountains and narrow and 

 difficult passes 5 . Having determined this, he mustered a force 

 and began to invade the other corlas and with his army to 

 capture and destroy their villages. 



The natives, seeing how great was the wickedness of a man 

 that should murder a prince who had sheltered him in his 

 troubles and persecutions, and one so closely connected with 

 him, all entered into correspondence with each other, and 

 formed a general league against him, swearing with their 

 ceremonies that they would all die both in the defence of their 

 cities and in avenging the death of that prince ; and mustering 

 all their forces, they occupied and fortified all the passes by 

 which this tyrant could enter ; and for greater security they 

 sent ambassadors to Afonso Pereira de Lacerda, captain of 

 Ceilao, to beg him for assistance in soldiers, promising that to 

 all that should come they would pay fifteen gold parddos the 

 month each. 



Afonso Pereira de Lacerda having seen their request and 

 offer, and considering that it would be to the king's service 

 to help those people, in order that that tyrant should not make 

 himself master of those cities (because he would cause great 

 oppression and trouble to the whole of that island) , at once 

 dispatched one Joao Fernandes Columbrina, an old soldier and 



1 There is not, and never was, I believe, a korale in the Seven Korales 

 with a name like this. Perhaps Kurunegala is meant ; but this seems 

 very doubtful (cf. infra, p. 318, note 3 ). Regarding this man and his 

 capital see C. A. S. Jl. xiii. 46-7. The Rdjdvaliya (84) calls him " king 

 Edirimanna Surya of the Irugal race." 



2 Cf. supra, p. 157, note 1 . 



3 Mundakondapola. 



4 Cf. Rdjdvaliya 84; C. A. S. Jl. xiii. 47, and note. Valentyn 

 (Ceylon 81) gives an imaginary picture of the murder. 



5 As a fact, the Portuguese never did obtain any permanent footing 

 in the Seven Korales. 



