No. 60. — 1908.] couto : history of ceylon. 



193 



them the lands and villages, those that he wished to grant to 

 them being very prosperous and abundant. 



These things and others having been disposed of, the 

 viceroy arranged to go in person against that king, and to 

 make an end of destroying him once for all for the greater 

 security of those territories : because he was so bad and cruel, 

 that at the gate of his palace our people found a very huge 

 block on which every day he ordered many of his vassals 

 to be beheaded ; and to do this it was not necessary to have 

 many trials or proofs of crimes, since there sufficed for it a 

 very little story, and even a suspicion, imagination, or dream. 

 After having got ready everything that he needed for the expedi- 

 tion, he left some captains of vessels in guard of the city, and 

 of the bishop of Cochim, who remained there with the deputy 

 provincial of St. Francis and some friars of his order, who with 

 that zeal that they always had for the things of our religion 

 and increase of our holy Catholic faith began to convert some 

 natives and to baptize with great love and charity. The 

 viceroy went marching towards the fortress in the same order 

 in which he entered the city, Luis de Mello da Sylva leading the 

 van, and in the middle all the baggage and artillery, with 

 which . the fortress was to be assailed ; and on arriving in 

 sight of it, there came to him the spies that he had sent out, 

 who told him that in that hour the king had departed from 

 there, as he did not dare to await him, and that the fortress 

 was abandoned. 



Upon this good news the viceroy Dom Constantino entered 

 the fortress amid great rejoicings and salvos of harquebusery, 

 and ordered the banner with the arms of Portugal to be hoisted 

 on the battlements, taking possession of it peacefully, as his 

 father the duke Dom G-emez had formerly done of the famous 

 city of Azamor in Africa. That day he lodged in the fortress, 

 and on the next he ordered through a general council that the 

 king should be pursued, since he was fleeing in disorder, until 

 they had him in their hands, and that for this purpose there 

 should go four captains, Luis de Mello da Sylva, Martim 

 Afonso de Miranda, G-oncalo Falca6,and Fernao de Sousa de 

 Castellobranco. And because there began to be doubts and 

 differences amongst them regarding the command and rule, 

 the viceroy delivered to them three dice, and told them that 

 each day they were to cast lots, and he that cast most was to 

 rule that day : on which they were appeased, and that first day 

 Luis de Mello da Sylva led the van and had the rule without 

 lot, since all consented to this. 



Thus they went marching, guided by some spies, who from 

 pure malice led them away from the road that the king had 

 taken, and by one turning after another made them lose three 



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