No. 60. — 1008.] couto : history of ceylon. 



245 



his doing it, and that the fathers of Saint Francis would do 

 the same, although she was still a heathen : because as they 

 had that sheep within doors, and any day might make her a 

 Christian, as they intended and each day hoped, it was certain 

 that they would hinder her from making the journey. All 

 these matters he discussed with his grand chamberlain, who 

 was sagacious and a man of great contrivance and had the 

 king entirely under his thumb 1 ; who seeing that the king was 

 dispossessed of Cotta and poor, and that by this marriage 

 would be opened up a way to great trade with the Brama, and 

 that the maiden his daughter would be the latter's wife, told 

 the king that he would arrange for her to be taken away 

 without its being known in Columbo. 



But much further even did his industry go : in that from the 

 tine of a stag he made a tooth just like that which Dom 

 Constantino carried off of the white ape 2 , and. enchased it in 

 gold, and made a charola 3 , very costly with many precious 

 stones, in which he placed it; and the grand chamberlain 4 

 conversing one day with the Brama' s ambassadors and the 

 talupdes that had accompanied them (who were their bishops 

 and monks 5 ), who came to make offerings to the footprint of 

 Adam, which all adore and venerate 6 , gave them in great 



1 Of. supra, p. 156, note l . 



2 So in the manuscript. In the printed edition the word " white " 

 is wanting ; nor does Couto in VII. ix. ii. mention the colour of the ape. 

 Faria y Sousa, however, in his account of Dom Constantino's 4 " great 

 renunciation," asserts {Asia Port. II. n. xvi.) that the tooth was that of a 

 white ape, and compares the sacredness of the white elephant in Siam. 



3 According to Vieyra's Port. Diet, this word is synonymous with 

 andor, litter (regarding which see Hob. -Job.). In XII. v. iv. Couto, 

 describing the grandeur of the king of Pegu, says : — " And when this 

 king wished to go out he went in a charola overlaid with gold, with 

 many precious stones, and was borne on the shoulders of thirty-six 

 chief men," &c. It is in this sense that Couto uses the w,ord here and 

 elsewhere. But charola in Portuguese also meant a niche in which 

 images were placed (see Fr. Dom. Vieira's Grande Dice. Port, s.v.): 

 and it is in the latter sense that Teixeira uses the word in describing a 

 Hindu temple at Barcelor in Kanara (see Teix. 211, where note 2 is 

 incorrect). Ralph Fitch (162) describes the Peguan monarch's litter, 

 and adds: " This coach in their language is called Serrion." I suspect 

 that in charola two words, one of Latin and one of Eastern origin, have 

 been confused. 



4 The printed edition here inserts " who was still a heathen." He 

 was probably a Christian only " from the teeth outwards." 



6 See Hob. -Job. s.v. " Talapoin." 

 6 C7, supra, V. vi. ii., p. 110. 



