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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. XX. 



greatly offended at the death of his father and not a little 

 afraid of the cruelty of his uncle. With this prince Joao 

 Correa de Brito corresponded secretly, and urged him strongly 

 to take revenge for the death of his father, offering him to this 

 end all aid and favour , and on this he laid great stress ; and said 

 that although whilst he was there he could not bring about the 

 death of Raju, at least he might raise such hatreds amongst 

 them as should disquiet them. Either Raju came to obtain 

 some information of this affair, or because his cruelty would 

 not suffer him to leave alive that poor prince, desiring to 

 extinguish everything that proceeded from the blood of the 

 ancient kings, he sent with dissimulation to summon him, 

 as if it were on business : but as he feared his uncle that 

 summons did not seem to him genuine, and dissembling over 

 his going he feigned himself ill, and so showed himself in bed 

 to him who came to summon him. This the tyrant took as 

 an excuse for disobedience, wherefore he dispatched some 

 modeliares with many soldiers to bring him to him, because his 

 brutality would not suffer that they should kill him there, 

 as he wished with his own eyes to see that innocent blood 

 poured out to slake his thirst. These men having reached 

 that village surrounded his house, and sent word to him to get 

 ready to go to Ceitavaca to have an interview with his uncle ; 

 and there were not wanting in the company some who told 

 him why. The message having been delivered, he put off the 

 modeliares by telling them that he was going to get ready ; 

 and retiring to a chamber, he summoned his wives and children 

 and the rest of his household, and said to them 1 : " You see 

 well the condition to which this cruel man has reduced all the 

 princes of Ceilao, and that of all none remains but myself, 

 wherefore he cannot desist until he has imbrued his hands in 

 this innocent blood, because he didnot even spare his own son 2 : 

 what can be expected from him ? I am of opinion that we 

 do not give him the pleasure of seeing with his eyes that 

 which he so desires ; and that since we are all such near 

 relatives, children and wives of this luckless Reigao Pandar, 

 you agree to follow me in this, and do as I do ; " and taking 

 a cup of deadliest poison, he placed it to his mouth 

 and drank a big draught, and so went giving it to 

 all that were there, who one by one fell down, and in a 

 brief space of time all had yielded their lives into the hands 



1 This imaginary speech, which Couto puts into the mouth of the 

 hapless prince, Faria y Sousa (Asia. Port. III. I. iii.) expands to nearly 

 ten times the length ! 



2 I cannot explain this statement, since there is no record that Raja 

 Sinha had a son. 



