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



279 



of the deadly poison. The servants seeing that pitiful spec- 

 tacle made a lamentation over those bodies enough to awake 

 the compassion even of insensate things. The modeliares who 

 had come to fetch him, hearing the weeping, entered in, and 

 found that sacrifice, which astonished them in such manner 

 that they remained as if stupefied, and then went with those 

 tidings to Raju, at which he was not grieved. 



This prince had many times been in readiness to come to 

 our fortress, and regarding this Joao Correa had several olas 

 of his, and this case gave him an opportunity to sound Raju 

 as to conditions of peace, because the viceroy had strongly 

 recommended this to him, and in treating of this business he 

 sent for the purpose one Antonio Guerreiro 1 , a casado in 

 Columbo, and one Duarte Ribeiro with leave from Raju to 

 treat with him, and by them he sent him a present of things 

 that he thought he would value. These men had an interview 

 with him, and concluded a truce 2 , and not for a limited time, 

 but with the condition that before Raju broke it he should 

 inform the captain thereof, who however well understood that 

 he did it with ill-will, and it was all dissimulation in order 

 during that time of truce to provide himself with many things, 

 which were also necessary for our people, because during those 

 days Joao Correa ordered to be brought into the fortress wood, 

 straw, rushes, and other things for covering and repairing the 

 houses for the winter season, and to strengthen the fortress as 

 best he could for the siege that he expected, of which he 

 advised the viceroy anew 3 : and the truce continued until it was 

 broken, as will be told further on. 



Dec. X., Bk. viii., Chap. ix. 



sjs s|e - ■ . ^ # -I? . * , sj: 



Having sent forth the fleets that we mentioned above, the 

 viceroy immediately dispatched 4 a galliass for Ceilao, in 

 which he ordered to be embarked eight thousand parddos in 

 money, five hundred candts of rice, one hundred of wheat 5 , 



1 We shall hear more of this man in connection with the defence of 

 Columbo. He was one of those present at the execution, in August 

 1580, of Dharmapala's deed of gift (see the documents cited supra, 

 p. 258, note 2 ). 



2 This truce was concluded in 1585 (see infra, p. 280, note 7 ). 



3 In July or August (?) 1586 (see infra, p. 280). 



4 In September 1586, probably. 



5 So in the manuscript. The printed edition, in place of " one 

 hundred of " (cento de), has " rye " (centeio), an obvious error. 



