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



411 



only those of most importance, because history does not 

 permit of so much. In the past year we left the affairs of that 

 island at the great victories that Dom Jeronimo d'Azevedo, 

 captain-general of that conquest 1 , obtained over the tyrant 

 Dom Joao, intitled king of Candea, within the limits of that 

 kingdom and of Dinavaca 2 . Now we shall continue with those 

 of this summer, in which things centred in the fort of Corvite 3 , 

 which Dom Jeronimo d'Azevedo ordered to be made six leagues 

 from Ceitavaca at the end of the past February [1597], 

 in which there remained as captain Salvador Pereira da Sylva 

 with one hundred men and the provisions of munitions and food 

 that seemed to him necessary. This fort having been made, 

 the general dispatched the Portuguese and native soldiery to 

 go and recuperate, in order afterwards with new energy and 

 strength to return and carry on that war. Of this the tyrant 

 Dom Joao was soon advised ; and discussing with the other 

 rebels that followed him as to the satisfaction that they should 

 take from our people for the many evils they had done them, 

 because if they were negligent it was certain that they would 

 put a heavy yoke on the whole of that island, it was agreed 

 that the king of Uva 4 should unite with the princes of Dina- 

 vaca 5 , the which they at once did with some four thousand 

 men, much musketry and war elephants, and came and 

 pitched their camp six leagues from our fort of Corvite 6 , with 

 the intention of assaulting it, it having only a small garrison ; 

 and from there they sent two thousand men of their vanguard 

 to go and place themselves two leagues from that fort 7 

 without moving themselves: because they purposed first to 

 get all that district, which was under our obedience, to rebel, 

 so that thus the conquest and entrance of that fort might 



1 Here Couto employs an expression that came into use after the 

 great disaster of 1594, Ceylon being generally referred to as " the con- 

 quest" (c/. infra, XII. i. vii., p. 416). 



2 I can nowhere find details of, or even references to, these " great 

 victories." 



3 Kuruvita (c/. supra, p. 405, note 4 ). By the present road Kuruvita 

 is about twenty miles (say five Portuguese leagues) from Sitavaka. 



*The editions of 1645 and 1788 both have " Vua." The king of 

 " Uva " here spoken of I cannot identify. It will be seen from XII. ill, 

 iii. infra (p. 439) that ere long he was deposed from his high position on 

 account of being defeated several times in succession by the Portuguese. 



5 Who these two "princes " were, I do not know. 



6 Probably at Pelmadulla, which is about twenty miles from Kuru- 

 vita. 



7 At Ratnapura, doubtless 



