NO. 62.— 1909.] LETTERS OF RAJA SLNHA H. 267 



future that the Dutch nation will serve me with the same 

 loyalty as you display towards me in your letter. 



As touching what Your Honour treats of regarding the 

 household slaves 46 of the Portuguese : This nation had taken 

 part of this empire of mine, and on account of the many acts 

 of violence and wrongs that they did I took into my imperial 

 heart to drive them out of it, for which causes I sent to 

 summon the Dutch nation ; and how God chastised them i« 

 notorious to all and to Your Honours manifest ; reminding you 

 that the natives of this empire are all my vassals, and amongst 

 fchem there are good and bad ; if there are any that commit 

 offences to my imperial person the chastisement is reserved, 

 as is laid down in the capitulations 47 ; and I make this 

 notification to Your Honour, in order that you may keep it 

 in remembrance : doing so, my imperial person will continue 

 believing in the good will that you have to serve me. 



Your Honour says in your [letter] that the Dutch nation 

 with its armadas has blockaded the ports and bars of the 

 kingdom of Portugal 48 , and that Your Honour with the force 

 that you hava is going against the city of Goa 49 . May it please 

 God to chastise this Portuguese nation for the many wrongs 

 and tyrannies that they have done to several kings of India, 

 tyrannizing over their territories and kingdoms, and usurp- 

 ing ( ?) them ; so that all the various successes and victories that 

 Your Honours shall have, in one or another part, coming to my 

 imperial notice, I shall rejoice at as if it were my own affair. 



Whilst waiting for Your Honour's reply in order to dispatch 

 the bearer with the present, as well as with what I had written 

 before its arrival, there came to my imperial notice that he had 

 already left, you having written to me in your [letter] that he 

 would await my imperial order ; the which I am much annoyed 

 at, for which reason the present does not go. I dispatched the 

 bearer with the reply to Your Honour's letters because of his 

 begging leave of me by a petition : therefore he leaves to-day, 

 Friday, 20 December. And if God brings back Your Honour 

 in safety, on your advising this imperial court, there will go 

 a person to learn of your good arrival 50 . Nothing further 

 suggests itself. Our Lord, etc. From this imperial court and 

 city of Candea on the 20th of December 1658. 



Raja Singa Eaju, Most Potent <g Emperor of Ceilao, etc. 



v 26-09 



