A Defcripion of CEYLON. 
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■ fide will not be wanting to entertain 
Baldaiis. u jj^g f^^^ yyi^h the utmoft Sincerity, 
^ ^ confiding in the Omnipotent God, the 
King of Kings, who knows the depth 
of the Hearts of Men, that he will be 
pleas'd to take both your and our Sub- 
jeds into his Protedion, and increafe 
their well-being thro his Power and 
Mercy. Dated in the Hague, Sep. 1 5. 
1609. 
Subfcribed, 
A. Cotnders. 
And fomewhat lower, 
Your Highneffes moft hearty Friends 
the States-General of thQ Vnited 
provinces, by their Order and 
Command, 
C. Aertun. 
Maurice Prince of Orange, Earl of 
" Najfau, Catz.ene!iebogen, Diejt, Vi- 
anden, Meurs, Marquefs of Tereand 
" VliJJingen, Governour, Captain and 
" Admiral General of Cuelders, Hol- 
" land, Zealand, Wejl-Friefland, Zut- 
" ^hen, Vtreck, Over-Tjfell, &c. 
Mojl Potent King, 
rr.Mau- f^OD protea your Majefty, and 
riceVLeN V_X give you all the Blefiings upon 
tertothc cc garth. We have for a conliderable 
Emferor. ^j^je been engaged in a War againfl: 
" the King of Portugal, in order to op- 
" pofe his ambitious Defigns, the fame 
" Motive having induced your Majefty to 
**• defend your Dominions againft his At- 
tempts V the Almighty God has been 
pleas'd to blefs our Arms with fuch 
<■'■ Succefs, as to oblige our Enemy to a 
twelve Years Truce, which by the 
" Mediation of feveral neighbouring 
^* Kings has been brought at laft to a hap- 
py Conclufion : But, finding that the 
faid King did continue his Warlike 
Preparations, and imagining that the 
" fame was intended chiefly, in order to 
" attack your Majefty and fome other 
" Princes in the /n^^iw, our Allies (after 
" being bereaved of our AfTiftance) wc 
thought it abfolutely requifite, not to 
agree to the faid Truce, unlefs your 
^' Majefty were included therein, toge- 
ther with the reft of our Friends and 
Allies. Whereupon the fame was con- 
" eluded at laft, under condition, that 
" we and all our Friends and Allies 
" ftiould enjoy full Liberty, to fend our 
" Ships into what Countries we pleas'd 
" without any Moleftation from thePo/- 
" tuguefes and that in cafe your Ma- 
jefty, or any other of our Confede- 
" rates, Ihould be attack'd by him, we 
" ftiould deem the fame as done to our 
^' felves : to accomplilh which we ftiall 
be ready upon all Occafions to be 
" afliftant in revenging any Damages done 
" upon that Score to your Majefty, or a- 
ny other of our Allies. We have 
'* fome reafon to fuppofe, that the in- 
" tention of the faid King is, tofcpa- 
" rate by this Artifice your Majefty from 
" our Intereft, which ought to be a rau- 
" tual caution to us,to be upon our Guard 
" for the future i for fince the occalion 
" of dividing us by Force of Arms is re- 
" moved, they will notbefparingtoat- 
" tain to their end by Fraud and other 
" Sinifter Means. It is therefore, that 
" we have order'd our Governour-Gene- 
ral, to treat with your Majefty, and 
" to find out fuch means, as may be moll 
proper to prevent their Intrigues, and 
" to unite us againft thofe, whofe Word 
and Faith wc dare not altogether rely 
" upon. We did not think fit to ftipu- 
" late in the faid Treaty, that his Sub- 
jefts (hould be excluded from the 
" Traffickof Ceylon, but left the fame 
*' to your Majefty's Difcretion, not 
queftioning, but that according to 
" your Wifdom and Underftanding, you 
" win aft in that refped, fo as that no- 
" thing may betranfaded that may tend 
" towards the Diftblution of our Alli- 
" ance, which we hope the Almighty 
will maintain by his Bleding, to the 
" Honour of his Holy Name, and the 
" Welfare of your Majefty, and our Be- 
" loved Subjeds. 
Dated in the Hagat 
Oftob. 5. 1609. 
Maurice de Najfau, 
The Supcrfcription was as follows. 
" Tothe moft llluftriousand moft Noble 
" Emperour of Ceylon, King of Can- 
" dy,Trinquenemale, Jafnapatnam, Set- 
" te-Corles, Manaar, Chilaw, Cota„ 
" Batecalo, Punte-Gale, our Beloved 
" Brother in the Wars. 
Thefe Letters were no fooner brought 
in the Greyhound Yacht to Coromandel, but 
the Diredor of our Eajl-lndia Company 
there, named John van Wefick^ ordered 
immediately MarceUiis de Bofchhouwer our Marcellus 
Under-Fador, aboard the Ship called the Bofch- 
Black Lyon, to Ceylon along with Peter Ij^J^o^^ 
Both, a Native of Amenfort, Commodore, ceyioa, 
bound likewife for that Ifland. 
CHAP. 
