778 
A Defcripion of CEYLON. 
Bald<£us. 
Force the 
King to pay 
g, yearly 
Tribute. 
Is llidi- 
gtfttd by 
the Cinga- 
lefes. 
ftrengthen'd it by a Wall that furrounded 
it, he foon made the King repent of his 
Inconftancy, who fent his Envoys to Zoa- 
res^ asking Pardon for what was pafs'd, 
and defiring that the former Alliance 
might be renew'd : But Zoares refufed to 
hearken to thefe Propofitions, demanding 
Satisfaction for the Affront, and a yearly 
Tribute to be paid to K. Emanuel j which 
the King of Ceylon (who dreaded the 
Portuguefes) not daring to refufe, it was 
agreed that he fliould pay to Portugal an 
annual Tribute of 1 24000 Pound Weight 
of Cinnamon, 1 1. Rings fet with the mofl 
precious Rubies and Saphirs, and 6 Ele- 
phants, under Condition t\\2itK. Emanuel 
Ihould anift the King of Ceylon and his 
SuccefTors both by Sea and Land, againll 
all his Enemies. 
The Treaty being thus concluded, Zoa- 
res continu'd his Fortifications, which be- 
ing brought to perfection with the afllf- 
tance of the Cingalefes, h? left John de 
Silua with a good Garifon there, and 
Anthonio Miranda Azeveda with four Ships 
to guard the Coaft which done, he re- 
turn'd in Vecember to Cochin, where he 
was received with all imaginable Denaon- 
ftrations of Joy, Lup. de Bfitto (before 
mentioned) fucceeding John de Silva^ 
brought along with him abundance of 
Workmen and Bricklayers, who made a 
kind of Mortar of the Sea-cockles, and 
lin'd the Fortifications with a ftrong Wall, 
deepned the Ditches, and added what 
Works they thought necefTary for the Ac- 
complifhment thereof. 
This created no fmall Jealoufy (not 
without reafon) in the Cingalefes^ which 
was encreafed by the Infinuations of the 
Moori(h Merchants, who told the King 
that their Prophecies were like to prove 
too true, fincehe was now made fenfible, 
that thefe Foreigners had not only exclu- 
ded all other Strangers from the Traffick 
of this Ifle, butalfo had made him a Tri- 
butary of Portugal.^ and fliortly would 
make him their Vallal, if he did not in 
time hearken to the Gounfel of his 
Friends. 
Thefe Infinuations had the defired ef- 
fect, for the King not only cutoff all Sup- 
plies of Provifions and other NecelTaries 
from the Fort j but the common People 
being alfo incenfed by thefe Difcourfes, 
murdered feveral Portuguefes, who ven- 
tured a little too far without the Fort. 
J)e Britto at firft difTembled the matter, 
but finding he could no longer contain his 
Soldiers (burning with Revenge) he 
chofe 150 of his beft Men, and with 
shem alTaulted the City of Columbo 
(which lay near the Fort) jiilt about Bnno 
noon, when moll of the Inhabitants were '«'i'"'<^f 
afleep to avoid the Heat of the Day, and ^^'^''"^'^ 
at the firft Alarum betook therafeives to 
their Heels, leaving the City to the Ene- 
mies Mercy. 
De Bfitto kmg himfelf Mailer of the 
Place without the leall Oppoiltion, for- 
bid his Soldiers to plunder, orcom{Tiita+ ■': 
ny other Outrages ^ but order'd the Wo- 
men and Children to be tied to the Pofi"; 
of the Doors, within liitenrion to con- 
vince xhcCingakfeSj that he was not come 
like an Enemy to deltroy, bnt like a 
Friend to prefcrve them. But as he had 
but little reafon to rely upon their Gene- 
rolity, he thought fit to make a Trial 
of their Inclinations ^ fo he ordered 
' fame Houfes that lay next to the Portu- 
gueje Fort to be fet on fire : this had the 
delir'd Succefs ; for the Cingakfcs out of 
the AfFedtion they bore to the«.r Wives 
and Children, had ggther'd all their 
Force in order to relieve them at any 
rate ^ but finding their Houfes on fire", 
run firil with all Speed to quench the 
Flame, whereby Br^itto got leiUirc Co -re^ 
treat in good Order into the Fort, and 
to provide himfelf againft the intended 
Aflault, which however could not be 
done without fome Lofs, above 30 of his 
Men having been wounded in the Re- 
treat. 
However Britto reaped no other Bene- 
fit by this Enterprize, than that the Cm- 
galefes (exafperated to the highell De- 
gree) bijfieged the Fort with 20000 Men ^ 
and tho they were often bravely repuis'd, 
yet did they perlift in their Refolution, in 
hopes of reducing the Place by Famine,be- 
caufe the approaching Month of May 
(the firft of the Winter-Seafon) did be- portugu 
reave them of all hopes of Succours. Inicsb-.-jk 
the mean while the Ciyigakfes did not ^' 
ceafe to carry on their Works to the very 
pitch, from whence they annoy'd the 
Portuguefes with their Arrows,their Num- 
ber making up the Defeft of their Force, 
which was not comparable to the Portu- 
guefc Artillery and Fire-arms. They al- 
fo gathered up 600 Bullets that were (hot 
at them from the Fort,of which they made 
the beft ufe they could. 
But wha? moft troubled the Portuguejls 
was, that they were to fetch all their 
frefh Water without the Fort, and that 
they were extremely harafTed with conti- 
nual watching : Ffowever they hoped to 
defend the Place till the next Summer, 
in hopes of Succours, in which they at 
laft found themfelves fruftrated ; ^r.ihonio 
ds Lem&s coming only with one Gallev 
and 
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