Chap. II. 
Portuguese Empire in the Baft-Indies, 
ecutlng it in fuch a Manner as might be moft honourable 
to himfelf and advantageous for his Subjects, the great 
Ruler of all Things difpofed of him otherwife, by calling 
him out of this Life. In his laft Sicknefs he appointed his 
Coufin Don Emanuel , who alfo married his Sifter, his 
Heir, This Prince, who fucceeded to the Throne of 
Portugal , 1495, was in the Flower of his Age, being 
then about Twenty-feven, and pofiefled, in an eminent 
Degree, thofe Qualities that are moft worthy of a Mo- 
narch. He had great Parts, much Penetration, and an 
excellent Judgment, yet he was fo diffident of his own Abi- 
lities, that, forefeeing the Execution of his Predeceffor’s 
Projects would be attended with a larger Expence than the 
Difcoveries hitherto made had induced, he declined en- 
tering upon them, without taking the Advice of his Coun- 
cil before whom he laid all the Informations that either 
himfelf or his Coufin King John had received. The 
Portugueze Statefmen were extremely divided in their Opi- 
nions, for fome prefifed the King warmly to tread in the 
Footfteps of his Anceftors, and, to compleat with Glory, 
what with fo much Reputation they had begun ; while 
others as vehemently oppofed his Purfuit of this Defign, 
each Party fupporting their Opinion by very plaufible Ar- 
guments. 
Such as were defirous that this new Navigation might 
be attempted, obferved, that the Trade to the Indies 
had been the great Source of Power and Riches to every 
Empire that had been poffeffed of it, that Providence 
feemed to have thrown it into the Hands of their Nation, 
in fuch a manner that it would not only be difadvantage- 
ous but diffionourable, to refufe it ; that all Difficulties 
now were in a manner overcome, fo that there remained 
fcarce any thing but the going to take Poffeftion of thofe 
fine Countries, and that vaft Wealth which all the World 
thirfted after, though none but themfelves knew how to 
reach *, that the engrafting fo rich a Trade to Portugal , 
would balance their fmall Extent of Territory, and enable 
his Subjedls to make as great, or greater Fig ire than the 
Inhabitants of Kingdoms much more potent in Appear- 
ance ; that, in fine, there was no lefs Danger to be appre- 
hended from abandoning this Defign, than Benefit to be 
expedited by purfuing it •, fince, in all Probability, their 
ambitious Neighbours, the Spaniards , would purfue and 
accompliffi this great Work, which would enable them to 
execute, with Eafe, whatever they might be prompted to 
by their boundlefs Ambition. 
On the other Side it was alledged, that there were ma- 
ny Things more apparently neceftfary to the Kingdom than 
fuch long, fuch expenfive, and fuch uncertain Expeditions, 
fince there were feveral large Tradts of Land, and particu- 
larly that fpacious Plain between the Ebro and the Tagus , 
that were not properly cultivated, the Improvement of 
which would free them from the Neceffity of depending 
For their daily Bread upon Strangers ; that their Country 
was but thinly peopled, at leaft, in Proportion to the 
Numbers it might be able to maintain, if, inftead of ma- 
ritime Expeditions they turned their Thoughts towards 
making the moft of what was in their Power ; fo that it 
was very unreafonable to fquander away Men that might 
be immediately ufeful to their Country, for the fake of 
diftant, and perhaps fallacious Expectations •, that all their 
Difcoveries and Conquefts hitherto, had furniffied him only 
with a few Negroes, Elephants Teeth, ftrange Birds, and 
other Curiofities, in procuring which they had fuffered 
many Shipwrecks, and run the Hazard of many more ; 
that, for a Century together, they had been amufed with 
thefe golden Dreams, and therefore it was high Time to 
awake from thisDelufion ; that the Kings' his Predeceflfors* 
had been at vaft Expences, to very little Purpofe, in Pur- 
fuit of the like Defigns, and that this ought to render him 
not only the more cautious in following their Example, but 
oblige Kim alfo to confider the Confequence of a running 
an exhaufted Nation into Expences file, was unable to bear i 
that, befides the Succefs of the Undertaking, might bring 
fuch Demands upon the Crown of Portugal , as would 
greatly exceed her Forces fo that perhaps her Interefts at 
home might come to be facrifiCed to thofe abroad. I 
have dwelt the longer upon thefe Arguments, to fhew that 
the greateft and moft falutary Defigns are liable to as ma- 
ny Objections as the moft dangerous arid the moft de- 
ftrudtive e . ; 
4. The Deliberations into which the King entered upon 
this important Affair, though they did not abfoluteiy carry 
him from his Purpofe, or engage him to abandon a Defign 
which was, in fome meafure, recommended to him, with 
his laft Breath', by that great Prince to wftorn he owed his 
Throne, yet they, for along Time,' retarded his Prepara- 
tions, and hindered him from undertaking that Project in 
the Manner he had firft intended : At laft., however, fear- 
ing that his Neighbours might take Advantage of a longer 
Negledl, efpecially as he underftood that the Spani- 
ards very vigorously puffied forward their Difcoveries, he 
came to a final Refolution to wait no longer, but to make a 
Trial of what might be done in this Way, by fending a 
few Ships only with a fmall Number of Men, in which he 
endeavoured to avoid Extreams, and to fleer as it were 
in the Middle, between the Opinions of fuch as were of 
his Council. It was in confequence of this Determination, 
that in the Spring of the Year 1497, he ordered four 
Ships to be equipped for this Expedition ; rifi thefe, three 
were armed Veffels, with fome Pieces of Cannon on Board, 
and the fourth a fmall Store-fhip; We may be fure that 
their Force was not very great, finCe, in the whole, it 
confifted in no more than an hundred and fixty Soldiers 
and Seamen f . 
The Perfon chofen to command was Don Vafquez d$ 
Gama, a Man of Quality, who pofifeffcd all the Talents 
neceffary for fuch an Employment. On the 9th of July , 
1497, he embarked on board the Gabriel , -Which was the 
Admiral of this little Fleet, of the Burthen of One hun- 
dred and twenty Tons, and the fame Day put to Sea : On 
the Third of Augujl he left the Hand of St. Augujline , on 
the Twentieth of November he doubled The Cape of Good 
Hope ; in the Begiuning of the Month of January he 
put into a Port of Ethiopia •, and, on the firft of March, 
he entered the Port of Mozambique , where the Scurvy de- 
ftroyed many of their People, and where they were in 
great Danger of being betrayed, as fbon as they were 
known to be Chriftians. His Artillery, however, preferved 
him, and from thence he continued his Voyage to Mom- 
baza , where he again met with very perfidious Dealing. 
He failed from thence to Melinda , the Prince of which 
Country received him with great Civility, and promifed to 
fend an Embaffador by them when they returned into 
Portugal. 
Don Vafquez , in Obedience to his Inftruffions, failed 
from thence for the Coaft of Malabar, and arriving hap- 
pily at Calicut , there firft heard of a puiffant Monarch in 
thofe Parts, ftiled the S amor in, which is a Dignity com- 
parable to that of Emperor ; there he met, very unexpect- 
edly, with an extraordinary Aft of Friendfnip; for, on 
the firft going of his Officers on Shore, they " were met 
by a Moor of Tunis, who knew them, by their Drds, to be 
Portugueze and though both on the icore of his Country 
It is evident from hence, that if any Accident, or Shipwreck had attended this Voyage, there had been an End of the Defipm for ever, though 
it would have remained juft as reafonable and fit to have been undertaken as before, which I mention to £hew how probable a Idling it is that ma- 
ny great and glorious Difcoveries have been prevented by fuch groundlefs Oppofitions. 
f The Reader will eafily perceive, from this Inftance, that it is not a great Force, or a vaft Expence , that is neceffary to the Execution of a,n impor- 
tant Defign, but the Choice of a good Officer, one who knows what he is to do, and goes with a Refolution to do what he is font to do. All the 
maritime Expeditions, from the Beginning of the World to this Period of Time, are not comparable to what was performed in the narrovv Compafs 
of /even Years Time by Chriflopher Columbus and Vafqnez de Gama ; for the former failed on the n th of O Bober, 1 492, and the other on the nth 
©f July, 1497, fo that, as I obferved before, the Difcovery of the Eaft-Indies and the Weft, were compleated in leven Years, at a tenth Part of the 
Expence that attended our laft Weji-lndian Expedition, and with a Force that would be fcarce thought fufficient for equipping, at this Day three p 
vateers. I do not fay this with any View of making invidious Comparifons, becaufe I am perfuaded that our Admiral, who commanded" in the W- * ? " 
Indies, had he lived in thofe Times, and been intruded with either of thofe Commands, would have done as much as Columbus of Gama * But I 
make this Obfervation with this View, that ourCountrymen maybe fatisfied, that as great Things as thefe may yet be done, whenever our Undertakings 
are conduced by Publick Spirit , and the Execution ox them entrufted to Officers who are known to have a greater Regard to Charadlir thaff Fort life 
5 
Numb, 45, g G 
and 
