Chap, II, Poftugueze Empire in the Eaft-Indies. 66 y 
it, and to all the other Demands made by the Portugueze 
General. On his Landing, he was received with all ima- 
ginable Civility, and immediately admitted to an Audi- 
ence of the Emperor, at which Capral, who was naturally 
vain, made a pompous Difplay of his Magnificence. The 
Samcrin , to demonstrate the Sincerity of his Profeffions, 
made him a Prefent of a Houfe, by a Deed of Gift, 
which was ingroffed in Letters of Gold ; he permitted 
him alfo to fet up the Standard of - Portugal , to appoint 
a Fadtor, or Conful for his Nation, and to open Maga- 
zines for the effectual carrying on of Commerce •, but all 
this fair fhew of good Intelligence and reciprocal Friend- 
fhip foon came to nothing. 
The Portugueze Hifiorians allure us, that it happened 
thro 3 the Imprudence of their new Fadtor, or Conful, 
whofe Name was Correa , and who, on fome flight Infor- 
mation, acquainted Capral , that the Samorin intended him 
fome foul Play. The Portugueze General, upon this,, be- 
gan to feize the Ships of the Indians , and to commit other 
Adis of Hoftility ; upon which the Inhabitants, as might 
be reafonably expedted, attacked the Portugueze Fadlory , 
forced open the Gates, pillaged and burnt the Houfe, and 
of fixty-fix People that were in it, murdered fifty, the reft 
faving theinfelves with great Difficulty on Board their 
Ships. The Portugueze General took a very fevere Re- 
venge, by burning ten rich Ships that were in the Port, 
making Slaves of Part of their Crews, and beating down 
a great many Houfes about their Ears •, after which he 
fail’d away for Cochin, which lies thirty Leagues from 
Calli cut. 
The Prince then on the Throne of Cochin, was called 
Trimumpara , who having Reafons to be offended with the 
Samorin , received him very kindly, and concluded a Trea- 
ty with him, into which the Kings of Coulan and Cananor 
defired to be admitted. Capral taking great State upon 
him, did not immediately liften to this Propofal, but of- 
fered to carry their Ambaffadors, if they thought fit to 
fend any with him, into Portugal , alluring them, that his 
Mafter would fend them fpeedy and powerful Alfiftance 
againft the Samorin. They readily accepted his Offer, 
and the General having taken on Board a rich Cargo, paid a 
Vifit to the King of Cananor , and having received the Am- 
bafiadors of all the three Princes on Board, he in the Month 
of January fail’d from Cochin , in order to return to 
Europe . 
The Samorin fitted out a great Fleet, on Board of 
which were two thoufand Men, and fent it in Purfuit of 
them, but the Portugueze being better Sailors, eafily ef- 
caped this Danger. In his Paffage home, one of his 
Ships unluckily ran afhore on the Coalt of Melinda , and 
Capral , to prevent the Mohammedans from making any 
Advantage of this Accident, firft nailed his Cannon, and 
then fet the Ship on Fire ; notwithftanding which, the 
King of Monbaza found Means to weigh the Artillery, 
and to render them ferviceable, to the great Prejudice of 
the Chriftians. 
The Portugueze General continued his Voyage, doub- 
led the Cape without any great Difficulty, and arrived 
fafely at Lijbon , on the 23d of July , 1501. He brought 
Home with him a very rich Cargo, the Ambaffadors of 
three Princes, and a pompous Account of the great Ex- 
ploits he had performed againft the Samorin. All which, 
however, did not procure him a very favourable Recep- 
tion from his Mafter, on account of the great Lofs he 
had fuftaioed in this Voyage, and the Number of gallant 
Men who had perifhed in it, and who were not to be re- 
paired or replaced, by all the Wealth of the Indies h . 
It feems, Don Emanuel had fome Forefight of what 
might happen from the haughty Difpofition of this Offi- 
cer, and therefore had difpatched a Squadron of four Sail 
to the Indies , under the Command of Don Juan Nova 
* Codec a, a Man of great Prudence and Courage. He 
miffed of Capral in his Paffage, but arriving at Melinda , 
and there learning what had paffed at Calicut and Cochin , 
he continued his Voyage to Cananor , and having comple- 
mented the King on the Part of his Mafter, failed from 
thence for Cochin. He met in his Voyage, a Fleet of up- 
wards of fourfeore Sail, which the Samorin had lent to at- 
tack and deftroy him in the Port of Cananor. Don Juan 5, 
notwithftanding the great Inequality of their Force, fought 
them for a whole Day, and having funk ten Sail of large 
Ships, four Barks, and other fmajj Veffels, and killed up- 
wards of four hundred Men, forced them to return with 
Shame to Calli cut. After this Victory, he, was received 
with all imaginable Marks of Kindnefs and Gratitude at 
Cochin , where having at Leifure revidluallcd his Ships, and 
taken in 'a very rich Cargo, he failed for Europe . 
He doubled the Cape without any Difficulty, and in his 
Paffage from thence touched at the Iiiand of St. Helena , of 
which he made fuch a Report on his Return to Lijbon, as 
engaged the King of Portugal to inftrudl his Admirals to 
touch for Refreffiments there for the future. But a Squa- 
dron of fix Sail that were fent to Brazil at the fame time 
Don Juan was difpatche.d to the Indies , had not the like 
good Fortune, four of them being loft at Sea, and the two 
that returned brought little with them except Monkies and 
Parrots. 
6. The Neceffity of fending a greater Force into the In- 
dies than had been hitherto employed, was now very ap- 
parent, and therefore King Emanuel ordered twenty Sail of 
flout Ships to be equipped for that Purpofe, neither did he 
find it more difficult to furnifh fo large a Force with every 
thing neceffary, than to fit out the lmall Fleets he had fent 
before •, for now that there was a Profpedl of great Riches 
being got by this Commerce, he had not only the Com- 
mand of the Wealth of his own Subjects, but Foreigners 
alfo reforted in Crowds to Lijbon, fome in fearch of Em- 
ployment, and others to employ their Money. The Bufi- 
nefs was next to find a Perfon fit to be intruded with fo 
great a Command, and the King, after mature Reflection, 
determined to engage Vajquez de Gama to go thither a 
fecond Time. That great Officer was in every Refpedl as 
eafy and as happy as he could willi ; his Reputation was 
well eftabliffied, his Fortune larger than his Defires, and 
the Affairs of his Family in the faireft Situation. But the 
prefent Pofture of things made his Prefence neceffary abroad, 
and from a Senfe of this he readily quitted his Retreat, and 
facrificed all the Bleffings of Life, as became a Man of Ho- 
nour, to the Service of his Country. 
In the Spring of the Year 1503, he failed from Lijbon , 
doubled the Cape without any remarkable Accident, and 
arriving at Quiloa , forced the King thereof to become tri- 
butary to his Mafter, and to agree to the annual Payment 
of two thoufand Crowns of Gold. He failed from thence 
to Cananor , where he fet the Embaffador on Shore, made 
feveral rich Prefents to the King in the Name of his Mafter, 
renewed the Alliance made with him, and then failed for 
Cochin. While he was there, he received a Deputation 
from the Chriftians of India , or, as they are commonly 
called, Chriftians of St. Thomas, to whom he promifed all 
the Affiftance in his Power, and that he would leave, as 
indeed he did, a ftrong Squadron behind him to protect 
them. The Samorin in the mean time negleded nothing 
in the Power of a great Politician, or of a puiffant Mo- 
narch, to deftroy his Enemies. He laboured all he could 
to engage Trimumpara to betray Don Vajquez into his 
Hands * but that Prince anfwered, that hitherto the Por- 
tugueze had behaved towards him with great Honour and 
Generofity, and that while they continued fo to ad, he 
would never abandon them. 
The Samorin had next Recourfe to open Force, and aft 
fembling a Fleet of twenty-nine Sail, refolved to attack Don 
Vafquez , when he was ready to return with his Fleet heavy 
laden, and confequently in a Condition lefs able to oppofe 
him. When therefore he had Intelligence that the Portu- 
gueze Admiral was preparing for his Departure, he lent 
this mighty Force againft him. Don Vajquez de Gama 
buffered them to come as near him as they thought fit, and 
h I think it requifite to add a Note here, in order to inform the Reader, that this is no Remark of mine, but takenfrom the Portugueze Writers, 
which is an Argument, that in thofe Days, when a true Spirit of Virtue prevailed, it was held more honourable for a great Officer to ferve his Coun- 
try, than to inrieh it ; and that Capral was blamed, not for his want of Zeal or Codrage, for he does not feem to have been defedivc in either, but 
for ’his not being fo careful of his People as he ought to have been j for it is, and will be, a Maxim in all well -governed States, that he is no Friend 
to his Country who is carelefs of its Subjects. ^ ^ 
