674 
foners *, after which, proceeding to Machianand Bachian two 
of the Molucca Wands near Tidor , he plundered them, and 
carried off a great Booty. The next Year Vafqtiez de Gama 
was appointed Viceroy of the Indies y but as he was in a 
very advanced Age, it being improbable he Would live 
long, a Commiffion was made out for Henry de Menefes to 
fucceed, in cafe of his Deceafe, before the three YYars of his 
Viceroyalty fhould be expired. There was a third Com- 
miffion to Pedro Mafcarenhas , appointing him Viceroy, if 
Menefes fhould die ; and a fourth to Lopez de Samp ay o to 
fucceed, in cafe of the Death of Mafcarenhas . The Poriu- 
gueze by this means were almoft fecure of providing, that 
their Acquifitions in India Would not remain without a Head, 
and the Event Wewed the good Effefts of their Care ; for 
Gama did not long enjoy iris new Honour •, but having 
firft: defeated the People of Calicut in an Engagement at 
Sea, died within few Months after his Arrival at Goa, fo 
that the Viceroyalty devolved upon Henry de Menefes . 
The Commiffion by which he was to fucceed was lealed 
up with this Superfcription, Not to be opened till (which God 
forbid) Vafqutz de Gama , Viceroy and high Admiral of the 
Indies Jhall be departed this Life. This being now opened 
by the next commanding Officers in the great Church at 
Cochin , Menefes , who was then abfent from the Place, was 
proclaimed Viceroy, whofe Adminiftration was likewife of 
a Wort Date, and diverfified with both good and bad For- 
tune ; for after feveral Engagements with the Calicutians 
with various Succefs, he defeated their Fleet in the Port of 
Guleta , and made himfelf Matter of molt of their Ships ^ 
foon after which he deftroyed a Fleet of Turkijh Ships off 
Dab at , another of Moors off Zeila worfted, that of the 
Prince of Patana and Laqueximenes the Admiral of Bintam , 
and then advancing to relieve the Porlugueze , befieged by 
the Enemy in the Fortrefs of Calicut , he performed the 
fame, but died of a Wound he had received in his Leg by 
an Arrow in the Year 1526. 
This unlucky Accident had very bad Effectts on the Af- 
fairs of the Portugueze , and as thele were the Refult of the 
very Precautions that were taken to avoid them, it may 
not be amils to examine them more at large. As foon as 
it was known at Goa that Henry de Menefes was dead, all 
the great Officers affembled, in order to open the Billets by 
which the Succeffor v/as appointed •, and on opening thefe, 
the Authority of Viceroy devolved upon Pedro Mafcarenhas , 
who was then at Malacca. One of the Officers prefent, 
who took upon him to have more Wit than his Neighbours, 
thought proper to diftinguiW upon this Occafion between 
a General prefent, and a General at a Diftance ; he faid, 
that the Intent and Meaning of thefe Subftitutions was 
plainly, that the Government in the Indies might never 
want a Head, and that an abfent Head being in Effectt no 
Head at ail, it v/as neceffary to open another Billet, in 
order to procure a Viceroy for the prefent, till Pedro Maf 
tarenhas Would arrive from Malacca '. 
This Propofal v/as far enough from being univerfally ap- 
proved by all who were prefent, becaufe many ot them 
forefaw, that under pretence of providing againft a flight 
Evil, or rather an Inconvenience, they were on the Point 
iff running into a much greater Mifchief. However, Al- 
phonfo Mexias, who firft pro poled the Opening the other 
Billet, preffed it with fuch Earneftnefs, that at laft it was 
complied with, and the Billet being opened, Lopez de Sam- 
pay 0 the Fourth, fubftituted Viceroy, took upon him that 
Charge, and gave the Malabarians a fignal Defeat in an 
Engagement at the Mouth of the Bacanor : But Mafcaren- 
has highly relenting it, that Sampayo fhould ufurp the Vice- 
royalty out of his Turn, would by no means acquiefce with 
that Proceeding, but afllimed to himfelf the Title and Office 
of Viceroy, and being forced to wait the proper Seafon for 
coming down to Goa , took that Opportunity to repair with 
a Fleet of nineteen Sail to the Coaft ol Bintam , where he 
defeated L.aqueximenes , the Enemies Admiral, together with 
the Fieet of Pahang, which came to their Affiftance, when 
taking the City of Bintam by Storm, he burnt it, and the 
King dying with Grief at his ill Succefs, Mafcarenhas ap- 
Book I. 
pointed another in his Room, on condition that he Would 
maintain no Army nor Fleet without Leave from the Por- 
tugueze , but commit himfelf wholly to their Protection. 
This done, he went with his Fleet to Goa, where he de* 
fired a Number of Arbitrators might be appointed to judge 
whether he or Sampayo was the proper Viceroy ; but the latter 
at firft refufed to fubmit to any Arbitration : Inftead of which, 
conti ary to all Reafon and Juftice, he feized and imprifonecl 
him,, fuppofing that this would put an End to the Conceit, 
by frighting the Friends of his Competitor into Silence •, but 
in this he took his Meafures quite wrong, for this Violence,, 
inftead of leflening the Intereft of Don Pedro , increafed it* 
fo that at laft he found himfelf under a Necefficy of yielding 
to this Propofition, and thirteen Judges were chofen to de- 
cide this difficult Queftion, which by an Accident that hap- 
pened in the mean time, was made ftill more difficult. 
For, a freffi Squadron arriving from Portugal , brought 
more of thele Billets, with an Order that fuch of the old 
ones as were not opened, fhould be fuppreffed and fent 
back, and that the Government fhould be determined by 
the new Billets ; the firft of which, by the Advice of AL- 
phonfo Mexias , the firft Mover of all thefe Troubles, was 
opened, contrary to the Opinion of the wifeft and belt Men 
at Goa , who forefaw, that inftead of leflening, it would 
augment the Doubts and Sufpicions that had thrown them 
into Fadions already. This Billet being in Favour of Lo- 
pez, he infifted, before the Judges, that both the former 
Nominations were void, and therefore he infifted only up- 
on this laft ; and they being, for the moft part, of his Fac- 
tion, or elfe corrupted by Mexias , came into it at once, 
declared him Viceroy, and to put an end to all Difputes, or- 
dered Don Pedro Mafcarenhas to return immediately to 
Portugal ; with which Arbitration he complied, as plainly 
perceiving that he could hope for nothing by continuing 
m the Indies, when Things were in this Situation. On 
his Return to Lijbon , he laid the whole Proceedings be- 
fore the King, together with a Memorial, in which he 
reprefented, that as all thefe Difputes had been occafloned 
from their not knowing certainly his Majefty’s Pleafure, he 
humbly defired that it might be declared, who it was his 
Majefty intended to have named Viceroy, that Accidents 
of this kind might be prevented for the future. The 
King accordingly heard and decided this Matter with 
great Juftice and Wifdom ; for, in the firft place, he can- 
celled the Decree of the Arbitrators, and ordered that the 
prefent Viceroy, Lopez , fhould pay to Don Pedro Twenty 
thoufand Crowns, as the Profits of his two Years Govern- 
ment, and, at the fame time, made a regulation for the fu- 
ture to this Effedt, that on the opening of thefe Billets of 
Subftitution, the Abfence of the Perfon nominated fhould 
not prejudice him in any degree, provided the Perfon 
named was in any Part of the Indies between Cape Core 
and Diu, which taking in the beft Part of the Indies, ren- 
dered it impoffible that any fuch Accident fhould hereafter 
fall out as that which had occafioned all this Confufion. 
But as Don Lopez had, in other Refpedts, behaved well, 
it was judged the reafonableft Courfe to leave him in Pof- 
feffion of the Government, more efpecially, fince he was 
obliged to part with all the Money he had hitherto acquir- 
ed in it. As foon as the King’s Orders arrived in the In- 
dies, Don Lopez executed them in every Refpedl, recon- 
ciled himfelf to the Friends of Don Pedro Mafcarenhas, and 
behaved in every othe-r Circumftance as became a worthy 
Man and a good Subject. But no fooner were thefe Trou- 
bles over, than new Difturbances broke out, which occa- 
fioned freffi Confufions in the Indies. 
Henry Garcias , who was at that Time Governor 
of the Moluccas , finding Affairs extremely embarraffed 
by the Wars which his Predeceffor had made againft 
the King of Tidor, with very little Advantage, thought 
fit, on his firft coming to his Government, to make 
Peace with Almanfor, who was then King of that Iiland, 
on Condition that he fhould reflore the Artillery and 
Prifoners he had taken from the Portugueze, which, in 
the Space of fix Months, he undertook to do. But the 
The HISTO RT of the 
£ This was the Beginning of thofe Factions which proved afterwards fo fatal to the Portuguese ; for it is certain, that if they had not fallen out 
amongil themfeives, they might have preferved. their Empire in this Part of the World much longer, and much more intire ; but when their Gover- 
nors began to imprifon each other, and take many fuch Steps for their private Advantage, at the Expence of the publick Intereft of their Country, vve 
heed not wonder at the unlucky Accidents that followed, or the Defertions of thofe Officers and Pilots, which, proved the Ruin of their Commerce, by 
bringing Strangers of all Nations into thofe Seas. 
5 
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