Book I. 
682 f The HIS 'TORT of the 
before either were known to us by the Paffages now in ufe. 
But let us for the prefent return to the Difeoveries of the 
Portugueze ?. 
18. In the Year 1525, Antonio Britt 0, and Garcias 
Henriquez , being fent from the Moluccas , difeovered the 
great IQand of Celebes . This Antonio Britto was the 
very Perfon that had taken one of Magellan's, Ships* and 
put all the People that were in her to Death, which had 
gained him the Reputation of a bold and able Seaman ; 
nor did he lofe it by this Expedition, fince he actually dif- 
eovered what he was fent to look for. Other Portugueze 
Writers fay, that he did not go himfelf, but fitted out 
Ships for that Difcovery, and that they in their Return to 
the Moluccas , faw certain Elands, which they could not 
reach, to which they gave the Name of the Elands of Mey. 
But when Antonio Galvano was Governor of the Moluccas , 
he fent over two of the Natives, who were baptized, into 
that Country, who converted feveral of the Princes there- 
of from Paganifm to Chriftianity l , and eftablilhed a good 
Correfpondence between them and the Inhabitants of the 
Portugueze fettled in the Moluccas. 
This Iiland of Celebes is divided from Borneo by the 
Streights of Macajfar , and lies at no great Diftance from 
the Moluccas . Argenfola tells us, the Natives are of a 
white Complexion, and that they were formerly much 
given to Piracy. That Writer, and fome others, give 
us an odd Account of the ancient Form of Government in 
this Country, and which feems to confirm what I have be- 
fore fuggelted, that there had been great Revolutions in 
thefe Parts before they were difeovered by the Europeans. 
What they fay on this Subject, reduced into a narrow 
Compafs, amounts to this ; that there were originally le- 
ven Kingdoms, or Principalities in this IQand, the Princes 
of which met together and chofe a Monarch, who had a 
limited Power over the whole IQand, and whom, in cafe 
of Tyranny, they who eletfted him depofed. This does 
not look like Rudenefs or Barbarity, but feems to have 
been a very rational kind of Policy, inftituted for the fake 
of preferving the Peace of the feveral Nations inhabiting 
that Country, and preventing thofe Wars that muft other- 
wife have kept them in continual Confufion, and into 
which they actually relapfed, when by fome Accident or 
other this falutary Form of Government fell into Dif- 
ufc. 
The Difcovery of fo confiderable a Country was looked 
upon, by the Portugueze , as a Matter of great Confe- 
quence and Meafures were taken to fecure the Affections of 
thofe whom it was not found eafy to conquer ; but, on 
the other hand, capable of being obliged, or rendered 
ufeful, as their Allies, by good Ufage. The People were 
much braver, and withal had much better Senfe than molt 
of the Indians ; and, therefore, after a little Converfation 
with the Europeans , they began, in general, to difeern that 
there was no Senfe or Meaning in their own Religion ; 
and the few of them who had been made Chriftians by the 
Care of Don Antonio Galvano , were not fo thoroughly in- 
ftruded themfelves as to be able to teach them a new 
Faith. The whole People in general, however, difclaimed 
their old Superftitions, and became Deifts at once k ; but, 
not fatisfied with this, they determined to fend, at the 
fame time, to Malacca and to A chin, to defire from the 
one, Chriftian Priefts ; and from the other, DoClors of the 
Mohammedan Law j refolving to embrace their Religion ; 
the Teachers of which came firft among them. The Por- 
tugueze have hitherto been efteemed zealous enough for 
their Religion ; but it feems that Don Ruis Perera , who 
was then Governor of Malacca , was a little deficient in his 
Concern for the Faith, fince he made a great and very 
unneceffary Delay, in fending the Priefts that were de- 
fired. 
On the other hand, the Queen of Achin being a furi- 
ous Mohammedan , no fooner received an Account of this 
Difpofition in the People of the IQand of Celebes., than fti'e 
immediately difpatched a Veffel full of Doctors of the 
Law, who, in a ftiort Time, eftablilhed their Religion ef- 
fectually among the Inhabitants. Some Time after came 
the Chriftian Priefts, and inveighed bitterly againft the 
Law of Mohammed, but to noPurpofe ; the People of Cele- 
bes had made their Choice, and there was no Poffibility of 
bringing them to falter it. One of the Kings of this 
Elands, indeed, who had before embraced Chriftianity, 
perfifted in the Faith, and moft of his Subjects were con- 
verted to it ; but ftill, the Bulk of the People of Celebes 
continued Mohammedans , and are fo to this Day, and the 
greatest Zealots for their Religion of any in the Indies . 
This was one of the greateft Errors in Policy that ever tho 
Portugueze committed 3 for if all the Inhabitants of that 
IQand had been made, as they very eafily might have been, 
zealous Chriftians, the Hutch had never became fo abfo- 
lute in the Indies as they now are. 
But this Difference in Religion did not hinder them 
from living in very good Terms with the Portugueze , who 
eftabliQied a better Trade here than in any other Part 
of the Indies ; for, finding few rich Commodities, and 
no Opportunity of encroaching on the Liberties of the 
Nation, they were glad to treat them as a free People i and 
the Situation of the Country being extremely happy for 
that Purpofe, made it very foon the Centre of Commerce. 
The great IQand of Borneo, abounding in Gold, Diamonds, 
Pepper, and other rich Commodities, lay but one Day’s 
Sail from them ; Atnboyna and the Spice-IQands, not above 
three or four •, the Kingdoms of Siam , Camboya , Cochin- 
china, and Ponquin, the Empire of China, and the Philip- 
pine IQands, none of them above three hundred Leagues. 
We need not wonder, therefore, that the Port of Jampo- 
dan , the belt in that Part of the World, fhould be always 
full of Ships, and the great Towns on the Coaft become 
Places of great Trade, when it was fo much the Intereft 
of the Portugueze to promote it. The People themfelves 
were very capable of managing it, being very induftrious, 
and as well flailed in Navigation as any of their Neigh- 
bours ; and though they had not any very rich Commodi- 
ties, except Gold, and that in no great Quantities, yet they 
had wherewithal to purchafe thole of the greateft Value, 
fince the Rice of this Country is efteemed the bell in the 
Indies, as their Cotton is held the fineft ; with thofe they 
traded to the Moluccas, and from thence brought fuch vaft 
Quantities of Spices, that they drove a very confiderable 
Trade in them with the Europeans. 
The Reafon that this IQand is fometimes called Celebes , 
and at others Macajfar is, becaufe the former which lies 
in the North-weft Part of the IQand, and the latter which 
takes up all the South, were the principal Kingdoms of 
the IQand, and efpecially the laft, the Monarchs of which 
were very powerful, and frequently made themfelves Mas- 
ters of the belt Part of the whole IQand. Their Subjects 
are allowed to be the boldeft and braveft of all Indians , 
and are likewife remarkable for having a confummate 
Knowledge in all Sorts of Poifons, which are fome of 
them of fo deadly a Nature, that the very Touch, or 
Smell of them, are inftantly and infallibly mortal. The 
Men make ufe of them to tinge the Head of their Ar- 
rows, or rather Darts, which they blow through hollow 
Trunks, and that with fuch Force and Dexterity, that 
1 As this Fait is unanimoufly related by the bell Authors on this Subject, it may not be amifs to fet it in the cleared Light of which it is capable. 
Two Brothers, Subjects of the King of Soppet, going over to the Ifland of lernatc, faw there the Ceremonies of the Chriltian Worlhip, according to 
the Rites of the Church of Rome. They were extremely pleafed with the Shew, and defired therefore to know more of the Subllance, which induced 
them to apply to the Governor, in order to be informed as to the Notions the Portugueze had of God, the Reafons why they were called Chriftians, 
and how themfelves might be made fo. He readily difeourfed with them on thefe Heads, they were quickly convinced of the Truth of what he faid, 
and fo were baptized by the Names of Anthony and Michael ; which, it feems, the Governor made no Scruple of performing with his own Hands, 
there being, at that Time, no Prieft in the Moluccas. It is eafy to conceive, that thefe Men, returning into their own Country, might be able to 
fliew the Folly and Abfurdity of their Idolatry, without being capable of demonftrating the Truth of the Chriftian Faith. 
k The ancient Religion of this Country delerves to be taken Notice of, becaufe we lhall then evidently fee that the People had good Reafon to aft 
as they did. Their Priefts told them, that the Heavens were eternal, and the Sun and Moon a God and Goddefs, from whofe Influence all Things 
proceed * that they had once a Quarrel, and the Sun ftriking the Moon, fhe thereupon mifearried of this World ; with abundance of Stories of the like 
Nature. They taught them likewife the Tranfmigration of Souls ; and that it was unlawful to kill any living Creature to eat, except Swine and 
Birds, becaufe the former was too nafty, and the latter too little for any human Soul to dwell in. But they adviled them to facrifice their Cattle to 
ihe Sun and Moon ; and, if they had none of thefe, they fometimes made free with their Children. No wonder, therefore, that they were glad to 
get rid of fuch a Religion, and of fuch Pra&ices. 
they 
