He Soon Afterwards Expired In The Arms Of St Francis
Xavier, On The 6th Of June 1548, In The 48th Year Of His Age.
All the
treasure found in his private cabinet was three ryals and a bloody
scourge.
Don Juan was an excellent scholar, being particularly skilled in Latin
and the mathematics. During his government of India he did not allow
himself to be actuated by pride, as others had done before and after
him, and always valued and promoted his officers for their merits. He so
much loved that every one should act becomingly, that seeing one day a
fine suit of clothes on passing a tailors shop, and being told that it
was intended for his son, he cut it in pieces, desiring some one to tell
the young man to provide arms, not fine clothes.
SECTION V.
Transactions of the Portuguese in India, from 1548 to 1564, under
several Governors,[369]
Immediately on the death of Don Juan the first patent of succession was
opened, in which Don Juan Mascarenhas was named; but he had gone to
Lisbon to seek the reward of his gallant defence of Diu, which he now
missed. The second named Don George Telo, who was also absent. In the
third, Gracia de Sa was nominated to the succession, an officer of much
experience in the affairs of India. Soon afterwards, he received an
embassy from Adel Khan to solicit peace, which was concluded much to the
advantage of the Portuguese. The Zamorin, Nizam-al-mulk, Kothb-al-mulk
king of Golconda, the Rajah of Canara, and several other princes of
India sent splendid embassies to confirm the peace; and at length,
Sultan Mahmud king of Guzerat or Cambaya, tired of the unfortunate war
in which he had been long engaged with the Portuguese, made pacific
overtures, and a treaty was concluded to the credit and advantage of the
Portuguese.
[Footnote 369: The transactions of this period are of so little
importance, and related in so desultory a manner, that in the present
section we have only thought it necessary to give an abbreviated
selection. - E.]
In the course of this year, 1548, a bloody war broke out between the
kings of Siam and Pegu on the following occasion: The king of Siam
happened to possess a white elephant, a singular curiosity, much
coveted by all the princes of the east, and the king of Pegu demanded
that it should be given up to him in token of superiority. This was
refused by the king of Siam, and the king of Pegu invaded Siam with a
numerous army, reducing the king of Siam to such straits that he was
willing to make peace on any conditions, except delivering up the white
elephant, even agreeing to give up one of his own daughters, and to send
a woman of noble birth yearly as an acknowledgement of vassalage. But as
the terms were not performed, the king of Pegu again marched into the
kingdom of Siam with a prodigious army of a million and a half of men
and 4000 elephants.
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