Returning To Portugal,
He Went Ambassador To The Emperor Charles V. And Was Present In The
Battle In Which That Emperor Defeated The Lutherans Under The Landgrave
And The Duke Of Saxony.
He behaved so bravely in that battle, that the
emperor offered to knight him; but having already received that honour
on Mount Sinai, he could not again accept the offer, on which the
emperor declared in public that he envied that honour beyond the victory
he had just gained.
On his return to Lisbon from administering the
government of India with such high reputation, he was received with much
honour by King Sebastian, yet was afterwards much slighted, as Pacheco
had been formerly by King Emanuel, as will be seen afterwards, when
appointed a second time to the viceroyalty.
The first attention of the new viceroy was bestowed for the relief of
Chale, to which Diego de Menezes was sent with 1500 men; but he came too
late, as the fort had been already surrendered to the zamorin upon
conditions. This surrender had been made by the commander Don George de
Castro, contrary to the opinion of the majority of his officers,
overcome by the tears and entreaties of his wife and other ladies,
forgetting that he who was now eighty years of age ought to have
preferred an honourable death to a short and infamous addition to his
life. Neither was this his only fault, for the provisions had lasted
longer if he had not committed them to the care of his wife, who
dissipated them among her slaves. Owing to this unforeseen event, Diego
de Menezes could only conduct the people who had surrendered at Chale to
Cochin. He then divided his fleet with Matthew de Albuquerque, and
cleared the seas of pirates.
When Norhonha accepted the viceroyalty of India, now so much lessened by
the division into three governments, his great aim was to acquire
riches, as he was poor, and had several children. With this view he
endeavoured to prevail on Antonio Moniz Barreto, the newly appointed
governor of Malacca, to be satisfied with a smaller force than had been
ordered for him on going to assume that government, alleging that India
was not then in a condition to give what was promised; but Moniz refused
to go unless supplied with the force agreed on, as the posture of
Malacca was then too dangerous to admit of being governed by a person
who considered his reputation, unless supported by a considerable force.
Moniz therefore wrote home to Portugal, complaining against the viceroy,
and malicious whispers are for the most part gratefully received by
princes and ministers: and the Portuguese ministry, on the sole
information of Moniz, committed the weakest act that ever was heard of,
as will appear in the sequel: Unhappy is that kingdom whose sovereign
is a child.
About this time Akbar Shah,[381] emperor of the Moguls had acquired the
sovereignty of Cambaya or Guzerat. Sultan Mahmud the heir of the late
king had been left under the tuition of three great men, Ali Khan,
Itimiti Khan, and Madrem-al-Mulk, each of whom envious of the others
endeavoured to acquire the entire direction of the young king.
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