Ataide Had Been Appointed
General In Chief Of The Portuguese Forces By King Sebastian, Who Had
Resolved To Bury The
Glory of his kingdom in the burning sands of
Africa; and finding his own youthful impetuosity unable to conform with
The prudent councils of the count, he constituted him viceroy of India
as a plausible means of removing him. The count arrived at Goa about the
end of August 1577, where he immediately fitted out a mighty fleet which
struck terror into all the neighbouring princes. After continuing the
war for some time against Adel Khan, a peace was concluded with that
prince.
Soon afterwards news was brought to India of the melancholy catastrophe
which had befallen king Sebastian in Africa, and that the Cardinal Don
Henry had succeeded to the throne; but he soon afterwards died, and the
kingdom of Portugal came under the direction of a council of regency
consisting of five members. The viceroy Don Luis died soon afterwards at
Goa in the beginning of the year 1580, after governing India this second
time for two years and seven months. He seemed to have had a
presentiment of his death; for being applied to for leave to bury his
cousin Antonio Borello beside his brother Don Juan de Ataide, he refused
it, saying that he had long designed that situation for himself. He was
a man of most undaunted courage, of which the following instance may be
adduced. At the attack of Onore, he sailed in a brigantine sitting in
a chair, having a famous musician beside him playing on the harp. When
the balls from the enemy began to whistle past the ears of the musician
he stopt playing, on which the count desired him to proceed as the tune
was excellent. One of the gentlemen near him, seeing his
unconcernedness, requested him to expose himself less to the danger, as
if he were slain all would be lost; "No such thing," answered he, "for
if I am killed there are men enough who are fit to succeed me."
On his death, which appears to have happened in March 1580, he was
succeeded as governor by Ferdinand Tellez de Menezes, pursuant to a
patent of succession sent out by the regency in the year before. On this
occasion the new governor was installed with as much demonstration of
joy as if there had been no cause of sorrow among the subjects of
Portugal for the melancholy state of their country. While the affairs of
Portugal were in a miserable state of distraction, those of Visiapour
were in no better condition, in consequence of the death of Adel Khan
without heirs, in the 23d year of his reign and 50th of his age. Being
adicted to unnatural practices, a youth of eighteen years of age who had
too much honour to submit to his base desires, stabbed him as he was
endeavouring to allure him to comply with his brutal purposes. Ibrahim
Khan, the son of Shah Tamas, one of two brothers whom Adel Khan had put
to death, succeeded to the sovereignty; but was soon afterwards seized
by a powerful Omrah, named Quisbale Khan, who made himself master of the
city of Visiapour.
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