A
Treaty Of Peace Was Set On Foot With The King Of Guzerat, Which Was
Concluded, But Very Little To The Advantage Of The Portuguese, Which Was
Attributed By Common Fame To The Covetousness Of The Viceroy.
During this year 1539, the viceroy sent Ferdinand de Morales with a
great galleon laden on the kings account to trade at Pegu.
Morales was
induced by the king of Pegu to assist him against the king of Birmah,
who had invaded the kingdom of Pegu with so prodigious a power that the
two armies amounted to two millions of men and 10,000 elephants.
Morales went in a galliot having the command of the Pegu fleet, and made
great havock among the ships of the enemy. The king of Birmah came on by
land like a torrent, carrying every thing before him, and his fleet was
so numerous that it covered the whole river, though as large as the
Ganges. Morales met this vast fleet with that which he commanded, at the
point of Ginamarreca; where, though infinitely inferior, he fought a
desperate and bloody battle. But overpowered by the multitude of the
Birmans, the Peguers deserted Morales, who was left alone in his galliot
amid a throng of enemies, against whom he performed wonders and long
maintained the battle, doing astonishing execution; but at last
oppressed by irresistible multitudes, he and all his followers were
slain: Yet the memory of his heroism was long preserved among these
people.
The cause of this war and of the revolt of the king of Birmah, who was
tributary to Pegu, was as follows.
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