Roxo Took Half Of The Ships Belonging To Gonzalez Under His
Immediate Command, Giving Gonzalez Half Of These He Had Brought From
Goa, So As To Make Two Equal Squadrons.
Thus arranged they advanced
against the enemy, firing against those vessels they could reach, but
none of the enemy ventured to advance.
The king of Aracan viewed the
engagement from the shore to encourage his people, and caused the heads
of such as fled to be cut off and exposed on spears as a terror to the
rest. About noon when the heat of the sun was so great as to scorch the
Portuguese; the Aracan ships came on in three numerous squadrons.
Sebastian Gonzalez put to flight those of the enemy that were opposed to
him, and the Portuguese pink compelled that belonging to the Hollanders
to draw off. On that side where Roxo commanded there was much slaughter
on both sides without any evident superiority; but about sunset, when
the advantage was obviously leaning to the Portuguese, Roxo was slain.
Being informed by signal of this mischance, Gonzalez was obliged to
discontinue following up his good fortune; and on the tide ebbing the
fleet separated, one of the Portuguese galliots being left aground among
the enemy, who tore her to pieces and slew all her crew; The Portuguese
fleet retired to the mouth of the river, where care was taken of the
wounded men, and above 200 dead bodies were thrown into the sea. Don
Luis de Azevedo succeeded in the command of the Portuguese squadron, and
they all retired to Sundiva, whence Don Luis sailed back to Goa, in
spite of everything that Gonzalez could say to detain him. Soon after
the departure of the Portuguese ships, the king of Aracan invaded and
conquered the island of Sundiva, by which Sebastian Gonzalez was reduced
to his original poverty, his sovereignty passing away like a dream, his
pride humbled in the dust, and his villainous conduct deservedly
punished.
In 1616, Don Nunno Alvarez Pereyra succeeded Emanuel Mascarennas Homem
as general of the Portuguese in Ceylon, and made several successful
inroads into the kingdom of Candy, whence he brought off many
prisoners and great numbers of cattle. From the commencement of the
Portuguese dominion in that island, they had been engaged in almost
perpetual wars with the different petty sovereigns who ruled over its
various small maritime divisions, and with the central kingdom of Canea,
most of which have been omitted in this work as not possessing
sufficient interest. At this time a dangerous commotion took place in
the island, occasioned by a circumstance which, though not new in the
world, is still admired though often repeated. Some years before,
Nicapeti the converted king of Ceylon died without issue, and left the
king of Portugal heir to his dominions. A poor fellow of the same name
got admittance to one of the queens of Valgameme from whom he learnt
several particulars respecting the deceased king, taking advantage of
which he determined to assume the character of the late sovereign, and
to endeavour to persuade the people that he was their prince who had
come again-to-life.
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