Ascended the throne, he sent two friars and a layman to
Jerusalem, with instructions to gain whatever information they could
respecting India and Prester John from the pilgrims who resorted to that
city, and, if necessary, to proceed further to the east.
As, however, none
of this party understood Arabic, they were of little use, and in fact did
not go beyond Jerusalem. In 1487, the king sent Covilham and Paayva on the
same mission: the former had served in Africa as a soldier, and was
intimately acquainted with Arabic. In order to facilitate this enterprise,
Covilham was entrusted with a map, drawn up by two Jews, which most
probably was a copy of the map of Mauro, of which we have already spoken.
On this map, a passage round the south of Africa was laid down as having
been actually accomplished, and Covilham was directed to reach Abyssinia,
if possible; and ascertain there or elsewhere, whether such a passage did
really exist. Covilham went from Naples to Alexandria, and thence to Cairo.
At this city he formed an acquaintance with some merchants of Fez and
Barbary, and in their company went to Aden. Here he embarked and visited
Goa, Calicut, and other commercial cities of India, where he saw pepper and
ginger, and heard of cloves and cinnamon. From India he returned to the
east coast of Africa, down which he went as low as Sofala, "the last
residence of the Arabs, and the limit of their knowledge in that age, as it
had been in the age of the Periplus." He visited the gold mines in the
vicinity of this place:
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