Though Thus Doomed To Perpetual
Exile In A Strange And Barbarous Land, Covilham Was Well Used.
He married,
and obtained ample possessions, enjoying the favour of several successive
kings of Abyssinia, and was preferred to some considerable offices in the
government.
Frequent epistolary intercourse took place between him and
the king of Portugal, who spared no expence to keep open the interesting
correspondence. In his dispatches, Covilham described the several ports
which he had visited in India; explained the policy and disposition of
the several princes; and pointed out the situation and riches of the gold
mines of Sofala; exhorting the king to persist, unremittingly and
vigorously, in prosecuting the discovery of the passage to India around
the southern extremity of Africa, which he asserted to be attended with
little danger, and affirmed that the cape was well known in India. He is
said to have accompanied his letters and descriptions with a chart, in
which the cape and all the cities on the coast of Africa were exactly
represented, which he had received in India from a Moor. Covilham was
afterwards seen by, and intimately acquainted with Francesco Alvarez, his
historian, who was sent on an embassy into Abyssinia by Emmanuel king of
Portugal. Alvarez, who appears to have been a priest, calls Covilham his
spiritual son, and says that he had been thirty-three years in great
credit with _Prette Janni_, so he calls the king of Abyssinia, and all
the court, during all which time he had never confessed his sins, except
to GOD in secret, because the priests of that country were not in use to
keep secret what had been committed to them in confession. This would
protract the residence of Covilham in Abyssinia, at least to the year
1521, or 1522; but how long he may have lived there afterwards does not
appear.
[1] Clarke, i. 384. Purchas, II. 1091.
[2] El Tor is on the Arabian coast of the Red Sea, near the mouth of the
Bahr Assuez, or Gulf of Suez, in lat. 28 deg. 10' N. long. 33 deg. 36' E. - E.
CHAPTER VI.
HISTORY OF THE DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST OF INDIA BY THE PORTUGUESE, BETWEEN
THE YEARS 1497 AND 1525: FROM THE ORIGINAL PORTUGUESE OF HERMAN LOPES DE
CASTANEDA.
INTRODUCTION.
Although, in strict conformity to chronological arrangement, the
discovery of America by COLUMBUS in 1492, ought to precede our account of
the discovery of the maritime route from Europe to India by the
Portuguese, which did not take place until the year 1498; it yet appears
more regular to follow out the series of Portuguese navigation and
discovery to its full completion, than to break down that original and
vast enterprise into fragments. We might indeed have stopt with the first
voyage of De Gama, which effected the discovery of India: But as the
contents of this Chapter consists of what may be considered an authentic
original record, and carries on the operations of the Portuguese in India
to the year 1525, it seemed preferable to retain this curious original
history entire. It is obvious that Castaneda must have used the original
journals of De Gama, and other early Portuguese commanders, or of some
persons engaged in the voyages and transactions; as he often forgets the
historical language, and uses the familiar diction of a person actually
engaged, as will appear in many passages of this Chapter.
The title of this original document, now first offered to the public in
modern English, is "_The first Booke of the Historie of the Discoverie
and Conquest of the East Indias by the Portingals, in the time of King
Don John, the second of that name. By Hernan Lopes de Castaneda;
translated into English by Nicholas Lichefield, and dedicated to Sir
Fraunces Drake. Imprinted at London by Thomas East, 1582_."
Though the transactions here recorded are limited in the title to the
reign of John II. they occupied the reigns of his immediate successor
Emmanuel, or Manuel, and of John III. Castanedas history was printed in
black letter at Coimbra, in eight volumes folio, in the years 1552, 1553,
and 1554, and is now exceedingly scarce. In 1553, a translation of the
first book was made into French by Nicolas de Grouchy, and published at
Paris in quarto. An Italian translation was published at Venice in two
volumes quarto, by Alfonso Uloa, in 1578[1]. That into English by
Lichefield, employed on the present occasion, is in small quarto and
black-letter. The voyage of De Gama is related by De Barros in his work,
entitled Da Asia, and has been described by Osorius, Ramusio, Maffei, and
de Faria. Purchas gives a brief account of it, I. ii. 26. The beautiful
poem of the Lusiad by Camoens, the Portuguese Homer, is dedicated to the
celebration of this important transaction, and is well known through an
elegant translation into English by Mickle. In the present chapter, the
curious and rare work of Castaneda, so far as his first book extends, is
given entire; and the only freedom employed in this version, besides
changing the English of 229 years ago into the modern and more
intelligible language, has Been to prune a quaint verbosity, mistaken by
Lichefield for rhetorical eloquence. The dedication of the early
translator to the celebrated Sir Francis Drake, is preserved in its
original dress, as a sufficient specimen of the language of England at
the close of the sixteenth century.
DEDICATION.
_To the right Worshipfull
Sir Fraunces Drake, Knight,
N, L, G, wisheth all prosperitie._
They haue an auncient custome in Persia (the which is also observed
throughout all Asia) that none will enterprise to visit the king,
noble man, or perticularly any other person of countenance, but he
carieth with him some thing to present him with all worthy of thanks,
the which is not onely done in token of great humilitie & obedience,
but also of a zealous loue & friendly affection to their superiours &
welwillers. So I (right worshipfull following this Persian president)
hauing taking vpon me this simple translation out of the Portingale
tongue, into our English language, am bold to present & dedicate the
same vnto you as a signification of my entire good will.
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