This Heavy Stroke Was Too Much For The
Inconsolable Lover To Support; Though Watched Over With The Utmost
Solicitude By His Afflicted Friends, All Attempts To Administer
Consolation Were Entirely Fruitless, And He Expired On The Fifth Day
After The Death Of His Beloved Mistress.
With his parting breath, he
earnestly enjoined his surviving companions, to deposit his body in the
same grave, under
The venerable tree, which they had so recently made for
the victim of his temerity; and where the altar which had been raised to
celebrate their deliverance, would now mark their untimely tomb.
Having performed this painful duty, the surviving companions of these
unfortunate lovers fixed a large wooden cross over the grave, on which
they carved the inscription which Machin had composed to record their
melancholy adventures; and added a request, that if any Christians should
hereafter visit the spot, they might erect a church in the same place,
and dedicate it to Christ. Having thus accomplished the dictates of
friendship and humanity, the survivors fitted out the boat, which had
remained ashore from their first landing, and put to sea with the
intention of returning if possible to England; but either from want of
skill, or owing to the currents and unfavourable winds, they likewise
were driven on the coast of Morocco, and rejoined their former shipmates
in slavery among the Moors.
This story is reported in a somewhat different manner by Galvano already
mentioned. According to him, one Macham, an Englishman, fled from his
country, about the year 1344, with a woman of whom he was enamoured,
meaning to retire into Spain; but the vessel in which the lovers were
embarked, was driven by a storm to the island of Madeira, then
altogether unknown and uninhabited. The port in which Macham took
shelter is still called Machico. His mistress being sea-sick, Macham
landed with her and some of the people, and the ship putting to sea,
deserted them. Oppressed with sickness and grief at seeing herself in
this hopeless state of exile, the lady died; and Macham, who was
extremely fond of her, constructed a chapel or hermitage dedicated to
Jesus the Saviour, in which he deposited her remains, and engraved both
their names, and the cause of their arrival, on a rude monument which he
erected to her memory. He afterwards constructed a boat or canoe, which
he hollowed out from the trunk of a large tree, in which he, and those of
his companions who had been left on shore along with him, passed over to
the opposite coast of Africa, without the aid of oars, sails, or rudder.
He was made prisoner by the Moors, who presented him to their king, by
whom he was sent to the king of Castile.
Madeira, in the Portuguese language, or Madera in Spanish, signifies
_wood_; and this island derived its name from the immense quantity of
thick and tall trees with which it was covered when first discovered. One
of the two capitanias, or provinces, into which this island is divided,
is named Machico, as is likewise the principal town of that district,
supposed to have originated from the traditionary story of the misfortunes
of Macham; the other capitania, with its principal town, the capital of
the island, is named Funchal, from _Funcho_, the Portuguese term for
Fennel, which abounds on the adjoining rocks.
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