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. The history
conteineth the discouerie and conquest of the East Indias, made by
sundry worthy captaines of the Portengales, in the time of King Don
Manuel, & of the King Don John, the second of that name, with the
description, not onely of the country, but also of every harbour
apperteining to every place whervnto they came, & of the great
resistance they found in the same, by reson wherof there was sundry
great battles many times fought, and likewise of the commodities &
riches that euery of these places doth yeeld.
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