But
Sodre Was Immoveable, Pretending That He Had Been Ordered To Discover The
Red Sea, Where He Expected To Make Many Rich Prizes, And Set Sail From
Cochin For Cape Guardafui, Preferring The Hope Of Riches To His Duty In
Defending The Factory Of Cochin.
The zamorin collected his army, as already mentioned, at the village of
Panani, where, besides his own subjects and allies, several of the
principal subjects of the rajah of Cochin joined his standard, deserting
their own sovereign, and carrying along with them all the power they were
able to muster:
Among these were the caimalls or governors of Chirapipil
and Cambalane, and of the large island which is opposite to the city of
Cochin. At this place, the zamorin made a long speech to his assembled
chiefs, in which he endeavoured to justify his enmity to the Portuguese,
whom he represented as thieves, robbers, and pirates, and as having first
commenced hostilities against him without cause. He contrasted the quiet
and friendly conduct of the Moors, who had traded for 600 years with
Malabar, having never done injury to any in all that time, and had
greatly enriched the country, and had raised his city of Calicut to be
the greatest emporium in all the Indies: Whereas the Portuguese had taken
and destroyed his ships, made his ambassadors prisoners, insisted on
having their ships laden before those belonging to the Moors, had taken a
ship of the Moors, burnt ten of his ships in his own harbour, had
destroyed his city and forced him to escape for safety from his palace;
taking law and vengeance for pretended grievances into their own hands,
instead of applying regularly to him for redress. And, since the rajah of
Cochin was fully informed of all these things, yet persisted in favouring
the Portuguese in despite of all remonstrances, he had resolved to make
war upon him, to deprive him of his dominions, and to drive these
Christian intruders out of India.
This address gave much satisfaction to all the assembled chiefs, and most
especially to the lord of Repelim, who entertained a rooted enmity
against the rajah of Cochin, who had dispossessed him of an island called
Arrnuul. The only person who opposed the zamorin on this occasion was
Nambeadarin[2], who was brother and next heir to the zamorin. He strongly
urged the impolicy of driving the Christians from Malabar, to which
merchants resorted from all places of the world, seeing that the
Portuguese had made richer presents to the zamorin, than he had ever
received before, and had brought much gold and silver into the country
for the purchase of commodities, which was not usually done by such as
came to make war. He represented the attempt of the hostages to escape
who had been given for the safety of the Portuguese chief, and whom the
zamorin was pleased to call ambassadors, as the first cause of jealousy
and distrust; yet they were afterwards reconciled, and took the large
Moorish ship at the desire of the zamorin, to whom they presented the
great elephant.
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