Of The Relation Of This
Voyage By Alvarez, Which Purchas Published In An Abbreviated Form, From A
Translation Out Of The Italian In The Collection Of Ramusio, Found Among
The Papers Of Hakluyt, Purchas Gives The Following Character:
"I esteem it
true in those things which he saith he saw:
In some others which he had by
relation of enlarging travellers, or boasting Abassines, he may perhaps
sometimes rather _mendacia dicere_, than _mentiri_." To _tell_ lies rather
than _make_ them.
Covilham, or Covillan, was born in a town of that name in Portugal, and
went, when a boy, into Castile, where he entered the service of Don
Alphonso, duke of Seville. On a war breaking out between Portugal and
Castile, he returned into his native country, where he got into the
household of King Alphonso, who made him a man-at-arms. After the death of
that king, he was one of the guard of King John, who employed him on a
mission into Spain, on account of his knowledge in the language. He was
afterwards employed in Barbary, where he remained some time, and acquired
the Arabic language, and was employed to negotiate a peace with the king
of Tremesen. He was a second time sent into Barbary on a mission to King
_Amoli-bela-gegi_, to procure restitution of the bones of the infant Don
Fernando, in which he was successful.
After his return, he was joined in commission, as before-mentioned, with
Alphonso de Payva, and these adventurous travellers left Lisbon in May
1487.
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