The Portugues Asia, or, The history of the discovery and conquest of India by the Portugues containing all their discoveries from the coast of Africk, to the farthest parts of China and Japan, all their battels by sea and land, sieges and other memorable actions, a description of those countries, and many particulars of the religion, government and customs of the natives, &c. : in three tomes / written in Spanish by Manuel de Faria y Sousa ... ; translated into English by Cap. John Stevens.

CHAP. XIV.

The Government of Antony Moniz Bar∣reto, from the Year 1573 till 1576, in the Reign of King Sebastian.

1. SCarce had the Bishop concluded that Act so misbecoming the Pastoral Staff, when he took out another Order, wherein Gonçalo Pereyra Marramaque was appointed to succeed Antony Moniz Barreto in the Go∣vernment of Malaca, and in default of him D. Leonis Pereyra was named. The latter suc∣ceeded, for the other died after relieving of Ternate. This done, that Pharisaical Caba•…•… broke up, and hasted to carry the News to •…•…he Viceroy, who received it with such un∣concernedness as might well put them all out of Countenance.

2. Advice is now brought, that Malaca •…•…s again in danger, the K•…•…ng of Achem being again before it, assisted by the Queen of Ia∣•…•…a. The new Governor orders D. Leonis Per•…•…yra to be gone to his Government to •…•…ccour that place; D. Leonis demands of •…•…im what he had before demanded of D. A•…•…tony, and he returns the same answer No∣•…•…a had given him, without remembring

what he had writ to the King, or consider∣ing he had now less reason to refuse D. L•…•…∣onis, than Noronna had to deny him, for then India was threatned by all the Power of the East, and was now deliver'd of that danger. D. Leonis, to take all manner of excuse from him, would have been satisfied with much less now, than Moniz demanded before: But even that was not given him, and he came away for Portugal; where that was his Justification for not taking upon him that Command, but was not esteemed an Offence to deprive Moniz of the Govern∣ment, as it was with less reason in the Case of D. Antony; whereby it appears, the Will of Ministers of State makes the Crimes or Merit of such as depend on them.

3. This Year passed without any thing remarkable, and about the end of it arriv'd six Ships from Portugal: They carried an Order for Trying and Executing D. George do Castro, for delivering up the Fort of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to Zamori. He was taken into Custody, and with him his Wife Donna Felipa, who, tho' really guilty of the Crime, was not liable to undergo the Punishment. He suffer'd for her, and all that were in fault, having his Head cut off upon a Scaffold in the Market Place of Goa; and it was observ'd, that others who were as much to blame as he, did not only escape unpunish'd, but were re∣warded; and it is yet more remarkable, that a Year after a Commission was sent from Portugal, for D. George de Castro to serve in another Post.

4. Scarce did India begin to breath, after so many Troubles, and particularly Malaca, when the Queen of Iapara sent to Besiege it, her General Quiaidaman with 15000 chosen Natives of Iava, in almost 80 great Galleons, and above 220 smaller Vessels. Tristan Vaz de Vega was come back thither from Sunda after the late Victory: By com∣mon Consent, and with much Justice, he was chose Commander of that Place, D. Francis Enriquez his Predecessor being dead. He gave Advice of the danger to the Governor Antony Moniz, and he to all the neighbour∣ing Places, promising to requite whatever they should do in order to relieve the Be∣sieged; whereby such Succours came into them on a sudden, as put them into a good posture of Defence.

5. Mean while Moniz demanded of the Chamber of Goa to lend him 20000 Pardaos to fit out a Fleet, and finding them back∣ward, offer'd his Son Duarte Moniz, a Boy of eight Years of age, as a Pledge; the Chamber gave the Money, and took the Pledge.

6. Whilst this Fleet was fitting out, the General of Iava began to act in the same manner the Ring of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 had done, at∣tacking Iller; and D. Antony de Castro coming with only ten Men to defend it was killed, as Bandara had been the last Siege. The whole Army landed and lodged themselves •…•…ound the Town. Vega sent Iohn Pereyra and Martin Ferreyra with 150 men to beat the Enemy from a Post; they killed 70 of

them, levelled their Works, and brought off seven Pieces of Cannon. Pereyra afterwards burnt above 30 of their Galleons, and some great Engines they had framed to attack a Bastion. Ferdinand Perez de Andrade a d•…•… Bernardin de Silva burnt their Palisades. In all these Actions we lost 15 or 20 me•…•…. The River being thus cleared, Pereyra with our Vessels besieges the Besiegers, and at In takes the Provisions that were coming to them; whereupon in great Consternation they Imbarqued and went off by night. P•…•…∣reyra pursues and cuts off their Rear: Almost half the 15000 perished by Fire, Sword, and Sickness during the Siege, which lasted three months, and the pursuit of three hours.

7. The King of Achem and Queen of I•…•…∣para took it by turns, for when he left the Port she came in, and he now comes in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 she goes out. He came now with 40 Gallies, some Ships, Galliots and other Vessels, to the number of 100, with a great Train of Artillery. Tristan Vaz order'd Iohn Perey•…•… in a Galley, Bernardin de Silv•…•… in a Caravel, and Ferdinand de Pall•…•…res in a Ship with each 40 Men to go out to guard the Provisions that were coming, and whereof the City was in great want; the Enemy falls upon them, and in an instant beat all three to pieces; 75 Men perish'd by Fire; Sword and Water, 40 were taken, and only five sav'd themselves by swimming, the three Captains fought to their last breath. Iohn Pereyra promised s•…•… to do, to one who seeing all lost offered hi•…•… a Boat in which he might have escaped.

Only 150 men remained in Malaca to de∣fend it, and of these 100 were sick and aged. Want of Men and Ammunition caused them to be very still in the City. The Enemy not knowing the Cause, imagined they had some cunning Stratagem in hand, and in a panick Fear raised the Siege, when they might have carried the Town, contenting themselves with their success against the three Captains. They came into the Port in the beginning of Ianuary, and went out about the latter end.

8. The Priests, Women and Children had cried loud with sighs and tears, implo∣ring the Mercy of God, which at length they obtain'd: Next to God the City was saved by Tristan Vaz de Vega's Courage, be∣ing ready upon all Occasions; and by his liberality having spent above 20000 Ducats, wherewith he has purchased a never-dying Honour. The Succours the Governour sent came too late.

9. D. Iohn de Costa, Admiral of the Ma∣labar Seas, cruized there victorious with two Gallies and 24 other Vessels. He fell upon the Town of Gaipar, near Braçalor, then in Rebellion, kill'd 1500 of the Inhabitants, burnt the Town, and cut down the Woods. Thus the King of Tolar, grown haughty, was humbled. In the River of Chale he de∣stroyed an Island belonging to Zamori. A∣bove that his City of Parapangulem could not escape its Ruin. The Heir of the Crown coming to the Relief of it, was killed with 200 Moors. At Cap•…•…cate 300 were •…•…ain, with

the loss of two on our side. At Mount De∣lii, the Town of Nilachiram was consumed to Ashes. Between these Actions, several Vessels were taken, which supplied the Gal∣leys with Slaves, and the Fleet with Provi∣sions.

10. Let us now see our Dominion in the Molucos drawing to an end. New Comman∣ders were still sent to ruin all by their Ava∣rice, with strength to maintain the Fort: D. Alvaro de Ataide was now there, and Nanno Pereyra under Sail to succeed him. The King of Ternate continued the Seige, and the place was almost famished. It look∣ed as if God had undertaken the Re∣venge of his Father's Death, and assisted him to starve that Garrison; for no Succor was sent thither, but perished. Of all Marra∣maque his Squ•…•…dron not the least Vessel re∣turn'd to Goa; four Ships that went with Antony de Valadares and Lacerda were cast away in several places, and he got thither a∣lone, and after him Francis de Lima with a Galliot. These were comforts to the Be∣sieged, but no perfect Cure. The King of Ujantana, our Friend, supplied the Enemy with Arms. Sancho de Vasconcelos coming from Amboina to succor the Besieged to small effect, found a Galleon of his loaded with them in the Port; and a Portugues Ship at Banda in danger of falling into the hands of those People: For, seeing the decay of ou•…•… Affairs on that side, every one strove to ha∣sten our Ruin. Belchior Botello going with one Galleon to relieve the Fort, was ca•…•…

away on the Sands Solocos, Another in which D. Alvaro was going, away, after resigning that Command to Nunno, was beat to pieces in the Harbor. The great Ship of Lionel de Brito came when there was no Fort therē, and was lost afterwards. Other Supplies, a great deal of Cannon, much Merchandise and Ammunition, and above 2000 Men de∣sign'd thither, perish'd all by lamentable dis∣asters. The Murderer of that innocent King was stabbed by the People of Iava, rather as Executioners of God's Justice, than Ene∣mies to the Portugueses. Gonçalo Pereyra Marramaque, who consented to the Murder, died for meer Grief of so many Misfortunes, as he sailed for Amboina, and was cast into the Sea.

11. In •…•…ine, our Dominion in that Island came to a dishonourable Period; for those who had so insolently treated the Ternatenses, were forced to beg their Lives of them, de∣livering up the Fort to the King, who treat∣ed them better than they deserved.

12. The King entring the Fort, protested before the Portugueses, he did not take pos∣session of it for himself, but in trust for the King of Portugal, and would deliver it to whoever he should appoint, as soon as the Murder of his Father was punish'd. I be∣lieve they never demanded the Fort, becaus•…•… they would not oblige themselves to do Ju∣stice. This was the second Place we lost after this manner in Asia. The loss of this Place was not punished as that of Chale, the C•…•…ime being the same, only with this

difference, that the Tears of the Women extorted the one, and the Perswasions of Je∣suits the other. The arrival of that Ship, with sufficient Supplies was a testimony of the Guilt. But both places being lost for want of Relief, they ought rather to have been Executed who did not relieve, than they that surrendred them. It was a good answer of the King of Persia to a Portugues Ambassador, when asking, How many Gover∣nours of India the King had beheaded? the Ambassador said, None: Then replied the King, The Dominion of the Portugueses in India will not last long.

13. Our Affairs at Amboina were not in much better a posture; for though Sancho de Vasconcelos did more than could be ex∣pected of his force, yet it was less than was requisite, it was but rising and falling. He defeated two Fleets of Ternate, killed their Commanders, and Cachil Tidore; the People of Amboina slew Maladam, and many more, and eat them; for they use to eat those they kill in the Church. By his Order Alexander de Mattos destroyed the Island Iamam, but at length the Natives kill∣ed him and all his Men; but afterwards D. Henry, Unkle to the King of Ti∣dore, coming with Two hundred and fifty Men, slew Two thousand of them. Two Natives of those Islands, as big as Giants, killed with their own hands, the one above Twenty, the other above Thirty Men. San ho returned again, and entred the same Town.

14. The People of Amboina designed pri∣vately to Murder Sancho de Vasconcelos. He suspecting that Ruy de Sousa, a new Con∣vert, and the principal Man of Rosanive, was the Author of that Conspiracy, sent friend∣ly for, and then secured him by the advice of some Portugueses, not without the help of the Jesuits, believing it was for the bet∣ter, and they ruined all: For Sousa escaping out of Prison, did what he never had de∣sign'd, joining our Enemy, and killing a good number of our Men, which put our Affairs into a desperate Posture.

15. This Year F. Peter de Alfaro with three Companions entred the City of Quan∣tung, and perceiving he did not profit much there, returned to Macao, where he built the Church. He was a Spaniard, and seem'd to foresce, that what belong'd now to the Portugueses only would soon belong to his Nation. A token of his Sanctity is, that perishing by Shipwrack, he was afterwards found on the Shore upon his Knees.

16. This Year concludes with the arrival of four Ships from Portugal. Since there is no Account to be found of what our Governor acted the next Year till D. Iames de Meneses succeeded him, let his Government end here, and I will go over to the Relation of what was done these very Years, in Monomotapa, by the Governour Francis Barreto, and his Suc∣cessour Vasco Fernandez Homem. Antony Moniz Barreto was a Man deserving of that Post he obtained, though he got it not fair∣ly,

and was one of the best Governors of India, the Twenty-sixth of that Number, and Second of the Name and Sirname.

Notes

• 1573▪
• 1575.