Indian Antiquary Vol 31

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 16

12
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1903.
The Malays said, that the ambassador of the king of Portugal who was in the country of China had not come in truth, that he had come falsely to the land of China in order to deceive, and that we went to spy out the lands, and that soon we should come upon them; and that as we had set up a stones on the land and had a house we should soon have the country for our own; that thus we had done in Malaca and in other parts; that we were robbers.
A chief mandarin said, that we had asked him by letter for a residence or houses in Cantão; that, as we were Firingis, it seemed to him very bad, that in place of obedience we asked him for a residence in the country. Another mandarin said, that in the year 1520 in the Island of Trade the Firingis knocked off his cap and gave him blows and seized him when he was going to collect the customs dues by order of the mandarins of Cantão.
To these things the king replied, that "these people do not know our [f. 106] customs; gradually they will get to know them." He said that he would give the answer in the city of Pequim. (He soon entered it, and the same day fell ill. Three months later he died without having given any answer.) With this reply that the king gave the grandees were not much pleased; and the king soon sent word to Cantão, that the fortress that the Portuguese had made should be demolished, and likewise the whole town; that he desired no trade with any nation; that if anyone came he was to be ordered to return. And immediately they set out on the road to Cantão that they might inquire into what had been told them, if it were true or not. The mandarins of Cantão did this only in order to plunder; they prepared armed fleets, and by deceiving them they captured by force those who came and plundered them.37
As soon as we arrived at Cantão they brought us before the poohacy, and he ordered as to be taken to certain jail-houses that are in the store-houses of food-stuffs, and Thome Pires did not wish to enter them, and the jailers put us into certain houses in which we were thirty and three days, and thence they took Thome Pirez with six persons to the prison of the pochagy40 which they call libanco, and me with four persons to the prison of the tomeçi where we were imprisoned ten months. All the goods remained in the power of Thome Pirez. They treated us like free people; we were closely watched in places separate from the prisoners. During this time the amaloages who was then there ordered Thome Pirez and all the company to be called. In like manner they summoned the Malays. He said that the king ordered that our lord the king should deliver up to the Malays the country of Malaca which he had taken from them. Thome Pirez replied that he had not come for that purpose, nor was it meet for him to discuss such a question; that it would be evident from the letter that [f. 106]he had brought that he knew nothing of anything else. He asked what force there was in Malaca; that he knew that there were three hundred Portuguese men there, and in Couchin a few more. He replied that Malaca had four thousand men of arms on sea and on land, who were now combined and then scattered; and that in Ceilão" there was a varying number. With these questions he kept us on our knees for four hours; and when he had tired himself out he sent each one back to the prison in which he was kept.
On the 14th of August 1522 the pochaçi put fetters on the hands of Tome Pirez, and on those of the company fetters, and irons on their feet, the fetters riveted on their wrists, and they took from us all the property that we had. Thus with chains on our necks and through the midst of the city
This apparently refers to the stone erected by Jorge Alvares in 1814, as mentioned in the Introduction. ST See f. 121. Read pochäcy.
"The original has "alleoqoets (7) dos mantimentos." I am not certain of my reading of the first word; but in any case it is evidently a copyist's error. Sr. Lopes suggests allmares (almazens, armazene), and this I have adopted. The word may, however, represent allogeações (alojações), which would have much the same meaning.
40 Read pochacy.
41 I cannot explain this word. Chin. pan koo means "to look to and take care of" (Mor., Chin.-Eng. Dict 835).
P.
43 See Introd.
48 Read pochagi.
See Introd.
"Apparently an error for Cochim.