Chapter L: Introduction

Although, in strict conformity to chronological arrangement, the discovery of America by COLUMBUS in 1492, ought to precede our account of the discovery of the maritime route from Europe to India by the Portuguese, which did not take place until the year 1498; it yet appears more regular to follow out the series of Portuguese navigation and discovery to its full completion, than to break down that original and vast enterprise into fragments. We might indeed have stopt with the first voyage of De Gama, which effected the discovery of India: But as the contents of this Chapter consists of what may be considered an authentic original record, and carries on the operations of the Portuguese in India to the year 1525, it seemed preferable to retain this curious original history entire. It is obvious that Castaneda must have used the original journals of De Gama, and other early Portuguese commanders, or of some persons engaged in the voyages and transactions; as he often forgets the historical language, and uses the familiar diction of a person actually engaged, as will appear in many passages of this Chapter.

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. And for that I know your
worship, with great peril and daunger haue past these monstrous and
bottomlesse sees, am therfore the more encouraged to desire & pray
your worships patronage & defence therof, requesting you with all to
pardon those imperfections, which I acknowledge to be very many, & so
much the more, by reason of my long & many years continuance in
foreine countries. Howbeit, I hope to have truly observed the literal
sence & full effect of the history, as the author setteth it forth,
which if it may please you to peruse & accept in good part, I shall be
greatly emboldened to proceede & publish also the second & third booke,
which I am assured will neither be vnpleasant nor vnprofitable to the
readers. Thus alwaies wishing your good worship such prosperous
continuance and like fortunate successe as GOD hath hitherto sent you
in your dangerous trauaile & affayres, and as maye euery waye content
your owne heartes desire, doe euen so take my leaue. From London the
fifth of March. 1582.

Your worships alwayes to commaund,
_Nicholas Lichefild._

[1] Bibl. des Voyages, V. 2.

* * * * *

DEDICATION BY CASTANEDA.

_To
The most high and mighty Prince,
John III.

King of Portugal and Algarve,
&c._

It hath seemed to me, most high and mighty prince, our dread king and
sovereign, so important and weighty a matter to undertake a history of
the great and valiant actions which our Portuguese have performed in
the discovery and conquest of India, that I often thought to
relinquish the attempt. But as these noble deeds were principally
undertaken and performed for the glory of Almighty God, the conversion
of the barbarous nations to the Christian faith, and the great honour
of your highness; and as, by the power and mercy of the Omnipotent,
such fortunate success has been granted to these famous enterprises, I
have been encouraged to proceed. I therefore trust entirely to the aid
and comfort of the divine goodness in publishing this work, giving the
glory thereof to God alone, and its earthly praise to your excellent
highness, and the king Don Manuel your father, of famous and happy
memory.

Although these glorious deeds are well known and spread abroad over
the world, they yet cannot be sufficiently made manifest unless set
forth in writing, by means of which their memory may endure for ever,
and remain always as if present to the readers; as history hath
perpetuated the actions of the Greeks and Romans which are of such
high antiquity. Of other transactions, nothing inferior to theirs,
perhaps even far greater, which have been performed by other nations,
there is little or no memory, because these do not remain recorded by
history: Such are those of the Assyrians, Medes and Persians; of the
Africans against the Romans; of the Suevi against Julius Caesar; of
the Spaniards in recovering their country from the Moors; and
principally of these invincible and pious kings of Portugal, your
glorious ancestors, Don Alonso Henriques, Don Sancho his son, and Don
Alonso, who acquired the kingdoms of Portugal and Algarve by great and
wonderful deeds of arms. Of all which, there hardly remaineth any
memory, for want of having been duly recorded by writing. So likewise
of those actions which have been performed in India, only as it were
of yesterday, the exact memory of them is confined to four persons;
and if they were to die, all remembrance of these transactions must
have ended to their great dishonour. Considering these things, I
resolved to record these noble deeds which the subjects of your
highness have performed in the discovery and conquest of India, which
have never been surpassed in valour, or even equalled, in any age or
country. Leaving all mention of the conquests of Cyrus and other
barbarians, and even taking into the account the deeds of Alexander,
so famous over all the world, which are as nothing compared to what
has been performed since India became frequented by the Portuguese, no
more than a dead lion can be likened to one alive. The conquests of
Alexander were all by land, and achieved by himself in person, against
nations who were little trained or accustomed to feats of arms. But
the Portuguese conquest of India was performed by the captains of your
highness, after a voyage by sea of a year and eight months, going
almost around the globe, from the utmost limits of the west through
the vast and bottomless ocean, seeing only the heaven and the water; a
thing never before attempted by man, and hardly even imagined. After
surmounting hunger and thirst, and daily exposure to furious storms,
and a thousand dangers in the voyage; they had to encounter great and
cruel battles on their arrival in India; not against men armed only
with bows and spears, as in the time of Alexander, but with people of
stout and tried courage and experienced in war, having ordinance and
fire-workers more numerous even than the Portuguese, besides many
other excellent weapons. The power of these men, against whom the
subjects of your highness had to contend, was infinitely greater than
that of King Porus, against whom Alexander had to encounter; yet the
Portuguese, though few in number, uniformly had the victory, and never
retired from the war as was done by Alexander.

Leaving the actions of the Greeks, and considering what was performed
by the Romans with their innumerable armies and vast fleets, which
seemed to cover the face of the sea, and by means of which they
thought to have conquered the whole earth. Yet they never adventured
beyond the Red Sea; neither was the greatest of their famous victories
comparable to those battles which have been fought by our men in India;
in which, most invincible prince, the great prosperity of your father
and you is well known. As, without moving from your palace,
discoveries and conquests have been achieved by your captains, more
extensive than ever were discovered or conquered by any prince in
person. There never was any conquest, either by the Barbarians, Greeks,
or Romans, of any thing like equal difficulty with this of India;
neither any kings or captains of any of these nations equal in valour
and conduct to those of your father and yourself, as will manifestly
appear from the whole tenor of the following history.

The great actions which the subjects of your highness have worthily
accomplished, must be deemed to have been permitted and appointed by
the providence of God; that so those barbarians, with their vain idols,
and the false sectaries of Mahomet, might be brought into the catholic
faith, as at this time great numbers have been added to the Christian
religion. For, since these great exploits, your highness, as a most
godly and Christian prince, hath taken especial care, and hath given
command that the Christian doctrine of the _brotherhood of the company
of Jesus_ should be taught in India, which you ordered to be brought
from Rome, and have always supported at your expence. Thus likewise,
you have erected, and founded the noble and sumptuous university of
Coimbra, to augment the honour and reputation of your kingdom; where,
besides many divines and colleges of poor begging friars to expound
the evangelical law, there are temporal men also to instruct those of
your subjects that defend and enlarge the commonwealth by deeds of
arms, and those who adorn the same by means of learning.

All these heroic virtues of your highness being well known to me, have
encouraged me to publish this work and others, which have some taste
of learning, that they may remain a perpetual memorial of the noble
deeds of so many gentlemen and knights of Portugal, your subjects. In
this I have been much forwarded by having been in India, where I
sojourned with my father, who was sent into that country by your
highness as a judge. I spent all my youth in the pursuit of learning,
and in the study of ancient historians. Being in India, I set myself
with all diligence to learn and understand all that had been done in
regard to the discovery and conquest of that country by the Portuguese,
with the intention of making the same known and common to all men. By
my inquiries, and through the information derived from sundry
gentlemen and captains, both such as were actually present in the
various transactions, and employed in their execution, as by others
who were engaged in counselling and preparing the means of their being
performed, I have derived much authentic information; as, likewise, by
the perusal of many letters and memorials, which were written by men
of credit and reputation, all of which I have examined as evidences of
the authenticity of my work, both while in India and since my return
into Portugal. As the matters I meant to write of were many, so it
became necessary for me to acquire information from many sources; and
as those whom I examined were upon oath, it is lawful for me to bring
them forward as sure evidence. In these researches some of these men
had to be sought after in almost every part of Portugal; and being
separated in sundry places, my inquiries have occasioned great travel
of my person, and much expence; to which I have devoted the greater
part of my life, and have constituted the preparation for this work my
sole recreation. Since my residence in the university of Coimbra, in
the service of your highness, I have joined together all these
informations; which, together with the duties of my office, have
caused much toil both of body and mind. Having now accomplished the
composition of this book and others, I most humbly offer the same to
your highness; and, after many and most fortunate years of governing,
I pray God to take you from the transitory seignory of this earth, and
to receive you into the perpetual joys of Heaven.

_Hernan Lopes de Castaneda._