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After these successes, many of the natives came in, and submitted, and were treated with kindness; but as others hid themselves in hopes of getting away to join the enemy, Almeyda caused them to be apprehended, and given as slaves among his officers. One was delivered to the Kafrs, who, in sight of his wife and children, cut him immediately in pieces, which they divided among them to eat.
At last the king of Candy sent to implore peace, which was granted at the intercession of the priests and monks. In fine, Almeyda not only restored the reputation of the Portuguese arms in Ceylon, but increased it, and established the government of the island in good order.
The captain, Pedro de Almeyda, had orders to bring another of the king's sons to Goa, and if refused to carry one away by force; but the king declared that he had only one other son, who was too young for the voyage, on which Almeyda satisfied himself with Anria Sambo, the king's nephew, who was carried to Goa, and baptized by the name of Jerome.
He himself set apart a place in the palace proper for the assemblies of the faithful; and appointed the steward to call together as many of the Pagans as he could, to read both to the one and the other sort some part of the Christian doctrine every Sunday, to cause the penitential psalms to be sung on every Friday, and the litanies every day The steward punctually performed his orders; and those seeds of piety grew up so fast, that some few years after, Louis Almeyda found above an hundred Christians in the fortress of Ekandono. all of an orderly and innocent conversation; modest in their behaviour, assiduous in prayer, charitable to each other, severe to themselves, and enemies to their bodies; insomuch that the place had more resemblance to a religious house, than to a garrison.
On this occasion a pink and caravel were sent to Madagascar, commanded by Pedro de Almeyda Cabral, and Juan Cardoso de Pina, who sailed from Goa on the 17th of September 1616. On the 20th of March 1617, they discovered a most delightful island, watered with pure springs, and producing many unknown plants besides others already known, both aromatic and medicinal.
The viceroy now appointed Don George de Almeyda to the command in Ceylon, who sailed from Goa for that place on the 19th of February 1631, in the great galley taken by Botello when he destroyed the fleet of Acheen: But encountering a storm off Cape Comorin, the galley was ready to founder, on which Almeyda took to the boat with 29 persons, and reached one of the Maldive islands after four days of incredible distress.
The ship, which was at the port of Sancian, being at the point of setting sail For the Indies, Antonio de Sainte Foy, and George Alvarez, desired the captain, Luys Almeyda, not to leave upon the isle the remainders of Father Francis.
Going over from thence to Cochin, he received a reinforcement of some Portuguese troops, with 500 kafrs and 800 Canarin lascars, and a supply of money, ammunition, and provisions. Having raised some more men at Cochin, Almeyda sailed again for Ceylon, where he arrived on the 21st October 1631, and landed at Columbo.
An Englishman was served thus at Almeyda, and the Lisbon magistrates, on his complaint, took up the whole village, and imprisoned them all. Contemplate this people in what light you will, you can never see them in a good one. They suffered their best epic poet to perish for want: and they burned to death their best dramatic writer, because he was a Jew.
Being much weakened by his fever, he retired into the vessel, which was the common hospital of the sick, that there he might die in poverty; and the Captain Lewis Almeyda received him, notwithstanding all the orders of his master Don Alvarez.
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