United States or Kyrgyzstan ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
There they embarked on the Red Sea, and proceeded to Aden, where they separated; de Payva going into Ethiopia, while Covillan proceeded to India. Covillan went to the cities of Cananor and Calicut, and thence to Goa, where he took shipping for Sofala, on the eastern coast of Africa.
These, by the good providence of God, were revealed to Thomas Dassel by Richard Cape, an Englishman, in the service of Richard Kelley; on which Thomas Dassel went on board a small English bark called the Cherubim of Lyme, where a Portuguese named Joam Payva, a servant of Don Antonio, declared that Thomas Dassel would have been betrayed long before, if he and one Garcia, a Portuguese, who lived at Joala, would have concurred with Pedro Gonzalves.
In the next year, or the year following, John Alonzo d'Aveiro brought home from Benin pepper with a tail , being the first of the kind ever seen in Portugal. In 1487, King John sent Pedro de Covillan and Alphonzo de Payva, both of whom could speak Arabic, to discover India by land.
Besides this, Xavier was likewise informed, that not long before, a Portuguese merchant, called Antonio Payva, going to Macassar in the name of Ruys Vaz Pereyra, captain of Malacca, for a ship's lading of sandal, a precious wood growing in that island, the king of Supa, which is one of the kingdoms of Macassar, came in person to see him, and asked divers questions relating to the Christian faith: that this honest merchant, better acquainted with his traffic than his religion, yet answered very pertinently, and discoursed of the mysteries of faith after so reasonable a manner, that the king, then threescore years of age, was converted, with all his family and court: that another king of the same island, called the king of Sion, followed his example; and that these two princes, who were solemnly baptized by the hand of Payva, not being able to retain him with them, desired him to send them some priests, who might administer the sacraments, and baptize their subjects.
The travellers here separated; Covilham embarking in one vessel for India, while De Payva took his passage in another vessel bound for Suakem on the Abyssinian coast of the Red Sea, having engaged to rejoin each other at Cairo, after having carried the directions of their sovereign into effect.
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.
He passed the whole day in the same ignorance of the cheat, and it was not till the evening that he perceived it; for supping with Francis Payva, and other Portuguese, who were privy to the matter, "It is perhaps to do honour to our table," said one amongst them, "that you are so spruce to-day, in your new habit."
The travellers here separated, Alonso de Payva passing over to the emperor of Ethiopia, erroneously called Presbyter John: For he, of whom Marco Polo speaks, under that title, as governing all the Indies, and whose country joins with the great khan of Kathay, was vanquished and slain in a battle by that sovereign; at which time his kingdom was put an end to, and no one of that race or title has since reigned.
Soon after the departure of Diaz, King John dispatched Pedro de Covilham and Alphonso de Payva, both well versed in the Arabic language, with orders to travel by land into the east, for the discovery of the country of Presbyter, or Prester John, and to trace the steps of the lucrative commerce then carried on with India by the Venetians for spices and drugs; part of their instructions being to endeavour to ascertain the practicability of navigating round the south extremity of Africa to the famed marts of Indian commerce, and to make every possible inquiry into the circumstances of that important navigation.
Of the circumstances of the voyage home we have no account; but it is not to be doubted that Diaz and his companions would be honourably received by their sovereign, after a voyage of such unprecedented length and unusual success. Clarke, I. 342. Journey overland to India and Abyssinia, by Covilham and de Payva .
Word Of The Day