it as

twelve hours to see our bell ring, and looked upon something miraculous, and when the bell did not ring any longer, they said in this wise: "Idu maniciar totu, idu parangnu tot ille parangnu ille Tamarani Portogal perga nan nu;" that is, "These people touch that bell and it speaks; when they do not touch it any longer it does not speak any more; this God of Portugal is very good." And, again, some of these Moors were present at our mass, and when the body of Christ was shown, I said to them: "That is the God of Portugal, and of the Pagans, and of all the world." And they replied: "You say the truth, but we do not know Him;" wherefore it may be understood that they sin without knowledge. There are, however, some of these who are

1 Varthema seems to have rehabilitated himself as a devout Romanist, as easily as he had doffed his five years' profession of Islâm. His apology for the ignorance of the natives does him more credit than his pious fraud to impress them in favour of Christianity. It may fairly be questioned, however, whether these people were as credulous as he represents them; I think it more likely that, if Muhammedans, they would have listened to his theology with supreme disgust. The narrative reminds me of the case of a learned and wealthy Tunisian, who visited Malta about twenty-five years ago on his way to Europe, bent on seeing something of the civilization of the West. One day he called upon me in a state of great excitement, and on inquiring the cause, he told me that he had gone to inspect the Arabic class at the Normal School attached to the Government University, and that while there, an abbate, who was among the pupils, insisted on drawing him into a religious discussion, in the course of which he ridiculed some of the doctrines of the Koran. The young Tunisian, who was remarkably courteous in his demeanour, quietly asked him to explain the doctrine of the Trinity, promising in case of conviction that he would at once embrace Christianity. Whereupon the abbate, taking up his three-cornered hat, requested him to handle each corner successively. This done, the zealot said: "How many angles are there?" To which the other replied: "Three." "And how many hats are there ?" The implied deduction so horrified the pious Mussulman, that he left the school forthwith, and came to inquire of me whether such blasphemous comparisons formed a part of Christian theology.

The natives of India were well acquainted with the use of bells long before the arrival of the Portuguese; so that our author must have been

great enchanters. We have seen them grasp serpents which, if they touch [bite?] any one, he immediately falls to the earth dead. Also I tell you that they are the greatest and the most expert workmen, I believe, in all the world.

THE CHAPTER CONCERNING THE ASSAULT OF THE PORTUGUESE UPON PANNANI.1

Now, the time approached for the return homewards, for the captain of the fleet began to load the ships to return to Portugal, and I, having been seven years from my own house, and from my love and good feeling towards my country, and also in order that I might carry to it an account of a great part of the world, was constrained to ask leave of my lord the Viceroy, which of his grace he granted to me, and said that he wished me first to go with him where you shall know. Wherefore, he and all his company put ourselves in order in white armour, so that few people remained in Cucin, and on the twenty-fourth of November of the year abovementioned we made the assault within the port of Pannani. On that day we came before the city of Pannani. On the next morning, two hours before day, the Viceroy summoned all the boats of the ships with all the people of the fleet, and told them how that was the country which made war upon us more than any other country in India, and

sadly at a loss for an exemplification of Mussulman or Hindû ignorance, when he adduced in proof of it their wonderment on hearing the tolling of the church bell.

This is the Pananie of Barbosa, the Ponani of Keith Johnstone's Atlas, and the Ponany of Thornton's Gazetteer. It is situated thirtyfour miles south-east of Calicut, on the south side of a river of the same name, close to its entrance into the Arabian Sea. This town must not be confounded with Varthema's Pandarani, which lies to the north of Calicut, which Baldæus calls Panane, and which in Greene's Collection is written Padarane. (See note 1 on p. 132.)

therefore he begged us all that we would go with a good will to attack that place, which truly is stronger than any other on that coast. When the Viceroy had spoken, the spiritual father made such a discourse that every one wept, and many said that for the love of God they were willing to die in that place. A little before day, we began a most deadly war against those dogs, who were eight thousand, and we were about six hundred. But it is true that the two galleys did not do much, because they could not approach so near to the land as the boats. The first knight who leapt on shore was the valiant knight, Don Lorenzo, son of the Viceroy. The second boat was that of the Viceroy, in which I was, and at the first assault a cruel battle took place, because here the river was very narrow; and on the border of the city there were a great many mortars, of which we captured more than forty pieces. Here, in this assault, there were sixty-four Moors, who had sworn that they would die in that place or be victorious, for each of them was the master of a ship. And so in the first assault they discharged many mortars at us; but God assisted us, so that none of our people were killed here, but of them there were killed about one hundred and forty, of whom the said Don Lorenzo killed six in my presence, and he received two wounds, and many others were wounded. For a short time the battle was very But after our galleys got to the land, those dogs began to retire, and, as the water began to fall, we would not follow them farther. And these dogs began to increase, and therefore we set fire to their ships, of which thirteen were burnt, the greater part new and large.1 And then the

severe.

1 The attack on Ponani is thus described by De Souza :-" Tristan de Cunna was on his return [to Europe] with the merchant ships, and the Viceroy bore him company to fall upon Panane, a town subject to Calicut, where our enemies landed under the shelter of four ships of the Zamorin commanded by Cutiale, a courageous Moor. The Viceroy and Tristan anchored at the bar, held a council, and then sent both their sons in two barques with several boats, and they in a galley followed

Viceroy withdrew all his people to the headland, and here made some knights, amongst whom, out of his grace, he also made me one, and the most valiant captain Tristan da Cugna was my sponsor. Having done this, the Viceroy began to embark his people, but continued burning many houses of the said place; so that, by the grace of God, without the death of any one of us, we took our way towards Canonor, and as soon as we had arrived, our captain had the ships furnished with provisions.

them. They all went up the river through showers of balls sent from the shore, which is high. The Moors ran into the water to meet the boats, and killed three men; but the dispute was now come to their trenches, which some of ours mounted, and Peter Cam set upon them Don Lorenzo's colours. The colours were flying, when the Viceroy, seeing his son Don Lorenzo climbing with some difficulty, cried out : 'Lorenzo, Lorenzo, what laziness is that?' and he very readily answered: 'Sir, I give way to him that has gained the honour.' A large Moor encountered and wounded Don Lorenzo, and he gave him such a stroke as clove his head to his breast. The town being entered, all were put to the sword. Then all the ships in the harbour and docks were fired. We lost eighteen Portuguese: none of note; of the enemy above five hundred perished." Portuguese Asia, vol. i. p. 124,5.

THE BOOK
BOOK

CONCERNING ETHIOPIA.

To those who wish to make any profession of history or cosmography, by which they may contribute both to the common advantage, as already has been many times touched upon, and to the immortality of a laborious life, there is nothing more necessary than to be the tenacious possessors of their memory, in order that, if anything has been promised by them in any previous place, they may be able to perform it free from the defect of forgetfulness; so that there may be no one who may presume to reproach them wantonly with negligence or lack of memory. Wherefore I, having promised you in my proemium to display to you part of Ethiopia on my return from so many involuntary troubles, having now on my return an opportunity of fulfilling my promise, will enter upon it with brevity, in order that you may be able to arrive quickly at the end of the work, and I to take repose in my country.

THE CHAPTER

CONCERNING THE VARIOUS ISLANDS
IN ETHIOPIA.

On the sixth of December we took our way towards Ethiopia and passed the gulf, a course of about three thousand miles, and arrived at the island of Mozambich, which belongs to the king of Portugal. And before we arrived at the said island, we saw many countries which are subject to

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