The Lusiad Part 4

And having taken an amba.s.sador on board, he again set sail, in hope that he might pa.s.s the Cape of Good Hope while the favourable weather continued; for his acquaintance with the eastern seas now suggested to him that the tempestuous season was periodical. Soon after he set sail his brother's ship struck on a sand bank, and was burnt by order of the admiral. His brother and part of the crew he took into his own ship, the rest he sent on board of Coello's; nor were more hands now alive than were necessary to man the two vessels which remained. Having taken in provisions at the island of Zanzibar (where they were kindly entertained by a Mohammedan prince of the same sect with the King of Melinda), they safely doubled the Cape of Good Hope on April 26, 1499, and continued till they reached the island of St. Iago, in favourable weather. But a tempest here separated the two ships, and gave Gama and Coello an opportunity to show the goodness of their hearts in a manner which does honour to human nature.

The admiral was now near the Azores, when Paulus de Gama, long worn with fatigue and sickness, was unable to endure the motion of the ship.

Vasco, therefore, put into the island of Tercera, in hope of his brother's recovery. And such was his affection, that rather than leave him he gave the command of his ship to one of his officers. But the hope of recovery was vain. John de Sa proceeded to Lisbon with the flag ship, while the admiral remained behind to soothe the deathbed of his brother, and perform his funeral rites. Coello, meanwhile, landed at Lisbon, and hearing that Gama had not arrived, imagined he might either be shipwrecked or beating about in distress. Without seeing one of his family he immediately set sail again, on purpose to bring relief to his friend and admiral. But this generous design was prevented by an order from the king, ere he got out of the Tagus.

The particulars of the voyage were now diffused by Coello, and the joy of the king was only equalled by the admiration of the people. Yet, while all the nation was fired with zeal to express their esteem of the happy admiral, he himself, the man who was such an enthusiast to the success of his voyage that he would willingly have sacrificed his life in India to secure that success, was now in the completion of it a dejected mourner. The compliments of the Court, and the shouts of the street, were irksome to him; for his brother, the companion of his toils and dangers, was not there to share the joy. As soon as he had waited on the king, he shut himself up in a lonely house near the seaside at Belem, from whence it was some time ere he was drawn to mingle in public life.

During this important expedition, two years and almost two months elapsed. Of 160 men who went out, only 55 returned. These were all rewarded by the king. Coello was pensioned with 100 ducats a year, and made a fidalgo, or gentleman of the king's household, a degree of n.o.bility in Portugal. The t.i.tle of Don was annexed to the family of Vasco de Gama. He was appointed admiral of the eastern seas, with an annual salary of 3000 ducats, and a part of the king's arms was added to his. Public thanksgivings to Heaven were celebrated throughout the churches of the kingdom; while feasts, dramatic performances, and chivalrous entertainments (or tournaments), according to the taste of that age, demonstrated the joy of Portugal.

Pedro Alvarez Cabral was the second Portuguese admiral who sailed for India. He entered into alliance with Trimumpara, king of Cochin, and high priest of Malabar. (See Bk. x. p. 302.)

Gama, having left six ships for the protection of Cochin and Cananor, had sailed for Portugal with twelve ships, laden with the riches of the East. As soon as his departure was made known, the zamorim made great preparations to attack Cochin--a city situated on an island, divided by an arm of the sea from the main-land. At one part, however, this creek was fordable at low water. The zamorim having renewed the war, at length, by force of numbers and bribery, took the city; and the King of Cochin, stripped of his dominions, but still faithful to the Portuguese, fled to the island of Viopia. Francisco Albuquerque, with other commanders, having heard of the fate of Cochin, set sail for its relief; the garrison of the zamorim fled, and Trimumpara was restored to his throne. Every precaution by which the pa.s.sage to the island of Cochin might be secured was now taken by Pacheco. The Portuguese took the sacrament, and devoted themselves to death. The King of Cochin's troops amounted only to 5000 men, while the army of the zamorim numbered 57,000, provided with bra.s.s cannon, and a.s.sisted by two Italian engineers. Yet this immense army, laying siege to Cochin, was defeated.

Seven times the zamorim raised new armies; yet they were all vanquished at the fords of Cochin, by the intrepidity and stratagems of Pacheco. In the later battles the zamorim exposed himself to the greatest danger, and was sometimes sprinkled with the blood of his slain attendants--a circ.u.mstance mentioned in the Lusiad, bk. x. p. 304. He then had recourse to fraud and poison; but all his attempts were baffled. At last, in despair, he resigned his throne, and shut himself up for the rest of his days in one of the temples.

Soon after the kingdom of Cochin was restored to prosperity Pacheco was recalled. The King of Portugal paid the highest compliments to his valour, and gave him the government of a possession of the crown in Africa. But merit always has enemies: Pacheco was accused and brought to Lisbon in irons, where he remained for a considerable time chained in a dungeon. He was at length tried, and after a full investigation of the charges made against him, was honourably acquitted. His services to his country were soon forgotten, his merits were no longer thought of, and the unfortunate Pacheco ended his days in an alms-house--a circ.u.mstance referred to in the Lusiad, bk. x. p. 305.

CONTENTS.

BOOK I.

PAGE Subject proposed 1, 2 Invocation to the Muses of the Tagus 3 Address to Don Sebastian 3, 4 a.s.sembly of the G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses 8 The fleet enters the Indian Ocean 13 Discovers islands there 13 Description of the natives 14 Intercourse with the ships 15, 16 The governor visits Gama 17, 18 Bacchus determines on obstructing the fleet 20 His stratagem for that purpose 21 Attack by the Portuguese on landing to obtain water 23 Bombardment of the town 24, 25 Another plot of Bacchus 26, 27 The poet's reflections 29

BOOK II.

Treacherous invitation from the King of Mombas for the fleet to enter the harbour 31 Messengers sent on sh.o.r.e by Gama to look at the town 32, 33 Venus and the Nereids save the fleet from danger 35, 36 Venus appeals to Jupiter on behalf of the expedition 40 His reply 43 Mercury sent to earth 46 His message to Gama in a dream 47 How the vessels escaped 49 They meet two Moorish ships 49 Their account of Melinda and its king 50 Hospitable reception by the King of Melinda 51 Gama's address 52 The king's reply 53, 54 Night rejoicings in the ships and on sh.o.r.e 54, 55 Visit of the king to the fleet 55 Gama's speech 57 The king requests Gama to describe his country and relate its history 58

BOOK III.

Invocation to Calliope 60 Gama commences his story 61 Geographical description of Europe 62 Ancient history of Portugal commences 66 Fidelity of Egas Moniz 70, 71 Battle of Ourique 72-75 Origin of the Portuguese shield and arms 76 Leiria, Mafra, Cintra, Lisbon, etc. 76-78 Palmella, etc., taken from the Moors 79 Alphonso at war with the Leonese 79, 80 Gathering of the Moors to invest Santarem 81 Defeated by the Portuguese 83 Death of Alphonso 83 Don Sancho besieges Sylves 84 Character of Sancho II. 85 " " King Dionis 87 " " Alphonso IV. 87 The Moors a.s.semble again to invade Portugal 88 The Queen of Spain asks aid from her father, the King of Portugal 88 The two allied sovereigns defeat the Moors 90 Episode of Inez de Castro, or the "Fair Inez" 92-96 Character of King Ferdinand 100

BOOK IV.

State of Portugal on the death of Ferdinand 103 King John succeeds to the throne 103 Character of Queen Leonora 104 Cast.i.tlians a.s.semble in aid of Beatrice, daughter of Leonora 106 Don Nuno Alvarez's loyalty 107 Battle between the Portuguese and Castilians 113 The latter defeated 116, 117 Alphonso, after defeating the Moors, attacks the King of Arragon 117 Alphonso dies, and is succeeded by John II. 118 King John sends to explore the East by land 122 Emmanuel succeeds; his dream of the rivers Ganges and Indus 123 The king consults his council 125 Entrusts the expedition to Vasco de Gama 125 Vasco de Gama's preparations 127 Parting of the armada with their friends 129 The old man's farewell address 130

BOOK V.

Departure of the fleet from Lisbon 133 Madeira, Coast of Morocco, the Azenegues 134 The river Senegal, Cape Verde, San Jago, Jalofo, Mandinga 135 Dorcades, Sierra Leone, Cape Palmas 136 St. Thomas, Congo, the river Zaire 137 A water-spout described 139 They land near the Tropic of Capricorn 141 A native African met with 141 Veloso's adventure on sh.o.r.e 142 Gigantic vision of the Cape 146 The armada lands at Sa Braz 153 Currents encountered 155 The armada touches at Natal 155 Reaches Sofala; description of the inhabitants 157 The crews attacked by scurvy 158 Vasco de Gama compares his voyage with the narratives of ancient poets, and concludes his story 159 Reflections on the subject by the poet 161, 162

BOOK VI.

Hospitality of the King of Melinda 164 Gama takes his leave 166 Bacchus descends to Neptune's abode 166 Description thereof 167 The sea-G.o.ds a.s.sembled by Neptune. Bacchus' address to Neptune and the other sea-G.o.ds 169 Neptune orders aeolus to let loose the winds on the Portuguese fleet 173 The fleet on a tranquil sea 174 Veloso, to pa.s.s the time away, relates the story of a tournament in England 175 A dark cloud comes over, and the storm arises 183 Venus, the morning star, appears, and the G.o.ddess calls the Nereids to her aid 188 Orithya, Galatea, and other sea-nymphs persuade Boreas to cease his bl.u.s.tering 189 Morning appears, and with it the mountain-tops of the Indian coast 190 Gama returns thanks to G.o.d 190 The poet's reflections 190, 191

BOOK VII.

The Portuguese exhorted to the warfare of the cross, other nations being reproved 193-197 India described 198 The fleet anchors, and a message is sent on sh.o.r.e 198 Meeting with Mozaide, who speaks Spanish 199 Mozaide visits Gama, and describes the country 200 Gama goes on sh.o.r.e 209 Enters with the kotwal into an Indian temple 209 Gama's interview with the Indian king 213 His speech 214 The king's reply 215 Mozaide's description of the Portuguese 216 Visit of the kotwal to the ships 217 The poet invokes the nymphs of the Tagus, and briefly describes his own shipwreck and other misfortunes 218-221

BOOK VIII.

Description of the pictures 222 Bacchus appears as Mohammed, to a priest in a dream 238 The king consults with the magi and the soothsayers 240 The priest consults his friends 241 How evil counsellors mislead kings 242 The king's defiant speech and base accusation 244 Gama's answer to the king 245-247 Gama detained prisoner in the kotwal's house 250

BOOK IX.

The king visits the house of the kotwal 252 Addresses Gama, detained as a prisoner there 252 On what conditions he may be allowed to return to his fleet 253 Gama's indignant reply 253, 254 The king orders the signal to be given 254 The Moorish vessels surround the fleet, and attack it with clouds of arrows 255 The drums and trumpets of the fleet call to action 255 Destruction of the Moorish vessels by the cannon of the ships 256 Bombardment of Calicut by the fleet 257 The terrified mult.i.tude implores the king to release his prisoner 258 The king implores Gama to spare his city and people 258 Gama's dignified reply 258 The terms offered by the king rejected by Gama 259 Gama directs the king to hoist the Portuguese flag and convey him to his ships 260 Peace restored. Presents of Indian productions 261 Mozaide had discovered to Gama the intended treachery 261 Conversion to Christianity of Mozaide 262 Return of the fleet to Portugal with the hostages 262 Venus raises the Island of Love in the sea, to afford the sailors a resting-place. She summons the Nereids, and informs them of her intentions. Seeks her son, Cupid 264 Cupid discharges the arrows of love at the sea-nymphs 269-271 Approach of the Portuguese fleet 273 The Island of Love described 274-280 The sailors land and pursue the nymphs 280-288 Tethys leads Gama to a palace on a lofty hill 289 The allegory explained 290

BOOK X.

Happiness of the heroes and nymphs 299 The poet apostrophizes his muse and bewails his own fate 301, 302 The siren's prophetic song 302 She pauses to reflect on the ill-requited bravery of Pacheco 305 The siren resumes her prophetic song 305 Foretells the needless cruelty of Albuquerque, who puts to death a soldier for a venial offence 310, 311 Soarez, Sequeyra, Menez, Mascarene, Nunio, Noronha, Souza, and other heroes 312-318 The nymph Tethys leads them to the summit of a rugged hill, where the globe in miniature is displayed before them 319 The Ptolemean system described 320 Sketch of the geography of the world 325 History of St. Thomas, the Apostle of India 331-335 Geographical description continued 337-353 Tethys bids the Portuguese farewell 353 Their return home and reception at Lisbon 356 The poet's conclusion, and patriotic exhortation to his sovereign 356, 357

THE LUSIAD.[62]

BOOK I.

ARGUMENT.

Statement of the subject. Invocation to the muses of the Tagus. Herald calls an a.s.sembly of the G.o.ds. Jupiter foretells the future conquests of the Portuguese. Bacchus, apprehensive that the Portuguese may eclipse the glory acquired by himself in the conquest of India, declares against them. Venus, who sees in the Portuguese her ancient Romans, promises to aid their enterprise. Mars induces Jupiter to support them, and Mercury is sent to direct their course. Gama, commander of the expedition, lands at Mozambique and Mombas. Opposition of the Moors, instigated by Bacchus. They grant Gama a pilot who designs treacherously to take them to Quiloa to ensure the destruction of the whole expedition.

Arms and the Heroes, who from Lisbon's sh.o.r.e, Thro' seas[63] where sail was never spread before, Beyond where Ceylon lifts her spicy breast, And waves her woods above the wat'ry waste, With prowess more than human forc'd their way To the fair kingdoms of the rising day: What wars they wag'd, what seas, what dangers pa.s.s'd, What glorious empire crown'd their toils at last, Vent'rous I sing, on soaring pinions borne, And all my country's wars[64] the song adorn; What kings, what heroes of my native land Thunder'd on Asia's and on Afric's strand: Ill.u.s.trious shades, who levell'd in the dust The idol-temples and the shrines of l.u.s.t: And where, erewhile, foul demons were rever'd, To Holy Faith unnumber'd altars rear'd:[65]

Ill.u.s.trious names, with deathless laurels crown'd, While time rolls on in every clime renown'd!

Let Fame with wonder name the Greek[66] no more, What lands he saw, what toils at sea he bore; Nor more the Trojan's wand'ring[67] voyage boast, What storms he brav'd on many a perilous coast: No more let Rome exult in Trajan's name, Nor Eastern conquests Ammon's[68] pride proclaim; A n.o.bler hero's deeds demand my lays Than e'er adorn'd the song of ancient days, Ill.u.s.trious GAMA,[69] whom the waves obey'd, And whose dread sword the fate of empire sway'd.

And you, fair nymphs of Tagus, parent stream, If e'er your meadows were my pastoral theme, While you have listen'd, and by moonshine seen My footsteps wander o'er your banks of green, O come auspicious, and the song inspire With all the boldness of your hero's fire: Deep and majestic let the numbers flow, And, rapt to heaven, with ardent fury glow, Unlike the verse that speaks the lover's grief, When heaving sighs afford their soft relief, And humble reeds bewail the shepherd's pain; But like the warlike trumpet be the strain To rouse the hero's ire, and far around, With equal rage, your warriors' deeds resound.

And thou,[70] O born the pledge of happier days, To guard our freedom and our glories raise, Given to the world to spread Religion's sway, And pour o'er many a land the mental day, Thy future honours on thy shield behold, The cross and victor's wreath emboss'd in gold: At thy commanding frown we trust to see, The Turk and Arab bend the suppliant knee: Beneath the morn,[71] dread king, thine empire lies, When midnight veils thy Lusitanian[72] skies; And when, descending in the western main, The sun[73] still rises on thy length'ning reign: Thou blooming scion of the n.o.blest stem, Our nation's safety, and our age's gem, O young Sebastian, hasten to the prime Of manly youth, to Fame's high temple climb: Yet now attentive hear the Muse's lay While thy green years to manhood speed away: The youthful terrors of thy brow suspend, And, oh, propitious to the song attend-- The num'rous song, by patriot-pa.s.sion fir'd, And by the glories of thy race inspir'd: To be the herald of my country's fame My first ambition and my dearest aim: Nor conquests fabulous nor actions vain, The Muse's pastime, here adorn the strain: Orlando's fury, and Rugero's rage, And all the heroes of th' Aonian page,[74]

The dreams of bards surpa.s.s'd the world shall view, And own their boldest fictions may be true; Surpa.s.s'd and dimm'd by the superior blaze Of GAMA'S mighty deeds, which here bright Truth displays.

Nor more let History boast her heroes old, Their glorious rivals here, dread prince, behold: Here shine the valiant Nunio's deeds unfeign'd, Whose single arm the falling state sustain'd; Here fearless Egas' wars, and, Fuas, thine, To give full ardour to the song combine; But ardour equal to your martial ire Demands the thund'ring sounds of Homer's lyre.

To match the Twelve so long by bards renown'd,[75]

Here brave Magricio and his peers are crown'd (A glorious Twelve!) with deathless laurels, won In gallant arms before the English throne.

Unmatch'd no more the Gallic Charles shall stand, Nor Caesar's name the first of praise command: Of n.o.bler acts the crown'd Alonzo[76] see, Thy valiant sires, to whom the bended knee Of vanquish'd Afric bow'd. Nor less in fame, He who confin'd the rage of civil flame, The G.o.dlike John, beneath whose awful sword Rebellion crouch'd, and trembling own'd him lord Those heroes, too, who thy bold flag unfurl'd, And spread thy banners o'er the Eastern world, Whose spears subdu'd the kingdoms of the morn, Their names and glorious wars the song adorn: The daring GAMA, whose unequall'd name (Proud monarch) shines o'er all of naval fame: Castro the bold, in arms a peerless knight, And stern Pacheco, dreadful in the fight: The two Almeydas, names for ever dear, By Tago's nymphs embalm'd with many a tear; Ah, still their early fate the nymphs shall mourn, And bathe with many a tear their hapless urn: Nor shall the G.o.dlike Albuquerque restrain The Muse's fury; o'er the purpled plain The Muse shall lead him in his thund'ring car Amidst his glorious brothers of the war, Whose fame in arms resounds from sky to sky, And bids their deeds the power of death defy.

And while, to thee, I tune the duteous lay, a.s.sume, O potent king, thine empire's sway; With thy brave host through Afric march along, And give new triumphs to immortal song: On thee with earnest eyes the nations wait, And, cold with dread, the Moor expects his fate; The barb'rous mountaineer on Taurus' brows To thy expected yoke his shoulder bows; Fair Thetis woos thee with her blue domain, Her nuptial son, and fondly yields her reign, And from the bow'rs of heav'n thy grandsires[77] see Their various virtues bloom afresh in thee; One for the joyful days of peace renown'd, And one with war's triumphant laurels crown'd: With joyful hands, to deck thy manly brow, They twine the laurel and the olive-bough; With joyful eyes a glorious throne they see, In Fame's eternal dome, reserv'd for thee.

Yet, while thy youthful hand delays to wield The sceptre'd power, or thunder of the field, Here view thine Argonauts, in seas unknown, And all the terrors of the burning zone, Till their proud standards, rear'd in other skies, And all their conquests meet thy wond'ring[78] eyes.