twenty men, whose language or
garb had not been known until that time. But it is much more easily
credible that the Malays came to these islands led by greed for their
commercial profits--as, one reads in the histories of the Portuguese,
happened in the regions of India with the Persians and Arab Moros,
who, having entered under the pretext of trade, afterwards became
masters of everything. The same thing is said here of the entrance
of the Moro Malays.

398. The Pampangos (according to tradition) originated from the
largest island of the Orient, which is that of Sumatra or Trapobana
(although some apply the latter name to Zeilan), which is located below
the line. That island is seven hundred leguas in circumference, and is
near the land of Malaca and Malayo, and for that reason it is included
in the Aurea Chersonesus. In the midst of that great island of Sumatra
there is a large lake, on whose surrounding marge many different
peoples have their abodes. According to Father Colin (who himself
examined him), a Pampango who had lost his way reached that place;
and, having discovered that there were men there of his own build,
language, and clothing, approached, and entered into conversation with
them in his own elegant Pampango tongue. They answered him in the
same speech, and one of their old men said: "You are descendants of
the lost people who, in former times, left here to settle other lands,
and have never been heard of since." From this it appears that one may
infer the origin of the Pampangos. But it is not easy to determine
whether they came from Sumatra direct, or settled first in Borney,
because of the nearness of its lands and domains, and thence passed on
to settle the islands of this archipelago; although it appears from
the statements of some who have been in Borney for a time that they
even find there sufficient indications that the Pampangos originated,
some from Sumatra and others from Malayo. It is certain that if
the island of Borney was not a land continuous with that of these
islands in past centuries (and arguments are not lacking for this),
at least many islets are found lying in a row and near one another,
with which Borney is closely connected. [342] Such a one is Paragua,
which extends in a northerly direction. Toward the east, Borney is
extended by Mindanao. With this continuation and the short distances
between these regions, one can see the little difficulty in changing
their abodes from one t