FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59  
60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   >>   >|  
s Dominic Seixas a Portuguese. At first the _Siamese_ were worsted, but recovering their order they gained a complete victory, in which 130,000 of the enemy were slain, 40,000 of whom were excellent cavalry, with the loss of 50,000 Siamese, all of whom were the worst troops in their army. After this victory the king of Siam marched against the queen of _Guibem_, who had allowed the enemy to pass through her country; and entering the city of _Fumbacar_ spared neither age nor sex. Being besieged in her capital of _Guirar_, the queen agreed to pay an yearly tribute of 60,000 ducats, and gave her son as an hostage. After this the king of Siam advanced to the city of _Taysiram_, to which place he thought the king of Chiammay had fled, destroying every thing in his course with fire and sword, only sparing the women; but winter coming on he returned to Siam. On his return to his court of _Odiaa_ or _Odiaz_, he was poisoned by his queen, then big with child by one of her servants; but before he died he caused his eldest son, then young, to be declared king. He left 30,000 ducats to the Portuguese then in his service, and gave orders that they should pay no duties in any of his ports for three years. The adulterous queen, being near the time of her delivery, poisoned her lawful son, married her servant, and caused him to be proclaimed king. But in a short time they were both slain at a feast by the King of _Cambodia_ and _Oya Pansilaco_. There being no lawful heir to the kingdom of Siam, _Pretiel_ a religious _Talagrepo_, bastard brother to him who was poisoned, was raised to the throne by common consent in the beginning of the year 1549. Seeing the affairs of Siam in confusion, the king of the Birmans, who was likewise king of Pegu, resolved to conquer that kingdom. For this purpose he raised an army of 800,000 men, of which 40,000 were horse, and 60,000 armed with muskets, 1000 being Portuguese. He had 20,000 elephants, 1000 cannon drawn by oxen and _abadias_[26], and 1000 ammunition waggons drawn by buffaloes. The Portuguese troops in his service, were commanded by Diego Suarez de Mello, commonly called the Gallego, who went out to India in 1538. In 1542 this man became a pirate in the neighbourhood of Mozambique. In 1547 he was at the relief of Malacca: And now in 1549, being in the service of the king of the Birmans, was worth four millions in jewels and other valuables, had a pension of 200,000 ducats yearly, was stile
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59  
60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Portuguese
 
poisoned
 

ducats

 

service

 

yearly

 

raised

 

caused

 

Siamese

 

lawful

 
Birmans

troops
 

kingdom

 

victory

 

brother

 

throne

 
beginning
 

Seeing

 

affairs

 
confusion
 

consent


valuables

 

common

 

pension

 

servant

 
proclaimed
 

Cambodia

 

Pretiel

 

religious

 

Talagrepo

 

likewise


Pansilaco
 
bastard
 
muskets
 

Gallego

 

called

 
commonly
 

Suarez

 

neighbourhood

 

Mozambique

 
relief

pirate

 
commanded
 

buffaloes

 

Malacca

 

jewels

 
resolved
 
conquer
 
purpose
 

millions

 
married