t in Diu and Calicut (as I trust in Our Lord they will be),
when once they have been well fortified, if a thousand of the
Sultan's ships were to make their way to India, not one of these
places could be brought again under his dominion. But if those of
your Council understood Indian affairs as I do, they would not fail
to be aware that Your Highness cannot be Lord over so extensive a
territory as India by placing all your power and strength in your
navy only (a policy at once doubtful and full of serious
inconveniences); for this, and not to build fortresses, is the very
thing which the Moors of these lands wish you to do, for they know
well that a dominion founded on a navy alone cannot last, and they
desire to live on their estates and property, and to carry their
spices to the ancient and customary markets which they maintain,
but they are unwilling to be subject to Your Highness, neither will
they trade or be on friendly terms with you. And if they will not
have any of these things, how is it likely that they will be
pleased to see us establishing ourselves in this city of Goa, and
strengthening its defences, and Your Highness Lord of so important
a port and bar as this is, and not labour with all their might to
hinder us from accomplishing our intentions? And if it seems a hard
matter to those who have written about this to Your Highness that
the recovery of Goa should have been so many times attempted, how
much harder must it have been to gain the country from so powerful
a sovereign as the King of Bijapur, Lord of so many armies, who is
not likely to refrain from straining every nerve to recover the
possession of it and striking a decisive blow at our prestige, if
he could do so? And whenever any one of his captains shall come up
against this city, are we to surrender it immediately without first
of all measuring our forces against him? If this be so, Your
Highness may as well leave India to the Moors, than seek to
maintain your position therein with such extraordinary outlays and
expenses {123} on the navy, in ships as rotten as cork, only kept
afloat by four pumps in each of them.

'As for the extraordinary expenses connected with the maintenance
of Goa, of which these idle fellows write to Your Highness, the
mere dross of India is so great, that, if the Portuguese
possessions be properly farmed by your officers, the revenue from
them al