aten 3000 elephants. He
offered, therefore, to capitulate, but all terms were refused by the
enemy; on which he determined to make use of the Portuguese, to whom he
had always been just and friendly: But favours received from a person in
prosperity, are forgotten when the benefactor falls into adversity. He
sent therefore one Seixas, a Portuguese in his service, to make an offer
to Cayero, if he would receive himself, his family, and treasures, into
the four ships which he commanded; that he would give half the treasure
to the king of Portugal, to whom he would become vassal, paying such
tribute as might be agreed on, being satisfied that he could recover his
kingdom with the assistance of 2000 Portuguese troops, whom he proposed
to take into his pay. Cayero consulted with his principal officers on
this proposition, and asked Seixas, in their presence, what might be the
amount of treasure belonging to the king of Martavan. Seixas said, that
he had not seen the whole, but affirmed that he had seen enough in gold
and jewels to load two ships, and as much silver as would load four or
five. Envious of the prodigious fortune that Cayero might make by
accepting this offer, the Portuguese officers threatened to delate him
to the Birman sovereign, if he consented, and the proposal was
accordingly refused.

[Footnote 23: De Faria, III. 347--364. Both as in a great measure
unconnected with the Portuguese transactions, and as not improbably
derived from the worse than suspicious source of Fernand Mendez de
Pinro, these very problematical occurrences have been kept by
themselves, which indeed they are in de Faria. After this opinion
respecting their more than doubtful authenticity, it would be a waste of
labour to attempt illustrating their geographical obscurities. Indeed
the geography of India beyond the Ganges, is still involved in almost
impenetrable darkness, from the Bay of Bengal to the empire of
China.--E.]

[Footnote 24: Called always the _Bramas_ by De Faria.--E.]

The king of Martavan was astonished at the rejection of his proposals,
and finding Seixas determined to withdraw from the danger that menaced
the city, made him a present of a pair of bracelets, which were
afterwards sold to the governor of _Narsinga_ for 80,000 ducats.
Despairing of relief or retreat, the king of Martavan now determined to
set his capital on fire, and sallying out at the head of the few men
that remained, to die honourably fighting against