h it had horns, and its ears were like those of a kid. When
received by the midwife, it cried with a loud voice, and stood up on its
feet. The father put it into a hencoop, whence it got out and flew upon
its mother; on which the father killed it by pouring scalding water on
its head, and could scarcely cut off the head it was so hard. He burnt
it. But when the story came to be known, he was punished for the murder,
and the body was exposed to public view[371].

[Footnote 371: This silly story has been retained, perhaps very
unnecessarily. It is perhaps an instance of embellishment founded on the
love of the marvellous, and the whole truth may lie in a very narrow
compass "_an infant coming into the world covered with hair_," while all
the rest is fiction.--E.]

Don Alfonso de Noronha was promoted to the viceroyalty of India from
being governor of Ceuta, but was subjected to the control of a council,
by whose advice he was ordered to conduct the government of India. He
had orders from court to send back to Portugal all the _new Christians
or converted Jews_, many of whom had gone out to India with their
families. It had been better to have banished them from both countries.
The new viceroy was received at Goa with universal joy, more owing
perhaps to the general dislike towards him who lays down authority than
from love for him who takes it up. The Arabs of _Catifa_ in the Persian
Gulf had admitted the Turks to take possession of the fort in that city,
to the great displeasure of the King of Ormuz, on whom it had been
dependent, and who therefore applied for aid to the viceroy to reduce
the refractory or revolted vassals. The king of Basrah had also been
expelled from his kingdom by the Turks, yet kept the field with an army
of 30,000 men, and sent for assistance from the viceroy, to whom he
offered leave to erect a fort at his capital, and to grant many valuable
privileges to the Portuguese. The viceroy accordingly sent his nephew,
Antonio de Norenha, to the assistance of these two kings with 1200 men
in nineteen vessels. Antonio was joined at Ormuz by 3000 native troops,
in conjunction with whom he besieged Catifa, which was defended by 400
Turks. After a brave but unavailing resistance, the garrison fled by
night, but were pursued and routed. As the general of the troops of
Ormuz was unwilling to engage for the future defence of this fort, it
was undermined for the purpose of destroying it; but being unskilfully
man