a after the revolution by which Philip II of Spain
acquired the sovereignty of Portugal. The honour and advantages
conferred upon him on receiving this important office were greater than
had ever been enjoyed by any of his predecessors. He well deserved all
rewards of honour and profit, having served with great reputation in
India, particularly in the brave defence of Chaul, with an incompetent
garrison, and hardly any fortifications, against the power of the Nizam,
who besieged it with 150,000 men. Yet his advancement on this occasion
proceeded more from the policy of the king of Spain than the merit of
Mascarenhas, to endeavour to gain the hearts of the Portuguese in India
by his bounty. On his arrival at Goa in 1581, the new viceroy found that
all the Portuguese had already submitted to the government of the king
of Spain, so that he had only to attend to the usual affairs of his
viceroyalty.

[Footnote 405: We have here omitted from de Faria several long and
confused dissertations on subjects that will be treated of more
satisfactorily in the sequel of this work, from better sources of
information. These are, 1. Of the religion of Hindostan. 2. Of the
empire of Ethiopia, or Abyssinia. 3. Of Japan. 4. Of China. 5. Of the
traditions respecting the preaching of Christianity in India by St
Thomas. Likewise, in the sequel of the Portuguese transactions in India
from de Faria, we have omitted a vast deal of uninteresting events,
confining our attention only to such as are of some relative
importance.--E.]

Sultan Amodifar, the lawful king of Guzerat, after being long kept
prisoner by the Mogul who had usurped his kingdom, made his escape by
the assistance of some women and came in disguise to a Banian at
Cambaya, by whom he was conveyed to _Jambo_, a person who had
secured himself in a portion of the kingdom of Guzerat in the late
revolution. Jambo not only acknowledged Amodifar as his legitimate
sovereign, but procured the submission of many other chiefs and great
men, so that he was soon at the head of a large army, in which there
were above 30,000 horse, and in a short time Amodifar recovered
possession of almost all Guzerat, either by force or consent. In hopes
of profiting by these confusions, and in particular expecting to acquire
possession of Surat, the viceroy went with 40 sail to Chaul, whence he
sent some intelligent agents to Baroach, which was then besieged by
Amodifar, the wife and children of Cotub oddin