to India for Don Jerome de
Azevedo to succeed Tavora as viceroy. Azevedo had acquired a high
character by many years service, eighteen years of which he had spent in
Ceylon, where he had acquired great riches, and yet preserved a good
name. The report of his riches contributed, as much as the fame of his
valour, to his present promotion, as it was thought that he who had so
much already, would be less inclined to covetousness; though experience
shews, that those who have much still covet more. Azevedo had likewise
offered to serve the office of viceroy without the usual salary, but
afterwards accepted it. Among the first actions of his administration
was to send home Danish Beg, ambassador from Shah Abbas, king of Persia,
who had been in Spain at the court of King Philip. Shah Abbas treated,
at the same time, both with King Philip, and James king of England,
endeavouring to influence both to the furtherance of his own designs;
having taken the island of Bahrayn from the Portuguese, and was now
endeavouring to gain Ormuz. Along with this Persian ambassador, Antonio
de Guovea, titular bishop of _Sirene_, went for the purpose of
propagating Christianity in Persia; but, finding that the Persian
government was inimical to his mission, he went no farther than Ormuz.
Shah Abbas was so much displeased with his ambassador for not succeeding
in his negotiation for the surrender of Ormuz, that he caused him to be
beheaded; and was so much exasperated against the Christians, that he
forced many of his Armenian subjects to renounce the faith.

The fortune of Nicote in Pegu now declined as swiftly as it had risen.
In 1513, the king of _Ova_, being provoked at the violence which Nicote
had been guilty of against the king of Tangu, who was under his
protection, made a vow that he would revenge his injuries. Having
assembled an army of 120,000 men, and 400 vessels of considerable
strength, in which were above 6000 of those Moors so noted for valour,
called _Caperuzas_ from their wearing caps, he marched against Siriam,
where he burnt every thing beyond the walls of the fort. Nicote made a
brave resistance though taken unawares, as he had suffered most of his
men to go to India, and was very scarce of powder. In this distress, he
sent a soldier to purchase powder at Bengal, who ran away with the
money; and sent likewise to San Thoma for the same commodity, but was
refused any supply. For want of powder he was unable to fire his cannon
a