Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/220

 186

mSTOilY OF INDIA

[Book 1

A.I), i&i.":

Albuquer- que's Ul- 1163:;.

His death.

Lope Soarez succeeds.

ready to eclio their acc-lamations His greatness, however, was now drawing to a close.

While at Ormuz lie had suffered much from sickness, and the sympUjms had become sufficiently serious to make him hasten his departure. There was no reason, however, to suspect a fatal termination. He had only passed his sixtieth year, and seemed unbroken in constitution. In ti-uth, it was not disease but grief that killed iiim. It is said that he had applied to his sovereign for the title of Duke of Goa. His enemies took advantage of the circum.stance to insinuate that he was cherishing schemes of ambition, and had manifested, by the arrogance of his application, the treasonable purpose which he had at heart. Once Duke of Goa, he would establish him.self in that Eastern metropolis, and rule the whole East as ab-solute master. There was little plausibility in these insinuations; but there was enough to form the groundwork of a successful court intrigue. Albuquerque, wliile oppressed by sickneas, was yet dreaming of a ducal title, when he received the mortifying intelligence that the only reward which he was to obtain for all his services was a summarj' dLsmis-sal. He was no longer viceroy ; and as if this was not enough, he had been super- seded to make way for his mortal enemy, Lope Soarez. The shock was more than he could bear ; and when the vessel in which he sailed arrived off Goa, he was in a dying state. On the first news of his dismis.sal, he is said to have exclaimed, " See how it is ! Love to my fellow-men has brought me into bad odour with the king, and love to the king into bad odour with my fellow-men. To the grave, then, old man, for it is now high time : to the grave ! " One of his last acts was to write a touching letter to King Emanuel in which, recom- mending his son to his protection, he says: "I bec^ueath to liim my property, which is of small amount ; but I also leave Mm the obligation which my serdces impose, and this is great. In regard to the affairs of India, they will speak for him and for me." It was thought he micrht be able to reach Goa, but death advanced with such rapid strides, that he breathed his last almost immediately after the vessel had crossed the bar, on the 16th of December, 1515. He was buried with great pomp at Goa ; but in accordance with a request in his will. his remains, in 1566, v/ere transported to Lisbon.

After the death of Albuquerque, the Portuguese power began visibly to decline. "Up to this time," says Faria y Sousa, "the gentlemen had followed the dictates of true honour, esteeming their arms the greatest riches ; from this time forward, they so wholly gave themselves up to trading, that those who ought to have been captains became merchants." There was, in short, a general and eager scramble for riches, from the highest to the lowest class of officials : and public was held subordinate and made subservient to private interest. The very first proceedings of Soarez gave evidence of his incapacity. He had brought with him a fleet of thirteen sail, and, ha'ing increased it by reinforce- ments to twenty-seven sail, proceeded, in accordance with the orders which he