Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/285

 this, his father and fower of his brethren were all slaine in the kings seruice: And he now being the last of his linage, caried with him into Maluco woorth ten thousand crusadoes, which he spent not in idlenes, nor yet in play, but onely in bringing of many kings and innumerable townes vnto our holy faith, and in the preseruing of Maluco, employing all his power and strength that all the cloues might come vnto the hands of the kings highnes: which with Maluco yeelded vnto him euery yeere fiue hundred thousand crusadoes; being all to his great preiudice, let, and hinderance. For if he had gathered cloues for himselfe, as the captaines of Maluco haue done and doe, then he had come home very rich.

But when he came home into Portugall in great hope (such is the simplicitie of the best natures) to be rewarded for his good seruice, and to be more fauoured and honored, then if he had brought home with him an hundred thousand crusadoes, he was greatly deceiued. For he found neither fauour, nor yet honor, but onely among the poore and miserable, to wit, in an hospitall: where he was kept seuenteene yeeres vntill the hower of his death; and there he had allowed vnto him his winding sheete to burie him in: and the brotherhood of the Couent prepared for his buriall as for a poore courtier cast off by all men, leauing himselfe indebted in two thousand crusadoes, whereof part came out of India, and part thereof many of his friends had lent him to maintaine him in the hospitall: for in all these seuenteene yeeres he had not of his highnes for to helpe himselfe with so much as a riall of plate, nor yet I of the bookes which I deliuered receiued any thing to discharge his will with. Yet for all this, euen as vpon the prosperitie of his victories he neuer made any boast, so likewise in his aduersities his stomacke did nothing abate his hart.

As there are good proofes that with so many and so continuall disgraces as he suffered, he neuer vnto the hower of his death left off to raise and to augment the yeerely rent vnto a Counto: which some made strange and would not giue eare vnto: So that euen as he wss extreme painfull in the performance of his seruice, so he was the like in the things sounding vnto the perfecting of the same, which was the cause that he was brought vnto the state that he died in. For he could not see the qualitie of the time, but onely those of his great seruice, by reason of the great charges that it stood him in. And his saying was, that he was