Coulam, and Cananoor’s luxurious fields,
And Cranganore to various lords he yields ;
While thefe, and others thus the monarch grac’d, '
A noble youth his care unmindful paft j
Save Calicut, a city, poor and fmall,
Tho’ lordly now, no more remain’d to fall:
Griev’d to behold fuch merit thus repay’d,
The fapient youth the king o f kings he made;
And honor’d with the name, Great Samoreen,
The lordly titled boaft o f power fupreme j
And now great Perimal refigns his reign,
The blifsful bow’rs o f Paradile to gain.
Before the gale his gaudy navy flies,
And India finks for ever from his eyes.
And foon to Calicut’s commodious port
The fleets, deep edging with the wave, refort j
Wide o’er the Ihore extend the warlike piles,
And all the landfcape round luxurious fmiles.
And now, her flag to ev’ry gale unfurl’d,
She tow’rs the emprefs of the eaftern world.
Such are the bleflings fapient kings beftow,
And from thy ftream fuch gifts, O Commerce, flow.
Gama was at firft well received at Calicut, but the jealoufy
of the Arabs, prevented his i friendihip with the Zamorin from
being of any duration. The Portuguefe never could make
themfelves matters o f the place; but at length Albuquerque, in
i 5°3>
1503, prevaled on the reigning prince to permit him to build a
fort not far from the city. This gave him the command of the
commerce, notwithftanding the city remained under the line
of its antie'nt rulers, who very frequently were engaged in wars
with their European neighbors. The Englijh had their factories
here, but, I believe, have long iince deferted the place. As to
the Portuguefe, they became fo diftrelfed, by the union o f the
Dutch with the Zamorin, that they blew up their fortrefs, and
entirely quitted the neighborhood. It was afterwards either
undermined with the fea, or overthrown by an earthquake, for
Hamilton fays, that in 1703 his ihip, which drew twenty-one
feet water, ftruck on its ruins.
Ayder Alii advanced towards this town. It was voluntarily
furrendered to him by the Zamorin, who proftrated himfelf at
his feet, and prefented him with two bafons of gold, one filled
with pieces o f gold, the other with pretious ftones; and two
fmall cannons of gold, with golden carriages of the fame metal.
Ayder raifed him from the ground, and promifed to reftore to
him his dominions, on condition o f paying a fmall tribute. The
two princes parted, feemingly in perfect amity. The next day
the palace appeared on fire. In defiance of all attempts to fave
it, it was wholly deftroyed, and with it periihed the prince, his
family, and vaft treafures. The Zamorin had juft received letters
from the Hindoo Rajahs of Travancore and Cochin, bitterly
reproaching him with betraying his country to the Mahometans,
and becoming apoftate to his religion, declaring him
degraded and expelled from his caft. So affedted was he with the
dilgrace,
S e i z e d b y A L BUQUERQUE.
B y A ydjjr A EXE»