The Lusiad; Or, The Discovery of India, an Epic Poem
thinking being, yet we have been told, that God perceiveth it not, and
that what mortals call moral evil vanishes from before His more perfect
sight. Thus the appeal of injured innocence, and the tear of bleeding
virtue fall unregarded, unworthy of the attention of the Deity.{*} Yet,
with what raptures do these philosophers behold the infinite wisdom and
care of Beelzebub, their god of flies, in the admirable and various
provision he has made for the preservation of the eggs of vermin, and
the generation of maggots.{**}
Much more might be said in proof that our poet's philosophy does not
altogether deserve ridicule. And those who allow a general, but deny a
particular providence, will, it is hoped, excuse Camoëns, on the
consideration, that if we estimate a general moral providence by analogy
of that providence which presides over vegetable and animal nature, a
more particular one cannot possibly be wanted. If a particular
providence, however, is still denied, another consideration obtrudes
itself; if one pang of a moral agent is unregarded, one tear of injured
innocence left to fall unpitied by the Deity, if _Ludit in humanis
Divina potentia rebus_, the consequence is, that the human conception
can form an idea of a much better God. And it may modestly be presumed
we may hazard the laugh of the wisest philosopher, and without scruple
assert, that it is impossible that a created mind should conceive an
idea of perfection superior to that which is possessed by the Creator
and Author of existence.
{*} Perhaps, like Lucretius, some philosophers think this would be too
much trouble to the Deity. But the idea of trouble to the Divine Nature,
is much the same as another argument of the same philosopher, who having
asserted, that before the creation the gods could not know what seed
would produce, from thence wisely concludes that the world was made by
chance.
{**} Ray, in his Wisdom of God in the Creation (though he did not deny a
Providence), has carried this extravagance to the highest pitch. "To
give life," says he, "is the intention of the creation; and how
wonderful does the goodness of God appear in this, that the death and
putrefaction of one animal is the life of thousands." So, the misery of
a family on the death of a parent is nothing, for ten thousand maggots
are made happy by it.--O Philosophy, when wilt thou forget the dreams of
thy slumbers in Bedlam!
[632] _Here Christian Europe.--Vès Europa Christian._--As Europe is
already described in the third Lusiad, this short account of it has as
great propriety, as the manner of it contains dignity.
[633] _Afric behold._--This just and strongly picturesque description of
Africa is finely contrasted with the character of Europe. It contains
also a masterly compliment to the expedition of GAMA, which is all along
represented as the harbinger and diffuser of the blessings of
civilization.
[634] _Gonsalo's zeal shall glow._--Gonsalo de Sylveyra, a Portuguese
Jesuit, in 1555, sailed from Lisbon on a mission to Monomotapa. His
labours were at first successful; but ere he effected any regular
establishment he was murdered by the barbarians.--CASTERA.
[635] _Great Naya, too._--Don Pedro de Naya.... In 1505 he erected a
fort in the kingdom of Sofala, which is subject to Monomotapa. Six
thousand Moors and Caffres laid siege to this garrison, which he
defended with only thirty-five men. After having several times suffered
by unexpected sallies, the barbarians fled, exclaiming to their king
that he had led them to fight against God.--CASTERA.
[636] _In Abyssinia Heav'n's own altars blaze._--Christianity was
planted here in the first century, but mixed with many Jewish rites
unused by other Christians of the East. This appears to give some
countenance to the pretensions of their emperors, who claim their
descent from Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and at least reminds us of
Acts viii. 27, where we are told, that the treasurer of the Queen of
Ethiopia came to worship at Jerusalem. Numerous monasteries, we are
told, are in this country. But the clergy are very ignorant, and the
laity gross barbarians. Much has been said of the hill Amara--
"Where Abyssin kings their issue guard ...
... by some suppos'd,
True Paradise, under the Ethiop line
By Nilus head, inclos'd with shining rock,
A whole day's journey high"--MILTON;
and where, according to Urreta (a Spanish Jesuit), is the library
founded by the Queen of Sheba, and enriched with all those writings of
which we have either possession or only the names. The works of Noah,
and the lectures on the mathematics which Abraham read in the plains of
Mamre, are here. And so many are the volumes, that 200 monks are
employed as librarians. It is needless to add, that Father Urreta is a
second Sir John Mandevylle.
[637] _Thy son, brave Gama._--When Don Stephen de Gama was governor of
India, the Christian Emperor and Empress-mother of Ethiopia solicited
the assistance of the Portuguese against the usurpations of the pagan
King of Zeyla. Don Stephen sent his brother, Don Christoval with 500
men. The prodigies of their valour astonished the Ethiopians. But after
having twice defeated the tyrant, and reduced his great army to the last
extremity, Don Christoval, urged too far by the impetuosity of his
youthful valour, was taken prisoner. He was brought before the usurper,
and put to death in the most cruel manner. Waxed threads were twisted
with his beard and afterwards set on fire. He was then dipped in boiling
wax, and at last beheaded by the hand of the tyrant. The Portuguese
esteem him a martyr, and say that his torments and death were inflicted
because he would not renounce the faith.--See Faria y Sousa.
[638] Infidel, pagan.
[639] _Before the virgin-martyr's tomb._--He must be a dull reader
indeed who cannot perceive and relish the amazing variety which prevails
in our poet. In the historical narrative of wars, where it is most
necessary, yet from the sameness of the subject, most difficult, to
attain, our author always attains it with the most graceful ease. In the
description of countries he not only follows the manner of Homer and
Virgil, not only distinguishes each region by its most striking
characteristic, but also diversifies his geography with other incidents
introduced by the mention of the place. St. Catherine, virgin and
martyr, according to Romish histories, was buried on Mount Sinai, and a
chapel was erected over her grave. It is now the Monastery of St.
Catherine.--_Ed._
[640] The crescent, the sign of Turkish supremacy.--_Ed._
[641] _De Branco's sword._--Don Pedro de Castel-Branco. He obtained a
great victory, near Ormuz, over the combined fleets of the Moors, Turks,
and Persians.
[642] _There Barem's isle._--The island of Bahrein is situated in the
Persian Gulf. It is celebrated for the plenty, variety, and fineness of
its diamonds.
[643] _Her warrior sons disdain the arms of fire._--This was the
character of the Persians when GAMA arrived in the East. Yet, though
they thought it dishonourable to use the musket, they esteemed it no
disgrace to rush from a thicket on an unarmed foe. This reminds one of
the spirit of the old romance. Orlando having taken the first invented
cannon from the King of Friza, throws it into the sea with the most
heroic execrations. Yet the heroes of chivalry think it no disgrace to
take every advantage afforded by invulnerable hides and enchanted
armour.
[644]
_There Gerum's isle the hoary ruin wears
Where Time has trod.--_
Presuming on the ruins which are found on this island, the natives
pretend that the Armuzia of Pliny and Strabo was here situated. But this
is a mistake, for that city stood on the continent. The Moors, however,
have built a city in this isle, which they call by the ancient name.
[645] _He who first shall crown thy labours, Gama._--Pedro de Cabral, of
whom see the preface.
[646] Ceylon.
[647] _Some Macon's orgies._--Macon, a name of Mecca, the birthplace of
Mohammed.
[648] _The tomb where Thomas sleeps._--There is (to talk in the Indian
style) _a caste_ of gentlemen, whose hearts are all impartiality and
candour to every religion, except one, the most moral which ever the
world heard of. A tale of a Brahmin, or a priest of Jupiter, would to
them appear worthy of poetry. But to introduce an apostle---- Common
sense, however, will prevail; and the episode of St. Thomas will appear
to the true critic equal in dignity and propriety.
To renew and complete the labours of the apostle, the messenger of
Heaven, is the great design of the hero of the poem, and of the future
missions, in consequence of the discoveries which are the subject of it.
The Christians of St. Thomas, found in Malabar on the arrival of GAMA,
we have already mentioned. The Jesuit missionaries have given most
pompous accounts of the Christian antiquities of India and China. When
the Portuguese arrived in India, the head of the Malabar Christians,
named Jacob, styled himself Metropolitan of India and China. And a
Syriac breviary{*} of the Indian Christians offers praise to God for
sending St. Thomas to India and China. In 1625, in digging for a
foundation near Sigansu, metropolis of the province of Xensi, was found
a stone with a cross on it, full of Chinese, and some Syriac characters,
containing the names of bishops, and an account of the Christian
religion, "that it was brought from Judea; that having been weakened, it
was renewed under the reign of the great Tam" (cir. A.D. 630). But the
Christians, say the Jesuits, siding with the Tartars, cir. A.D. 1200,
were extirpated by the Chinese. In 1543, Fernand Pinto, observing some
ruins near Peking, was told by the people, that 200 years before, a holy
man who worshipped Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, lived there; and
being murdered, was thrown into a river, but his body would not sink;
and soon after the city was destroyed by an earthquake. The same Jesuit
found people at Caminam who knew the doctrines of Christianity, which
they said were preached to their fathers, by John, the disciple of
Thomas. In 1635, some heathens, by night passing through a village in
the province of Fokien, saw some stones which emitted light, under which
were found the figure of crosses. From China, St. Thomas returned to
Meliapore in Malabar, at a time when a prodigious beam of timber floated
on the sea near the coast. The king endeavoured to bring it ashore, but
all the force of men and elephants was in vain. St. Thomas desired leave
to build a church with it, and immediately dragged it to shore with a
single thread. A church was built, and the king baptized. This enraged
the Brahmins, the chief of whom killed his own son, and accused Thomas
of the murder. But the saint, by restoring the youth to life, discovered
the wickedness of his enemies. He was afterwards killed by a lance while
kneeling at the altar; after, according to tradition, he had built 3300
stately churches, many of which were rebuilt, cir. 800, by an Armenian
named Thomas Cananeus. In 1533, the body of the apostle, with the head
of the lance beside him, was found in his church by D. Duarte de
Meneses; and in 1558 was, by D. Constantine de Braganza, removed to Goa.
To these accounts, selected from Faria y Sousa, let two from Osorius be
added. When Martin Alonzo de Souza was viceroy, some brazen tables were
brought to him, inscribed with unusual characters, which were explained
by a learned Jew, and imported that St. Thomas had built a church at
Meliapore. And by an account sent to Cardinal Henrico, by the Bishop of
Cochin, in 1562, when the Portuguese repaired the ancient chapel of St.
Thomas,{**} there was found a stone cross with several characters on it,