or Takishima, and Firando[362].  Fernan Mendez Pinto in his travels assumes the merit of this discovery to himself; pretending that he came to the island of Tanixima, by which I suppose he meant Taquixima, not by stress of weather, but by design, in the service of a pirate who had relieved him and his companions when cast away, naming Christopher Borallo and Diego Zeymoto as those who accompanied him.  In both relations three names are mentioned as the discoverers of Japan, one only, Zeymoto, being the same in both, and both agree in the date of the discovery being in 1542.  According to Pinto, the prince of the island of Tanixima was named Nautaquim who stood amazed on seeing the three Portuguese strangers, and uttered the following mysterious words:  “These are certainly the Chinchicogies, spoken of in our records; who, flying over the waters, shall come to be lords of the lands where God has placed the greatest riches of the world.  It will be fortunate for us if they come as friends!”

[Footnote 360:  More rigidly from lat. 31 deg. 28’ to 40 deg. 80’ N. and between the longitudes of 127 deg. 47’ and 142 deg. 33’ E. from Greenwich.—­E.]

[Footnote 361:  Meaning probably a different denomination of measure.  The island of Niphon measures 824 English miles in extreme length, from S.W. to N.E. in a somewhat bent line.  Its breadth varies from 55 to 240 miles, averaging about 100; but it is extremely irregular, owing to many deep bays and considerable peninsulae. Jedo is now the capital and residence of the temporal sovereign, Meaco of the once spiritual sovereign, now reduced to chief priest of the national religion.—­E.]

[Footnote 362:  The only islands of magnitude besides Niphon, are Kiusiu, which does not appear to have any representative in the text, and Sicocf, probably the Cikoko of De Faria.  The other numerous islands are of little importance, and several of the names in the text cannot be referred to any of the islands. Firando and Taquixima remain unchanged, and the others cannot be traced.—­E.]

The first action of the new governor De Sousa was to diminish the pay of the soldiers.  The saving of charges is a great means of gaining the favour of princes; yet ministers never express their zeal by retrenching their own large allowances, but by cutting off the small ones from the poor; and, as was natural, this alteration occasioned much discontent among the troops.  At this time the queen of Batecala, a well-built city on the banks of a river, on the coast of Canara, in a fertile country, refused to pay her tribute, and entertained pirates in her port to the great prejudice of trade; on which account De Sousa went with 2000 men in 60 vessels of different kinds to reduce her to obedience.  On entering the port of Batecala where he demanded payment of the tribute, and that the pirate ships should be delivered