EXTRACTS FROM THE REV. P. BALDEUS’ “DESCRIPTION OF CEYLON”:
TRANSLATION IN CHURCHILL’S “COLLECTION OF
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS”
(1) Page 701.
Manoel Andrado (who signaliz’d himself before Jafnapatnam, of which anon) was likewise advised by a letter from his brother-in -law, that the king’s forces had wounded a woman and a slave near the pass of Caleture ; and that therefore he should keep a watchful eye over his Lascaryns. About Negumbo they play’d the same game, and Raja Singa had made his addresses to Patangatti, the colonel of Coquielle, in hopes by great promises to bring him over to his party.
(2) Page 702
“The 2nd August we received a letter from Laurence Haurwyk our under-factor at Caleture, that several robbers had been seen about Boemboele, who had cut down the fruits of the earth ; that Andrado being sent after them with some Lascaryns, had met only with two of them, who refusing obstinately to confess by whom they were sent out to cut down the rice, they had cut off their heads, and set them upon poles near the place where they had spoiled the rice.”.
(3) Page 712.
It happened by accident, That whilst I was preaching, Don Manoel Andrado, one of our Cingalese captains and Modeliar, coming with eighteen of his followers (who generally attended him) to the church, remained in the porch, where he could hear as ~ve1l as within the church. He was not a little surpriz’d (as he himself told me afterwards) to see the Portuguese remain standing likewise without the church door, and laying their hands upon their swords ; yet not being able to guess the true reason thereof, this treachery was not discovered till some days after when the whole design being laid open to Mr. Jacob van der Rhee, he took care to double the guards, to shut the castle gates, and to secure all such as had a hand in the plot. The next thing was to sent for me by a letter, (I being then visiting the churches in the country) Upon the receipt whereof I returned immediately to the castle : where with great astonishment I had an account given me of the whole design ; how it had been discovered ; and the traitors secured : for which delivery I preached a solemn thanksgiving-sermon in Low-Dutch the 15th of September 1658 out of the book of Esther, Chap. IX. 20-24.
(4) Page 714.
A certain Indian, named Michael Fonsrca, asked me once a very odd question, viz. When John baptized Christ, whether he baptized him in the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost ? and being answered Yes, he reply’d that thus Jesus Christ was baptized in his own name ; which he could not well comprehend. I told him, there was not the least absurdity in the matter, since Jesus Chris was not baptized upon his own account, or as God alone, nor as a bare man, but as being endowed both with the divine and human nature. That the Son of God could not be baptized otherwise but in the name of God, and that under the word God, was not only comprehended the Father, but also the Son and the Holy Ghost ; that Jesus Christ was the same in essence with the Father and the Holy Ghost ; and that there were no degrees in the deity ; for though the Father was the first, yet were the Son as well and truly God as the Father and Holy Ghost wherewith he was svell satisfied. For the Indians being generally very ingenious, they will ask many acute questions, as concerning the creation and end of the world, the immortality of the soul, hell and such like.
Note :-Rev. Philip Baldeus’ ” Description of the Isle of Ceylon ” (printed at Amsterdam 1672). There is an English translation in Churchill’s “A Collection of Voyages and Travels” Vol. 3. Baldeus was the Dutch Chaplain iii Ceylon 1656-1665, and accompanied Van Goens’ expedition to Jaffna in 1658, and seems to have known Don Manuel d’Andrado and Don Michael de Fonseka personally.