Along With This Fleet, The King
Sent Five Friars Of The Order Of St Francis, Of Whom Fra Henrique Was
Vicar, Who Was Afterwards Bishop _Siebta_, And Who Was To Remain In The
Factory To Preach The Catholic Faith To The Malabars[3].
The fleet being in full readiness, the king went in procession, on Sunday
the 7th of March 1500, to hear mass at the monastery of Belem,
accompanied by the captain-general, whom he took along with himself
behind the curtain in the royal seat, to do him the more honour.
After
mass, Don Diego Ortis, bishop of Viseu, preached a sermon, in which he
gave high praise to Cabral for undertaking the command of this expedition,
as serving not only the king his temporal master, but the eternal GOD his
spiritual Lord, drawing many comparisons in his favour from the Grecian
and Roman histories. Mass being ended, a banner of the royal arms of
Portugal was delivered to the bishop, who solemnly blessed it, and
returned it to the king, who delivered it to Cabral, that it might be
displayed at his main-top. The bishop then, gave a bonnet to the general,
which had been blessed by the pope, and placed a rich jewel with his own
hands on his head, and gave him his blessing. When these ceremonies were
ended, the king accompanied the captain-general to the water side, where
he and the other captains of the fleet took leave of the king, kissing
his hands, the king giving them Gods blessing and his own; after which
all went on board, and the whole fleet saluted the king by discharging
all the ordnance of all the ships:
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