_ 376 _ They persuaded the King of this and gave him to understand that, however bad a man his governor might be, under his administration the King would at least have control of what was his. That fortress would consume his whole estate, and it was in God's hands if it were not to be more. By saying this they appeared to be caring for the King’s person, estate and treasury. They were removed from their total control of the kingdom, where, between them, they had been receiving more than two hundred thousand xerafins which figured in the King's accounts, as well as spending as much again which did not figure in the accounts of the two hundred thousand xerafins of which the he was aware, the King actually received only less than half, and this was still enough for the King to spend on his kingdom as he wished. Thus, Afonso de Albuquerque not only freed these Kings of Ormuz from the tyranny of their governors but also made them masters of what was theirs. Before we proceed, it is appropriate to give a special account of the state of the Kingdom of Ormuz and of its revenues. For if we understand how great those revenues were, how appalling the earlier corruption, and how small the tribute imposed on the King by Afonso de Albuquerque,
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