_ 36 _ continue to give you my opinion about this if you persist in making such appointments. I never liked the tough war that is being waged here against the gentle people who, as I told you in a letter last year, fear and hate us to such an extent now that there is no malice they would not resort to in order to get rid of us. As I once told the Viceroy and Tristao da Cunha and D. Alvaro, this trade will certainly be lost because of the force used in its pursuit, because not even all Christendom would be able to control it by force. To use force when it is not necessary is disgraceful and just creates hatred and the proof of this is; that of all the peoples and nations that conquered this land, only the Moors remained and held it because they did not come as rulers but as neighbours. I am not referring to the Mamalukes whom I respect least of all, although they have the support of the people here because they oppose us. We have already seen their great fleet of warships getting support from the local people. Our Lord drove them off course by the hand of D. Francisco who had few people and few ships, and I venture to say that this was one of the most remarkable feats carried out by the Holy Catholic Church on behalf of the people and kings of Portugal. If this had not been the result, the Indian trade would have been lost.
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