They arrived at Malacca the 25th of September. As this is one of those places in the Indies, where the saint, whose life I write, had most business, and whither he made many voyages, it will not be unprofitable to say somewhat of it. It is situate beyond the gulph of Bengal, towards the head of that great peninsula, which, from the mouth of the Ara, is extended to the south, almost to the equinoctial line; and is of two degrees and a half of elevation, over against the island of Sumatra, which the ancients, who had not frequented this channel, believed to be joined to the continent. Malacca was under the dominion of the kings of Siam, until the Saracens, who traded thither, becoming powerful, first made it Mahometan, then caused it to revolt against the lawful prince, and set up a monarch of their own sect, called Mahomet. There was not, at that time, any more famous mart town than this, and where there was a greater concourse of different nations. For, besides the people of Guzuratte, Aracan, Malabar, Pegu, Sumatra, Java, and the Moluccas, the Arabs, the Persians, the Chinese, and the Japonians, trafficked there; and accordingly the town lay extended all along by the sea side, for the convenience of trade. Amongst all the nations of Asia there is not any more inclined to pleasure; and this seems chiefly to proceed from the mild temper of the air. For there is an eternal spring, notwithstanding the neighbourhood of the line. The inhabitants follow the natural bent of their complexion; their whole business is perfumes, feasts, and music; to say nothing of carnal pleasures, to which they set no bound. Even the language which they speak participates of the softness of the country: It is called the Malaya tongue, and, of all the orient, it is the most delicate and sweet of pronunciation. Don Alphonso Albuquerque conquered Malacca in the year 1511, and thirty thousand men, with eight thousand pieces of artillery, and an infinite number of elephants and ships, were not able to defend it. It was taken by force, at the second assault, by eight hundred brave Portuguese, seconded by some few Malabars. It was given up to pillage for three days; and the Moor king, after all his endeavours, was forced to fly with only fifty horsemen to attend him. The Portuguese built a citadel, which the succeeding governors took care to fortify; yet not so strongly, as to be proof against the attempts of the barbarians, who many times attacked it, and half ruined it.