The Aravidu Dynasty of Vijayanagara, Vol. I v1.c28.73

v1.c28.73

Towards the close of 1606, as related above, peace was finally made, and in the first days of January, 1607, the missionaries were back at their posts in the mission of Vijayanagara: Fr. Rubino at Chandragiri, and Fr. Coutinho with the Lay Brother, Bartolomeo Fontebona, at the new residence of Vellore³ where the capital of the Empire had just been transferred. “In the month of January”, says Fr. Coutinho, “we came over here, Bro. Bartolomeo Fontebona and myself. Among other things that we offered to the King was a pot full of cakes, one out of a dozen pots we had received in the college on the feast of Jesus (January Ist). This pot was a work of fine art, showing a pelican with its young ones around. I told him at the time (when presenting this pot) that the people of St. Thome were like dead because His Highness had been unfavourable to them; but in the course of time, when he had showed from the bottom of his heart his love towards them, they, as his children, had returned to life, as it had happened to that bird, etc. He was very glad to hear this, for they are men who like comparisons”. In the same letter, Coutinho relates that Fr. Rubino also went to Vellore to pay a visit to the King. He brought him as a present a nice map of the world with Telugu inscriptions; the principal kingdoms and the four elements and the twelve skies were described there; the King enjoyed very much seeing and reading all these things; he questioned Rubino about some difficult problems of mathematics, and the missionary showed himself to be an excellent mathematician ¹. Rubino himself adds that on this occasion he also gave the King a treatise on astronomy, " and the King caused it to be read before him and in the presence of all the learned men of his court. These people were greatly astonished at the difference that lies between our science and theirs" ².