Note 281 — III The Sixteenth Century [1502-80]

Many writers note the large number of priests. The north of Portugal is chea de muitos sacerdotes says Dr. João de Barros in his Libro de Antiguidades, &c., a book full of curious information collected by the author when he was a magistrate (ouvidor) at Braga, and written in 1549. [A different work, Compendio e Summario de Antiguidades, &c., variously attributed to Ruy de Pina and to Mestre Antonio, surgeon to King João II, appeared in 1606.] Gil Vicente was never in India, otherwise he would certainly have borne witness to the devotion and courage of monks and priests in the East and on the dangerous voyages to and from India.