There are three places in India which serve as marts of all the commerce of merchantable wares in that part of the world, and the principal keys of it.

The first is Malaca, which lies in three degrees [N. lat.] at the entry and exit of the Straits of Singapara, of which I have already made mention. The second is Adem, which is situate in the twenty-first degree of [N.] latitude, in the entry and exit of the Straits of the Red Sea, and of this place I have related all that has come to my knowledge. The third is Ormuz, which is in fifteen degrees [N. lat.], and at the entry and exit of the Straits of the Persian Sea. This city of Ormuz is, according to my idea, the most important of them all. And if the King of Portugal had made himself master of Adem, with a good fortress, such as those of Ormuz and Malaca, and so held the sway over these three Straits which I have specified, he might well have been called the lord of all the world—as did Alexander when he penetrated to the Ganges—for with these three keys in his hands he might shut the doors against all comers. And well do I believe that if death had not cut off Afonso Dalboquerque, all these would have been in his hands. There is much which I could write upon this point, but as it is not my intention to point out the mistakes of others, I must revert to the thread of my narration.