20-10-1516 Duarte Pires to King Manuel, on reaction of Oba of Benin to mission

Most high and powerful King, the Prince, our Lord, whose royal status may God increase.
Lord, your Highness will know how Pero Baroso gave me a letter from your Highness, with which I much rejoiced because your Highness remembered such a poor man as I am. And now I give your Highness an account regarding the letter which you sent to me. Lord, regarding what you say that I am on very good terms with the king of Benin, it is very true, because the king of Benin was very happy with the good that I spoke of your Highness and wants to be your very close friend. He speaks of nothing else but of the affairs of our Lord and of yours and takes great pleasure in them, both he and his officials and his people. Your Highness should know how well the king of Benin has treated us for love of your Highness. He gives us every honour and places us at table to eat with his son; he hides nothing in his palace from us, but keeps all the doors open.

Lord, when these fathers reached Benin the pleasure of the king of Benin was too great to be told; the same for all his people. He sent for them at once and they stayed with him during a whole year of war. The fathers and we reminded him of the embassy of your Highness, and he answered that he was very satisfied with that, but, since he was at war, he could not do anything until he returned to Benin, because he needed to take his time to think of such a great mystery as this. As soon as he was in Benin he would fulfil what he promised your Highness and that he would act in a such a way as to give much pleasure to your Highness and to your whole kingdom. And so at the end of one year, in the month of August, the king gave his son and some of the greatest officials of his kingdom, so that they might become Christians. He also had a church built in Benin. The fathers made them Christians right away and taught them to read, which your Highness should know that they learn very well. Lord, the king of Benin hopes to finish his war this summer and we shall return to Benin and give your Highness an account of everything that happens.
Lord, I, Duarte Pirez and Johão Sobrynho, a resident of the island of Principe, and Gregorio Lourenço, a black man and formerlly the servant of Francysquo Lourenço, all remain in the service of your Highness and have made proposals on your behalf to the king of Benin, and have described to him what a great Lord your Highness is and how you can make him a great lord.
Written in this war, on 20 October 1516.
Duarte + Pirez.