Volume Ix Part 6 (1/2)
[Footnote 62: Perhaps the date of this letter, according to modern computation, ought to have been 1618, as in those days the year did not begin till Lady-day, the 25th March.--E.]
My last letter to you was dated 5th January, 1616, and sent by way of Bantam in the s.h.i.+p Thomas, which went from hence that year along with another small s.h.i.+p called the Advice. In that letter I wrote you at large of all things that had then occurred, and mentioned having received two of your letters from London; one dated 4th November, 1614, and the other 15th August, 1615. The Advice has since returned to j.a.pan, and arrived at Firando on the 2d of August last, and by her I had a letter from the honourable company, dated 30th January, 1616.
You will perhaps have heard that Captain Barkeley, while on his death-bed, narrowly escaped losing 6000 dollars, paid out for custom on pepper; for, if he had died before it was found out, perhaps some other man might have taken credit for paying that sum. It is a common saying, that it is easy for those who live at Bantam to grow rich, as _no man dies _without an heir_. We have been again this year before the emperor of j.a.pan, but could not procure our privileges to be enlarged, having still only leave to carry on trade at Firando and Nangasaki, and our s.h.i.+ps to come only to Firando.
Mr Edmond Sayer went last year to Cochin-China with a cargo amounting to about 1800 tayes, in goods and money; and when ready to cone away, was defrauded of 650 tayes, by a Chinese and others, of whom he had bought silk for the wors.h.i.+pful company. He had weighed out the money, waiting to receive the silk, and the money lay in the room where he sat; but some of the thievish people made a hole through the cane-wall of the room, and stole away the money unperceived. I am sorry for this mischance; but Mr Sayer is in hopes to recover it this year, as he left a person to follow out the suit, and goes back himself in a Chinese junk, with 2000 tayes in silver to purchase silk. He is to be accompanied by one Robert Hawley, as his a.s.sistant and successor, in case be should die, and Mr William Adams goes pilot, in place of the Chinese. G.o.d send them a prosperous voyage, and that they may recover the lost money. Our own junk, the Sea Adventure, made another voyage last year to Siam, Mr William Eaton being merchant; and has gone back again this year. G.o.d send them a prosperous voyage.
Last year, the Hollanders sent a fleet of s.h.i.+ps from the Moluccas to Manilla, to fight the Spanish fleet: But the Spaniards kept safe in port for five or six months, so that the Hollanders concluded they durst not come out at all, and therefore separated to look out for Chinese junks, of which some say they took and plundered twenty-five, while others say thirty-five. It is certain that they took great riches, and all under the a.s.sumed name of Englishmen. At length the Spanish fleet put to sea, and set upon five or six of the Dutch s.h.i.+ps, the admiral of which was burnt and sank, together with two other s.h.i.+ps, the rest escaping. The Spaniards then separated their fleet, to seek out the remaining Dutch s.h.i.+ps. The Spanish vice-admiral fell in with two Dutch s.h.i.+ps one morning and fought them both all day; but was at length constrained to run his s.h.i.+p ash.o.r.e and set her on fire, that she might not be taken by the Hollanders. These two Dutch s.h.i.+ps, and one that was in the former fight, came afterwards to Firando, together with two other large Dutch s.h.i.+ps from Bantam, as big as the Clove, intending to have intercepted the Macao s.h.i.+p, which they narrowly missed. Thus five great Holland s.h.i.+ps came this year to Firando, the smallest of them being as large as the Clove. One of these, called the Red Lion, which was she that rode beside us at the Moluccas, was cast away in a storm at Firando, together with a Chinese junk they brought in as a prize. All the goods were recovered, but were all wet. The emperor allows them to make good prize of all they take.
The Black Lion, one of their s.h.i.+ps, of 900 tons burden, was sent away for Bantam, fully laden with raw silk and other rich Chinese commodities. Another, called the Flus.h.i.+ng, of 700 or 800 tons, is gone for the Moluccas, fully laden with provisions and money. The Sun, a s.h.i.+p of 600 or 700 tons, with a gallia.s.s of above 400 tons, are left to scour the coast of China, to make what booty they can, and to return next monsoon. The gallia.s.s has sailed already, but the Sun waits for the Macao s.h.i.+p departing from Nangasaki, that she may endeavour to take her.
The Macao s.h.i.+p had actually sailed, but seeing the gallia.s.s, she returned to Nangasaki, and will, as I think, hardly venture to sail this year. As I said before, the Dutch have always robbed the Chinese under the name of Englishmen, which has greatly injured our endeavours to procure trade in that country; so that we have been obliged to send people to give notice to the Chinese governors, that they were Hollanders who have taken and plundered their junks, and not Englishmen.
In fine, I have advised the wors.h.i.+pful company at large of every thing of moment, which I doubt not will be communicated to you. I send you here inclosed a copy of my last year's letter; and so, committing you to G.o.d, I rest your loving friend at command,
RICHARD c.o.c.kS.
No. 6. _Extract of a Letter from Richard c.o.c.ks, without Date or Address_.
There came two friars in that s.h.i.+p as amba.s.sadors from the viceroy of New Spain, with a present for the emperor; but he would neither receive the present, nor speak with them that brought it, even sending Mr Adams to order them to quit his dominions, as he had formerly banished all men of their cloth, and continued still in the same mind. It is said that _Fidaia Same_ had promised to receive the jesuits again into j.a.pan, if he had got the victory and been settled in the empire. Had this taken effect, we and the Hollanders had doubtless been turned out of j.a.pan, so that it is better as it is.
Last year, when we fitted out our junk, we employed a Spaniard, called Damian Marina, the same person who thought to have gone with you in company with George Peterson. This Damian was a good helmsman, and was therefore employed by us, and another Spaniard, named Juan de Lievana, went with them as pa.s.senger. The junk however lost her voyage, and they returned to Nangasaki, where the carrak of Macao soon afterwards arrived. Understanding that these two Spaniards had gone in our vessel, the Portuguese arrested them and put them in irons in their s.h.i.+p, condemning them to death as traitors to their king and country, for serving their English enemies. I took their defence in hand, and procured an order from the emperor to set them at liberty, to the great displeasure of the Spaniards and Portuguese; and these two men are going pa.s.sengers to Bantam in the Hosiander.
We have had great troubles in j.a.pan, in consequence of the wars, by transporting our goods from place to place, to save them. Mr Adams is gone again in the junk for Siam, accompanied only by Mr Edmond Sayer. Mr Nealson is very sick; but Mr Wickham and Mr Eaton are both well. I long to hear from you, and I pray you to deliver the inclosed to my brother.
Yours, most a.s.sured at command,
RICHARD c.o.c.kS.
No. 7. _Letter from Richard c.o.c.ks, without Address, dated Firando, 10th March, 1620_.[63]
[Footnote 63: In the Pilgrims, the date of this letter is made 1610, evidently by error of the press; and, as observed of No. 5, the real date, according to modern computation, ought to be 1621. The introductory paragraph is a note by Purchas, distinguished by inverted commas, retained as a curious specimen of his mode of writing.--E.]
”Hollanders abuses of the English in those parts, are here published for knowledge of these eastern affairs and occurrents, as it is meet in a history. But neither were these national, but personal crimes, and done in time and place of pretended hostility; and now, I hope, satisfaction is or shall be made. Neighbourhood of region, religion, and customs, are easily violated by drink, covetousness, and pride, the three furies that raised these combustions. This history hath related the worth of many worthy Hollanders: If it yields a close-stool for Westarwood, as excrements rather than true Dutch, or a grain-tub or swill-tub for some brave brewers and bores, that embrued with n.o.bler blood than themselves, prefer their brutish pa.s.sions to G.o.d's glory, religion, and public peace let it be no imputation to the nation, which I love and honour, but to such baser spirits as have [like s...o...b..tical humours in these long voyages, and their longer peace and want of wonted employments,] been bred as diseases to their, and infections to our bodies. My intent is to present others with their acts, and myself with prayers, that all may be amended.”--_Purchas_.
It is now almost three years since I wrote your wors.h.i.+p any letter. The purpose of this is to inform you of the unlooked for and unruly proceedings of the Hollanders against our English nation, in all these parts of the world, not sparing us even in this empire of j.a.pan, contrary to the large privileges granted to us by the emperor, that the j.a.panese should not meddle with or molest us. But these Hollanders, having this year seven s.h.i.+ps great and small in this port of Firando, have, with sound of trumpet, proclaimed open war against our English nation, both by sea and land, threatening to take our s.h.i.+ps and goods, and to kill our persons, as their mortal enemies. This was done by one Adam Westarwood, their admiral or lord-commander, as they call him, and was openly proclaimed aboard all their s.h.i.+ps. They have even come to brave us before our own doors, picking quarrels with us, and forcibly entering our house, thinking to have cut all our throats, yet only wounded two persons; and, had it not been for the a.s.sistance of the j.a.panese our neighbours, who took our parts, they had a.s.suredly slain us all, as there were an hundred Hollanders to one Englishman. Not contented with this, they took our boat when going about our business, in which was one Englishman, whom they carried prisoner to their house, threatening to put him to death; and indeed he was in imminent danger, among a crowd of drunken fellows, who threatened to stab him with their knives. This young man was Richard King, son to Captain King of Plymouth. Besides this, as two of our barks were pa.s.sing their s.h.i.+ps, within the town and harbour of Firando, they pointed a cannon at them, which missed fire, yet shot at them with muskets, which missed the Englishmen and killed a j.a.panese. For all this there is no justice executed against them by the king of Firando, though he has received the commands of the emperor to that effect.
Yon will also please to understand, that two of these s.h.i.+ps which they have brought to Firando are English s.h.i.+ps, taken by them from Englishmen in the Indies. They also took two other s.h.i.+ps from us, which were riding at anchor in the road of Patania, where we have a factory, and had not the least suspicion of any such event. In this unwarrantable affair, they killed Captain John Jordaine,[64] our chief president for the right wors.h.i.+pful company in the Indies. Several others were then slain, and the Hollanders carried the s.h.i.+ps and goods away; but six of the mariners, which were in these captured English s.h.i.+ps, escaped from them here at Firando, and came to our house. The Hollanders sent to me, demanding to have these men given up to them. But I answered, that I must first see their commission, that I might know by what authority they presumed to take our s.h.i.+ps and goods, and to slay our men, the faithful subjects of his majesty. Upon this, they went to the _Tono_, or king of Firando, desiring to have their _English slaves_,[65] as they were pleased to call our men, delivered up to them. But they were told, that they must first demand of the emperor, and whatever he ordained should be obeyed; but that, in the meantime, he did not consider the English to be their slaves. This was the grand occasion on which they grounded their quarrel against us, and meant to have killed us all. But I trust in G.o.d and his majesty, by the solicitations of our right honourable and right wors.h.i.+pful employers, that his majesty will not suffer his true and loyal subjects to lose their lives, s.h.i.+ps, and goods by this thievish and unthankful rabble, who are a.s.sembled in these parts of the world, and who make a daily practice to rob and steal from all, whether friends or foes: And I trust that you will become a solicitor in this so just cause, against so inveterate an enemy.
[Footnote 64: This Captain Jordaine is said to have been treacherously slain in the time of a treaty--_Purch._]
[Footnote 65: And who was the happy instrument of their own delivery, from what they accounted slavery, but the English nation?--_Purch._]
This Adam Westarwood, their lord-commander, set my life to sale; offering fifty dollars to any one that would kill me, and thirty dollars for every other Englishman that they could slay: But hitherto G.o.d hath preserved me and the rest in this place; for though they have wounded two or three of our men, none have died. This villainous proceeding[66]
of their lord-commander was secretly told me by some of their own people, who advised me and the rest of us to take heed to our safety.
They also informed me of the n.o.ble parentage of this their lord-commander Westarwood, telling me that his father is a close-stool maker at Amsterdam, or thereabouts; and that the best of their captains are the sons of shoemakers, carpenters, or brewers. G.o.d bless their honourable and wors.h.i.+pful generation! I would say, G.o.d bless me from them. To make an end of this matter, I went up this year to the emperor's court at Meaco, to complain of the abuses offered to us in his dominions, contrary to the privileges his majesty had granted us. I had very good words, and fair promises made me that we should have justice, and that the _tono_ or king of Firando should be ordered to see it performed: But as yet nothing has been done, though I have many times made earnest suit on the subject.
[Footnote 66: Unchristian, uncivil, inhumane, immane, devilish impiety.--_Purch._]
While I was at the court, and in the emperor's palace at Meaco, there were several Spaniards and Portuguese there to pay their obeisance to the emperor, as is their custom every year on the arrival of their s.h.i.+ps. There was also a Hollander at the court, who had lived almost twenty years in j.a.pan, and speaks the j.a.panese language very fluently.