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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47586	An historical relation of the island Ceylon, in the East-Indies together, with an account of the detaining in captivity the author and divers other Englishmen now living there, and of the authors miraculous escape : illustrated with figures, and a map of the island / by Robert Knox.	Knox, Robert, 1640?-1720.	1681 (1681)	Wing K742; ESTC R16598	257,665	227

At the Court of Committees for the East-India Company the 10 th of August 1681. WE Esteem Captain Knox a Man of Truth and Integrity and that his Relations and Accounts of the Island of Ceylon which some of us have lately Perused in Manuscripts are worthy of Credit and therefore encouraged him to make the same Publick Robert Blackbourne Secretary By Order of the said Court August 8. 1681. Mr. Chiswell I Perused Capt. Knox's Description of the Isle of Ceylon which seems to be Written with grea● Truth and Integrity and the Subject being new containing an Account of a People and Countrey little known to us I conceive it may give great Satisfaction to the Curious and may be well worth your Publishing Chr. Wren Cap t. Robert Knox. AN Historical Relation Of the Island CEYLON IN THE EAST-INDIES TOGETHER With an ACCOUNT of the Detaining in Captivity the AUTHOR and divers other Englishmen now Living there and of the AUTHOR' 's Miraculous ESCAPE Illustrated with Figures and a Map of the ISLAND By ROBERT KNOX a Captive there near Twenty Years LONDON Printed by Richard Chiswell Printer to the ROYAL SOCIETY at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard 1681. TO THE Right Worshipful The GOVERNOR the DEPUTY GOVERNOR and Four and Twenty Committees of the Honorable the EAST-INDIA Company Viz. Sir Iosiah Child Baronet Governor Thomas Papilion Esq Deputy The Right Honorable George Earl of Berkley Sir Ioseph Ashe Baronet Sir Samuel Barnardiston Baronet Mr. Christopher Boone Mr. Thomas Canham Colonel Iohn Clerke Mr. Iohn Cudworth Iohn Dubois Esquire Sir Iames Edwards Knight and Alderman Richard Hutchinson Esquire Mr. Ioseph Herne Mr. William Hedges Sir Iohn Lawrence Knight and Alderman Mr. Nathaniel Letton Sir Iohn Moore Knight and Alderman Samuel Moyer Esquire Mr. Iohn Morden Mr. Iohn Paige Edward Rudge Esquire Mr. Ieremy Sambrooke Mr. William Sedgwick Robert Thomson Esquire Samuel Thomson Esquire Iames Ward Esquire Right Worshipful WHat I formerly Presented you in Writing having in pursuance of your Commands now somewhat dressd by the help of the Printer and Graver I a second time humbly tender to you 'T is I confess at best too mean a Return for your great Kindness to me Yet I hope you will not deny it a favourable Acceptance since 't is the whole Return I made from the Indies after Twenty years stay there having brought home nothing else but London 1st of August 1681. who is also wholly at your Service and Command ROBERT KNOX THE PREFACE HOw much of the present Knowledge of the Parts of the World is owing to late Discoveries may be judged by comparing the Modern with the Ancient's Accounts thereof though possibly many such Histories may have been written in former Ages yet few have scaped the Injury of Time so as to be handed safe to us 'T was many Ages possibly before Writing was known then known to a few and made use of by fewer and fewest employ'd it to this purpose Add to this that such as were written remain'd for the most part Imprison'd in the Cells of some Library or Study accessible to a small number of Mankind and regarded by a less which after perished with the Place or the Decay of their own Substance This we may judge from the loss of those many Writings mention'd by Pliny and other of the Ancients And we had yet found fewer if the Art of Printing first Invented about 240 years since had not secured most that lasted to that time Since which that Loss has been repaired by a vast number of new Accessions which besides the Satisfaction they have given to Curious and Inquisitive Men by increasing their Knowledge have excited many more to the like Attempts not only of Making but of Publishing also their Discoveries But I am not ignorant still that as Discoveries have been this way preserved so many others have been lost to the great Detriment of the Publick It were very desirable therefore that the Causes of these and other Defects being known some Remedies might be found to prevent the like Losses for the future The principal Causes I conceive may be these First The want of sufficient Instructions to Seamen and Travellers to shew them what is pertinent and considerable to be observ'd in their Voyages and Abodes and how to make their Observations and keep Registers or Accounts of them Next The want of some Publick Incouragement for such as shall perform such Instructions Thirdly The want of fit Persons both to Promote and Disperse such Instructions to Persons fitted to engage and careful to Collect Returns and Compose them into Histories by examining the Persons more at large upon those and other Particulars And by separating what is pertinent from what is not so and to be Rejected who should have also wherewith to gratifie every one according to his Performances Fourthly The want of some easie Way to have all such Printed First singly and afterwards divers of them together It having been found that many small Tracts are lost after Printing as well as many that are never Printed upon which account we are much oblig'd to Mr. Haclute and Mr. Purchas for preserving many such in their Works Fifthly The want of taking care to Collect all such Relations of Voyages and Accounts of Countries as have been Published in other Languages and Translating them either into English or which will be of more general use into Latin the learned Language of Europe There being many such in other Countries hardly ever heard of in England The Difficulties of removing which Defects is not so great but that it might easily fall even within the compass of a private Ability to remove if at least Publick Authority would but Countenance the Design how much less then would it be if the same would afford also some moderate Encouragement and Reward The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge has not been wanting in preparing and dispersing Instructions to this end and is ready still to promote it if the Publick would allow a Recompence to the Undertakers The desirableness and facility of this Undertaking may I hope in a short time produce the Expedients also In the Interim all means should be used to try what may be obtain'd from the Generosity of such as have had the Opportunities of knowing Foreign Countries There are but few who though they know much can yet be persuaded they know any thing worth Communicating and because the things are common and well known to them are apt to think them so to the rest of Mankind This Prejudice has done much mischief in this particular as well as in many other and must be first remov'd There are others that are conscious enough of their own Knowledge and yet either for want of Ability to write well or of use to Compose or of time to Study and Digest or out of Modesty and fear to be in Print or because they think they know not enough to make a Volume or for not being

prompted to or earnestly solicited for it neglect to do it others delay to do it so long till they have forgotten what they intended Such as these Importunity would prevail upon to disclose their knowledge if fitting Persons were found to Discourse and ask them Questions and to Compile the Answers into a History Of this kind was lately produc'd in High Dutch a History of Greenland by Dr. Fogelius of Hamborough from the Information of Frederick Martin who had made several Voyages to that Place in the doing of which he made use of the Instruction given by the Royal Society 'T is much to be wondred that we should to this Day want a good History of most of our VVest-Indian Plantations Ligon has done well for the Barbadoes and somewhat has been done for the Summer Islands Virginia c. But how far are all these short even of the knowledge of these and other Places of the VVest-Indies which may be obtain'd from divers knowing Planters now Residing in London And how easie were it to obtain what is Defective from some Ingenious Persons now Resident upon the Places if some way were found to gratifie them for their Performances However till such be found 't is to be hoped that the kind Acceptance only the Publick shall give to this present Work may excite several other Ingenuous and knowing Men to follow this Generous Example of Captain Knox who though he could bring away nothing almost upon his Back or in his Purse did yet Transport the whole Kingdom of Cande Uda in his Head and by Writing and Publishing this his Knowledge has freely given it to his Countrey and to You Reader in particular 'T was not I confess without the earnest Solicitations and Endeavours of my self and some others of his Friends obtain'd from him but this uneasiness of parting with it was not for want of Generosity and Freedom enough in Communicating whatever he knew or had observed but from that usual Prejudice of Modesty and too mean an Opinion of his own Knowledge and Abi●●ties of doing any thing should be worthy the view of the Publick And had he found leisure to Compose it he could have filled a much greater Volume with useful and pertinent as well as unusual and strange Observations He could have inrich't it with a more particular Description of many of their curious Plants Fruits Birds Fishes Insects Minerals Stones and told you many more of the Medicinal and other uses of them in Trades and Manufactures He could have given you a compleat Dictionary of their Language understanding and speaking it as well as his Mother Tongue But his Occasions would not permit him to do more at present Yet the Civil Usage this his First-born meets with among his Countreymen may 'tis hoped oblige him to gratifie them with further Discoveries and Observations in his future Travels To conclude He has in this History given you a tast of his Observations In which most Readers though of very differing Gusts may find somewhat very pleasant to their Pallat. The Statesman Divine Physitian Lawyet Merchant Mechanick Husbandman may select something for their Entertainment The Philosopher and Historian much more I believe at least all that love Truth will be pleas'd for from that little Conversation I had with him I conceive him to be no ways prejudiced or byassed by Interest affection or hatred fear or hopes or the vain-glory of telling Strange Things so as to make him swarve from the truth of Matter of Fact And for his opportunity of being informed any one may satisfie himself when he understands his almost 20 years Abode and Converse among them His Skill in the Language and Customs of the People his way of Employment in Travelling and Trading over all Parts of the Kingdom add to this his Breeding till 19 years of Age under his Father a Captain for the East-India Company and his own Natural and acquired parts but above all his good Reputation which may be judged from the Employment That Worshipful Company have now freely bestowed upon him having made him Commander of the Tarquin Merchant and intrusted him to undertake a Voyage to Tarquin Read therefore the Book it self and you will find your self taken Captive indeed but used more kindly by the Author than he himself was by the Natives After a general view of the Sea Coasts he will lead you into the Country by the Watches through the Thorney Gates then Conduct you round upon the Mountains that Encompass and Fortifie the whole Kingdom and by the way carry you to the top of Hommalet or Adam's Peak from those he will descend with you and shew you their chief Cities and Towns and pass through them into the Countrey and there acquaint you with their Husbandry then entertain you with the Fruits Flowers Herbs Roots Plants and Trees and by the way shelter you from Sun and Rain with a Fan made of the Talipat-Leaf Then shew you their Beasts Birds Fish Serpents Insects and last of all their Commodities From hence he will carry you to Court and shew you the King in the several Estates of his Life and acquaint you with his way of Governing Revenues Treasures Officers Governors Military Strength Wars and by the way entertain you with an account of the late Rebellion against him After which he will bring you acquainted with the Inhabitants themselves whence you may know their different Humours Ranks and Qualities Then you may visit their Temples such as they are and see the Foppery of their Priests Religious Opinions and Practices both in their Worship and Festivals and afterwards go home to their Houses and be acquainted with their Conversation and Entertainment see their Housewifery Furniture Finery and understand how they Breed and Dispose of their Children in Marriage and in what Employments and Recreations they pass their time Then you may acquaint your self with their Language Learning Laws and if you please with their Magick Iugling And last of all with their Diseases Sickness Death and manner of Burial After which he will give you a full account of the Reason of his own Going to and Detainment in the Island of Ceylon and Kingdom of Conde-Uda And of all his various Conditions and the Accidents that befel him there during Nineteen years and an halfs abode among them And by what ways and means at last he made his Escape and Returned safe into England in September last 1680. Aug. 1. 1681. Robert Hooke To the Right Worshipful Sir William Thomson Knight Governor Thomas Papillon Esquire Deputy and the 24 Committees of the Honorable EAST-INDIA Company hereunder Specified Viz. The Right Honorable George Earl of Berkley The Right Honorable Iames Lord Chandois Sir Matthew Andrews Knight Sir Iohn Bancks Baronet Sir Samuel Barnardiston Baronet Mr. Christopher Boone Iohn Bathurst Esquire Sir Iosia Child Baronet Mr. Thomas Canham Collonel Iohn Clerk Sir Iames Edwards Knight Mr. Ioseph Herne Richard Hutchinson Esquire Iames Hublon Esquire Sir Iohn Lethieullier