with Captaine Torris to dinner where there was no lacke of good cheere After dinner come the high priest to welcome our Generall willing him to haue no doubt of any bad dealing in that place vpon his soule hee would vndertake that there were not any in the towne that wished him or any of his company any harme with many other complements and so departed Captain Torris made offer to the Generall to be his chiefe Factor and to helpe his brother and M. Woodnoth in their busines each hauing more to doe then they could well turne them to and to say the trueth he was so carefull in their busines as if it had bin his own This day died of the flixe M. Mitten our cooke and of the flixe Thomas Halls The Tydoryans came not aboard to sell vs any thing the Generall doubted it was long of the Portingals who had put them in some needlesse feare The 6. day the Generall sent his brother to the king of Tydore with a present and to diuers of his principal men desiring his highnesse he would giue his subiects leaue to repaire aboard with cloues and fresh victualls and that there was no cause of feare why they should abstaine from so doing The King said they should haue leaue to bring vs refreshing a board But for the cloues his people had should bee brought to the English-house otherwise the quantity wee should buy would not be knowne whereby the King of Portingall might loose his custome and presently vppon the same the King made a Proclamation willing all his people to repaire to the English factory with such Cloues as they had The Captaine of the Fort proclaiming the like in his towne there came a flying report the Hollanders were in sight and vpon the same the King sent out a Caricole to sea but saw no shipping The 9. day the Generall sent his brother a shore againe vnto the King with a present to desire his highnesse to giue his subiects leaue to repaire aboard with their Cloues for that the Portingalls would not permit them to repaire to his house but would be serued themselues with the best wares and let his people haue but their leauings Whereupon the King promised they should come aboard which they afterwards did The 12. day came newes the Hollanders were in sight and out went the bloudy colours at the Fort. The 14 day being Sunday Captaine Torris the Kings factor and diuers other of the principal of the Portingals dined with the General This day the Captain of the Fort sent our Generall word that the Hollanders were off and on Bachan willing the Generall to cause his factors to get in his debts that were owing before their comming The 15. day the Generall sent his brother a shore to gather in such debts as were owing and likewise to buy Cloues if any came to the house to bee sold which he performed buying some small quantity for that most in the Iland were in our hands without it were some 80. Bahars which the Kings Factor had which he could not sell because they did belong vnto the Marchants of Malaea The captaine of the fort gaue commandement to al men to make present paiment which they honestly performed The Generall sent to Captaine Torris to know the cause hee sent him word we had bought all they had without it were those which were in the factors hands which could not be sold The 19. day we prepared for our departure from hence to go to Makeau The 20. day came a Portingall a board with a letter to our Generall from the Captaine of the fort the effect thereof I could not learne The King of Tarnatas two men which all this time of our being in this place had tarried aboard were very earnest with the Generall for their departure to the I le of Makeau where they made no doubt but to lade our ship with cloues They began to be merry to see vs in such readinesse to bee gone for they liued in no small feare of some treason to be attempted against vs by the Portingals and Tydorians in so much that all the time of our being here they were the best watchmen in our ship The Generall sent his brother to the King desiring his highnesse he would write his letter to the Gouernour of Taffasoa to sell him such cloues as they had there which he presently did This towne of Taffasoa is vpon Makeau and holds for the King of Tydore all the rest of the Iland is the Kings of Tarnata The 21. day being Sunday came the same Portingall that brought our Generall the letter the day before with commendations from his Captaine to the Generall to certifie him the Hollanders ships were in sight The Portingall taking his leaue about eleuen a clocke wee weighed with a smal fauourable gale of winde to go for Makeau As we passed by the Fort we saluted thē with 5. peeces they answering vs with 3. Likewise comming thwart the Kings towne we gaue them 5. peeces and were answered with 6. from the Galcons At this present we had sight of the Hollanders Capten Torris our Generals great friend comming a board presēted him with hens which be both scarse and deare and so tooke his leaue we keping on our course with little winde for Makeau passing bettwene Mottera Poulacaualya the Hollāders seing vs come rome vpon them were in good hope we had beene a Portingall that for feare was flying away Night being at hand they spread themselues that we could not passe them but one or other must needes see vs. About midnight we came amongst thē sounding our trompetes whereby they did know we were not Portingales The Admirall sent his shiper in his pinnasse aboord to know what newes which was certified them at full He departing they saluted vs with 3. peeces of ordinance we answred them with the like They told our Generall that they had taken Amboyna castell and left a garrison therein The 22. day we came to an anchor about seuen a clocke at night a little to the eastwards of the chiefe towne of Makeau the towne is called Mofficia in which towne the Viceroy for the King of Tarrata is resident this after noone came a cary cole aboard before we came to an anchor and told our General they would go about the I le and to all the townes to giue them warning to repaire to our shippe with their cloues before night They had compassed the Iland and came aboard vs againe The 23. day the Generall sent his brother with the two Tarnataes and the Kings letters and a present to the Gouernor The present hee receiued and caused the letter to be publikely read but for the cloues of that Iland he said they were not ripe but those fewe that were to be had the Generall should haue them the next day This day died of the flixe our Baker Griffith Powell The 24. day the Generall went a shore himselfe to the Gouernor to
taking his leaue of the King and all his nobles for presently after dinner he minded to depart abord also the King promised if the Portingales would not trade with vs he would write his letter to the gouernor of Makeau to deale with vs for all the cloues in that I le And so the Generall and Maister Browne went to the Duch house to dinner which being done he came home with the Duch marchants in his company And so taking leaue of them and of vs departed abord The 27. day in the morning came abord 2. men sent by the King of Tarnat with aletter to the gouernor of Makeau to trade with vs. They were sent by the King to go along with vs thither for our better vsage So about 8. a cloke in the morning we weighed plyed it all day for the roade of Tidore and about sunne setting we came to an anchor in 32. fadomes sandy ground on the westerne side of the I le faire of by the shore Coming to an anchor there came a Caricole with two swift Cāoas to take vewe of our ship Our General Commanded one to weaffe them with a white flag and presently one of the small Prawes came faire by vs demaunding whence we were Our Generall caused our Portingall soldiar to will them to come aboord for we were English men and their friends And so there came aboord vs three Portingales which entred in to the gallery and went into the Generalls cabin where the Generall told them his comming thither was to seeke trade with them as friends for that the wars betweene our nations was done and a peace cōcluded The Queene of England being dead and the King of Scots King of England They made answer that they knew that the Queene was dead by way of the Phillipines and to heare of the long desired peace they were very glad and for trade with vs they said they could say nothing till that they had made the Captaine acquainted therewith and because it was night they were desirous to be gone promising the next day morning to returne So the Generall let them depart and our Portingall souldier with them with a letter to the Captaine of the fort wherin he did certifie him of the newes of Christiandome and the cause of our comming thither and so they departed The 28. day about 6 a clocke we weighed hauing very little wind at 8. a clocke came a Carticole 2. Prawes frō the Portingalls towne and in them fiue Portingalls and our aboue named souldier the Generall stood in the wast and entertained them our souldier telling the Generall the principal of them was called Thome Detoris Captaine of a Galeon and the rest married men of the towne Captaine Detoris deliuered our Generall a letter from the captaine of the Fort the effect was that he was welcome with all his company to him and all the rest of the Portingalls inhabiting in that place and whereas the King of Tarnata and the Hollanders their enemies had giuen bad reports of them saying there was nothing but villanie and treason to be had at their hands hee hoped our Generall did conceiue better of them and that their reports were of malice and not of trueth and no credit to be giuen to the report of their enimies But experience should proue them lyars and themselues no such bad minded people and therefore he willed the Generall to haue no doubt of good vsage at their hands and for trade which he desired with them hee would resolue him thereof the next day for as yet they had not called a councell concerning that matter without which councell he could not doe it but willed him to haue no doubt thereof So the generall tooke them downe to his Cabin to breakfast and the Carricole and the botes towed the ship to the townwards being very little wind About eleuenth a clock we came to an anchor a little to the northwards of the Fort and saluted the fort and towne with 7 peeces of Ordinance and from the fort answered with 3. peeces and presently vpon the same in a boat came the Captaine of the fort called Petro Alleneris Debbroo and the Captain of the other Galeon called Ferdinando Perrera de Sandy these Galeons that these Captaines did belong to did ride within a league of rockes very neere the shoare with their broad sides to seaward with Ordinance placed therein to shoote at their enemies which come rowing by thē sundry times The Generall brought the Captaine of the Fort and the other Captaine downe with the rest to breakfast the Captaine of the Fort making great hast to be gone After many cōplements passed betweene our General and them they tooke their leaue and departed promising the next day to come looke vpon our commodities and to agree vpon price for them About 3. a clocke our Generall sent his brother a shoare with presents to the 3. Captaines which they very kindly accepted The Captaine of the Fort returning the Generall a fat beefe The 29. day came Captaine Torris and other Portingalls aboard and the Generall caused our Marchants to bring a note of all such commodities as were in our ship into his Cabin where he shewed euery sort vnto them setting a price vpon them Captaine Torris and the rest of the Portingalls said they were too deare at such rates saying ptotesting they sold better cheape such like cōmodities one to the other and therefore desired the Generall to bee more reasonable and then he should haue all the Cloues in the Iland The Generall with-drew himselfe apart and in writing set downe his lowest prices how hee would sell willing them to go a land and consider of it returne with an answer if they could that night so they tooke their leaue and went a shore The 30. day Captaine Torris came aboard and would haue abatement of each sort of commodities which the General would not yeeld vnto telling him if he would not giue such prices he wold be gone for Makeau and vpon the same presented the two Tarnataes which the King sent to him for the same purpose So he seeing nothing would be abated of that price agreed with the General appointed his own dwelling house for our factory with many kinde proffers which he faithfully performed The 31. being Easter day Captaine Torris with diuers of the principall men of the towne dined aboard with our Generall Aprill the 1. in the morning the Generall sent his brother M. Woodnoth with marchandise a land to Captain Torris house within an houre after the General went a land himself where he was visited by the king the Captaine of the fort and all the principall men of the towne who intertained him most kindely They stayed some small time with him and departed all of them They being gone the Generall beganne to set his Marchants a worke to buy Cloues of the Portingalls hauing set them in a ready way how to deale with them he went
could with protestation that both he and all his people were very sory for his departure finding we were good people and not such as the Hollanders did report vs to be which liued only by robbing and stealing During this communication the Holland ship which rid by vs shot off three peeces which the King hearing sent to know the cause word was brought the Hollanders Admirall was come from Tydore and gone aboord which the King hearing tooke a short farewell of our generall and went to his caracole shewing euidently his great feare to offend the Hollanders Before he could put off his boate from the side our ship was vnder sayle giuing him seuen peeces of ordinance and helde on our way beetweene Tarnata and Tydore About noone the 21. day we came to an anker at Taffasoa the Gouernour presently came to our Generall with a present of hennes and fruite telling him that he had been at Tydore and the King had giuen him order to surrender the towne vnto him if he came thither againe and the sort praying him to dispose thereof as his owne The Generall gaue him thankes telling him he had fewe men but if he had so many as he had when he came from Bantam he would leaue such a Garrison there as they should doubt neither the Hollanders nor the Tarnatanes but his weakenesse was such that hee could leaue no men there He answered he doubted not the keeping of the towne in dispite of all their enemies and although he could leaue no meÌ„ there yet had he order by his king to surrender his right and title to the King of England to whose vse he would keepe it desiring the surrender therof might be drawne and the Generall should haue the originall and he the copie Which done he caused the people to bring those Cloues they had so tooke his leaue and departed we directing our course for Selebis where wee had such water as the place afforded but it was brakish buyng some Cocus of the people who are like lauans Iuly the 24. we came to anker in Bantan road were Master Scot chiefe factor there certified our Generall of the mortallitie of men in the Hector and Ascention before they departed so that he was forced to hyer Chineses to helpe them home and that of 24 left there in their factorie 12. were dead where we continued till the sixt of October which day hauing taken leaue of M. Scot and the rest left there we set saile for England continuing in our course with variable weather till the 19. of December which day the winde scanting vpon vs we though to put into Saldania roade about 10. a clock in the morning we saw a sayle to leewards thinking it had been the Ascention whose company we lost 14. dayes before but contrary to our expectation it prooued the Hector which went in company of the Susan from Bantam aboue 9. months before in such lamentable distresse that had we not met with them that day they had purposed the next to haue run theÌ„selues aground at Pengwin Iland hauing for that purpose fardled vp their apparrel such other things as were most necessary for them Our General caused our Pinnesse to be hoysted out and sent for Cap Keeling the Purser who related their extreme miseries hauing but 10. Englishmen and 4 Chineses aliue so supper being done with thankes giuen to God for their miraculous preseruation our General sent 12. men more to help theÌ„ into Sâ—ldania road where we stayed repairing the ruines of the Hector prouiding other necessaries til the 16. of Ianuary following when we set sayle for Saint Helena where wee ariued the second of February following the eleuenth of February we departed from Saint Helena continuing at Sea with such varytie of weather as those that vse the sea are vsually accustomed vnto till the second of May following when we were of Plymoth and the sixt following at the Downes FINIS The King of Tarnata to the King of England Scotland France and IRELAND c. HEaring of the good report of your Maiestie by the comming of the great Captain Francis Drake in the time of my father which was about some 30. yeeres past by the which Captaine my Predecessor did send a Ring vnto the Queene of England as a token of remembrance betweene Vs which if the aforesaide Drake had beene liuing hee could haue informed your Maiestie of the great loue and friendship of either side he in the behalfe of the Queene my Father for him and his Successors Since which time of the departure of the aforesaid Captaine we haue dayly expected his returne my Father liuing many yeeres after and dayly expecting his returne and I after the death of my father haue liued in the same hope till I was father of eleuen-children in which time I haue beene informed that the English were men of so bad disposition that they came not as peaceable Merchants but to dispossesse them of there Countrey which by the comming of the bearer hereof wee haue found to the contrarie which greatly we reioyce at And after many yeeres of our expectation of some English forces by the promise of Captaine Drake Here arriued certaine ships which we well hoped had beene Englishmen but finding them contrary and being out of al hope of succour of the English Nation we were inforced to write to the Prince of Holland to craue ayde and succour against our auncient enemies the Portingals and according to our request hee hath sent hither his forces which hath expeld all the Portugales out of the fortes which they held at Amboyna and Tydore And whereas your Maiestie hath sent to me a most kinde and friendly Letter by your seruant Captaine Henry Middleton that doth not a litle reioyce vs. And whereas Captaine Henry Middelton was desirous to leaue a factory heare we were very willing therunto which the Captain of the Hollanders vnderstanding became to challenge me of a former promise which I had written to the Prince of Holland that if he would send me such succour as should expell the Portugales out of these parts that no other Nation should haue trade heare but they onely So that we were inforst against our liking to yeeld vnto the Hollanders Captaines request for this time whereof we craue pardon of your Highnesse and if any of your Nation come hereafter they shall be welcome And whereas the chiefe Captaine of the Hollanders doth sollicite vs not to hold any friendship with your Nation nor to giue eare to your Highnesse Letters yet for all their suite if you please to send hither againe you shall be welcome And in token of our friendship which we desire of your Maiestie we haue sent you a small remembrance of a Bahar of Cloues our Countrey being poore and yeelding no better commoditie which we pray your Highnesse to accept in good part TARNATA The King of Tydors Letter to the KINGS MAIESTIE OF ENGLAND THIS Writing of the King of Tydor to the King of England is to let your Highnesse vnderstand that the King of Holland hath sent hither into these partes a Fleet of shippes to ioyne with our ancient enemie the King of Tarnata and they ioyntly together haue ouer-runne and spoyled part of our Countrey and are determined to destroy both vs and our Subiects Nowe vnderstanding by the bearer hereof Captaine Henry Midaleton that your Highnesse is in frienship with the King of Spaine Wee desire your MAIESTIE that you would take pittie of Vs that wee may not be destroyed by the King of Holland and Tarnata to whom wee haue offered no wrong but they by forceable meanes seeke to bereaue Vs of our Kingdome And as great Kings vpon the earth are ordayned by God to succour all them that be wrongfully oppressed so I appeale vnto your MAIESTIE for succour against my enemies not doubting but to finde reliefe at your MAIESTIES hands And if your MAIESTIE send hither I humbly entreate that it may bee Captaine Henry Middleton or his Brother with whom I am well acquainted Thus We end praying God to enlarge your Kingdomes and blesse You and all your Counsels TYDOLR The King of Bantam to the King of ENGLAND A LETTER giuen from your friend the king of Bantam to the King of England Scotland France and Ireland desiring GOD to preserue your health and to exalt you more and more and all your Counsell And whereas your MAIESTIE hath sent a Generall Henry Middleton he came to me in health I did heare that your MAIESTIE was come to the Crowne of England which doth greatly reioyce my heart Now England and Bantam are both as one I haue also receiued a Present from your MAIESTIE the which I giue you many thankes for your kindnesse Idoe send your MAIESTIE two Beasar stones the one waying fourteene Masses the other three And so GOD haue you in his keeping Bantam