When The King Of
Ternate Came On Board, He Was Trembling For Fear; Which The General
Supposing To Be From
Cold, put on his back a black damask gown laced
with gold, and lined with unshorn velvet; which he had
Not the manners
to restore at his departure, but kept it as his own.
When we arrived at the Portuguese town in Tidor, the governor of the
fort sent one Thomas de Torres on board with a letter, stating that the
King of Ternate and the Hollanders reported there was nothing but
treachery and villainy to be expected from us; but that he believed
better of us; considering their reports to be entirely malicious: Such
was our recompence from these ungrateful men. Not long afterwards, on
coming to the town of the King of Ternate, our general sent Mr Grave on
board the Dutch admiral, who gave him only cold entertainment, affirming
that we had assisted the Portuguese in the late wars against the King
of Ternate and them, with ordnance and ammunition; which our general
proved to be untrue by some Portuguese they had taken in that conflict,
on which, being ashamed of this slander, the Dutch general pretended he
had been so informed by a renegado Guzerate, but did not believe it to
be true.
Not long afterwards, when the King of Ternate seemed to affect our
nation, the Dutch threatened to forsake him, and to join with his deadly
enemy the King of Tidor, if he suffered the English to have a factory,
or allowed them any trade; affirming that the English were thieves and
robbers, and that the King of Holland, as they called their
stadtholder, was stronger at sea than all the other powers of
Christendom; a just consideration for all nations, to think what this
insolent frothy nation[154] will do, if they gain possession of the East
Indies. To these insolent speeches, our general made answer, that
whatsoever Hollander made such reports lied like a traitor, and that he
would make it good against any one who dared to spread any such report;
affirming, if Queen Elizabeth had not taken pity upon them, they had
been utterly ruined and enslaved by the King of Spain, and branded for
rebels and traitors. The particular wrongs done by them to our nation
would fill volumes, and amaze the world to hear.
[Footnote 154: This is to be understood of the merchants who traded, or
warred rather; not of the whole country or best men of Holland. Losers
will have leave to speak, and merchants envy each other. - Purch.]
* * * * *
Appended to this very unsatisfactory notice of the voyage of Middleton
to the Moluccas, are two letters to the King of England, one from the
King of Ternate, and one from the King of Tidor. In the former, the King
of Ternate mentions, that one of his predecessors, about thirty years
before, had sent a ring by Sir Francis Drake to Queen Elizabeth. He
complains that the Hollanders had prevented him from permitting Captain
Middleton to establish a factory in the island, for which he craves
pardon, being against his will, and promises a better reception
afterwards to the English ships.
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