But These Hollanders,
Having This Year Seven Ships 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 Ships 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 ships.
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 assistance of the
Japanese our neighbours, who took our parts, they had assuredly 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 passing their ships,
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 Japanese. 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 ships which they
have brought to Firando are English ships, taken by them from Englishmen
in the Indies. They also took two other ships 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
worshipful company in the Indies. Several others were then slain, and
the Hollanders carried the ships and goods away; but six of the
mariners, which were in these captured English ships, 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 ships 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 God and his majesty, by the solicitations of our right
honourable and right worshipful employers, that his majesty will not
suffer his true and loyal subjects to lose their lives, ships, and goods
by this thievish and unthankful rabble, who are assembled 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 God 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 noble 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. God bless their
honourable and worshipful generation! I would say, God 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.
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
ships. There was also a Hollander at the court, who had lived almost
twenty years in Japan, and speaks the Japanese language very fluently.
In my hearing, and that of others, this fellow began highly to extol
their king of Holland, pretending that he was the greatest king in
Christendom, and held all the others under his command. He little
thought that we understood what he said; but I was not slack in telling
him, that he need not be so loud, for they had no king in Holland, being
only governed by a count, or rather that they governed him.
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