The
Bringer Of This Hath Shewed Me Very Great Courtesy, For Which I Pray
You To Shew Him What Favour You Can.
About the middle of next month, I
think we shall depart from hence:
God be our guide. I think Andrew will
go by land to Aleppo; and I pray you to further him what you may: But,
if he should not go, then I pray you to dispatch a messenger in all
speed. I can say no more, but beg you to do for me what I should do for
you in the like case. From prison in Ormus, the 24th September 1583.
No. 6. - _Letter from Mr Newbery to Mr Leonard Poore_.
My last from Ormus certified you what had happened to me there, with the
rest of my company; as in four days after our arrival we were all
committed to prison, except one Italian, who came with me from Aleppo,
whom the captain never examined, except asking what countryman he was;
but I believe Michael Stropene, who accused us, had informed the captain
of him. The first day of our arrival at Ormus, this Stropene accused us
of being spies for Don Antonio, besides diverse other lies; yet if we
had been of any other country than England, we might freely have traded
with them. Although we be Englishmen, I know no reason why we may not as
well trade from place to place as the natives of other countries; for
all nations may and do come freely to Ormus, as Frenchmen, Flemings,
Germans, Hungarians, Italians, Greeks, Armenians, Nazarenes, Turks,
Moors, Jews, and Gentiles, Persians, and Muscovites. In short, there is
no nation they seek to trouble, but only ours; wherefore it were
contrary to all justice and reason that they should suffer all nations
to trade with them, and forbid us. Now indeed I have as great liberty as
those of any other nation, except it be to leave the country, which as
yet I desire not. But hereafter, and I think ere long, if I shall be
desirous to go from hence, that they will not refuse me licence. Before
we were suffered to come out of prison, I was forced to put in sureties
for 2000 pardaos, not to depart from hence without licence of the
viceroy; and except this, we have now as much liberty as any one, for I
have got back our goods, and have taken a house in the chiefest street
called the _Rue drette_, where we sell our goods.
There were two causes which moved the captain of Ormus to imprison us,
and afterwards to send us to Goa. The first was because Michael Stropene
had most falsely accused us of many matters. The other was, because when
Mr Drake was at the Molucca islands, he caused two pieces of cannon to
be fired at a Portuguese galeon belonging to the king, at least so they
allege. But of these things I did not know when at Ormus.
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