On such a good occasion, on learning that certain English merchants are in the island of Iaua,

although of unknown name, I am emboldened to write these few lines, desiring that the venerable

company was unknown to me, to forgive my baggage. The reason why I write is first

because conscience binds me with love to my compatriots and to my country.

Your Honors, to whom this present writing must reach, is to make you understand that I am a

man of Kent, born in a town called Gillingam, two English miles from Rochester, one mile from

Chattam, where the king's ships rest. : and that at the age of twelve I was brought to Limehouse

near London, being apprenticed at twelve years of age to master Nicholas Diggines; and I have

served as master and pilot on his Majesty's ships; and about eleven or twelve years I served the

venerable Company of Barbary Merchants, until the Indian traffic from Holland

[begins], in which Indian traffic I had wished to make a little experience of the little

knowledge that God had given me. So in the year of our Lord 1598 I was hired as a pilot

main of a fleet of five sayles, prepared by the Indian company: Peeter Vander Hay and

Hance Vander Veek. The general of this fleet was a merchant called Iaques Maihore, in

which ship, being admiral, I was pilot. So, being the twenty-third or the twenty-fourth and the twentieth
of June

before we settled down, it was too late before we got to the line, to cross it without

contrary wind. So it was around the middle of September, a time when we encountered winds

very strong from the south, and our men were very sick, so that we were forced to smoke

to go on the Guinney to Cape Gonsalves, where we deposited our sick men at

earth. not many died; and few illnesses improved, having little or no

no refreshment, being an unhealthy place. So that, to complete our journey,

we headed towards the coast of Brazil, being determined to pass the Streightes of

Magilanus; Along the way we came to an island called Annabona, where we landed,

and took the town, which contained about eighty houses. In this island we refresh ourselves,

transporting oxen, oranges and various fruits, etc. But the air health was very poor,

so that as one improved, the other fell ill: spending on the coast at

Cape Gonsalues

and in Annabona. we left Sayle from Annabona, finding the winds still from the south and from the
south to east, and south to southeast, until we are four degrees south of the

line: at this time, the wind favors us. to the southeast and to the east to the southeast, and so that

we were between the island of Annabona and the coasts of Magilano, about five months away. One of
our five

sayle, her main mast fell overboard, which greatly inconvenienced us; because in the sea,

with a lot of problems we installed a new mast. So that the nine and twenty

March, we saw the land in a latitude of fifty degrees, with the wind two or three

contrary days: so, in the end, with the good wind, we arrived at the streets of Magilano,

the sixth of April 1599, when winter came, so that there was much snow: and with the

cold on one side and hunger on the other, our men were weakening.

a period of two months, until the twelfth or thirteenth of November. At this moment,

Finally we found reasonable winds and weather with which we continued our journey.

so-called journey to the coast of Perow: but in the course of long voyages 2 we lost

our entire fleet, being separated from each other. However, before the dispersal of our fleet by the

storms and bad weather, we had decided that if we got lost, in Chile, under the latitude of forty.

Having then the wind to the north-east, six or seven days, during which time we previously

crossed the Streightes. But, to refresh our men, we waited, watering and taking

wood and installing a pynnas of fifteen or twenty tons in weight. Finally, we could have passed,

but we could not do so because of the south winds: the weather was very cold, with an abundance

snow and ice. This is why we were forced to winter and stay in the Streightes

from April 6 until September 20, when our provisions were for the most part

exhausted and, without it, many of our lives were exhausted. men died from

hunger. So, after crossing the Streightes and coming into the South Sea, we found

numerous violent storms, driven south by fifty-four degrees, and being very cold. how tall, according to
the agreement, am I

went to six and forty, and stayed twenty-eight days where we refreshed ourselves, finding the people of
the country

of good nature: but because of the Spaniards, people did not want to trade. At first they

brought sheep and potatoes, for which we gave them tickets and
knives, which they were very happy about: but in the end, the people came out of their houses into the
countryside

and came no more to us. .

We remained there twenty-eight days, and established a pynnas which we had in our ship in

four parts, and in the end we left and arrived at the mouth of Baldiuia, but because of the

strong wind that there was at that time, we did not enter, but directed our course out of

the bay, towards the island of Much [Mocha], to which we arrived the next day; and finding no

member of our fleet there, we direct our course towards Sainte-Marie, and the next day we

passed by the cape, which is only a league and a half from the island, and seeing many people luffing
around

from the Cape, and find good adults.

We went with our boats to the water's edge, to speak with the locals, but they did not

did not want us to come ashore, shooting a large quantity of arrows at us. Neuerthelesse,

having no provisions in our ship, and hoping To refresh ourselves by force, we have

landed twenty or thirty of our men and chased the wild people from the water's edge, most of our

men being wounded by their arrows. And being on land, we made friendly signs, and finally

we spoke with signs and marks of friendship that people ended up understanding. We therefore did

sign that we wanted food, showing them iron, silver and cloth, which we would give to them in

exchange. Therefore they gave our people wine and potatoes to eat and

drink with other fruits, and invited our men by signs and signs to come on board and

come back the next day, and then they would bring us a good supply of refreshments:

so being late, our men arrived on board, very happy that we had come to chat with them,

hoping that we will cool off soon. The next day, being November 9, 1599, our captain,

with all our officers, prepared to go ashore, after having taken advice to go to the water's edge, but

do not disembark more than two or three at most; because there were an abundance of people whom
we did not

unknown: wild, therefore trustworthy; this council being concluded, the captain himself

set out in one of our boats, with all the force we could muster; and being by the shore,

the people of the country made signs that they should come ashore; but this did not please our captain.
Finally
After all, people do not approach our boats, our captain, with the rest, resolved

to disembark, contrary to what had been agreed on board our ship, before going ashore.

Finally, twenty-three men landed with muskets and marched towards four or five houses, and

when they were about a musket shot from the boats, more than a thousand Indians, who were

in ambush, immediately fell on our men with such power. weapons like

They had them, and we killed them all that we knew of. So our boats waited a long time

to see if any of them came back; but being all killed, our boats returned: this sad news of the

The death of all our men was greatly deplored by all of us; because we barely had enough men left

to support our ankle. The next day we weighed and went to the island of Sainte-Marie, where

we found our admiral, who had arrived there four days before us, and was leaving the island of Much
the day before

our return, with the general. , Master and all his officers, murdered a

Being on the island of Sainte-Marie, which lies in the latitude south of the line of thirty-seven degrees
twelve

minutes on the coast of Chile, we took advice to remove all things from one ship and burn the island.

other; but that the captens which were redone, one nor the other, would not do so, so that we could
not

not agree to leave one or the other; and having much cloth in our ships, it was agreed that we

would leave the coast of Perow and head towards Iapon, having understood that the fabric there was a
good

marketable; and also comment

anchored in a beautiful sandy bay in fifteen fathoms; and U.S

heath; so that all our officers were killed, one against the other: nevertheless both happy to

see each other, and that we are so well reunited. My good friend Timothy Shotten was a pilot on that
ship. this coast of Perow, the king's ships were looking for us, knowing that we were there,

knowing that we were weak in men, which was certain; because one of the members of our

fleet, because of hunger, was obliged to seek help from the enemy at Saint-Ago. It is

why, after having refreshed ourselves in this Sainte-Marie island, more by police than by force, we

we left Sainte-Marie Island on the twenty-seventh of November, with our two ships; and the rest of
our fleet we had no news from them. We therefore moved away directly from Japan,

and crossed the equinoctial line together, until we arrived at twenty-eight degrees

north of the line: latitude in which we were around the twenty third of February 1600.

We had a wonderful windstorm, like every time I was, with lots of

rain, in which storm we lost our wife, for which we were very sorry:

nevertheless, with the hope that in Japan we would meet each other, we continued our

road. our previous intention for Iapon, and at the height of thirty degrees, sought the most

north [?] of the Revealed Hand; but I didn't find it, because it's a fault in all

maps, charts and globes; because the Cape is thirty-five and a half degrees, which is a great

difference. At last, in thirty-two and a half degrees, we arrived in sight of land, it being the nineteenth
day of April. So that between Cape Sainte-Marie and Iapon, we were four months and

twenty-two days; At that point there were only six people left, besides me, who could stand

standing. So we anchored safely about a mile from a place called

Bungo. At that time many boats approached us, and we let them come up

on board, unable to resist them, which did us no harm; none of us understand each other

the other. Two or three days after our arrival, a man arrived from a place called Langasacke,

where the Carake of Amakau used to come, who, with other Japanese who were Christians,

were our interpreters, which was not to our taste. well, our mortal enemies being

our Truchmen. Nevertheless, the king of Bungo, the place where we arrived, testified to us

a great friendship. For he gave us a house, a land, where we landed our

sick, and where we had all the necessary refreshment. We had, when we

We arrived at Bungo, sick and unharmed, twenty-four men, three of whom died the next day.

So that 39 days I was in prison, without further news, neither of our ship, nor of our

captain, whether or not he was cured of his illness, nor of the rest of the company: meanwhile, I

risk of dying every day. : to cross, as the custom of justice is in Japan,

as hanging is in our country. During this long period of imprisonment, the

Iesuits and the Portingalls gave ample evidence against me and the others to the emperor,

that we were yours and the thieves of all nations, and that if we let ourselves

live, that would be against the benefit of his Highnesses.

without stealing: his high justice being executed, the rest of our nation should undoubtedly

be afraid and come here no more: thus making daily access to the emperor, and providing friends to
hate each other

The others mostly recovered, saving three, who remained ill for a long time, and

the end also died. The moment we were here, the emperor heard us, soon sent

five galleys, or frigates, towards us, to bring me to the court, where his Highness was, who was distant

from Bungo about eighty English leagues. So that as soon as I presented myself in front

he asked me what country we were from; so I answered him on all points; because there is no

had nothing that he did not demand, both concerning war and peace between country and country: so
that

the details to write here would be too tedious. And during this time, I received orders to go to

prison, being well informed, with one of our sailors who had come with me to serve me. Two

days later, the Emperor called me back to ask me the reason for our coming here. I do not have

answered: We were a people who sought all friendship with all nations and who sought

to trade in all countries, bringing all the goods that our country

could offer in foreign countries, by means of trafficking. He also asked regarding the

wars between the Spanish or Portingall and our country, and the reasons; what I let him understand

of all things, and which he was happy to hear, it seemed to me. In the end, I was

sent to prison, but my accommodation was improved in another place.