forasmuch as Peter Gonsalues
will make further declaration hereof vnto you, I say no more at this
present. Written in Lisbone, the eight day of December. Anno 1552.
The infant Don Lewes.
All these foresaid writings I saw vnder seale, in the house of my friend
Nicholas Liese, with whom Pinteado left them, at his vnfortunate departing
to Guinea. But, notwithstanding all these friendly letters and faire
promises, Pinteado durst not attempt to goe home, neither to keepe companie
with the Portugals his countrey men, without the presence of other:
forasmuch as he had secrete admonitions that they intended to slay him, if
time and place might haue serued their wicked intent.
* * * * *
The second voyage to Guinea set out by Sir George Barne, Sir Iohn Yorke,
Thomas Lok, Anthonie Hickman and Edward Castelin, in the yere 1554. The
Captaine whereof was M. Iohn Lok.
As in the first voiage I haue declared rather the order of the history,
then the course of the nauigation, whereof at that time I could haue no
perfect information: so in the description of this second voyage, my chiefe
intent hath beene to shew the course of the same, according to the
obseruation and ordinarie custome of the mariners, and as I receiued it at
the handes of an expert Pilot, being one of the chiefe in this voyage, who
also with his owne handes wrote a briefe declaration of the same, as he
found and tried all things, not by coniecture, but by the art of sayling,
and instruments perteining to the mariners facultie. Not therefore assuming
to my selfe the commendations due vnto other, neither so bold as in any
part to change or otherwise dispose the order of this voyage so well
obserued by art and experience, I haue thought good to set forth the same,
in such sort and phrase of speech as is commonly vsed among them, and as I
receiued it of the said Pilot, as I haue said. Take it therefore as
followeth.
[Sidenote: Robert Gainsh was master of the Iohn Euangelist.] In the yeere
of our Lord 1554 the eleuenth day of October, we departed the riuer of
Thames with three goodly ships, the one called the Trinitie, a ship of the
burden of seuenscore tunne, the other called the Bartholomew, a ship of the
burden of ninetie, the third was the Iohn Euangelist, a ship of seuen score
tunne. With the sayd ships and two pinnesses (wherof the one was drowned on
the coast of England) we went forward on our voyage, and stayed at Douer
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