od 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.

[Footnote 66: Unchristian, uncivil, inhumane, immane, devilish
impiety.--_Purch._]

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 ot