Meneses, telling him that there were certaine English men come into
Ormus, that were sent onely to spie the countrey; and sayd further, that
they were heretikes: and therefore they sayd it was conuenient they should
not be suffered so to depart without being examined, and punished as
enemies, to the example of others. The Captaine being a friend vnto the
English men, by reason that one of them which had bene there before, had
giuen him certaine presents, would not be perswaded to trouble them, but
shipped them with all their wares in a shippe that was to saile for Goa,
and sent them to the Viceroy, that he might examine and trie them, as he
thought good: where when they were arriued, they were cast into prison, and
first examined whether they were good Christians or no: and because they
could speake but badde Portugall, onely two of them spake good Dutch, as
hauing bene certaine yeres in the Low countreyes, and there traffiked,
there was a Dutch Iesuite born in the towne of Bruges in Flanders, that had
bene resident in the Indies for the space of thirty yers, sent vnto them,
to vndermine and examine them: wherein they behaued themselues so well,
that they were holden and esteemed for good Catholicke Christians: yet
still suspected, because they were strangers, and specially English men.
The Iesuites still tolde them that they should be sent prisoners into
Portugall, wishing them to leaue off their trade of marchandise, and to
become Iesuites, promising them thereby to defend them from all trouble.
The cause why they sayd so, and perswaded them in that earnest maner, was,
for that the Dutch Iesuite had secretly bene aduertised of great summes of
money which they had about them, and sought to get the same into their
fingers, for that the first vowe and promise they make at their entrance
into their Order, is to procure the welfare of their sayd Order, by what
meanes soeuer it be. But although the English men denied them, and refused
the Order, saying, that they were vnfit for such places, neuerthelesse they
proceeded so farre, that one of them, being a Painter that came with the
other three for company, to see the countreys, and to seeke his fortune,
and was not sent thither by the English marchants, partly for feare, and
partly for want of meanes to relieue himselfe, promised them to become a
Iesuite: and although they knew and well perceiued he was not any of those
that had the treasure, yet because he was a Painter, where