THe ancient Historiographers and discribers of the world haue much commended, and at large with great prayse set downe the diuers and seuerall voyages of many no­ble & valiant Captains (as of Alex­ander Magnus, Seleucus, Antiochus, Patrocles, Onesecritus) into the East Indies, which not­withstanding haue not set downe a great part of those coontries, as not being as then discouered, whereby it is thought and iudged by some men, that India is the full third part of all the world, because of the great Pro­uinces, mighty Citties, famous and Islands (full of cost­ly marchandises, and treasures from thence brought into all partes of the worlde) that are therein: Where­in the auncient writers were very curious, and yet not so much as men in our age: They had some know­ledge thereof, but altogether vncertaine, but we at this day are fully certified therein, both touching the coun­tries, townes, streames and hauens, with the trafiques therein vsed and frequented, whereby all the world, so farre distant and seperated from those strange nations, are by trade of marchandises vnited therevnto, & ther­by commonly knowne vnto them: The Portingalles first began to enterprise the voyage, who by art of na­uigation (in our time much more experienced & grea­ter then in times past, and therefore easilier performed) [Page] discouered those wild Countries of India, therein pro­curing great honour to their King, making his name fa­mous, and bringing a speciall and great profite of all kindes of spices into their Countrie, which thereby is spread throughout all the worlde, yet that sufficed not, for that the Englishmen (not inferiour to any nation in the world for arte of nauigation) haue likewise vnder­taken the Indian voyage, and by their said voyages into those Countries, made the same commonly knowne vnto their Country, wherein Sir Fraunces Drake, and M. Candish are chiefly to bee commended, who not onely sayled into the East Indies, but also rounde about the world, with most prosperous voyages, by which their voyages, ours haue beene furthered and set forwarde, for that the condition of the Indies is, that the more it is sayled into, the more it is discouered, by such as sayle the same, so strange a Countrey it is: So that besides the famous voyages of the Countries aforesaid, in the ende certain people came into Holland (a nation wel known) certifying them, that they might easily prepare certaine shippes to sayle into the East Indies, there to traffique & buy spyces, &c. By sayling straight from Hollande and also from other countries bordering about it, with de­sire to see strange and rich wares of other Countries, & that should not be brought vnto them by strangers, but by their owne countrey men, which some men would esteeme to be impossible, considering the long voyage and the daungers thereof, together with the vnaccusto­med saylinges and little knowledge thereof by such as neuer sayled that way, and rather esteeme it madnesse, then any point of wisedome, and folly rather then good consideration. But notwithstanding wee haue seene [Page 2] foure ships make that voyage, who after many dangers hauing performed their voyage, returned againe and haue brought with them those wares, that would neuer haue beene thought coulde haue beene brought into these countries by any Holland ships; but what shoulde I herein most commende eyther the willingnesse and good performance of the parties, or the happinesse of their voyage? whereof that I may giue the reader some knowledge, I will shew what I haue hearde and beene informed of, concerning the description of the Coun­tries, customes, and manners of the nations, by them in this voyage seene & discouered, which is as followeth.

When and how the ships set saile.In the yeare of our Lord 1595. vpon the 10. day of the month of March, there departed from Amsterdam three ships and a Pinnace to sayle into the East Indies, set forth by diuers rich Marchantes: The first called Mauritius, of the burthen of 400. tunnes, hauing in her sixe demie canon, fourteene Culuerins, and other pee­ces, & 4. peeces to shoot stones, & 84. men: the May­ster Iohn Moleuate, the Factor Cornelius Houtman: The second named Hollandia, of the burthen of 400. tunnes, hauing 85. men, seuen brasse peeces, twelue peeces for stones, and 13. iron peeces, the Mayster Iohn Dignums, the Factor Gerrit van Buiningen, the thirde called Am­sterdam, of the burthen of 200. tuns, wherein were 59. men, sixe brasse peeces, ten iron peeces, and sixe peeces for stones, the Mayster Iohn Iacobson Schellinger, the Factor Reginer van hel: The fourth being a Pinnace cal­led the Doue, of the burthen of 50. tunnes, with twenty men, the Mayster Simon Lambertson: Which 4. ships vpon the 21. of the same moneth came vnto the Tassel, where they stayed for the space of 12. daies to take in [Page] their lading, and the seconde of Aprill following, they set saile with a North east winde & following on their course the fourth of the same moneth they passed the heades; The sixt they saw Heyssant, the 10. of April they passed by the Barles of Disbon: With an East and North East wind, the 17. of Aprill they discouered two of the Islands of Canaries: The 19. Palm, and Pic, Los Romeros, and Fero: The 25. of Aprill they saw Bona visita, the 16. they ankered vnder Isole de May: The 27. they set sayle againe and held their course South Southeast. The 4. of May, we espied two of the King of Spaines ships, that came from Lisbone, and went for the East Indies, about 1000. or 1200. tunnes each ship, with whom we spake, and told them that we were bound for the straights of Magellanes, but being better of sayle then they, wee got presently out of their sight. The 12. of May being vnder fiue degrees on this side the Equinoctiall line, we espyed fiue ships laden with Sugar, comming from the Island of S. Thomas, and sayled for Lisbone, to whome we gaue certaine letters, which were safely deliuered in Holland. Departing from them and keeping on our course, vpon the fourth of Iune we passed the Equinoc­tial line, where the extreame heat of the ayre spoyled all our victuailes: Their vi­ctuailes stunke and spoyled.Our flesh and fishe stunke, our Bisket molded, our Beere sowred, our water stunke, and our Butter became as thinne as Oyle, whereby diuers of our men fell sicke, and many of them dyed; but after that we learned what meat and drinke we should carrie with vs that would keepe good. They pas­sed the sandes of Brasilia.The 28. of Iune wee passed the sandes of Brasill, by the Portingalles called Abrolhos, which are certaine places which men must looke warely vnto, otherwise they are very dangerous.

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[Page] [Page 4]These sandes lie vnder 18. degrees, and you must passe betweene the coast of Guine and the sandes afore­said, not going too neer eyther of them, otherwise close by the Coast there are great calmes, thunders, raines & lightnings, with great stormes, harde by the sands men are in daunger to be cast away: and so sayling on their course, first East South east, then East and East and by North. Vpon the seconde of Iuly wee passed Tropicus Cancri, vnder 23. degrees, and ½. The 13. of the same Month, we espied many blacke birdes. Tokens of the Cape de bona Spe­rance.The 19. great numbers of white birdes, and the 20. a bird as bigge as a Swan, whereof foure or fiue together is a good signe of being neere the Cape de bona Sperance. These birdes are alwaies about the said Cape, and are good signes of being before it.

They en­tred into Agne SambrasThe second of August we saw the land of the Cape de bona Sperance, and the fourth of the same Month we entered into a hauen called Agne Sambras, where wee ankered, and found good depth at 8. or 9. fadome wa­ter, sandy ground.

The 5. day we went on shore to gather fruite, there­with to refresh our sicke men, that were thirty or 33. in one shippe. In this bay lyeth a smal Islande, where­in are many birdes called Pyncuius and sea Wolues that are taken with mens handes: we went into the coun­trey and spake with the inhabitantes, who brought di­uers fresh victuailes aborde our shippes, for a knife or small peece of Iron, &c. giuing vs an Oxe, or a sheepe &c. The sheepe in those Countries haue great tayles, [Page] and are fat and delicate. Their Oxen are indifferent good, hauing lumps of flesh vpon their backes, that are as fat as any of our good brisket beefe: the inhabitantes are of small stature, well ioynted and boned, they goe naked, couering their members with Foxes and other beastes tayles: they seeme cruell, yet with vs they vsed all kind of friendship, but are very beastly and stinking, in such sort, that you may smell them in the wind at the least a fadome from you: They are apparrelled with beastes skinnes made fast about their neckes: some of them, being of the better sort, had their mantles cut & raysed checkerwise, which is a great ornament with them: They eate raw flesh, as it is new killed, and the entrailes of beastes without washing or making cleane, gnawing it like dogs, vnder their feet they tye peeces of beastes skinnes, in steed of shooes, that they may trauel in the hard wayes: We could not see their habitations, for wee saw no houses they had, neither could wee vn­derstande them, for they speake very strangely, much like the children in our Countrey with their pipes, and clocking like Turkey Cockes: At the first wee saw a­bout thirtie of them, with weapons like pikes, with broade heades of Iron, about their armes they ware ringes of Elpen bones: There wee coulde finde ney­ther Oringes nor Lemons, which we purposely sought for.

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[Page] [Page 6] With what wind they sailed to S. Laurence.The 11. of August we hoysed anker, sayling towards the Island of S. Laurence, and the 22. of the same Month we had a contrary wind that blew North east: The 25. a West winde, and so held our course East North east: The 28. there blew a south east wind, & the 30. a south west winde, and our course lay North North east to sayle to the Isle of S. Laurence. The first of September wee discouered the point of the Islande of S. Laurence. vnder 16. degrees, and the third day we saw the Island being very desirous to go on land, for that many of our men were sicke, whereby wee coulde hardly rule our shippes, or bring them farther without healing, or re­freshing of our men. They had great store of fish for 2 or 3. kniuesThe 9. of September Iohn Schel­linger sent out his boate to rowe to lande, where they founde three Fishermen, of whome for two or three kniues they had great store of fishes. The 13. we entred into a small Bay, but because wee founde no good anker ground, as also being very foule we sayled out a­gaine. The 14. we sayled vnder a small Island about a mile or 2. great, by the Hollanders called their Church yarde, or the dead Island, because many saylers dying in that place, were buried in the African earth, and the 29. of the same Month died Iohn Dignumsz Mayster of the Lyon of Holland, and was buried the next day after.

There Iohn Peters of Delft Sayler of the Hollandia, & Koelken van Maidenblick of the Amsterdam were set on shore vpon the Island of S. Laurence, where they were left, because they had committed certaine notorious crimes.

Meane time the Pinnace was sent out to looke for fresh water, which hauing found, the boat returned to bring vs newes, and therewith the fleete sayled thither, [Page] and the 10. of October the shippes ankered before the Riuer, and went on shore, where we found good proui­sion of all necessaries, the inhabitantes being very wil­ling thereunto, bringing vs of al things that we needed, where for a Pewter Spoone wee had an Oxe, or three sheepe. How the wilde men, assailed thē, and forced them to insconce thē ­selues.The 11. of October we went on shore with a boatfull of sicke men, and the next day we were assay­led by a company of wild men, against whom our wea­pons little preuayled, for they hurt one of our men, and tooke all that we had from vs, whereby vpon the thir­teenth of the same Month, wee were forced to insconse ourselues with peeces of wood, and braunches of trees, making Cabins within our Sconse, for that the 15. of October they came againe, but then we tooke one, and slew another of them. The 19. of Nouember our Pi­lot Claes Ianson was intrapped and murthered by the wild people, although we vsed all the means we could to helpe him, but they feared no weapons, about ten or twelue dayes after we tooke one of them that paide for his death. The first of December our men hauing for the most part recouered their healthes, were all car­ryed aborde the ships: The maner & custome of the wild people.in that parte of Madagascar the people are of good condition, and goe naked, onely with a Cotton cloth before their priuie members, and some from their breasts downward: Their ornaments are Copper ringes about their armes, but Tin rings are more esteemed with them, and therefore Tinne with them is good Marchandise. Their Oxen haue great lumpes of fat vpon their backes: Their sheepes tayles way at the least twelue pound, being of an elle long, & two and twentie inches thick. They gaue vs six of those sheepe for a tinne Spoone: They dwel in cottages and [Page 7] liue very poorely: they feare the noyse of a peece, for with one Caliuer you shall make an hundred of them runne away: Wee coulde not perceyue any religion they had, but after wee were informed that they helde the law of Mahomet, for the two boyes that wee tooke from of the land, shewed vs their circumcision: There we found no fruit of Tambaxiumes, but great numbers of Parrats, Medicats, and Turtle Doues, whereof we kil­led and eat many. The second of December we bur­ned our Sconse, and fourteene of our men going fur­ther into the Islande, brought certaine of the countrey­men prisoners, and being abord our ships taught them what they shoulde doe. The thirteenth of December wee hoysed anker, minding to holde on our course for the Islands of Iaua, & for that by reason of the pleasant­nesse of the ayre we had in a manner all recouered our healthes, we set our course East and by North, and East Northeast. The nineteenth of the same Month wee were seperated by foule weather, & the 22. with great ioy we met againe. The tenth of Ianuarie Vechter Wil­lemson dyed, being a verie honest man, and Pilot in Mo­lenaers shippe, for whome we were much grieued, and the same day we determined to put back againe for the Islande of S. Laurence, for as then wee began againe to haue a great scouring among our men, and many of them fell sicke: The wilde men brought things a­borde to comfort them.But presently therevpon we espied the Islande of Saint Mary, and the next day being arriued there, some of the inhabitants came abord out shippes with a basket of Ryce, Sugar canes, Citrons, Lemons, & Hens, whereof we were very glad, as being phisicke for vs.

The 13. 14. 15. 16. and 17. dayes we were on land, [Page] where we bought Ryce, Hens, Sugar-canes, Citrons, and Lemons in great aboundance, and other kinde of fruites to vs vnknowne, also good fish, and greene Gin­ger: There we tooke a Fish, which thirteen men could hardly pull into our shippe, and because the Island was little, and we had many men, wee entred into the Bay of the firme land with our Pinnace, where for a string of Beades of small value we had a tunne of Ryce: The discrip­tion of one of their kings.The King came abord our Pinnace to see it, & was as blacke as a Deuill, with two hornes made fast vpon his heade, and all his body naked like the rest of the countrey peo­ple.

This Island lyeth about a small mile from Madagas­car, about 19. degrees Southward from the Equinocti­all line (Madagascar or S. Laurence is an Islande belong­ing to the Countrey of Africa, and lyeth Southwarde vnder 26. degrees, ending Northwarde vnder 11. de­grees by the inhabitants it is called Madagascar, & by the Portingalles the Islande of S. Laurence, because it was discouered on S. Laurence day: The riches of this Is­land is great, it aboundeth in Ryce, Honnie, Waxe, Cotton, Lemons, Cloues &c. The inhabitantes are blacke and go naked, but the haire vpon their heades is not so much curled as those of the Mosambique, & they are not ful so blacke).

The wilde people came on borde their ships and seemed very friend­y.The 23. of Ianuary we ankered before a Riuer where likewise we had all kind of necessaries, and after that we went to lie vnder a small Islande within the same Bay.

The 25. of Ianuarie there came some of the wild peo­ple aborde our ships, making signes to haue vs go on land, which we did, and there we had good Ryce & o­ther fruits in great abundance: on the left side of the en­try [Page 8] of the Riuer lyeth one of their Townes, and on the right hand two townes, where we had most of our tra­fique. The 26. of Ianuarie wee had interpreters, whom we made to drink wine, wherewith they were as drunk as beastes.

IT is a very great Bay, about ten mile broade, behind it lyeth a high Island, and three small Islands: there is good harbour against all windes. The Is­land is inhabited, and therein grow­eth all kindes of fruites, it hath a great fall of water that commeth down out of the hilles, where we laded all our water, and halfe a mile from thence within the land, there runneth a great Riuer, wherein likewise there is much water to be had, when you enter into the Riuer about a quarter of a mile inward on the left hand, ther is a smal towne or village, not closed nor fortified, in it there is about 200. houses, & on the right hand where the Riuer diuideth it selfe, there is two other such Townes: They were all com­passed with palles, and the houses were placed about two foote aboue the ground, vpon foure or fiue palles or stakes of wood, and all the vpper partes of reede and strawe. Why their houses stand so high aboue the earth.The cause why their houses are made so high from the ground, is to auoide the danger of venemous beastes that are there in great aboundance, as Serpents, [Page] Snakes, Camelions, and other kindes of beastes. The maner of the wilde men in that countrey.The people are very blacke, but their hayre and beardes are not so much curled as the right Mores, nor their noses nor lippes so great nor flat. They are subtill and strong people, much addicted to drinking, for they will bee as drunke as Swine, with a kind of drinke made of Honie & Ryce. They go naked, onely that about their midles they weare a cloth made of the barke of a tree, drawne in small threedes: they make and vse very fine Mats to sitte vppon: They haue no great store of weapons, for that halfe of them are vnprouided, and that they vse is a speare of nine or ten foote long, with a great wooden Target: They are very fearefull of our Caliuers, for 5. or sixe men with Caliuers will cause great numbers of them to flie away: We taught them what our Peeces ment, for wee perceyued that they knew them not, be­fore they had proued them: at the first they thought they coulde carry no further then their owne lengthes, for they knew not what they were: Their Kinges or­namentes were ten or twelue Copper Rings about his armes: if we had had such Ringes with vs, wee might haue sold them at what prices wee woulde. They like­wise vse beades of Glasse, which they weare about their armes and neckes, by them esteemed for great orna­ments: for a boxe of beades of small value, we had an Oxe, or three or foure Sheepe, rounde about this Bay are townes and villages, where you may haue of all things to refresh your selues, Lemons and Citrons are there greater and better then in Portingall: Likewise Oringes, Ryce, Hennes, Goats, Honie, and many other sortes of fruites, and to conclude it is the best Bay in all the world to refresh ships. Being on land we were wel [Page 9] entertayned, and must of force drink with them of their drinke made of Hony and Ryce: There we trafiqued with them, and had sufficient of euery thing, but euery night we went aborde our shippes.

The third of February we had so great a storme, that most of our ankers were lost, and we ran vpon the land in great daunger to cast our ships away, but God holpe vs, for the storme ceased, and then we went to hoyse vp our lost ankers, and so againe went to anker vnder the Island, glad that we had so well escaped that daunger. The fift of February we went to seeke for our boats, but the wild men had smitten them in peeces, & taken out the nailes, thinking likewise that our shippes woulde haue beene cast away vpon the shore, which they still expected: and when we came thither, they stood vpon the shore with their weapons in hand and threw stones at vs, and we perceyuing them in that minde, made to­wardes our shippes, for we desired not to reuenge our selues, nor once to fight with them without commissi­on from our Generall, whom we certified thereof. The eyght of February we rowed into the Riuer to buy cat­tle, and other things, but they were become our ene­mies, threatning and casting stones at vs, wherevpon we put out two shalops to run a shore close to the land, and made our Caliuers and other weapons ready.

Wherewith we shot at them, but they feared not our shot, for they knew not what they ment, they thought likewise that the peeces coulde carrie no further then they were long: but when they sawe eight or nine of their fellowes dead, they fled into the woodes, and wee entering vpon the lande set fire on their houses, where­of we burnt about twentie or thirtie. The 9. of Febru­arie [Page]

[Page 11] we sailed on the other side to buy cattle, and other necessaries, but they seemed vnwilling to deale with vs, but we threatning to burne their houses, they brought vs Cattle and fruites inough, with all things else to our desires.

The 12. of Februarie wee hoised anker, and set sayle out of the great Bay of Antongil, being well prouided of all necessaries, we put out with a North wind, the Bay stretching Northeast and Southwest: The 2. of March we had a West winde, our course being East and East & by North towards Iaua. In March and Aprill about the Islande of Brandawe, we found that our Compasses helde two Strikes to farre Northwarde, and we coulde not perceiue the sands that are set downe in the Portin­galles sea Cards, but we saw many turnings of streames, and we were much troubled with calmes, but with the new Moone we had winde enough out of the West & North west. The 27. of May we found the water abord our shippes to bee much lessened, and therefore euery mans portion was but halfe as much as he was wont to haue; so that each man was allowed but foure draughts euery day, which was but a small quantitie. Whereby through the extreame heat we endured great thirst, so that at that time a draught of water abord our ship was worth a Riall of 8. The first of Iuly we saw the Islande of Emgano, whereat we much reioyced, because of the great thirst wee endured in our shippe, and when wee made neerer to it, we perceyued it to be an Islande ly­ing before the straightes of Sonda, vnder 9. degrees on the south side of the line. The sixt of Iuly we put some­what nearer to the land, and there we saw sixe or seuen canes lying vnder the shore, but farre off, and durst not [Page] make toward vs: in the end we manned out a shalop & rowed to land, but they made from vs, & when our men were hard by the shore, there we saw about 40. or 50. of them standing vpon the shore with their bowes; wherewith our men durst not land, for they seemed to be a cruell kind of people, and altogether wild, for they went all naked, not hauing any thing before their priuy members. They were of a reddish colour, but when our men saw no aduantage they turned again vnto their shippes.

The seuenth of Iuly we saw the point of the land of Sumatra, which is a verie high land descending downe­warde with a long end.

The 11. of the same Month we were close vnder the land, where there lay an Island, and there we ankered.

The 12. of Iuly in the morning we saw certaine ships, whereof one came vnto vs, wee rowed vnto it with a shalop, and spake with it, but we could not vnderstand them, but they shewed vs where we should haue water, which made vs glad, that wee might once againe haue our bellies full of water: it being almost foure Monthes that wee had not seene any land, nor taken in any fresh victuailes. We sent our Pinace to the firme land of Su­matra, there to seeke for some reliefe: for that where we lay there dwelt not any man. The maner of the Go­uernor of Sumatras comming on bord.The 13. of Iuly the Cap­tain or principall ruler of Sumatra came abord our ships to see them, which was done with great solemnitie, hee being apparelled after the Turkish manner, with a wreath about his heade, and a fearefull countenance, small eyes, great eye browes, and little beard, for a man might tell all the haires vpon his chinne: he brought vs a present of Betele, which are leaues which they conti­nually [Page 12] chaw, and eat it with chalke.

This Island of Sumatra or Taprobana (as it is saide) is the greatest of all the Orientall Islandes, it is diuided from the firme land of Malacca by a straight and dange­rous sea, by reason of many Islandes and cliffes that are within it: Out of this Island as some men are of opini­on, Salomon had his Gold wherewith he beautified the Temple, and his owne pallace, and then in the Bible it should be named Orphir, for certainly Sumatra is rich of mynes of Golde, Siluer and Mettall, and the inhabi­tants therof are very expert in melting of brasse peeces: Therein is a fountaine of pure Balsame, the Portingalles haue no fortresse therein, yet they traffique in certaine hauens, specially in Pedir and Campar: There is also in this Island a place called Manancabo, where they make poinyardes and daggers, by them calde cryses, which are much esteemed in those Countries, and those of Malacca and Iaua, hold them for their best weapons, and with them are very bold.

The same day our Pinnace returned againe vnto vs, bringing vs good newes, that wee were welcome vnto the Countrey people, and brought vs certaine Indian Nuttes, or Cocus, Melons, Cocombers, Onions, Gar­licke, and a sample of Peper and other spices, which li­ked vs well.

The fourteenth of Iune we laded in some fresh wa­ter.

Right ouer against Sumatra, on the South side of the Equinoctiall lyeth the Islande of Iaua Maior, or great Iaua, and these two Islandes are deuided by a straight commonly called the straight of Sunda, which lyeth be­tween these two Islands, bearing the name of the prin­cipall [Page]

[Page 14] hauen of Iaua called Sunda: In this channel there runneth a great streame, and course of narrow waters, through this straight M. Candish an Englishman passed with his ship, comming out of the South sea from new Spaine. Iaua beginneth vnder seuen degrees on the south side, and so stretcheth East and South 150. miles long, it is very fruitfull, specially of Ryce, Catle, Hogges, Sheepe, Hennes, Onions, Garlike, Indian Nuttes, and all kinde of spices, as Cloues, Nutmegges, Mace, &c. Which they carrie to Malacca. The chiefe hauen in the Islande is Sunda Calapa, there you haue much Pepper, better then that of India, or of Malabar, & there you may yearely lade 4. or 5000. Quintales of Pep­per Portingall waight, there likewise you haue great store of frankencense, Camphora, & some Diamants: but they haue no other kinde of money but a certaine peece called Caixa, as bigge as a Hollands Doibt, but not so thicke, with a hole in the middle to hang it vppon a string, in which manner they commonly hange hun­drethes or thousandes together, and with them they know how to make their accountes, which is two hun­dred Caixas make a Sata, and fiue Satas make a thousand Caixas, which is as much as one Crusado of Por­tingall, or three Carolus Gilderns, Flemish money: Pep­per is solde by the sacke, each sacke waying 45. Catten waight of China, each Catte as much as 20. ounces Por­tingall waight, and each sacke is worth in that Country at the least 5000. Caixas, and when it is highest at 6. or 7000. Caixas: Mace, Cloues, Nutmegs, white and blacke Beniamin, Camphora, are sold by the Bhar, each barre waying 330. Catten of China: Mace that is faire & good is commonly worth from 100. to 120. thousande: [Page] Caixas: Good Cloues accordingly, and foule Cloues called Bastan are worth 70. & 80. thousand Caixas the Bhar: Nutmegs are alwaies worth 20. & 25. thousand Caixas the Bhar: White and blacke Beniam in is worth 150 and 180 thousand Caixas, and sometimes 200. thou­sand. The wares that are there desired and exchanged for spices, are diuers sortes and colours of Cotton Lin­nen, which come out of seuerall Prouinces; and if our Cambricke or fine Hollande were carryed thither, it would peraduenture bee more esteemed then the Cot­ton linnen of India.

The 15. of Iune there rowed a scute called a Prawen harde vnder the lande by vs, wee called him, but not a­gainst his will, and shewed him siluer, and other wares that liked him well, he bad vs make towards the strand, and told vs of Bantam, saying that there we should haue al kinds of Marchandise. Then we made signs vnto him taht if he wold bring vs to Bantam, we wold pay him for his labor, he asked vs 5. rialles of 8. and a red cap, which we graunted vnto, and so one of the men in the scute came on bord the Mauritius, and was our Pilot to Ban­tam, where we passed by many Islandes.

The nineteenth of Iuly as wee sailed by a towne, many Portingalles borded vs, and brought vs certaine Cocus and Hens to sell, which wee bought for other wares.

The 22. of the same Month wee came before the towne of Bantam, within three miles of it, and there an­kered vnder an Island. The same day about euening a scute of Portingals borded vs that were sent by the Go­uernour to see what ships we were, & when we shew­ed them that wee came thither to traficke with them, [Page 15] they told vs, that there was the right Pepper country, & that there we might haue our lading, that new Pep­per was readie to be gathered, and would be ripe with­in two Monthes after, which pleased vs well, for wee had already beene fifteene Monthes and twelue daies vppon our voyage, hauing endured great daungers, miseries and thirst, many of our men by sicknesse being dead.

The 23. of Iune wee hoysed our ankers, and went close to the towne of Bantam, and ankered harde by 4. small Islands, that lie right North from the Towne: the same day the Sabandar (who is there one of the greatest officers next the King) came abord our shippes, asking vs what we would haue, we said we were come to buy Pepper and other spyces, and that wee had readie mo­ney, and certaine wares, whereof we shewed him some parte, which hee liked well, saying that there wee might haue lading enough, shewing vs great counte­nance.

The same day likewise there came a great number of scutes vnto our ships, bringing all kinds of victuailes to sel, as Hennes, Egges, Cocus, Bonanas, sugar canes, Cakes of Ryce baked, and many other thinges. The 24. of Iune there came many men aborde our ships, bring­ing diuers wares to sell, shewing vs great friendshippe, and as it seemed were very glad of our arriuall there, tel­ling vs that there we might haue Pepper enough, and new Pepper within two Months after, and that Pepper was then as good cheap as it had beene any time with­in ten yeares before, that wee might buy 5. or 6. sackes for one Catti, (being about 20. Guilderns) which was ordinarily sold but one sacke for that price: euery sacke [Page] wayeth 54. pounde Hollandes waight, so that a pounde would be worth about a brasse penie Hollands money. The same day about noone the Sabandar borded vs once againe, willing Cornelis Houtman to go on land to speake with the Gouernour, for as then there was no King, for about a Month before our arriuall there, the King was gone with a great armie before the towne of Palimbam, which hee thought to take, and had almost gotten it, but there he was striken with a great Peece by a Renigado of the Portingalles, and so was slaine. His death was much lamented by the straungers that dwelt at Bantam, for he was a good king, being about 25. years of age: he left behind him foure wiues, whereof the el­dest was not aboue 15. yeares of age, and a yong sonne of three Monthes olde, that was to succeed him in his Kingdome, and they had chosen a Protector or Go­uernor to rule in his minoritie, whom they call Kipate, and when the Kipate by the Sabandar sent to our Sarge­ant Maior to come vnto him into the towne, he made him answer that he had no such commission, but he de­sired the Gouernor first to come abord his ship, and then he would go on shore, he like­wise desired vs to go neerer to the towne with our shippes.

[Page 17] THe Towne of Bantam in the Island of Iaua, as our foure shippes lay before it A. is the barre of the Riuer that was shutte vp, by it all wares passed both in and out, and the next house vnto it is the custome house. B. the Hollanders lodging where we receyued and sold our wares, C. is the walles of the towne of Bantam, al made with flankers, vpon them lay great store of brasse peeces, which when they shot at vs, did not much hurt vs, because they knew not wel how to vse them; & the wal is not aboue two foot thicke made of brickes, and at euery place where the peeces lyeth, there are places made of mastes and o­ther wood, which they vse for defence against the enemies. D. are the Portingalles houses, E. the Pepper market, F. the Hol­landers market, G. the pomegranat market, H. the apparell market, I. the porseline market, K. the great market, which is also the Burse where many nations do meet, L. the Fish mar­ket, M. the hogge market, N. the Chinars houses, O. their Church or Mostua, P. a skirmish betweene our Pinace and 24. of their boates that came towardes vs like a halfe Moon [...] all full of men, armed with bowes and speares, with some bases, making to the Pinace that lay on grounde vnder an Islande, where it wound off, 17. of them being on the larborde, and 7. on the starre borde of her, so neare that they thrust their spears in at her portes, but those of the Pinace shewed themselues like men shooting brauely against them, both with great shot and Caliuers for they could hardly shoot in vaine, and hauing hoi­sed saile, she came to the shippes againe in dispight of all her e­nemies, that were in great numbers, and had compassed her about like sconces.

And therevpon wee sayled somewhat neerer to the Island that lay next vnto the towne, within halfe a mile from it, & there we ankered at 4. fadome clay grounde, the towne lying South from vs, where wee had a good roade: The Gouer­nor of Ban­tam came abord their ships.The next morning the Gouernor sent aborde, and the men that came spake not onely good Portingal, but other languages: he let our Sargeant Maior vnder­stand that he would come aborde, and desired that hee woulde with a shalop meet him halfe the way, which was done about noone, and the Gouernour came a­borde with a great company of men, where we shewed him all our wares, which liked him well, desiring vs to come on land, saying that we should be welcome, pro­mising vs much fauour, wherewith he returned to the land with certaine rich presents that we gaue him. The 26. Barent Heijn Factor of the ship called the Mauritius, died very sodainly.

The 27. and 28. great numbers of people borded our shippes bringing all sortes of necessaries & victuails to sell.

The Empe­rour came aborde and secretly conspired with the Portin­gals against them.The 29. there came an Emperour abord our shippe, whose father in time past had beene Emperour of all Iaua, and commanded all the Kinges of Iaua, but this man because of his badde life was not much accounted of: he spake good Portingall, for his mother was a Por­tingall woman borne in Malacca: This Emperour had conspired against vs with the Portingalles, but as then we knew it not.

The 30. of Iune Cornelis Houtman tooke a boate and went into the towne, and there spake with the Gouer­nour about certaine affaires, touching a contract to bee made with him.

[Page 18] A contract to buy & sell in the towne.The first of Iuly Houtman went again into the towne, and when he returned he brought with him a certaine contract made & signed by the Gouernor himself, who most willingly consented therevnto, & saide vnto him, Go now and buy what you will, you haue free liberty; which done, the said Houtman with his men went to see the towne, apparelled in the best manner they coulde, in veluet, Satin, and silkes, with rapiers by their sides: The Captaine had a thing borne ouer his head to keep him from the Sun, with a Trumpet before him, which certaine times he caused to bee sounded: There the Emperour bad them to a banket after the Indian man­ner: From thence they went to the Portingalles, that made much account of Houtman, and made him a ban­ket, saying that they had seene him in Lisbone. The 2. of Iuly many Marchants came abord, profering vs Pep­per verie good cheape, but because we were vnskilfull in the waight and other thinges wee tooke respite to answere them.

The 3. of Iuly the Sabander came abord, and he was our great friend, for that after we found it so, hee tolde vs what waight the sackes of Pepper were, and what prises they bare, counselling vs to buy.

The Empe­rour ment to fall vpon the ships to rob them.The 7. of Iuly the Gouernour sent vs a man secret­ly by night willing vs to looke vnto our selues, and not to trust the Emperour, with whom all the Marchantes conspired, and went to inuade our ships, and that hee ment to rob vs, as being very licentious and euill mind­ed.

The 8. of Iuly the Emperour sent vnto our ships, & offered to make them a banket, bidding all the Cap­taines, maisters, Pilots, Gentlemen, Officers, Trumpets, [Page] and Gunners to come into the towne to him, and there he woulde make merrie with them: This was done by the Portingalles aduise, thereby to haue all the chiefe and principall men out of our ships, but we perceiued their intent.

The 11. of Iuly the Emperour perceyuing that his deuise would not take place, hee went from Bantam to Iacatra.

The 12. of Iuly wee had a house offered vs within the towne.

The 13. of the same month Reyner van hel with eyght Gentlemen went into the towne, taking certaine wares with him, of euery thing a little, and laid it in the house appointed for the purpose: there to keep a ware house and to sel our marchandise, and presently both Gentle­men and Marchants came thither to buy and to sell vs Pepper.

The 15. and 16. many Gentlemen, Marchants, Chi­nars, and Arabians came to our warehouse & into our ships, offering vs Pepper, but our Factor offered them too little a price.

The 25. of Iuly the Gouernour came againe aborde our shippes, and there looked vppon certaine of our wares, whereof hee bought some, and counselled vs to buy Pepper: The hatred of the Por­tingalles a­gainst thē.About the same time the Portingalles made great sute vnto the Gouernour, promising him many guiftes to deny vs trafficke, and to constraine vs to depart from thence, saying we were no marchantes, but that we came to spie the countrie, for they said that they had seene many Fleminges in Lisbone, but none like vs. Among the Portingalles there was one that was borne in Malacca, of the Portingalles race, his name was [Page 19] Pedro Truide, a man well seene in trauayling, and one that had beene in all places of the world: He was our good friend, & euery day came to talke with our Cap­taines, saying, you do not well that you make no more haste to take in your lading, you shall haue no better cheape wares, & withall shewed vs many other things: wherevpon the Portingalles hated him, and not long af­ter he was murthered in his bed.

In August we did little, and tooke no great store of lading in seeking to haue Pepper better cheape, which the Portingalles liked not well of, and saide vnto the Go­uernour, that we desired not to buy; which the Gouer­nour began to hearken vnto, for they offered him great summes of money that hee shoulde not permit vs traf­fique, so that in the end hee commaunded that no man shoulde carrie any Ryce aborde our shippes, whereby we were abashed, and thereupon we sent vnto the Go­uernour for our money which hee ought for the wares hee had bought, which moued him. The 26. of Iuly hee sent one of our Gentlemen with some of his men and nine slaues abord our ships.

BAntam lyeth in the Islande of Iaua maior, about 25. miles to sea ward within the Isle, betweene Suma­tra and Iaua: On both sides of the Towne there runneth a Riuer, a­bout 3. foot and a half deep, so tha [...] no shippes can enter into them: The Towne is compassed about with a Riuer: The towne is almost as great in compasse as the old towne of Amsterdam: The wals are made with flankers: They haue great numbers of Peeces therein, but they knowe not how to vse them, for they feare them much: all their Peeces are of brasse, & they haue many brazen bases. Their walles are not aboue two foote thicke made of brickes: euery flanker hath di­uers mastes and peeces of wood, which they vse when they are besieged by their enemies. The houses are made of straw and reedes, standing vpon 4. woodden postes. The rich haue their chambers all hanged with silken Curtins, or els with cotton linnen: Their houses are most placed vnder Cocus trees, whereof the towne is full: Without the walles are many houses, wherein strangers for the most part haue their dwellinges. The [Page 20] towne hath three great market places, wherein dayly there is markets holden, where you may buy all kindes of wares, and where there commeth a great number of people, very strange to beholde: Within the towne there is a great church or muske of wood, wherein they obserue the law of Mahomet: Gentlemen & men of any qualitie haue their owne muskes in their houses. The towne is not built with streetes, nor the houses placed in order, but very foule lying full of filthy wa­ter, which men must passe through, or leape ouer, for they haue no bridges: In the towne there is great re­sort of diuers Countries and nations, as of Malacca, Ben­gala, Malabar Guihereters of Pegu, Sani Malicas, Ban­da, China, and of many Kingdomes that haue great traf­fique for Pepper, that groweth rounde about Bantam, which in August and September is ripe, there you haue Nutmegs, out of the Island of Banda, and Cloues from Moluca, which the Portingalles doe most buy vp: Wee bought Nutmegs there for a blank a pound: All victu­ailes and necessaries are there in great aboundance to be had, as Hennes, Hartes, Fish, and Ryce, and diuers kindes of fruites, as Auanas, Cocus, Bonanas, Manges, Doroyens, Iacca, Pruna, Grapes, Oranges, Lemons, Pomegarnets, Cocombers, Melons, Onions, Garlicke; but breade they haue none, but in steade of it they eate Ryce: Beefe is there the dearest victuaile, for an Oxe in that place is worth 7. 8. or 9. Rialles of 8. The Chi­nars haue the greatest and most trafficke in that towne. They come thither in the Month of Ianuarie, with 8. or 9. great shippes, bringing all sorts of Porseline, silks, Damaske, gold thread, Iron pannes, and Iauas money called Caixas, whereof 12000. make a Ryall of eyght: [Page] They are hanged vpon stringes by two hundred toge­ther, for the which they both buy & sel al kinds of mar­chandises, and there they lade Pepper which they car­rie into China: Without the towne they haue a great place wherein they commonly vse to sell their wares, and there they dwell, and haue greater and better hou­ses then any are within the towne, all made of reedes, onely that in euery house they haue a square place made of stone, wherein they put their wares to keepe them from burning, as some riche men in the towne likewise haue: The Chinars are very subtill and indu­strious people, and will refuse no labour nor paynes to yearne money, there they make much Aqua vitae of Ryce and Cocus, and trafficke much therewith, which the Iauars by night come to buy, and drinke it secretly, for by Mahomets law it is forbidden them. The Chi­nars liue there with free libertie: When they come to remaine there for a yeare or more as they thinke good, they buy themselues a wife or two, or more as they thinke good, and liue together like man and wife, and when they meane to depart, they sell their wiues again, but if they haue children they take them with them, & so returne to China: They haue no special religion, but pray vnto the Deuill, that he would not hurt them, for they know that the Deuill is wicked, and that God is good, and hurteth no man, therefore they thinke it needlesse to pray to God. They acknowledge not the resurrection of the deade, but when a man dyeth they thinke he neuer riseth again: In their houses they haue great painted Deuils, before the which they place wax candles, and sing vnto them, praying them not to hurt them, and the more monstrous that their shapes be, the [Page 21] more they honour them. These people liue very hard­ly and poorely within Bantam, for there is not any work or labour how filthy soeuer it be, but they will do it to get money, and when they haue gotten something they returne again to China. They are verie like Iewes in our countrey, for they neuer goe without a paire of ballances, and all thinges is good wares with them, and are ready to do any seruice. When we came first before Bantam, they came euery day in great companies into our shippes, and there set out their wares to sel, as silkes, sowing silkes, and porselines, so that our vpper deckes were full of pedlers, that wee could hardly walke vpon the hatches.

THe Iauars and inhabitants of Bantam, are proude and obstinate, with a ve­ry stately pace, they hold the law of Mahomet, which they haue not had aboue 35. yeares, for as yet there are many heathens among them that ne­uer were made Mores: it is a very ly­ing and theeuish kind of people, not in any sort to bee trusted. Their apparell both of rich and poore is a cot­ton cloth, and some of silke about their middles, which they tie about them with a girdle, the vpper parte and from the knees downewarde all naked: most of them goe bareheaded, but the principallest of them haue a wreath or Turkish roule about their heades, and some [Page] little cappes: Their priestes come out of Meca in Arabia, and are yellowe of colour: What weapons they weare.Their weapon is a poinyard, which they call Crisis: it is made with hilts, & the handle is a Deuil cut out of wood or bone: the sheathes are of wood: with them they are very bolde, and it is accounted for a great shame with them if they haue not such a Dagger, both yong, old, rich & poore, and yong children of fiue or sixe yeares olde, and when they go to the warres they haue targets, and some long speares, but most of them such poinyardes: They vse neyther great shotte nor caliuers when they go against their enemies: for a small matter one King wil make warre against another When we came first before Ban­tam, we offered to make a contract with the Gouernor and the counsell of the towne, that they should deliuer vs a certaine quantitie of Pepper, and wee woulde goe with our shippes before Palimbam, and helpe them to reuenge the death of their Kings vppon their enemies, for (as they said) we might goe within a bowe shot of the towne with our shippes, and the Towne is but of wood without walles, so that we would presently haue beaten it downe to the ground. They offered vs some of their principall Gouernours to be left for pledges in our shippes, and their men woulde sayle in their fustes, such as shoulde go on land, and we should doe nothing els but shoote out of our shippes, but our Captaines would not do it, considering our small number of men. How many wiues they haue.The Iauers take as many wiues as they will, and are able to maintaine; but the common people haue but one, & some two marryed wiues, and some 10. 20. & 30. con­cubines: For a small matter they will sende their mar­ried wiues home agayne vnto their fathers, when they [Page 22] haue layne fiue or sixe dayes with them, saying they like them not, and so their marriage is vndone, when they desire it.

THe women of the towne are well kept from such as are circumcised, where­of the rich men haue many, and from other men or their friendes, for their owne sonnes may not come into the house where the women are. They lie all naked and chaw Betelle, and haue a slauish wo­man that continually scratcheth their bodies, that is, such as are married women, but such as are concubines are as waiting Gentlewomen to the married women, when they goe out to giue them more maiestie, and those that haue the greatest number are of most estima­tion: The Concubines haue but fewe children, for the married women poyson their children, and these concubines are bought and solde: by their apparell a man can hardly discerne the riche from the poore, for they goe all with a Cotton cloth about their bodies vp to their breastes, and bounde about their middles with an other cloth, bare footed and their heads vncouered, their hayre bound right vpon the top of their heads in a heape, but when they are in their pride, they weare crownes vpon their heads, whereof some of them are of pure golde, & ringes of golde, & some of siluer about their armes, euery one according to their abilitie. They are very curious about their bodyes, for they washe [Page] themselues at the least fiue or sixe times euery day: they neuer ease themselues nor haue the company of their husbandes, but they presently leape into the water and wash their bodies, and therefore the water that runneth through Bantam is very vnholesome; for euery one wa­sheth themselues in it, as well pockie as other people, whereby wee lost some of our men that drunke of the water: The women are verie idle, for they do nothing all the day but lie downe; the poore slaues must doe all the drudgerie, and the men sit all day vpon a mat, & chaw Betele, hauing ten or twentie women about them, and when they make water, presently one of the wo­men washeth their member, and so they sit playing all the day with their women: Many of them haue slaues that play vppon instrumentes much like our Shakebois, they haue likewise great basons whereon they strike, & therewith know how to make good musicke, where­at the women daunce, not leaping much, but winding and drawing their bodies, armes and shoulders, which they vse all night long, so that in the night time they make a great noyse with basons and other instruments, and the man he sitteth and looketh vpon them, euerie one of the women striuing to doe her best that she may get her husbands fauour and her secreat pleasure. The Gentlemen, Citizens, and marchantes haue their Gar­dens, and fieldes without the towne, and slaues for the purpose to labour in them, and bring their maisters all kindes of fruit, Rice and Hennes in the towne, How Pep­per grow­eth in that countrey.as also the Pepper that groweth there, which runneth vp by an other tree, as Hoppes with vs, and groweth in long bunches like Grapes, so that there is at the least 200. graines in one bunch: it is first greene, and after it be­commeth [Page 23] blacke, and is there in great aboundance, so that it is the right Pepper countrey; for when we came thither they said vnto vs, Aqui ai tanta Pimienta, como terra, that is, here is as much Pepper as earth, and so we found it, and yet we departed from thence by our own follies, without our lading of Pepper: Wee staide for new Pepper, meane time the Portingalles sent their let­ters into euery place seeking to hinder our trade: At the first we might haue sufficient, for there we founde enough both to buy for money or to barter. We like­wise had money and wares sufficient: we might easily haue had sixe or eight hundred tunnes, as we were ad­uertised by some of the countrey, that we should pre­sently buy, for that the Portingalles sought all the means they could to hinder vs, as after it appeared; and there­fore he that thinketh to come soone enough, commeth oftentimes too late, and we vsed not our time so well as it fell out.

A letter sent by our men in the town that were kept priso­ners.The 29. of August we had a letter sent vs by night from our men that were in the towne, that lay in a ma­ner as prisoners, to will vs to let our pledge go a shore, o­therwise they feared they shoulde hardly escape with their liues, and great danger might fall vpon them: this pledge came aborde with the 9. slaues.

The 30. of August we sent the pledge and the rest of our Iauers to land, with promise that he would do the best he might to get our men leaue to come aborde: a­bout euening of the same day wee had newes from our men by foure of our saylers that as then they were bet­ter vsed, saying they thought they should come aborde when two shippes were gone that ment to saile for Ma­lacca, being laden with Nutmegs and other things.

[Page]The first of of September, and the 2. 3. and 4. wee sent many letters to the Gouernour and hee to vs, and likewise to our men that were in the towne, being nine in number, all our best marchants and captains, hauing with them about 6. or 7000. Guildernes in marchan­dise, and they againe to vs.

They went nearer to the towne.The 5. of September when wee perceyued that de­layes were daungerous, wee went close to the towne with all our 4. shippes, and so neere that we had but two fadome muddie grounde, and presently with two of our boates for our securitie wee set vppon three Iauan shippes, whereof two were laden with fish and Cocus, wherein wee founde a man of China, being of some account. The third ship was laden with 20. tunnes of Cloues, 6. tunnes of Pepper, and some Benioni, and Piementa da Rauo, wherein we founde fiue Malabardes slaues to the Portingalles, whom wee likewise tooke, & they were very willing to goe with vs, thereby to bee eased of the slauery wherevnto the Portingals put them, and perceyuing that the Portingalles went often to and from another shippe that lay not farre from vs, we took our Pinace and made towardes it, and being harde by it, the Portingals left it & set it on fire: This ship had the richest wares in it as the Portingalles slaues tolde vs, for it was laden with fiftie tunnes of Cloues, which were burnt in it.

The sixt and seuenth of September we hearde no newes, so that wee went close to the Towne agayne, shooting with our great Peeces into it, slaying diuers of the people (as after we were informed:) They likewise shot with their Peeces agaynst vs, which the Portingalles did, for that the Iauars haue little or no skill at all there­in, [Page 24] and are very fearefull of them, and although they had many peeces in the towne, yet they did vs no o­ther hurt then onely shot one of Molenares halfe masts in peeces.

A skirmish betweene the Pinace & 24. boatsThe seuenth of September wee had a skirmish, which was in this manner, we perceyuing a Iauan ship vnder sayle, sent our Pinace with sixe and twentie men in her to fetch it in, which the Iauan shippe perceyuing fledde behinde an Islande, where our Pinace followed him so fast that shee fell a grounde, which the townes men perceyuing, made them readie with foure and twentie boates full of men, all armed after their man­ner, and set forwarde in good order, being diuided in two companies, seuen on starre bord, & 17. on lardde bord of the Pinace, in order like a halfe Moone, threat­ning vs with their speares, they thought by reason of their great number of men, that they had already taken it, but it fell out otherwise, for they in the Pinace per­ceyuing them comming, shotte among them, and they were so near vnto her that we could not shoot at them: and when they were harde by the Pinace, shee gotte a flote, as they thought to take her, hauing cast out an anker in good time, and thereby wounde them­selues off the grounde, but for haste they were for­ced to cutte their Cable, because they had not time enough to winde it vppe, and with all they shotte one of their boates vnder water. The Pinace draw­ing her boate after her, the Iauans presently leapt into it, and cutte a sunder the roape that helde it, which they immediately stole from vs, thrusting vvith their Speares in at the loope holes. Seuen of their Boates being round about vs were so sharpely [Page] paid with the iron peeces, stone peeces, and Caliuers, that the 17, others durst not come so neere vs: I thinke there were at the least 100. of them that neuer carryed newes how they sped in that skirmish, for euery boate had at the least 60. men in it, and they were so thicke in them, that they could not help themselues, nor did any thing els but shake their speares, and they shot but one base: their arrowes hurt vs not, and so the Pinace retur­ned againe vnto our shippes, sayling close before the towne, and shooting into it with her ordinance: They shot out of the towne, but it hit her not, because they shot with stone pellets, wherewith you cannot shoote so certainly as with iron bullets.

The 8. 9. and 10. of September we had letters from our men out of Bantam, by the which they willed vs not to shoot any more, for that the Gouernour threat­ned to set them vpon stakes: Houtman wrote they were in good hope that they shoulde bee put to raunsome, which wee counselled them to doe as well as they might.

The con­tents of the Gouer­nors letter.The 11. of September we had a letter from Houtman, and one from the Gouernour, wherein hee wrote that he would set our men at libertie, so we would be quiet, but if we desired warre, he woulde once againe come and visite vs in another sort: wee aunswered him that there he should find vs, that wordes were but wind, & that he should set our men at a reasonable ransome, and thereof send vs an answere the next day.

The 12. and 13. of September wee had no answere out of the towne, and we had want of water, and could get none thereabouts but that which came out of the towne, for that the Gouernour had taken order that we [Page 25] should get no water about the towne, so that we hoised ankers to go seeke some.

The 17. of September we came before 3. or 4. Islands which Molenare and Shellenger sayled betweene, and for that the streame ranne so strong there, they were forced to goe so nigh the shore, that they might al­most leape on lande, whereby they escaped great dan­ger, but the other shippe and the Pinace sayled about the Islands, and so met with the other two, and casting forth their ankers went on shore, where wee spake with men that saide they would shew vs where wee shoulde haue water, so we would giue them two Caliuers.

The 18. 19. 20. 23. and 24. we stayed to lade water, for it was hard to get, and we were forced to keep good watch, which done hoysing ankers againe, wee sayled towardes Bantam, holding our course Eastwarde.

The 27. we sayled Northeast towardes the lande of Iaua maior.

The 28. setting sayle agayne, we kept East North­east along by the coast of Iaua, & about noone because of the great streame that runneth in the straight, wee were forced to anker, and the 30. day wee set sayle a­gaine.

The first of October in the euening wee came to a great Islande, being three miles from the towne, and there we ankered finding good clay ground.

The 2. of October wee had a letter from our men, how they were seperated one from the other, and kept by the Gentlemen of the towne, and their wares parted among them.

The 3. 4. and 5. when wee were againe before the towne, we had other letters, that by our comming they [Page] were better vsed, and hoped to bee set at a reasonable ransome, and that they promised that one of our men should come aborde, so he would returne againe into towne, that shoulde by worde of mouth certifie vs what hope they were in, and the cause thereof, that we might the better belieue it.

How the Iaurs vsed our men being pri­soners.The 6. of October in the night one of our men came aborde, and shewed vs what had past, when we shotte into the towne, how they were seperated and kept close prisoners, and cruelly threatned by the Iauers, whereby they still expected when they should bee put to death, and howe they sought all the meanes they coulde to make them to deny their faith, and become Mores, but they remayned constant, and saide they woulde rather die, and that they had by force shauen three of our men after the Morish manner, and how the Portingals had sought all the meanes they coulde to buy them for slaues, offering money for them that they might sende them to Malacca, how they were set at libertie againe, & might goe where they woulde within the towne, and so they hoped all would be well, and that they shoulde bee set at libertie for some small ransome, and that the Gouernour asked them 3000. Rialles of 8. but they hoped to bring him to 2000. whereat we much reioy­ced.

The 8. 9. and 10. of October we passed ouer to make some agreement with them that we might be quiet.

The 11. of October they agreede vppon a ransome of 2000. Ryalles of eyght, and were content, that what goodes soeuer we had taken from them, wee shoulde keepe as our owne, and for our goodes that they had stolen, and forcibly taken from our men within the [Page 26] towne, The maner of their ran­some.they would keepe them, and so exchange one for the other, they likewise were content to quit vs of all our debts, that we ought within the towne eyther to the Gouernor or to any other man, and that from thence forwarde we should be free, and traffique in the towne, both to buy and sell when it pleased vs, & with their good willes as we had done, and before we paide our money, the towne was to sende two men aborde our ships, which done, we were to pay the halfe of our ransome, and vpon the payment thereof, they shoulde set halfe of our men at liberty, and that halfe of our men being come aborde, wee were to pay the other halfe of our ransome, which was 1000. Ryalles of eyght; which being performed, their two men, and their other halfe of our men were on both sides to bee deliuered and sette free, and without contradiction it was perfor­med.

The 12. and 13. this agreement being ended, diuers victuailers came aborde our shippes to sell vs Hennes, Egges, and all other kind of victuailes.

The 14. we gaue certaine presentes in signe of good will, to such as had shewed vs fauour when we were in contention with them.

The 15. 16. 17. and 18. some of our Factors went into the towne, where they bought certaine Pepper, & brought it abord our ships.

The 19. they went again into the towne, & bought a greater quantitie at 5. sackes for one Catti, minding in that sorte euery day to take in our lading, but it fell not out as wee desired, for the Portingalles that coulde not brooke our company, made such means to the Gouer­nour, that he gaue commandement that we should buy [Page] no more Pepper, before we had paide 1400. Rialles of 8. which he challenged of vs because we had cast anker within his streame, whereupon our Marchantes went and agreed with him, which done wee thinking to buy Pepper as we did before, Why the Gouernor forbad vs trafficke.the Gouernour againe com­manded to the contrarie, whereby we perceyued their deceipt, in that he wold not hold his word. The coun­try men would gladly haue solde their Pepper, as also the Chinars, Arabians, Mahometitians, and secretly some Portingalles, but when we saw wee could not get it out but with great daunger, wee thought it not conuenient to buy: and when we spake vnto the Gouernour, tou­ching the holding of his worde, he made vs answere, that he had no bones in his tongue, and that therefore he could speake that which he ment not to doe: and to say the truth most part of the Iauars are a kind of deceit­full people, for whatsoeuer they say and presently per­forme, that shall you be sure of and no more.

The 25. of October there came an Ambassador into Bantam, sent from Malacca to the Gouernor with a pre­sent of 10000. Rials of 8. desiring him to forbid vs both his towne and streame, that wee might not traffique there. Whereof wee were aduertised by the Sabandar and other of our friendes counselling our men to get them out of the towne, and not to returne again, other­wise they would be in daunger to be stayed againe, and we hauing sent a man into the towne to saue him from being holden prisoner, our host where we lay being on shore was forced to bring him out couered with cer­taine mattes; so that vppon the 26. of the same month all our trafficke and friendship with them ceased: but our hoast being our friende, came secretly aborde our [Page 27] ships, and shewed vs that he and his company had two ships lying before the towne, laden with Nutmegges and Mace that came from Banda, for the which hee a­greed with vs at a price, vpon condition that we should seeme to take them by force, that thereby he might co­lour his dealing with vs: wherevpon the first of No­uember we sailed close to the towne with all our ships, How they tooke two Iauan shipsand set vpon the two Iauan shippes, wherein we found to the number of 30. slaues, that knew nothing of their maisters bargaine made with vs, so that they began to resist vs, wherewith we shot among them, and present­ly slew 4. or 5. of them, the rest leapt ouer borde, and swamme to land, which done we tooke the two ships, and put their lading into ours: They fought with a Portingall shippe.The Portingalles shippe that brought their Ambassadour, lay close vnder the shore, wherevnto we sent two of our boats, but the Por­tingals that were in her shot so thicke with their peeces vppon our men, that our boates were forced to leaue them with losse of one of our men, but our shippes shot in such sorte with their ordinance vppon the Portingall shippe, that they spoyled and brake it in peeces, where­in their Captaine was slaine, and the victuailers that stil brought vs victuailes to sell, tolde vs that with our pee­ces we had slain three or foure men within the towne, & that the townes men began to make an armie of ships to set vpon vs.

They fought with a Iauan shippe.The 2. of Nouember we espyed a shippe that came toward Bantam, which we ioyned vnto with our boats, and being neere vnto it, they spread their fights, which were of thicke mattes, and began to defend themselues; our men shot among them with stone peeces and Ca­liuers, and they defended themselues with great cou­rage, [Page] hauing halfe pikes wherewith they thrust at vs, & that serued likewise to blow arrowes out of them, for they were like trunkes, out of the which trunkes they shot so great numbers of arrowes, that they fell as thick as hayle, and shotte so certainely, that therewith they hurt at the least eyght or nine of our men, but the ar­rowes are thinne and light, so that their blaste coulde not make them enter into the flesh aboue the thicknes of two fingers, onely the head of the arrowe (which is made of reede, and loose stayeth in the flesh) when we shot with our Caliuers they runne behind their fightes, but whē they perceiued that their matted fights could not defende them, and that they were killed through them, they entered into their boate, and by strength of oares rowed from vs, leauing their shippe, wherein we founde two dead men, and we slew three more of them as we rowed after their boat, so that in all they lost fiue men, as we after heard, and that they were to the num­ber of 40. which done, wee brought their shippe to ours, wherein we found good store of Ryce and dryed fish.

The 6. of Nouember, perceyuing not any hope of more trafficke for vs with those of Bantam, wee hoised anker and set sayle, setting our course towardes the straight of Sunda.

The mar­chants fol­low them with wares.The seuenth of Nouember wee came and ankered before a Riuer of freshe water, about sixe miles from Bantam, where wee tooke in our prouision of water: thither certaine Merchants followed vs with Porseline, telling vs that they were sory for our departure, & that they longed for our returne againe.

The thirteenth of Nouember wee set sayle, and a­bout [Page 28] euening wee came before Iacatra, in time past called Sunda Calapa, which hath beene a rich Towne of marchandise, but vppon some occasions, and by rea­son of their hard vsage the Marchants had withdrawen themselues from thence, therefore at this present there is little or nothing to doe. Iohn Hughen in his booke saith this to be the principal towne of trafficke, but that is long sithence, for now there is not any trade of mar­chandise.

The fourteenth of Nouember wee sent two of our men into the towne, hauing some of theirs in pawne, who tolde vs that many of the inhabitantes were gone out of the towne with all their goodes, being in great feare of our peeces, and there wee had great store of victuailes, and much more then wee required brought abord our ships.

The 18. wee set saile from Iacatra, and being about two miles from the towne, our shippe called Am­sterdam fell vppon a cliffe, but it got off againe without any hurt, and therewith wee presently made towardes the straight.

The 2. of December we passed by 3. townes which we might easily perceiue, we likewise passed by Tubam, and ankered vnder Sidaya. The 3. of December there came men out of the towne, & desired vs to stay, saying that there we might haue Cloues & Nutmegs as many as we woulde, bringing certaine banketting stuffe (as a present from their King) vnto Sche [...]lengers ship, because it lay nearest to the land, and they came most abord it.

The 4. of December they came again into Schellen­gers ship, bringing certaine presentes with them, and a­mong the rest a certayne birde that coulde swallowe [Page] fyer, which is a very strange fowle, and was brought a­liue to Amsterdam, which after was giuen to the states of Hollande lying in the Hage, and some good fruites, willing vs to sende a man on shore to see their spices, whereof they said they had great store: wherevpon we sent a man out of the Amsterdam, and with him an inter­preter, one of the Portingalles slaues, they leauing three or foure of their men aborde our shippes, for pawnes till his returne: when our man came to lande hee was well vsed, and there they shewed him fortie or fiftie bals of Cloues; which done they brought him before the King, that promised him great fauor, and told him that the next day he wold himselfe come aborde our ships, and deale with our Captaines, and with that he let our man depart.

The 5. of December we expected the Kinges com­ming aborde, putting out all our flagges and streamers, and about noone there came 8. or 9. indifferent great shippes full of men from off the shore, wherein wee thought the King to bee, but when they were almost at vs they diuided themselues, three of them rowing to Shellengers ship, and when they borded him, they thin­king the King had been there, Reymer van Hel as Factor and the Maister came forth to receyue him, but the Ia­uers entering all at once, Reymer van Hel said, What will all these people doe aborde the shippe, for there was at the least two hundred men, who all at one time drewe out their poinyardes, and stabbed our men that neuer suspected them, so that presently they had slaine twelue of the shippe, and two sore wounded, that boldly with­stoode them: the rest of our men being vnder hatches presently tooke their pikes, and thrust so fast out at the [Page 29] grates, How the Indians be­trayed thē.that the Iauers woulde haue forced the middle part of the ship, wherein was two entries, but our men standing at them with their swordes in hande draue them out, not ceasing still to thrust vp with their pikes, meane time they kindled fier, lighted their matches, & shot off their stone peeces that lay aboue the hatches, wherwith they began presently to flie, most of them lea­ping ouer bord, and swam to their two boates, that lay harde by our shippes, whereof one with a great peece was presently striken in peeces: The rest of our ships hearing vs shoote in that manner, entered into their boats, and made towardes them, rowing harde to the three Indian fustes, wherein were at the least 100. men, and shotte among them with their peeces, wherewith they leapt into the water, euery man swimming to shore, and we with two boates after them, hewing and killing them as our deadly enemies, who vnder pre­tence of friendshippe sought to murther vs, and wee handled them in such sort, that of two hundred men there got not aboue thirty of them to lande, the rest of their fustes lay farre off and beheld the fight: Three of their fustes thought to rowe to the Pinace to take her, which they might easily haue done, as hauing not a­boue 7. or 8. men in her, being busie to set vppe a newe maste, but when they perceyued their men to bee so handeled in the Amsterdam, and that they leapt ouer borde, they turned backe againe, and in great haste ro­wed to land, so that at that time they got not much by the bargaine, and no small griefe to vs, for there wee lost 12. men, that were all stabbed with poinyards, their names were Iohn Iacobson Schellenger, maister of the ship, Reymer van hel Factor, Gielis Gieleson Gentleman, Barent [Page]The names of their men that were stab­ed.Bonteboter, Arent Cornedrager, Cornelis van Alcmuer, Si­mon Ianson, Wiltschut Ioos the Carpenter, Adrian de Metselar, one of the Portingalles slaues, and two boyes, whereof one was but twelue yeares olde, whereby wee perceyued them to be a kinde of cruell people, for they had giuen the little boy and all the rest of our men at the least 12. stabbes a peece after they were dead.

The same day about euening we hoysed ankers, and set saile, hauing manned the Amsterdam with men out of our other shippes, and so helde our course East­ward.

The 6. of December we came to a great Island cal­led Madura, where we ankered, and in the euening two of their men came aborde our shippes, with message from their Gouernour, saying that we were welcome, desiring vs to stay there, for he would trafficke with vs, and sell vs some Pepper, as they saide, but wee belieued them not.

The 7. of December there came another boat abord, bringing certaine fruites, saying that the next day their Gouernour would come to see our shippes.

The 8. there came a great fuste and three smal boats, from off the land all full of men, saying their Gouernor was among them: we willed them not to goe to the Amsterdam, but to the Mauritius, but they woulde not, but made to the Amsterdam, thinking because there had beene so many murthered in her, there was not ma­ny men aborde her at that time, and when they were within a pykes length of her, (although they were di­rected to the other shippes) they remembring their late mischance, shotte off three or foure stone Peeces full laden, wherewith they slew and hurt many of the [Page 30] Indians, wherevpon they presently leapt ouer bord, & wee with our boates followed after and slew diuers of them, taking ten or twelue, thinking by them to know what their intent was to doe, but they coulde not cer­tifie vs, and therefore we let them go againe onely kee­ping two boyes, who long after stole out of the shippe, and swamme to lande: They tolde vs that the Gouer­nour being a Bishoppe or chiefe instructor of the coun­trey, was within the boate and slaine among the rest, hee had therein likewise a little boy one of his sonnes who wee likewise tooke, and sent to lande: The Bi­shoppe was of Meca, and much esteemed of among them, a great Clearke, and Gouernour ouer all the rest of the Countrey: There was a Iewell found about him, which as yet is kept.

About euening we hoysed ankers, & set sayle, & the 11. of December we came to two small Islands, where wee ankered, there wee founde none but poore people and fishermen, that brought vs fish, Hens, & other fruit to sell.

How farre they were from Mo­luccasThe 13. wee set sayle, and the 14. wee had a West winde, which they call the passage winde, that would haue serued vs well to saile to Moluccas, from whence wee were not distant aboue two hundred miles, and as then it was a good yeare for Cloues, which happeneth euery three yeares: It was told vs that we might there haue a Cabbin laden full of Cloues, wherevpon wee determined to sayle thither, but because wee had already indured a long and troublesome voyage, and but ill manned, wee woulde not, longing to bee at home: This contrary wind holding vppon the foure and twentie of December wee came to an Islande [Page] where we had beene before.

The 25. of December Iohn Molenaer maister of the Mauritius, dyed sodainely, for an hower before hee was well and in good health.

The 28. 29. 30. and 31. of December wee were busi­ed to take all the wares, sayles and other thinges out of the Amsterdam, her victuailes and furnitures seruing for our voyage homewarde, & lying vnder that Island, we had victuailes brought vs euery day as much as wee needed, both fish, Hens, venison and fruit, and at reaso­nable price, but there we could get no water.

The Am­sterdam set on fire.The 11. of Ianuary when we had vnladen the Am­sterdam we set her on fier, letting her burne, taking her men into our shippes.

The 12. of Ianuarie we set sayle again, some desiring to sayle Eastward, others Westward, but in fine wee set Westwarde to sayle once againe to Bantam, wherewith the Mauritius sayled Southeastwarde, to gette about the Island of Iaua, and we followed her. The 14. of Ia­nuary we once againe perceyued the East point of the Island of Madura, and held our course Southward: on that side of Madura there lyeth many small Islandes, through which we sayled.

The Pinace on ground.The 16. in the morning our Pinace fell on grounde vpon the coast of Iaua, not far from Pannorocan, where she shotte off three peeces, at the which warning wee made thither with our boates, and by the helpe of God got her off againe: There we saw a high hil that burnt, vnder and aboue the fire hauing a great smoake, most strange to behold.

The 18. of Ianuary we entered into the straight that runneth betweene Iaua and Baly, and by reason of the [Page 31] hard & contrary streame that ran therin, we were forced to anker vpon the coast of Iaua, where wee found good anker ground.

The 19. wee set sayle, and when wee came neere to the coast of Baly, we entered into a rough streame, and our shippes draue backeward, as swiftly as an arrow out of a bow, and there we found no anker ground, nor a­ny anker could haue holden vs, but Molenaer got the coast of Iaua and ankered, which in the ende wee like­wise did, and ankered at the least three miles from him, and so much we had driuen backe in the space of halfe an houre.

The 20. of Ianuarie wee went and lay by our other ships.

The 21. of Ianuarie there came two barkes to the Mauritius, wherein there was one that coulde speake good Portingall, who tolde vs that the towne of Balla­boam was besieged by a strange King, that had marryed the King of Ballaboams daughter, and after he had laine with her he caused her to bee slaine, and then came to besiege her father. This towne of Ballaboam lyeth on the East end of the Island of Iaua, and is the same towne where M. Candish was when hee passed that way, and the old King wherof he writeth was as then yet liuing, being at the least 160. years of age. There we saw great numbers of Battes, that flew ouer our shippes, and were as bigge as Crowes, which in that Countrey they vse to eat, as they say: About noone we came before the towne of Ballaboam, so neare vnto it that we might easi­ly see it, and there we lay behind a high point of lande, thinking to take in water.

The 22. of Ianuarie we tooke our Pinace, and sayled [Page] about the shore as neere the land as possible we might, to seeke for fresh water, but we found none, for the Ri­uer that ran through the towne was paled vp (by them that lay before it) so that no man might passe either out or in, but onely on the lande side, and that with great daunger: The same day there came 2. or 3. men abord our shippe, that stole out of the towne by night, and came from the King, to desire our help with our great shot, which wee coulde not doe; because that therea­bouts it was very shallow, and we might not go neere it with our shippes: they tolde vs they had great want of victuailes within the towne, whereby many of them were already deade for hunger, and much desired our aide, but it was not in vs to doe. Those that besieged the towne were Mores, but they in the towne were hea­thens, and as yet had not receyued Mahomets lawe, and that (as wee heard after) was the cause of their warre: There wee sawe many Storkes flying and sitting in the fielde: with vs we cannot imagaine where the Storkes remaine in winter time, but here wee sawe them in the winter time.

The 24. of Ianuarie we sayled from thence, percey­uing nothing for vs to get, and tooke our course right ouer to the Island of Bally.

The 25. we came to Bally, where one of their barks borded vs, telling vs that there we should find a Riuer of fresh water, and of all thinges els sufficient to serue our necessities, wherevpon wee ankered.

The 26. of Ianuarie our Pinace sent her boat to land, to see the Riuer, and there one of our men was sent on shore, but when he was on land he found nothing, but an armie of ten thousand men, that ment to relieue the [Page 32] towne of Ballaboam, and the Riuer was nothing worth to lade water, wherevpon our men came on borde a­gaine: Their Generall thought to haue gotten some great pray out of our shippes.

The 27. of Ianuarie we set sayle to finde a conueni­ent place to refresh vs with water and other prouision, for wee were informed by a man of Bengala, that of his owne will sayled with vs, and that had beene in Bally, that there wee should finde water and other thinges to serue our necessities, so that by night wee ankered vn­der a high pointe of lande on the South west ende of Bally.

The 28. of Ianuary one of their boates borded vs with sixe or seuen men, saying that their King was de­sirous to deale with vs for such wares as hee had, and sent to know from whence we came, and we saide wee came out of Holland.

The 29. and 30. there came more men aborde our shippes, but as wee suspected that was not the right ha­uen, for the people came rowing in great haste a far off, and the man of Bengala could not tell what to say, but the King was thereabout, and euery day sent vs some fruit.

The first of February wee had two hogges brought aborde our shippes, that wee bought for two Ryalles of eyght, and we eate them very sauerly.

The 2. of Februarie, we set saile that wee might get aboue the point, where wee thought to finde a better place for freshe water, but by reason the winde was contrary, wee coulde not doe it, but were forced to an­ker againe.

[Page]The 3. of February we set saile againe, and then wee had a storme, so that our saile blew euery way, and be­cause of the contrarie winde we could not reach aboue the point, but were constrained to anker, but the Mau­ritius and the Pinace got past it, although thereby the Mauritius was in no little daunger; but because the Pi­lot had laid a wager of 6. Rialles of 8. that hee woulde get aboue it, hee would passe, what daunger soeuer it might be, and sayled close along by the cliffes, where­by wee lay at anker without companie.

The 4. and 5. wee set saile once againe to get aboue the point but could not reach it.

The 6. we had a letter from Rodenburgh, that certifi­ed vs how the Mauritius lay at anker at the least 7. or 8. miles beyond the point, and he that brought the letter came with it ouer land; and at the same time there was a man sent on lande with a small present for the King, that we might winne his fauour.

The 7. our man came on borde againe, and brought vs newes how Rodenburgh with one of the Portingalles slaues, being on lande were against their willes led be­fore the King, but the saylors of the Mauritius had got­ten men for pledges.

The 8. of Ianuarie, the same man went on land out of our shippe with more presentes of veluet and a cali­uer, the better to get the Kinges fauour, which liked him well, and desired vs to bring the ship nearer to the towne, saying he would send vs water and other things sufficient to supply our wants.

The 9. we sayled into the cheeke with our shippe, & ankered about a small halfe mile from the land, & being ankered there came at the least 70. boates of the Coun­trie [Page 33] to see our ship, and the King sent vs word that hee was desirous to heare vs shoote off 5. or 6. of our great peeces, wherevppon wee shot fiue of our greatest pee­ces, and the King stoode vppon the shore to see them.

The 10. we had a letter from Cornelis Houtman, to wil vs to come to them, for that there they had founde a good place for water, and of all other necessaries, so that about euening wee set sayle, leauing two of our men and a Portingall slaue among the Indians, whome the King promised should come vnto vs ouer land, yet that night wee could not reach aboue the point, meane time we perceyued our Pinace that came to helpe vs.

The 16. we got by the Mauritius, that had already laden in her water, and hooped her vessels, wherevpon we began presently to do the like, and to visite our ves­sels that were almost spoyled.

The 17. our men whome wee left with the King came ouer land vnto our shippes, and then we bought great store of cattle and fruit.

The 18. 19. 20. and 21. wee imployed our time to lade water, which wee had verie easily, and refreshed our selues with Cattle, Hogges, fruit, and Lemons suf­ficient. There came one of the Kinges principall offi­cers with our men ouer land, to pleasure vs in all things we desired, he was very desirous to haue some present of vs.

The 22. of Ianuarie two of our men that sayled in the Mauritius stayed on lande, but wee knewe not the cause: it should seeme some great promises had beene made vnto them, for as we vnderstoode, the King was very desirous to haue all sortes of strange nations about [Page] him, Two of our men stayed with the In­dians.but our people were therein much ouerseene, for there they liued among heathens, that neyther knewe God nor his commandementes, it appeared that their youthes and wilde heades did not remember it, one of their names was Emanuel Rodenburgh of Amsterdam, the other Iacob Cuyper of Delft: within a day or two they sent vnto vs for their clothes, but wee sent them not.

The 23. 24. and 25. we made a voyage on land, and fetcht as many Hogges abord our shippes as we could eate.

The 25. of Februarie we hoysed ankers, minding to set saile & so go homeward, leauing our 2. men aforesaid on land, but because it was calme weather we ankered, and went once againe on lande, and the 26. of the same Month wee set saile and helde our course West South west, but we had a calme.

THe Island of Baly lying at the East end of Iaua, is a verie fruitfull Islande of Ryce, Hennes, Hogges, that are verie good, and great store of cattle: but they are very drie and leane beastes. They haue many horses: the inhabitantes are heathens and haue no religion, for some pray to Kine, others to the Sunne, and euerie man as hee thinketh good. How 50. women burnt them selues with one man.When a man dyeth his wife burneth her selfe with him: there were some of their men aborde our shippes, that told vs, that when some man dyeth in that Countrey, that sometimes there are at the least fifty wo­men [Page 34] that will burne themselues with him, and she that doth not so is accounted for a dishonest woman: so that it is a common thing with them: The apparel both of men and women is for the most part like those of Ban­tam, nothing but a cloth about their middles: Their weapons is, each man a poinyarde at their backes, and a trunke with an iron point like a speare, about a fadom and a halfe long, out of the which they blowe certaine arrowes, whereof they haue a case full; it is an euil wea­pon for naked men: they are enemies to the Mores and Portingalles. This Island yeeldeth no spice, nor any o­ther costly ware, onely victuailes and clothes which they weare about their bodies, and slaues that are there to be solde. The King went with more state then the King of Bantam: all his garde had pikes with heades of fine gold, and he sate in a wagon that was drawen by 2. two white Buffles.

The first of March we had a calme.

The third we got a good wind that blew Southeast, holding our course West South west.

The fourteenth the wind blew stil South east, some­times more Southwarde, and sometimes Eastward, be­ing vnder 14. degrees, and a good sharpe gale, holding our course West Southwest: The situati­on of IauaThere we found that Ia­ua is not so broade, nor stretcheth it selfe not so much Southwarde, as it is set dovvne in the Carde: for if it were, we should haue passed clean through the middle of the land.

The 22. of March the winde helde as it did, be­ing vnder 19. degrees, holding our course West South west.

The 19. of April our ship had no more bread left, but [Page] for our last partition euery man had seuen pound, both good and badde breade, and from that time forwarde our meate was Rice sodden in water, and euery man had a canne of water euery day, with three romers of wine, and weekely each man three romers or glasses of oyle and that very strong, and nothing els.

The 20. we had a calme, the 21. a calme with a Nor­therne aire.

The 23. a good wind that blew Southwest.

The 24. we saw the firme lande of Aethiopia, being vnder 33 degrees, and as wee gessed, wee were then a­bout an hundred miles from the Cape de bona Sperance, yet we thought we had been at the least three hundred miles from it, so that wee may say, that God wrought wonderfully for vs: for that if wee had fallen by night vpon the land, we had surely runne vpon it: wee had a good winde out of the West, and West Southwest.

The 25. of Aprill in the morning wee had a calme, with a very hollow water, & at euening we had a good winde, that came North and Northeast, and although wee had so good a vvind yet our shippe bare but little sayle, although the other two shippes of our company were at the least two mile before vs, for most part of the night wee sayled with our schouer saile, holding our course Southwest & by West.

The 26. of Aprill in the morning we coulde not see our shippes, which pleased not our men, besides that our shippe was very weake, whereby her ribs shoke, and her ioynts with the force of the water opened and shut, so that as then our shippe was very leake, hauing the winde Northwest, holding our course as neere as wee could West Southwest, and then we put out our maine [Page 35] sayles, at noone the winde came West, with a great storme, so that most of our sayles blew in peeces, and so wee draue forward with out sayles.

The 27. of Aprill still driuing without sayle with a West winde, wee were vnder thirty sixe degrees, so that we found that the streame draue vs South & South West.

The 28. of Aprill still driuing without sailes, we had the height of 36. degrees and 20. minutes, and about euening we hoised saile againe, the winde being West Southwest, & we held our course Northwest with ve­ry hollow water.

The 29. of April we could not as yet see our shippes, the wind being West.

The 30. of Aprill we had fayre weather with a West and west South west wind, and then we saw many great birdes with white billes, which is a signe not to bee far from the Cape de bona Sperance, we likewise saw certain small birdes, speckled on their backes, and white vpon their breasts.

The first of May wee had a South vvinde with fayre weather, hauing 34. degrees and a halfe, holding our course West Southwest.

The seconde of May wee vvere vnder 35. degrees, and ½. holding our course West and West and by North.

The fourth of May we found our selues to be vnder 37. degrees South South east winde, our course being West and by North, and West North west.

The 5. and 6. of May we had all one winde at noone being vnder 35. degrees, wee thought wee had past the Cape, and held our course Northwest, towardes Saint [Page] Helena, still without sight of our ships.

The 8. of May with a South wind wee helde North West and by West.

Signes of the Cape de bona Spe­ranza.The 9. we had a calme with a gray sky, and were vn­der 31. degrees and twentie minutes, and then our por­tion of oyle was increased a glasse more euery weeke, so that euery man had foure glasses.

The 10. we had stil south winds, & were vnder 29. deg.

The 14. of Aprill twice or thrice we saw reedes, cal­led Trombos driuing on the water, being such as driue about the Cape de bona Speranza, which wee thought verie strange, for that the Portingals write, that they are seene but thirtie myles from the Cape, and wee gest our selues to be at the least 200. beyond it.

The 15. we still had a South east wind, & helde our course Northwest.

The 16. of Aprill in the morning we saw two ships, whereat we much reioyced, thinking they had beene our companie, we made to leewarde of them, and the smallest of them comming somewhat neere vs, about the length of the shotte of a great peece, shee made pre­sently toward her fellow, whereby we perceiued them to bee French men, yet wee kept to leeward, thinking they would haue come & spoken with vs, but it should seeme they feared vs, and durst not come, but held their course Northeast: at noone we had the height of 22. de­grees, and 50. minutes with a Southeast wind, holding our course Northwest.

The 17. of May wee were vnder 21. degrees and a halfe: the 18. the wind being Southerly, we vvere vnder 19. degrees and a halfe.

The 19. and 20. we had a calme with a Southern are.

[Page]

[Page] [Page 37]The 21. the ayre comming Southwest, we held our course Northwest, and were vnder 17. degrees and ⅔. partes: There we found the compasse to decline three quarters of a strike or line North eastward, after noone we had a Southeast wind, and our course West North­west.

The 22. of May we had still a Southeast winde, and were vnder the height of 16. degrees and 40. minutes, holding our course West Northwest.

The 23. of May, by reason of the cloudy sky, about noone we could not take the height of the Sunne, but as we gest we had the height of the Island of S. Helena, and held our course West and by South to keepe vnder that height, for there the compasses decline a whole strike or line: in the euening we found that we were vn­der 16. degrees.

The 24. of May in the morning wee discouered a Portingall ship, that stayed for vs, and put out a flagge of truce, and because our flagge of truce was not so readie as theirs, and we hauing the wind of him, therefore he shot two shootes at vs, and put forth a flagge out of his maine top, and we shot 5. or 6. times at him, and so held on our course without speaking to him, hauing a South east winde, holding our course West and by South to find the Island of S. Helena, which the Portingal likewise sought.

The 25. of May we discouered the Island of S. Hele­na, but we could not see the Portingal ship, still sayling with a stiffe Southeast wind, & about euening we were vnder the Island, which is very high lande, and may be seene at the least 14. or 15. miles off, and as we sayled a­bout the North point, there lay three other great Por­tingal ships, we being not aboue half a mile from them, [Page] wherevpon wee helde in the weather and to seawarde Northeast as much as we might. Foure Por­tingal ships richly ladenThe Portingalles per­ceyuing vs, the Admiral of their fleet shot off a peece to call their men that were on land to come a borde, and then wee saw foure of their shippes together, that were worth a great summe of money, at the least 300. tunnes of gold, for they were all laden with spices, precious stones, and other rich wares, and therefore wee durst not anker vnder the Island, but lay all night Northeast­warde, staying for our company.

The 26. of May in the morning wee made towardes the Island againe, with a good Southeast winde, and a­bout noone or somewhat past we discried two shippes, and about euening as we made towards them, we knew them to be our company, which made vs to reioice, for we had been asunder the space of a whole Month, & so we helde together and sayled homeward, holding our course Northwest: for as yet our men were well and in good health, and we found a good Southeast winde, and had water enough for foure or fiue monthes.

The 27. 28. 29. and 30. of May wee had a Southeast winde, with faire weather, and the 27. day we were vn­der 14. degrees, The first of Iune we were vnder 6. de­grees, with a Southest wind, holding our course north west, but by means of the Compasse that yeelded north eastward, we kept about Northvvest & by North. The 6. of Iune vve were vnder one degree on the South side of the line, there vvee founde that the streame draue vs fast into the West, and therefore vvee helde our course more Northernely, and sayled Northvvest & by north, vvith an East and South east vvind. They past the Equi­noctial line.The 7. of Iune wee past the Equinoctiall line, vvith an East vvinde, holding our course North Northvvest.

[Page 38]The 10. of Iune in the euening we were vnder 5. de­grees and a halfe on the North side of the line, and then we began again to see the north star, which for the space of 2. years we had not seene, holding our course North Northwest, there we began to haue smal blasts, & some times calmes, but the aire all South and Southeast.

The 11. of Iune we had a calme, and yet a darke sky, that came Southeastwarde. The 12. of Iune wee had a close sky with raine, and the same day about euening our fore top maste fell downe.

The 13. we strake all our sailes and mended our ship.

The 14. we had the wind Northward, holding our course West Northwest as neare as we coulde, but by reason of the thick sky wee could not take height of the Sun. The 15. of Iune we had the wind North, & North Northwest. The 16. of Iune wee had the height of 9. degrees & 10. minutes, the winde being Northeast and North Northeast. The 17. the winde was Northeast with fair weather, & we held Northwest, & northwest & by North till after noone. They tooke a great fish.The 18. we tooke a great fish called an Aluercoor, which serued vs all for 2. meals, which wee had not tasted of long time before.

The 26. we had still a Northeast winde, and some­times larger, holding our course North Northwest with large saile, and were vnder 17. degrees and ½.

The same day there came much dust flying into our shippe, as if we had past hard by some sandie downe, & we gest the nearest land to vs might be the Island of S. Anthony, and wee were as then at the least 40. or 50. miles from it: The same day likewise there came a fly­ing fish into our shippe, which we eat.

The 28. of Iune wee had the height of 20. degrees, with a East Northeast wind & East and by West, with [Page] full sayle, there we saw much Sargosse, driuing on the water. The last of Iune we had the Sun right ouer our heades, and yet we felt no heat, for that by reason of the cold ayre we had a fine coole weather. The same day we passed Tropicus Cancri, still hauing the winde East Northeast, and in the euening we were vnder 24. degr.

The second of Iuly we still saw Sargosse driuing vp­on the water, & had the wind somewhat lower North Northeast with a calme. The thirde of Iuly the winde came againe East Northeast, and wee helde our course North and by West. The 8. of Iuly wee were vnder 33. degrees & ½. with an East wind, holding our course North and by East, and yet we saw much Sargosse dri­uing, but not so thicke as it did before.

The 10. of Iuly we had a good wind that blew south and South and by East, and hoysted vp our maine tops, that for the space of 26. daies were neuer touched, and held our course North Northeast, there we were in no little feare to fall among the Spanish fleet, which at that time of the yeare keepeth about the Flemmish Islands.

The same day one of our boyes fell ouer bord, and was carried away with a swift streame before the wind, but to his great good fortune, the Pinace saued him, that was at the least a quarter of a mile from vs: this euening we found the height of 36. degrees.

The 12. of Iuly we had a Southwest wind, holding our course Northeast and by North: Our Pilot and the Pilot of the Pinnace differed a degree in the height of the Sunne, for ours had 38. degrees, and theirs but 37. We gest to be about the Islands of Corbo & Flo­res, but the one held more easterly, and the other more Westerly. The 13. of Iuly wee had still a Southwest winde, and after noone wee thought wee had seene [Page 39] land, but we were not assured thereof, for it was some­what close. The 14. of Iuly we had a calme, and saw no land, and then our men began to be sicke.

The 17. of Iuly wee had a South Southeast winde, with faire weather, and were vnder 41. degrees, holding our course East Northeast.

The 18. 19. 20. and 21. it was calme. The 22. of Iuly the winde came North, and wee helde our course East Southeast. The 23. of Iuly the wind was North North east and Northeast, and we held as near as we could East & East Southeast, the same day our steward found a bar­rell of stockfish in the roming, which if we had beene at home we would haue cast it on the dunghil, it stunke so filthily, & yet we eat it as sauerly as the best meat in the world.

The 24. we had a West wind, & that with so strong a gale, that wee were forced to set two men at helme, which pleased vs well.

The 25. of Iuly we had a storme that blew West and west Northwest, so that we bare but two sailes, holding our course Northeast and by East.

The first of August we were vnder 45. degrees with a North west wind, holding our course Northeast and by East.

The second of August one of our men called Gerrit Cornelison of Spijckenes died, being the first man that dy­ed in our voyage homeward.

The 4. of August we had a Northwest wind.

The 5. of August in the morning the winde came Southwest, and we were vnder 47. degrees, holding our course Northeast and the North Northeast, and wee gest that vvee vvere not farre from the channell, those dayes aforesaid vve had so great colde in our shippes, as [Page] if it had beene in the middle of winter: We could not be warme with all the clothes wee had. The same day we saw Sargosse driue vpon the water.

They saw a shippe with the Prince of Prince of Oranges flagge.The 6. of August we had a West wind, in the mor­ning cast out our lead and found grounde at 80. fa­dome, and about noone we saw a shippe that bare the Princes flagge, yet durst not come neare vs, although we made signes vnto him, and after noone wee saw the land of Heissant, whereat we all reioyced.

The 7. of August in the morning we saw the land of Fraunce, and held our course North northeast, and like­wise vve saw a small shippe, but spake not vvith it.

The 8. of August in the morning vve savv the Kiskas, and had a South vvind and somevvhat West, holding our course East Northeast.

They saw a man of warThe 9. of Augst vve entered the heades, and past them vvith a Southvvest vvind, sayling Northeast. Af­ter noone we past by a man of vvarre being a Hollander, that lay at anker, and hee hoysed anker to follow vs, a­bout euening vvee spake with him, but because of the wind wee coulde hardly heare what hee sid, yet hee sailed on with vs.

The man of war gaue them victu­ailes.The 10. of August the man of warre borded vs with his boat, and brought vs a barrell of Beere, some bread, and Cheese, shewing vs what news he could touching the state of Holland, and presently wee sawe the land of Holland, & because it blew very stiffe & a great storme, after noone wee ankered about Petten to stay for better weather, and some new Pilots, & that was the first time we had cast anker for the space of 5. monthes together, about euening it beganne to blow so stiffe, that wee lost both an anker and a cable.

The 11. of August we had still a Southerly winde, & [Page 40] therefore about noone the Mauritius set saile, and wee thought likewise to saile, but our men were so weake that we could not hoyse vp our anker, so that we were constrained to lie still till men came out to helpe vs, a­bout euening the winde came Southwest, and with so great a storme, that we thought to haue run vpon the strand, They cut down their main mast.and were forced to cut downe our maine maste.

The 12. and 13. we had a hard South west wind, & sometimes West, so that no Pilots came abord our ship, but the 13. day about euening it began to be faire wea­ther.

The 14. of August about breake of day in the mor­ning, there came two boats with Pilots and men abord our ship, that were sent out by our owners, & brought vs some fresh victuailes, which done they hoysed vp our ankers, and about noone we sayled into the Tessel, and ankered in the channell, where we had fresh victu­ailes enough, for we were all very weake.

This was a great noueltie to all the Marchantes and inhabitantes of Hollande, for that wee went out from thence the second of April 1595. and returned home a­gain vpon the 14. of August 1597. there you might haue bought of the Pepper, Nutmegs, Cloues, and Mace, which vvee brought vvith vs. Our saylors vvere most part sicke, being but 80. men in all, tvvo third partes of their company being dead, & lost by diuers accidentes, and among those forescore such as vvere sicke, as soone as they vvere on land and at their ease presently recoue­red their healthes.