and the chiefest about his Majestie. The particulers of my service, for divers good and reasonable causes, I forbeare here to put downe in writing. After leave obtained, and an honourable reward bestowed by the Emperour upon me, I departed from his Court at Marocco the 18. of August 1588. toward a garden of his, which is called Shersbonare, where he promised mee I should stay but one day for his letters: howbeit, upon some occasion I was stayed until the 14. of September at the kings charges, with 40. or 50. shot attending upon me for my guard and safetie. From thence at length I was conducted with all things necessary to the port of Santa Cruz, being sixe dayes journey from Marocco, and the place where our shippes do commonly take in their lading, where I arrived the 21. of the same moneth. In this port I stayed 43. dayes, and at length the second of November I embarqued my selfe, and one Marshok Reiz a Captaine and a Gentleman, which the Emperour sent with mee upon an Ambassage to her Majestie and after much torment and foule weather at Sea, yet New-yeres day I came on land at S. Ives in Cornwall, from whence passing by land both together up towards London, we were met without the citie with the chiefest marchants of the Barbary Company, well mounted all on horsebacke, to the number of 40. or 50. horse, and so the Ambassadour and my selfe being both in Coche, entred the citie by torchlight, on Sunday at night the 12. of January 1589. : This is a copy well and truely translated of an edict of Muley Hamet king of Fez and Emperour of Marocco, whose tenor is as followeth to wit, that no Englishmen should be molested or made slaves in any part of his Dominions, obtained by the aforesaid M. Henry Roberts. In the Name of the pitifull and the merciful God, &c. The servant of the supreme God, the conqueror in his cause, the successor advanced by God, the Emperour of the Moores, the sonne of the Emperour of the Moores, the Jariffe, the Haçeny, whose honour God long increase and advance his estate. This our princely commandement is delivered into the hands of the English marchants, which remaine in the protection of our stately palaces : to the ende that all men which shall see this present writing, may understand that our princely counsaile wil defend them by the favor of God, from any thing that may impeach or hurt them in what sort soever they shalbe wronged: and that, which way soever they shall travaile, no man shall take them captives in these our kingdomes, ports, and places which belong unto us, which also may protect and defend them by our authoritie from any molestation whatsoever and that no man shall hinder them by laying violent hand upon them, and shall not give occasion that they may be grieved in any sort by the favour and assistance of God. And we charge and command our officers of our havens and fortresses, and all such as beare any authoritie in these our dominions, and likewise all the common people, that in no wise they do molest them, in such sort that they be no way offended or wronged. And this our commandement shall remaine inviolable, being registred in the middest of the moneth of Rabel in the yeere 996. The date of this letter agreeth with the 20. of March 1587. which I Abdel Rahman el Catan, interpretour for his Majestie, have translated and turned out of the Arabian into Spanish word for word as is conteined therein and in witnesse thereof have subscribed my name as aforesaid. Abdel Rahman el Catan. In the Name of the mercifull and pitifull God. The blessing of God light upon our Lord and prophet Mahumet, and those that are obedient unto him. THE servant of God both mightie in warre and mightily exalted by the grace of God Myra Momanyn, the son of Myra Momanyn, the Jariff, the Hazeni, whose kingdoms God maintaine and advance his authoritie: Unto the right famous, right noble, & right highly esteemed Erle of Leicester, after due praises given unto God, & due blessings and salutations rendred unto the prophet Mahumet. These are to give you to understand, that your letters arrived here in our royal Court, and we wel perceive the contents thereof. And your Ambassador which remaineth here in our Court told me the cause of the slownesse of the gages or pledges until this time: which reckoning we accept of, and holde our selves as satisfied. And as touching the matter wherof you write unto us concerning John Herman, and the selfe same complaint which your Ambassador hath made of him, before the comming of your letter we had already commaunded him to be taken upon the complaint which your Ambassadour had made of him, whereupon he stil remaineth in hold, and shal so continue until further justice be done upon him according to his desert. And so our Lord keepe you in his safegard. Written at our royall court in Marocco, which God maintaine, the 20. day of the moneth Remodan, Anno 996. The Queenes Majesties letters to the Emperour of Marocco. RIGHT high and mightie Prince, Having understood from our Agent the great affection and good wil which you beare us, and how great honour and favor you shew him for our sake, to the end to give us more ample testimonie of your friendship, we have received very great contentment & satisfaction, aswel of the one as of the other : and withall we could not omit to magnifie you, according to your desert. We have also received your letters, and do not a litle rejoyce thereof, because they come from a prince unto whom we are so much beholden. Our Agent hath written unto us concerning certaine things which you desire to bee sent unto you from hence. And albeit we wish that we could particularly satisfie you, as you desire, yet it is fallen out, that the warres, wherin at this present we be busied, wil not suffer us fully to doe the same: neverthelesse, wee have commaunded to satisfie you in part, and according as the present necessitie doeth permit us, as our Agent will declare unto you more particularly, hoping you will receive it in good part, and according to the good will wherewith wee graunt the same. And because it hath bene signified unto us that you have promised to proceed in justice against one John Herman our subject, which hath grievously offended us, in such sort as wee have sent word unto you, wee have given order to our said Agent to informe you more particularly in that which we desire to be done in this busines, praying you also to command the same to be put in execution: and that it would please you alwayes to favour our said Agent and to hold him in good credite, as you have done hitherto, not suffering your selfe to be changed in your opinion, for all the false reports which they may raise against him, nor to doubt that wee will not accomplish at large all that he shall promise you on our behalfe. Our Lord keepe and preserve your right high and mightie person. Written in our royall Court at Greenwich the 20. of July 1587. A voyage to the Azores with two pinases, the one called the Serpent, and the other the Mary Sparke of Plimouth, both of them belonging to Sir Walter Ralegh, written by John Evesham Gentleman, wherein were taken the governour, of the Isle of Sainct Michael, and Pedro Sarmiento governour of the Straits of Magalanes, in the yeere 1586. THE 10. of June 1586. we departed from Plimouth with two Pinases, the one named the Serpent, of the burden of 35. Tunnes, and the other the Mary Sparke of Plimouth of the burthen of 50. Tuns, both of them belonging to sir Walter Ralegh knight; and directing our course towards the coast of Spaine, & from thence towards the Isles of the Azores, we tooke a small barke laden with Sumacke and other commodities, wherein was the governour of S. Michaels Island, being a Portugal, having other Portugals and Spaniards with him. And from thence we sailed to the Island of Graciosa, to the Westward of the Island of Tercera, where we discried a saile, and bearing with her wee found her to be a Spaniard: But at the first not greatly respecting whom we tooke, so that we might have enriched our selves, which was the cause of this our travaile, and for that we would not bee knowen of what nation we were, wee displayed a white silke ensigne in our maine toppe, which they seeing, made accompt that we had bene some of the king of Spaines Armadas, lying in wait for English men of war: but when we came within shot of her, we tooke downe our white flagge, and spread abroad the Crosse of S. George, which when they saw, it made them to flie as fast as they might, but all their haste was in vaine, for our shippes were swifter of saile then they, which they fearing, did presently cast their ordinance and small shot with many letters, and the draft of the Straights of Magelan into the Sea, and thereupon immediatly we tooke her, wherein wee also tooke a gentleman of Spaine, named Pedro Sarmiento, governour of the Straights of Magelan, which saide Pedro we brought into England with us, and presented him to our soveraigne Lady the Queene. After this, lying off and about the Islands, wee descried another saile, and bearing after her, we spent the maine maste of our Admirall, but yet in the night our Viceadmirall, tooke her, being laden with fish from Cape Blanke, the which shippe wee let goe againe for want of men to bring her home. The next day we discried two other sailes, the one a shippe and the other a Caravel, to whom we gave chase, which they seeing, with all speede made in under the Isle of Graciosa, to a certaine Fort there for their succour, where they came to an anker, and having the winde of us we could not hurt them with our ships, but we having a small boate, which we called a light horseman, wherein my selfe was, being a Musqueter, and foure more with Calivers, and foure that rowed, came neere unto the shore against the winde, which when they saw us come towards them they caried a great part of their marchandise on land, whither also the men of both vessels went and landed, and as soone as we came within Musquet shot, they began to shoote at us with great ordinance and small shot, and we likewise at them, and in the ende we boorded one shippe wherein was no man left, so we cut her cables, hoysed her sailes, and sent her away with two of our men, and the other 7. of us passed more neere unto the shoare, and boorded the Caravel, which did ride within a stones cast from the shoare, and so neere the land that the people did cast stones at us, but yet in despight of them all we tooke her, and one onely Negro therein; and cutting her cables in the hawse we hoysed her sailes and being becalmed under the land, we were constrained to rowe her out with our boate, the Fort still shooting at us, and the people on land with Musquets and calivers, to the number of 150. or thereabout: and we answered them with the small force wee had; In the time of which our shooting, the shot of my Musquet being a crossebarre-shot happened to strike the gunner of the fort to death, even as he was giving level to one of his great pieces, and thus we parted from them without any losse or hurt on our side. And now, having taken these five sailes of shippes, we did as before, turne away the shippe with the fish, without hurting them, and from one of the other shippes wee tooke her maine Maste to serve our Admirals turne, and |