mission the king with all obedience received: and after the perusing of the same, he foorthwith commanded all the English captives to be brought before him, and then willed the keeper to strike off all our yrons, which done, the king said, You Englishmen, for that you did offend the lawes of this place, by the same lawes therefore some of your company were condemned to die as you knowe, and you to bee perpetuall captives during your lives: notwithstanding, seeing it hath pleased my soveraigne lord the great Turke to pardon your said offences, and to give you your freedome and libertie, beholde, here I make delivery of you to this English Gentleman: so hee delivered us all that were there, being thirteene in number, to Master Barton, who required also those two yong men which the Kings sonne had taken with him. king answered that it was against their lawe to deliver Then the them, for that they were turned Turkes: and touching the ship and goods, the king said, that he had solde her, but would make restitution of the value, and as much of the goods as came unto his hands, and so the king arose and went to dinner, and commaunded a Jew to goe with Master Barton and the other commissioners, to shew them their lodging, which was a house provided and appointed them by the said king. And because I had the Italian & Spanish tongues, by which their most trafique in that countrey is, Master Barton made me his Cater to buy his victuals for him and his company, and delivered me money needfull for the same. Thus were wee set at libertie the 28. day of April, 1585.

Nowe to returne to the kings plagues and punishments, which Almighty God at his will and pleasure sendeth upon men in the sight of the worlde, and likewise of the plagues that befell his children and others aforesaide. First when wee were made bondmen, being the second day of May 1584. the king had 300. captives, and before the moneth was expired, there died of them of the plague 150. And whereas there were 26. men of our company, of whom two were hanged, and one died the same day that wee were made bondslaves: that present moneth there died nine more of our company of the plague, and other two were forced to turne Turkes as before is rehearsed and on the fourth day of June next following the king lost 150. camels, which were taken from him by the wilde Moores: and on the 28. day of the saide

moneth of June, one Geffrey Maltese, a renegado of Malta, ranne away to his countrey, and stole a Brigandine which the king had builded for to take the Christians withall, and caried with him twelve Christians more which were the kings captives. Afterward about the tenth day of July next following, the king road foorth upon the greatest and fairest mare that might be seene, as white as any swanne: hee had not ridden fourtie paces from his house, but on a sudden the same mare fell downe under him starke dead, and I with sixe more were commaunded to burie her, skinne, shoes and all, which we did. And about three moneths after our deliverie, Master Barton, with all the residue of his company, departed from Tripolie to Zante, in a vessell, called a Settea, of one `Marcus Segoorus, who dwelt in Zante, and after our arrivall at Zante wee remained fifteene dayes there aboorde our vessell, before wee coulde have Platego (that is, leave to come a shoare) because the plague was in that place, from whence wee came: and about three dayes after we came a shoare, thither came another Settea of Marseils bound for Constantinople. Then did Master Barton, and his company, with two more of our company, shippe themselves as passengers in the same Settea, and went to Constantinople. But the other nine of us that remained in Zante, about three moneths after, shipt our selves in a shippe of the said Marcus Segoorus, which came to Zante, and was bound for England. In which three moneths, the souldiers of Tripolie killed the said king. And then the Kings sonne, according to the custome there, went to Constantinople, to surrender up all his fathers treasure, goods, captives, and concubines, unto the great Turke, and tooke with him our saide Purser Richard Burges, and James Smith, and also the other two Englishmen, which he the said kings sonne had inforced to become Turkes, as is aforesayd. And they the said Englishmen finding now some opportunitie, concluded with the Christian captives which were going with them unto Constantinople, being in number about one hundred and fiftie, to kill the kings sonne, and all the Turkes which were aboord of the Galley, and privily the saide Englishmen conveyed unto the saide Christian captives, weapons for that purpose. And when they came into the maine Sea, towarde Constantinople (upon the faithfull promise of the sayde Christian captives (these foure Englishmen lept suddenly into the

Crossia, that is, into the middest of the Galley, where the canon lieth, and with their swordes drawne, did fight against all the foresaid Turkes, and for want of helpe of the saide Christian captives, who falsly brake their promises, the said Master Blonkets boy was killed, and the sayde James Smith, and our Pursser Richard Burges, and the other Englishman, were taken and bound into chaines, to be hanged at their arrivall in Constantinople and as the Lordes will was, about two dayes after, passing through the gulfe of Venice, at an Island called Cephalonia, they met with two of the duke of Venice his Gallies, which tooke that Galley, and killed the kings sonne, and his mother, and all the Turkes that were there, in number 150. and they saved the Christian captives, and would have killed the two Englishmen because they were circumcised, and become Turkes, had not the other Christian captives excused them, saying, that they were inforced to be Turkes, by the kings sonne, and shewed the Venetians also, how they did enterprise at sea to fight against all the Turks, and that their two fellowes were slaine in that fight. Then the Venetians saved them, and they, with all the residue of the said captives, had their libertie, which were in number 150. or thereabouts, and the saide Gallie, and all the Turkes treasure was confiscated to the use of the state of Venice. And from thence our two Englishmen traveiled homeward by land, and in this meane time we had one more of our company, which died in Zante, and afterward the other eight shipped themselves at Zante, in a shippe of the said Marcus Segorus, which was bound for England and before we departed thence, there arrived the Assension, and the George Bonaventure of London in Cephalonia, in a harbour there, called Arrogostoria, whose Marchants agreed with the Marchants of our shippe, and so laded al the marchandise of our shippe into the said ships of London, who tooke us eight in as passengers, and so we came home, and within two moneths after our arrival at London, our said Purser Richard Burges, and his fellow came home also: for the which we are bound to praise Almightie God, during our lives, and as duetie bindeth us, to pray for the preservation of our most gracious Queene, for the great care her Majestie had over us, her poore Subjects, in seeking and procuring of our deliverance aforesaide: and also for her honourable privie Counsell, and I especiall for the prosperitie and good

:

estate of the house of the late deceased, the right honourable the Earle of Bedford, whose honour I must confesse, most diligently at the suite of my father now departed, traveiled herein for the which I rest continually bounden to him, whose soule I doubt not, but is already in the heavens in joy, with the Almightie, unto which place he vouchsafe to bring us all, that for our sinnes suffered most vile and shameful death upon the Crosse, there to live perpetually world without ende, Amen.

The Queenes letters to the Turke 1584. for the restitution of the shippe called the Jesus, and the English captives detained in Tripolie in Barbarie, and for certaine other prisoners in Argier.

ELIZABETH, by the grace of the most high God, and onely maker of heaven and earth, of England, France and Ireland Queene, and of the Christian faith, against all the Idolaters and false professors of the Name of Christ dwelling among the Christians, most invincible and puissant defender to the most valiant and invincible Prince, Zultan Murad Can, the most mightie ruler of the kingdome of Musulman, and of the East Empire the onely and highest Monarch above all, health, and many happy and fortunate yeres, with great aboundance of the best things.

Most noble and puissant Emperour, about two yeeres nowe passed, wee wrote unto your Imperiall Majestie, that our welbeloved servant, William Hareborne, a man of great reputation and honour, might be received under your high authoritie, for our Ambassadour in Constantinople, and other places, under the obedience of your Empire of Musulman: And also that the Englishmen, being our Subjects, might exercise entercourse and marchandize in all those Provinces, no lesse freely then the French, Polonians, Venetians, Germanes, and other your confederats, which traveile through divers of the East parts endevouring that by mutuall trafique, the East may be joyned and knit to the West.

Which privileges, when as your most puissant Majestie, by your letters and under your dispensation most liberally and favourably granted to our Subjects of England, wee could no lesse doe, but in that respect give you as great thankes, as our heart could conceive, trusting that it wil come to passe, that this order of trafique, so well ordeined, will bring with it selfe most great profits and

commodities to both sides, as well to the parties subject to your Empire, as to the Provinces of our kingdome. Which thing that it may be done in plaine and effectuall maner, whereas some of our Subjects of late at Tripolis in Barbarie, and at Argier, were by the inhabitants of those places (being perhaps ignorant of your pleasure) evill intreated and grievously vexed, wee doe friendly and lovingly desire your Imperiall Majestie, that you will understand their causes by our Ambassadour, and afterward give commaundement to the Lieutenants and Presidents of those Provinces, that our people may henceforth freely, without any violence, or injurie, traveile, and do their businesse in those places.

And we againe with all endevour, shall studie to performe all those things, which we shall in any wise understand to be acceptable to your Imperiall Majestie, which God, the onely maker of the world, most best and most great, long keepe in health, and flourishing. Given in our pallaice at London, the fift day of the moneth of September, in the yeere of Jesus Christ our Saviour, 1584. And of our raigne, the 26.

The Turkes letter to the King of Tripolis in Barbarie, commanding the restitution of an English ship, called the Jesus, with the men, and goods, sent from Constantinople, by Mahomet Beg, a Justice of the Great Turkes, and an English Gentleman, called Master Edward Barton. Anno 1584.

HONOURABLE, and worthy Bassa Romadan Beglerbeg, most wise and prudent Judge of the West Tripolis, wee wish the ende of all thy enterprises happie, and prosperous. By these our highnesse letters, wee certifie thee, that the right honourable, William Hareborne, Ambassadour in our most famous Porch, for the most excellent Queenes Majestie of England, in person, and by letters hath certified our highnesse, that a certaine shippe, with all her furniture, and artillerie, worth two thousand duckets, arriving in the port of Tripolis, and discharged of her lading and marchandize, paide our custome according to order, and againe, the marchants laded their shippe with oyle, which by constraint they were inforced to buy of you, & having answered in like maner the custome for the same, determined to depart: a Frenchman assistant to the Marchant, unknowen to the Englishmen, caried away