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Richard Hakluyt - Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation, 10
hee ment to rob vs, being very licentious and euill minded.
[The Emperour ment to fall vpon the ships to rob them.] The 8. of Iuly the Emperour sent vnto our ships,
and offered to make them a banket, bidding all the Captaines, maisters, Pilots, Gentlemen, Officers,
Trumpets, 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 out warehouse and into our
ships, offering vs Pepper, but our Factor offered them to 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 them.] About the same time the Portingalles made great sute vnto the Gouernour, promising him
many giftes to deny vs traffike, 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 Pedro Truide, a man well seene in trauayling, and one that had beene in
all places of the world: He was our good friend, and 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, and 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 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.
The situation of the towne of Bantam, the principall towne of traffique in
the Island of Iaua, their strength and manner of building, with their
traffique, what people come thither, what wares are there most desired,
what nations bring them thither, or come to fetch them, together with
their religion, customes and manner of house keeping.
Bantam lyeth in the Islande of Iaua maior, about 25. miles to sea ward within the Isle, between Sumatra
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