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Richard Hakluyt - Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation, 10
continue there (as I sayd before) and fearing that those English men finding good vent for their
commodities in that place, would be resident therin, and so dayly increase, which would be no small
losse and hinderance vnto them, did presently inuent all the subtile meanes they could to hinder them:
and to that end they went vnto the Captaine of Ormus, as then called Don Gonsalo de Meneses, telling
him that there were certaine English men come into Ormus, that were sent onely to spie the countrey; and
sayd further, that they were heretikes: and therefore they sayd it was conuenient they should not be
suffered so to depart without being examined, and punished as enemies, to the example of others. The
Captaine being a friend vnto the English men, by reason that one of them which had bene there before,
had giuen him certaine presents, would not be perswaded to trouble them, but shipped them with all their
wares in a shippe that was to saile for Goa, and sent them to the Viceroy, that he might examine and trie
them, as he thought good: where when they were arriued, they were cast into prison, and first examined
whether they were good Christians or no: and because they could speake but badde Portugall, onely two
of them spake good Dutch, as hauing bene certaine yeres in the Low countreyes, and there traffiked,
there was a Dutch Iesuite born in the towne of Bruges in Flanders, that had bene resident in the Indies for
the space of thirty yers, sent vnto them, to vndermine and examine them: wherein they behaued
themselues so well, that they were holden and esteemed for good Catholicke Christians: yet still
suspected, because they were strangers, and specially English men. The Iesuites still tolde them that they
should be sent prisoners into Portugall, wishing them to leaue off their trade of marchandise, and to
become Iesuites, promising them thereby to defend them from all trouble. The cause why they sayd so,
and perswaded them in that earnest maner, was, for that the Dutch Iesuite had secretly bene aduertised of
great summes of money which they had about them, and sought to get the same into their fingers, for that
the first vowe and promise they make at their entrance into their Order, is to procure the welfare of their
sayd Order, by what meanes soeuer it be. But although the English men denied them, and refused the
Order, saying, that they were vnfit for such places, neuerthelesse they proceeded so farre, that one of
them, being a Painter that came with the other three for company, to see the countreys, and to seeke his
fortune, and was not sent thither by the English marchants, partly for feare, and partly for want of meanes
to relieue himselfe, promised them to become a Iesuite: and although they knew and well perceiued he
was not any of those that had the treasure, yet because he was a Painter, whereof there are but few in
India, and that they had great need of him to paint their Church, which otherwise would cost them great
charges, to bring one from Portugall, they were very glad thereof, hoping in time to get the rest of them
with all their money into their fellowship: so that to conclude, they made this Painter a Iesuite, where he
remained certaine dayes, giuing him good store of worke to doe, and entertaining him with all the fauour
and friendship they could deuise, and all to winne the rest, to be a pray for them: but the other three
continued still in prison, being in great feare, because they vnderstood no man that came to them, nor any
man almost knew what they sayd: till in the end it was tolde them that certaine Dutch men dwelt in the
Archbishops house, and counsell giuen them to send vnto them, whereat they much reioyced, and sent to
me and an other Dutch man, desiring vs at once to come and speake with them, which we presently did,
and they with teares in their eyes made complaint vnto vs of their hard vsage, shewing vs from point to
point (as it is sayd before) why they were come into the countrey, withall desiring vs for Gods cause, if
we might by any meanes, to helpe them, that they might be set at liberty vpon sureties, being ready to
endure what iustice should ordaine for them, saying, that if it were found contrary, and that they were
other then trauelling marchants, and sought to finde out further benefit by their wares, they would be
content to be punished. With that we departed from them, promising them to do our best: and in the end
we obtained so much of the archbishop, that he went vnto the Viceroy to deliuer our petition, and
perswaded him so well, that he was content to set them at libertie, and that their goods should be
deliuered vnto them againe, vpon condition they should put in sureties for two thousand pardawes, not to
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