INTRODUCTION.
The volume herewith given to the members of the Hakluyt Society, contains six narratives by Italians, of their travels in Persia about the time of Shah Ismail. Mr. Charles Grey, who has translated and edited four of these travels, having accompanied Sir Bartle Frere to Zanguibar, has been unable to finish the printing of his book, and the correction of his proofs has been entrusted to me. As all these travellers were almost contemporaries, and as they refer to one another, the council have thought it best to give them to members in one single volume.
Shah Ismail, or Ismail Sufy, is the chief personage in this volume; he found Persia in disorder, and reunited it; he revived the Persian nationality, and very much increased the division which existed between Persia and the rest of the Mussulman States; a division or schism which has been erroneously called religious, but which originally was national and political, and, as revived and augmented by Shah Ismail, entirely national. The feelings which animated the earlier Persians to reject the first three caliphs, were the national repulsion of the Persians to their Arab conquerors, and a preference for hereditary succession instead of popular election. Shah Ismail took advantage of these national sentiments and dynastic traditions, without which Persia, overrun as it was by Turkish tribes, would have merged into the Ottoman Empire. Shah Ismail did his work so effectually, that Nadir Shah was unable to undo it, and was assassinated for attempting it; and, though the greater part of the Persian population and the reigning dynasty at this day speak Turkish as their own language, yet they are as Persian in feeling as the Persian inhabitants of Shiraz and Isfahan.
Of the Italian travellers and envoys, whose narratives are here given, Josafa Barbaro is the most interesting personage: but none of them attract the same interest which attaches to Varthema, or to the Portuguese and Spanish travellers and voyagers of the same period.
The travels of Barbaro and Contarini have long been ready for publication, but have been delayed hitherto, for want of an editor. The work was undertaken by Sir Henry Rawlinson and Lord Strangford, but the former had not time to attend to it, and the latter died before he had really commenced it.
The translation of Contarini was done by Mr. Roy of the British Museum, who also made a translation of Josafa Barbaro, and a question arose whether Mr. Roy’s translation, or the quaint old translation of William Thomas, should be published by the Society. I decided in favour of Thomas’ translation, partly in deference to what I knew was the opinion in its favour of Lord Strangford, on account of its interest as English of the time of Edward VI, shewing much better orthography than that current at a later period (Fanshaw’s translation of Camoens for instance), and partly on account of the interest which attaches (especially to members of the Hakluyt Society) to Mr. Thomas and his unfortunate end.
Chalmers’ Biography tells us that Mr. William Thomas was a learned writer of the sixteenth century, and was born in Wales, or was at least of Welsh extraction, and was educated at Oxford. Wood says, that a person of both his names was in 1529 admitted a bachelor of Canon Law, but does not say that it was this person. In 1544, being obliged to quit the kingdom on account of some misfortune, he went to Italy, and in 1546 was at Bologna, and afterwards at Padua; in 1549 he was again in London, and on account of his knowledge of modern languages, was made clerk of the council to King Edward VI, who soon after gave him a prebend of St. Paul’s, and the living of Presthend, in South Wales. According to Strype, he acted very unfairly in procuring the prebend, not being a spiritual person; and the same objection undoubtedly rests against his other promotion. On the accession of Queen Mary, he was deprived of his employment at Court, and is said to have meditated the death of the Queen; but Ball says it was Gardiner whom he formed a design of murdering. Others think that he was concerned in Wyatt’s rebellion. It is certain, that for some of these charges he was committed to the Tower in 1553, together with William Winter and Sir Nicholas Throgmorton. Wood says, “He was a man of a hot fiery spirit, had sucked in damnable principles, by his frequent conversations with Christopher Goodman, that violent enemy to the rule of women. It appears that he had no rule over himself, for about a week after his commitment he attempted suicide, but the wound not proving mortal, he was arraigned at Guildhall, May 9th, 1553, and hanged at Tyburn on the 18th.”
Chalmers gives the following list of his works:—
1. “The History of Italy.” Lond. 1549, 1561, 4to.
2. “The Principal Rules of the Italian Grammar, with a Dictionary for the better understanding of Boccace, Petrarch, and Dante.” Ibid. 1550, 1561, 1567, 4to.
3. “Le Peregrynne, or, a defence of King Henry VIII to Aretine, the Italian poet.” MSS. Cott., Vesp. D 18, in Bodl. Library. This, Wood says, was about to be published in the third volume of Brown’s “Fasciculus.”
4. “Common Places of State,” written for the use of Edward VI. MS. Cotton.
5. “Of the Vanity of the World.” Lond. 1549, 8vo.
6. “Translation of Cato’s speech, and Valerius’s answer; from the 4th Decade of Livy.” Ibid. 1551, 12mo.
He also made some translations from the Italian, which are still in manuscript.
Mr. Thomas might have rendered further service to letters, instead of mixing himself up in conspiracies, had he received a favourable answer to an application which he made to Cecil, to be sent at the expense of the Government to Italy. A copy of his letter to Cecil, taken from the original at the Record Office, here follows:—
To the right honorable Sʳ William Cecill Knight one of the King’s Mag. twoo principall Secretaries.
Sʳ myne humble comᵉndacons remembered According to yoʳ pleasʳᵉ declared unto me at my departure I opened to my L of Pembroke the consideracon of the warde which you procured for yoʳ Sister wherein he is the best contented man that may be and made me this answer that though he wrote at his friends request yet he wrote unto his friende to be considered as it might be wᵗʰ yoʳ owne comoditie and none otherwise ffor if he had knowen so much before as I tolde him he wolde for nothing have troubled yᵒ wᵗʰ so unfriendly a request Assuring yoᵘ faithfully that I who have knowen him a good while never sawe him more bent to any man of yoʳ degree than I perceave he is unto yoᵘ and not without cause he thanketh yoᵘ hertily for yoʳ newes yoᵘ sent him And Sʳ whereas at my departure we talked of Venice considering the stirre of the worlde is nowe like to be very great those waies I coulde finde in myne hert to spende a yere or two there if I were sent I have not disclosed thus much to any man but to yoᵘ nor entende not to do. wherefore it may please yoᵘ to use it as yoᵘ shall thinke good Howe so ever it be yoʳ may be sure to commande me as the least in yoᵘ house. And so I humbly take my leave. ffrom Wilton the xiiijᵗʰ of August 1552.
Yoʳˢ assuredly to thuttermost
Willm Thomas.
From the following extracts from the indictment, and other records of his trial, taken from the Record Office, it will be seen that he did conspire against Queen Mary, and not only, as Ball supposes, against Gardiner.
Report of Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, iv, p. 248.
Pouch Nᵒ. xxx in the Record Office contains a file of 11 membranes, relating to the Trial and conviction of William Thomas for high treason. The Indictment found against him at Guildhall, dated 8 May, 1 Mary, 1554, charges that, he hearing of the proposed marriage between the Queen and Philip, Prince of Spain, had a discourse with one Nicholas Arnolde, late of London, Knight, as to the manner in which such marriage could be prevented or impeded, upon which the said William Thomas put various arguments against such marriage in writing, and afterwards, to wit 21 December, 1 Mary, at London, in the parish of Sᵗ Alban, in the ward of Cripplegate, the said William Thomas compassed and imagined the death of the Queen.
And afterwards, on the 22ᵈ December, in order to carry his wicked intentions into effect, he went into the house of the said Sir Nicholas, in the parish of Sᵗ. Bartholomew the Less, in the ward of Farringdon Without, and there had a traitorous discourse with the said Nicholas, to the following effect:—“Whether were it not a good ‘devise’ to have all these perils that we have talked of, taken away with very little bloodshed, that is to say, by killing of the Queen. I think John Fitzwilliams might be persuaded to do it, because he seems by his countenance to be so manly a man, that he will not refuse any peril that might come to his own person, to deliver his whole native country from so many and so great dangers, as be offered thereunto, if he might be made to understand them”; which words the said Sir Nicholas, afterwards, viz., 24 December, at London, in the parish of Sᵗ. Anne, in the ward of Aldersgate, repeated to James Croftes, Knight, one of the conspirators with Sir Thomas Wyatt, a traitor who had been attainted for levying war against the Queen, whereof the said James Croftes was also attainted.
And the said William Thomas, not contented with the before-mentioned treasons, in order more fully to fulfil such his imaginations, 27 December, went from London to Devonshire, to a place called Mount Sautrey, then inhabited by Peter Caro, Knight, with which Peter Caro, an abominable traitor, the said William Thomas had a traitorous conference and consultation, and then and there aided the said Peter Caro; and afterwards, to wit, 4 February, fled from Mount Sautrey, from county to county, in disguise, not knowing where to conceal himself; and yet he did not desist from sending seditious bills and letters to his friends, declaring his treasonable intentions, in order that he might induce them to join him in his treasons.
Membrane I, Wednesday, 9 May, 1 Mary, London.
Record of Sessions, held at Guildhall, before the said Sir Thomas Whyte, and his fellows setting forth.
1 May, 1 Mary, London—Special Commission of Oyer Terminer.
8 May, 1 Mary, London—Indictment as before mentioned.
William Thomas, being brought to the bar by the Constable of the Tower, pleads Not Guilty.
Venire, awarded instanter.
Verdict, Guilty.
Judgment as usual in cases of High Treason.
Execution at Tyburn.
Record delivered into Court, by William, Marquis of Winchester, on Monday next, after the Octaves of the Holy Trinity, 1 Mary.