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And for our English broad cloth, I canot find that any greate quantety will be vented in Japon. For they use it not in garmentes, except som fewe in an outward cloak or garment now of late. But the greatest use they put it to is for cases or coveringes for armours, pikes, langenattes, cattans, or sables, with muskettes or guns. And the best cullars are stametes or blackes, with reddes, for venting any quantetie. And the best tyme is against warrs, for then every noble man will have his armours and munition sett out in gallant sort. But clothes of above xxli. str. a whole clo. are too deare for Japon, for they doe not respect soe much the fynenesse of the cloth as they do the quantetie of the measure. And the cullers which are best after black and redd are sadd blewes, culler du roy, or mingled cullers neare unto that of culler due roy.
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So that, to conclude this tediouse and unprofitable discourse, I esteem our Japon trade alltogether unprofetable, yf wee procure not trade into China. But, yf it please God that your Wors. lay hould or determen to sett foote in the Molucas, then Japon must be your store howse, as it is the Hollanders. For from hence they make their provition in aboundance, viz. great ordinance both of brasse and iron, with powder and shott good cheape; beefe and pork, in greate quantetie; meale and bisquite, as much as they will; garvances, or small peaze or beanes, in abondance; and dried fish lyke a breame, called heare tay, in aboundance; tunnie fish salted, in greate quantetie; rack or aquavite, of any sort, in aboundance; rice, in what quantetie
they will; with other sortes of Japon wine made of rise, what they will; and pilchardes, in greate quantetie, either pickled or otherwais. And for provition of shiping, either tymber or plankes, with mastes, yardes, or what else to make a shipp, with good carpenters to work it, as also rozen or pitch enough, but no tarr. Also ther is hempe indifferent to make cables, and them which can resonably well work it. And for iron work, neales, and such lyke, there is noe want, and smiths that can make ancors of hamer work of 20 or 30 C. wight, yf need be; for such have byn made for carickes which came from Amacon to Nangasaque, etc.
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Also heretofore at severall tymes I have sent my acco. to Bantam, according to your Wor. order, with coppies thereof, to the precedent or cheefe in that place, the other to be sent for England. Yet, as I understand, they have detayned all at Bantam and sent non for England; and Mr. Balle per name hath wrott to some Englishmen in this place, whoe loved me not soe littell but they shewed me his letters, wherin he taxed my acco. to be erronios and alltogether falce and fetched about with a trick beyond rule, soe that he wondered they should jumpe soe neare in ballance, being soe notably falce. But yf Mr. Balle hadd byn soe good a frend unto me as he would make me to beleeve in som lynes of his letters (yet he never gave me roast meate but he did beate me with the spitt)—I beeseeke your Wors. to pardon me yf I be too forward of tonge herein—I say, yf Mr. Balle had ought me soe much good will, yt hadd byn a frendly parte to have amended that which hadd byn amiss, yf such were to be donne, and then to have sent the acco. forward, and not to keepe all back, saying it was falce or erronios.... My greefe is, I lie in a place of much losse and expence to your Wors. and no benefitt to my selfe, but losse of tyme in my ould adge,
allthough God knoweth my care and paines is as much as yf benefite did come thereby. Yet truly, yf the tyme or place, or other occation amend it not, I shall, as I came a pore man out of England, retorne a beggar home, yf your Wor. have noe consideration thereof, although your Wor. shall never find that I have byn a gamstar or riatouse person which have spent eather your Wor. or my owne goodes riatosly or out of order. I beseek your Wors. to pardon my overbould speeches hearin. But, yf it hadd pleased God that Generall Keeling or any other your Wors. apointed hadd com to Japon to have overseene the affares in this factory, it would have byn a greate comfort unto me and ridd me of a greate deale of care; for most an end for the space of two yeares Mr. Nealson hath byn very sick, and Mr. Jno. Osterwick littell lesse, and both of them at this instant soe extreame sick that I dowbt much of their recovery, which hath [byn] and is a hinderance to me in the proceadinges of acco. and writing out of coppies, they two being all the helpe I have hadd, others going abroad on voyages for your Wor. affares. God of his mercy send them their healthes, for they are soe weake that I esteeme they cannot write by this conveance nether to your Wors. nor noe other frendes.
And, whereas heretofore I wrott your Wors. that Shongo Samma, the Emperour that now is, had shortned our preveleges, that we should trade into noe other partes of Japon but only Nangasaque and Firando, and our shipping to goe only to Firando, now he hath permitted us to goe with our shipps for Nangasaque as well as Firando at our chose. And the harbor at Nangasaque is the best in all Japon, wheare there may 1,000 seale of shipps ride land lockt, and the greatest shipps or carickes in the world may goe in and out at pleasure and ride before the towne within a cables length of the shore in 7 or 8 fathom water at least, yt being a greate cittie and many ruch marchantes
dwelling in it, where, to the contrary, Firando is a fisher towne and a very small and badd harbor, wherin not above 8 or 10 shipps can ride at a tyme without greate danger to spoile one other in stormy weather; and that which is worst, noe shipping can enter in or out of that harbour, but they must have both tide and winde as also 8 or 10 penisses or barkes to toe them in and out, the currant runeth soe swift that otherwaies they canot escape runing ashore; where, to the contrary, there is no such mattar at Nangasaque, yt being one of the fairest and lardgest harbours that eaver I saw, wherinto a man may enter in and goe out with shiping at all tymes, the wind serving, without helpe of boate or penisse. And in Nangasaque there is noe king nor noble man, but only the Emperours bongew (or governar) of the place; soe that we need not to geve presentes to more then one at any shipps entring. But at Firando there is the king hym selfe, with two of his brothers, and 3 or 4 of his uncles, besides many other noble men of his kindred; all which look for presentes, or else it is no living amongst them; and that which is more, they are allwaies borowing and buying, but sildom or neaver make payment, except it be the king hym selfe. So that it maketh me altogether aweary to live amongst them, we not being abell to geve and lend them as the Hollanders doe, whoe geve them other mens goods which they neaver paid for. Soe that they are accompted better then true men and better used then we, as apeareth by banishing Ed. Sayer without any occation, which it may be the Tono of Firando may repent before it be long, and, as som say, wisheth allready it were undon; for I have written to Syam, Pattania, and Bantam, that yf they send any shipping for Japon hearafter, that my opinion is, and the rest of the Englishmen heare are the lyke, to send them for Nangasaque, where the governor offereth to lett us have a plott of ground or to take a house in any place of the cittie where we lyke best. So that now