In furthest Ind

by Sydney C. Grier

“Heaven only knows,” says I, “though I fear it brings grievous trouble upon us. Let us read it together, my dearest love, for sure, as you say, it concerns us both alike.”

Dorothy spread forth the letter on the table, and smoothed it out, then sitting down she did begin to read it, and I read it likewise over her shoulder. It was sufficiently long, and I verily could not forbear to marvel, as I looked upon the closeness of the writing, that he should have wrote it who most abhorred all use of pen and ink, and who had scarce been trusted at Surat even to make out an invoice correctly; but I suppose that bitter hate, like love, do lend assistance to persons in their designs.

“Honour’d Syr” (it began)—“In Obeediance too y^e Comm^ds. you lade v^pn. mee at our last Meat^g., I take up my Penn (tho’ litle us^d. to soch Work), too lai befower yo^r. Hon^r. a full Ac^t. of y^e Do^gs. of Mr Carrlyonn in y^e Indes. ’Tis doubtl^s. Matter of com^n. Rep^t. in Yo^r. County, y^t. y^s. Gent. tir^d. erly of y^e Contr^t. maid forr hym by his Fader wi^t. my Ld. Branndon’s Dghtr., & soght Occ^n. too escape, y^s. com^g. in Form of y^e mistakn Kindnesse of a cert^n. Nobleman, who, be^g. greiviously disseav^d. in hym, innabl^d. himm to inter y^e Serv^c. of y^e Co. y^t. I haue long h^d. y^e hon^r. to serue. ’Twas at y^s. Tyme y^t. I first fell inn wi^t. him, & lik^d. him letle y^n., and lesse y^e mower I knew of hym. Of hys injuryous Cond^ct. toards My selfe I won’t speake, only say^g. y^t. hee mayde him Self my Innemy at all Times, not scrupl^g. euen too attempt my Lyf on moer Occ^ns. y^n. one, especialy in y^e Citty of Tangeer, w^r. he did assault mee wi^t. soch Fury unarm^d. and unprouoq^d. as y^t. he bad fare too sla me, bot was remov^d. fr. me by Force of ’em y^t. was pres^t. Both in y^e Vyage to y^e Indis and at Surratt hee mayd him Self extream particular by his continuall Consort^g. wi^t. low & blackgard Fellowes, Saylors and y^e like, & prou^d. him Self a most pry^g. & persistant Busie-Body, so y^t. at last y^e Councell was fayn too send him too Goa for to ridd ’em Self on hym, not wth^t. hop^g., perhaps, y^t. hee might fall into som Troble y^t. sh^d. make an End of him. Likewise at Goa he did continue hys evill Courses, frequent^g. Places of com^n. Amuse^mt. & do^g. his best too becom a Faverit wi^t. y^e Ladys, inn w^h. hee did socceade to soche a Degre as too excyt y^e Jalousy of one of y^e wilde yong Gall^ts. y^t. was of hys Acquaynt^c., & y^s. Personn, watch^g. hys Chance, soone discover^d. Mr Carrlion pry^g. into y^e Misterys of y^r. Relig^n. wi^t. Intent to mak a Sport on ’em, & so dinownc^d. hym too y^e Inquisition, by y^e w^h. hee was arrested, & kept thre Yeares in Prisonn, not for hys Faith, w^h. he was will^g. to recant at once, bot as a Penaunce for his naughty Lyf. At y^e Expiry of y^s. Tym hee was discharg^d. & mayd hys Wa on Bord of one of y^e Hon. Co.’s Ships, wi^t. a Story of his hau^g. escap^d. fr. a gret Burn^g., & ye Ship’s Maister, be^g. one of y^e simple Felows wi^t. whom hee had once ben frendly, did beleave his Tale, & tooke hym on his Voyage. Now y^s. Vyage prou^d. one of grete Desaster, soe moche so as all on Board beleav^d. they was punish^d. by Heven for y^e Sake of y^s. one Sinner, bot weare at Leangth rileas^d. by his discert^g. y^e Shipp wi^t. greate Effrontery at y^e Towne cal’d St Thomass, w^r. y^e French y^n. h^d. a Post. Now at y^s. Place Mr Carlion did carry it soe as too gaine y^e Faver of y^e French Captain-Generall, desclos^g. to hym all y^e Seacretts of y^e Co. y^t. hee knewe, & instroct^g. hym how hee might best use ’em for y^e Injur^g. their Trade. So vsefull ded he proue him Silf, y^t. y^e French was ab^t. too adopt hym into there Seruice, w^n. there was discouer^d. y^t. he h^d. intangl^d. him Self in a disgracefull Manner wi^t. y^e Genrall’s Doghter (y^e same is now my Lady V. countesse Gallompry). Y^s. yong Lady be^g. of tendir Yeares, Mr Carlyonn had persuaded hir to fly wi^t. hym, & they was gone some Wai before they might bee stopt. ’Tis sayd by som y^t. y^e Lady her Selfe was veray forward in seek^g. hys Lov, & y^s. I haue herd Mr Carlyon repeat not once only nor twice, hee mock^g. finely at hir for hir litle Moddesty, bot of y^e Truthe of y^s. I can’t speake. & upon y^s. Discoverie, Mr Carrlion was expel’d wi^t. gret Contimpt fr. y^t. Place, & did jurney to Bombaim thro’ Duccan disguys^d. in ye Trayn of a certaine renegadoe Portugall, wi^t. whom hee was verrie frendly, so reach^g. Surrat. & here, be^g. forc^d. by cert^n. of hys Frends, ag^st. y^e Will of y^e Rest of ye Councell, into a Place of Troste, he joyn^d. him Selfe too y^e Factry at Amedavat, & their liv^d. for thre Yeares in a most naughty & ryotous Manner, so as to bee a Scandall too y^e veray Heathens ’em Selfs. Norr was y^s. all, forr ’twas credibly prou^d. y^t. hee h^d. defrawded y^e Co. of grete Soms of Money, besides be^g. soe slacke in hys Busynesse y^t. he loste ’em moch mower. & after y^s., vizitt^g. y^e Citie of Agra wi^t. divers o^r. Gents. upon an Ambassage, hee did consort y^r. wi^t. cert^n. vyle & dangerous Personns, Felons & Criminalls & y^e like, & fynally, ’scap^g. f^r. y^e Towne in greate Hast for to avoyd y^e Reward of his evill Deedes, hee dyd carry wi^t. hym one of these, a renegado Cristian, toch^g. whom no Good c^d. by any Means be sayde, & convey^d. hym out of y^e Country, too y^e grete Hurt & Dammage of y^e Imperour y^t. rules therein. & y^s. he did, ruffl^g. it so brauely as y^t. hee come to Blows wi^t. y^e Mogull Souldiers sent too fetch him, bot kill^g. som on ’em, brogt him off, wi^t. y^e Ayd of a Gang of Torys his Helpers, and soe had him too Surratt, to y^e gret Displesure of his Ma’tie’s Subjects y^r., y^t. must needs intertayn y^s. escap^d. Fellon untill hee might returne into hys owne Country. & agayn after y^s. did Mr Carlyonn shew him Self an extream bad Ser^vt. to y^e Co., tho’ he manag^d. his Peckulacions wi^t. soch Art as y^e greter Part on’t wan’t dyscouer^d. untill hee was departed. Bot ’twas a com^n. Report, & y^e Cause of greate Scandall, y^t. he went soe moch wi^t. Moores & o^r. Indians, so as many averr’d hee was a seacrett Renegadoe. Bot it be^g. at length discover^d. (& I am n^t. asham^d. too say, y^t. ’twas I discover^d. y^e same, forr y^e w^h. Cause he is greately increast in Enmity ag^st. mee), y^t. he had apply^d. large Soms of Mony too hys own Uses, & h^d. forwarded to Europe much y^t. hee was gat possesst of by no Right at all, y^e Councell was advis^d. too dismiss hym wi^t. Disgrace. Bot y^e Frends y^t. hee had disceav^d. was still suffic^t. too influence y^e Counsell, soe as all was don privily, and not made publiq. & he lev^g. thre Days later for England no moer was said, tho’ ’tis still perpetually found out y^t. his Thefts was euen worse y^n. y^n. appear’d. I han’t herd no more concern^g. hym for som Yeares, but be^g. return^d. too England, & vizit^g. upon my Cossen Willsford, I did heere by Chance y^t. hee was prickt for Shirreff. Y^n. be^g. assur^d. y^t. y^s. h^d. not ought take Place, I did make y^se. Matters publick, bot out of no Malis, bot only Lov of Right. Wi^t. y^e highest Respect,

I haue y^e Honor too be,
Sirr, Yo^r. Hon^r.’s most obed^t. Serv^t.,
V. Spender.”

“Ned,” says Dorothy, “this is worse than the worst I had feared. Tell me, is there, in all that this person says, that one grain of truth, whereby he might hope to establish these charges?”

“None,” says I; “at least in the charges respecting money, and in the rest such twisting and turning of things innocent or at most only foolish as makes ’em appear crimes.” And this I said without any grief or bitterness that my wife should seem to doubt me, for in truth, after reading this letter that with such devilish cunning (for indeed no other word will name it fitly), sought to turn into evil all the deeds and intentions of my life, I could scarce myself believe but that I was guilty of the shameful things attributed to me.

“If they ben’t true, sure there’s some means to disprove ’em,” says Dorothy. “Let us see what those be.”

“To my rescue at Goa,” says I, “Captain Freeman can speak, but that is but a very small part of the whole. There’s no one nearer than Surat could testify the falsehood of those charges that concern my life and conversation there, and but one man even there that hath both the power and the will to do’t.”

“And who is that?” says she.

“Mr Martin,” said I; “but, as you know, my life, he seemed to have no present design of returning when he writ to me last, and I doubt whether a letter should serve this turn.” For my good friend had not yet carried out his purpose of retiring from the service, but remained still at Surat, whence, on hearing of our marriage, he had sent my wife a collar of pearls such as for their fineness and whiteness had not their equal in the county, and later, when we writ him word that we had named our second son for him, he did despatch to us, by the hand of a sea-captain of his acquaintance, a cap of goldsmith’s work for his godson, such as the Indian babes are wont to bear.

“And a letter should need a year and a half at the least, and more like two years, for to go and come back,” says Dorothy.