to their house, threatening to put him to death; and indeed he was in imminent danger, among a crowd of drunken fellows, who threatened to stab him with their knives.  This young man was Richard King, son to Captain King of Plymouth.  Besides this, as two of our barks were passing their ships, within the town and harbour of Firando, they pointed a cannon at them, which missed fire, yet shot at them with muskets, which missed the Englishmen and killed a Japanese.  For all this there is no justice executed against them by the king of Firando, though he has received the commands of the emperor to that effect.

Yon will also please to understand, that two of these ships which they have brought to Firando are English ships, taken by them from Englishmen in the Indies.  They also took two other ships from us, which were riding at anchor in the road of Patania, where we have a factory, and had not the least suspicion of any such event.  In this unwarrantable affair, they killed Captain John Jordaine,[64] our chief president for the right worshipful company in the Indies.  Several others were then slain, and the Hollanders carried the ships and goods away; but six of the mariners, which were in these captured English ships, escaped from them here at Firando, and came to our house.  The Hollanders sent to me, demanding to have these men given up to them.  But I answered, that I must first see their commission, that I might know by what authority they presumed to take our ships and goods, and to slay our men, the faithful subjects of his majesty.  Upon this, they went to the Tono, or king of Firando, desiring to have their English slaves,[65] as they were pleased to call our men, delivered up to them.  But they were told, that they must first demand of the emperor, and whatever he ordained should be obeyed; but that, in the meantime, he did not consider the English to be their slaves.  This was the grand occasion on which they grounded their quarrel against us, and meant to have killed us all.  But I trust in God and his majesty, by the solicitations of our right honourable and right worshipful employers, that his majesty will not suffer his true and loyal subjects to lose their lives, ships, and goods by this thievish and unthankful rabble, who are assembled in these parts of the world, and who make a daily practice to rob and steal from all, whether friends or foes:  And I trust that you will become a solicitor in this so just cause, against so inveterate an enemy.

[Footnote 64:  This Captain Jordaine is said to have been treacherously slain in the time of a treaty—­Purch.]

[Footnote 65:  And who was the happy instrument of their own delivery, from what they accounted slavery, but the English nation?—­Purch.]