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There is a second
letter from William Adams, dated in December 1613, but
to whom addressed is not
apparent. It is a faithful epitome of the "vearey larg"
letter above
given : and there are only three portions that need be
cited : viz. i. As to
the vessel first lent to, and eventually purchased by,
the Governor-General of
the Phillipine Islands : ii. As to Adams continuing in
Japon : iii. The conclusion.
i. I my seelf hau bylt 2
shipes in Jappan, the one by occassion sold to the
Spaynnards, went for Nova
Spania. Which ship, on [e] viage vppon this cost I mad
with her : being of
burden 170 tovnes. ii. Your woourship shall
vnderstand I had thought to a coum hom in the Cloue, but
by som discovrtissis
offred me by the generall, changed my mind : which
injuries to wryt of them I
leau ; leauing to others, God sending the ship hom, to
mak rellacion. iii. Senc the tym I saw
your wourship, I hau passed great misseries and
trowbells. God hau the prayss
to whoum it douth belonge, that hath delliuered me ovt
of them all. To writt of
the particulars, it wear for me very longe, thearfor, in
short, I leau the
rehearsall tell further tym. Thus, with my most harty
and humbell sallutacions
to you and to your good wyf, I seeas [cease] ; dessiring
your wourship to
sallut me to Sr. Thomass Smyth, and tell him on my
behalf, he shall find me in
his servis, so trusti as euer faithfull Inglish man,
that euer hath serued the
coumpany. And as consserning the afiares in Jappan, let
him tak no cair [care].
His factory is so saf ; and so sver [swre] his goods, as
in his own houss. This
I dare insver so long as I do lyue, And what-soeuer the
wourshipfull company
shall hav need in Japan, it shalbe accomplished. This I
dare insver : for the
emperour and the kinge hath mad me such promis, which I
do know shalbe
accovmplished. I pray you sallut me vnto my good frind
Mr. William Bourrall,
shipwryt, who I heer is on of the company : whous good
kindnes hath bynn to my
pour wyf, in speking to lend her the forsayd 20l. [? of]
which, I thank God,
hau heer mad payment : and I pray him in my behalf still
to continew his
Christian loue and pitty, which without dowt God will
reward. I pray remember
my humbell dvtty to my good Mr. Nicholas Diggens, and
thank him for his great
former loue to me, etc. Thuss hauing no tym, I cess,
covmmending you with yours
to the protexion of God : who bless your wourship in
this lyf; and in the world
to covm euerlasting lyfe. Amen. By your unwourthy frind
and seruant to
covmmmand, Wm. Addames. Yf you send for Japan
anny shipping : that present that shalbe sent to the
emperour in it, lette them
send soom Rousse [Russian] glass of the gretest sort :
so mvch as may glasse
him a rowm of 2 fadoom 4 squar, and what fine lames
[lambs] skenes [skins], [?
you will], and 2 or 3 peces of fyne holland, yf it be
more I leau it to your
discression : with 3 or 4 payr of spaktakle glasses. And
for marchandis, he
deessired to haue soum 1000 barres of steill 4 squar, in
length sovm 8 or 9
foout ; which goods the Hollanders haue brought and sold
to the emperour at 51.
starling the picoll, which is Inglish waight 125
powndes. W. A.' Observations Probably
under the impression that he had been overreached by
Adams, in regard to the
terms of his engagement with the Company, Captain Saris
may have exhibited some
discourtesies : since in the document, designated a
"Remembrance",
which he left for the guidance of Captain Cock in the
manage ment of the
factory, the following disparaging remarks occur, viz.,
"And for Mr. Adams
he is onlye fittinge to be mr. of the junke, and to be
vsed as linguist at
corte, when you have no imployment pr. hym at sea. It is
necessarye you stirr
hym, his condition being well knowue vnto you as to my
selfe : otherwayes you
shall hau littell seruice of hym, the countrye offording
great libertye, wheare
vnto he is mvch affected. The forsed agreement I haue
made with hym as you know
could not be eschudd, ye. Flemmings and Spaniards making
false proffers of
great intertaynement, and hym selfe more affected to
them then his owne natyon,
we holye destitute of language You shall not need to
sende for anye farther
order to ye. Emperour for the setting out of the junke
[intended to proceed to
Siam], it being an article granted in the charter, as by
the coppie thereof in
English left with you will appeare. Yet will Mr. Adams
tell you that he cannot
departe without a licence, which will not be granted
except he go vp. Beleue
him not ; nether neglect that busines : for his wish is
but to haue the
coumpanye bear his charges to his wife [meaning his
native wife, who resided on
the property granted to him by the Emperor, on the way
to the court.] Yet
rather then that he shall leaue you, and bitake himself
to the Spaniards, or
Fflemmings, you must make a vertue of necessitye, and
let hym go." In all this, Captain
Saris was wrong and unjust, i. William Adams did not
need stirring. After an
experience of twelve months, Captain Cock states : "I
finde the man very
tractable, and willinge to do your wourship the best
seruis he can, and hath
taken great paine about repairing our juncke, the Sea
Adventure, otherwayes she
would not haue byn ready to haue made the Syam voyage
this yeare." ii. It
is not to be assumed that any offers made by the
Flemmings and Spaniards to
William Adams were not bona fide. The Flemings had had
too much experience of
the value of his good offices, not to be solicitous to
secure the continuance
of his services. The Spaniards had had too much
experience of the effects of
his opposition to their views, not to be desirous of
cultivating his good-will.
Both parties were perfectly aware of his ready access to
the presence and of
the influence he exercised over the Emperor : which was
fully demonstrated by
the extensive privileges he obtained for the English : "
such as the
Portuguese, even at the time of their highest interest
with the Japonese, were
unable to procure on any terms whatever." iii. Adams did
not prove himself
more affected to the Flemings and Spaniards than to his
own nation. There is
not an instance to be found in Captain Cock's Diary, of
Adams having afforded
any assistance to the Flemings, except when their
interests and those of his
own nation were identical. Of his disposition towards
the Spaniards, enough has
been said. In fact, Adams nobly redeemed the pledge he
gave to Sir Thomas
Smith, that he should find him "so trusti as ever
faithful Inglishman,
that euer hath serued the coumpany." He was staunch to
his countrymen,
resisting alike the overtures of the Flemings, the
Spaniards, and the Japonese.
iv. Adams did not pretend it was necessary to go up to
the Court to obtain a
license for the junk to proceed to Syam; and he did not
go up to the court
before the junk sailed, either that the Company might
bear the expenses of a
visit from him to his wife, or for any other purpose. As
before stated, he was
usefully and zealously engaged in fitting up the junk ;
and when the vessel was
ready for sea, he sailed in her forthwith. The generall
was also wrong in
another particular : the extent of the privileges
conferred on the English by
the " charter". Captain Cock corrects the error into
which he had
fallen in the following terms : "Neither can we set out
any junke, without
procuring the yearely license of the Emperour :
otherwise no Japon mariner dare
go out of Japon vpon paine of death, only our owne
shippes from England may
come in, and goe out again when they will, and no man
gain-say it." |