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To the hounarabell
Sir Thomas Smyth, knight, gouernour of the Est Indes
Coumpani in Loundoun. Per
Mr. [ ], whoum God presserue. Written in Firando in
the kingdoum of Japon, the 14 of Jennevari [1616-17]. Right wourshipfull
Sir, finding my self altogether unwourthy to writt vnto
your wourship, yeet
lest you should condemn mee of ingratitude, I hau
imboldened my self to writt
theis few lines to gev your wourship to vnderstand how
for the space of three
yeeares I hau byn ymploied by your woorship Cape
Marchant, Mr. Richard Cock, 2 viages
for Siam, etc. In the yeare of our Lord 1615, 2 dayes
after my departure from Firando
a most grieuous storme took me, called a horricane, of
violent wind, by which I
was in great danger to looss both liues, ship and goods,
for the space of 3
daies baylling in 4 rooumes, hauing with mee at that
tyme of officers,
marriners, marchants and passingers [? some] 40 sooules
; the which being
wearied with a long storm, could not longer enduer it ;
but the principall of
them cam to mee and held vp ther handes, praying mee to
do my best to saue ther
liues. Now at this pressent I had 2 of your woorship
saruants, the one called
Mr. Richard Wickham, who for the pressent viage wass
Cape Marchant, the other
called Edmon Sarris, his assistant : to which twoo I
made the complaynt of our
men knowen, whoo allso seeinge the great extremiti wee
were in, dessired mee the
like. The which thing greved me not a littell (being not
aboue 20 lleags from
the cost of China) to go for China, beinge most bitter
ennemys to the Japanners
(thear wee could not trym our ship) : that I wass fayne
to take an other cours,
and derectted my courss for sartayne ilands called the
Leques,1 which through
the bless ing of God 3 dayes aftere arriued in saffetie,
to all our great
reioycing : for which God be praysed for euer. Now in
theese ilands wee found
maruelous great frindship : for both generous [? people
of rank] and ordenari
peopell frindly. But in conclusion, beefor wee could
vnlade our ship, tak out
our mast, and trym her agayn, the monsson was past, that
wee could not prosseed
of our voyage: but in the end returned for Japan agayne.
Now in the yeere of
our Lord 1617 [? 1616], hauing trymed our ship, agayne
prosseeded for Siam, and
thorough the fauour of God mad a prosperoose vyage; and
at my returne to Japan
I found 2 ships arriued abought 15 dayes biffor mee, the
on called the Thomas,
the other the Advice : of which I wass most joyfull to
see. So pressently of my
arriuall, the Cape Marchant was reddie to go to the
court, hauing wayted
sartain dayes in hoop of my couming. So within 5 daies
of my arriuall,
according to wind and wether departed, and went with the
Cape Marchant befFor
the Emperour, with which in 5 daies delliuered his
pressent. So hauing
delliuerd his pressent, 2 dayes after sent mee to the
country to procure those
things which he required, which was the renewall of the
old Emperour's
priuliges [privileges] with a gowshon [license] for his
juncke for Siam : which
things were granted with all kinde speeches, but in
conclusion were not
performed; as after wards appeared. For hauing taken his
leaue of the court,
and being bovnd to Meaco, by the way coummeth an express
with letters from Mr.
Richard Wickham from Meaco, with letters how that all
strangers goods was
forbiden to make sale of any, and that covmmandment was
geuen to all marchants
that were strangers, should go for Firando and
Lan-gasacki. Vppon which strange
newes, the Cape Marchant, Mr. Cock, thought it necessary
to go to the court
agayne, to know the occasione, and to see yf he could
remedy it. So returned to
the court agayne, and evsed me as his messenger therein.
And returning agayne,
examined agayne his coum- mission, or, privileges ; and
indeed found an
artikell altered : which wass, that in the old Emperour,
his privlleges,
thorough his whool domynions, our Inglish factori might
trad [trade], by [buy]
or sell, wher they thought good, in thease new
privileges weare granted but in
two pllaces, which weare nomynated, that wass in Firando
and Langasachi. So
about this byssiness Mr. Cock hath taken no small care
to a reformed it. So I
beinge daylie ymploied in this byssiness, could not get
it refformed ; but in
fyne this generall awnsswer, that wass : that this wass
the first yeare of the
Emperour's raign, and as his eddict wass gone all ouere
Japan, it was not a
thing pressently to be called back agayne; that wee
should be content till next
yeear, at which tyme request being mad by thoes that
shall coum vp to geue the
pressent, doutted not but it should be geuen. So with
this absolut awnsser, the
Cape Marchant returned to Meaco. Ther dispaching svch
bissiness as he had to
do, returned to the shipping in Firando, with svch
factoris as weear aboue.'
Now your woorship shall vnderstand the casse [cause] of
thees things as
followeth. In the yeear of our Lord 1615 heer was great
warres : for Quambaccodono
[i. e., Faxiba, or Taico Sama] a two yeears before his
deth had a ssoone, which
vntill this [ ] beeing the 24 yeare of his age, and
hauing aboundance of
riches, thought him selfe strong with [ ] diuers nobles
to a rooss [?] with
him, which was great likly. Hee mad warres with the
Emperour [. . . .], allso
by the Jessvits and Ffriers, which mad this man Piddaya
Samma belleeue he
should be fauord with mirrackles and wounders ; but in
fyne it proued to the
contrari. For the old Emperour [ ], against him
presentlly, maketh his forces
reddy by sea and land, and compasseth his castell that
he was in ; although
with loss of multitudes on both sides, yet in the end
rasseth the castell
walles, setteth it on tyre, and burneth hym in it. Thus
ended the warres. Now
the Emperour heering of thees jessvets and friers being
in the kastell with his
ennemis, and still from tym to tym agaynst hym,
coummandeth all romische sorte
of men to depart ovt of his countri, thear churches
pulld dooun, and burned.
This folowed in the old Emperour's daies. Now this
yeear, 1616, the old
Emperour he did. His son raigneth in his place, and hee
is more hot agaynste
the romish relligion then his ffather wass : for he hath
forbidden thorough all
his domynions, on paine of deth, none of his subiects to
be romish christiane ;
which romish seckt to prevent eueri wayes that he maye,
he hath forbidden that
no stranger merchant shall abid in any of the great
citties. On svch pretence
many jessvets and friers might seket [? in secret] teach
the romissh relligion.
Thees are the casses of our Inglish ffactori, and all
other strangers are not
suffred abou in the countri. Now consserning my owne
part, your wourshipp shall
vnderstand I am this yeear bound to Coche China : yf my
God will permitt me.
Thees ressones hath mad mee tak it in hand. 3 yeers past
your Cape merchant,
Mr. Richard Cock, sent a ffactori thether, but men nor
goods returned not ; as
the report on of them killed thear, and the other
couming from Japan cast
awaye. Now my selfe being no waye abell to mak that my
hart dessireth, of anny
sattisfacion for your wourshipps great kindnes to my
poor wyf in my absenc, and
allsso, heer in Japan, your woorship ffactor Mr. Richard
Cock, his lou and most
frindly affactcion : I say hath mad mee to tak this
joorney in hand, to sse yf
by my menes I can get thooss priuelleges wherby your
woorship may get a free
trad or ffactori agayne ; and alsso to know by what
menes Mr. Pecock lost hys
lyf. Mr. Cock had thought to a sent Mr. Wm, Nellson with
mee, but hauing svch
need of his pressence, that indeed hee could not miss
hym. Vppon which occacion
I go my selfe alloun, desiring the protexion and favor
of all mightie God heer
in. Thus being vnwoorthy, I hau imboldened my selfe to
wryt thees feaw lines to
let your woorship to vnderstand of the trowbelles of
thees parts in brif : only
knowing assvredly Mr. Cock hath moost largly wrott your
woorship of all mat
ters. Therfor, this pressent my hvmbell devtye
remembred, I ceess : praying God
for your woorship longe lyf and moost happi daies ; and
in the lyf to covm
euerlasting felliciti for euer. Amen. Your woorship
vnwoorthy saruant to comand
in all dutifull sarvis that I cann, Wm. Addams. Conclusion The foregoing is the
last communication from William Adams that has been
preserved, if any other
were sent. The two following extracts have each an
interest, but of a totally
dissimilar character. One represents Adams in his
prosperity, an object of honour
and esteem : the other announces the occurrence of "the
last scene of
all", the termination of the singular career of this
"homme de
merite", as justice forced an antagonist to term him. In
1616, Captain
Cock went up to Edo about the "Pri vileges". In his
Diary, under date
the 26th of September, narrating the circumstances
connected with his return,
he states : "We departed towards Orengava this morning
abt. 10 a clock,
and arived at Phebe some 2 houres before night, where we
staid all that night :
for that Captain Adames wife and his two children met vs
theare. This Phebe is
a Lordshipp geuen to Capt. Adames pr. the ould Emperour,
to hym and his for
eaver, and confermed to his sonne, called Joseph. There
is above 100 farms, or
howsholds, vppon it, besides others vnder them, all
which are his vassalls, and
he hath power of lyfe and death ouer them : they being
his slaues and he hauing
as absolute authoretie over them as any tono (or king)
in Japon hath over his
vassales. Divers of his tenants brought me presents of
frute : as oringes,
figges, peares, chistnutts, and grapes, whereof there is
aboundance in that
place." Continuing his Diary, the next day, the 27th of
September, Captain
Cock remarks : "We gaue the tenants of Phebe a bar of
coban to make a
banket after our departure from thence, with 500 gins to
the servants of
howses, the cheefe of the towne accompanying vs out of
their precincts, and
sent many servants to accompany vs to Oringava (which is
about 8 or 9 English
miles) ; all rvning before vs on foote as honeyer [?
honour] to Captain Adames.
After our arivall at Oringava, most of the neighbours
came to vizett mee, and
brought frutes and fysh, and reioiced (as it should
seeme) of Captain Adames
retorne." The next extract is
from a letter addressed by Captain Cock to the Governor
and Committees of the
East India Company, dated the 13th of December 1620. It
is to the following
effect : "Our good frend Captain Win. Addames, whoe was
soe long before vs
in Japon, departed out of this world the vj of May last
; and made Mr. Win.
Eaton and my selfe his overseers : geuing the one halfe
of his estate to his
wife and childe in England ; and the other halfe to a
sonne and doughter he
hath in Japon. The coppie of his will, with another of
his inventory (or
account of his estate) I send to his wife and doughter,
per Captain Martin
Pring, their good frend, well knowne to them long tyme
past. And I haue
delivered one hvndred pounds starling to diuers of the
James Royall Company,
entred into the pursers book to pay two for one in
England, is two hvndred
pounds starling to Mrs. Addames and her doughter, for it
was not his mind his
wife should haue all, in regard she might marry an other
hvsband, and carry all
from his childe ; but rather that it should be equally
parted between them : of
which I thought good to adviz your wourship. And the
rest of his debts and
estates being gotten in, I will either bring, or send it
per first occasion
offred, and that may be most for their profitt :
according as the deceased put
his trust in me and his other frend Mr. Eaton." It only remains to be
observed, that the Will of William Adams, in Japonese,
is preserved among the
records of the Honourable the East India Company ; and
that a translation has
not been traced. The Inventory is also extant. The title
runs thus : "IN THE NAME OF
GOD, AMEN. 1620, May the 22d day. THE INVENTORY OF THE
ESTATE OF THE DE CEASED,
CAPT. WM. ADAMES, taken at Firando, in Japan, after his
death, pr. me Richd.
Cock, and Mr. Wm. Eaton, factors, in the English Factory
at Firando, in Japan,
left by testament his oversears, viz., of all the
monies, debts, merchandiz,
and moveabls, being as hereafter followeth." The succeeding
extract shews that William Adams had accumulated about
£. stg. 500 at the
period of his death, viz. " The totall is : ta.
m.
co.
In ready money . .
0365
0
9
In bills of debt . .
0890
0
0
In merchandiz, rated
at .
0638
7
0
In moveables, sould
for .
0078
4
5
1972
2
4
ta. ma.
co.
1972 2
4 [10 Condrins = 1 Mas
= 0s 6d 10 Mas = 1
Taie =
5s 0d
English.
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