A.D. 

 1572. 



Salomons 

 Hands sought^ 

 and found in 

 the South sea 

 1568. 



China found 

 by the West. 



* This is to be 

 understood of 

 the time when 

 this discourse 

 was written^ 

 Anno 1572. 



China ships 

 with one saile. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



againe, and so from thence goe to Peru. They are in 

 going thither three moneths, and they come backe 

 againe in 20. dayes. They have seldome foule weather, 

 and fewe ships are lost in the South sea. Foure yeeres 

 past, to wit 1568, there was a ship made out of Peru, 

 to seeke Salomons Islands, and they came somewhat to 

 the South of the Equinoctial, & found an Island with 

 many blacke people, in such number that the Spaniards 

 durst not go on land among them. And because they 

 had bene long upon the voyage, their people were very 

 weake, and so went not on land, to know what commoditie 

 was upon it. And for want of victuals, they arrived in 

 Nova Hispania, in a port called Puerto de Navidad, and 

 thence returned backe againe unto Peru, whereas they 

 were evil entreated, because they had not knowen more of 

 the same Island. 



They have in this port of Navidad ordinarily their 

 ships, which goe to the Islands of China, which are cer- 

 taine Islands which they have found within these 7. yeres. 

 They have brought from thence gold, and much Cinamom, 

 and dishes of earth, and cups of the same, so fine, that 

 every man that may have a piece of them, will give the 

 weight of silver for it. There was a Mariner that brought 

 a pearle as big as a doves ^ggt from thence, & a stone, 

 for which the Viceroy would have given 3000. duckets. 

 Many things they bring from thence, most excellent. 

 There are many of these ylands, and the Spaniards have 

 not many of them as yet :* for the Portugals disturbe 

 them much, and combate with them every day, saying, it 

 is part of their conquest, and to the maine land they 

 cannot come at any hand. There are goodly people in 

 them, and they are great Mariners, richly apparelled in 

 cloth of gold, and silver, and silke of all sorts, and goe 

 apparelled after the maner of the Turkes. This report 

 make such as come from thence. The men of the 

 maine land have certaine traffique with some of these 

 ylanders, and come thither in a kind of ships, which 

 they have with one saile, and bring of such marchan- 



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