A.D. 



1527. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



The booke made by the right worshipful M. 

 Robert Thorne in the yeere 1527. in Sivil, 

 to Doctour Ley, Lord ambassadour for king 

 Henry the eight, to Charles the Emperour, 

 being an information of the parts of the 

 world, discovered by him and the king of 

 Portingal : and also of the way to the 

 Moluccaes by the North. 



Ight noble and reverend in &c. I have 

 received your letters, and have procured 

 and sent to know of your servant, who, 

 your Lordship wrote, should be sicke in 

 Merchena. I cannot there or els where 

 heare of him, without he be returned to 

 you, or gone to S. Lucar, and shipt. 



1 cannot judge but that of some contagious sicknesse 

 hee died, so that the owner of the house for defaming 

 his house would bury him secretly, and not be knowen 

 of it. For such things have often times happened in 

 this countrey. 



Also to write unto your Lordshippe of the new trade 

 of Spicery of the Emperour, there is no doubt but that 

 the Islands are fertile of Cloves, Nutmegs, Mace, and 

 Cinnamom : and that the said Islands, with other there 

 about, abound with golde, Rubies, Diamondes, Balasses, 

 Granates, Jacincts, and other stones & pearles, as all 

 other lands, that are under and neere the Equinoctiall. 

 For we see, where nature giveth any thing, she is no 

 nigard. For as with us and other, that are aparted 

 from the said Equinoctiall, our mettals be Lead, Tinne, 

 and Iron, so theirs be Gold, Silver, and Copper. And 

 as our fruits and graines bee Apples, Nuts, and Corne, 

 so theirs be Dates, Nutmegs, Pepper, Cloves, and other 

 Spices. And as we have Jeat, Amber, Cristall, Jasper, 

 and other like stones, so have they Rubies, Diamonds, 



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