A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1595- 



returne, as to have yeelded unto us, when they had 

 proved that we came both for one errant, and that 

 both sought but to sacke & spoile them, but as yet 

 [III. 656.] our desire of gold, or our purpose of invasion is not 

 knowen to them of the empire : and it is likely that 

 if her Majestie undertake the enterprize, they will 

 rather submit themselves to her obedience then to the 

 Spaniards, of whose cruelty both themselves and the 

 borderers have already tasted : and therefore till I 

 had knowen her Majesties pleasure, I would rather 

 have lost the sacke of one or two townes (although 

 they might have beene very profitable) then to have 

 defaced or indangered the future hope of so many 

 millions, & the great good, & rich trade which England 

 may be possessed of thereby. I am assured nowe that 

 they will all die even to the last man against the Spaniards 

 in hope of our succour and returne : whereas otherwise 

 if I had either layd handes on the borderers, or ran- 

 somed the lords, as Berreo did, or invaded the subjects 

 of Inga, I know all had beene lost for hereafter. 



After that I had resolved Topiawari lord of Aromaia, 

 that I could not at this time leave with him the companies 

 he desired, and that I was contented to forbeare the enter- 

 prize against the Epuremei till the next yeare, he freely 

 gave me his onely sonne to take with me into England, and 

 hoped, that though hee himselfe had but a short time 

 to live, yet that by our meanes his sonne should be 

 established after his death : and I left with him one 

 Francis Francis Sparrow, a servant of Captaine GiiFord, (who was 

 Sparrow. desirous to tarie, and could describe a countrey with his 

 pen) and a boy of mine called Hugh Goodwin, to learne 

 the language. I after asked the maner how the 

 Epuremei wrought those plates of golde, and howe they 

 could melt it out of the stone ; hee tolde mee that the 

 most of the golde which they made in plates and images, 

 The lake of was not severed from the stone, but that on the lake of 

 Mama. Manoa, and in a multitude of other rivers they gathered 

 it in graines of perfect gold and in peeces as bigge as small 



414 



