A.D. 

 1553- 



The castle of 

 Mina. 



The quantitie 

 of gold. 



Furie admitt- 

 ed no counsel. 



The Rossia. 



Rotting heat. 

 Benin. 



Francisco. 



Nich. 



Lambart. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



come neere the castle pertaining to the king of Portugall, 

 which was within the river of Mina, they made sale of 

 their ware only on this side & beyond it, for the gold of 

 that country, to the quantitie of an hundred and fiftie 

 pounds weight, there being in case that they might have 

 dispatched all their ware for gold, if the untame braine of 

 Windam had, or could have given eare to the counsell 

 and experience of Pinteado. For when that Windam not 

 satisfied with the gold which he had, and more might 

 have had if he had taried about the Mina, commanding 

 the said Pinteado (for so he tooke upon him) to lead the 

 ships to Benin, being under the Equinoctial line, and an 

 hundred and fifty leagues beyond the Mina, where he 

 looked to have their ships laden with pepper : and being 

 counselled of the said Pinteado, considering the late time 

 of the yeere, for that time to go no further, but to make 

 sale of their wares such as they had for gold, wherby they 

 might have bene great gainers : Windam not assenting 

 hereunto, fell into a sudden rage, reviling the sayd 

 Pinteado, calling him Jew, with other opprobrious words, 

 saying, This whoreson Jew hath promised to bring us to 

 such places as are not, or as he cannot bring us unto : 

 but if he do not, I will cut off his eares and naile them to 

 the maste. Pinteado gave the foresaid counsell to go no 

 further for the safegard of the men and their lives, which 

 they should put in danger if they came too late, for the 

 Rossia which is their Winter, not for cold, but for 

 smothering heate, with close and cloudie aire and storming 

 weather, of such putrifying qualitie, that it rotted the 

 coates of their backs : or els for comming to soone for 

 the scorching heat of the sunne, which caused them to 

 linger in the way. But of force and not of will brought 

 he the ships before the river of Benin, where riding at an 

 Anker, they sent their pinnas up into the river 50 or 60 

 leagues, from whence certaine of the marchants with 

 captaine Pinteado, Francisco a Portugale, Nicholas Lam- 

 bart gentleman, and other marchants were conducted to 

 the court where the king remained, ten leagues from the 



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