A.D. 



I562. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



The relation of one William Rutter to M. 

 Anthony Hickman his master touching a 

 voyage set out to Guinea in the yeere 1562, 

 by Sir William Gerard, Sir William Chester, 

 M. Thomas Lodge, the sayd Antony Hick- 

 man, and Edward Castelin : which voyage is 

 also written in verse by Robert Baker. 



Orshipfull sir, my duty remembred, this 

 shalbe to declare unto you the discourse 

 of this our voyage, since our departure 

 out of England from Dartmouth ; at 

 which time I gave you to understand of 

 our departure, which was the 25 of 

 February 1562. Then having a prosper- 

 ous winde we departed from thence, and sailed on our 

 Cape verde. voyage untill we arrived at Cavo verde the 20 of March, 

 making no abode there, but sailed along the coast to our 

 Rio de Sestos. first appointed port Rio de sestos, at which port we 

 arrived the third of Aprill in the morning, having the 

 sight of a Frenchman, who assoone as he perceived us, 

 set saile and made to the sea : in the meane time we 

 came to an anker in the rode : and after that he had 

 espied our flag, perceiving us to be Englishmen, he bare 

 with the shore, & hailed our ships with his ordinance, at 

 which time we the merchants of both the ships were in the 

 river in traffike, and had understanding of the Negros 

 that he had bene there three dayes before our comming : 

 so we concluded together, that if he sent his pinnesse 

 to traflike, we would not suffer him, untill we had taken 

 further order with their captaine & marchants. In the 

 afternoone the pinnesse came into the river, whose men 

 we willed to make no trafrike untill we had talked further 

 with their captaine, whom we willed that night to come 

 aboord our admirall ; which was done. At which sayd 

 The Minion, time M. Burton and John Munt went aboord the Minion 

 where the Frenchmen were, & there concluded that they 



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