JAMES LANCASTER ad. 



1593- 

 in the yeere. Those of Pegu bring the chiefest stones, Commodities 

 as Rubies and Diamants, but their chiefe fraight is Rice °f^ e ?> 11 - 

 and certaine cloth. Those of Tanaseri are chiefly Commodities 

 fraighted with Rice and Nipar wine, which is very strong, °f Tanasert - 

 and in colour like unto rocke water somewhat whitish, 

 and very hote in taste like unto Aqua vitae. Being shot 

 up to the place aforesayd, called Punta del Galle, wee 

 came to an anker in foule ground and lost the same, 

 and lay all that night a drift, because we had nowe but 

 two ankers left us, which were unstocked and in hold. 

 Whereupon our men tooke occasion to come home, 

 our Captaine at that time lying very sicke more like 

 to die then to live. In the morning wee set our fore- 

 saile determining to lie up to the Northward and there to 

 keepe our selves to and againe out of the current, which A great cur- 

 otherwise would have set us off to the Southward from all rent t0 the 

 knowen land. Thus having set our foresayle, and in 

 hand to set all our other sayles to accomplish our afore- 

 sayd determination, our men made answere that they 

 would take their direct course for England and would 

 stay there no longer. Nowe seeing they could not 

 bee perswaded by any meanes possible, the captaine was 

 constrained to give his consent to returne, leaving all 

 hope of so great possibilities. Thus the eight of 

 December 1592. wee set sayle for the Cape of Buona 

 Speransa, passing by the Hands of Maldiva, and leaving 

 the mightie Hand of S. Laurence on the starreboord [II. ii. 108.' 

 or Northward in the latitude of 26 degrees to the South. 

 In our passage over from S. Laurence to the maine we 

 had exceeding great store of Bonitos and Albocores, A notable re- 

 which are a greater kind of fish : of which our captain, lte fe Vfi shes 

 being now recovered of his sicknesse, tooke with an 

 hooke as many in two or three howers as would serve 

 fortie persons a whole day. And this skole of fish 

 continued with our ship for the space of five or sixe 

 weekes, all which while we tooke to the quantitie 

 aforesayd, which was no small refreshing to us. In 

 February 1593. we fell with the Eastermost land of 

 vi 401 2C 



