A.D. 



1584. 



Eighteene cap- 

 tives 7'unazvay 

 from TripoRs. 



The judge- 

 ment of God 

 upon blas- 

 phemers. 



[II. i. 189.] 



The Greene 

 Dragon. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



night folowing : because I fell lame, and my camel was 

 tired, I left my wood in the way. 



There was in Tripolis that time a Venetian, whose 

 name was Benedetto Venetiano, and seventeene captives 

 more of his company, which ranne away from Tripolis in 

 a boate, and came in sight of an Island called Malta, 

 which lieth fourtie leagues from Tripolis right North, 

 and being within a mile of the shoare, & very faire 

 weather, one of their company said. In dispetto de die 

 adesso venio a pilliar terra, which is as much to say : In 

 the despite of God I shall now fetch the shoare, and pre- 

 sently there arose a mighty storme, with thunder and 

 raine and the wind at North, their boate being very small, 

 so that they were inforced to beare up roome, and to 

 sheare right afore the winde over against the coast of 

 Barbarie from whence they came, and rowing up and 

 downe the coast, their victuals being spent, the 21. day 

 after their departure they were inforced through the want 

 of food to come ashoare, thinking to have stolne some 

 sheepe : but the Moores of the countrey very craftily 

 perceiving their intent, gathered together a threescore 

 horsemen, and hid themselves behinde a sandie hill, and 

 when the Christians were come all a shoare, and past up 

 halfe a mile into the countrey, the Moores rode betwixt 

 them and their boate, and some of them pursued the 

 Christians, and so they were all taken and brought 

 to Tripolis, from whence they had before escaped : 

 and presently the king commaunded that the foresaide 

 Benedetto with one more of his company should lose 

 their eares, and the rest should be most cruelly beaten, 

 which was presently done. This king had a sonne which 

 was a ruler in an Island called Gerbi, whereunto arrived 

 an English shippe called the Greene Dragon, of the which 

 was Master one M. Blonket, who having a very unhappy 

 boy in that shippe, and understanding that whosoever 

 would turne Turke should be well enterteined of the 

 kings Sonne, this boy did runne a shoare, and voluntarily 

 turned Turke. Shortly after the kings sonne came to 



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