THOMAS SANDERS a.d 



1584. 



Tripolis to visite his father, and seeing our company, hee 



greatly fancied Richard Burges our Purser, and James 



Smith : they were both yong men, therefore he was very 



desirous to have them to turne Turkes, but they would 



not yeeld to his desire, saying : We are your fathers 



slaves, and as slaves wee will serve him. Then his father 



the king sent for them, and asked them if they would 



turne Turkes ? And they saide : If it please your high- 



nesse, Christians we were borne, and so we will remaine, 



and beseeched the king that they might not bee inforced 



thereunto. The king had there before in his house a -^^^ ^^^<?f 



r £ r\ J 1 ^1 Sonne had a 



Sonne or a yeoman or our vjueenes guard, whom the ^^^^^-^^ ^^^^ 



kings Sonne had inforced to turne Turke, his name was zvas sonne to 

 John Nelson : him the king caused to be brought to one of the 

 these yong men, and then said unto them : Wil not you Qf*^^^^/ 

 beare this your countreyman company, and be Turke as ^.^ ^ff 

 hee is ? And they saide, that they would not yeeld zcas forced to 

 thereunto during life. But it fell out, that within a turne Turke, 

 moneth after, the kings sonne went home to Gerbi againe, 

 being sixe score miles from Tripolis, and caried our two 

 foresaid yong men with him, which were Richard Burges, 

 and James Smith : and after their departure from us, 

 they sent us a letter, signifying that there was no violence 

 shewed unto them as yet, but within three dayes after 

 they were violently used, for that the kings sonne 

 demaunded of them againe, if that they would turne 

 Turke ? Then answered Richard Burges, a Christian I 

 am, and so I will remaine. Then the kings sonne very 

 angerly said unto him : By Mahomet thou shalt pre- 

 sently be made Turke. Then called he for his men, and 

 commanded them to make him Turke, and they did so, 

 and circumcised him, and would have had him speake the 

 wordes that thereunto belonged, but he answered them 

 stoutly that he would not : and although they had put on 

 him the habite of a Turke, yet sayd he, A Christian I was 

 borne, and so I will remaine, though you force me to doe 

 otherwise. 



And then he called for the other, and commaunded 

 V 305 u 



