A LETTER FROM RALPH FITCH 



A.D. 



1584. 



unto me, you may send your letters to some friend at 

 Lisbone, & from thence by the ships they may be con- 

 veyed hither. Let the direction of your letters be either [II. i. 250.] 

 in Portuguise or Spanish, whereby they may come the 

 better to my hands. From Goa this 20 day of 

 Januarie. 1584. 



A Letter written from Goa by Master Ralph 

 Fitch to Master Leonard Poore abovesaid. 



Oving friend Master Poore, &c. Since my 

 departure from Aleppo, I have not writ- 

 ten unto you any letters, by reason that 

 at Babylon I was sicke of the fiuxe, and 

 being sicke, I went from thence for Bal- 

 sara, which was twelve dayes journey 

 downe the river Tygris, where we had 

 extreame hot weather, which was good for my disease, 

 ill fare, and worse lodging, by reason our boat was pes- 

 tered with people. In eight daies, that which I did eate 

 was very small, so that if we had stayed two dayes longer 

 upon the water, I thinke I had died : but comming to 

 Balsara, presently I mended, 1 thanke God. There we 

 stayed 14 dayes, and then we imbarked our selves 

 for Ormuz, where we arrived the fifth of September, 

 and were put in prison the ninth of the same moneth, 

 where we continued untill the 11 of October, and 

 then were shipt for this citie of Goa in the captaines 

 ship, with an 114 horses, and about 200 men: and 

 passing by Diu & Chaul, where we went on land to ^^'« 

 water the 20 of November, we arrived at Goa the 29 

 of the said moneth, where for our better intertainment 

 we were presently put into a faire strong prison, where 

 we continued untill the 22 of December. It was the 

 will of God that we found there 2 Padres, the one an 

 Englishman, the other a Flemming. The Englishmans 

 name is Padre Thomas Stevens, the others Padre Marco, 

 of the order of S. Paul. These did sue for us unto 

 the Viceroy and other officers, and stood us in as much 



463 



Chaul. 



