LINSCHOTENS REPORT ad 



1583. 



their wares : which the Italians perceiving, whose factours 

 continue there (as I sayd before) and fearing that those 

 English men finding good vent for their commodities in 

 that place, would be resident therein, and so dayly 

 increase, which would be no small losse and hinderance 

 unto them, did presently invent all the subtile meanes 

 they could to hinder them : and to that end they went 

 unto the Captaine of Ormus, as then called Don Gonsalo 

 de Meneses, telling him that there were certaine English 

 men come into Ormus, that were sent onely to spie the 

 countrey ; and sayd further, that they were heretikes : 

 and therefore they sayd it was convenient they should 

 not be suffered so to depart, without being examined, 

 and punished as enemies, to the example of others. The 

 Captaine being a friend unto the English men, by reason 

 that one of them which had bene there before, had given 

 him certaine presents, would not be perswaded to trouble 

 them, but shipped them with all their wares in a shippe 

 that was to saile for Goa, and sent them to the Viceroy, 

 that he might examine and trie them, as he thought 

 good : where when they were arrived, they were cast into 

 prison, and ficst examined whether they were good 

 Christians or no : and because they could speake but 

 badde Portugall, onely two of them spake good Dutch, 

 as having bene certaine yeres in the Low countreyes, and 

 there traffiked, there was a Dutch Jesuite born in the 

 towne of Bruges in Flanders, that had bene resident in 

 the Indies for the space of thirty yers, sent unto them, 

 to undermine and examine them : wherein they behaved 

 themselves so well, that they were holden and esteemed 

 for good and Catholicke Christians : yet still suspected, 

 because they were strangers, and specially English men. 

 The Jesuites still tolde them that they should be sent 

 prisoners into Portugall, wishing them to leave off their 

 trade of marchandise, and to become Jesuites, promising 

 them thereby to defend them from all trouble. The 

 cause why they sayd so, and perswaded them in that 

 earnest maner, was, for that the Dutch Jesuite had secretly 



507 



