A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1563-81. 



would not suffer any Portugal to depart, by reason of the 

 warres. And being in Goa but a small time, I fell sicke 

 of an infirmitie that helde mee foure moneths : which 

 with phisicke and diet cost me eight hundreth duckets, 

 and there I was constrained to sell a smal quantitie of 

 Rubies to sustaine my neede : and I solde that for five 

 hundreth duckets, that was worth a thousand. And 

 when I beganne to waxe well of my disease, I had but 

 little of that money left, every thing was so scarse : For 

 every chicken (and yet not good) cost mee seven or 

 eight Livers, which is sixe shillings, or sixe shillings 

 eight pence. Beside this great charges, the Apothe- 

 caries with their medicines were no small charge to 

 me. At the ende of sixe moneths they raised the siege, 

 and then I beganne to worke, for Jewels were risen in 

 their prices : for, whereas before I sold a few of refused 

 Rubies, I determined then to sell the rest of all my 

 Jewels that I had there, and to make an other voyage 

 to Pegu. And for because that at my departure from 

 Opium a good Pegu, Opium was in great request, I went then to Cam- 

 commodttte in i^^^g^ ^q imploy a good round summe of money in 

 Opium, and there I bought 60. percels of Opium, which 

 cost me two thousand & a hundreth duckets, every 

 ducket at foure shillings two pence. Moreover I 

 bought three bales of Bombast cloth, which cost me 

 eight hundred duckats, which was a good commoditie 

 for Pegu : when I had bought these things, the Viceroy 

 commanded that the custome of the Opium should be 

 paide in Goa, and paying custome there I might cary it 

 whither I would. I shipped my 3. bales of cloth at 

 Chaul in a shippe that went for Cochin, and I went to 

 Goa to pay the aforesaid custome for my Opium, and 

 from Goa I departed to Cochin in a ship that was for the 

 voyage of Pegu, and went to winter then at S. Tome. 

 When I came to Cochin, I understood that the ship that 

 had my three bales of cloth was cast away and lost, so 

 that I lost my 800. Serafins or duckats : and departing 

 from Cochin to goe for S. Tome, in casting about for 



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