86 o A fuccinci Account of the Adventures Book I. 
fuceeeded happily in this, as well as in other Affairs ; he was “ in the Eqfl- Indies, I prefume fome amongft them, either 
directed to build a larger VefTel aftert he European manner, 44 Merchants, Matters, or Mariners, mutt needs know 
which accordingly he did, with the Afliftance of fuch as 46 me. Therefore I have emboldened rnyfelf to write 
were under him, and who, following his Inftrudtions, tc thefe few Lines, in fhort, being defirous not to be over 
finifhed a very good Ship, of the Burden of one hundred 44 tedious to the Reader. 
Tuns, and that fhe was in every refpedfc a very compleat 44 This Ifland of Japan is a great Land, and lieth to 
VefTel, appears from the Ufe that was afterwards made of 44 the Northward in 480, and the fouthermoft Part of it 
her *, for it fo fell out, Anno Domini 1609, that the Spanijh 44 in 35% and the Length of it E. by N. and W. by S„ 
Governor of the Manillas , going in a large Galleon of one 44 (for fo it lies) is two hundred and twenty-eight Leagues, 
thoufand Tun to New Spain , was driven out of his Courfe 44 The Breadth South and North of it, thirteen Degrees, 
by a violent Storm, which threw him upon the Coaft of 44 twenty Leagues to the Degree, is two hundred fixty 
Japan , where arriving in the Night, the Crew, through 44 Leagues, and is alrnoft fquare. The People of this 
Ignorance, ran the VefTel on Shore in the Latitude of 44 Bland of Japan are Good of Nature, courteous above 
350 50' North, by which unfortunate Accident one hun- 44 Meafure, and Valiant in War. Their Juftice is fevere-; 
dred and thirty-fix Men were drowned; but the Governor 44 ly executed, without any Partiality, upon TranfgrefTors 
with three hundred and fifty more efcaped, and applied 44 of the Law. They are governed in great Civility, I 
themfelves to the Emperor, befeeching him to have Com- 44 think no Land better governed in the World by civil 
paflion upon them in their Diftrefs, and to affift them in 44 Policy. The People are very fiiperftitious in their Re- 
their Defign of proceeding to New Spain . 44 ligion, and are of diverfe Opinions. There are many 
As the Japanefe , from the Maxims of their Government, 44 Jefuits and Francifcan Friars in this Land, and they 
were never very defirous of having many Strangers in their 44 converted many to be Chriftians, and have many 
Dominions, this Requeft of the Spanijh Governor was very 44 Churches in the Ifland, 
readily complied with, and as foon as Provifions and other 41 Thus, in fhort, I am conftrained to write, hoping 
Neceffaries could be got together, the Governor and his 44 by one Means or other, in Procefs of Time, I fhall 
Men were embarked on Board the Ship which Mr. Adams 
laft built, in which they fafely proceeded to Acapulco. In 
Gratitude for this Favour, this Governor, in the Year 
1 61 1, fent another Ship in Exchange, with a great Pre- 
fent, and an Embaffador on Board, who had Inftrudtions 
to thank the Emperor for his Civility, and alfo to make 
him a large Prefent. 
It was in this Year alfo that our Author had an Oppor- 
tunity, by the Arrival of a Dutch Ship, to give his Coun- 
trymen in England fome Account of his Adventures, and 
of the Condition he Was' then in. This Letter he addreffed 
to his unknown Friends and Countrymen, defiring it might 
be carried either to Limehoufe near London , or to Gilling- 
ham in Kent ; and in the Beginning of it he takes notice, 
that he was born at that Town ; that at twelve Years old 
he was bound Apprentice to Mr. Nicholas Diggines , whom 
he ferved twelve Years, and was afterwards in her Majefty’s 
Queen Elizabeth's Service, and then fpent eleven or twelve 
Years in ferving the Merchants who traded to Barbary , till 
being defirous of vifiting the Eajl- Indies , he went over to 
Holland , and there entered into the Service of the Dutch. 
The Conclufion of his Letter is extreamly curious, and 
therefore I fhall give it my Readers in his own Words, 
that they may better judge of the Genius and Capacity of 
this Man, who made fuch a Change in the Affairs of Japan , 
and procured that Settlement for the Dutch , which with- 
out his Afliftance, it is very probable they had never at- 
tained. 
44 Now, whether I fhall come out of this Land I know 
44 not ; until this prefent there hath been no Means, but 
44 now through the Trade of the Hollanders there is Means. 
44 In the Year of our Lord 1609, two Holland Ships came 
44 to Japan , their Intention was to take the Carrack that 
44 yearly came from Macao , and being fome five or fix 
44 Days too late, neverthelefs they came to Fir an do, and 
44 came to the Court to the Emperor, where they were in 
44 great Friendfhip received, conditioning with the Empe- 
44 ror yearly to fend a Ship or two, and fo they departed, 
44 with the Emperor’s Pafs. Now, this Year 1611, there 
44 is a final 1 Ship arrived with Cloth, Lead, Elephants 
44 Teeth, Damafk, and black Taffaties, raw Silk, Pepper, 
44 and other Commodities, and they have fhe wed Caufe 
44 why they miffed the former Year 1610, according to 
44 Promife yearly to come. 
44 This Ship is well received, and with great Kindnefs 
44 entertained : You fhall underftand, that the Hollanders 
44 have here an Indies of Money, for they need not to bring 
44 Silver out of Holland to the Eajl- Indies ; for in Japan 
44 there is much Silver and Gold to ferve their Turns in 
44 other Places, where Need requireth in the Eajl -Indies ; 
44 but the Merchandize, which is here vendible for ready 
i( Money, is raw Silk, Damafk, black Taffaties, black 
ee and red Cloth of the beft. Lead, and fuch-like Goods. 
44 So now underftand ing by this Holland Ship lately arrived 
44 here, there is a fettled Trade driven by my Countrymen 
44 hear of my Wife and Children, and fo with Patience I 
44 wait the good Will of God Almighty, defiring all thofe 
44 to whom this my Letter fhall come, to ufe the Means, 
44 to acquaint my good Friends with it, that fo my Wife 
44 and Children may hear of me; by which Means there 
44 may be Hope that I may hear of my Wife and Chil- 
44 dren before my Death. The which the Lord grant to 
44 his Glory and my Comfort. Amen. Dated in Japan 
44 the twenty-fecond of October, 1611/’ 
11. As fhort as our Author’s Defcription of Japan may 
appear, it deferves fome Notice and Explication. There 
is no doubt, that he extends the Latitude of this Country 
too high, when he tells us, it reaches to forty-eight De- 
grees > but perhaps he took what he wrote from the Infor- 
mation of the Inhabitants, and might, by his Enquiries, 
as to the Diftance they had failed and travelled North, be 
led to take the Land of Tedzo into his Computation ; and 
if fo, we may very eafily account for his extending the 
Bounds of Japan into fo high a Latitude ; neither is he to 
be blamed ; for fuppofing that Country a Part of the 
Continent, and of the Empire of Japan , fince the Na- 
tives were at that Time perfuaded of both, and confe- 
quently in his Circumftances he was not likely to obtain 
any better Information. The reft of his Account is exadt 
enough, and the whole of it is apparently calculated to 
invite the Englijh thither, by affording them a Profpecl 
of an advantageous Commerce. It is plain likewife, that 
Mr. Adams meant by this all the Service poffible to his 
Country, and if it fhould be enquired why he introduced 
the Dutch there firft, the Anfwer is very clear, and very 
evident, becaufe he had no Means of writing to, or cor- 
refponding with the Englijh , how much foever he de- 
fired it. 
It is alfo very evident, that by his Introduction of the Dutch, 
he meant to find out fome Means of correfponding with his 
own Countrymen ; and indeed, it was a very natural Method, 
fince he came to Japan in the Dutch Service, and had no 
other Way of working his own Deliverance, but by their 
Means. Another natural and juft Obfervation upon his 
Letter is, that he fpeaks very briefly of Fadts, and with- 
out mentioning any thing to his own Praife ; in which, 
without doubt, he adted very prudently, and this for two 
Reafons. In the firft Place, if he had given a large and 
full Account of the Dutch Settlement, and of the Pains 
it coft him to eftablilh it, it would certainly have hinder- 
ed his Letter from coming at all to the Hands of his 
Countrymen, by raifing the Jealoufy of the Dutch , who 
were extremely tender of having their Affairs known. 
This is the more certain, fince the latter Part of a Letter 
which he wrote to his Wife, and which contained a larger 
and more full Account of the Affairs of Japan , was actu- 
ally torn off, and deftroyed by thofe who were entrufted 
with it. In the fecond Place, fuppofing his Epiftle had 
been more fortunate, and had come diredtly to the H#nds 
of the Englijh , it would not have recommended him to 
them, 
