Page:A Comprehensive History of India Vol 1.djvu/248

 214 HLSTOIiV OF IS III A.

[Book I.

A.D. 108:;. " 13. Item, wee will that you deale altogether in thi.s voyage like good and lioucHt nier-

chants, trafHckiiig and exchanging ware for ware, with all courtewie, to the nationw you Hhall Instructions '^^'*'^^ with,a3 well Ethuiks aa others; and for that cause you shall instruct all those that shall continued ^^^ ^'^'' i'^^h that whensoever you, or any of you, shall happen to come in any place to cou- fei-ence with the people of those parts, that in all your doings and theirs, you and they so behave yourselves towards the sayd people as may rather procure their friendhhij; and good liking toward you by courtesie than to turne them to offence or misliking; and especially you shall have great care of the performance of your word and promise to them.

" 14. Item, wee will, that by the advise of your a.ssistants, in places where you and they shall thinke most fit, you settl, if you can, a beginning of a further trade to be had hereafter: and from such places doe bring over with you some fewe men and women if you may; and do also leave some one or two, or more, as to you and your assistants shall seem convenient, of our nation with them for pledges, and to learn the tongue and secrets of the countreys, ha ng diligent care, that, in delivering and taking of hostages, you deliver not personages of more value then you i-eceive, but rather deliver meane persons under colour of men of value, as the infidels do for the most part use. Provided that you stay not longer to make continuance of further trade, then shall be expedient for good exchange of the wares presently carried with you.

" 15. Item, you shall have care, and give generall warning, that no person, of M'hat calling soever hee be, shall take up or keepe to himself or his private use, any stone, pearle, golde, silver, or other matter of commoditie to be had or found in places where you shall come ; but he, the said person, so seased of such stone, pearle, golde, silver, or other matter of commoditie, shall with all speede, or so soone as he can, detect the same, and make deliverie thereof to your selfe, or your vice-admirall, or lieutenant, and the factor appointed for this voyage, upon paine of forfeiture of all the recompense he is to have for his service in this voyage by share or otherwise ; and further, to receive such punishment as to you and your assistants, or the more part of them, shall seeme good, and otherwise to be j^unished here at his returne, if according to the qualitie of his offence it shall be thought needful.

" 16. Item, if the captaines, merchants, or any other, shall have any apparell, jewels, chaines, armour, or any other thing whatsoever, which may be desired in countreys where they shall traffique, that it shall not be lawful for them, or any of them, to trafRque or sell any thing thereof for their private accompt ; but the same shall be prized by the most part of those that shall be in commission in the places where the same may be so required, rated at such value as it may bee reasonably worth in England ; and then solde to the profite of the whole voyage, and to goe as in adventure for those to whom it doeth appertaine." Interest This vovasre, as the first in which a direct attempt was made by any Euro-

attaoMngto '' °. .

the voyage, pean powcr to break up the Portuguese monopoly of naagation by the Cape of Good Hope, natiu'ally excites a deep interest ; and hence even the instructions to its commander, from the insight they give into the motives with which the voyage was undertaken, deserve all the space which has above been allotted to them. The voyage itself ought, of com'se, to have been still more interesting ; but unfortunately the account of it written by Luke Ward, the vice-admiral, is meaofre in the extreme, and does Little more than establish the fact that it proved a complete failure. The good sense apparent in drawing up the instruc- tions does not appear to have been employed in making the appointments ; and the expedition had not proceeded far on its way when Fenton, who com- manded it, appears to have betrayed, if not incompetency, at least indecision.

The four vessels, consisting of the Beare, which changed its name to the Leices- ter, the Edward Bonaventure, the Francis, and the Elizabeth, sailed on the 1st of May, but spent a whole month before they finally quitted the English coast, and