And for feather, he did wear.

Old NISUS' fatal purple hair.

The sword they girded on his thigh, Was smallest blade of finest rye. A pair of buskins they did bring Of the "cow lady's" coral wing; Powdered o'er with spots of jet, And lined with purple violet.

His belt was made of myrtle leaves Plaited in small curious threaves; Beset with amber cowslip studs, And fringed about with daisy buds. In which his bugle horn was hung Made of the babbling ECHO's tongue; Which set unto his moon-burned lip, He winds; and then his fairies skip.

At that, the lazy dawn 'gan sound, And each did trip a fairy round.

1599.

Rev.

RICHARD HAKLUYT.

The antiquity of the trade with English ships into the Levant.

[Voyages. 1599.]

THE years of our Lord 1511, 1512 &c. till the year 1534: divers tall ships of London, namely the Christopher Campion, wherein was factor one ROGER WHITCOME; the Mary George, wherein was factor WILLIAM GRESHAM; the great Mary Grace, the owner whereof was WILLIAM GUNSON, and the Master one JOHN HELY; the Trinity Fitz Williams, whereof was Master, LAWRENCE ARKEY; the Matthew of London, whereof was Master, WILLIAM CAPLING; with certain other ships of Southampton and Bristol: had an ordinary and usual trade to Sicily, Candia, Scio; and somewhiles to Cyprus, as also to Tripolis and Barrutti [Beyrout] in Syria. The commodities which they carried thither were fine kerseys of divers colours, coarse kerseys, white" Western dozens," cottons, certain cloths called "statutes" and others called "cardinal whites," and calfskins which were well sold in Sicily &c. The commodities which they returned [brought] back were silks, camlets, rhubarb, malmseys muscadels and other wines, sweet oils, cotton wool, Turkey carpets, galls, pepper, cinnamon and some other spices, &c. Besides the natural inhabitants of the aforesaid places, they had, even in those days, traffic with Jews, Turks, and other foreigners. Neither did our merchants only employ their own English shipping before mentioned; but that of sundry strangers also: as, namely, Candiots, Raguseans, Sicilians, Genoese, Venetian galleasses, Spanish and Portuguese ships. All which particulars do most evidently appear out of certain ancient ligier books [ledgers] of the Right Worshipful Sir WILLIAM LOCK, Mercer of London, of Sir WILLIAM BOWYER, Alderman of London, of Master JOHN GRESHAM, and of others; which I RICHARD HAKLUYT have diligently perused and copied out.

1592.

A voyage made with the ships called the Holy Cross and the Matthew Gonson to the isles of Candia and Scio about the year 1534: according to a relation made to Master RICHARD HAKLUYT, by JOHN WILLIAMSON, Cooper and Citizen of London, who lived in the year 1592. He went as Cooper in the Matthew Gonson the next voyage after.

T

HE ships called the Holy Cross and the Matthew Gonson, made a voyage to the islands of Candia and Scio in Turkey about the year 1534. And in the Matthew went as Captain, Master RICHARD GONSON, son of old Master WILLIAM GONSON, Paymaster of the King's Navy. In this first voyage went WILLIAM HOLSTOCKE-who afterwards was Controller of Her Majesty's Navy, and lately deceased-as page to Master RICHARD GONSON aforesaid: which Master GONSON died at Scio in this his first voyage.

The ship called the Holy Cross was a short ship, and of 160 tons burden. And having been a full year at sea in performance of this voyage, with great danger she returned home where upon her arrival at Blackwall in the river Thames, her wine and oil casks were found to be so weak, that they were not able to hoist them out of the ship: but were constrained to draw them as they lay, and put their wine and oil into new vessels, and so to unload the ship. Their chief freight was very excellent Muscatels and red Malmsey: the like whereof were seldom seen before in England. They brought home also a good quantity of sweet oils, cotton wools, Turkey carpets, galls, cinnamon and some other spices. The said ship called the Holy Cross was so shaken in this voyage, and so weakened; that she was laid up in the dock, and never made a voyage after.

Another voyage to the isles of Candia and Scio made by the Matthew Gonson about the year 1535: according to the relation of JOHN WILLIAMSON, then Cooper in the same ship; made to Master RICHARD HAKLUYT in the year 1592.

HE good ship called the Matthew Gonson, of 300 tons burden-whereof was owner old Master WILLIAM GONSON, Paymaster of the King's Navy-made her voyage in the year 1535. In this ship went as Captain, RICHARD GRAY, who long after died in Russia. Master WILLIAM HOLSTOCKE--afterwards Controller of the Queen's Navy-went then as Purser in the same voyage. The Master was one JOHN PICHET, servant to old Master WILLIAM GONSON. JAMES RUMNIE was Master's Mate. The Master Cooper was JOHN WILLIAMSON citizen of London, living in the year 1592, and dwelling in Saint Dunstan's parish in the East. The Master Gunner was JOHN Godfrey of Bristol.

In this ship were six gunners and four trumpeters. All which four trumpeters at our return homewards, went on land at Messina in the island of Sicily, as our ship rode there at anchor; and got themselves into the galleys that lay near unto us, and in them went to Rome. The whole number of our company in this ship was about a hundred men. We were also furnished with a great boat, which was able to carry ten tons of water: which at our return homewards we towed all the way from Scio until we came through the Straits of Gibraltar into the main ocean. We had also a great long boat, and a skiff.

We were out upon this voyage eleven months; yet in all this time there died of sickness but one man; whose name was GEORGE FORREST, being servant to our Carpenter called THOMAS PLummer.

IN A great ligier book [ledger] of one WILLIAM EYRUS, servant unto Sir WILLIAM BOWYER, Alderman of London-bearing date the 15th of November 1533 and continued until the 4th of July, 1544-I find that he the said WILLIAM EYRUS was factor in Scio, not only for his master, and for his grace the Duke of NORFOLK, but also for many others, worshipful merchants of London: among whom I find the accounts of these especially, to wit, of his said master Sir WILLIAM BOWYER; of WILLIAM and NICHOLAS WILFORD, Merchant Tailors of London; of THOMAS CURTIS, Pewterer; of JOHN STARKY Mercer; of WILLIAM OSTRIGE Merchant; and of RICHARD FIELD Draper.

And further I find in the said ligier book a note of the said EYRUS, of all such goods as he left in the hands of ROBERT BYE in Scio; who became his master's factor in his room: and another like note of particulars of goods that he left in the hands of OLIVER LESSON, servant to WILLIAM and NICHOLAS WILFORD.

And for proof of the continuance of this trade until the end of the year 1552: I found annexed unto the former note of the goods left with ROBERT BYE in Scio, a letter being dated the 27th of November 1552 in London.

Sir WALTER RALEIGH.

Lord JOHN TALBOT compared to
EMILIUS the Consul.

B

[History of the World.]

UT IF such a resolution were praiseworthy in
EMILIUS, as proceeding out of Roman valour:
then was the English virtue of the Lord JOHN
TALBOT-Son to that famous Earl of SHREWSBURY,

-who died at the battle of Chatillon more highly to be honoured. For EMILIUS was old; grievously, if not mortally wounded; and accountable for the overthrow received: TALBOT was in the flower of his youth; unhurt; easily able to have escaped; and not answerable for that day's misfortune: when he refused to forsake his father; who-foreseeing the loss of the battle, and not meaning to stain his actions past, by flying in his old age-exhorted his noble son to be gone, and leave him.