nts: and there we mette with a carrier which did
trauel in the countrey for the English marchants: and by him we sent word
vnto them of our estate; and they returned the next day vnto vs a Moore,
which brought vs victuals, being at that instant very feeble and hungry:
and withall sent vs a letter with pen, inke, and paper, willing vs to write
vnto them what ship it was that was cast away, and how many and what men
there were aliue. For said they we would knowe with speed, for to morow is
the kings court: and therefore we would know, for that you should come into
the citie like captiues. But for all that we were carried in as captiues
and with ropes about our neckes as well English as the French and
Spaniards. And so we were carried before the king: and when we came before
him he did commit vs all to ward, where wee lay 15 dayes in close prison:
and in the end we were cleared by the English Marchants to their great
charges; for our deliuerance cost them 700 ounces, euery ounce in that
country contayning two shillings. And when we came out of prison we went to
the Alfandica, where we continued eight weekes with the English marchants.
At the end of which time being well apparelled by the bountie of our
marchants we were conueyed downe by the space of eight dayes iourney to S.
Cruz, where the English ships road: where we tooke shipping about the 20 of
March, two in the Anne Francis of London, and fiue more of vs fiue dayes
after in the Expedition of London, and two more in a Flemish flie-boat, and
one in the Mary Edward also of London, other two of our number died in the
countrey of the bloodie-fluxe: the one at our first imprisonment at
Marocco, whose name was George Hancock, and the other at S. Cruz, whose
name was Robert Swancon, whose death was hastened by eating of rootes and
other vnnatural things to slake their raging hunger in our trauaile, and by
our hard and cold lodging in the open fields without tents. Thus of fiftie
persons through the rashnesse of an vnskilfull Master ten onely suruiued of
vs, and after a thousand miseries returned home poore, sicke, and feeble
into our countrey.

Richard Iohnson.
William Williams Carpenter.
Iohn Durham.
Abraham Rouse.
Iohn Matthewes.
Thomas Henmore.
Iohn Siluester.
Thomas Whiting.
William Church.
Iohn Fox.

* * * * *

The letters of the Queenes most excellent Maiestie sent by one Laurence
Aldersey vnto the Emperour of Aethiopia, 1597.