, as Italians,
French men, English men, Armenians, Turks and Moores, euery man hauing his
religion apart, paying tribute vnto the great Turke. In that towne there is
great traffique, for that from thence euery yeere twise, there trauell two
Caffyls, that is, companies of people and camels, which trauell vnto India,
Persia, Arabia, and all the countreys bordering on the same, and deale in
all sorts of marchandise, both to and from those countreys, as I in another
place haue already declared. Three of the sayd English men aforesayd, were
sent by a company of English men that are resident in Aleppo, to see if in
Ormus they might keepe any factours, and so traffique in that place, like
as also the Italians do, that is to say, the Venetians which in Ormus, Goa,
and Malacca haue their factours, and traffique there, aswell for stones and
pearles, as for other wares and spices of those countreyes, which from
thence are caried ouer land into Venice. [Sidenote: Iohn Newbery had beene
in Ormus before. Anno. 1581.] One of these English men had bene once before
in the sayd towne of Ormus, and there had taken good information of the
trade, and vpon his aduise and aduertisement, the other were as then come
thither with him, bringing great store of marchandises with them, as
Clothes, Saffron, all kindes of drinking glasses, and Haberdashers wares,
as looking glasses, kniues, and such like stuffe: and to conclude, brought
with them all kinde of small wares that may be deuised. And although those
wares amounted vnto great summes of money, notwithstanding it was but onely
a shadow or colour, thereby to giue no occassion to be mistrusted, or seen
into: for that their principall intent was to buy great quantities of
precious stones, as Diamants, Pearles, Rubies, &c. to the which end they
brought with them a great summe of money and golde, and that very secretly,
not to be deceiued or robbed thereof, or to runne into any danger for the
same. They being thus arriued in Ormus, hired a shoppe, and beganne to sell
their wares: which the Italians perceiuing, whose factours continue there
(as I sayd before) and fearing that those English men finding good vent for
their commodities in that place, would be resident therin, and so dayly
increase, which would be no small losse and hinderance vnto them, did
presently inuent all the subtile meanes they could to hinder them: and to
that end they went vnto the Captaine of Ormus, as then called Don Gonsalo
de