A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
Mr Woolman died on the 17th of August. We could not procure payment of
our promised money, and were told by our broker, that some one of our
debtors would procure a respite from the governor, by means of a bribe,
on which the rest would refuse till they all paid. On the 24th, the
Zamorin's sister sent us word, that she would both cause our debtors to
pay us, and to lend us any money we needed; but we found her as false as
the rest The queen mother also made us fair promises, and several others
made offers to get letters conveyed for us to Surat; but all their words
were equally false. Thus wronged, Mr Needham farther wronged himself by
his indiscretion, threatening, in presence of a nayre who attended us,
and who revealed his threats, that he would go to the king of Cochin,
making shew of violent revenge to put the governor in fear. He behaved
outrageously likewise to a _scrivano_,[181] who is the same as a justice
with us, taking him by the throat, and making as if he would have cut
him down with his sword, for detaining some of our money which he had
received. Our broker also told Mr Needham, that it was not becoming to
go up and down the streets with a sword and buckler; and indeed his
whole conduct and behaviour more resembled those we call
_roaring-boys_,[182] than what became the character of a merchant. For
my admonitions, he requited me with ill language, disgracing himself and
injuring the affairs of the company.
[Footnote 181: This term is obviously Portuguese, and cannot be the
proper appellation for a judge on the Malabar coast.--E.]
[Footnote 182: This character is now only to be met with in some of our
old plays such as Captain Bobadil in Every Man in his Humour.--E.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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