Sir William Foster - The Voyage of Sir Henry Middleton to the Moluccas, 1604-1606

Edited by
Sir William Foster

First published by Ashgate Publishing

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ISBN 13: 978-1-4094-1455-1 (hbk)

WORKS ISSUED BY
The Hakluyt Socety

THE VOYAGE OF SIR HENRY MIDDLETON TO THE MOLUCCAS
1604-1606

SECOND SERIES
No. LXXXVIII

THE VOYAGE OF SIR HENRY MIDDLETON TO THE MOLUCCAS
1604-1606

A new and enlarged edition with an Introduction and Notes by
SIR WILLIAM FOSTER, C.I.E.

Moluccas: parvae, at felici aromatum productu nobiles.

CLUVERIUS: Introd.in Universam Geographiam

LONDON
PRINTED FOR THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY
1943

TO MY WIFE

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY ROBERT MACLEHOSE AND CO. LTD, THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, GLASGOW

OF ALL the expeditions sent forth by the East India Company during the first twelve years of its existencethe so-called 'Separate Voyages'the first two were the most closely linked; in fact, the second was the complement of the first. In both, the same four ships were employed; the necessary capital was found mostly by the same subscribers; and the personnel was largely the same, at least in the higher ranks. This being so, it is fitting that, having dealt once again with the history of the First Voyage in a new edition (1940) of The Voyages of Sir James Lancaster, the Hakluyt Society should now issue a fresh account of the Second.

As long ago as 1855 Mr. Bolton Corney edited for the Society, under the title of The Voyage of Sir Henry Middleton to Bantam arid the Maluco Islands, the narrative contained in a pamphlet of 1606, entitled The Last East-Indian Voyage. This volume has been a textbook for all students of the subject; but the number of copies printed was small and the work has long been out of print. The present edition gives the same pamphlet, but with a text that has not been modernized, and with the addition of such other contemporary material as could be found, bearing upon the voyagenotably the account given by Edmund Scott of events at Bantam from the departure of Lancaster to the sailing of Middleton from that port on his homeward journey. Fresh notes and a new introduction have been supplied.

Since the preparation of the volume, the countries with which it is chiefly concerned (and several others) have been overwhelmed by a yellow flood of Japanese invasion. No-one doubts, however, that this phase is merely temporary, and I have not found it necessary to make any substantial change in the notes or introduction.

My warm acknowledgments are due to Dr. C. Otto Blagden and Sir Richard Winstedt, K.B.E., C.M.G., for assistance in elucidating Malay names and phrases; also to the Society's secretary, Dr. Edward Lynam, for much valuable help.

W. F.

THE CLOSING years of the reign of Elizabeth were years of anxiety and depression. The Queen's failing health, and the uncertainty as to the succession to the crown: the parlous state of the national finances, aggravated by the troubles in Ireland and the long war with Spain, which still continued, though efforts were being made to conclude a peace: the depressed state of trade, partly due to the lack of outlets for rapidly growing manufactures, partly to the active competition of the Dutchall these things filled the minds of Englishmen with apprehension and discouragement. The newly founded (1600) East India Company felt the full effect of this state of affairs; and after the first flush of enthusiasm had died down, it met with increasing difficulty in raising funds to continue the trade; while even when setting out its first expedition (1601) many of the subscribers failed to fulfil their engagements. Moreover, early in 1601 a serious blow was dealt to the infant company by the loss of its Governor, Alderman and Sheriff Smythe, who had taken a leading part in its foundation and had guided its operations with energy and skill. This unfortunate episode was the outcome of the rebellion of the Earl of Essex, and took place while the Company's first fleet, under Captain Lancaster, was still in the Thames, awaiting a fair wind for its departure. The fact that the Earl, in attempting to rouse the citizens of London against the government, made in the first instance for Smythe's house excited a suspicion that the Sheriff was one of his partisans, and Smythe was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower. With some difficulty he established his innocence, and after a time he was released; but he remained under a cloud and found it advisable to abstain from taking any part in public affairs until after the death of the Queen. In the meanwhile the post of Governor was filled in turn by two of his brother aldermen, John Watts and Thomas Campbell; but neither of these had Smythe's initiative or his commanding position in the City.