Richard Cocks

“ At the end of August arrived the ship Oziander (or Hozeander) from England, and Captain Ralph Coppindall was sent up to court with the customary present. In a letter written after his return to Firando he records the unprofitable nature of the trade of Japan: “either we must procure a peaceable trade in China, or else, as the Hollanders do, to trade with them perforce. And if we set foot in the Moluccas, this place will be a fit storehouse from whence we may always have men, munition, and victuals good store, and at reasonable rates” (ii. 271) . ”

“ Marche 18.—Taccamon Dono sent word to Yasimon Dono, that the scrivano of the junck Ed. Sayer came in had put up a petition against hym for delivering the 140 picos sappon into my handes, before the matter was ended by justice. So I gave a writing under my hand to save hym harmles, both against the justis and scrivano, whatsoever they would demand of hym tuching that matter. And after came an other hu and cry (as the proverb is) that the justice would not let Yasimon Dono goe on the voyag, except I delivered the 140 piculls wood into his handes till the matter was ended per justice. ”

“ For the king hath (by our procurement) from the first made an edect that the Japons should not trust our men without paying money for what they tooke; for it is an ordenary course for som of our men to leave the shipps and lie ashore in secret a wick, a fortnight, yea a month som of them, and in the end cause their hostes to keepe them presoners, telling us it is by force, yet confesse the debt som of 5, others of 10, 20, and 30 taies per man which they owe, desiring it may be paid and put upon their wages. ”

“ But now all was changed; churches and monasteries had been levelled with the earth, and even graveyards uprooted and “all the dead men’s bones taken out of the ground and cast forth.” The news of the union of the two companies will account for the English still remaining in their old quarters in Firando, to keep near the Dutch, instead of migrating to Nagasaki.
Death had also in this interval brought misfortunes to the English factory. The first loss was that of Whaw, the Chinaman, upon whom Cocks so much relied to obtain privileges for the China trade. Then Nealson died in March, 1620. ”

“ Unto which the Emperour replied and said, the Spaniard had no reason, and therefore, seeing it was a differance or dispute amongst us which were all strangers, he would not make [Pg 277] nor meddell in the matter, but leave it to their princes to decide at home. “But,” said he, “what is the occation they take men as well as goods?” “Because (said Mr. Adames) the Spaniardes take the Hollanders and have 150 or 200 of them presoners in the Phillipi [nas, for] which occation the Hollanders doe use the lyke [towards] their people, man for man and goodes for goodes.” ”

“ Marche 13.—I went to Taccamon Dono in company of Capten Adames, and carid hym a barill wyne and 2 fyshes, nifon catange, and delivered hym my letter and paper consernyng my procese against the purcer, which he took in good parte, promising me justice when he had heard what the other cold aledg against me, but sent home the barill wyne and fyshes after me, for that no present was to be accepted when men came to crave justice. ”

“ Ushenusque Dono sent me a phaisant cock, exskewsing his not coming per meanes of his emploimentes abroad. And I sent the governor Langasaque and Safian Donos man, eache of them, a quart bottell strong waters, with eache of them a China cup to drink it in. Also Figen a Came, Kyng of Firando, sent me 2 barsos wyne and a wild boare for a present, wishing me a prosperous new yeare. And Ike Dono, the cavelero of Xaxma, came and vizeted me, with a present of 3 bundelles or reames Japon paper, he being lately retorned from Xaxma, where he sayeth the king is much affectioned to our English nation. ”

“ China trade: “The China Nocheda [36] hath too long deluded you, through your own simplicity, to give credit unto him. You have lived long enough in those parts to be better experienced of the fraudulent practices of those people.” The English buildings at Firando are to be handed over to the king, to hold in trust “until such time as we shall send thither again to repossess the same.” ”

“ Coppendall carid up unto hym, as Capt. Adames can better enforme yow whoe was an eye witnesse, the Emperour offring to geve us anything that might be for the benefit or good of our nation, esteeming us above all other Christian nations whatsoever.
And, as I advised yow, the Hollanders took a Portingale [Pg 274] junck on this cost and brought her into Firando. And the Emperour hath alowed it for good prize, both men and goods, and that either we or they may take them or Spaniardes at sea and make good purchesse thereof, except they have the Emperours passe. ”

“ In 1620, blacks and reds are in fashion (ii. 311) . Indian cloths sold not “so much for necessity as for the new and strange fashions and paintings thereof”, the Japanese “being a people desiring change” (ii. 273) .
After Saris’s departure, however, the English factory lost no time in attempting to establish trade in the country. At the beginning of the new year Wickham was sent as agent to Yedo; Eaton was stationed at Ozaka; and Sayers had a commission to [xix] the northern parts of Kiushiu and the neighbouring island of Tsushima, the first step to trade with Corea. ”

“ Neather in all this tyme have we had any conveance to enforme your Worshipps of the manifold abuses [Pg 302] offered unto us within these kingdoms of Japon, notwithstanding the lardge prevelegese we have from the Emperour that the Japons them selves may not meddell with us. Yet these Hollanders have, by sound of trumpet abord all their shipps in the harbour of Firando, procleamed open warrs against our English nation, both by sea and land, with fire and sworde, to take our shipps and goods and destroy our persons to the uttermost of their power, as to their mortall enemies. ”

“ Wickham grows very sullen humorous and, as I am informed, geveth out that he is not the Companies servant, but at will, and therfore will rather seek out for his retorne for England in some shiping from Langasaque to Syam or Pattania. I think the reason is that he hath fingerd 5 or 6 cattis of good amber grees in the Liqueas, and thinketh to make an India voyag for hym selfe, and to retorne Capt. or Generall for the Company at his pleasure. Once truly I, and I think all the rest of the English in these parts, desyre rather his rowme then company. He is turbulent. ”

“ But at Firando there is the king hym selfe, with two of his brothers, and 3 or 4 of his uncles, besides many other noble men of his kindred; all which look for presentes, or else it is no living amongst them; and that which is more, they are allwaies borowing and buying, but sildom or neaver make payment, except it be the king hym selfe. So that it maketh me altogether aweary to live amongst them, we not being abell to geve and lend them as the Hollanders doe, whoe geve them other mens goods which they neaver paid for. ”

“ The caboques, or dancing bears as Cocks calls them, that is, the dancing women or players, and their male companions, are present at every large entertainment mentioned in the diary. And, lastly, the readiness of the Japanese to adopt foreign customs is curiously exemplified in the rapidity with which tobacco-smoking spread among the people. ”

“ May 17.—This day the King Firandos bark retorned from Miaco, which carid up his horse, and they report that the Emperour hath sent downe order to Miaco that all the tonos of Japon shall stay theare, and not goe forward to Edo. Soe it is thought the Emperour is dead, or else he standeth in fear that the northerne tonos, or kinges, meane to joyne with them of the south and rize against hym. ”

“ October 27.—We set the mastes of our junck the Sea Adventure this day; at the doing whereof were 3 or 400 men persons, all the neighboures, or rather all the towne, sending their servantes, and came themselves (them that were of accointance) and brought presents (nifon catange) , after Japon maner, of wyne and other eating comodety, abord the junk, wishing a prosperouse voyag, all the offecers haveing eache one a present of a littell barso of wyne, and should have had lykewaies each one a bar of plate advanced on their wagese, but I referd that till the coming of Capt. Adames. ”

“ Mr. Wickham,—It being generally agreed upon (with your owne consent) that yow make a voyage for Edow, Sherongo, and those partes of Japan, with such a cargezon of goods and merchandiz as I should think fyttinge, beinge assisted with Capt. Adams, for the better dispaching your busynes with the Emperour, with whome yow know he [Pg 260] hath good entrance and no other employments for hym at present; yet, those matters of the Emperour being past, I pray yow detayne hym not theare, but will hym to make as much speede as he can back for Firando, where there will be necessary use of hym. ”

“ The Dutch had taken care to inform the Japanese of Charles’s marriage with a princess of [xlviii] the Roman Catholic family of Portugal; and the shogun refused to accept the friendship of one who had allied himself with a daughter of the enemies of Japan. So the Return sailed away on the 28th of August; and, after this, only indirect attempts to open negotiations by the mediation of the princes of Bantam, Amoy, Taiwan, Tonquin, and Siam were made in 1681 and 1683. [44]
The social relations of the English with their Japanese neighbours were on the whole friendly. ”

“ As yet Gonrok Dono is not come to Firando, and God knoweth when he will; for, as it is said, he stayeth at Nangasaque to put to death many Japon Christians for haboring of papist pristes secretly, and till he com the King of this place will not suffer us to goe to the Emperour with our presentes, which maketh us stand in dowbt whether he secretly take part with Gonrok Dono and the papistes our enemies against us and stayeth us of purpose till the Spaniardes and Portingales have preveled against us at Emperours court. ”

“ July 9.—I understand that yisterday the Hollanders cut a slave of theirs apeeces for theft, per order of justice, and thrust their comprador (or cats buyer) out of dores for a lecherous knave, who, with hym that is dead, have confessed of much goods (as cloves, mace, pepper, and stuffs) which are stolne per consent of Jacob Swager; which maketh much sturr in the Duch howse. Yet I think this cates buyer plaieth the knave and defameth Jacob, because he was the occation he was thrust out of servyce for haveing to do with his woman, the knave being a marid man. ”

“ Nealson hath hym comended unto yow. He and I are soe busye about our building that we have small pleasure, havinge above 100 men daylie at worke; but I hope it will not last longe. On Sunday night last our kitchin was set on fire, and soe burned our new gates and gate howse; but was sowne quenched, God be praised for it. The lose will not be above 8 or 10 taies. I daylie expect Capt. Adames to look out about a jonck. Newes we have non but that many souldiers are sent out of Firando, and, as it is said, goe for Arima, but for what intent I know not. ”

“ December 22.—Cuemon Dono, alius Grubstreet, our host, came aboard our bark within night with a banket. And I wrot a letter to Capt. Adams of our stay this day per meanes of contrary wynd and tide. Unto which he retorned answer, and sent me 50 muchos (or loves of bread) .
December 23.—We set forward from Dembo, or rather Incobe, at Osakay this mornyng, passing the bar of Osakay, and arived at Fiugo [83] at nowne. The wind being contrary, we staid at an ancor all night, having mad 10 leagues this day. ”

“ There is new edicts sent out into all partes of Japon, as namely to Langasaque, Arima, Umbra, and Bongo, which are most of them Christians, to see to it, that no padres [174] be fownd amongst them, and them in whose howse they are fownd shall be put to death with all their generation. ”

“ Soe that now a yong man of 14 or 15 yeares ould is com to be king, being the sonne of one of the deceased brothers; which is a stay unto our proceadinges to get trade into China, for that new petision must be made, and our joyning with the Hollanders to take China juncks is ill thought of. But the barbarousnesse of the Hollanders at Manillias the last yeare is much; for, after they had taken the China junkes and that the pore men had rendred them selves, the Hollandars did cut many of them in peeces and cast many others into the sea ”

“ January 3.—This mornyng very cold wether, being a greate snowe, the greatest I saw since our arivall in Japon, with a stiffe gale wind northerly, rack from W. all day, and snow per fitts all day, but littell or non per night. The King of Firandos host at Osekay came againe and brought a present of figges, telling me he was to retorne to his howse, the king haveing rewarded hym well, as all the caveleros in his kingdom did the lyke, towardes the setting him up a new howse, his ould being burned in the wars with all that ever he had. ”

“ Camps and myselfe went to Torazemon Dono to desire hym to speake to the king that we might go to themperour with our presentes; and that we might deliver our presentes to the king before we went up, because the shipps weare now ready to departe. Also we made knowne unto hym the takeing and keeping our men presoners, both English and Duch. Unto all which he answered, that the king desired us to stay till the last of this moone Conguach, for that the 29th day (which is 5 daies hence) he expected Gonrok Dono to come to Firando, for soe had he promised hym without fayle to doe. ”

“ In his letter of the 7th September, 1622, Cocks records the receipt of orders “to leave off our consortship of the Fleet of Defence with the Hollanders, and to send our five ships for Jaccatra with as much speed as conveniently we could”; all money and merchandise was to be withdrawn, except a small “cargezon” or stock worth 5,000 taels, to be left in charge of Osterwick and a couple of assistants; and Cocks, Eaton, and Sayers were to “come along in the said ships for Jaccatra, for lessening charges in [xxxix] the factory.” ”

“ Whaw of Nangasaque be dead, whoe was a cheefe dealer hearin, yet his brother, Capt. Andrea Dittis of Firando, tells me it is concluded upon, and that he expects a kinsman of his to com out of China with the Emperours passe, promesing to goe hym selfe with me in person, when we have any shipping com to goe in; for in Japon shipping we cannot goe for China. This Andrea Dittis is now chosen capten and cheefe comander of all the Chinas in Japon, both at Nangasaque, Firando, and else wheare, and I trust in God will prove the author in soe happie a matter as to gett trade into China. ”

“ Our bark with goodes for Osekay retorned.
December 14.—We dyned abord the great Holland shipp and had 3 pec. ordinance shot of at our retorne ashore. Capt. Speeck came not to dyner. He is over great in conceate.
December 15.—I wrot a letter to Jorge Durois by a China, to send me of all sortes of garden seeds.
December 16.—Capt. Whaw, the China Capt. brother, sent me a barrell of figges or jar of Japon green figges for a present. We envited the masters of the Hollander shipps and juncks to dyner to morrow, they being now ready to goe to sea with first good wind. ”

“ Adames came ashore to dyner, having unrigged the junck at Cochi. He gave me a present of 3 nestes gocas, [75] with their trenchers and ladells of mother of perle, with 10 spoons same, and a peece of white Liquea cloth.
I receved a letter from Jorge Durois, dated in Langasaque, le 22nd of June, new stile, wherin he advized me that no one man would buy all our wheate till the shiping come from the Manillias. He wrot me that above 2,600 persons are dead in Langasaque this yeare of the smallpox, amongst whome his boy Domingo and a woman slave are two, since he wrot me his last letter. ”

“ Silk at present is not worth soe much as it was at the arivall of our fleete, yet we have made away most of ours which rested, the presentes being geven out, and trusted it out till the next monson; as the Hollanders have donne the like.
And our frend Andrea Dittis, the China Capt., still mentayneth that our nation may have trade into China, yf they will, but not the Hollanders; which God grant may once take effect.
I have not what else to adviz your Wors. of, matters standing as they doe ”

“ He made answer, he was not now at his owne dispose, being servant to the English nation, and therefore could not serve two masters. They asked hym whether he had heard tell of any ilands called les Ladrones, or of the theeves. He answered yis, but that his opinion was that they were of no moment, in respect the Spaniards had not taken them, they lying in his way as they passed from New Spanie to the Phillippinas. They also spoake of an other iland, called by the Spaniards Hermosa (or Rico en oro y plata) . He answered he had heard of such a place in conferrence with Spaniardes. ”

“ Neither he nor Nobunaga received the title of shogun. The highest rank to which he attained was that of kuwambaku, or premier. [5]
Hidéyoshi died in 1598 [6] leaving an infant son, Hidéyori (the Fidaia Sama of Cocks’s diary) , whom [vi] he had married to the grand-daughter of his old fellow-soldier Iyéyasu, in the hope of thus disarming a dangerous rival, who was also appointed one of the guardians of the boy. But these precautions went for nothing. Even in Nobunaga’s days Iyéyasu was a powerful leader, and he had only submitted to Taiko Sama after some hesitation. ”

“ Many of the notices of native customs are interesting. The reader will at once remark several instances of the Japanese severity in punishing offences which our modern code regards as comparatively trivial. Death was the penalty for the most petty theft. ”

“ Adames came from Cochi in a greate rage against my jurebasso, Jno. Goresano, saying he was the occation the carpenters went not to work upon our junck. But this I know was an untruth, and the master carpenter and Zanzabers knavery. And Capt. Adames scrivano or purcer of our junk retorned from Miaco. And towardes night Capt. Adames fell into an extreame fever, with vomiting, and could not make water, soe he went to Zanzabars to take phisick. God send him his health. ”

“ I tooke a garden this day and planted it with pottatos brought from the Liquea, a thing not yet planted in Japan. I must pay a tay, or 5 shillings sterling, per annum for the garden. And we bought 40 gants of shark oyle for the [12] junk, cost 1 mas and two condrins the gant. And one of the mareners of the junck brought me 2 fishes for a present.
June 20.—
I gave hym a bill of my hand for soe much money owing hym, to receve our wheate at price before made, and rest in ready money. ”

“ May 20.—I went to Soyemon Dono to tell hym I marveled them of Umbra used the scrivano (alius Mr. Wm. Eaton) soe hardly that they would suffer no man to speake with hym nor let hym have victuelles for money. He answered me that the Umbrians kept such ward about hym for his good, because the Fingonians, being above 150 persons, had mad bragges they would kill hym, and, Ikanoura being a littell towne or village, were afeard of the worst, and so kept ward ”

“ Of the latter Adams was one, and was selected to be sent up to the court of Iyéyasu, the famous soldier who then ruled Japan.
The moment at which Adams set foot in this unknown land was a critical one in the history of the country. The dual form of government, by mikado and shogun, had been in existence some four hundred years. ”

“ As we have already seen, Hidéyori had been left in comparative freedom after the battle of Sékigahara. He had now grown to man’s estate, and had the sympathy of a large part of the country; and Cocks especially notices that the people of the southern parts “affect the young man more than the old.” ”

“ And I sent the China Capt. a salmon and a phan.
I was enformed that the King of Firando spake not with the Emperour, but only was permitted to enter into a chamber, where they said he la sick in a littell cabbin coverd with paper, Codgkin Dono, the secretary, going into it and telling hym that the Tono of Firando was there to vizet hym, and came out againe, telling hym the Emperour thanked hym and gave hym lycense to retorne to his cuntrey. But they verely beleeve he is dead, and that they keepe it secret; yet it may be a pollecie to see whether any will rise against hym in armes. ”

“ July 3.—I went and viseted Tonomon Samme, the kinges brother, and carid hym 2 barsos wyne and 2 cordes drid fyshes, exskewsing my not coming before since his brothers departure. He asked me whie we did not take China junkes, as well as the Hollanders. I answerd hym we could not take any that were frendes to the King of England, as the Chinas weare and all others till wars were procleamed. He also asked me whether we would take Spaniardes or Portingall shipps, yf we met them. ”

“ October 28.—Goresanos wife brought her doughter of 20 daies ould to the English howse, with a present of a barsoe of wyne, figges, and oringes, desiring a name to be given her, which was per consent Elizabeth.
Calsa Samme tould me he had receaved letters from his master that the Emperour was to retorne to Osekay, and his master with hym, to fortefie the ruenated fortresse and put garrison into it; which is a signe that warse are lyke to ensue. God grant all may fall out for the best. ”