All This Seemed
Reasonable, And As Mr Salbank Had Been Before In These Parts, He Was
Very Willing To Go,
Provided it met with the approbation of the captain
and me, and the other gentlemen in the ship; for which
Purpose the
ambassador wrote a letter to our captain, to urge his consent, which we
carried with us.
We left Diul that same day about four in the afternoon, and on going to
the river side to take boat, many of the natives flocked about to look
at us. We were likewise joined by about a dozen Portuguese, who began to
talk with us in Dutch, as before, asking many frivolous questions. I now
answered them in their own language, on purpose that the Banians, who
were present, might understand what I said; telling them that they were
a shameless and lying people to spread so many slanderous and false
reports of our nation, while they knew their own to be much inferior to
ours in many respects, and that their scandalous conduct proceeded
merely from malignant policy to prevent us from participating with them
in the trade of India. To this I added, that if they did not restrain
themselves within due peaceful bounds, amending their behaviour both in
words and actions, they should be all driven out of India, and a more
honest and loyal nation substituted in their place. Then one of the
principal men among them stepped forwards, and made answer, that they
had already too many enemies, and had no need of more; but that they had
substantial reasons for speaking of us as they had done, as not long
since one of their ships had been taken near Surat, and, as they
supposed, by an English ship.
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