And there withall came the Master unto me sayinge, That there was not a man that wolde sett his hands to the saylles.

Noo Master quoth 1 what is it you cannot comande them to doo being Master of the Shippe?

Stricke the Sayles, but it colde not be don for the yeards weare slonge before hande, and the Toppes and Shrowds manned, and the Master sayde they wolde doo nothinge for him.

To appease this Mutanie I came amonge them myselfe sayinge my masters what soden mutanie is this amonge you, colde not this have byn spoken of when we were neare the Generall, yf any thinge had byn amys there it had byn redressed. I wolde wishe you take a better course than this, for yt will not be answered, wherewith, for the whole Company, spake one Crowe; that they wolde not loose the Wynde which was fayre, and further theye wolde not goo.

I shewed them also that for theire victualls there was in the shippe by the confession of the Purser, sufficient for 30 dayes, assuring them also on my life, that as sone as they came to the Generall theye sholde have a monethe's Victuall put aboarde them privatelye. But they cryed aloude theye wolde all home excepte some 15 or 16 gentlemen and officers.

To persuade them the rather to staye I said moreover unto them, My Masters I will nowe imparte unto you a matter which I thoughte to have secreyted until another time, That there is an Island of greate ritches promysed to be delivered to our Generall without the losse of one man, I praye you therefore staye and talke with him, And he will laye you downe such reason as will be to the contentacion of you all. Whereat one Cornelius, one of the gunners, said, well Captayne at your requeste we will staye till night to speake with the Generall, for the which I thanked them all hartylie,-howbeit theye privatelye layde their heads

together agayne, and came with one voyce sayinge, the Wynde is good, we will not staye, we will awaye, all, all, all. When I sawe the Mutanie so farre growen I requested Mr. Boroughes that he wolde worke a meane with them to cause their staye untill they cam to the Generall that they mighte acknowledge him and departe in good order from him. He answered partely that they wolde not staye for the Generall, for he knewe what order he wolde take with them.

In the midste of theire Mutanie I said unto them what, is there no honest man will acknowledge their Generall, and therewith rallied as many as wolde so doo, to holde up theire hands, when aboute 15 or 16 gentlemen and officers did, the reste cryed, home, home.

Then I said my masters this plan hath byn layde before nowe by the principalls, not by the common sorte, which will not be answered; Why, quothe Mr. Boroughes, howe spake you that; meane you me? I answered I wolde I knewe it were you, then wolde I sone tell you of it, but I am sure it is done by the principalls.

Whereuppon I requested that I might be sett aborde the Quenes Pinnis; they told me noe, that they colde carye me as safe into England, as Sir ffrancis Drake colde, I answered I wolde never be caryed into England by such a Company of unhonest persons as they were.

Then I requested Mr. Boroughes that he wolde deale with the Company that I might departe, for I knewe he mighte do it. My masters, said he, what unreasonable Men are you, will you neither staye for the Admyrall, nor lett the man departe. Lett him departe for shame, or ells staye for the Admyrall, doe one of the two, Then said Crowe, well Captayne yf you saye the worde, he shall goo, with that they were contente.

Then once more I requested Mr. Boroughes as he was a Gent and tendered the Accord that he wolde deale once

more with the Companye, for I knewe he might doe it, and promysed as I was a Christian that there sholde not one haire of theire hedds perishe, Soe as theye wolde staye and speake with the Generall.

He retorned to me agayne this answere, Captaine Marchaunt I have talked with them, and their answere is this, They have had many promises, and little performance, therefore theye will staye no longer.

When I sawe them so bent I called to Captaine Clifforde who was in the Quene's pynnis, desyringe him to take me in, and bringe me to the Generall, for that I wolde not be caryed into England by a Company of such unruly persons.

He cryed unto me that he wolde have me in, or ells come aboarde for me himselfe, but they manned their Boate and sett me aboarde, which when one of those in the toppe perceaved, he cryed with an othe, what, will you lett him goe, yf he fetche up the Admyrall before nighte, he will overtake us, and then you shall see what worke he will make with us.

In the midst of the Mutanie I called the Purser unto me, and demanded of him, for what cause the Company had stinckinge beveredge to drincke, whereas there were in the shippe 15 tonnes of beare, sayinge that if theye had any suche, they sholde have it in the ende, and drincke the beare as longe as it lasted, whereuppon the Company with one voyce cryed, yea, Captaine, God save your life, yt is your will we knowe that we sholde have it, But we have it not.

The daye before theis matter brake forthe, I ymparted my minde to Mr. Boroughes, tellinge him that scince the Generall is commanded for the Islandes the next fayre daye that cometh, I will goe aboarde him, and geve him to understand in what case we stande for Victualles, that we may be the better provyded, whatsoever befall. Naye, said he, the Purser hath byn with him, and he understandethe it

alreadye, for that wilbe a meane, yf he be not minded to goe for the Islandes, to make him goe thither. And therefore yf he will run into the Indies, lett him run, he knoweth alreadye what we want, never goe to him at all for any thinge; then I said, when the Purser was with him, he was so busie as he colde not have any leasure, and therefore willed him to resorte unto him at another tyme, he answered as he did at the firste. The same tyme that the Raynbowe had her Mayne Sayle taken from the yearde by weather, the Captaine of her desired me to beare up with the Generall, to give him to understand of her distress. Then, quoth Mr. Boroughes, the Generall seeth in what case he is, and beareth all the sayle he can, and stayeth not for him. Let us staye by him and helpe him, But his desyer is, quoth I that the Generall sholde knowe it, and that his foremast is spent. Thereto Mr. Boroughes answered, the Captaine is a foole, and he knoweth not what belongeth to it so well as I doe.

Captayne Clifford sayth and testifieth that at such tyme as he came nere the Golden Lyon to take in Captaine Marchaunte he called to the Master of the same Shippe, wishing him to have care of himselfe to bring backe the Shippe to the Generall, and to appease the Companye, for that he knewe he was a man colde doe much amonge them, addinge further that he was not able to answere it at his cominge home, he answered he colde not doe withall, and the Companye were resolved to goe home. The Master of the same pinnisse spake unto him in like manner, and a greate deale

more.

Then Captaine Clifford called to the Companye and told them that if theye wente awaye with her Majesties Shippe some of them wolde be hanged, upon which words Captayne Marchaunt heard them call Captaine Clifforde, Arrante Villaine.

Sentence pronounced by the General.

Upon due consideracion whereof, the Generall sayde; Althoughe I am not doubtefull what to doe in this case, or yet want any authoritie, but myselfe have from her Majestie sufficient Jurisdiccion to correcte and punishe with all severitie, as to me in discretion shalbe meete, accordinge to the Qualitie of the Offences, all those sceditious persons which shall be in the whole fleete, yet for the confidence I have in your discretions, as also to wytnes an agreement in Judgement in all matters, I praye you lett me have your severall opynions touching this facte, which hathe byn declared in your hearinge this daye. In my Judgement it was as foule and untollerable a mutaynie as ever I have knowne. Captayne Marchaunt hath discharged his dutie faythefully as a true Servitor unto her Majestie. All the rest of that Shippe, exceptinge only those 12 or 16 which helde up their hands to wytnes their wyllingness to retorne to our Company, have deserved a shamefull death, in that they have forsaken her Majestie's Standard and Comyssion, and forsaken her Majestie's Shippes Royall beinge distressed, and as muche as in them lyeth hindered the service in hande, for the honor and safetye of her Majestie's Realmes and domynyons. And therefore my fynall and diffinnityve sentence is this-that the Master of the said Shippe, the Boteswaine, and Mr. Borughes and Crowe, the principall contryvers and workers of this mutanie, shall as sone as I come by them, wheresoever I fynde them within my power, abyde the paynes of Deathe; If not, they shall remayne as deade men in lawe. All the rest shall remayne also at her Majestie's Mercye as Accessaryes to this treacherous defection. thoughe it shall please her Majestie to looke uppon them with mercye, yett my Sentence is, theye shall all come to the Corte-gate with halters aboute theire neckes, for an example to all such offenders.

And

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