Instructions given by the right honourable the Lordes of
the Counsell, to M. Edward Fenton Esquire, for the
order to be observed in the voyage recommended to him
for the East Indies and Cathay. Aprill 9. 1582.
FIRST you shall enter as Captaine Generall, into the charge
and government of these shippes, viz. the Beare Gallion,
the Edward Bonaventure, the Barke Francis, and the
small Frigate or Pinnesse.
2 Item you shall appoint for the furnishing of the
vessels in the whole, to the number of 200 able persons,
accompting in that number the Gentlemen and their men,
the Ministers, Chirurgians, Factors, &c. which sayd number is no way to be exceeded, whereof as many as may be,
to be sea-men; and shal distribute them into every vessel,
as by advise here before your going shal be thought
meete: Provided that you shall not receive under your
charge and governement, any disordered or mutinous
person, but that upon knowledge had, you shall remoove
him before your departure hence, or by the way as soone
as you can conveniently avoide him, and receive better in
his place.
3 Item, for the more and better circumspect execution,
and determination in any waightie causes incident in this
voyage, we will that you shall take unto you for assistants,
Captaine Hawkins, captain Ward, M. Nicholas Parker,
M. Maddox, M. Walker, M. Evans, Randolph Shaw,
Matthew Talboys, with whom you shall consult and conferre in all causes, matters, and actions of importance, not
provided for in these instructions touching this service
now in hand. And in all such matters, so handled, argued,
and debated, wee thinke that convenient alwayes to be
executed, which you shall thinke meetest with the assent
also of any 4 of them, the matter having bene debated,
and so assented unto, in the presence of your said assistants. And in case that such conference and debating the
opinions of the aforesaid Assistants be found in effect
any way to differ, then it is thought meete, that all such
matters so argued upon, shall rest to bee put in execution
in such sort as you shal thinke most meetest, having the
assent of any 4 of them, as aforesaid. And if any of these
Assistants shal die, then the number of the one halfe of
the Survivours to joyne with the General captaine for
consent in all things aforesaid.
4 Of all which your assemblies and consultations, for
the matters aforesaid, we thinke it very convenient, that a
particular and true note should be kept, for which cause
we appoint master Maddox minister, and if he should
decease, then the Generall with halfe the Assistants Survivours, to name one to keepe a booke of all such matters
as shall bee brought in consultation, and of all such
reasons as shall be propounded by any person, either on
the one side, or on the other: what was resolved on, and
by whose consent, who dissented there from, and for what
causes. In which book he shall in the beginning of the
note of every such assembly, set downe particularly the
day, and the place, if it may be, the names of the persons
then present, and upon what occasion the sayd consulta
tion was appointed or holden, and shall have to every acte,
the handes of the General, and of all, or so many of the
said Assistants as will subscribe: which booke the said
master Maddox, or the other upon his decease appointed
in his place shall keepe secrete, and in good order to bee
exhibited unto us, at your returne home.
5 Item, if there happen any person or persons imployed
in this service, of what calling or condition, hee or they
shall be, should conspire, or attempt privatly or publikely,
any treason, mutinie, or other discord, either touching the
taking away of your owne life, or any other of authoritie
under you, whereby her Majesties service in this voiage
might bee overthrowne or impugned: we will therefore,
that upon just proofe made of any such treason, mutinie,
or any other discord attempted as aforesaid, the same
shalbe punished by you, or your Lieuetenant, according to
the qualitie and enormitie of the fact. Provided alwayes,
and it shall not bee lawfull neither for you, nor for your
Lieuetenant to proceede to the punishment of any person
by losse of life or lim, unlesse the partie shall be judged
to have deserved it by the rest of your Assistants, as is
before expressed, or at the least by foure of them. And
that which shall concerne life to be by the verdict of twelve
men of the company employed in this voyage, to be impanelled for that purpose, with the observation of the
forme of our countrey lawes in that behalfe, as neere as
you may. Provided, if it shall not appeare, that the forbearing of the execution by death, shall minister cause to
increase the facte of the offender, then it were better
to convince the partie of his facte, by the othes of 12
indifferent persons, and to commit him to hard imprisonment, untill the returne. And aswell of the factes committed by any, as also of the proofe thereof, and of the
opinions of you, and your Assistants, and the maner of the
punishment, the Register shall make a particular and true
note, in the booke of your consultation, as is before
appointed.
6 Item, you shall not remoove Captaine William Hawkins your lieutenant, master Captaine Luke Ward your
viceadmiral, or captaine of the Edward Bonaventure, nor
captaine Carlile from his charge by land, whom we will
not to refuse any such service as shall be appointed to him
by the Generall and the councill, nor any captaine of other
vessels from their charges, but upon just cause duely
prooved, and by consent of your Assistants, or of foure of
them at the least.
7 Item, for the succession of the Generall, governour
of this whole voyage, if it should please God to take him
away, it is thought meete that there should bee the names
of such Gentlemen secretly set downe to succeede in his
place one after the other, which are severally written in
parchment, included in bals of waxe, sealed with her
Majesties signet, put into two coffers locked with three
severall locks, whereof one key is to bee in the custodie of
Captaine Luke Ward, the other of William Hawkins, the
third of master Maddox the Minister, and the same two
coffers to bee put into two severall shippes, videlicet, the
one coffer in the Gallion, in the custodie of the Generall,
the other in the Edward Bonaventure in the custodie of
the Viceadmirall: the same two coffers upon any such
casualtie of the Generals death by consent of the Assistants
which shall overlive, to bee opened, and the partie therein
named to succeede in the place, who shall thereupon take
upon him the charge in the said voiage according to these
instructions, in such sort as if they had bene specially
directed unto him, and the rest of the companie so to take
and repute him in every respect, as they will answer to
the contrary. But if it shall so fall out, (as we hope it
will) that there shall bee no such neede, but that the
Generall doe continue still, then shall you at your returne
deliver backe the sayd coffers and bals of waxe sealed in
such sort as they be, without opening them, unlesse it be
in the case aforesayd.
8 You shall make a just and true inventorie in every
ship and vessell appointed for this voyage of all the
tackle, munition, and furniture belonging to them at their
setting foorth hence, and of all the provisions whatsoever,
and one copie thereof under your hand, and under the
hands of your Viceadmirall and lieutenant, to be delivered
to the Earle of Leicester, and the other to the governour
of the companie for them before your departure hence,
and the like to bee done at your returne home of all things
then remaining in the sayd ships and vessels, with a true
certificate how and by what meanes any parcell of the
same shall have bene spent or lost.
9 Item, you shall use all diligence possible to depart
from Southampton
with your sayd ships and vessels before
the last of this present moneth of Aprill, and so goe on
your course by Cape de buena Esperanza
, not passing by
the streight of Magellan either going or returning, except
upon great occasion incident, that shall bee thought otherwise good to you, by the advise and consent of your sayd
Assistants, or foure of them at the least.
10 Item, you shall not passe to the Northeastward of
the 40 degree of latitude at the most, but shall take your
right course to the
Iles of the Malucos for the better
discovery of the Northwest passage, if without hinderance
of your trade, & within the same degree you can get any
knowledge touching that passage, whereof you shall do
wel to be inquisitive, as occasion in this sort may serve.
11 Item, you shall have speciall regard after your
departure from the coast of England
, so to order your
course, as that your ships and vessels lose not one
another, but keepe companie together both outward and
homeward. And lest if they happen to sever the one from
the other by tempest or otherwise, it shall not bee amisse,
that you appoint to the Captaines and Masters certaine
places, wherein you will stay certaine dayes. And every
ship passing aforehand, and not knowing what is become
of the other ships, to leave upon every Promontorie or
Cape a token to stand in sight, with a writing lapped in
leade to declare the day of their passage. And if any
wilfulnesse or negligence in this behalfe shall appeare in
any person or persons that shall have charge of any of the
ships or vessels aforesayd, or if they or any of them shall
doe otherwise then to them appertaineth, you shall punish
such offenders sharpely to the example of others.
12 Item, we do straightly enjoine you, and consequently
all the rest imployed in this voyage in any wise, and as
you and they will answere the contrary at your comming
home by the lawes of this realme, that neither going,
tarrying abroad, nor returning, you doe spoyle or take
any thing from any of the Queenes Majesties friends or
allies, or any Christians, without paying justly for the
same, nor that you use any maner of violence or force
against any such, except in your owne defence, if you
shall be set upon or otherwise be forced for your owne
safegard to do it.
13 Item, wee will that you deale altogether in this
voyage like good and honest merchants, traffiquing and
exchanging ware for ware, with all courtesie to the nations
you shall deale with, as well Ethniks as others, and for
that cause you shall instruct all those that shall goe with
you, that whensoever you or any of you shall happen to
come in any place to conference with the people of those
parts, that in all your doings and theirs, you and they so
behave your selves towards the sayd people, as may
rather procure their friendship and good liking toward you
by courtesie, then to move them to offence or misliking,
and especially you shall have great care of the performance
of your word and promise to them.
14 Item wee will, that by the advise of your Assistants,
in places where you and they shall thinke most fit, you
settle if you can a beginning of a further trade to bee had
hereafter: and from such places doe bring over with you
some fewe men and women if you may, and doe also leave
some one or two, or more, as to you and your Assistants
shall seeme convenient of our nation with them for
pledges, and to learne the tongue and secrets of the countreys, having diligent care that in delivering and taking
of hostages, you deliver not personages of more value then
you receive, but rather deliver meane persons under colour
of men of value, as the Infidels do for the most part use.
Provided that you stay not longer to make continuance of
further trade, then shall be expedient for good exchange
of the wares presently carried with you.
15 Item you shall have care, and give generall warning,
that no person of what calling soever hee be, shall take
up, or keepe to himselfe or his private use, any stone,
pearle, golde, silver, or other matter of commoditie to be
had or found in places where you shall come, but hee the
said person, so seased of such stone, pearle, golde, silver,
or other matter of commoditie, shall with all speede, or
so soone as he can, detect the same, and make deliverie
thereof to your selfe, or you Viceadmirall, or Lieuetenant,
and the Factor appointed for this voyage, upon paine of
forfeiture of all the recompense he is to have for his
service in this voyage by share or otherwise: and further
to receive such punishment, as to you & your Assistants,
or the more part of them shal seeme good, and otherwise
to be punished here at his returne, if according to the
qualitie of his offence it shalbe thought needfull.
16 Item, if the Captaines, Marchants or any other, shall
have any apparell, jewels, chaines, armour, or any other
thing whatsoever, which may bee desired in countreys
where they shall traffique, that it shall not bee lawfull for
them or any of them to traffique, or sell any thing thereof
for their private accompt: but the same shall bee prized
by the most part of those that shall bee in commission in
the places where the same may be so required, rated at
such value, as it may bee reasonably worth in England
,
and then solde to the profite of the whole voyage, and to
goe as in adventure for those to whom it doeth appertaine.
17 Item you your selfe shall in the Gallion keepe one
booke, and the Factors appointed for the same shippe
another, wherein shall bee a just accompt kept, aswell of
the merchandise carried hence, as of those you shall bring
home. And aswell at your setting foorth, as from time to
time, as exchange shalbe made, you shall set your hand
to their booke, and they theirs to yours, and the like order
shal you see that the Captaine and the Factors in the
Edward Bonaventure shall use in their ship, and the other
Captaines and Factors in each other vessell.
18 Item you shall give straight order to restraine, that
none shall make any charts or descriptions of the sayd
voyage, but such as shall bee deputed by you the Generall,
which sayd charts and descriptions, wee thinke meete that
you the Generall shall take into your hands at your returne
to this our coast of England
, leaving with them no copie,
and to present them unto us at your returne: the like
to be done if they finde any charts or maps in those
countreys.
19 Item you shall at your returne so direct your course,
that all the ships under your government may come home
together, and arrive here in the river of Thames
, if it may
conveniently be. And wheresoever in this Realme you,
or any of the shippes shall arrive, you shall give speciall
and straight order, that no person of what condition
soever he be, shall unlade, or bring on land, or forth of the
vessels in which he came, any part or parcel of marchandize, or matter of commoditie brought in any of the sayd
vessels, untill we being certified of your or their arrivall,
shall give further order and direction therein, under the
penalties and forfeitures expressed in the fifteenth article,
against such as shall retaine any thing to their private
use, as in the sayd article is further expressed.
20 Item, to the intent that all such persons as shall go
with you in this voyage, may better understand what they
ought to do, and what to avoid, we thinke it requisite,
that aswell out of these, as otherwise with the advise of
your Assistants and Masters of the ships, you shall cause
some convenient order to bee set downe in writing for
their better government both at sea and land, if they shall
happen to goe on lande any where: and the same to bee
openly read and made knowen unto them, to the intent
they may understand how to behave themselves, and upon
any fault committed, not to have any excuse to pretend
ignorance, and so to avoid such punishment as it is
requisite to have ministred for the keeping of them in
good order.
21 And to the end God may blesse this voyage with
happie and prosperous successe, you shall have an especiall
care to see that reverence and respect bee had to the
Ministers appointed to accompanie you in this voyage, as
appertaineth to their place and calling, and to see such
good order as by them shall be set downe for reformation
of life and maners, duely obeyed and perfourmed, by
causing the transgressours and contemners of the same
to be severely punished, and the Ministers to remoove
sometime from one vessell to another.
22 Provided alwayes, that the whole direction and
government of the people, life and limme excepted, as
in the fift article, and the course of this voyage, shall bee
wholly at your disposition, except in the course by the
Streight of Magellan, either outward or homeward, and
in your passage by the Northward of 40 degrees in latitude, wherein you shall follow directions set downe in
the nine and ten articles, as also in the displacing of the
Captaine of the Edward Bonaventure, and other captaines,
wherin you shall followe the order appointed in the sixt
article: Provided that wee meane not by this article to
derogate any thing from the authoritie of your assistants
established in the third article, or in any other article of
these instructions.
23 Item, in all occasions and enterprises that may fall
out to bee upon the lande, wee will that Captaine Carlile
shall have the generall and chiefe charge thereof.
24 And finally wee require you and every of you to have
a due regard to the observation and accomplishment of
these our instructions, and of all such other things, as may
any kind of way tend to the furtherance and benefite of
this service committed to your charge.
