The voyage of M. Roger Bodenham with the great Barke
Aucher to Candia
and Chio, in the yeere 1550.
IN the yeere 1550. the 13 of November I Roger Bodenham Captaine of the Barke Aucher entered the said ship
at Gravesend
, for my voiage to the
Ilands of Candia
and Chio in the Levant
. The master of my ship was
one William Sherwood. From thence we departed to
Tilbery hope, and there remained with contrarie windes
untill the 6. of January 1551. The 6. of Januarie, the
M. came to Tilbery, and I had provided a skilfull pylot
to cary me over the lands end, whose name was M.
Wood, and with all speede I valed downe that night
10 miles to take the tide in the morning, which happily
I did, and that night came to Dover, and there came to
an anker, and there remained untill tuesday, meeting
with the worthy knight sir Anthony Aucher owner of
the saide ship.
The 11 day we arrived in
Plimoth, and the 13 in the
morning we set forward on our voyage with a prosperous
winde, and the 16 we had sight of
Cape Finister on the
coast of Spaine.
The 30 we arrived at Cades, and there discharged
certaine marchandise, and tooke others aboord.
The 20 of February we departed from Cades, & passed
the straights of Gibraltar that night, and the 25 we came
to the
Ile of Mallorca, and staied there five daies with
contrary windes.
The first of March, we had sight of Sardenna, and the
fift of the said month wee arrived at Messina
in Sicilia
,
and there discharged much goods, and remained there
untill good Fryday in Lent.
The chiefe marchant that laded the sayd Barke Aucher
was a marchant stranger called Anselm Salvago, and
because the time was then very dangerous, and no going
into Levant
, especially to Chio, without a safe conduct
from the Turke, the said Anselm promised the owner
Sir Anthony Aucher, that we should receive the same
at Messina
. But I was posted from thence to Candia
,
and there I was answered that I should send to Chio,
and there I should have my safe conduct. I was forced
to send one, and hee had his answere that the Turke
would give none, willing me to looke what was best for
me to doe, which was no small trouble to me, considering
I was bound to deliver the goods that were in the ship
at Chio, or send them at mine adventure. The marchants
without care of the losse of the ship would have compelled me to goe, or send their goods at mine adventure,
the which I denied, and sayd plainely I would not goe,
because the Turkes gallies were come forth to goe against
Malta
, but by the French kings means, he was perswaded
to leave Malta
, and to goe to Tripoly in
Barbary, which
by the French he wan. In this time there were in Candia
certaine Turkes vessels called Skyrasas, which had
brought wheat thither to sell, and were ready to depart
for Turkie. And they departed in the morning be times,
carying newes that I would not goe foorth: the same
night I prepared beforehande what I thought good, without making any man privie, untill I sawe time. Then I
had no small businesse to cause my mariners to venture
with the ship in such a manifest danger. Neverthelesse
I wan them to goe all with me, except three which I
set on land, and with all diligence I was readie to set
foorth about eight of the clocke at night, being a faire
moone shine night, & went out. Then my 3 marriners
made such requests unto the rest of my men to come
aborde, as I was constrained to take them in. And so
with good wind we put into the Archipelago, & being
among the Ilands the winde scanted, & I was forced to
anker at an Iland called Micone, where I taried 10 or 12
daies, having a greeke Pilot to carrie the ship to Chio.
In this meane season, there came many small botes with
mysson sayles to goe for Chio, with diverse goods to
sell, & the Pilot requested me that I would let them goe
in my company, to which I yeelded. After the sayde
dayes expired, I wayed & set saile for the
Iland of Chio,
with which place I fel in the after noone, whereupon I
cast to seaward againe to come with the Iland in the
morning betimes. The foresaid smal vessels which came
in my company, departed from me to win the shore, to
get in ye night, but upon a sudden they espied 3 foystes
of Turkes comming upon them to spoyle them. My Pilot,
having a sonne in one of those small vessels, entreted me
to cast about towards them, which at his request I did,
and being some thing farre from them, I caused my
Gunner to shoot a demy-colvering at a foyst that was
readie to enter one of the botes. This was so happy a
shott, that it made the Turke to fall a sterne of the bote
and to leave him, by the which meanes hee escaped.
Then they all came to me, and requested that they might
hang at my sterne untill day light, by which time I came
before the Mole of Chio, and sent my bote on land to
the marchants of that place to send for their goods out
of hand, or else I would returne back with all to Candia
,
& they should fetch their goods there. But in fine, what
by perswasion of my merchants English men, & those of
Chio, I was entreated to come into the harbour, and had
a safe assurance for 20 dayes against the Turkes army,
with a bond of the citie in the summe of 12000 ducats.
So I made hast & solde such goods as I had to Turkes
that came thither, & put all in order, with as much speede
as I could, fearing the comming of the Turkes navie, of
the which, the chiefe of the citie knew right wel. So
upon the sudden they called me of great friendship, & in
secret told me, I had no way to save my selfe but to be
gone, for said they, we be not able to defend you, that
are not able to help our selves, for the Turke where he
commeth, taketh what he will, & leaveth what he list,
but the chiefe of the Turkes set order yt none shal do
any harme to the people or to their goods. This was
such news to me, that indeed I was at my wits end, &
was brought into many imaginations how to do, for that
the winde was contrarie. In fine, I determined to goe
foorth. But the marchants English men and other
regarding more their gaines then the ship, hindered me
very much in my purpose of going foorth, and made the
marriners to come to me to demaund their wages to be
payed them out of hande, and to have a time to employ
the same there. But God provided so for me, that I
paied them their money that night, and then charged
them, that if they would not set the ship foorth, I would
make them to answere the same in England, with danger
of their heads. Many were married in England and had
somewhat to loose, those did sticke to me. I had twelve
gunners: the Master gunner who was a madde brayned
fellow, and the owners servant had a parlament betweene
themselves, and he upon the same came up to me with
his sword drawen, swearing that hee had promised the
owner Sir Anthony Aucher, to live and die in the sayde
shippe against all that should offer any harme to the
shippe, and that he would fight with the whole armie of
the Turkes, and never yeelde: with this fellow I had
much to doe, but at the last I made him confesse his fault
and followe mine advise. Thus with much labour I gat
out of the Mole of Chio, into the sea by warping foorth,
with the helpe of Genoueses botes, and a French bote
that was in the Mole, and being out God sent mee a
speciall gale of winde to goe my way. Then I caused a
peece to be shotte off for some of my men that were yet
in the towne, & with much a doe they came aboord, and
then I set sayle a little before one of the clocke, and I
made all the sayle I could, and about halfe an hour past
two of the clocke there came seven gallies into Chio to
stay the shippe: and the admirall of them was in a
great rage because she was gone. Whereupon they put
some of the best in prison, and tooke all the men of the
three ships which I left in the port, and put them into the
Gallies. They would have followed after mee, but that
the townes men found meanes they did not. The next
day came thither a hundred more of Gallies, and there
taried for their whole companie, which being together
were about two hundred & 50 sayle, taking their voyage
for to surprise the
Iland of Malta. The next day after
I departed, I had the sight of Candia
, but I was two
dayes after or ever I could get in, where I thought my
selfe out of their daunger. There I continued untill the
Turkes armie was past, who came within the sight of
the towne. There was preparation made as though the
Turks had come thither. There be in that
Iland of
Candia many banished men, that live continually in the
mountaines, they came downe to serve, to the number
of foure or five thousand, they are good archers, every
one with his bowe and arrowes, a sword and a dagger,
with long haire, and bootes that reach up to their grine,
and a shirt of male, hanging the one halfe before, and
the other halfe behinde, these were sent away againe
assoone as the armie was past. They would drinke wine
out of all measure. Then the armie being past, I laded
my shippe with wines and other things: and so after I
had that which I left in Chio, I departed for Messina
. In
the way I found about Zante
, certaine Galliots of Turkes,
laying abord of certaine vessels of Venice
laden with
Muscatels : I rescued them, and had but a barrell of wine
for my powder and shot: and within a few dayes after
I came to Messina
. I had in my shippe a Spanish pilot
called Noblezia, which I tooke in at Cades at my comming
foorth: he went with me all this voyage into the Levant
without wages, of good will that he bare me and the
shippe, he stoode me in good steede untill I came backe
againe to Cades, and then I needed no Pilot. And so
from thence I came to London with the shippe and goods
in safetie, God be praysed. And all those Mariners that
were in my sayd shippe, which were, besides boyes, threescore and tenne, for the most part were within five or sixe
yeeres after, able to take charge, and did. Richard
Chanceller, who first discovered Russia
, was with me in
that voyage, and Mathew Baker, who afterward became
the Queenes Majesties chiefe ship-wright.
