A letter to the right honourable William Hareborne her Majesties Ambassadour with the Grand Signior from Alger
.
RIGHT honorable, we have received your honors letters
dated in Constantinople the 5 of November, and accordingly delivered that inclosed to the king of this place,
requiring of him, according as you did command us in her
Majesties name, that he would vouchsafe to give order
to all his Captaines & Rajes that none of them should
meddle with our English shippes comming or going to or
from these parts, for that they have order not to passe
by the Christian coast, but upon the coast of Barbary,
and shewing him of the charter given by the Grand
Signior, requiring him in like case that for the better
fulfilling of the amity, friendship and holy league betweene
the Grand Signior and her Majesty, he would give us five
or six safe-conducts for our ships, that meeting with any
of his gallies or galliots, they might not meddle with them
neither shoot at them: who made me answere he would
neither give me any safe conduct nor commission to his
men of war not to meddle with them, for that he trusted
to take some of them this yere, and made good account
thereof. In like maner I spake to the chiefe of the
Janisers and the Levents, who made me answere, the best
hope they had this yere was to take some of them, and
although they have the Grand Signiors commandement
we care not therefore: for we will by policy, or one
meanes or other provoke them to shoot some ordinance,
which if they do but one piece, the peace is broken, and
they be good prizes. And some of them say further, we
care not for their safeconduct, for if they shew it us, we
will convey it away, we are sure the dogs cannot be
beleeved against us. The premisses considered, your
honor is with all speed to procure the Grand Signior his
favorable letters directed to Hazan, the Cady, Captaines,
Janisers, & Levents, & another like to Romadan Bassa,
king of Tripolis, commanding them in no maner whatsoever to deale with our English ships bound into those
parts or returning thence with their commodities, although
they should shoot one at another: for when our ships
shall meet them, for that, as your honor is advertised,
the gallies of Carthagena, Florence
, Sicilia
and Malta
have made a league to take all our ships comming in or
going out of the Grand Signiors dominions, therefore if
they meet with any of these gallies of Alger or Tripolis,
thinking they be of them, and not knowing them a far
off, they may shoot at them, which if therefore they should
make them prizes, were against Gods lawes, the Grand
Signior his league, all reason and conscience, considering
that all the world doth know that Marchants ships laden
with marchandise do not seeke to fight with men of warre,
but contrariwise to defend themselves from them, when
they would do them harme. Wherefore if your honor do
not get out two letters of the Grand Signior as aforesayd,
& send them hither with all speed by some one of your
gentlemen accompanied with a chaus of the Court, or
some other of the Grand Signiors servants, it is impossible
that our English ships can escape freely from these or the
Christians: for either they must of force go on the
Christian coast, and so fall into their hands, or els on
this coast, and fall into the kings of this towne, or
Tripolis, their hands, which if they should, will never be
recovered. And if your honor cannot obtaine this thing,
I beseech your honor in the behalfe of all the English
marchants (who sent me hither to follow such order as
your honor should give me) to certifie her Majesty, to
the end that they may be commanded to leave off traffique,
and not to lose their goods, and her poore subjects the
Mariners. And thus humbly taking my leave, I desist
from troubling your honor. From Algier the tenth of
February 1583.