…and they’re off! Captain Saris, his retinue and William Adams, leave Hirado on their journey to visit the Emperor’s Court…
“King Foyne furnished mee with a proper Gally of his owne, rowed with 25 oates on a side, and 60 men, which I did fitt vpp in a verie comelie manner, with waste clothes, Ensigne, and all other necessaries, And having taken my leave of the king, I went and remaind aboarde the shipp, to sett all thinges in order before my departure. Which donne and remembraunces left with the Master and Cape Marchaunt, for the well governeinge of the shipp and howse, a shoare during my absence, Taking with me, 10 English and 9 others besides the former 60, which were onelie to attend Gallie.
I departed from Firando towardes the Emperores Court, Wee were rowed through amongest divers Islandes, all which, or the most of them, were well inhabited, and divers proper townes built vppon them, whereof one called Fuccate, hath a verie stronge Castell, built of Free stone, but noe Ordinaunce nor souldiers therein. It hath a ditch about 5 fathom deepe, and twice as broade, rounde about it, with a drawe bridge, kept all in verie good repaier, I did land and dyne there in the Towne, the tide and winde soe stronge against vs, as that wee could not passe. The towne seemed to be as greate as London is within the Walles, well built and even, Soe as you maie see from one ende of the streete to the other. The place exceedinglie peopled, verie civill and curteous. Onelie that at our landinge, and being heerein Fucate, and soe through the whole country, whethersoever wee came, the boies, children and worser sorte of idle people, would gather about, and followe alonge after vs, crying, Core, Core, cocore, ware, that is to saie, You Coreans with false hartes: Wondringe, hoopinge, hallowing, and makiinge such a noise about vs, that wee could scarcelie heare one another speake, sometimes throwing stones at vs (but that not in many townes) yet the clamour and cryinge after vs was everie wheare alike, none reprovinge them for it.
The best advice that I can give those, who heereafter shall arive there, is, that they passe on without regardinge those idle rablements, and in soe doinge they shall finde theire eares onelie troubled.
All alongest this coast, and soe vpp to Ozaca, wee founde Women divers that lived, with theire howsehold and familie vppon the water in boates, as in Holand, they doe the like. These women would catch fish by diving, which by nett and lynes they missed, and that in 8 fathom deepe: theire eies by continuall divinge, doe growe as redd as blood, whereby you maie knowe a divinge woman from an other woman.
Wee were two daies rowing from Firando to Fuccate; passing on-wardes of our iourney about 8 or 10 leagues, on the side the Straightes of Xemina-seque, wee founde a greate towne, where there laie in a dock a Iunck of 800 or 1000 tunnes of burthen, sheathed all with Iron, with a guarde appointed to kepe her from fiering and treacherie. Shee was built in a verie homely fashion, much like that which discribeth Noahs Arck vnto vs. The naturalls tould vs, that shee served to transporte souldiers into anie of the Islandes, if rebellion or warres should happen.”
(pp.174 – 177)
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