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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JANUARY, 1924
Malays. 229. In 1616 the men of Mindanao burned the dockyard in Pantao, a port of Luzon, and for many years they continued to infest the coasts of Macalilum, Camarines, Albay, etc., the Spaniards being quite unable to hold them in check (de Morga, p. 360).
Portuguese. 230. While the Portuguese called the English pirates, on occasion their own ships adopted piratical customs. "The 6th July 1616 our men...espied a sail ... About noon the Globe came up with her...and according to the custom of the sea hailed her, asking her whence she was. She answered indirectly From the Sea', calling our men Rogues, Thieves, Heretics and Devils and the conclusion of her rude compliment was in loud cannon language, discharging seven great pieces of artillery at our Globe" (Terry in Purchas, IX, 5). The Portuguese reply was that generally made by pirates61 when asked from what port they came, and yet they had the impudence to call the English Rogues,' which for at least another hundred years was the sailor synonym for pirates' (see para. 507 below). Nor was their conduct very different from their language. Faria tells us : " Andrew Botello de Costa coming to Jafnapatam with 6 sail, understood there was a great Danish ship at Gale that had taken some prizes. He found out, and after three hours' fight, took her. Of the enemy, 8 were killed, some burned, others got ashore with the captain and 49 were taken. On our side 8 were slain, whereof one was the commander." According to this account the Dane was also acting piratically (Faria, III, 290). This was in 1617 or 1618.
Dutch. 231. In January 1617 the Dutch under Lawrence Ryall seized the English ship Swan (Captain Nicholas Courthop) after a stiff fight in the road of Pularoon, one of the Banda Islands, and a little later the ship Defence, under the pretence that they had King James' order prohibiting the English from trading east of the Celebes (Kerr's Voyages IX, 445-6), a particularly insulting pretext when they were at the very time committing piracy under the guise of Englishmen. On the 15th February 1617 Richard Cocks wrote to Captain John Saris from Firando (i.e., Hirado )-"Last year the Hollanders sent a fleet of ships from the Moluccas to Manila to fight the Spanish fleet, but the Spaniards kept safe in port for five or six months, so that the Hollanders concluded they duryt not come out at all, and therefore separated to look out for Chinese junks, of which some say they took and plundered 25, while others say 35. It is certain that they took great riches and all under the assumed name of Englishmen." They took some of their prizes to Japan." The Emperor allows them to make prize of all they take... As I said before, the Dutch have always robbed the Chinese under the name of Englishmen, which has greatiy injured our endeavours to procure trade in that country" Kerr, IX, 82). In July 1617 President George Ball of Bantam wrote:-" The Hollanders have covered the ocean with their ships from the Arabian Gulf to the coast of China, spoiling and robbing all nations in the name and under the colours of the English" (Ind. Off. 0. C., 510. See also Richard Cocks to the East India Company, 15th February 1618, Cal. State Papers, East Indies).
61 When Sir Kenelm Digby, on the 17th February 1627-8, met two piratical vessels in the Bay of Cagliari and was asked hence ho came, he replied. From London and the Sea,' whilst their reply was simply of the Sea (Oal. State Papers). On the 20th May 1718 Captain Martin Preston deposed at Kingston, Jamaica, that he had boon chased by a sloop oommanded by Edward Thatoh (1.8., Touch alias Blackboard) which, when asked whence she came, replied only From Soa' (Col. Office Records, 137/15).
