MRP: June 1663 Letter from Richard Craddock to Sir GO

June 1663 Letter from Richard Craddock to Sir GO

BL, Add. MS. XX,XXX ff. ??

Editorial history

14/12/11, CSG. Created page

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Suggested links

See 2nd February 1662/63, Letter from Richard Craddocke to Sir GO, Gombroone
See 27th August 1663, Letter from Richard Cradocke to Sir GO, Spahaune
See October 1663, Letter from Richard Cradocke to Sir GO, Spahaune
See March 1665/66, Letter from Richard Craddocke to Sir GO
See March 1665/66, Letter from Richard Craddocke to Sir GO Letter2
See March 1665/66, Letter from Richard Craddocke to Sir GO Letter3

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To do

(1) Check whether this transcription is missing a final paragraph and signoff

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Transcription

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The Hono:ble S:r George Oxinden (sic)
may please to knowe

That it did not a little content mee to know of y:e safe arrivall of y:e Roy:ll Welcome, and seryously yo:u have very pleasingly sett forth y:e Cuttarees confused thoughts & wond:r w:ch happened upon her soe quick passage, in breife my hearty wishes are y:t y:e result of all yo:r eneavo:es & undertakeings may resound w:th y:t desyrous harmony of Shabash, Shabash,[repetition is in the original] I take notice w:t yo:u are pleas:ed to write concerning my Gold, & y:t ‘tis now growne for y:e possess:n of anoth:r mans estate, to claime as much or more right y:n y:e propp:r Own:r, I knowe there are many evill Customes in y:e world, & were there not places of Judicature, & Justice to bee expect:d from y:e higher pow:r, twould bee to noo purpose to trade or have any dealings w:th any man, I appeale to yo:r worp:s being o:r present Patron, & if yo:u imagine eith:r Rich: Lambtons or Sung:e [OR “r”] Saws pretences hath force enough to keepe backe my due, I shall y:n suspend all further thoughts y:t way, embrace yo:r advice to pay my selfe out of y:e Sapon wood, but und:r correction y:s wilbee an evill presid:t for future times, & I intend to write a lre: of remembranceto Sunger=saw, y:t if it should soe

[f. ?]

Happen hee bee repaid in his owne Coyne hee aught not to complaine, for pari pari referre is allowable w:th all men, and seeing Richard Lambton is not ashamed openly to confesse before yo:r Worp:s, y:t hee disposed of my Gold on his own Acco:t I desire to knowa reason for those his unwarrantable Actions, & if hee can rend:r none sufficyently authentique, eith:r to rlease himselfe or detaine my right, in my apprehension it will not bee amisse y:t such a course bee taken, as may discourage all other from y:e like proceedings, for this alsoe wilbee a doore to lett in confucion & discorde, I am sorry to finde y:e two Broth:s soo great xxxxx to themselves, as y:t they should forgett y:e respect: and observance they owe to yo:r worp:s, I am sure they are none of theire freinds y:t Counsell y:m to such a comportm:t, but I hope they wilbee soo sensible of theire folly herein, as y:t theire speedy & thorow amendm:t may give evidence of a true repentance, & if soo I question not but yo:u will consider theire helplesse condicon at psent, & accordingly cast a favourable eye upon them, I formily writt to M:r Gray concerning my Gold and by y:s Conveighance shall second my desires therein, for as yett I cannot learne for w:t it sould, nor how much I am to demand, had times beene good a man might have doubled his money whilest I am pleading for mine but I am resolved to beare all w:th patyence not soe

[f. 23]

much as once wishing y:e likehard usage to oth:r

There is none y:t is not stupid & void of all reason, but must needs condole, & lament y:e sad condicon of o:r hon:ble Imploy:s affaires, w:ch is indeed grown to so lowe an ebb, as w:th out an unaimous & speedy resolution theire trade in those passages wilbe utterly lost, and thus hath o:r Nacon ?cherrish:y a venemous snake, y:e Dutch, w:o by all XXXXXimaginable endevo:rs y:e confusion of those, y:t next und:r God were y:e onely instrument of delivereing y:m from bondage, and they are growne now to such a hight, y:t they think it not suffycient to thrive theXXXXXXXXXXXXX, unXXXX they continue & plott y:e destruction of others, such envyous dispositions are y:e Dutch naturally XXXXX w:ch [or w:th?], but doubtlesse these are plagues laid in store for such ungratefull & pfidious people, and I beleive did y:e Eng:sh once begin, God would soo blesse theire undertakeings, as they would seeme soo theire desires upon theire XXXXXX; as for y:e XXXX that may come XXXX it hath and shall this bee my care to contrive for y:e most safe, & speedy advXXXing my hands, and y:e like course shalbee taken for theire forewarding to yo:u; soo yo:u need not feare any neglect in y:t pticul:r, and if an Eng:sh man were at ?Busseness I apprehend it noo difficult matt:r to interrupt y:e Dutches lres: alsoe it wilbee a good meanes to secure o:r owne, w:ch proposition if it bee agreeable to your

[f.x]

likeing, y:n pray license my makeing use thereof as the necessity of y:e Compa:s affaires may require, & thus doo I love to bee ?fore=provid:y upon all occasions; I cannot well write more concerning o:r proceedings against y:e psians , y:n w:t my ?former lres have treated off, & wee have spent soo long upon y:e stocke of ?Patyence for w:t ?o:r abuses hath been offerred us, y:t y:e psians are now encouraged & in a mann:r hardened not onely to continue but xxxxx theire scurvy ?abeasance, and beleeve mee S:r tis nothing but force will bring us into respect against, w:ch cutts mee to y:e hearte to understand y:t y:e onely remedy for o:r psent disease is altogeath:r wanting, but if happely o:r Masters had beene in a bett:r condicon to right y:m selves yo:u need not feare much time would have beene lost, for I am confident 2 or 3 mo:s at farthest will bring all things to a pfection, howow: yo: Noble resolucon deserves to bee highly applauded:s y:t rath:r y:n faile yo:u would spend 2 or 3 yeares in y:e enterprize; I beleive yo:r worp:s knowes Gombroone is noo place of delight, nor any pleasure to bee taken in y:e least, besides y:e Aire is soo destructive, as were it not for y:e traffique & hopes of gaines noo mchants would come hith:r, wherefore if y:e Cuzz:t of y:t were once stopp:d both y:e Chawne, shawbund:r & all would bee soone weary of theire Imploym:ts and tis there considerations hath made mee soo urgent

[f.24]

to begin, I from ?thence desireing faire probabilletyes, for a credible & handsome ending I am soo farr from thinkeing y:t these late victoryes of y:e Dutch w:ch have made y:m Masters of y:e Mallabar Coast will discourage y:e Comp:a to make y:m totally to desist theire Indian trade, as y:t I confidently beleive it will rouse up theire droopeing spirritts, & occassiona nationall ?busineesd for XXXX one must needs bee sensible w:t a great disbennefitt will hereby arrixe to y:e Kingdoms in Generall, soo y:t in a yeare or two more wee shall not onely have a XXgg w:th y:e Holland:s, but I hope to see theire butt:r=boxes flye, and y:t y:e Eng:sh may flourish both heere & every where, as much or more y:n xx they did w:ch I beseach God in his every grant

My care hath been so great in reduceing our extravigances, y:t M:r Flower w:o hath seene and swoones in form:r superfluityes doos begin to bee very much troubled , & it is not enough y:t hee murmurrs in o:r owne house, but I heare hee complaines to y:e Dutch y:t I putt him to allowance both of victualls and drincke, & scarce a word can bee speake amongst o:r selves, but it is immedyately carry:d to y:e Punch house or else to y:e Dutch, both w:ch places hee visitts more y:n in my apprehension is convenyent, and thereupon I have often thought if things goo thus now, w:t can bee expect:d w:n y:e Comp:a shall have a great deale of businesse heere, and to say y:e truth I spend my time very uncomfortably for want of a reall ffreind or Cordyall Companyon, for I cannot upon any subject or occasion rcve a satisfactory answ:r from M:r Flower wherby a few houres may bee spent in discourse w:th delight, yett to all y:s I would patyently submitt but I feare

[f.X]

err long there wilbee furth:r & worse disturbances by reason of his debts, for hee is continually borrowing, but for aught I can promis now: thinckes of satisfyeing his Credito:rs; also sure hee would not beesoo extravigant in his expenses, as to keepe two horses on his owne Acco:t w:n soo many of y:e Comp:as are in y:e stable w:ch spoile for want of ridding, besides hee hath aboundance of shuffling trickes w:ch are indeed very unhandsome. Doud bro:t a bill exch:a on him for 600 M:s charg:d by M:r Bell, w:ch at first hee promised to pay, but heareing W:m Bell was gone to Eng:d hee protested y:e Bill, & denyed y:t hee owed any thing, and now Zonnee (sic) hath bro:t an Acco:t und:r M:r Jn:o Lambtons hand wherein appeares y:t Zonnee satisfied a bill w:th M:r fflow:s owed M:r Buckeridg, and deducting y:e proceed of 3 horses y:e Ballance is 500 M:s due to Zonnee, but M:r fflow:r knowes nothing of y:t neith:r, and y:e worst of all is his abuseing M:r Buckeridge taxeing him to have carry:d away all y:t remaines at ballance of y:e ffactoryes bookes, whereas by an Acco:t w:ch I lately found in his Chamb:r copie whereof goos inclosed, yo:u may proive y:t all things were dd (sic) to M:r fflower, w:o rec:d from M;r Buckeridge every pticul:r to a CXXXXXXX, yett I beleive by this Conveighance hee will endeavo:r to serve himselfe and write to yo:r worp:s y:t hee knowes nothing, but I told him y:e Presid:t & Councell doo not use to determine any thing w:th out due consideracon, and they haveing given soo positive an Ord:r for y:e conclusion of Y:e businesse, ‘twould bett:r become him nto obey y:n dispute it any more, but I forbeare to advise his perremptory answ:r because in it hee was forgettfull

[f.25]

of y:e respect due to yo:r Worp:s; I knowe not y:e reason but of late yeares many of y:e Compa:s serv:ts are growne in theireowne conceept soo much wider y:n theire xxxx[beatters ?], y:t there is now more time spent in psuadeing y:m to theire dutyy:n is necessary for y:e pformance of it, and to sayy:e truth of y:e first breach: of their confucions was M:r Math: Andrewes w:o stuckt not openly to call o:r Masters a Comp:a of ffooles, and instead of observeing their Ord:s, had a vainglorious way of his owne purposely to thwart & XXXX thereby thinkeing amongst y:e Bannyans to sett forth his greatnesse but hee was as ?muchoversoone in y:t as in a great many oth:r things, for could hee thincke whilst hee slighted them from whome his pow:r was derived, y:t y:e subordinate ffacto:s would not by his bad example learne alsoe to esteeme lightly of theire superyeurs, and though there was word XXX ?diu:s kept silent before him, & season not y:n pmitting to alt:r theire minde yett they found convenyencyes to pointe out his Actions in Eng:d

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