href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@46803@[email protected]#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">[31] It was, then, with only an outward show of friendship that the two nations carried on their trade in Firando.

In August of this year the Advice arrived from Bantam, and about the same time Adams returned from a voyage to Cochinchina. Another journey to court immediately followed; and this time no farther than Fushimi, near Miako, whither the shogun had come to visit the mikado. A renewed attempt, however, on the part of Cocks, to obtain an extension of the privileges, the principal object of the journey, failed altogether. At first, indeed, the right to trade in Nagasaki was added; but, in an evil hour, one of the councillors took exception, and this concession was cancelled. An answer was refused to a letter of James I., which was now presented, on the ground that it was addressed to the dead shogun Iyéyasu and that it was held “ominous amongst the Japans to answer to dead men’s letters.” In the end, poor Cocks was, as he said, put to “Hodgson’s choice”, and had to take what privileges he could, or none at all. “So we got out our goshons, but the privileges as they were the last year. Worry! worry! worry!” In fact, the Japanese themselves saw the advantages to be derived from trade, and the shogun very naturally “would have his own vassals to get the benefit to bring up merchandise rather than strangers.” The result was that a company of native merchants appeared in the market and formed, if we may judge by Cocks’s account of them, what would now be called a ring.

It was on the occasion of this visit to court that Cocks and his fellow-travellers came in contact with a Corean embassy, to which he refers several times. The object of their mission, we are told, was to pay a visit of ceremony to the sepulchre of Iyéyasu, and to congratulate the new shogun upon his peaceful succession.

Nothing eventful occurred at the factory in the early part of 1618. During a visit to Nagasaki in February and March, Cocks makes several interesting references to the Christians whom he met among the natives; and on his arrival at this half-Christianised town, the Chinese junks, which were dressed with flags in his honour, flew the cross of St. George among the rest. Before Foyne’s death at Firando, the English had been compelled to haul down their flag on account of the Christian symbol that it bore. Meanwhile, however, on the north of Kiushiu bloody persecutions were being carried on; and a little later is recorded the news of the crucifixion of some thirty-seven men and women in Kokura. Disquieting rumours were also afloat of a confederacy of the southern daimios against the shogun.

Soon, however, occurred an event which concerned the English more nearly than the political state of Japan. On the 8th of August, to their intense indignation, a Dutch ship arrived at Firando bringing in, as prize, the English ship Attendance, which had been captured in the Moluccas. To do him justice, the Dutch factor Speck seems to have regretted the action and offered to restore her, but not, as Cocks remarks, before there had been time to empty her. An immediate journey to court naturally followed, in order to put in a written protest against this proceeding of the Dutch. But Cocks was told “that for facts committed in other places the emperor would not meddle with it”, so that, but for the easing of his conscience afforded by the delivery of his protest, and the pleasure of some sight-seeing, he might as well have remained at Firando.

For nearly the whole of the year 1619 and 1620 the diary is wanting; and during the early part of this period the Dutch were masters of the sea, and the English in Japan were completely isolated. But, in order to maintain their interests in the East, the English Company had already, in 1617, despatched a fleet of five ships under command of Captain Martin Pring. He reached Bantam in the middle of 1618, and, sailing thence to Jacatra, had news of the Dutch attack on the English in the Moluccas. He was soon after joined at Bantam by a reinforcement of six large ships under Sir Thomas Dale, who assumed the command of the combined fleet. After some skirmishing, the English retired to India to refit; and there Dale died. Pring then again sailed eastward; but, finding himself outnumbered by the Dutch, he was on the point, early in 1620, of dividing his forces and himself sailing for Japan, when he received news of the union of the English and Dutch Companies. Thus relieved from fear of attack, he proceeded on his voyage and reached Firando in safety.

How the English fared in Firando during these two years we learn from Cocks’s letters to the Company.[32] In the determined attack which the Dutch made on the English factory there can be little doubt that, had not the Japanese protected them, our countrymen would have fallen victims to the Hollanders, who, “by sound of trumpet aboard all their ships in the harbour of Firando, proclaimed open wars against our English nation, both by sea and land, with fire and sword, to take our ships and goods and destroy our persons to the uttermost of their power, as to their mortal enemies.” But in the midst of these troubles there was a gleam of light in trade prospects, for the shogun was at last induced, early in 1620, to allow Nagasaki to be included in the English privileges. The advantages of that port, with its fine harbour, over the poor “fisher town” of Firando, with its bad anchorage, are duly set forth by Cocks; and we learn, at the same time, the reasons why the larger town was not selected at first, “which heretofore was not thought fit, because then a papist Portingale bishop lived in the town, and there was ten or twelve parish churches, besides monasteries.” But now all was changed; churches and monasteries had been levelled with the earth, and even graveyards uprooted and “all the dead men’s bones taken out of the ground and cast forth.” The news of the union of the two companies will account for the English still remaining in their old quarters in Firando, to keep near the Dutch, instead of migrating to Nagasaki.

Death had also in this interval brought misfortunes to the English factory. The first loss was that of Whaw, the Chinaman, upon whom Cocks so much relied to obtain privileges for the China trade. Then Nealson died in March, 1620. And, last of all, “our good friend Captain William Adams, who was so long before us in Japon, departed out of this world the 16th of May last.” If for no other reason, we must on Adams’s account deplore the loss of Cocks’s diary for this period, which would undoubtedly have contained some details of his last illness and death. It is also to be regretted that we do not find more personal details about Adams in the portions of the diary which have survived; but he was so often absent on trading voyages and other business that Cocks must be excused if he tells us no more than he does. As already noticed, the cape-merchant held him in some awe, and, if we may believe the diary, Adams was inclined to be somewhat hasty in temper. On the other hand, he did the Company good and faithful service, and, to judge by small things, the reader will not fail to notice the patience with which he waited, time after time, on the dilatory pleasure of court officials, in the interest of the English. His influence with the shoguns is more than once referred to. “The Emperor [Iyéyasu],” writes