he gave a present and peremptory command, that he, with his two men, should be hanged. It booted him not to ask why; but, having prepared his mind before to such a horror, and living long in a continual expectance thereof, he yielded himself willingly thereunto, for he well knew that nought but his death would satisfy the doom. Hereupon, were Sir Thomas and his two men bound all together, and led presently away, towards the place of execution. What could he wish in such a case (besides his divine meditations,) but, that his mind and thoughts might suddenly be transported into England to execute his tongue's office, (that is), to commend his humble duty to his father and his kind remembrance to his friends and allies; to let them understand the miseries of his imprisonment, and the vileness of his death occasioned by the treachery and cowardice of his own men from thence he might wish them suddenly posted to Spain and Persia, that his honourable brethren might understand the manner of his life and death, that, in their hostile employments against the Turks, they might be sufficiently revenged of his death.

But God did suddenly possess the heart of one of the Interpreters to the Venetian Ambassador with a Christian duty and regard of his estate, who suddenly repaired (for otherwise that had been too late) to the Protector, beseeching him that he would not, in his fury, take away the life of so gallant a gentle

man upon bare surmises; that if he held him worthily a prisoner, (and that but supposed), being no greater, it might please him rather to take his ransom than his life. At the first, the Protector was very obstinate, but being importuned, and having a hope of the gain of forty thousand chichenos (which were proffered) made him a little to relent, and so he commanded to stay his execution. Thus, Sir Thomas was brought from the place of death, and presently carried to another place little better, it being a prison, called the Seven Towers, where he was put into a miserable dark dungeon, and extreme cold; there he continued 'till one of the clock in the afternoon the next day: at which time the Ambassador, having understood of the misery of that place, sent one of his men to the gaoler, to entreat him that he might be removed to some better place; whereupon, he was had out of the dungeon, and put, together with his two men, into a little shed, but two yards square, built against a wall, having neither clothes, bed, fire, nor any good meat. In this state, he continued fourteen days in extreme cold weather of frost and snow; during which time, one of his men perished and died, even of very cold, and he himself was so benumbed in all his limbs, as he feared he should never again have the use of them. In this poor estate he continued 'till the beginning of April, 1604, at which time there were letters sent from the King's Majesty to

the great Turk, and money from his father, for before that time he had received no news out of England: but, whether by negligence, or some ill accident, the letters were lost. Notwithstanding, by

reason of his money, he was admitted to buy a chamber and to hire a servant to attend upon him, being still a prisoner, and having a watchful guard about him.

Thus he continued till the Christmas following: in which time, his father having understanding of his great misery sustained, together with the loss of his Majesty's former letters, and his son's present case (as it stood) became again a humble suitor to the King in his son's behalf, and, eftsoons, obtained his Majesty's gracious letters to the great Turk, for his delivery. Howbeit, those letters did not work his release, for he was still continued in prison: but, by means of them, he had no torture or torment inflicted upon him as before, but continued a prisoner till the middle of November, 1605, at which time, his Majesty, of his princely grace and favor, directed new letters to the Turk, of greater force than before, by virtue of which (and God assisting) he was delivered upon Friday, the 6th of December, in the year aforesaid, which was in this manner: the Protector Bashaw, that day, came in person to the prison, and causing him to be brought forth, delivered him, together with his man, into the hands of the Lord Am

bassador with these words, he is your prisoner till the morning. Thus being delivered, but not absolutely freed, the Lord Ambassador received him, promising to send him the next morning to the Duana, which is the name they give to their principal court, because the Bashaw told him, the Emperor held him to be his lawful prisoner, and that he had forfeited his life unto him. Howbeit, to gratify the Majesty of England, he was pleased to give him as a present to his King, and therefore he should be delivered to his Majesty's officers in open court.

The next day following being Saturday, he was brought into the Duana: there was no great doubt or question made of his delivery, only the Testados (who is, as we term him, the Lord Treasurer), cast forth a word about the King's letters, advising the Bashaw to consider what he did in the delivery of him, for that he seemed to be a great man.

The Cadiliscar (that is, as it were, the Chief Judge in deciding men's causes,) answered, he knew that well enough, and it was so generally understood; for so great Kings (quoth he) as is the Majesty of England, use not to write for mean men, and that their. Emperor had freely given him to the King of Great Britain, and therefore willed him to hold his peace : but his man ran a dangerous fortune that day, for divers great men of the court stood much against him, affirming the Bashaw had no reason to deliver

him, because he was neither mentioned in his Majesty's letters, nor in the Emperor's grant. But the Bashaw, having understood the promise of a great sum of money, after a speech made and some solemnity used, delivered both: howbeit, the Monday following being the 16th of December, remembering himself, he began to find his error, and to be afraid that he had run into danger, for releasing of his man, and thereupon presently sent to the Lord Ambassador, that he would send both Sir Thomas and his man to him again. The Lord Ambassador went to the Bashaw himself, proffering to send either of them back, and, with much ado, persuaded the Bashaw; for though he found no danger in Sir Thomas, yet, he feared much the Bashaw had a purpose to slay his man and Sir Thomas was very loth to have his man returned again to his miserable kennel. The Turk is very strict and precise in punishing faults in his Officers; for, that very evening, the Bashaw was deprived of his place, for no other cause but delivering of his man without commission.

Thus ended the tedious trouble and misery of Sir Thomas Sherley in his imprisonment, which beginning in the Island where he was first taken the 15th of January, in the year 1602, was afterwards continued in Negropont, and, at last, ended at Constantinople upon a Friday, the 6th of December, 1605. So that the whole time of his imprisonment was three