19

You shall understand,
that our Master kept (in his house at London) a young man,
named Henrie Greene, borne in Kent,
of Worshipfull Parents, but by his leud life and conversation
hee had lost the good will of all his frinds,
and had spent all that hee had.
This man, our Master would have to Sea with him,
because hee could write well :
our Master gave him meate, and drinke, and lodging,
and by meanes of one Master Venson,
with much adoe got foure pounds of his mother to buy him clothes,
wherewith Master Venson would not trust him :
but saw it laid out himselfe.
This Henrie Greene was not set downe in the owners booke,
nor any wages made for him.
Hee came first aboord at Gravesend,
and at Harwich should have gone into a field, with one Wilkinson.
At Island the Surgeon and hee fell out in Dutch,
and hee beat him a shoare in English,
which set all the company un a rage;
so that wee had much adoe to get the Surgeon aboord.
I told the Master of it, but hee bade mee let it alone,
for (said hee) the Surgeon had a tongue that would wrong
the best friend hee had.
But Robert Juet (the Masters Mate)
would needs burne his finger in the embers,
and told the Carpenter a long tale (when hee was drunke)
that our Master had brought in Greene to cracke his credit that should displease him :
which words came to the Master eares,
who when hee understood it,
would have gone back to Island,
when he was fortie leagues from thence,
to have sent home his Mate Robert Juet in Fisher-man.
But, being otherwise perswaded, all was well.
So Henry Greene stood upright,
and very inward with the Master,
and was a serviceable man every way for manhood :
but for Religion he would say,
he was cleane paper whereon he might write what hee would.
Now, when our Gunner was dead,
and (as the order is in such cases)
if the company stand in need of any thing
that belonged to the man deceased,
then is it brought to the Mayne Mast,
and there sold to them that will give most for the same :
This Gunner had a gray cloth gowne,
which Greene prayed the Master to friend him
so much as to let him have it,
paying for it as another would give :
the Master saith hee should,
and thereupon hee answered some,
that sought to have it,
that Greene should have it,
and none else,
and so it rested.