Newes out of East India:
Of the cruell and bloody usage of our English Mer
chants and others at Amboyna, by the Netherlandish Governour
and Councell there.
To the tune of Braggendary.
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FRom India Land such newes I have,
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of death and deadly dole,
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As may inforce a deepe remorse,
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to each good Christian soule.
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To thinke what English blood was shed,
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Upon a small occasion bred.
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Oh heaven looke downe,
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upon poore innocent soules.
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Betweene the English and the Dutch,
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hath beene a long debate:
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And mischiefes many hath beene wrought,
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against our Merchants state,
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Where Merchant-men have lost their lives,
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Their goods, their children, and their wives:
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Oh heaven looke downe,
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upon poore innocent soules.
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A towne there stands Amboyna call'd.
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a Castle in the same:
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Made rich by these Low-Country States,
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and Merchants of great name:
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Who on a time a plot deviz'd,
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To have our Englishmen surpriz'd.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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They gave out words our Englishmen,
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by secret treason wrought,
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The towne and Castle to blow up,
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and so in question brought,
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Our English Merchants dwelling there,
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With all that held our Country deare.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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Their Governor a Councell cal'd,
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and yet no reason why,
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That twenty of our Englishmen
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should there their causes try:
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And answer for a thing not done,
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Nor any way there thought upon.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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To cruell tortures day by day,
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our English thus were brought:
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Where strange tormenting instruments
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upon their bodies wrought:
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To make them all confesse and say,
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They sought Amboyna to betray.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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The first they laid upon a Racke,
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with armes and legs abroad,
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And spred him, till he did confesse
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and most untruly show'd,
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How that our Englishmen conspir'd,
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To have the town and castle fier'd,
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Oh heaven looke downe,
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upon poore innocent soules.
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The second Part, To the same tune.
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THe second of these wofull men,
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they bound unto a stake:
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And throtle him about the necke,
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till he could hardly speake.
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Which cruell torments to avoyd,
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Said that the towne should be destroyed.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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The third they bound in Iron chaines,
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which griped him so sore,
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That all his body round about,
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did gush out bloody gore:
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From which to find some ease he sayd,
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Amboyna should have beene betrayd.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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They whipt the fourth man at a post,
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unjustly without fault:
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And washt his bloody body ore,
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with vineger and salt.
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And to the fifth like punishment,
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Though to no ill he gave consent.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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With water they stuft up the sixth,
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untill his body swel'd:
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The seventh likewise with twisted coard,
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most barbarously compeld,
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To say our English friends were those,
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That were the townesmens greatest foes.
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Oh heaven looke downe,
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The eight with burning pincers pul'd,
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made challenge of the rest:
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Though most untrue, to ease himselfe,
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and so false things confest.
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So did the nynth by their pretence,
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Bring in most wrongfull evidence.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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The tenth they hung up by the armes
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two foot above the ground:
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And so with scorching candles burn'd
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his back and body round:
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With all the other parts about,
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Till drops of fat the lights put out.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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The rest of these distressed soules,
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were used in like sort:
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At which the cruell Governor,
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made his tormenting sport.
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Till nynteene of our Englishmen,
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Felt more then common tortures then.
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Oh heaven looke downe,
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upon poore innocent soules.
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Then Captaine Towerson came in place,
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to answer with the rest:
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To whom was told the treason was
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by those before confest.
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Though all as false as God was true,
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Yet they affirme, the same he knew.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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For which his goods were seized on,
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which all our English had:
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And so unto the Judgement seat,
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as traitors they were led.
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And there unjustly judg'd to dye,
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Which was performed immediately,
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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Ten of our men they hang'd forthwith,
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the other ten went free:
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Which was a wrongfull Judgement given,
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and full of griefe to see.
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That after all those torments past,
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They thus should suffer death at last.
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Oh heaven looke downe, etc.
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But on the execution day,
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as God did so dispose,
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A sudden darkenesse and a gust
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of violent winds arose.
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Which cast two of their ships away,
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As they at road in harbour lay.
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Thus heaven lookes downe, etc.
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Yea here to make Gods vengeance more,
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the chiefest of that plot.
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In this tormenting of our friends,
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as then escaped not,
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But felt Gods heavy Iron hand,
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And could no way the same withstand,
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Thus heaven lookes downe etc.
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For comming to the graves where as
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the murthered bodies lay:
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He fell starke mad, and would not thence,
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with life depart away.
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But dyed most strangely in that place,
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Even as a wretch bereft of grace:
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Thus heaven lookes downe, etc.
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Thus have you heard what bloody deeds,
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were late in India done:
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To make us all in England heere,
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with sorrow to thinke upon,
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What sad misfortune should be hap,
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To take our friends in such a trap.
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Yet heaven lookes downe,
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Upon poore innocent soules.
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