Cowley Manuscript Comparisons
John Woram
The table below shows how selected incidents are reported in the indicated manuscripts. In each example, Morgan Ms. 3310 is the closest match to the book, thus indicating it was the last ms. in the chronological sequence. If the same incident is reported in all mss., the Virginia and Lambeth mss. are often quite similar, while the Sloane/Pepys mss. often appear to be transitional between those on either side. To further support the proposed chronological sequence, a few entries are given closer attention here.
- 1683. December. The incident of the whale hitting the ship appears in the Lambeth ms. only, and is then abandoned. The one-to-one hundred whale ratio makes its first appearance in Sloane/Pepys, then is restyled as a hundred-to-one in Morgan and the latter style appears in the book.
- 1683. December. The latitude of 47°40' appears in the Lambeth and Sloane/Pepys mss., then is modified to 47° in Morgan and in the book. Cowley's Sibble D'wards identification is also changed (by Hacke?) to honor Samuel Pepys. However, if Cowley himself recognized the islands as Sibble D'wards, it is unclear why this name does not also appear in the Lambeth ms. Possibly, Cowley did not know this name at the time the Lambeth ms. was written, but learned of it before the Sloane/Pepys mss. were written.
- 1684. May. In the Virginia ms., Cowley does not recall Galápagos longitudes, which are likewise missing in the Lambeth ms. By contrast, Sloane/Pepys are full of longitude citations, suggesting they were prepared after Cowley recovered his “book” from Holland. These longitudes are dropped in the Morgan ms. and book, where a map supplies the same information.
Although a few entries in the table below do not fall easily into the chronological sequence proposed here, no attempt is made to resolve these apparent discrepancies. On balance, it is felt that the evidence for this sequence outweighs the evidence against it.—JW.
| Virginia T8525a3 | Lambeth 642 | Sloane 1050, 54 & Pepys 2826 | Morgan 3310 | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1683 | ||||
| August 4. … to the South Seas, where they should get gold & silver enough | August 4. … to the South Seas, where we should have gold and silver enough. | August 4. They were bound for Guinia to get a better ship to carry us to the South Seas. | August 4. … to Guinia [then] to the South Sea | August n/d. … to Guiney and then … to the South Sea. |
| August 4. I was to carry the ship wheresoever they pleased. | August 4. Thus was I forced to be out 3 years and 4 months. | August 4. We having now agreed to alter our course. | August 4. [I was] forced to alter my course. | August n/d. I was thereupon forced to alter my course. |
| August 4. Interception and boarding of a Dutch ship bound for Virginia. | ||||
| August. There being but four men and one boy. [Governor not mentioned.] (5) | September. … but 5 men and a boy, besides the governor. (7) | September. but five men, one of which was the governor, two captains, one lieutenant and one boy. (5) | September. five men … viz. 4 Officers and one Boy: one being a Governor, two Captains and one Lieutenant. (5) | |
| October. We set sail for Saint Nicholas. | September. … to St. Nickla | October. … to St. Nicholas | n/d … to St. Nicholas | n/d … to St. Nicholas |
| October. We arrived in … November [and captured a ship of 44 guns]. | November. [The ship] had 36 guns mounted. | October. We lighted on a ship of 40 guns. | n/d. We alighted on a new ship of 40 guns. | |
| October. … with the loss of no more than 6 men killed and wounded. | November. … they killing and wounding but five men. | |||
| November. [The King] presented the Doctor and myself with each a black mistress, which made our doctor much in love with hs black doxey that he stayed on shore with her 2 or 3 nights. | November. [The King presented] each of us one of his black women to sleep by us so long as we stayed here. The Doctor stayed with his mistress, but I went aboard by reason I did not like her hide. | |||
| December. [We saw] so many whales that we were fearfull they would endanger our ship. We received a small blow … which shook our ship fore and aft but did us no damage. | December. We came up with abundance of whales, where I have seen one to the northward, I have seen one hundred to the southward. | December. … abundance of whales, there being more … by a hundred to one to what we have to the northward of us. | December. … abundance of large whales, there being more in these Southern Seas … by a hundred to one, then we have to the northward of us. | |
| December. About 47°40' [I discovered] an island which is not laid down in drafts. | January. [At] 47°40' we espied an island. … These islands … I supposed to be the Sibble D'wards. | December. [At] 47° South we saw an island not before known … not inhabited or ever laid down in any map or draught which I called Peyps's Island. | … of 47 deg. where we saw land; the same being an island not before known. It was not inhabited, and I gave it the name of Pepys Island. | |
| 1684 | ||||
| January. We came in the lat. of 52 degrees and 30 minutes. | January. We came in the lat. of 53 degrees. | January. I came into the latitude of 53 degrees South. | January. We came into the lat. of 53 degrees. | |
| February. The 14th … we had the length of Cape Horne, there we met with a great swell of the sea. | February. The 14th we were abreast of Cape Horne … where we were choosing Valentines, but in the height of our mirth the wind sprang up at North blowing very hard … which made me think it not lucky to draw valentines or discourse of women at sea. | February. The 14th … we being very merry, … and choosing Valentines, but the next day the wind came up at the northwest blowing very hard. | January. … the 14th day of February were we choosing of valentines and discoursing of women there arose a most violent storm … so that we concluded that the discoursing of women at sea was very unlucky and occasioned the storm. | The 14th day of February, where we choosing of Valentines, and discoursing of the intrigues of women, there arose a prodigious storm … so that we concluded the discoursing of women at sea was very unlucky, and occasioned the storm. |
| May. We found the leg bone of a man which was 3 foot and 3 inches long with the ankle-bones proportionable to the leg-bone. | (See March 1685 entry for reference to this incident.) | |||
| May. We steered away … We saw an island bearing southwest. But there runneth so great a current that seteth to the northward that I could not fetch it. | May. [We set] sail to the westward to seek some islands to put some flour on shore. It was my fortune … to see land, which was to the southward of us, and presently many more islands, which made the Spaniards laugh at us telling us that they were enchanted, for Capt. Perralto had seen them, but never could get at them, which indeed I thought they spake truth in, at first, for I saw a fair island on my larboard side which I strove to get to but could not, but the reason was, that there goeth an extraordinary current setting to the northward. | May. We sailed away to the westward to see if we could find those islands called the Gallipoloes, which made the Spaniards laugh at us, telling us they were enchanted islands, and that there was never any but one Capt. Porialto that had ever seen them, but could not come near them to anchor at them. | May. We sailed to the westward … to try whether we could find those islands which the Spaniards call the Enchanted Islands. | Thereupon we stood away to the westward, to try if we could find those islands which the Spaniards calls Gallappagos or Enchanted Islands. |
| The body of [Charles Island] may lie near 1° South Latitude, but I have forgotten the longitude of them till my book comes from Holland. | May. (No longitudes are given.) | June. By my judgement [Charles Island] lieth in the latitude of 1°30' South Latitude. | May. (None given, but map in ms. shows latitudes & longitudes.) | May. (Same.) |
| June. These islands formerly burnt as Strombolo. | October. The rocks … having been like unto Strombelo. | |||
| June. They lie as the ruins of the City of London did after its being burnt. | ||||
| June. … fowls not fearful of man, for they would light upon us. | June. The small birds being not the least possessed with fear. They lighted on our mens heads. | June. The fowls were not fearful of us, but would light upon us. | June. The turtle doves were so tame … that they would pitch [perch?) upon us not fearing man. | June. The turtle doves … were so tame, that they would often alight upon our hats and arms. |
| n/d. Another island … called My Lord Norises [ie, Abington] Island. | June. It was my fortune one time to be sailing about 6 leagues to the northward of … Abington. We not having been there before, … | October. The [24th of] October, we saw Lord Norris's Island. | June. [one island] I called the Lord Lord Norris's Island. | June. [one island] I called the Earl of Abingtons's Island. ; |
| n/d. We went into the Gulf of St. Michael. | August. We concluded to go into the Gulf of St. Michael. | July. We made sayle for the Gulf of St. Michael. | July. We sailed into the Gulf of St. Michael. | n/d. We set sail to the Gulf of St. Miguel. |
| n/d. I came a board of Captain Eaton's ship … to be redeemed from my slavery. | August. I came aboard Capt. Eaton's ship. … I had been so long a prisoner. | July. I was got aboard of Eaton's ship. It would be my fortune to be rid of my slavery. | July. [I] went on board of Capt. Eaton. | n/d. I got on board of Capt. John Eaton. |
| August. We set sail from [St. Michaels] in the month of August for Cape Francisco. | August. From [St. Michaels] we sailed upon the coast of Peru. | August. Capt. Eaton weighed from [St. Michaels]. | August. We set sail from the Gulf of St. Michaels. | August. We set sail from the Gulf of Miguel. |
| August. We burnt one and sunk the other [captured ships]. | September. We sunk one and burnt the other. | August. [We were commanded] to sink or burn them, which being done … | n/d. … commanded our men either to sink or burn them | |
| August. We turned up to the island of Plate, and from thence to Lobos. | August. We sailed to Lobos. | September. We sailed to Lobos. | ||
| n/d. He shaped his course for King James the seconds Island. | (second trip to Galápagos not mentioned, merged with first trip. No entries for Sept/Oct.) | October. We took our departure from Lobos, bound to Galápagos (with lengthy description of 2nd visit). | (No entries for Sept/Oct.) | |
| n/d. [We went] to the Island of the Gorgonia. | November. We set sail from thence [location unidentified] to the island of Gorgonia. | November. We took our departure [from Galápagos] to the Gorgonia. | n/d. We sailed to the island of Gorgona. | n/d. Then we sailed to … Gorgona. |
| 1685 | ||||
| March. Our men being very weak all of them for want of victuals, we having nothing but rotten flour and water in our ship. | March. We had not had … flesh except our dogs and cats and rats, but the rats were forbidden that any well-man should eat them, but [we] reserved them for the sick men, which did comfort them somewhat. | 13 March. This day there was a cat killed to make some broth to nourish some of our men that were sick. | 15 March. We felled some cocoa nut trees and brought about 200 of the nuts on board to refresh our people who were extraordinary weak. | 15 March. We felled some cocoa nut trees and brought a hundred or two on board to refresh our men, who who were extraordinary weak. |
| March. I saw one of them that was at least 7 foot high. | March. The Capt. told me … of men that were 8 foot and ½ high. | April. The Indians are … 7 foot and a half high. | n/d. These Indians … some of them being seven foot and a half high. | |
| March. We have had the bones of men [that were] exceeding long & big, the leg bone being 3 foot & 2 inches long, the ankle bones about 4 inches & 3 quarters circumference. [An apparent reference to a May 1684 entry in the Lambeth ms.) | ||||
| 30 September. (Sloane 1050: An insert in Cowley's hand describes capture of Tartar ship with 60 men aboard. Sloane 54 & Pepys 2826: Same incident is part of text.) | A Tartar ship … outsailed us, having chased her a whole day. | n/d. We gave [a Tartar ship] chase a whole day, though to no purpose. | ||
| October. … one great snake 17 feet long. | September. … killed a snake, 17 foot long … made a gallant kettle of porridge. | 14 October. … found a snake that was 17 foot long … made a brave kettle of porridge. | ||
| September. We saw a boat … with the governor's wife [and other women]. They leaped overboard into the sea. | November. … a boat which had many women in her, when they saw us they leaped overboard. | September. … a boat … full of women, [and] the governor's lady and her attendants. [They] leaped all overboard into the sea. | n/d. … a boat … with many women, [including] the Queen of the country and her retinue. They … leaped over-board into the sea. | |
| (More details to follow.) | ||||