Epstein, Mordecai: The English Levant Company: its foundation and its history to 1640 (London: George Routledge & Sons Ltd, 1908)

THE LEVANT COMPANY 261

trade as aforesaid, and unto our servants who
have adventured their lives in the same. Most

humbly beseeching your honour (the premisses
considered) to be a means that we may have
the use of that trade without receiving in of
any others for these certain years which her
majesty did most graciously assent unto,
whereby we may so trade with hope to recover
our said charges, otherwise it will not only
discourage us and others in like respect here-
after to attempt and go on with like charges
and discoveries, but be utterly discouraged to
enter into any new charge which is not-18
and so rather to withdraw ourselves, giving
over the trade as soon as conveniently we may,
with the loss of the great charges aforesaid,
for that we are sure (the trade being so over-
charged) loss and no gain is to be looked for
therein.

(Signed)
Ed. Osborne,
John Leate,
William Massam,
John Spencer,
Richard Martin,

William Garraway
Thomas Cordell,
Paul Bayning,
and others.

18 I cannot make out this word in the MS.