Ambrois LeGaillard
Sailor
(Extracts from the private journal of Marie van Pelikan, Dutch merchant and trader, year 1618)
April 1618:
"In my captain cabin I have all the time to share my own thoughts with myself, in these pages, between a voyage and another.
People see me in different ways:
many people think at me like a gold-hearted cruel witch interested only at her own deals, that like bath in a tub filled of dobloons and piastres, and that is married only with her own money,
my own crew trust me only in half-after all I'm a woman, and women must stay at home, marry, and have some tons of childrens and daughters to grow. Mens must think at all, womens have their own place-but I rebel at this unjust idea!
Yes, I know, for me deals are deals, and I never let a single dobloon slip from my soft hands, but the world outside is cruel, and also me I must be cruel for the sake of surviving.
My man, my bodyguard, a muscled blonde Nederlander, and my officers, see me like a sea goddess: they have faith in me, and they say that I will never leave any of them into troubles. I need of these mens: there are my family, my brothers, sisters, lovers, hubbys, all.
I haven't a fiancee nor a husband, but I feel like I have married my entire crew and officers: for each of them I have a sincere feeling, our ships is our home, and our pleasant blue-white-red Dutch flag is our pride.
---
From the time in wich I have taken this nice merchant ship named "Polacca" I felt a sense of security, like it was made in pure iron.
Asking around, I have discovered that the name is told in italian, and mean "Pole": maybe these ships was built originarily in Poland?
What a strange name she has!
But is beautiful, and, seeking around and talking with some scholar, I decided to name her "Krakow" that is the Poland capital city- a little hommage to the mens that have invented this fine ship.
---
My Polacca ias somewhat useful also in battles: their guns are put only at the sides, but every shoot is a powerful damage for enemies, that, because the fine built and the high resistance, can't hit the "Krakow" that only slightly, saving myself from horrible expenses at the shipyard.
I can start to love fiercely my Polacca more and more. She's greedy like me, Hahah!
---
With the great amounts of gain made carring merchandises here and there, I have adjusted and modified my beautiful "Krakow" in all the possible ways: new American cotton sails, better masts and more sails for go also upwind, reinforced hull and plated in brass: can I do more at my beloved ship?
Uhm, I will see also if there's some chance to put new and better guns: I'm not an attacker at all, and for be sincere, I hate all the wars that mens make for their stupid desidere to be first, but I need to defend against pirates and other possible enemies, like these arrogant and boasting Spanish, that I hate a lot, them, their horrible accent and manners, and their supponence.
Also if I'm not a warrior, but a simple, more-or-less honest nice, sweety Dutch lil girl in distress, it come the time that I will give them all the payback-after all they have invaded my own homeland not many years ago, and every nice girl must fight them in every way.
---
I'm thoughing about change ship: my "Krakow" is really good and beautiful, but how about have a Fluyt under my nice soft whiteskinned feet?
I feel something like a patriotic sense why I think at a Fluyt: they was invented by us for commerce and haggling, and have also a very capable cargo capacity: YES! I know, my eyes are shining like pure goldat the thought! MORE cargo capacity, MUCH gold in my soft nice hands.
---
Yes. I can admit, almost with myself.
I'm really a Greedy Lady. All this week I have dreamed of a Fluyt laden of cargo and fountains releasing dobloons and piastres over me.
I can't reach to think at any other thing...Fluyt, I want a Beautiful, Nederlander shaped, large and marvelous Fluyt!
GIVE ME A FLUYT! NOW!
---
Doubts in my soul:
I have visited some shipyards, and some of them proposed to me the Light Fluyt model.
Then, I ask myself:
Better that I must wait and have a real Fluyt,
or will be a good thing that I may start with a Light Fluyt, for have a chance to learn about the classical Nederlander Fluyt model, and then get a normal Fluyt?
Ah, this tragical doubt: I feel to be like this prince of the Shakespeare opera...Hamlet. To have (a real Fluyt) or to have (a Light Fluyt) that is the problem. Oh, Shakespeare, fill the golden heart of this sea-princess Hamletine Nederlander like a wine goblet!
---
Mens are DUMB. Really, and tragically, dumb.
Meanwhile England and our United Provinces continue to make war on the seas, a feeble, somewhat inferior (in their dreams!) sweet Dutch maiden (that in their dreams is born for be married, make meals for husband, have tons of boys and girls, and grow them) continue to move between their ports taking and leaving a lot of cargo, and gaining almost dobloons to bath in gold into her bathtub.
How this poor maiden did? Simply following mens desires, hah! Mens like gold, and like young maidens, and also like maidens and gold together.
With the esbursing of a little sum, my Black lion-on-Gold-field flag was acknowledged from English, and allowed to enter and exit freely in their ports: of course, there's only a start, because I will do the same also with Portuguese, gaining a new access to market, and become more richer than actually am I.
I need a larger bathtub, for my gold bathing time. Gold plated, of course.
April 1618:
"In my captain cabin I have all the time to share my own thoughts with myself, in these pages, between a voyage and another.
People see me in different ways:
many people think at me like a gold-hearted cruel witch interested only at her own deals, that like bath in a tub filled of dobloons and piastres, and that is married only with her own money,
my own crew trust me only in half-after all I'm a woman, and women must stay at home, marry, and have some tons of childrens and daughters to grow. Mens must think at all, womens have their own place-but I rebel at this unjust idea!
Yes, I know, for me deals are deals, and I never let a single dobloon slip from my soft hands, but the world outside is cruel, and also me I must be cruel for the sake of surviving.
My man, my bodyguard, a muscled blonde Nederlander, and my officers, see me like a sea goddess: they have faith in me, and they say that I will never leave any of them into troubles. I need of these mens: there are my family, my brothers, sisters, lovers, hubbys, all.
I haven't a fiancee nor a husband, but I feel like I have married my entire crew and officers: for each of them I have a sincere feeling, our ships is our home, and our pleasant blue-white-red Dutch flag is our pride.
---
From the time in wich I have taken this nice merchant ship named "Polacca" I felt a sense of security, like it was made in pure iron.
Asking around, I have discovered that the name is told in italian, and mean "Pole": maybe these ships was built originarily in Poland?
What a strange name she has!
But is beautiful, and, seeking around and talking with some scholar, I decided to name her "Krakow" that is the Poland capital city- a little hommage to the mens that have invented this fine ship.
---
My Polacca ias somewhat useful also in battles: their guns are put only at the sides, but every shoot is a powerful damage for enemies, that, because the fine built and the high resistance, can't hit the "Krakow" that only slightly, saving myself from horrible expenses at the shipyard.
I can start to love fiercely my Polacca more and more. She's greedy like me, Hahah!
---
With the great amounts of gain made carring merchandises here and there, I have adjusted and modified my beautiful "Krakow" in all the possible ways: new American cotton sails, better masts and more sails for go also upwind, reinforced hull and plated in brass: can I do more at my beloved ship?
Uhm, I will see also if there's some chance to put new and better guns: I'm not an attacker at all, and for be sincere, I hate all the wars that mens make for their stupid desidere to be first, but I need to defend against pirates and other possible enemies, like these arrogant and boasting Spanish, that I hate a lot, them, their horrible accent and manners, and their supponence.
Also if I'm not a warrior, but a simple, more-or-less honest nice, sweety Dutch lil girl in distress, it come the time that I will give them all the payback-after all they have invaded my own homeland not many years ago, and every nice girl must fight them in every way.
---
I'm thoughing about change ship: my "Krakow" is really good and beautiful, but how about have a Fluyt under my nice soft whiteskinned feet?
I feel something like a patriotic sense why I think at a Fluyt: they was invented by us for commerce and haggling, and have also a very capable cargo capacity: YES! I know, my eyes are shining like pure goldat the thought! MORE cargo capacity, MUCH gold in my soft nice hands.
---
Yes. I can admit, almost with myself.
I'm really a Greedy Lady. All this week I have dreamed of a Fluyt laden of cargo and fountains releasing dobloons and piastres over me.
I can't reach to think at any other thing...Fluyt, I want a Beautiful, Nederlander shaped, large and marvelous Fluyt!
GIVE ME A FLUYT! NOW!
---
Doubts in my soul:
I have visited some shipyards, and some of them proposed to me the Light Fluyt model.
Then, I ask myself:
Better that I must wait and have a real Fluyt,
or will be a good thing that I may start with a Light Fluyt, for have a chance to learn about the classical Nederlander Fluyt model, and then get a normal Fluyt?
Ah, this tragical doubt: I feel to be like this prince of the Shakespeare opera...Hamlet. To have (a real Fluyt) or to have (a Light Fluyt) that is the problem. Oh, Shakespeare, fill the golden heart of this sea-princess Hamletine Nederlander like a wine goblet!
---
Mens are DUMB. Really, and tragically, dumb.
Meanwhile England and our United Provinces continue to make war on the seas, a feeble, somewhat inferior (in their dreams!) sweet Dutch maiden (that in their dreams is born for be married, make meals for husband, have tons of boys and girls, and grow them) continue to move between their ports taking and leaving a lot of cargo, and gaining almost dobloons to bath in gold into her bathtub.
How this poor maiden did? Simply following mens desires, hah! Mens like gold, and like young maidens, and also like maidens and gold together.
With the esbursing of a little sum, my Black lion-on-Gold-field flag was acknowledged from English, and allowed to enter and exit freely in their ports: of course, there's only a start, because I will do the same also with Portuguese, gaining a new access to market, and become more richer than actually am I.
I need a larger bathtub, for my gold bathing time. Gold plated, of course.
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