Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 4
1642-10-01
Op huyden den Eersten October anno xvj twee en veertich, Compareerde voor my Joseph Steyns, Openbaer Notaris, by den Hove van Hollandt geadmitteert, t'Amsterdam residerende, in presentie vande onderges getuygen, Claes Claesz van geluckstadt out omtrent negentien Jaren, bootsgesel geweest opt schip genaemt sint Jan van Hamborch, daer Schipper op was Jan Alberts, Ende heeft ten versoeche van mr. Jan Winthrop Student, Engelsman, verclaert, getuycht, ende geattesteert hoe waer ende hem getuyge seer wel Kennelyck is, Dat den producent omtrent een maent geleden tot Hamborch voors Ingeladen heeft int voors schip seecker scheepskist met cleederen, boecken, ende andere dingen, om naer Amsterdam gevoert te worden, welcke kiste hy getuyge selffs tot Hamborch ontfangen ende Ingenomen heeft vanden producent, wetende oversulcx Dat de voors kiste met cleederen, boecken, ende anders hem producent toe comt. Verclaert noch Dattet voors Schip int herwers comen van seeckere duynkerckers (daer Capiteyn op was Cornelis Jansz) genomen, ende tot nieupoort opgebracht is, ende Dat de voors kiste in zee van de Duynkerckers geopent is geworden, daer hy getuyge bystont ende gesien heeft Datter cleederen ende boecken in waren ende meer andere dingen. Presenterende tgeene voors (ist noot) by eede te stercken, Gedaen t'Amsterdam ter presentie van Goris van Hoeck ende Jan Purdis getuygen hier toe versoocht—Quod attestor rogatus
W. 1B. 1. Mr. Arthur L. Bigelow of Princeton University has kindly established the text of this document (the original Dutch of which contains elements of the coastal dialect between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with Saxon vestiges) and has also supplied the following translation.
“Today, the first of October, Anno 1642, appeared before me, Joseph Steyns, Notary Public, attorney at the law court of Holland, living at Amsterdam, in the presence of the witnesses mentioned below, Claes Claessen from Glückstadt nineteen years since, seaman on the ship named
St. Johnof Hamburg, whose skipper was Jan Alberts; and he has, at the request of Mynheer Jan Winthrop, student, Englishman, declared, witnessed and attested how truly and well known it is to him, the witness, that the plaintiff about a month ago at the aforementioned Hamburg had put on board the aforesaid ship a certain chest with clothes, books, and other things to be brought to Amsterdam, which chest of the plaintiff he himself, the witness, received at Hamburg and took in, knowing that the aforesaid chest with clothes, books, and so forth belongs to him, the plaintiff. He further declares that the aforesaid ship, on its hither voyage, was taken over by certain Dunkirkers (with Cornelis Janssen as Captain) and was brought to Nieuport, and that the aforesaid chest was opened at sea by the Dunkirkers, for he, the witness, stood by and saw that there were clothes and books and other things too therein. Presenting the aforesaid (if necessary) to be strengthened by oath, done at Amsterdam in the presence of Goris van Hoeck and Jan Purdis, witnesses requested to this end—Quod attestor rogatusSteyn illegible Anno 1642 ”