>Let it be known that this accord is made betwixt the Honourable East India Company, represented by Sir Thomas Wetherby, and the Worshipful Company of Pepperers. The purpose of this venture is to outfit and dispatch a carrack to the Indies for the procurement of spices, silks, and such other wares as Providence may grant. Investors shall provide 10,000 ducats afore departure, with profits to be divided three parts to the investors and one part to the captain and crew. All pepper, cloves, and nutmeg shall be landed at the Port of London no later than Michaelmas, God willing. No mariner shall divulge the course to Malacca nor the secret harbours of Sumatra, under pain of forfeiture and the King’s justice. Should the vessel founder or be seized by hostile powers, the venture is dissolved, each to bear his own loss. Neither party shall be bound should the voyage be hindered by tempest, plague, or blockade. All quarrels shall be judged by the Merchant Court of London, their word final as Solomon’s, and this accord shall be governed in all parts by the laws and ordinances of His Majesty of England. For the space of five years hence, no investor shall engage in trade to the Moluccas save in company with this enterprise.