Very rare first and only edition of a pamphlet containing reflections related to seafaring, written by the Dutch minister Johannes Roman (d. 1689). He had left his birthplace of Haarlem for Batavia in January 1647. On his journey to the Dutch East Indies on board the East Indiaman Nieu-Enchuysen (built in 1636, also known under all spelling variations of (Nieuw) Enkhuisen), he probably wrote the present pamphlet - comprising 15 short texts in which he reflects on topics relevant to those embarking on sea voyages. The present work is dedicated by the publisher Adriaen Roman to the directors of the Enkhuizen chamber of the VOC. A long poem in Dutch has been included at the end of the work (on pp. 19-23), titled Ziel-verheffing, over de verlossinghe die ons de Heere heeft ghedaen uyt verscheyde stormen ende nood-weder, ons op de Spaensche zee over-ghekomen. Midtsgaders, dat Hy ons heeft laten ontmoeten een Engelsch schip van de Barbades ...
The author, born in Haarlem as son of the Dutch bookseller and publisher Adriaen Roman (1590-1649), went to Batavia in 1647, where he became a minister of a Malaysian church. He was active as a translator and in 1653, he wrote a manual of the Malay language, titled Grondt ofte kort bericht, van de Maleysche tale ..., which was published posthumously in Amsterdam in 1674 (and again in 1689).
With an extensive manuscript annotation in brown ink on the front pastedown containing biographical details on the author (a quote from S. Gille Heringa, "Naamlijst van Nederlandsche Dichters" in: Konst en letterbode (1848) part II, p. 166). The pastedowns and first and last few leaves are very slightly water stained in the gutters and pp. 9-16 show a small water stain in the outer blank margin (not affecting the text). Otherwise in very good condition. Knuttel 6496; Landwehr VOC 767; Petit 2538; STCN 830231420 (4 copies); USTC 1026292 (4 copies, same as STCN); Van der Wulp 9172; WorldCat 69050990 (5 copies).