Robert Knox (1641-1720) was an English sea captain in the service of the British East India Company held captive in Ceylon from 1660-1679. 'An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon together With somewhat Concerning Severall Remarkable passages of my life that hath hapned sic since my Deliverance out of Captivity' is a book written by the English trader and sailor in 1681. It describes his experiences some years earlier on the South Asian island now best known as Sri Lanka and provides one of the most important contemporary accounts of 17th century Ceylonese life. Knox spent 19 years on Ceylon after being taken prisoner by King Rajasimha II.