The merchants mappe of commerce wherein, the universall manner and matter of trade, is compendiously handled. The standerd and currant coines of sundry princes, observed. The reall and imaginary coines of accompts and exchanges, expressed. The naturall and artificiall commodities of all countries for transportation declared. The weights and measures of all eminent cities and tovvnes of traffique, collected and reduced one into another; and all to the meridian of commerce practised in the famous citie of London. By Lewes Roberts, merchant. Necessary for all such as shall be imployed in the publique affaires of princes in forreigne parts; for all gentlemen and others that travell abroad for delight or pleasure, and for all merchants or their factors that exercise the art of merchandizing in any part of the habitable world.

CHAP. CLXXVII.

Of the Trade in generall of Italie.

NOw having runne through the principall pla∣ces of Traffique in Italie, in the particular, let * 1.1 us note a word or two in the generall, con∣cerning not onely the Traders, but also Na∣vigation which is seene in many places to bee meanes whereby Trade it selfe is preserved and performed.

In Italie then not onely the Gentlemen, but even the Princes entitled doe professe themselves to bee Merchants, without any indignity to their quality or place, which many of our Country Gentiles and Nobles (with leave may I speake it) foo∣lishly disdaine, and onely permit retailing of goods to men of the inferiour sort, and Shopkeepers, but retaine yet the grosse ever in their owne and servants hands, and by this course they are found not onely to keepe the Patrimonies descended to them by their an∣cestours, but also are daily found to encrease the same, while our Gentlemen prodigall in expence, and ashamed to make honest gaine, and exercise an honest calling, oftentimes not onely destroy their Families, but ruine themselves and not seldome their Posterities. Amongst the Merchants of Italie then, the Venetians are the chiefe who in times past enjoyned every ship thence departing in Trade to carry one of their Gentlemen or Clarissimo who was allowed him his diet and passage, but this wisedome of their ancestours is now laid aside, and the charges thereof which is still collected, is in every such Vessell begged by some poore Clarissimo or other, so that their Traffique and Navigation is thereby much decaied, and the Mariners and most expert of their Seamen imployed in their shipping are for the most part Grecians.

The Florentine is the next, the Duke whereof is heere to bee re∣membred, who is the most eminent Merchant, and here not sel∣dome imploies his owne and others shippes for Corne, Salt, or other necessary provisions for his Dukedome and his owne store, thereby incouraging his Subjects to trade and adventure abroad: two prin∣cipall things are observed which doe much enrich the Merchants of Italie, the first is their frequent Exchanging, wherein they are the best versed in the World; the other is the Trade of their Silkes, wrought by the industry of the Silke-worme, which wrought into fabriques are thence dispersed throughout Europe, and some parts of Asia, but these are fetched from them by others, and not exported

by themselves, partly by the over great affection that they have to their native homes, and their little desire they have to travaile abroad, but principally for want of good shippes of burthen, for excepting some few Vessels in Venetia, Naples, and Leghorne, all the Merchants of Italie cannot shew a ship of 100. tunnes.

Naples is a large and rich Country, and Genoa rich, though of little extent, yet the great number of Nobility in the former, and the great usury practised in the latter hath reduced them to a neg∣lect of all Trade, what the bosome of their Country doth natural∣ly vent that they traffique with, and these being in themselves rich induce other Nations to bring them those few things they want, for though Italie as it now stands acknowledgeth many Soveraignes, yet one Country supplying another, stands in need of little from Forainers, so that it may be said, while they have peace they have plenty; some provisions of fish, corne, and cloth, England doth fur∣nish them, and in returnes have only their silke fabriques, oiles, and some few other commodities, so that putting aside the Trade driven thither by the English, as being of greatest consequence, the Trade of the Spaniard, French, or Dutch, is but small, and but of little mo∣ment amongst them; which in particular may bee thus surveied; for Venice I have given you the anatomy of the Trade thereof, now in the waine, and almost at the last breath, save where it is preser∣ved by their new devised Edicts, and the naturall growing Corrence, and by their small Trade to Constantinople, Cairo, and Alleppo by sea, and to Austria, Dalmatia, Istria, Italie, and into the upper Germanie by land: the next part of this Trade of Italie is challenged by Na∣ples, which in it selfe affords rich silkes, corne, oile, and wines, with which they seeme to bee contented, for they covet not much to traffique among themselves, nor yet with others further than for their meate, and drinke, and clothing, which to the poorer sort is most wanting.

The Papacy her share in the Trade of Italie is not worth the no∣mination, no more is Mantua, Vrbin, and those other petty Signio∣ries. The Tuscans rightly demand a part, and it shall be granted them, both in their Florentine fabriques, and in their privileged Towne of Leghorne, but I may feare it will not last long, for the Dukes growing both rich and covetous, and daily encroching upon those liber∣ties, at first liberally given to strangers Merchants in Leghorne, and who every day are seene to lay some new petty duties upon the goods there, as for Genoa, were they as truely wise for the good of their Common-wealth as they are found to bee to themselves, they are of ability to doe better, and to have that Trade their neighbours now deprive them of. Millan likewise struggles for interest here∣in, and shall have it by my consent, but it shall bee onely in their Iron-workes, which the Cantons serve themselves with, and in their fabriques of silke which Lions doth helpe them to vent. Lucca may bee offended in my silence, but this Cities peace may further that

Trade which otherwise her owne or her neighbours warres would utterly ruine, you may see then of how many parts and members this rich and pleasant Italie is composed, and how the Trade thereof stands at this instant; it enjoyeth a generall peaceable and quiet inland Traffique, consisting for the most part more of branches bred within her owne bowels than of forraine helpes, their naturall growing corne, silke, graine, and oile, induce them thereto, and the benefit practised by Exchangers induce the rich to use that Trade onely and no other, wherein I will for this time leave them, and in the next place turne my head and hand to the survaying of the Netherlands.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The trade in generall of Italie observed.