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. CLXXIX.

Of Antwerpe, and the Trade thereof.

ANTVVERPE is accounted the principall Citie of * 1.1 trade that is subject to the Archduke in all these parts, and having had the prerogative above all others in times past; neither yet to this day be∣ing so decaied but that in many particulars it gi∣veth rule to all or the most of the Neighbouring Cities round about, which considered to abbreviate my taske, I thinke it will not bee improper that I comprehend the trade of all those Provinces that are under this governement in this circuite to this particular Citie.

Antwerpe then being seated upon the River of Sheld, which by eight channels cut, runneth through this Citie, is conceived to be eight miles in compasse, some of these channels being able to hold 100. great ships which made the same more commodious for the transport and carriage of wares to any part thereof. The former and ancient trade of this Citie was great and eminent, and occa∣sioned as some have observed by three meanes, and had its de∣caies also by three occasions. First, by reason of two free Martes holden yeerely, continuing five and forty daies, during which time, no man either in his person or in his goods could be arrested or molested for either debt or otherwise. Secondly, by reason that the King of Portugall having discovered the East Indies in Anno 1500 and diverted the course of trade driven by the Venetions from Alex∣andria, and the Red Sea to his Port of Lixborne, kept heere his factors and sent hither those Indian commodities to seeke their vent, and this first drew the English Merchant Adventurers from Bridges hither to reside. The third was the Warres that fell betweene the French and Charles the fifth, which brought hither many Gentlemen from villages and petty townes for safety sake here to reside and build.

Now as the causes of her rising have beene noted to bee three, so the causes of the losse of that trade may be reduced also to three.

First, the Warres heere, and in generall in these Provinces be∣tweene the Spaniard, and the Dutch Nation, wherein this Citie suf∣fered pilledging, and indured the commaund of new Lawes.

Secondly, the abrogation of part of those Priviledges that were graunted heere to the English Merchant Adventurers and others, and the new and great customes imposed upon their goods and Merchandise.

Thirdly, the Navigation of the English and Dutch to the East In∣dies, whereby the Portugall factors decreasing thereby, and the Cities of London, in England, and Amsterdam in Holland increasing thereby, were also sharers in the India trade and commodities, leaving by this meanes this Citie bare and to subsist upon the traffique of her owne inhabitants, in that nature as now the same is found to be.

Their Accounts are heere kept by Livers, Sol and Deniers, which they terme Pounds, Shillings and Pence of grosses, 12. grosses making a * 1.2 Sold, and 20. Sold a Liver or pound Flemish, which may be accounted 12. shillings starlin, or by their computation 240. grosses, by which species they doe make their Exchanges with all other Cities.

The currant monies heere and in generall through all the Arch Dukes countries are, besides the Spanish and Imperiall these currant * 1.3 are Doights, foure makes a Stiver, and ten Stivers is a shilling starlin, two Blankes makes a Stiver and halfe.

Stivers 6. makes a shilling Flemish.

Stivers, 20. makes a Guilder, which is three shillings foure pence Flemish.

Shillings, 20. makes a pound, which is 6. Guilderns.

Pound, 100. Flemish makes 60. Pound English, so that 20. Stivers is or may be computed for two shillings starlin, and one pound Flemish for 12. shillings starlin, and then 20. shillings starlin is 33. shillings 4. pence Flemish.

The Waight of this Country is the pound of 16. ounces, and the 100. lib. of that pound which is their Quintar, which rendreth in * 1.4 London 104. li. and thereupon it comes as some imagine, that upon Spices the tret of 4. li. upon 104. li. was allowed heere to the buier, for the English being supplied hence in those daies with their spices, found the 100. lib. there to give heere in the Citie of London 104. li. made that allowance heere willingly, as desiring the 100. li. there, would yeeld them a neat 100. li. heere and take the same by the factory without further allowance or garble, which was not then * 1.5 in use.

Many observations have beene made upon the waight and mea∣sure of this Citie, which being reduced into a generall table by Master Malines, and the same being there accorded with all the

principall Cities in the World, I will referre you thereunto for lar∣ger satisfaction, and content my selfe according to my method to insert the same as I finde it, with some other particular places, be∣cause I have found some errors in the said concordance.

The Waight then in use in Antwerpe being the 100. li. neat, hath * 1.6 been observed to have rendred thus,

In

London	104 li.
Marselia	115¼.
Venice sotle	155.
Ditto grosse	97¾.
Sicilia	68.
Lixborne	84½.
Florence	132½.
Lions	110.
Sivil	101 7/2.
Dansicke	120.
O•…•…mus	108. Rot.
Alleppo common	22. 8. R.
Ditto silke waight	24. 0. R.
Tripoly Soria	27. 2. R.
Tripoly Barbaria	97. R.
Baruti	21. 9. R.
Alexandria Zeroi	51. 9. R.
Alexandria Forsia	116. 5. R.
Constantinople	92. R.
Rhodes	20. 1. R.
〈◊〉〈◊〉	18. 1. R.
Babylon	15. 6. R.

And what other inlargements is here wanting, I willingly omit, and referre the same to Lex Mercatoria.

Now in the same manner it will bee needfull I doe calculate the * 1.7 Measures of Antwerpe, which is the Ell, which also by observation hath made in these places.

Acria	115. pico.
Alleppo	108. pico.
Argtere	136 covad.
Allexandria	124. pico.
Amsterdam	101. ells.
Barselona	43. canes.
Bridges	98⅔. ells.
Candia	108. pico.
Castile	78. vares.
Constantinople	113. pico.
Corfu	116. braces.
Damasco	111. pico.

Dansicke	122. ells.
Florence Cloth	116. ells.
Ditto for silke	102½. braces.
Genoa	122. braces.
Hamburgh	122. ells.
Holland	103½. ells.
Lixborne long	63. vares.
London for linnen	60. ells.
Ditto for Wollen	75. yards.
Ditto for Frises	59. goads.
Lucca	120. braces.
Millan for Silke	141. braces.
Naples for Silke	33½. can.
Paris	59. alns.
Roven	58. alns.
Sivil	83½. vares.
Venice for Wollen	101⅔. braces.
Ditto for Silke	101⅔. braces.
Valentia	73. canes.
Vrbin	101. braces.

Note that this is for the common measure of Antwerpe, besides which they use another Elle for silke, and these Ells make of that but 98½. Ells. The other measure of sundry commodities heere in use are these.

Beere is sould in Antwerpe by the Barrell, which is accounted throughout Flanders and Brabant to be 54. stoopes, the 81. whereof * 1.8 is in Dansicke a fatte, and containes there 180. stoopes; but 50. stoopes of Antwerpe make the barrell of Lubecke, and the English gallon of beere is 2. stoopes of Flanders and 1⅔. stoopes of Amsterdam.

Corne is heere sould by a measure called th Vertule, and 37½. Ver∣tules is a Last of Corne in Amsterdam and 10¼. quarters in London, vide * 1.9 there further.

Wine is sould by the Ame, the stoope and the Butte, and is found thus to accord together; 1. Ame is 50. stoopes, and one stoope is sixe * 1.10 pound, and a Butte is 152. stoopes; so that by this rule 6. Ames which is 300. stoopes, or 1800. li. is in London 252. gallons, so that the Ame is by this calculation found to be 42. gallons, and the stoope is about 3⅓. quarts of London Wine measure, or as some account it about 7. pints, vide London for more certaintie.

The Exchanges practised in this place are great, and for very great summes of money, especially when as the King of Spaine hath any * 1.11 generall disbursements in this Country, by reason of his continuall Armies heere in action maintained against the Dutch, the particu∣lars whereof I have inserted in the end of this tract, in the Chapter 289. and in the Chapter 435. and some others following, where I have at large declared the practise and use among the Merchants

of that place, in the calculation thereof, whereto I referre the in∣quisitive.

As for the generall present trade of this Countrie I shall com∣prise it with the trade of the Netherlands, in the 181. Chapter fol∣lowing.

The first Earldome accounted one of the seventeene Provinces is Flanders, so called peradventure, à flando, as lying open to the Windes, divided into Imperialem Galicam, and Te•…•…tonicam.

The chiefe Cities of Trade therein is first Gaunt, whose Wall is * 1.12 seven miles in compasse, the two Rivers of Sheld and Leye running through the same, and makes in it 26. Islands, which are joyned to∣gether by an hundred Bridges, and had not her often seditions rui∣nated her beauties, shee might have beene Queene of all the Cities of Europe, and heere Iohn Duke of Lancaster was borne, commonly in Histories called Iohn of Gaunt.

The second Citie is Bridges, once the most famous Mart Towne of Europe, where sundry Nations for many yeares kept both their * 1.13 Magasines and Factours, for the sale and providing of all the prin∣cipall commodities of the World, now much decaied of its for∣mer splendour by reason of the removall of the English Merchant venturers, and of other Nations to Antwerpe, about the yeare 1503. it is seated about three leagues from the Sea upon a faire and deepe artificiall chanell, filled with the waters of all the neigh∣bouring and adjoyning streames and fountaines, which chanells in this Country are very frequent by reason of the levell of the ground in generall, which doth both further the Traffique of the Cities and enricheth the Inhabitants.

There is in this Country accounted foure principall Sea-ports, which giveth entrance by Sea into this part of Flanders.

The first is Dunkirke, the Inhabitants whereof doe in times of * 1.14 Warre infest the Seas by the name of Freebooters, and because most of their Warres is with the Dutch, whom they account Heretiques, the Iesuites and other the Romish religious rablement of this place, joyne with these Pirats, and bestow thus the charity of the igno∣rant Secular towards the ruine and rapine of their fellow Country∣men and Christians, an evident testimony of the goodnesse and zeale of their devout Orders.

The second is Scluse, seated at the mouth of the chanell of Brid∣ges, * 1.15 commanding a faire Haven capable of 500. Saile of good shippes, and is now subject to the States, and was taken from the Archduke Anno Dom. 1604. with whose welfare it cannot stand to suffer the King of Spaine to enjoy any safe and large Harbour in those Seas; or adjoyning Coasts.

The third Port is Newport, famoused in these our daies by the * 1.16 great Battell fought neere it Anno Dom. 1600. betweene the Arch∣duke Albertus and the States, the Victorie being acknowledged to bee gotten next under God, by the valour and courage of the En∣glish and their valiant Commanders.

The fourth Sea-port of this Country is Ostend, which held out a siege against the Archduke of three yeares and three moneths, * 1.17 which hath made it for ever famous to Posterity.

In this Country of Flanders, properly belonging to the French, and whose language is therein still used, is found the Cities of Lisle, accounted the third Towne of Traffique in all the Nether∣lands, * 1.18 and to the Inhabitants thereof, some inferre the first invention of laying of colours with oile, of making of Worsted Saies, and many other Stuffes, which to this day is seene to come thence.

Next is Doway an University.

Then Torney, which was surprised and taken by our Henry the 8. Anno Dom. 1513. to whom the Citizens paid 100000. crownes * 1.19 for their ransome, and it was restored afterward to the French for the same 600000. crownes, and from him finally taken by Charles the Fifth.

Besides these there are accounted in Flanders 35. Townes, and 1178. Villages of lesser note, which I willingly passe over brief∣ly, as intending to comprehend the trade thereof in a Chapter by it selfe.

The second Earldome is Artois, containing twelve Townes of consequence, and 750. Villages, the chiefe whereof is, * 1.20

The Towne of Arrasse, whence our Tapestry and cloths of Arras have had their invention and first originall.

Then Saint Paul, the Earle thereof Lewis of Luxenburge plaied * 1.21 so often fast and loose with Lewis the Eleventh of France, with Ed∣ward the fourth of England, and with Charles of Burgundy, that hee kept them for many yeares at continuall strife, which Duke Charles at length requited with the losse of his head and Earldome.

The next Earldome is Henalt, comprehending 950. Villages, and * 1.22 24. Townes of note.

The most eminent being Camberay, taken by the Spaniards from * 1.23 the French by the Earle of Fuentes Anno 1595. accounted a free Towne. Then Mons.

The next is Bevais, at a Pillar whereof beginne all the wayes leading into France, made all of paved stone by Brunhault the French * 1.24 Queene.

The next Earldome is Namurce, containing 180. Villages, and but 4. Townes of note. * 1.25

Namurce is the principall, this Country hath for Merchandise great store of Graine of all sorts, and is enriched with Mines of Iasper, and all sorts of Marble, and so abundant in Iron that it is in∣credible, making the Inhabitants thereby both wealthy and labo∣rious, and it is found moreover to produce a coale wonderfull in Nature, as kindled by water, and quenched by oile.

Zutphen is the next Earldome, being onely a Towne seated on the River Issell, of good strength, taken from the Spaniard Anno Dom. * 1.26 1590. at the Siege whereof was slaine that Honourable Knight Sir Philip Sidney, of whom was said,

Dignae legi scribis, facis, & dignissima scribi: Scripta probant doctum te tua, facta probum.

Thou writ'st things worthy reading, and didst doe Things that are even most worthy writing too, Thy workes thy learning praise, Thy deeds thy goodnesse raise.

The next Earldome is Holland, in circuite 180. miles, no part of * 1.27 which is distant from the Seas three houres journey, and compre∣hendeth 400. Villages, and 23. Townes.

The chiefe whereof is Dort, where Anno 1618. was held a Nati∣onall * 1.28 Synod against the Arminians.

Secondly Harlem, where Printing was invented. * 1.29

Thirdly Leiden, an University consisting of 41. Islands, to which there is passage, partly by boates, but principally by 40. wooden Bridges, and by 110. of stone, the rarity whereof being the first Citie of consequence I noted in these parts Anno 1625. I could not chuse then but a•…•…mire, and here in this Towne is a Castle said to bee built by Hengist the Saxon at his returne out of England, if their stories may be credited.

The next Towne is Delph, a place of residence for the Merchant Adventerers of England, where I was Anno 1625. admitted into that * 1.30 Society whose w•…•…lfare I am bound to desire, and whose prosperity I wish may still encrease: and though these Citizens have since upon some discontent enforced them to remove to Roterdam, yet considering the Towne is composed altogether of Brewers, and that men so qualified are subject to forget themselves, it may be imagined they have since slept upon it, and would peradventure regaine their companies at a greater charge than can by any but by their wis∣domes be imagined.

The next is Alkmer, famous for the defeat which the Duke of * 1.31 Alva received before it, to his great losse of reputation, and to this Cities honour.

The next is Roterdam, famous in giving life to Erasmus, and no∣ted * 1.32

for lovers of the English Traffique, in giving lately free and wor∣thy privileges to the Merchant Adventerers of England, who from Delph lately remooved hither to reside, to the future prejudice of those Brewers.

Lastly Amsterdam, as the now honour of all these Countries for matter of Commerce and Traffique, who hath raised it selfe to * 1.33 that height of Trade by the industry, policy, and wealth of the Inhabitants, that 1000. saile of shippes have beene seene at one Tide to goe in and out, and as one of their owne hath it.

Quod Tagus atque Hamus vehit & Pactolus, in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Vere, bunc, congestum, dixeru esse •…•…ocum.

What Tagus, Hemus, and Pactolus beare, You would conjecture to be heap'd up here.

Now for the manner and matter of their Traffique, I shall note the same such as I have observed it at my there residency in 1625. above mentioned.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Antwerpe, and the Trade thereof.
• * 1.2

  Accounts in Antwerpe.
• * 1.3

  Coines in Antwerpe.
• * 1.4

  Waights in Antwerpe.
• * 1.5

  The conceived originall•…•… our treat in London.
• * 1.6

  Weights of Antwerpe com∣pared with that of other places.
• * 1.7

  Measures of Antwerpe com∣pared with tho•…•…e 〈◊〉〈◊〉 other Countries.
• * 1.8

  Of beere.
• * 1.9

  Of corne.
• * 1.10

  Of wine.
• * 1.11

  Exchange of Antwerpe.
• * 1.12

  Gaunt.
• * 1.13

  Bridges.
• * 1.14

  Dunkirke.
• * 1.15

  Scluse.
• * 1.16

  Newport.
• * 1.17

  Ostend.
• * 1.18

  Lisle.
• * 1.19

  Torney.
• * 1.20

  Artois.
• * 1.21

  S. Paul.
• * 1.22

  Henalte.
• * 1.23

  Cambray.
• * 1.24

  Bevais.
• * 1.25

  Namurce.
• * 1.26

  Zutphen.
• * 1.27

  Holand.
• * 1.28

  Dort.
• * 1.29

  Harlem.
• * 1.30

  Delph.
• * 1.31

  Alkmer.
• * 1.32

  Roterdam.
• * 1.33

  Amsterdam.