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.

To his much respected friends, the MERCHANTS of ENGLAND in generall, and to the courteous READER, whom it may concerne.

I Was not ignorant, (Right worthy friends) when first I undertooke this taske, and busied my selfe to compasse this Worke, how difficult it would prove to bee in it selfe; what slender furtherances I had to accomplish the same; and how weak my own abilities were to give it per∣fection: yet notwithstanding all these obstacles, when I had duely considered the generall want thereof, and the com∣mon benefit and commoditie that would redound thereby, especially to those of my owne profession (if it might bee ful∣ly, or in some measure truely perfected) I resolved (conside∣ring the silence of those of better indowments) to take the same in hand, and cheerfully and willingly layed both my hand to the Worke, and my shoulder to the burthen, col∣lecting and gathering with laborious industry, and industri∣ous labour all those principall points and heads, as might ei∣ther conduce to the accomplishment of the building, or any way further my intended fabrique: So that by my continu∣all toyle, and search after fit and apt materials, I hoped that at length a good issue would crowne my indeavors, and finish this my intended undertaken taske.

But after long and tedious inquisition, I found that the fur∣ther I sailed in this Ocean, the vaster were my desires, and the fewer were my furtherances to my wished Port; so that

perceiving the Worke thus to increase upon me, beyond my expectation and first purpose, I was constrained (with the wind-scanted Seaman) to cast about againe, and limit my selfe to a narrower scantling; for that to doe it at large, and as the matter punctually required, was farre beyond the reach of my knowledge; yet because I could not doe as I would, I resolved to doe as I could, and thereupon begun againe to in∣volve these my first scattered Collections into a lesser mould, and reduce my first thoughts and observations into such a se∣cond limit and order, as might best befit my experience, and the compasse to which now I had confined it; conceiving that as my intentions (ioyned to my labour and paines herein) tended onely to the good of others, and principally of Mer∣chants and their actors, that reside or negociate in forreigne parts, so they will in requitall be induced to have a good opi∣nion thereof, as a reward to mee, for the benefit that shall re∣dound to them by the same, excusing those errors which per∣adventure the better experienced may by triall find in the peru∣sall of this Worke, and the defects which my ignorance hath inforced me to let passe, which by reason of the diversitie and rarity of the matter the same is most subject unto, and the ra∣ther because I have beene constrained oftentimes in this De∣sert to travell without a certaine guide, and not seldome to navigate by anothers Compasse, having not in any Language or Countrey met with any Author, that could either totally conduct me, or truely rectifie my steps when I went astray; yet I must confesse I met with some that shot at the marke I aymed at; but it was at randome, and came not home to my proposed blanke; and I found some that tooke up stuffe up∣on trust, and a second followed him, and a third that second, and heere (not able otherwise to contradict nor amend) I al∣so became a follower of theirs; some againe I observed to have borrowed from others, of which number I may ac∣compt the Collections of Claud Bojer Lionois, of Gio: Mari∣ana a Florentine, of Iacob Cartolano, a Venetian, of Gio Bap∣tiste Zuchetta a Genovois, of Mr. Malines and Mr. Hunt our owne Countreymen, and some others, who againe gave addition to what they had in this nature gathered; but all

these (though by their indeavours meriting due commenda∣tion) yet satisfied not throughly my curiositie, nor the earnest desire I had to bring this Worke to a more absolute perfecti∣on: therefore in this case I was furthered by some friends, whose Starre led mee when I was benighted, and whose Candle lightned me, when otherwise I should have stum∣bled; by which meanes, and my owne old twelve yeares collections, during my aboade and imployment in many parts of the World, I have at last by due sounding of the Channell, safely sailed over the Ocean afore-mentioned, and brought my Barke to an Anchor in her desired Harbour; and I hope so well observed the depths, shoulds, rocks and sands thereof, that he that navigates after me, and by this my Mapp, shall bee secured from all dangers, and thereby bring his accompts to that wished Port, that may prove both to his owne profit and Commoditie.

Now Gentlemen, having thus then understood with what industry and care the materials of this Edifice hath beene collected, what paines hath beene used to bring it to this conclusion and perfection, and having truely weighed the benefit arising thereby; all these I conceive are effectu∣all inducements to challenge a faire acceptance from you: yet notwithstanding all these reall arguments I cannot denie, but the Worke it selfe may not onely suffer in the opinion of the censorious, but be also subject to the verdict of the judicious, both in the forme, manner, method and Title thereof, which I shall easily be brought to acknowledge, though as easily I might alleadge, that had not my younger yeares been drawne by adverse fortune or crosse fate, from the study of Arts to the studie of Marts, I might peradventure have delineated this Mapp with more curious colours, illustrated it with more diversity of pleasing objects, and adorned it with some more delightfull varietie; but proceeding thus from the Pen of a Merchant, from whom such excellencies cannot be expected, it may the rather find a favorable construction from the inge∣nuous of my profession, and from the learned of what Art soever, to whose judgement and candid censure, I shall wil∣lingly submit both my selfe and these my Labours; and for

those whose tender appetite cannot relish it in that nature as it is, and who are ignorant of my paines herein, it will not be judged to be a point of ill manners in mee to tell them, that this method, forme, and Title was prescribed me by the ne∣cessity and consequence of the Worke in hand, and by the En∣thusiasme of my owne fancie, which I conceived in some sort I was bound a little to please, partly to ease the burthen I endured in the building, and principally to adde some de∣light and pleasure to the toyle I underwent in rearing the same.

Now as touching the Structure it selfe, many motives have induced mee to lay the foundation thereof upon the knowledge of Geographie, and upon the use of Mapps and Sea-Cards in generall, so delightfull, profitable and neces∣sary to the Merchant, that it cannot be by him that would be accompted such a one, neither neglected nor omitted. The principall parts thereof I have touched, so farre only as conduced to the enlightening of the matter in hand, and to the generall understanding of the insuing Tract: from hence (for method sake) I was inforced to a cursory survey of the foure principall parts and divisions of the World, according to moderne Authors; from this I descend to the Empires, Kingdomes, and particular Provinces of each of them; and thence to the eminent and most noted Cities, and Townes of Traffique therein, whose scituation I have superficially run over, and in some sort, observed the most remarkable passa∣ges as have presented themselves within the compasse of my reading; and for matter of Trade, I have in the first place ob∣served the naturall artificiall Commodities therein found; then the Coines there in use and currant, with the value and denomination thereof, and the species wherein Merchants do there frame and regulate their accompts by, also the Weights and Measures of those places, together with their Exchan∣ges, and how these are found to be calculated amongst the Italians, who are accounted the most expert Bankers and Exchangers, with all other fit instruments and materials, as at this day is found practised in the Art of Merchandizing, in all the parts of the habitable World.

And in conclusion, I have added a Table of the longi∣tude and latitude of all these eminent places of Traffique, not onely thereby to satisfie the curious, but the better to guid the inquirer to any such Citie or Towne sought for: In the rest, I have (following the example of many Merchants) shewed the worst first, and the best last; I meane declared the particulars of the Trade of America, as the least and worst knowne unto us; then of Africa and Asia, and last of all Europe, as the best, and best knowne to us, and according to my Title included and concluded all, within the famous Ci∣tie of London where we abide, which ever with all grate∣fulnes as the place of my Education in the Art of Merchandi∣zing, I am obliged to honour.

And to conclude, in all this Worke my ambition still hath prompted me to an indeavour of pleasing all Merchants in generall, and (if I may not bee thought to judge too favoura∣bly of this Child of my owne braine) I may be induced to beleeve I shall hereby please not onely the most, but also the most ingenuous. I am confident, were my Labours truely scand, my indeavours might challenge that thankes I expect; and he that knowes both my publique and private imploy∣ments, may well answere for me, and excuse the defects or omissions, that may by further triall peradventure be found herein; and if in the future I find this acceptable, I may yet bee incouraged to publish some other Workes, which in this kind I have hewen out to your profit and commoditie: till when, and ever, I remaine,

A welwisher of your prosperities; LEWES ROBERTS.