The estates, empires, & principallities of the world Represented by ye description of countries, maners of inhabitants, riches of prouinces, forces, gouernment, religion; and the princes that haue gouerned in euery estate. With the begin[n]ing of all militarie and religious orders. Translated out of French by Edw: Grimstone, sargeant at armes.

¶ The Riches. [ F]

[ XII] SAuoy makes little money of any thing they send to forraine countries: but Pied∣mont hath many commodities, wherewith it doth furnish others; so as they may ther∣by reape a great yearely reuenue: it did well appeare how much the countrie did abound in all things, during the wars betwixt France and Spaine; for that the armies continued

[ A] there for the space of three and twentie yeares, with great garrisons of either side, and yet they neuer had any want of victualls: and the riches of Piedmont is well knowne, in that it did contribute to the duke of Sauoy during the last warres of France (in the heat whereof Monsieur Lesdeguieres drew the warre into Piedmont) eleuen millions of crownes extraordinarie, in few yeares, besides the lodging of souldiers. They send forth corne, cattell, much hempe, store of rice, cheese, wine, paper, fustian, and raw silkes. It containes about fiftie Earledomes, and fifteene Marquisats, with a great num∣ber of other Lordships which doe not yeeld to the best, besides twentie rich Abbeys, with many good Benefices. There is not any exceedingly rich, for that the wealth is di∣stributed [ B] in such fort, as euerie man in a manner hath a share: yet there are gentlemen of foure, six, eight, twelue, and fifteene thousand crownes a yeare rent. And that which shews their wealth is, that the countrie is generally so inhabited, as a Knight of Pied∣mont being asked by a Venetian gentleman, what Piedmont was, he answered fitly, That it was a Towne which had three hundred miles in circuit. There is in the valley of Ost, mynes of gold and siluer. They of Salusses make trafficke of yron and cattell with them of Prouence, and there are verie rich Merchants in this Marquisat. They doe also carrie cloth from Pignerol, which is verie good. They of Barge and Iauenne make great trafficke of Armes which they make: and they of Iauenne doe also make much money of their hides and linnen cloth. At Mos they also make much cloth [ C] which they transport into forraine Countries. The Countie of Nizze sends forth oyle, wine, fruits of all sorts, pulses, linnen cloth, store of thred which they sell to the Catte∣lans, paper, course cloth of many kinds, salt-fish, some little honie which is excellent, Firre Trees for the Masts of Ships and Gallies, the which they conduct by the valley vnto the Sea, and they are sometimes sold to the Geneuois for one hundred crownes a peece. And to be short, this Countrie makes such vse of trafficke, as betwixt Genoa, and Marseille, there is not any towne that trades more, nor that hath more money; and it is as it were the Store-house of all the woollen cloth which comes from Languedoc, and of the silke which they bring from Genoa. But to speake truth, the countrie is naturally poore, and sometimes they find not all things necessarie for money: so as when the duke [ D] of Sauoys Court continues there but two moneths, they are driuen to great want; but for that the men of that Countrie haue actiue spirits, they get great wealth by trafficke. Some haue calculated the reuenews of the Duke of Sauoy, the which they account af∣ter this manner.

The custome of salt, fiftie thousand crownes yearely.

The toll of Suse, twentie foure thousand crownes by the yeare.

The forraine Imposition, eighteene thousand crownes yearely.

The other customes comprehending the toll of Villefranche, fiue and twentie thou∣sand [ XIII] crownes by the yeare.

The auncient Ordinarie, with the Bayliwicke, seuentie thousand crownes yearely.

[ E] The ordinarie taxes in Piedmont, with the change of salt beyond the Mountaines, reduced to an ordinarie and perpetuall toll, two hundred sixtie three thousand crownes by the yeare.

Consiscations of goods, condemnations, increase of tolls, composition of Mort∣mains, which are men that cannot dispose of their estates, vnlesse they compound with the Prince; the tribute of Iewes and such like, fiftie thousand crownes. So as they haue made the Duke of Sauoys reuenews to be but fiue hundred thousand crownes a yeare. But it appeares plainly by the eleuen millions of extraordinarie, which he hath drawne in few yeares out of his Countrie of Piedmont, and by the summes which he [ F] drawne out of Sauoy, that his reuenew is aboue a million of crownes a yeare, and that he is a prince which will not want money, when he shall desire to haue a good summe from his subiects, and yet they shall not be ouercharged.