The merchants map of commerce wherein the universal manner and matter relating to trade and merchandize are fully treated of, the standard and current coins of most princes and republicks observ'd, the real and imaginary coins of accounts and exchanges express'd, the natural products and artificial commodities and manufactures for transportation declar'd, the weights and measures of all eminent cities and towns of traffick in the universe, collected one into another, and all reduc'd to the meridian of commerce practis'd in the famous city of London / by Lewis Roberts, merchant.

CHAP. CLVIII. Of Venice, and the Trade thereof.

* 1.1VEnice is the Principal City of this Republick, and is seated in the bottom of the Adriatick Sea, or Venetian Gulf, upon 72 Islands, and distant from the main Land five Miles, defen∣ded against the Fury of the Sea, by a Bank extending 20 Leagues in length, thro which there is passage broken in seven places for Boats, but no ways for Ships, but at Mallamecco, and the Ca∣stles of Lio, which are found to be strongly fortified: it is accounted to be eight Miles in com∣pass, and hath for convenience of passage near 4000 Bridges, and 12000 Boats, as some of oct modern Travellers have observed. It is the only place where Policy, Warfare, and Mercha•…•…∣zing have kiss'd together, for the most part of those Clarissimos which here boast of their Qu••∣lity, Greatness, or Wisdom, have either in themselves, or in their Ancestors, had their Original from Traffick and Merchandizing, many of whom injoying this Title of Noble Families, I have known in Constantinople and other parts as Merchants and Factors, who in their Youth exercising this Art, do afterward, as their genius leads them, either become Captains and Proveditors in Castles, Forts, or Cities, or Ambassadors, and so imployed into Foreign States, or lastly, Sen•…•… at home governing the Commonwealth; but their worth being in it self sufficiently known to the World, I shall descend to the subject in hand.

This City then hath for many years had the sole Commerce and Traffick of all the Mediter••∣nean Seas, and not content therewith, have made that City the common Mart of all the Con∣modities of Arabia, Persia, India, and those Eastern rich Countries by their great Trade to Ale∣xandria and Cairo, which continued for many years; and when the Grecian Empire was both in its heighth, and in its descent, they managed the sole Trade thereof, till the State of Genoa did look thereinto, and by their Power and Might at Sea, shared with them therein: but the P••∣tugal finding the way to India by the Cape of Bona Speransa, and the English and Dutch Mo∣chants following those Leaders, now bring those rich Commodities that way straight to their own homes, which in former times they were constrained to have from this City at a far dearer rate,

and at a second hand, since which times their Customs have been decayed, their Ships rotted, and their Mariners, the pride of their Commonwealth, were all become Poltrones, and the worst accounted in all those Seas, until the Turks Wars with Candy have made them again expert in Sea Affairs; as may appear by the many Fights, and several considerable Overthrows given to the Grand Seignior's Navies, as lately in the year 1656, and their keeping of the City and Port of Candy, for the space of so many years, against all the Opposition the Turk hath made against it.

This City now serves in matters of Trade, for an Inlet into Austria, and Upper Germany, which this way it yet fits with some Spice, Drugs, and other Arabian Commodities, which in part is brought thither from Alexandria, Aleppo, and Constantinople, where they still have Consuls and Factors, and partly by a second hand from England, now thereby bringing to them those Commodities which a few years past we had and fetched from them, as from the only City and prime Merchants of Europe.

* 1.2The Commodities here found and afforded are not many, nor of much worth, as some Cloth of Gold and Silver, Corns, Wines, Oyls, Rice, VVoollen-Cloth, Paper, Anniseeds, Argal, Glasses for looking and for drinking, Quick-Silver which they have from Germany, some Silks raw and wrought.

The Commodities sent hither from England is Lead, Tin, Baies, Furrs, Perpetuanos, Serges, Saies, and some Cleth, Indico, Pepper, Ginger, Maces, Cloves, Nutmegs, &c Herrings, white and red, Pilchards, Newland Fish, salted Salmon, and such like. It serves in these days for a Mart for the Commodities of Istria, Dalmatia, Sclavonia, Austria, Upper Germania, and the Adriatick Seas, and serves these Parts again with such Commodities as are either brought hither by the English, Dutch, and French from their several Countries, or from Alexandria, Aleppo, Smyrna, the Archipelago, and Constantinople, where they also drive a considerable Trade.

* 1.3There is found to be in Venetia four kinds of Weights, which thus are distinguished and found to accord.

The greatest is called the Gross Pound, and 100 l. wherewith all Wooll, Brass, Metals, Fish, Flesh, and other gross Goods are weighed.

The second is the Gold Weight, used for Gold, Silver, and Jewels only, called the Mark, which contains 8 Ounces, every Ounce contains 144 Carats, every Carat is 4 Grains.

The third is used in Gold and Silver Thread, and in nothing else.

The fourth is the Pound, and the 100 l. suttle, wherewith all Silks, Spices, Drugs, Cottons, Cotton yarn, and such like fine Goods are weighed by, which thus are amongst them found to accord and agree.

100 l. gross, is 158 suttle; 633 l. gross, is 1000 l. suttle.

100 l. suttle, is 63⅓ gross; 1000 l. gross, is 1580 l. suttle.

1 l. gross, is suttle 1 l. 6 Ounces; 5 Sazi, 18 Carats.

1 l. sotile, is gross 7 Ounces, 2 Sazi, 16 Carats.

1 l. sotile, is 12 Ounces; the 1 Ounce, is 6 Sazi; and 1 Sazi, is 1½ Dram, which is 3 Sec.

100 l. of Silver or Gold Thread, is suttle 116 l. 8 Ounces.

1 Mark of Gold, is suttle 9 Ounces; Sazi 2.

Where note, That a Mark of Gold, is 8 Ounces; 1 Ounce, is 4 Quarters; 1 Quarter, is 36 Carats; and 1 Carats, is 4 Grains, so that 144 Carats, is 1 Mark.

Also note, That in Venetia there is bought and sold divers Commodities, some by Balance, and some by Stalero, as well in the gross, as in the suttle Weight; and that the Balance Weight, is greater than the Stalero Weight 2 l. per Cent. by the Hundred, more than by the Pound; and the suttle Weight of the Balance, is greater than of the Stalero suttle two Pound per Cent. by the Hundred, than by the Pound Weight.

* 1.4Now let us observe how these two Weights, the sotile and gross, respond with the Weight of other Countries.

The 100 l. suttle have been observed to make the first Row to the left hand, and the 100 l. gross the next Row.

The 100 l. suttle makes in the first row, and the 100 l. gross makes in the second row thus.	Alexandria Zera	31	Rot.	50	Rot.
Alexandria Forf.	71	R.	112	R.
Aleppo	14	R.	21	R.
Archipelago	77	l.	121	l.
Anvers	64	l.	102	l.
Almeria	55	R.	90	R.
Ancona	86	l.	136	l.
Bergamo	90	l.	145	l.
Bollonia	83	l.	132	l.
Baruti	13	R.	20	R.
Cyprus	13½	R.	21	R.
Constantinople	56	R.	84	R.
Candia	l.	l.
Corfu	75	l.	117	l.
Cremona	96	l.	151	l.
Damascus	16⅔	R.	26⅓	R.
Ferrara	102	l.	139	l.
Florence	87	l.	138.	l.
Lions	70	l.	110	l.
London	64	l.	106	l.
Lisbon	59	l.	92	l.
Millan	92	l.	150	l.
Mantua	93	l.	150	l.
Marselia	70	l.	112	l.
Malleca	57	l.	90	l.
Naples Rema	94	l.	149	l.
Naples Romania	78	l.	121	l.
Parma	90	l.	148	l.
Placentia	92	l.	150	l.
Paris	70	l.	112	l.
Roma	84	l.	132	l.
Ravenna	84	l.	133	l.
Ragusa	83	l.	131	l.
Scio and Smyrna	62	R.	98	R.
Sevilia	63	l.	98	l.
Tripoli Barbaria	59½	R.	93½	R.
Turin	92	l.	148	l.
Verona	90	l.	145	l.
Zant	63	l.	100	l.

How far these may come near to truth, I must refer to trial, therefore I deliver them ha•…•… as I received them upon trust.

* 1.5The Measures of Venetia are two, and both called the Brace.

The first is the Silk Brace, by which is measured all Stuffs of Silk, Damasks, Sattins, Clothed Gold, of Silver, &c.

The second is the Cloth-Brace, by which is measured all Cloths and Stuffs made of W•…•… which is greater than the former 6¼ per Centum.

Upon which last Braces 100 hath been made this Concordance with the Measures of other Countries.

100 Braces in Venice	London	55½	Ells.
Antwerp	92½.
Frankford	115¾.
Dantzick	76⅘.
Vienna	80½.
Lions	56½	Aulns.
Paris	52¾.
Rouen	48¼.
Lisbon	55½.	Var.
Sevil	75
Madera	57 v.
Lucques	111	Br.
Florence	113⅔.
Millan	124¾.
Genoa	267⅞	Pal.

The liquid Measures are these:

* 1.6Wines are sold in Venetia two ways, either in gross, or by retail; the gross by the Amphora and Bigonsa, and by retail, by the Quart, the Sachio, and Lire; where note, That the Am∣phora is four Bigonsa, and the Bigonsa is 4 Quarts, and 1 Quart is 4 Sachi, and 1 Sachi is 4 Liras or pounds, but buying the same in gross, that is by the Amphora and the Sachi, 1 Am∣phora is ••4 Quarts, and 1 Bigonsa is 3 Quarts and half.

* 1.7Oyl is here also sold two ways, first by Measures, and next by the Weight of the Staliero; the Measure is called the Miaro, and is 40 Mire, and by the gross Weight is 120 l. and 1 Mira makes by measure 25 l. and by weight makes 30 l. 3 ounces.

* 1.8Corn is sold by the Staio, which is 132 l. gross Venetia, and in Florence 175 l. which is divided to 4/4; and to 8/8, and to 16/16 parts, by which is made the Scandalios, the ¼ being 32 l. the ⅛ 16 l. the 1/16 8 l. of gross.

* 1.9Their Accounts are kept in Venetia divers ways, as by some in Ducates and Grosses, at Livers 6 and 4 sold per Ducate, accounting 24 Gross to a Ducate.

Others again by Livers, Sols, and Gross, which are valued at 10 Ducates the Liver, account∣ing 20 Sold. to the Liver, and 12 Deniers gross to a Sold.

* 1.10The Exchanges made in Venice I have inserted in the 281 and 368 Chapters, together with all circumstances thereto belonging; where by the way it is to be noted, That in time past the goodness of their Moneys both in payment for Merchandise, and in payment for Bills of Exchange, was alike and of equal goodness and value; but these wise Senators fearing to lose what they cannot keep, I mean, that little Trade they yet hold, in comparison of what they had lost, by their providence and circumspection, set a distinction between the Moneys payable for commodities, * 1.11which they term their current Moneys and out of banco, and between their Moneys paid by Bills of Exchange, which they term in banco, which hath had its original upon such unfit grounds, that the very naming thereof, and the particular circumstances of this difference is dishonourable to this Republick; which therefore I will omit, only thus far the necessity thereof is to be remembred, and to be well known and understood by all Merchants and Exchangers that Trade and Traffick to this City, that the difference now at this time holds in proportion between 20 and 21 per cent. so that it doth appear to all men that reside here, or have any commerce into this City, that their payment made in banco, and by Bills of Exchange, is accounted better by near 21 per cent. than the payments made for Commodities bought and sold between Merchant and Merchant.

* 1.12The Customs of Venice are several, altering upon many Commodities; and though the wisdom of this Republick do manifestly discern a great diminution of their Customs in general, yet it so falls out that they impose still greater, as it were endeavouring thus to make up the annual rents thereof, as of late they have done upon Currans, under pretence, that if the English will come and lade them in the Port of Venice, or otherwise come thither laden, they are then freed of a new Impost, which is lately levied in Zant upon a Commodity: but they being of the condition of many Princes, that finding their Countrey enriched with an eminent commerce and a plentiful Trade, never leave imposing new Customs and Imposts thereon, till the Trade, and Customs, and Imposts, and all other the benefits thereof are slipt out of their fingers, and fled for protection to some other more friendly and neighbouring State, or place, where the same finds a greater ease, and a lesser charge; and that have Venice, An∣vers, Lions, and Genoa, lost that famous Trade, which for many years hath made those Ci∣ties renowned; and by their fall and easie Customs have Leghorn, Marselia, Amsterdam, and London risen to that height wherein they are now found to be, which if the Prince thereof do wisely cherish, and content themselves with a reasonable Duty, such as Trade in it self may well bear, and the Trader live, and ceherfully proceed in his Negotiations, they may see their Countreies daily to flourish, and grow both rich and renowned thereby; otherwise Trad•• will insensibly she from them, the Merchants will give it over, or find out new paths and divert it into some other place; Shipping will in an Age rot and perish, and Navigation will quickly be forgotten, and these Kingdoms must have other Nations to supply them at the second hand, and by strangers Shipping, with those necessary Commodities which the Countrey stands in need of, and the same both at dear rates, and to the too late Repentance of the State it self, as may now be verified by this of Venetia, who would with many Mil∣lions redeem that lost Trade, and would with free liberty of Customs entertain that Commerce, which themselves peradventure by their too great Customs and Imposts levied thereon by little and little in times past, have of their own accord wilfully or willingly lost, and thrust from them, as I shall declare further in the Trade of Leghorn, and other places which have of themselves no commodity to maintain a Traffick, yet have all things, and want nothing that all other Countreies can afford, only by the benefit and commodity of an easie light duty of Custom imposed upon Merchandise by the liberty and freedom of the place and Traders thereinto; and forasmuch as this State have by their wisdom made of

late days divers subtle Decrees for the benefit of their own Traffick, and for the regaining of their lost Trade, which are in themselves prejudicial to many other Nations, but prin∣cipally to the English, I hold it not improper in this place to mention some of the prin∣cipal thereof, that thereby if any the able furtherers of the English Traffick shall happen 〈◊〉〈◊〉 peruse this Tract, fit remedies may be enacted to meet these Decrees, * 1.13which I may call par∣ticularly injurious to the English Subject and Merchant, and tending to draw the whole Trade of the Levant Seas to the City of Venice only, to the general prejudice of the Shipping of his Majesty of England, Trafficking in those Seas, which I conclude under 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Points.

1. First, they have considered the late great Exportation of Currans out of Zant and Zeffalonia (two Islands of their Signiory) into England, and that the principal Trade of the English into their Signiory, is only for this Fruit, therefore they have of late levied a•• Imposition of ten Ducates upon every thousand of Currans bought and shipped from the said Islands, and of later times have also inforced the payment of the said Impost at Venice, which formerly and at first was free, and have discharged their own Subjects thereof, to the special damage and prejudice of the English.

2. Secondly, they have to burthen the Trade of the English thither, or rather seeing a•• the Trade of that Fruit wholly sought out and coveted by the English, to which end they use to vent in those Islands some few English Commodities; they have I say, of late, bur∣thened the Native Commodities of England brought into these Islands with new Impost, a levying upon an English Cloth 7 Ducates, upon 100 weight of Tin 2 Ducates, and upon a Kersey 2 Ducates, and so upon all other English Commodities, thereby to inforce all Comm∣dities of England to be brought into the City of Venice; and though sometimes English Merchants find it necessary in those Seas to transfer some English Goods out of one English Vessel into another, and yet not land the same, when as Ships do happen to meet together and to be bound for several Ports, yet the same is not permitted them unless they pay the said Impost abovementioned, as if the said Goods were there really landed and sold, contrary to the common Custom of the Mediterranean Seas.

3. Thirdly, they have prohibited, that any Turkey Commodities should be landed their out of English Shipping, or any other Commodities that are afterward to be shipped for the Kingdom of England, which for the conveniency of English Shipping, the English Mercha•…•… Trading in those Seas have often occasion of: but they do compel the English first to send such Goods and Wares to the City of Venice, purposely there to pay the duty of Custom and the duty of Cottimo, before they will suffer them to ship the same for England.

4. They have made an Act for the imployment of their own Shipping and Mariners, and for the restraint of all Foreiners, that no Commodities of the parts of Turkey may be brought into any the Seigniory of the State of Venice, but only in Venetian Shipping; wherein they have been found to have been so strict and severe, that if any English Ships happen to be Fraighted either by their own Subjects, or by the Merchants of any other Nation when any of their own Shipping are in Port, or happen to come into the Port, or within the space of twenty days after, upon the firming of a bare Protest against the said Ship so Fraighted, they have no law nor remedy left them in Law to recover any Fraight-Money, due for the said Goods so laden by them.

5. Fifthly, they will not permit nor suffer any English Ship to relade at Venice, except they come first fully laden thither, neither will they suffer freedom of Trade from Venice to any parts of the Levant for the English Nation, neither in their own nor yet in the Shipping be∣longing to the Venetians, but do straightly prohibit and forbid it, as also they do prohibit the bringing of some particular Commodities by any whatsoever, themselves and their Subjects only excepted.

6. To these I might add some others, but I will conclude it with this last point of slight and fallacious subtilty some years past, when as the Seigniory of Venice had here a per∣mission from His Majesty of England to contract with divers Merchants for their Ships to serve against the Spaniards in the Gulf of Venice; when the said service was performed, and that they came to receive their contracted payment; they raised their Moneys 12 per centum above the rate of the same at the time of their agreement; by which rate His Majesty's Subjects came to lose a great Sum of Money by the said service, to their great prejudice, and to the great dishonour of that so Honourable Seigniory.

Having by these few particulars given the ingenious Reader a taste of these present poli∣cies Enacted by this State of late for the support of their decaying Trade, and also given a touch of the Subtilties used by them to preserve that little that is yet remaining, and their Endeavours to augment the same, I will now in a word view the State of the present Traffick of this City.

* 1.14It is not to be questioned, but that this City hath in all Ages afforded many eminent Mer∣chants, and hath not been ashamed to make Merchandizing a prop and supportation to their Nobility, who amongst them are intitled Clarissimi, so that this their School of Commerce hath afforded such apt Scholars, and which have so notably profited therein, that they have with as much honour worn the Gown, as valiantly handled the Sword; and he that shall heedfully peruse their Histories, shall find that not a few of them, have with general appro∣bation both of their Subjects and Neighbours, struct the principal stroke in the Government of that Dukedom. The fit situation of their City, the large extent of their maritim Coasts, the common aptness and addiction of the Citizens, have much furthered the great Traffick of the same; what it hath been in times past, when their Potency and Opulency was at the highest and when they set out and gave imployment both in War and Peace to 300 Sail of Gallies, besides all other sort of Vessels; I refer to their own Histories. Their then rich Trade to Egypt for the Commodities of India, Arabia, and to Constantinople and Aleppo for the Commodities of Grecia, Armenia and Persia, to Germany, France, Flanders and England, for the Commodities of those Countries, must needs make this City famous for the Traffick thereof; but their covetous Appetite, that could not be satisfied with this Fame, and the great Wealth, each in particular drew thereby, envied to themselves that Honour, which all other Cities of the World was constrained to give them; for their great Customs imposed, joyned with the accidents of that age and time, brought them to the present State of Traffick wherein now they are found to be, which is at present comprehended within a narrow scantling, for their Trade to Egypt is vanished, and seen only in the relicks thereof, for tho' in Alexandria and Cairo they main∣tain Consuls, serving in outward appearance for the protection of their Merchants, yet indeed they serve to little purpose, as having lost the former famous Trade of Alexandria and Cairo in Sidon, Acria, Smyrna, and other places of Turkey; they have their Consuls, as also their Agent in Constantinople, and Consul in Aleppo, which now are the principal who give Life to their De∣signs, as indeed the places where their Trade is of greatest Eminency, yet it is not so great but may be fathomed within a small Line: and as many things have notably concurred in the loss of their former Traffick abroad and in other Kingdoms (as the discovery of India by the Portugal, the subversion of the Greek Empire by the Turks, and the favourable Countenance of some of the late Kings of England to their own Subjects, for their incouragement in Trade, and their general inclinations thereto) so they in themselves have been chiefly wanting to themselves, and have suffered a loss to fall insensibly upon them; that hath been the greatest Ruin of their Traffick, comprised within Mystery the of these their new Imposts, and the decay of the Shipping and Na∣vigators, which that Prince must ever carefully avoid, that would have his Country and Subjects thrive thereby; and having now lost all their Trade to all other places (the Dominions of the Great Turk only excepted) their Ships and Gallies are decayed, and their Mariners fled from them, some sparks are seen yet to remain; but the great Fire of their mighty Traffick being extinguished, it will not be needful for me to rake the Ashes, and observe further that little Coal that is yet resting unconsumed amongst them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Venetia, and the Trade thereof.
• * 1.2

  Commodities of Venetia.
• * 1.3

  Weights of Venetia.
• * 1.4

  Weights of Ve∣netia agree∣ing with other Countries.
• * 1.5

  Measures in Venetia, of length.
• * 1.6

  Of Wines.
• * 1.7

  Of Oyl.
• * 1.8

  Of Corn.
• * 1.9

  Accounts in Venetia.
• * 1.10

  Exchanges of Venetia.
• * 1.11

  Difference be∣t••een money in banco and out of banco in Venice 20 per centum.
• * 1.12

  Customs of Venetia.
• * 1.13

  Injurious De∣crees of Venice against the Trade of the English in the Levant Seas.
• * 1.14

  The present Trade of Ve∣nice surveyed.