6 



o A. D. 1507. 



lead, tin, leather, &c, with the Englifli, Genoeie, Venetians, Floren- 

 tines, Luccans, Spaniards, Portuguefe, Flemings, Hollanders, Brubant- 

 ers, Burgundians, German Hanfeatics, Lombards, and Eafterlings, and 

 all other foreigners, as well as natives, for ten years to come. 



Moreover, the king granted the like privileges, pardons, &c. to all 

 pther fhrangers in England dealing with the Venetians there. And if 

 all this fliould not be judged fufficient by the Venetians, they flioiild 

 have other m.ore ample letters-patent for that effect, provided that the 

 Venetians, &c. imder colour of this grant, do not, within the laid term, 

 import into England any goods from the dominions of the archduke 

 of Auftria. This provifo was in favour of the merchants-adventurers 

 privileges*. [Foedera, K xii'i, p. i6i.] 



By the whole tenor of this patent, we fee how many different nations 

 then traded to or redded in England, the French and Scots excepted. 



The difputes about the new tolls exacT;ed in the Netherlands, from 

 the Englifli trading thither, ran fo high, that the commerce between 

 the tv/o nations was, in a manner, quite interrupted, to the very great 

 damage of both ; to remedy which, Maximilian, king of the Romans, 

 jointly with Charles his grandion (afterward emperor, by the ftile of 

 Charles V), granted a provilional charter, whereby all the new tolls 

 were abolifhed ; and made a declaration, that the Englifh fhould enjoy 

 all the privileges of comm.erce in the Netherlands, and the Netherland- 

 ers in England, Ireland, and Calais, as flipulated in the intercourfe of 

 1495. [Fcedera, V. xiii, />. 168.] 



The Portuguefe, under Albuquerque, fortified the famous ifle of Or- 

 mus in the Perfian gulf, commodioully fituated for the trade between 

 Turkey, Arabia, and Periia, on the one hand ; and India and China, 

 on the other ; there being two caravans yearly be!;ween Aleppo and Or- 

 mus, for exchanging the carpets, camlets, drugs, dried fruits, pearls, 

 horfes, &c. of the three firfl named countries ; for the fpices, cotton 

 cloths, precious ftones, &c. of India and China ; which commerce cen- 

 tered with the Portuguefe at Ormus till the year 1622, as will hereafter 

 be feen. 



1508 Although the numerous wars in Europe during this centiu-y 



are not properly within our cognizance, yet, for the glory of the illul- 

 trious commercial republic of Venice, we cannot avoid briefly to com- 

 memorate its great deliverance from rhe famous leagu,e of Cambray, be- 

 ing a confederacy of the greateft part of Europe, viz. the emperor 

 Maximilian I, Louis XII of France, Ferdinand king of Spain, and pope 

 Julius II, by whofe inftigation this league was fecretly projeded for the 

 deftrudion of the republic. Thofe powers, in conjunction, eafily flrip- 



^' Great and illegal grants having been made to which the people made lond complaints, it was 

 ihofe Venetian merchants for tlie king's private thought neceflary to grant them this charter of in> 

 emolument, to the injury of the native traders, of demniricaliou to fcreen them from profecutions. 



