6o A. D. 152 I. 



Lyons and other parts of the fouth of France, and fupplied many parts 

 of Fai rope with li Ik goods ; and until England long after fell into the 

 like manufadure, it was the means of draining us of great funis annu- 

 ally. Yet it was long after this time before France got into the method 

 of raifing raw filk from the worms. 



In this year the city of Genoa was ftormed and pillaged by the Spa- 

 nil"h troops of the Emperor Charles V. And the chevalier de Mailly 

 {H'ifloire de Genes, V. ii, p. 81 .] acquaints us, that Genoa was at that time 

 efleemed the richeft city in the world (in Europe, I fuppofe, he meant) 

 next after Venice and Lyons. 



The republic of Venice having for fo many centuries enjoyed the 

 fole commerce for the fpices of India, till lately deprived of it by Por- 

 tugal, made at this time an effort to acquire fome confiderable benefit 

 therefrom ftill, by making a propofal to the court of Lifbon to take off 

 all the fpice annually imported by the Portuguefe (over and above what 

 that kingdom itfelf could confume) at a certain fixed price ; but the 

 propofal was infiantly rejected. \Ofor- de reb. Emanuclis, L. xii.] 



1 522. — Cenfio de Balthazari, a merchant of Lucca, refiding in the 

 lile of Crete or Candia, was appointed by King Henry to be for life go- 

 vernor, mailer, protestor, or conful, of the Englifli nation there, with 

 all powers and emoluments which any conful formerly enjoyed there 

 or any where elfe, either from the faid king or any of his predeceffors. 

 \Foedera, V. xiii, p. 766.] 



So neceffary and important are a few fingle fea-ports to the welfare 

 of a whole kingdom, that even the abfolute fate of the latter may de- 

 pend on the former : Thus, in the faid year 1522, the Lubeckers, Dant- 

 zickers, &c. fent nine fliips of war to the afliftance of Gufi:avus (Erick- 

 fon) king of Sweden, by v/hofe aid he fo well fucceeded, that in grate- 

 ful return he granted thofe Hanfeatic cities great privileges in Sweden. 

 Voltaire, in his general hifi;ory of Europe, alleges that the city of Lu- 

 beck alfo fupplied him v/ith troops, without which he would have found 

 it diflticult to fucceed. By the alFifiance of Lubeck the city of Stock- 

 liolm was taken ; and although the 60,000 merks agreed to be paid for 

 that fervice could not then be paid by Sweden, yet in lieu thereof, fays 

 Puffi^ndorf, they were allov^'cd the fole trade of Sweden, and to pay no 

 cuftom there for merchandize imported, &c. ; which benefits v;ere too 

 great to be held long ; and thus (adds that fpirited author Voltaire) the 

 fate of Sweden depended on a little trading town*. Fowler, in his 

 hiftory of the troubles of SwedeJand and Poland (folio, London, 1656), 

 relates, that this great prince very much improved his people in tillage, 

 Iniildinp-s, and fearching out the metal mines, and the more effedual 

 vvx)rking of them by aquedufis and huge engines, &c. He alfo erected 



■* This affertlon, like muny others of Yokaire':;, v,-as not ftri^'lly f.T.r, for I/,;bcck vos unc'.oubtcdiy 

 a ^rc-at trading town. 



