A. D. 1560.' 127 



nia, and Poland, 60,000 lafts of grain, chiefly rye, then worth 

 1,680,000 crowns of gold, or L56o,ooo Flemifli. Holland poflefled 

 above 800 eood (hips, from 200 to 700 tons burden, and above 600 

 bufles for filhing, from i :o to 200 tons. Fleets of 3C0 Ihips together, 

 from Dantzick and Livonia, arrived twice a-year at Amfterdam. 500 

 great (hips were often feen lying together before that city, moft of them 

 belonging to it ; lo that for the greatnefs of its commerce Amflerdam 

 was even then next to Antwerp, of all the towns in the Netherlands. 

 This authentic teftimony of the flourilhing ftate of Amflerdam at this 

 time is fufhcicnt to confute what too many have ignorantly written to 

 the contrary. 



Speaking of the commerce between the Netherlands and England, he 

 fays, they then imported upwards of 1 200 facks of Englifh wool 

 to Bruges, worth 2^0,000 crowns ; but, adds he, it is marvellous to 

 think of the vail quantity of drapery imported by the En;\lifli into the 

 Netherlands, being undoubtedly, one year with another, above 20c,co") 

 pieces of all kinds, which, at the mofi: moderate rate of twenty-five 

 crowns per piece, is five millions of crowns, or ten millions ot Dutch 

 guilders (about one million of pounds Sterling:) ; fo that, fays he, thefe 

 and other merchandize brought to us by the Englifh, and carried fr(.> n 

 us to them, may make the annual amount to be more than twelve mil- 

 lions of crowns, or twenty-four millions of guilders (about L2,400,ooo 

 Sterling), to the great benefit of both countries, neither of which could 

 poffibly (or not without the greatefl damage) difpenfe with this their 

 vaft mutual commerce ; of which the merchants on both fides are fo 

 feniible, that they have fallen into a way of infuring their merchandize 

 from lofles at fea by a joint contribution. This is the firft inftance v.e 

 have met with of inlurances from lofles at fea, though probably in ufe 

 before this time, and firft praftiled in Lombard-ftreet in the city of 

 London, as will be feen under the year i6cr. 



As Antwerp was in its zenith of profperity, we imagine that a ge- 

 neral view of its commerce at this time, with all foreign nations (as 

 given by Guicciardin), may not be unacceptable to many curious readers, 

 as therein the ftate of manufactures, produdl, 8cc. ot different coun- 

 tries may be feen, and fundry uleful interences may thence be drawn. 



' I) Befide the nativv;s and the French, who are here very numei"ous, 

 ' there are fix principal foreign nations who refide at Antwerp, both 

 ' in war and peace, making above I030 merchants, including fadors 

 * and fervants, viz. i) Germans, 2) Danes and Eafttrlings, people 

 ' from the ports on the fouth fliores of the Baltic, from Denmark to 

 ' Livonia, 3) Italians, 4) Spaniards, 5) Englifh, and 6) Portuguele. 

 ' Of thofe fix nations the Spaniards are the moft numerous. One of 

 ' thofe foreign merchants (the famous Fugger of Augfhurg, whom 

 ' he ftiles the prince of merchants) died worth above fix uullions of 



