128 A. D. 1560. 



' crowns. There are many natives there worth from 200,000 to 

 ■* 400,000 crowns. 



' II) They meet twice a-day, in th-e n'tornings and evenings, one 

 ' hour each time, at the Engliih Bourfe, where, by their interpreters 

 ' and brdlcers, they buy and fell all kinds of merchandize. Thence 

 ' they go to the new Bourfe or principal Exchange, where, for another 

 ' hour each time, they tranfad all matters relating to bills of exchange 

 ' with the above fix nations, and with France ; and alfo for depofit 

 ' (the loan of money) at intereft, which (he fays) is vifually 1 2 per 

 ' cent per annum ; for fuch was the intereft paid by Charles V and his 

 ' fon Philip II to the merchants here; which high interefi: (fays Guic- 



* ciardiii) brought the nobility to lend their money fecretly (the laws 



* of nobility forbidding th:it pradice) and made many lazy merchants 

 ' likewife deal in that way, though luch high intereft was a great 

 ' grievance to the poor, as well as a great obflrudiion to commerce. 



' III) With regard to their commerce with Italy, he fays, 



• They fend to Rome a great variety of woollen-drapery, linen, ta- 



* peftry, and many other things, the returns being only money or bills 



* of exchange. 



' To Ancona they fend great quantities of Englifh and Netherland 

 ' cloths and fiuffs, linen, tapeflry, cochineal, &c. and bring back fuch 

 ' fpices and drugs as the merchants of Ancona import from the Le- 

 ' vant ; alfo filk, cotton, carpets, Turkey leather, &c. 



' To Bolonia they fend ferges and other fluffs, tapeflries, linens, 

 '' merceries, &c. and bring in return wrought filks, cloth of gold and 

 ' filver, crapes, caps, &c. 



' To Venice they fend jewels and pearls, cloth and wool of England 



* in great quantities, draperies of the Netherlands, tapeflry, linen, co- 

 ' chineal, and many kinds of mercery, fometimes alto fugar and pep- 

 ' per ; and formerly, before the Portuguefe found the way to the fpice 

 ' illands, they brought back all forts of India fpices and drugs ; and 

 ' even fo late as the year 151 8, there arrived five Venetian galeafles at 

 ' Antwerp, laden with fpices and drugs for the fair there ; but they 

 ' ftill bring from Venice the finefl and richeft wrought filks, camblets, 

 ' grograms, carpets, cottons, and great variety of merceries ; alfo co- 

 ' lours both for dyers and painters. 



' To Naples they fend Netherland and Englifli cloths and fluffs in 

 ' abundance, tapeflry, linens in vafl quantities, and feveral forts of 



* merceries, as well of metals as of other materials *. The returns are 

 ' vv'rought filks, raw fllk, thrown filk, fome fine furs or fkins, faffi'oa 



* of Aquila, and excellent manna. 



* By merceries Guicciardin appears to under- fold by retail, or by the little balance or fjjialt: 

 flacd toys, fm;Jl babtrdafltery wares, and all iliings fcaks. 



