130 A. D. 1560. 



' ]y), woad, madder, and other dyers wares ; faltpetre ; vafl quantities 

 ' of mercery, and houfehold goods, very fine and good; all kinds of 



• metals to an ineflimable value, and alfo of arms ; rhenifh wine, of 

 ' great importance in commerce, of exquifite tafte, profitable for 

 ' health, and proper for digeftion, and fo fafe, that one may drink 

 ' twice as much of it as of any other wine, without afFeding either 

 ' head or flomach ; of which (he fays) they brought annually above 

 ' 40,000 tons, which, at 36 crowns per ton, amounted to 1 ,444,000 

 ' crowns.' This vas indeed an almofl incredible quantity of rhenifh 

 wine for one year's importation *. 



* Antwerp fends by fea to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Eaftland, Li- 

 vonia, and Poland, vafl quantities of fpices, drugs, faffron, lugar, fait, 

 Englifh and Netherland cloths and IfufFs, fuftians, linens, wrought 

 filks, gold fluffs, grograms, camblets, tapeftries, pretious ftones, Spa- 

 nifh and other wines, alum, Brafil wood, mercery, and houfehold 

 goods in abundance. And Antwerp nj'ceives from Eaftland and Po- 

 land wheat and rye to a vafl amount ; iron, copper, brals, faltpetre, 

 woad, madder, vitriol, fiax, honey, wax, pitch and tar, fulphur, pot- 

 afhes, fine Ikins and furs of various kinds, leather, timber (both for 

 fhipwrights and houie-carpenters) in vafl: abundance ; great quantities 

 of beer, of high price and efleem ; failed ilefh ; faked, dried, and 

 fmoked fifli ; yellow amber in great quantities, and numberlels other 

 particulars f . 



' Antwerp fends to France pretious flones, quickfilver, filver in bulr 

 lion, copper and brals wrought and unwrought, lead, tin, vermilion, 

 azure blue and crimfon, fulphur, laltpetre, vitriol, camblets, and gro- 

 grams of Turkey, Englifh and Netherland cloths and ferges, great 



* Wheeler (who wiote in the year 1601 ) fays, • who imported only ftonc pots, brufiies, toys for 



' that a little before the troubles in the Low ' children, and other pedlars wares; but in Icfs 



' Countries, the Aiitwerpians were become the ' than forty years after, there were in London at 



' tfreattll dealers to Italy in Englifli and other ' leaft an hundred Nethrrlnnd merchants, who 



' foreign merchandize, and alfa to Alexandria, ' brought thither all the commodities which the 



' Cyprus, and Tripoli in Syria, beating the Itali- ' merchants of Italy, Germany, Spain, France, 



' ar.s, Englirti, and Germans almoft entirely out • and EaiUand (of all which nations there were 



' of that trade, as they alfo foon did the Germans ' before that time divers famous and notable rich 



• in the fairs and marts of their own country. ' merchants and companies) ufed to bring into 

 ' That thofe of Amilerdam, and other new up- ' England out of their own country direftly, to 

 ' ilart towns of Holland, with their great liulks ' the great damage of the faid ftrangers, and of 

 ' and other fliips, began to diminifli the trade of ' the natural born Englilh merchants.' 



' the Eafterliiigs at Antweip ; and the Antwerp f We may here obierve, that the merchants of 



' merchants having great wealth, were the bell thofe northern countries, where the ports are gene- 



' able to fupply Spain for the Indies at long ore- rally frozen up all the winter, not being able in 



• dit, whereby they fet their own prices on their thofe times to finirti a voyage to the fouthern parts 



• merchandize. Antwerp alfo now fupplicd Ger- of Europe or up tlie Mediterranean, in due time to 

 ' many, Spain, Portugal, and Eaftiand with get home before the winter, and feeing that they 

 ' the wares which France was wont to fupply could be fupplied with the produce and manufac- 

 ' them. It is not pall eighty years ago (i.e. tures of the whole world at Antwerp, found it moft 



• about 152c), fince there were not in London convenient to make that city the grand ftaple of 

 ' above twelve or fixteen Low Country merchants, their whole commerce. 



