A. D. 1560. 133 



coaches ufed by people of diftindion : that in Antwerp there are 169 

 bakers, 78 butchers*, 92 fifhmongers, 1 1 o barbers and furgeons, 594 

 tailors, 124 goldfmiths, (befide a great number of lapidaries and jewel- 

 lers), 3C0 mafler painters, gravers, and carvers, mercers (i. e. retailers 

 and pedlars), &c. without number: That the city contains 13,500 

 houfes : That lodgings are fo extravagantly dear as (except Lifbon) to 

 furpafs any city of Europe ; infomuch, that a fet of lodgings of five or 

 fix chambers, with a hall and garrets, do not let tor lefs than 200 crowns 

 yearly ; and the greater lodgings and fmaller houfes ufually at 500 

 crowns and upwards. Laflly, That by the great concourfe ot flrangers 

 at Antwerp, advice of all that pafTes in every other part of the world is 

 brought thither. 



Having fufRciently enlarged on the noble city of Antwerp, Giiicciar- 

 din gives us a fkeich of the herring fifhery of the maritime pro\nnces 

 of Frifeland (Groningen was then part of Frifeland), Holland, Zealand, 

 and Flanders. Re fays, the number of fifhermen and veffels, eipecially 

 of thofe four provinces, and of the French (with fome few Englifh), 

 fifning firft on the coafl of Scotland, and next on that of England, is al- 

 mofl infinite. But, confining himfelf only to the Netherlands, con- 

 cerning which he hud made a very flrict inquiry, he fays, that in peace- 

 able times they employed 700 bufles and boats, which make each three 

 voyages in the feafon ; each vefTel on an average being computed to 

 take feventy lafls of herrings in the feafon, each laft containing twelve 

 barrels of 900 or icoo herrings each barrel ; and as a laft commonly 

 yields Lio Flemilli, or about L6 Sterling, the total amount of one 

 year's herring fifhery in thofe four provinces is L490,ooo Flemifh, or 

 L294,ooo Sterling f . 



That, notwithftunding the great ground which England has gained' 

 on the Netherlands in this preceding century, their woollen manufac- 

 ture is ftill very great, although their own wool be very coarfe, com- 

 pared to that of England and of Spain ; as at Bois-le-duc, Delft, Haar- 

 lem, Leyden, and Amfterdam, they make above i 2,000 pieces of cloth 

 and lerges, &c. at each place ; alio at Ypres, where the antient hall for 

 woollen cloth is ; at St. Winnoxberg, Courtray, Menin, Tiel, and Lifle, 

 (which he efleems the next in commerce to Antwerp and Amfterdain) 

 Tournay, Mons, Valenciennes (where, befide woollen cloths, they make 

 great quantities of tafFeties, &c.). Maubeuge, Enghein, &.c, make fine 

 tapeflries. 



Twenty thoufand pieces of linen, worth on un average ten crowns 



* Is not the number of bakers and biitclic-rs too fifhery of thofe four provinces at a million of 



fmall for a city which receives 400 ihips in a guilders, equal to Lico,ooo Sterling, and their 



tfde ? M. falmon lirniiig in Holland and Zealand at 400,0c C 



f About fixty years after this time Sir Walter guilders. 

 Raleigh computes the value of the cod and ling 



