§74 An hiftorical Accou. 
through the Red-Seaby Alexandria ceafed,and was afterwards 
carried on by the Way of Lrebezon, Damafcus , and Aleppo , 
which encreafed the Trade of the free Cities or States of 
Venice, Genoa , Pifa, Sic,. And thofe Goods were not only 
vended in all the Countries bordering upon the Mediterra- 
nean, -but were fent to England , Germany , and the Ne- 
therlands, and all oyer the Baltick , which gave Encourage- 
ment to the Traffick of Bruges, where the Commodities of 
the North, as Corn, Naval Stores, &c. were lodged in 
the Summer, and where thofe Ships took in the Commo- 
dities from the Levant back again to the Hans -Low, ns ; 
and thofe Ships that came from the Levant , tranfported 
the Northern Goods from Bruges into Bevz Mediterranean, 
Such was the Courfe of the Trade then, and it is very 
clear from our old Writers, that Spices and other Indian 
Commodities were never totally Strangers in this Hand,” 
nor indeed could they, fince we had an annual Veffel, 
and fometimes more from Venice , well fupplied with duch 
rich Goods ; and by this means, though fuch Commo- 
dities might be dear,; fince it was in the Power of the State 
of Venice to raife them almoft to what Prices fhe would, yet 
We had them regularly, and in confider'able Plenty, by this 
Method, down to the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, when 
the lad great Carack, which came from that Country, was 
loft upon our Coaft, of which Sir William -Mqnf 'on was an 
Eye-witnefs ; and has given of it, as he does of all things, 
a raoft clear, ' entertaining, and inftru&ive Account, which 
for the Reader’s Information, and my; own Juftification, 
I fhall tranfcribe, as it gives a clearer,* fuller, and more’ 
authentick Account of thefe Points, than is any where elfe 
to be met with. .. .. 
44 The Venetians engroffed the whole Trade upon thofe 
S4 Seas, and furnifhed us with the rich Merchandize of 
44 Lurky , Perfia , and India , at what Rate they pleafed 
44 themfelves ; and yet this was not all, for they laboured 
44 to make us Strangers to the Great Lurk , the Egyptians , 
44 and bordering Countries, and brought them to that Ig- 
44 norance of our Nation, that they thought England to be 
44 a Town in the Kingdom of London. . The Venetians 
44 lent yearly their Argojfers to Southampton , Which 
44 Town enjoyed a Charter from the Kings of this Land, 
44 which was wrefted out of their Hands by the Earl of 
44 Leicejler , to the utter Decay of that Town ; and the 
44 Argojfers fince then have become Strangers in England, 
44 the laft whereof took her leave with an unfortunate End, 
44 which my Eyes were Witnelfes to in the Month of 
44 OHober 1587. 
- 44 .This goodly Ship of one thoufand one hundred Tuns, 
44 being richly laden with the accuftomed Commodities 
44 they ufed to ferve the Kingdom with, and being come 
44 in the Channel, as high as the IJle of Wight , which Land 
44 the Englifh Pilot vifibly made j this Pilot, called Forjler, 
44 who for his excellent Skill, was not long before redeemed 
44 out of the T urkijh Captivity, by the Venetians , to ferve in 
44 this Voyage. Upon this good Land-fill the Pilot put 
44 the Paffengers, in hopes, many of them being of great 
44 Account and Efteem, the next Morning to harbour 
44 them ; for Night growing on, he would not hazard to 
44 put in with the Shore that Evening ; but the Gentlemen 
44 being impatient of Delays, and the Land appearing unto 
44 ' them, they thought themfelves free from all Danger, 
44 which is the common Ignorance of many that know 
44 not the Seas. 
44 But to be fhort, they compelled the Pilot by Force 
,<4 to put in at the Needles , the weftermoft Part of the IJle 
44 of Wight. When the poor Man, neither with Perfuafions, 
44 nor Tears, could prevail, he did his belt to enter the 
54 Channel of the Needles but fuch was the Greatnefs 
44 of the Waves, and the Unweildinefs of the Ship, not 
<4C anfwering her Helm, that fhe ftruck upon the Shingles, 
44 where fhe, her Goods and Company, except feven poor 
44 Creatures, perifhed. The Sea betwixt the Ifland and the 
44 main Land was enriched, by her Lofs, with feveral forts 
44 of Merchandize. What Was faved was not worth fpeak- 
44 ing of. I had the Fortune to light on two Butts of 
44 Mufkedine floating on the Sea, for then was I riding at 
44 Cowes . 
44 In the firft Ship I ever went Captain of, I found theft 
44 two Butts of Mufkedine, a great Help to us in our Voy- 
t of the Inter courfe Book. I. 
44 age, when we were reduced to Extremity for want of 
44 Viduak About this Time our Merchants of London 
44 began to take into Conlideration thefe great and inefti- 
44 mable Riches brought into the Land by the Venetians 
44 and French , who ablolutely enjoyed the Trade of Lurky, 
44 and a great Part of the Wealth which came out of Perfia 
44 and India was retailed from them to us. They devifed 
44 how fuch Commodities might come to our Hands by a 
46 more direct Way than to be ferved as we were at fecond 
44 hand, and therefore refolvecl to make an Overture by 
44 Favour of the Queen, and her Letters to the Great Turks 
44 for : an immediate Traffick from England to Lurky, and 
44 his Dominions, and fo home again, with Ships of her- 
44 Subjects, without being beholden to others. 
44 Thefe Letters were lent by her Majefty, and received 
44 with great Humanity and Courtefy by 'the Grand Seig- 
44 nor, as appears by his Letters yet extant. He could 
44 not give more Refpebt and Honour to her Majefty, than 
44 by iliewing a Willingnefs to embrace her gracious Pro- 
44 pofltions of Trade j and in Concluflon, Articles were 
44 agreed upon, and a Grant of great Privileges and Im- 
44 munities to her Majefty ’s . Subjeds, which have fince 
44 continued, and been peaceably enjoyed. We may 
44 reckon from this Time the Decay of State in Matters of 
44 the Venetian Trade : For Argoffes , which were wont to 
44 vifit us, are now unknown to us, and we poflefs the' 
44 Wealth they were wont to reap. The Commodities of 
44 Perfia, and the Eaft- In dies, are brought by ourfeives in 
44 Our own Veffels directly out of Larky, -where we have 
44 obtained as great a Freedom as we can defire. Such 
44 Places as the Venetians were wont to take Freight 
44 in their Ships to tranfport from Port to Port now we 
44 abfolutely enjoy that Privilege ; for all Strangers are 
44 more defirous to put their Goods into Englifh Bottoms 
44 than theirs.” V . ... 
Thus from the Concluflon of this Trade, we may eafily 
conceive both; the Nature and, the Importance of it, and 
the prodigious Change it made, as well in the Affairs of 
the Venetians, as in our own, when it came to be carried 
on by the Subjects of Greai-Britain : Yet here it will be 
neceffary to diftinguilh between this andthe true Commerce 
of the Indies ; for, though we found a Way to free our- 
feives from this Dependance upon the Venetians, yet it y/as 
by breaking in upon their Levant Trade at firft, and not 
by failing diredtly to thefe Eaftern Parts, which was a 
Work of great Time and Labour, and brought about by 
a great Variety of Accidents, with the Relation of which 
the Englifh Reader cannot but be extreamly well pleafed, 
fince it will fhew him the great and fpeedy Progrefs of our 
Maritime Strength and Power at Sea. 
3. The firft Perfon, fo far as I have been able to learn, 
that ever propofed the eftablifhing the Eaft- India Trade in 
England, was one Mr. Robert Lhorne , a Merchant of Lon- 
don, who fettled at Seville in Spain, and refiding there many 
Years, gained a perfect Knowledge of the Manner in 
which both the Eaft and Weft-Indies were difcovered. This 
very judicious Gentleman, who from his Writings yet ex- 
tant, appears to have drawn his Knowledge, in an equal 
Degree, from Books and Experience, applied himfelf about 
the Year 1527, to his Majefty King Henry VIII. to whom 
he repreftnted very fully, yet in few Words, the vaft Ad- 
vantages that would accrue to his Subjects by a diredt Com- 
merce to the Eaft-Indies ; and to fuit his Propofal to the 
great Genius and high Spirit of that Prince, he advifed him 
not only to encourage this new Navigation, but to attempt 
it by a new Rout for as the Portugueze had pulhed their 
Difcoveries to the Eaft, and the Spaniards to the Weft, fo 
he was ambitious that the Englifh Nation fhould find a 
Way to the Indies of their own, and that by the North. 
But it is worthy of Obfervation, that this Gentleman was 
fo ' early aware of the infuperable Difficulties that have been 
found in fearching for a Paffage to the North-Eaft, and 
therefore propofed very fenfibly, and for good Reafons, 
failing diredtly North, or at leaft very near it ; from which 
he thought many Advantages might be gained, and many 
Jnconveniencies avoided. As for inftance, he conceived 
that this might be undertaken at Rich a Seafon of the Year, 
as to enjoy the Benefit of the half Years Day in that Cli- 
mate 1 and he thought it abfurd and ridiculous to fuppofe, 
that 
