The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation Volume I Part 14

Without Caleis in their b.u.t.ter they cakked When they fled home, and when they leysure lacked To holde their siege, they went like as a Doe: Well was that Fleming that might trusse, and goe.

For feare they turned backe and hyed fast, My Lord of Glocester made hem so agast With his commimg, and sought hem in her land, And brent and slowe as he had take on hand: So that our enemies durst not bide, nor stere, They fled to mewe, they durst no more appeare, Rebuked sore for euer so shamefully, Vnto her vtter euerlasting villany.

Nowe Beere and Bakon bene fro Pruse ybrought Into Flanders, as loued and farre ysought: Osmond, Copper, Bow-staues, Steele, and Wexe, Peltreware and grey Pitch, Terre, Board, and flexe, And Colleyne threed, Fustian and Canuas, Card, Bukeram: of olde time thus it was.

But the Flemings among these things dere, In common louen best Bakon and Beere.

Also Pruse men maken her aduenture Of Plate of siluer of wedges good and sure In great plentie which they bring and bye, Out of the lands of Beame and Hungarie: Which is increase full great vnto their land, And they bene laden, I vnderstand, With wollen cloth all maner of colours By dyers crafted full diuers, that ben ours.

And they aduenture full greatly vnto the Bay, for salt that is needefull withouten nay.

Thus if they would not our friends bee, We might lightly stoppe hem in the see: They should not pa.s.se our streemes withouten leue, It would not be, but if we should hem greue.

Of the commodities of the Genuoys and her great Caracks. Chap. 6.

The Genuois comen in sundry wies Into this land with diuers marchandises In great Caracks, arrayed withouten lacke With cloth of gold, silke, and pepper blacke They bring with them, and of crood [6] great plentee, Woll Oyle, Woad ashen, by vessel in the see, Cotton, Rochalum, and good gold of Genne.

And then be charged with wolle againe I wenne, And wollen cloth of ours of colours all.

And they aduenture, as ofte it doth befall, Into Flanders with such things as they bye, That is their chefe staple sekerly: And if they would be our full enemies, They should not pa.s.se our stremes with merchandise.

[Footnote 6: Woad.]

The comodities and nicetees of the Venetians and Florentines, with their Gallees. Chap. 7.

The great Galees of Venice and Florence Be well laden with things of complacence, All spicery and of grossers ware: With sweete wines all maner of chaffare, Apes, and Iapes, and marmusets tayled, Nifles and trifles that little haue auayled: And things with which they fetely blere our eye: With things not induring that we bye.

For much of this chaffare that is wastable Might be forborne for dere and deceiuable.

And that I wene as for infirmities In our England are such commodities Withouten helpe of any other lond Which by witte and practise both yfound: That all humors might be voyded sure, With that we gleder with our English cure: That we should haue no neede of Scamonie, Turbit, enforbe, correct Diagredie, Rubarbe, Sene, and yet they ben to needefull, But I know things al so speedefull, That growen here, as those things sayd.

Let of this matter no man be dismayde; But that a man may voyde infirmitie Without degrees fet fro beyond the sea.

And yet they should except be any thing It were but sugre, trust to my saying: He that trusteth not to my saying and sentence, Let him better search experience.

In this matter I will not ferther prease, Who so not beleeueth, let him leaue and cease.

Thus these galeys for this licking ware, And eating ware, bare hence out best chaffare.

Cloth, woll, and tinne, which as I sayd before, Out of this lond worst might be forbore, For ech other land of necessitie Haue great neede to buy some of them three: And we receiue of hem into this coste Ware and chaffare that lightly wilbe loste.

And would Iesus, that our Lord is wold Consider this well both yong and old: Namely old that haue experience, That might the yong exhorte to prudence; What harme, what hurt, and what hinderance Is done to vs, vnto our great grieuance, Of such lands, and of such nations: As experte men know by probations, By writings as discouered our counsailes, And false colour alwaies the countertailes Of our enimies: that doth vs hindering Vnto our goods, our Relme, and to the king: As wise men haue shewed well at eye; And all this is couloured by marchandye.

An example of deceite

Also they bere the gold out of this land, And sucke the thrift away out of our hand: As the Waspe souketh honie fro the bee, So minisheth our commoditee.

Nor wol ye here how they in Cotteswold Were wont to borrow or they shold be sold Her woll good as for yere and yere.

Of cloth and tinne they did in like manere: And in her galies s.h.i.+p this marchandie: Then soone at Venice of them men woll it bye.

Then vtterne there the chaffare by the peise, And lightly als there they make her reise.

And when the goods beene at Venice sold, Then to carie her change they this money haue, They will it profer, their subtiltie to saue, To English marchants to yeue it out by eschange To be payed againe they make not strange, At the receiuing and sight of a letter, Here in England, seeming for the better, by foure pence lesse in the n.o.ble round: That is twelue pence in the golden pound.

And if wee wol haue of payment A full moneth, than must him needes a.s.sent To eight pence losse, that is s.h.i.+llings twaine In the English pound: as eft soone again, For two moneths twelue pence must he pay.

In the English pound what is that to say, But s.h.i.+llings three? So that in pound fell For hurt and harme hard is with hem to dwell.

And when English marchants haue content This eschange in England of a.s.sent, That these sayd Venecians haue in woone And Florentines to bere her gold soone Ouer the see into Flanders againe: And thus they liue in Flanders sooth to saine, And in London with such cheuisance, That men call vsury, to our losse and hinderance.

Another example of deceite.

Now lesten well how they made vs a valeys When they borrowed at the town of Caleis As they were wont, their woll that was hem lent, For yere and yere they should make payment.

And sometimes als two yere and two yeare.

This was fayre [7] loue: but yet will ye heare How they to Bruges would her woll carie, And for hem take payment withouten tarie, And sell it fast for ready money in hand.

For fifty pounds of money of losse they wold not wond In a thousand pound, and liue thereby Till the day of payment easily, Come againe in exchange: making Full like vsury, as men make vndertaking.

Than whan this payment of a thousand pound Was well content, they should haue chaffare sound If they wold fro the Staple full, Receiue againe three thousand pound in woll.

In Cotteswold also they ride about, And all England, and buy withouten doubte What them list with freedome and franchise, More then we English may gitten many wise But would G.o.d that without lenger delayes These galees were vnfraught in fortie dayes, And in fortie dayes charged againe, And that they might be put to certaine To goe to oste, as we there with hem doe.

It were expedient that they did right soe, As we doe there. If the king would it: Ah what wors.h.i.+p wold fall to English wit?

What profite also to our marchandie Which wold of nede be cherished hertilie?

For I would witte, why now our nauie fayleth, [Note diligently]

When manie a foe vs at our doore a.s.sayleth.

[Sidenote: A woful complaint of lacke of nauie if need come. A storie of destruction of Denmarke for destruction of their marchants.]

Now in these dayes, that if there come a nede, What nauie should we haue it is to drede.

In Denmarke were full n.o.ble conquerours In time past, full worthy warriours: Which when they had their marchants destroyed, To pouerty they fell, thus were they noyed: And so they stand at mischiefe at this day.

This learned I late well writon, this no nay.

Therefore beware, I can no better will, If grace it woll, of other mennis perill.

For if marchants were cherished to her speede, We were not likely to fayle in any neede.

If they be rich, then in prosperitee Shalbe our londe, lords, and commontee, And in wors.h.i.+p. Now thinke I on the sonne Of Marchandy Richard of Whitingdon;

[Sidenote: The prayse of Richard of Whittingdon marchant.]

That load sterre, and chiefe chosen floure: What hath by him our England of honour, And what profite hath bin of his riches, And yet lasteth dayly in worthines?

That pen and paper may not me suffice Him to describe: so high he was of price Aboue marchants, that set him one of the best: I can no more, but G.o.d haue him in rest.

[Footnote 7: Or, lone.]

Now the princ.i.p.al matter.

What reason is it that we should goe to oste In their countries, & in this English coste They should not so? bat haue more liberty Then we our selues now also motte I thee.

I would to gifts men should take no heede That letteth our thing publicke for to speede For this we see well euery day at eye, Gifts and fests stopen our policie.

Now see that fooles ben either they or wee But euer we haue the worse in this countree.

Therefore let hem vnto oste go here, Or be we free with hem in like manere In their countrees: and if it will not bee, Compell them vnto oste, and yee shall see Moch auantage, and moch profite arise, Moch more then I can write in any wise.

Of our charge and discharge at her marts.

Conceiue wel here, that Englishmen at martes Be discharged, for all her craftes and artes, In Brabant of her marchandy In fourteene dayes, and ageine hastily In the same dayes fourteene acharged eft.

And if they bide lenger all is bereft, Anon they should forfeit her goods all, Or marchandy: it should no better fall.

And we to martis in Brabant charged beene With English cloth full good and fayre to seene: We ben againe charged with mercerie, Haburdasher ware, and with grosserie: To which marts, that English men call fayres, Ech nation oft maketh her repayres: English, and French, Lombards, Iennoyes, Catalones, thedre they take her wayes: Scots, Spaniards, Irishmen there abides, With great plenty bringing of sale hides.

And I here say that we in Brabant bye, Flanders and Zeland more of marchandy In common vse then done all other nations: This haue I heard of marchants relations: And if the English ben not in the marts They ben feeble, and as nought bene her parts.

For they byemore, and fro purse put out More marchandie then all the other rowte.

Kept then the see, s.h.i.+ppes should not bring ne fetch, And then the carreys wold not thidre stretch: And so those marts wold full euill thee, If we manly kept about the see.

Of the commodities of Brabant and Zeland and Henauld and marchandy carried by land to the martes. Cap. 8.

Yet marchandy of Brabant and Zeland The Madre and Woad, that dyers take on hand To dyen with, Garlike and Onions, And saltfishe als for husband and commons.

But they of Holland at Caleis byen our felles, And wolles our, that Englishmen hem selles.

And the chaffare that Englishmen doe byen In the marts, that noe man may denien, Is not made in Brabant that c.u.n.tree: It commeth from out of Henauld, not by see, But al by land, by carts, and from France, Bourgoyne, Colem, Cameret in substance, Therefore at marts if there be a restraint, Men seyne plainely that list no fables paynt, If Englishmen be withdrawen away, Is great rebuke and losse to her affray: As though we sent into the land of France Ten thousand people, men of good puissance, To werre vnto her hindring multifarie.

So ben our English marchants necessarie.

If it be thus a.s.say, and we shall witten Of men experte, by whom I haue this written.

[Sidenote: What our marchants bye in that cost more then all other.]

For sayd is that this carted marchandy Draweth in value as much verily, As all the goods that come in s.h.i.+ppes thider, Which Englishmen bye most and bring it hither.

For her marts ben febel, shame to say, But Englishmen thither dresse her way.

A conclusion of this depending of keeping of the sea.