were Gentiles take their children, their sonnes and
their daughters, and haue desired the Portugals to
buy them, and I haue seene them sold for eight or ten
larines a piece, which may be of our money x.s. or
xiii.s. iiii.d. For all this if I had not seene
it, I could not haue beleeued that there should be
such a trade at Cambaietta as there is: for in
the time of euery new Moone and euery full Moone,
the small barks (innumerable) come in and out, for
at those times of the Moone the tides and waters are
higher then at other times they be. These barkes
be laden with all sorts of spices, with silke of China,
with Sandols, with Elephants teeth, Veluets of Vercini,
great quantity of Pannina, which commeth from Mecca,
Chickinos which be pieces of golde woorth seuen shillings
a piece sterling, with money, and with diuers sorts
of other marchandize. Also these barks lade out,
as it were, an infinite quantity of cloth made of
Bumbast of all sorts, as white stamped and painted,
with great quantity of Indico, dried ginger and conserued,
Myrabolans drie and condite, Boraso in paste, great
store of sugar, great quantity of Cotton, abundance
of Opium, Assa Fetida, Puchio, with many other sorts
of drugges, turbants made in Diu, great stones like
to Corneolaes, Granats, Agats, Diaspry, Calcidonij,
Hematists, and some kinde of naturall diamonds.
There is in the city of Cambaietta an order, but no
man is bound to keepe it, but they that will; but all
the Portugall marchants keepe it, the which is this.
There are in this city certain Brokers which are Gentiles
and of great authority, and haue euery one of them
fifteene or twenty seruants, and the Marchants that
vse that countrey haue their Brokers, with which they
be serued: and they that haue not bene there
are informed by their friends of the order, and of
what Broker they shall be serued. [Sidenote:
Marchants that trauell to the Indies must cary their
prouision of houshold with them.] Now euery fifteene
dayes (as abouesayd) that the fleet of small shippes
entreth into the port, the Brokers come to the water
side, and these Marchants assoone as they are come
on land, do giue the cargason of all their goods to
that Broker that they will haue to do their businesse
for them, with the marks of all the fardles and packs
they haue; and the marchant hauing taken on land all
his furniture for his house, because it is needful
that the Marchants that trade to the Indies carry
prouision of housholde with them, because that in
euery place where they come they must haue a new house,
the Broker that hath receiued his cargason, commandeth
his seruants to carry the Marchants furniture for
his house home, and load it on some cart, and carry
it into the city, where the Brokers haue diuers empty
houses meet for the lodging of Marchants, furnished
onely with bedsteads, tables, chaires, and empty iarres
for water: then the Broker sayth to the Marchant,
Goe and repose your selfe, and take your rest in the
city. The Broker tarrieth at the water side with