“In Surrie whilom dwelt a compagnie
  Of chapmen rich, and therto sad and trewe,
  That wide where senten their spicerie,
  Clothes of gold, and satins riche of hewe.”
      —­Man of Lawe’s Tale, st. 6.

[Hatzfeld (Dict.) derives satin from the Italian setino; and setino from SETA, pig’s hair, and gives the following example:  “Deux aunes et un quartier de satin vremeil,” in Caffiaux, Abattis de maisons a Gommegnies, p. 17, 14th century.  The Portuguese have setim.  But I willingly accept Sir Henry Yule’s suggestion that the origin of the word is Zayton; cf. zeitun [Arabic] olive.

“The King [of Bijanagar] ... was clothed in a robe of zaitun satin.” (Elliot, IV. p. 113, who adds in a note zaitun:  Olive-coloured?) And again (Ibid. p. 120):  “Before the throne there was placed a cushion of zaituni satin, round which three rows of the most exquisite pearls were sewn.”—­H.C.]

(Recherches, etc., II. 229 seqq.; Martini, circa p. 110; Klaproth, Mem. II. 209-210; Cathay, cxciii. 268, 223, 355, 486; Empoli in Append. vol. iii. 87 to Archivio Storico Italiano; Douet d’Arcq. p. 342; Galv., Discoveries of the World, Hak.  Soc. p. 129; Marsden, 1st ed. p. 372; Appendix to Trade Report of Amoy, for 1868 and 1900. [Heyd, Com.  Levant, II. 701-702.])

NOTE 3.—­We have referred in a former note (ch. lxxvii. note 7) to an apparent change in regard to the Chinese consumption of pepper, which is now said to be trifling.  We shall see in the first chapter of Bk.  III. that Polo estimates the tonnage of Chinese junks by the number of baskets of pepper they carried, and we have seen in last note the large estimate by Giov. d’Empoli of the quantity that went to China in 1515.  Galvano also, speaking of the adventure of Fernao Perez d’Andrade to China in 1517, says that he took in at Pacem a cargo of pepper, “as being the chief article of trade that is valued in China.”  And it is evident from what Marsden says in his History of Sumatra, that in the last century some tangible quantity was still sent to China.  The export from the Company’s plantations in Sumatra averaged 1200 tons, of which the greater part came to Europe, the rest went to China.

[Couto says also:  “Os portos principaes do Reyno da Sunda sao Banta, Ache, Xacatara, por outro nome Caravao, aos quaes vam todos os annos mui perto de vinte sommas, que sao embarcacoes do Chincheo, huma das Provincias maritimas da China, a carregar de pimenta, porque da este Reyno todos es annos oito mil bares della, que sao trinta mil quintaes.” (Decada IV.  Liv.  III.  Cap.  I. 167.)]