The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
When he came first to the Sophies presence, at his court in Casbin,
bringing his interpreter with him, and standing farre off, the Sophie
(sitting in a seat roiall with a great number of his noble men about him)
bad him come neere, and that thrise, vntill he came so neere him that he
might haue touched him with his hand. Then the first demand that he asked
him was, from what countrey he came: he answered, that he came from
England. Then asked hee of his noble men, who knew any such countrey? But
when Edwards saw that none of them had any intelligence of that name, he
named Inghilterra, as the Italians call England. [Sidenote: Londro,
London.] Then one of the noble men said Londro, meaning thereby London,
which name is better knowen in far countries out of Christendom, then is
the name of England. When Edwards heard him name Londro, he said that that
was the name of the chiefe citie of England, as was Teueris of the chiefe
city of Persia. He asked him many things more, as of the realme of England,
maruelling that it should be an Island of so great riches and power, as
Edwards declared vnto him: of the riches and abundance of our merchandize
he further vnderstood by our traffike in Moscouia and other countreis. He
demanded also many thinges of the Queenes maiestie, and of the customes and
lawes of the realme: saying oftentimes in his owne language, Bara colla,
(that is to say) Well sayd. He asked also many things of King Philip, and
of his wars against the Turke at Malta. Then he demanded of him what was
the chiefe cause of his resort into his realme. And being certified that it
was for the trade of merchandize he asked what kind of merchandize he could
bring thither. Such (sayd hee) as the Venetian merchants do, which dwelling
in our country in the city of Londro send to Venice, and from thence into
Turkie by Halepo and Tripoli in Syria, from whence, as by the second and
third hands, with great charges of many customs and other things thereunto
pertaining, they are at the length brought into your countrey and cities of
Persia. What merchandize are those? sayd the Sophie. Edwards answered, that
they were great abundance of fine karsies, of broad clothes of all sorts
and colours, as skariets, violets, and other of the finest cloth of all the
world. [Sidenote: The Venetians traffike in England.] Also, that the
Venetians brought out of England not onely such clothes ready made, but
furthermore great plenty of fine wooll to mingle with their wools, of which
they could not otherwise make fine cloth: affirming that there went out of
England yeerly that waies, aboue two hundredth thousand karsies, and as
many broad clothes, beside fine wooll and other merchandize, beside also
the great abundance of like clothes, the which were caried into Spaine,
Barbarie, and diuers other countries. The Sophie then asked him by what
means such merchandize might be brought into Persia. Right wel sir (said
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