Rev. RICHARD HAKLUYT.
The Antiquity of the trade with English ships into the Levant.
[Voyages. 1599.]
In the years of our Lord 1511, 1512 &c. till the year 1534: divers tall ships of London, namely the Christopher Campion, wherein was factor one ROGER WHITCOME; the Mary George, wherein was factor WILLIAM GRESHAM; the great Mary Grace, the owner whereof was WILLIAM GUNSON, and the Master one JOHN HELY; the Trinity Fitz Williams, whereof was Master, LAWRENCE ARKEY; the Matthew of London, whereof was Master, WILLIAM CAPLING; with certain other ships of Southampton and Bristol: had an ordinary and usual trade to Sicily, Candia, Scio; and somewhiles to Cyprus, as also to Tripolis and Barrutti [Beyrout] in Syria. The commodities which they carried thither were fine kerseys of divers colours, coarse kerseys, white "Western dozens," cottons, certain cloths called "statutes" and others called "cardinal whites," and calfskins which were well sold in Sicily &c. The commodities which they returned [brought] back were silks, camlets, rhubarb, malmseys muscadels and other wines, sweet oils, cotton wool, Turkey carpets, galls, pepper, cinnamon and some other spices, &c. Besides the natural inhabitants of the aforesaid places, they had, even in those days, traffic with Jews, Turks, and other foreigners. Neither did our merchants only employ their own English shipping before mentioned; but that of sundry strangers also: as, namely, Candiots, Raguseans, Sicilians, Genoese, Venetian galleasses, Spanish and Portuguese ships. All which particulars do most evidently appear out of certain ancient ligier books [ledgers] of the Right Worshipful Sir WILLIAM LOCK, Mercer of London, of Sir WILLIAM BOWYER, Alderman of London, of Master JOHN GRESHAM, and of others; which I RICHARD HAKLUYT have diligently perused and copied out.
