Richard Hakluyt, The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation

Certaine directions given by M. Richard Hackluit of the Middle Temple, to M. Morgan Hubblethorne, Dier, sent into Persia, 1579.

1. FOR that England hath the best wool & cloth of the world, and for that the clothes of the realme have no good vent, if good dying be not added: therfore it is much to be wished, that the dying of forren countreyes were seene, to the end that the arte of dying may be brought into the Realme in greatest excellency: for thereof will follow honour to the Realme, and great and ample vent of our clothes: and of the vent of clothes, will follow the setting of our poore on worke, in all degrees of labour in clothing and dying: for which cause most principally you are sent over at the charge of the city: and therfore for the satisfying the lords, and of the expectation of the merchants and of your company, it behooves you to have care to returne home with more knowledge then you caried out.
2. The great dearth of clothes is a great let in the ample vent of clothes, and the price of a cloth, for a fifth, sixth and seventh part riseth by the colour and dying: and therefore to devise to die as good colours with the one halfe of the present price were to the great commodity of the Realme, by saving of great treasure in time to come. And therefore you must have great care to have knowledge of the materials of all the countreys that you shall passe thorow, that may be used in dying, be they hearbs, weeds, barks, gummes, earths, or what els soever.
3. In Persia you shall finde carpets of course thrummed wooll, the best of the world, and excellently coloured: those cities & townes you must repaire to, and you must use meanes to learne all the order of the dying of those thrummes, which are so died as neither raine, wine, nor yet vineger can staine: and if you may attaine to that cunning, you shall not need to feare dying of cloth: For if the colour holde in yarne and thrumme, it will holde much better in cloth.
4. For that in Persia they have great colouring of silks, it behooves you to learne that also, for that cloth dying & silke dying have a certaine affinity, and your merchants mind to bring much raw silke into the Realme, and therefore it is more requisit you learne the same.
5. In Persia there are that staine linnen cloth: it is not amisse you learne it if you can: it hath bene an olde trade in England, whereof some excellent clothes yet remaine: but the arte is now lost, and not to be found in the Realme.
6. They have a cunning in Persia to make in buskins of Spanish leather flowers of many kindes, in most lively colours, and these the Courtiers do weare there: to learne which arte were no harme.
7. If any Dier of China, or of the East parts of the world, be to be found in Persia, acquaint yourselfe with him, and learne what you may of him.
8. You shall finde Anile there, if you can procure the herbe that it is made of, either by seed or by plant, to cary into England, you may do well to endevour to enrich your country with the same: but withall learne you the making of the Anile, and if you can get the herbe, you may send the same dry into England, for possibly it groweth here already.
9. Returne home with you all the materials and substances that they die withall in Russia , and also in Persia, that your company may see all.
10. In some litle pot in your lodging, I wish you to make daily trials in your arte, as you shall from time to time learne ought among them.
11. Set downe in writing whatsoever you shall learne from day to day, lest you should forget, or lest God should call you to his mercy: and by ech returne I wish you to send in writing whatsoever you have learned, or at the least keepe the same safe in your coffer, that come death or life your countrey may enjoy the thing that you goe for, and not lose the charge, and travell bestowed in this case.
12. Learne you there to fixe and make sure the colour to be given by logge wood: so shall we not need to buy woad so deare, to the enriching of our enemies.
13. Enquire of the price of leckar, and all other things belonging to dying.
14. In any wise set downe in writing a true note from whence every of them doe come, and where, and in what countrey ech of them doth grow, I meane where the naturall place of ech of them is, as how neere to such a city, or to such a sea, or to such a portable river in Russia , Persia, or elsewhere.
15. If before you returne you could procure a singular good workeman in the arte of Turkish carpet making, you should bring the arte into this Realme, and also thereby increase worke to your company.