Remembrances for master S. to give him the better occasion to informe himselfe of some things in England, and after of some other things in Turkie, to the great profite of the Common weale of this Countrey. Written by the foresayd master Richard Hakluyt, for a principall English Factor at Constantinople 1582.
SINCE all men confesse (that be not barbarously bred) that
men are borne as well to seeke the common commoditie
of their Countrey, as their owne private benefite, it may
seeme follie to perswade that point, for each man meaneth
so to doe. But wherein men should seeke the common
commoditie, and what way, and by what meane that is to
bee brought about, is the point or summe of the matter,
since every good man is ready to imploy his labour. This
is to bee done by an infinite sort of meanes, as the number
of things bee infinite that may bee done for common
benefite of the Realme. And as the chiefe things so to
bee done be divers, so are they to bee done by divers men,
as they bee by wit and maner of education more fit, or
lesse fit, for this and for that. And for that of many
things that tend to the common benefite of the State,
some tend more, and some lesse, I finde that no one
thing, after one other, is greater then Clothing, and the
things incident to the same. And understanding that you
are of right good capacitie, and become a Factor at
Constantinople, and in other partes in
Turkie, I finde no
man fitter of all the English Factors there, then you.
And therefore I am so bold to put you in minde, and to
tell you wherein with some indevour you may chaunce to
doe your Countrey much good, and give an infinite sorte
of the poore people occasion to pray for you here throughout the Realme: this that I meane is in matter of Cloth,
&c.
- 1 FIRST, you cannot denie but that this Realme yeeldeth
the most fine Wooll, the most soft, the most strong
Wooll, the most durable in Cloth, and most apte of
nature of all other to receive Die, and that no Island
or any one kingdome so small doeth yeeld so great
abundance of the same: and that no Wooll is lesse
subject to mothes, or to fretting in presse, then this,
as the old Parliament robes of Kings, & of many
noble Peeres to be shewed may plainly testifie.
- 2 There is no commoditie of this Realme that may set so
many poore subjects on worke, as this doeth, that
doeth bring in so much treasure, and so much enrich
the merchant, and so much employ the Navie of this
Realme, as this commoditie of our Wooll doeth.
Ample and full Vent of this noble and rich commoditie
is it that the common weale of this realme doeth require.
Spaine nowe aboundeth with Wools, and the same are
Clothed. Turkie hath Wools, and so have divers pro
vinces of Christendome and of Heathenesse, and cloth is
made of the same in divers places.
1 But if England have the most fine, and the most
excellent Wools of the world in all respects (as it cannot
bee denied, but it hath) 2 If there may bee added to the
same, excellent artificiall, and true making, and excellent
dying, 3 Then no doubt but that we shall have vent for
our Clothes, although the rest of the world did abound
much more with Wool then it doeth, and although their
workemanship and their dying were in every degree equal
with ours of England, unlesse the labour of our people
imployed that way, and the materials used in dying should
be the cause of the contrary by dearth.
But if Forren nations turne their Wools, inferiour to
ours, into truer and more excellent made cloth, and shall
die the same in truer, surer, and more excellent, and more
delectable colours, then shall they sell and make ample
vent of their Clothes, when the English cloth of better
wooll shall rest unsold, to the spoyle of the Merchant,
of the Clothier, and of the breeder of the wooll, and to
the turning to bag and wallet of the infinite number of the
poore people imploied in clothing in severall degrees of
labour here in England.
Which things wayed, I am to tell you what things I
wish you in this Realme, and after in
Turkie, to indevour
from time to time, as your laisure may permit the same.
Before you goe out of the Realme, that you learne:
- 1
- To know wooll, all kind of clothes made in this realme,
and all other employments of wooll, home or forren, be
ye same in Felt clokes, felt hats, in the red knit cap
for Barbarie, called Bonettos rugios colorados, or whatsoever, &c.
- All the deceits in Clothmaking; as the sorting together
of Wools of severall natures, some of nature to shrinke,
some to hold out, which causeth cloth to cockle and lie
uneven.
- The evill sorting of threed of good or bad wool, some
tootoo hard spun, some tootoo soft spun delivered to be
woven.
- The faults in Weaving.
- The faults in Walking, Rowing, and Burling, and in
Racking the Clothes above measure upon the Teintors:
all which faults may be learned of honest men, which
faults are to be knowen to the merchant, to be shunned
and not to be used.
- 2
- Then to learne of the Diers to discerne all kind of
colours; as which be good and sure, and which will not
hold: which be faire, which not; which colours by the
dearth of the substances bee deare, and which by reason
of the cheapenesse of the Materials with which they be
died, be cheape colours.
- 3
- Then to take the names of all the materials and substaunces used in this Citie or in the realme, in dying of
cloth or silke.
- To learne to know them, as which be good, which bad.
- And what colours they die.
- And what prices they be of.
- And of them which bee the Naturals of this Realme,
and in what part of the Realme they are to be had.
- And of all the forren materials used in dying to know
the very naturall places of them, and the plentie or the
scarcenesse of each of them.
These things superficially learned in the realme before
you goe, you are the fitter in forren parts to serve your
Countrey, for by this meanes you have an enterie into the
thing that I wish you to travell in.
What you shall doe in Turkie, besides the businesse of
your Factorship.
- 1 FORASMUCH as it is reported that the Woollen clothes
died in Turkie bee most excellently died, you shall send
home into this realme certaine Mowsters or pieces of
Shew to be brought to the Diers hall, there to be shewed,
partly to remoove out of their heads, the tootoo great
opinion they have conceived of their owne cunning, and
partly to moove them for shame to endevour to learne
more knowledge to the honour of their countrey of
England, and to the universall benefit of the realme.
- 2 You shall devise to amend the Dying of England, by
carying hence an apte yoong man brought up in the Arte,
or by bringing one or other from thence of skill, or rather
to devise to bring one for Silkes, and another for Wooll
and for Woollen cloth, and if you cannot worke this by
ordinarie meanes, then to worke it by some great Bassas
meane, or if your owne credite there be not sufficient by
meane of your small abode in those parties, to worke it
by the helpe of the French ambassador there resident,
for which purpose you may insinuate your selfe into his
acquaintance, and otherwise to leave no meane unsought
that tendeth to this end, wherein you are to doe as circumstances may permit.
- 3 Then to learne to know all the materials and substances that the Turkes use in dying, be they of Herbes,
simple or compound, be they Plants, Barkes, Wood,
Berries, Seedes, Graines, or Minerall matter, or what els
soever. But before all other, such things as yeeld those
famous colours that carrie such speciall report of excellencie, that our Merchaunts may bring them to this realme
by ordinarie trade, as a right meane for the better vent of
our clothes.
- 4 To know the use of those, and where the naturall
place of them and of ech of them is, I meane the place
where ech of them groweth or is bred.
- 5 And in any wise, if Anile that coloureth blew be a
naturall commodity of those parts, and if it be compounded of an herbe, to send the same into this realme
by seed or by root in barrell of earth, with all the whole
order of sowing, setting, planting, replanting, and with
the compounding of the same, that it may become a
naturall commodity in this realme as Woad is, to this end
that the high price of forreine Woad (which devoureth
yeerely great treasure) may be brought downe. So shall
the marchant buy his cloth lesse deare, and so he shalbe
able to occupy with lesse stocke, be able to affoord cloth
cheaper, make more ample vent, and also become a
greater gainer himselfe, and all this to the benefit of this
realme.
- 6 To do the like with herbe & plant, or tree that in
dying is of any excellent use, as to send the same by seed,
berry, root, &c: for by such meanes Saffron was brought
first into this realme, which hath set many poore on
worke, and brought great wealth into this realme. Thus
may Sumack, the plant wherewith the most excellent
blacks be died in Spaine, be brought out of Spaine, and
out of the Ilands of the same, if it will grow in this more
colde climat. For thus was Woad brought into this
realme, and came to good perfection, to the great losse
of the French our olde enemies. And it doth marvellously import this realme to make naturall in this realme
such things as be special in the dying of our clothes.
And to speake of such things as colour blew, they are of
greatest use, and are grounds of the most excellent
colours, and therefore of all other to be brought into this
realme, be it Anile or any other material of that quality.
- 7 And because yellowes and greenes are colours of
small prices in this realme, by reason that Olde and
Greenweed wherewith they be died be naturall here, and
in great plenty, therefore to bring our clothes so died to
common sale in Turkie were to the great benefit of the
marchant, and other poore subjects of this realme, for in
sale of such our owne naturall colours we consume not
our treasure in forren colours, and yet we sell our owne
trifles dearely perhaps.
- 8 The woolles being naturall, and excellent colours for
dying becomming by this meanes here also naturall, in all
the arte of Clothing then we want but one onely speciall
thing. For in this so temperate a climat our people may
labor the yere thorowout, whereas in some regions of the
world they cannot worke for extreme heat, as in some
other regions they cannot worke for extreme colde a good
part of the yere. And the people of this realme by the
great and blessed abundance of victuall are cheaply fed,
and therefore may afoord their labour cheape. And where
the Clothiers in Flanders by the flatnesse of their rivers
cannot make Walkmilles for their clothes, but are forced
to thicken and dresse all their clothes by the foot and by
the labour of men, whereby their clothes are raised to an
higher price, we of England have in all Shires store of
milles upon falling rivers. And these rivers being in
temperate zones are not dried up in Summer with drought
and heat as the rivers be in Spaine and in hotter regions,
nor frozen up in Winter as all the rivers be in all the
North regions of the world: so as our milles may go and
worke at all times, and dresse clothes cheaply. Then we
have also for scowring our clothes earths and claies, as
Walkers clay, and the clay of Oborne little inferior to
Sope in scowring and in thicking. Then also have we
some reasonable store of Alum and Copporas here made
for dying, and are like to have increase of the same.
Then we have many good waters apt for dying, and people
to spin and to doe the rest of all the labours we want not.
So as there wanteth, if colours might be brought in and
made naturall, but onely Oile: the want whereof if any
man could devise to supply at the full with any thing that
might become naturall in this realme, he whatsoever he
were that could bring it about, might deserve immortall
fame in this our Common wealth, and such a devise was
offered to the Parliament and refused, because they denied
to endow him with a certaine liberty, some others having
obtained the same before, that practised to worke that
effect by Radish seed, which onely made a triall of small
quantity, and that went no further, to make that Oile in
plenty: and now he that offered this devise was a marchant, and is dead, and withall the devise is dead with
him.
It is written by one that wrote of Afrike, that in Egypt
in a city called Muhaisira there be many milles imployed
in making of Oile of the seed of an herbe called Sesamum.
Pena and Lobell, Physicians, write in our time, that this
herbe is a codded herbe full of oily seed, and that there is
plenty of this seede brought out of Egypt
to divers Cities
in Italy
. If this herbe will prosper in this realme, our
marchants may easily bring of it, &c.
- 9 Having heerein thus troubled you by raising to your
minde the consideration of certaine things, it shall not be
impertinent to tell you that it shall not be amisse that you
note all the order of the degrees of labour used in Turky,
in the arte of Clothing, and to see if any way they excell
in that profession our people of these parts, and to bring
notice of the same into this realme.
- 10 And if you shall finde that they make any cloth of
any kind not made in this realme, that is there of great
use, then to bring of the same into this realme some
Mowsters, that our people may fall into the trade, and
prepare the same for Turkie; for the more kinds of cloth
we can devise to make, the more ample vent of our
commoditie we shall have, and the more sale of the labour
of our poore subjects that els for lacke of labour become
idle and burdenous to the common weale, and hurtfull
to many: and in England we are in our clothing trade
to frame our selves according to the desires of forren
nations, be it that they desire thicke or thinne, broad
or narowe, long or short, white or blacke.
- 11 But with
this proviso alwayes, that our cloth passe out with as
much labour of our people as may be, wherein great
consideration ought to be had: for (if vent might so
admit it) as it were the greatest madnesse in the world
for us to vent our wooll not clothed, so were it madnesse
to vent our wooll in part or in the whole turned into
broad cloth, if we might vent the same in Kersies: for
there is great difference in profit to our people betweene
the clothing of a sacke of wooll in the one, and the like
sacke of wooll in the other, of which I wish the marchant
of England to have as great care as he may for the
universall benefit of the poore : and the turning of a sacke
of wooll into Bonets is better then both &c. And also not
to cary out of the realme any cloth white, but died if it
may be, that the subjects of this realme may take as much
benefit as is possible, and rather to seeke the vent of the
clothes died with the naturall colours of England, then
such as be died with forren colours.
- 12 And if of necessity we must be forced to receive
certaine colours from forren parts, for that this climat
will not breed them, I wish that our marchants procure
Anile and such other things to be planted in like climats
where now it growes, in divers other places, that this
realme may have that brought in for as base prices
as is possible, and that falling out with one place we
may receive the same from another, and not buy the same
at the second or the third hand &c. For if a commodity
that is to be had of meere necessity, be in one hand, it is
dearely purchased.
- 1 How many severall colours be died is to be learned
of our Diers before you depart.
- 2 Then how many of those colours England doth die
of her owne naturall home materials and substances, and
how many not.
- 3 Then to bring into this realme herbs and plants to
become naturall in our soiles, that may die the rest of the
colours, that presently of our owne things here growing
we can not yet die, and this from all forren places.
- 4 There is a wood called Logwood or Palo Campechio,
it is cheape and yeeldeth a glorious blew, but our workmen can not make it sure. This wood you must take
with you, and see whether the Silke diers or Wooll diers
in Turky can doe it, with this one you may inrich your
selfe very much, and therefore it is to be endevoured
earnestly by you. It may bring downe the price of Woad
and of Anile.
Other some things to be remembred.
- IF you can finde out at Tripoly in Syria
or elsewhere a
vent for the Cappes called in Barbarie, Bonettos colorados
rugios, which is a red Scottish cap as it were without
brims, you should do your countrey much good: for as
a sacke of wooll turned into fine Devonshire
kersies doth
set many more people on worke then a sacke spunne for
broad cloth in a grosser threed, so a sacke of wooll turned
into those Bonets doth set many more poore people on
worke, then a sacke turned into Kersies, by reason of the
knitting. And therefore if you can indevour that, you
worke great effect. And no doubt that a marvellous vent
may be found out of them into Afrike by the way of
Alexandria, and by Alcayer Southeast and Southwest
thence.
- 2 And by the vent of our knit hose of Woollen yarne,
Woorsted yarne, and of Linnen thred, great benefit to
our people may arise, and a great value in fine Kersies
and in those knit wares may be couched in a small roome
in the ship. And for these things our people are growen
apt, and by indevour may be drawen to great trade.
- 3 Saffron the best of the universall world groweth in
this realme, and forasmuch as it is a thing that requireth
much labour in divers sorts, and setteth the people on
worke so plentifully, I wish you to see whether you can
finde out ample vent for the same, since it is gone out of
great use in those parts. It is a spice that is cordiall, and
may be used in meats, and that is excellent in dying of
yellow silks. This commodity of Saffron groweth fifty
miles from Tripoli
in Syria
, on an high hill called in those
parts Garian, so as there you may learne at that port of
Tripoli
the value of the pound, the goodnesse of it, and
the places of the vent. But it is sayd that from that hill
there passeth yerely of that commodity fifteene moiles
laden, and that those regions notwithstanding lacke
sufficiencie of that commodity. But if a vent might be
found, men would in Essex
about Saffronwalden and in
Cambridge
shire revive the trade for the benefit of the
setting of the poore on work. So would they doe in
Hereford
shire by Wales, where the best of all England
is, in which place the soile yeelds the wilde Saffron
commonly, which sheweth the naturall inclination of the
same soile to the bearing of the right Saffron, if the soile
be manured and that way employed.
- 4 There is a walled towne not farre from Barbarie,
called Hubbed, toward the South from the famous towne
Telensin, about six miles: the inhabitants of which towne
in effect be all Diers. And it is sayd that thereabout they
have plenty of Anile, & that they occupy that, and also
that they use there in their dyings, of the Saffron aforesayd. The trueth whereof, in the Southerly ports of the
Mediteran sea, is easily learned in your passage to Tripoli
,
or in returne from thence homeward you may understand
it. It is reported at Saffronwalden that a Pilgrim purposing to do good to his country, stole an head of Saffron,
and hid the same in his Palmers staffe, which he had
made hollow before of purpose, and so he brought this
root into this realme, with venture of his life: for if he
had bene taken, by the law of the countrey from whence
it came, he had died for the fact. If the like love in
this our age were in our people that now become great
travellers, many knowledges, and many trades, and many
herbes and plants might be brought into this realme that
might doe the realme good. And the Romans having
that care, brought from all coasts of the world into Italie
all arts and sciences, and all kinds of beasts and fowles,
and all herbs, trees, busks and plants that might yeeld
profit or pleasure to their countrey of Italie
. And if this
care had not bene heretofore in our ancesters, then had
our life bene savage now, for then we had not had Wheat
nor Rie, Peaze nor Beanes, Barley nor Oats, Peare nor
Apple, Vine nor many other profitable and pleasant plants,
Bull nor Cow, Sheepe nor Swine, Horse nor Mare, Cocke
nor Hen, nor a number of other things that we injoy,
without which our life were to be sayd barbarous: for
these things and a thousand that we use more the first
inhabitors of this Iland found not here. And in time of
memory things have bene brought in that were not here
before, as the Damaske rose by Doctour Linaker king
Henry the seventh and king Henrie the eights Physician,
the Turky cocks and hennes about fifty yeres past, the
Artichowe in time of king Henry the eight, and of later
time was procured out of Italy
the Muske rose plant, the
plumme called the Perdigwena, and two kindes more by
the Lord Cromwell after his travell, and the Abricot by a
French Priest one Wolfe Gardiner to king Henry the
eight: and now within these foure yeeres there have bene
brought into England from Vienna
in Austria
divers kinds
of flowers called Tulipas, and those and other procured
thither a little before from Constantinople by an excellent
man called M. Carolus Clusius. And it is sayd that since
we traded to Zante
that the plant that beareth the Coren
is also brought into this realme from thence: and although
it bring not fruit to perfection, yet it may serve for
pleasure and for some use, like as our vines doe, which
we cannot well spare, although the climat so colde will not
permit us to have good wines of them. And many other
things have bene brought in, that have degenerated by
reason of the colde climat, some other things brought in
have by negligence bene lost. The Archbishop of Canterburie Edmund Grindall, after he returned out of Germany
,
brought into this realme the plant of Tamariske from
thence, and this plant he hath so increased that there be
here thousands of them; and many people have received
great health by this plant: and if of things brought in
such care were had, then could not the first labour be lost.
The seed of Tabacco hath bene brought hither out of the
West Indies, it groweth heere, and with the herbe many
have bene eased of the reumes, &c. Each one of a great
number of things were woorthy of a journey to be made
into Spaine, Italy
, Barbarie, Egypt
, Zante
, Constantinople, the West Indies, and to divers other places neerer
and further off then any of these, yet forasmuch as the
poore are not able, and for that the rich setled at home
in quiet will not, therefore we are to make sute to such as
repaire to forren kingdomes, for other businesses, to have
some care heerein, and to set before their eyes the
examples of these good men, and to endevour to do for
their parts the like, as their speciall businesses may permit the same. Thus giving you occasion by way of a
little remembrance, to have a desire to do your countrey
good, you shall, if you have any inclination to such good,
do more good to the poore ready to starve for reliefe,
then ever any subject did in this realme by building of
Almeshouses, and by giving of lands and goods to the
reliefe of the poore. Thus may you helpe to drive idlenesse the mother of most mischiefs out of the realme, and
winne you perpetuall fame, and the prayer of the poore,
which is more woorth then all the golde of Peru and of
all the West Indies.
