civilisation of the Renaissance, which they encountered, seems to have been quite beyond their comprehension. The things which struck them most strongly were the manufacture of glass at Murano, and the use, by the Venetians, of basins and ewers in their daily ablutions! 1

In the middle of the fifteenth century two other English travellers went on their separate ways through Italy. They were far and away more intelligent, and more in touch with the movements of the age, than the pair which had preceded them. Great admirers of the Florentines, they eulogise both their characteristics and their customs.

Hoby's "Diary" is full of personal experiences. Everybody with whom he had intercourse charmed him by their gentlemanly manners. He was, later on, induced, solely from this experience, to write his famous translation of "Il Cortigiano." The richness of domestic decoration also impressed him. He slept, he says: “in a chamber hanged with cloth of gold and velvet," whilst on the bed was, "silver work, and the bolsters were of rich silk." 2

Thomas's narration 3 is of a more ambitious character; he contrasts the universities of Italy, wherein the students were mostly gentlemen, with similar English centres of education, where, as he writes, "there mean men's children are set to school in hope to live upon hired learning." The Italians, he says: "are modest in dress and neat at table and sober in speech." Regarding the division of classes he was impressed by the fact that the leading merchants were, for the most part, gentlemen. "If there are," he writes, "three or four brothers, one or two of them go into a trade; and, in case there is no division of their father's patrimony, then the merchants work for their brothers' benefit, as well as for their own. And inasmuch as their reputation does not suffer by reason of their trade, it follows that there are more wealthy men in Italy than in any other country."

He admired too the skill and comparative wealth of the

1 Camden Society, 1881.

2

Egerton MSS. 2148. British Museum. 3 "A Historie of Italie," 1549.

working classes. "I regard," he writes, "the Italian artificers as being the finest and most inventive workmen of all others." He adds, later on,-speaking of the cities of Lombardy in particular, -"there is almost no craftsman's wife that hath not her gown of silk, and her chain of gold!"

With respect to Florence, all classes struck him by their talkativeness, and their manifest desire to appear eloquent. "He is not," he writes, "reputed a man among them that cannot play the orator in his tale, as well in gesture as in word." The Academy was one of the most interesting sights he saw during his visit. He describes how the learned Florentines, from various grades of society, met there, the Duke amongst them. One, chosen beforehand, would ascend the pulpit and deliver an oration lasting more than one hour. "Never have I heard," writes the narrator, "reader in school, nor preacher in church, handle themselves better."

After the fall of the Roman Empire the trade routes, with their hostelries and posts for horses, were restored by Charlemagne, and maintained by successive Emperors and their feudatories. Three kinds of establishments were provided by the Imperial Government for their couriers and for foreign expeditions. 1. Civitates, in the towns-where numbers of horses were kept for despatch anywhere throughout the State. 2. Mutationes, in the villages-where relays of animals were stabled for immediate use. And 3. Mansiones, in the country-where men and horses, engaged in long and wearisome journeys, might rest awhile.

Generally commercial travellers from Florence were men travelling in companies, but frequently enough all the members of a family went abroad with father or son, who had received the appointment of resident agent, in a foreign city, of some rich business house.

The interests of the forwarding company were supposed to be the principal object of these journeys, but, as a rule, a good deal

of quite natural self-interest was associated with the expedition, which was never devoid of adventure and romance.

A notable soldier, merchant, diplomatist and man of letters, Buonaccorso Pitti, in his Chronicle,1 relates how he accomplished his journeys in France and Germany in the year 1395. "Being obliged," he writes, "for the service of the Florentine Republic to undertake a mission to Paris I set out on the 28th of January of the same year. I took the road to Friuli, and spent thirty-five days among the snow with the diggers clearing the glacier, before I was able to pass with ten oxen. I stopped in turn at Constance, Basel, and Langres. . . . I returned by way of Burgundy and Germany. After my arrival at Treviso, I sent on my laden pack horses to Padua, whilst I went on to Venice. I left Venice on the 22nd of March, rested at Mestre, and was at Padua that night. On the morning of the 23rd I set out, with two good riding horses belonging to the Lord of Padua, and, without eating and drinking, I reached Ferrara at eight o'clock that evening. I hired some of the Marquis' horses, and went on to San Giorgio, within ten miles of Bologna. In the morning, before sunrise, I arrived at Bologna, and taking two fresh horses I reached Scarperia late at night. I arrived in Rome early in the morning of March 25th.

Here

This distinguished Florentine, who had already, in 1374, been sent as Ambassador to Paris was also something of a financial plunger. He made hazardous investments, gave and accepted loans at high rates of interest, and was addicted to selling for a fall-as we now say. One day he was rolling in riches, and the honoured guest of princes and wealthy merchants; the next, he was out of elbows, and could not raise a few soldi for a shave at Burchiello's!

Many of the agents of Florentine commercial houses became famous in the annals of their city no less than in the greater world of Europe. Filippo degli Scolari,-a traveller for the " Calimala" in Hungary, was appointed cashier to the king, and director of 1 Cronica, (?) 1396.

the currency. He restored the kingdom and was named Governor of Servia and Captain-General. Castruccio Castracani,-a member of the Interminelli banking-house,-who was exiled in his youth for a trivial offence, raised himself as a soldier and a statesman until he was elected Lord of Lucca. Farinata degli Uberti-merchant, soldier and statesman, became the master of

Tuscany. Niccolo Acciaiuoli-a member of the noted steel manufacturing house,-ruled the kingdom of Naples as dispenser of Justice.

Along the trade routes were Ostellieri-Commercial Inns-at the disposition of the members of the Guilds. The Ostellani undertook to lodge and feed Florentine merchants and their agents upon their journeys, and to store their merchandise. These men were under the observation and order of the Guild Consuls and visiting inspectors. They were forbidden, under penalty of losing their licences, to participate in mercantile speculations. They were

established in Paris, Caen, Arles, Perpignan, S. Gilles, and other places in France, and also throughout Flanders and Germany.

Trade routes crossed and re-crossed one another, but all converged upon Florence; and over these her merchants entered into arrangements with their respective rulers. In early days, however, it was a common practice for the hill tribes to swoop down upon pack trains, which conveyed to and fro consignments of merchandise. To safeguard her commercial interests Florence entered into many treaties with her neighbours: Pisa-1171; Lucca -1184; Signori del Mugello, who were robber chieftains-1200, for safe conducts; Bologna-1203, against reprisals; Faenza-1204, with respect to jurisdiction; Perugia-1218, concerning the wool and silk trades; Maremma chieftains-1251, for security of cattle droves, etc. Several treaties were made with Siena and Pisa which

treated of territorial as well as commercial policy.

With respect to sea-borne merchandise, the chief ports for the trade of Florence were Ancona, Rimini, and Venice, on the east, and on the west, Pisa, Leghorn, and Genoa.

The commercial relations of Florence grew apace. Goro Dati glories in the fact that, as he puts it,-"The Florentines were well acquainted with all the holes and corners of the known world." In the fourteenth century more than three hundred agents were despatched every year upon commercial journeys.

Resident Florentines were first appointed Consuls at foreign ports in 1329. The qualification for this important office was simply citizenship, but only such men as might be expected to extend the fame and influence of Florence, by their own personal force of character and aptitude for business, were chosen.

These officers were established in Eastern ports, where each was assisted by a secretary,—with a monthly salary of four gold florins, two assistants and a native dragoman. Each Consul had three horses at his disposal. He was forbidden to engage in trade, or to act in any way for other States. His salary was paid by rates levied upon merchandise entering and leaving the port.

1 Goro Dati, "Istoria di Firenze," Lib. iv. p. 56.