Or otherwise to be kept in safetie vntil any of them come to
demaund them.
12 Item, if any of the said merchants depart this life in any citie or
towne, or on the high way, his gouernours there to see their goods safely
kept, and to be deliuered to any other of them that shall demand them.
13 Item, the said merchants to take such camel-men as they themselues wil,
being countrey people, and that no Kissell Bash do let or hinder them. And
the said owners of the camels to bee bound to answere them such goods as
they shal receiue at their hands, and the camel-men to stand to the losses
of their camels or horses.
14 Item more, that the sayd Cariers do demaund no more of them, then their
agreement was to pay them.
15 Item more, if they be at a price with any Cariers, and haue giuen
earnest, the camel-men to see they keepe their promise.
16 Item, if any of the said merchants be in feare to trauel to giue them
one or more to go with them and see them in safetie with their goods, to
the place they will goe vnto.
17 Item, in all places, to say, in all cities, townes or villages on the
high way, his subiects to giue them honest roume, and victuals for their
money.
18 Item, the sayd merchants may in any place, where they shall thinke best,
build or buy any house or houses to their owne vses. And no person to
molest or trouble them, and to stand in any Carauan where they will, or
shal thinke good.
The commodities which the merchants may haue by this trade into Persia are
thought to bee great, and may in time perhaps be greater then the Portugals
trade into the East Indies, forasmuch as by the way of Persia into England,
the returne may be made euery yeere once: whereas the Portugals make the
returne from Calecut but once in two yeers, by a long and dangerous voiage
all by sea: for where as the citie and Island of Ormus, lying in the gulfe
of Persia, is the most famous Mart towne of all East India, whither all the
merchandises of India are brought, the same may in shorter time and more
safelie be brought by land and riuers through Persia, euen vnto the Caspian
sea, and from thence by the countreis of Russia or Moscouia by riuers, euen
vnto the citie of Yeraslaue, and from thence by land 180. miles to Vologda,
and from thence againe all by water euen vnto England.
The merchandises which he had out of Persia for the returne of wares are
silke of all sortes of colours, both raw and wrought. Also all maner of
spices and drugs, pearles, and precious stones, likewise carpets of diuers
sortes, with diuers other rich merchandises. It was told me of them that
came last from Persia, that here is more silke brought into some one city
of Persia, then is of cloth brought into the city of London. Also that one
village of Armenia named Gilgat doeth carie yeerely fiue hundred, and
sometime a thousand mules laden with silke to Halepo in Soria of Turkie,
being 4. dayes iourney from Tripoli, where the Venetians haue their
continuall abiding, and send from thence silks which they returne for
English karsies and other clothes into all partes of Christendome.
The maner how the Christians become Busormen, and forsake their religion.
I haue here noted before that if any Christian wil become a Busornan, that
is, one that hath forsaken his faith, and be a Mahometan of their religion,
they giue him many gifts and sometimes also a liuing. The maner is, that
when the deuill is entred into his heart to forsake his faith, he resorteth
to the Soltan or gouenour of the towne, to whom hee maketh protestation of
his diuelish purpose. The gouernour appointeth him a horse, and one to ride
before him on another horse, bearing a sword in his hand, and the Busorman
bearing an arrow in his hand, and rideth in the citie, cursing his father
and mother: and if euer after he returne to his owne religion, he is
guiltie of death, as is signified by the sword borne before him. A yong
man, a seruant of one of our merchants, because he would not abide the
correction of his master for his faults, was minded to forsake his faith.
But (as God would) he fell suddenly sicke and died, before he gaue himself
to the deuill. If he had become a Busorman, he had greatly troubled the
merchants: for if he then would haue said that halfe their goods had bene
his, they would haue giuen credite vnto him. For the auoiding of which
inconuenience, it was granted in the priuiledges, that no Busorman, &c. as
there appeareth.
In Persia in diuers places oxen and kine beare the tents and houshold
stuffe of the poore men of the countrey, which haue neither camels nor
horses.
Of the tree which beareth Bombasin cotton, or Gossampine.
In Persia is great abundance of Bombasin cotton, and very fine: this
groweth on a certaine litle tree or brier, not past the height of a mans
waste or litle more: the tree hath a slender stalke like vnto a brier, or
to a carnation gillifloure, with very many branches, bearing on euery
branch a fruit or rather a cod, growing in round forme, containing in it
the cotton: and when this bud or cod commeth to the bignes of a walnut, it
openeth and sheweth foorth the cotton, which groweth still in bignes vntill
it be like a fleece of wooll as big as a mans fist, and beginneth, to be
loose, and then they gather it as it were the ripe fruite.
