that is to ſay, of our Growth, would not be touch’d abroad; they were as much afraid of our Goods, as they were of our People; and indeed they had reaſon, for our woolen Manufactures are as retentive of Infection as human Bodies, and if pack’d up by Perſons infected would receive the Infection, and be as dangerous to touch, as a Man would be that was infected; and therefore when any Engliſh Veſſel arriv’d in Foreign Countries, if they did take the Goods on Shore, they always cauſed the Bales to be opened and air’d in Places appointed for that Purpoſe: But from London they would not ſuffer them to come into Port, much leſs to unlade their Goods upon any Terms whatever; and this Strictneſs was eſpecially us’d with them in Spain and Italy, in Turkey and the Iſlands of the Arches indeed as they are call’d, as well thoſe belonging to the Turks as to the Venetians, they were not ſo very rigid; in the firſt there was no Obſtruction at all; and four Ships, which were then in the River loading for Italy, that is for Leghorn and Naples, being denyed Product, as they call it, went on to Turkey, and were freely admitted to unlade their Cargo without any Difficulty, only that when they arriv’d there, ſome of their Cargo was not fit for Sale in that Country, and other Parts of it being conſign’d to Merchants at Leghorn, the Captains of the Ships had no Right nor any Orders to diſpoſe of the Goods; that great Inconveniences followed to the Merchants. But this was nothing but what the Neceſſity of Affairs requir’d, and the Merchants at Leghorn and at Naples having Notice given them, ſent again from thence to take Care of the Effects, which were particularly conſign’d to thoſe Ports, and to bring back in other Ships ſuch as were improper for the Markets at Smyrna and Scanderoon.
The Inconveniences in Spain and Portugal were ſtill greater; for they would, by no means, ſuffer
