and the water affordeth to the conduct of goods and traffique But where conduct and carriage is easie you see not for all that a notable and famous cittie by and by For without question the port of Messina is farre much better than the port of Naples that notwithstanding Naples if you behold the people exceedeth more than two Messinas The port of Carthagena exceeds in all respects the porte of Genoua and yet Genoua for multitude of people for wealth and for all manner of good things besides mightily exceedeth Carthagena What Port is more faire more safe or more spacious than the Chanell of Catharo And yet is there not any memorable Cittie in that place What shall I say of Riuers In Perù there is the Riuer Maragnone which it is sayd doth runne a marueilous thing to report six thousaÌ„d myles in length and is in breadth at the mouth thereof three score myles and more You haue the Riuer of Plate there by which though it giue place to Maragnone for the length of his streame and course it beareth yet more water a great deale And at the mouth of it they say it is one huÌ„dred fiftie myles wyde In new France there is the Riuer of Canada wyde at the mouth thirtie fiue myles and 200 fathame deepe In Africa there are also verie great Riuers Senaga Gambea and Coanza which last is a riuer late found out in the Kingdome of Angola which is thought to be wyde at the mouth 35 myles And yet amongst these there is not a famous citie to be found Nay further on the riuer of Coanza the barbarous people there liue in dennes and hyde themselues in caues couered with boughes in the companie fellowship as it were of crabbes and lobsters which through vse and custome grow wonderous familiar and secure with them In Asia although Menan which in their language signifieth the mother of riuers and Meicon which is nauigable for more than two thousand miles and likewise Indus and other royall riuers be sufficiently inhabited yet for all that Obuius which is the greatest there amongst them For where it falleth into the Scithian Ocean it is 80. myles broad which makes some men think the Mare Caspium disburdeneth it selfe that way into the Ocean hath not any famous citie in it After this another question also ryseth how it comes if the commodious meanes of conduct doe at full accomplish the greatnes of a citie How I say it comes to passe where vpon the Shoare of one selfe riuer the conduct is euen easie and a like that one Citie yet is greater than an other Without doubt it sufficeth not alone that the transportation of goods too and fro be easie and commodious but there must be else besides that some peculier vertue attractiue that may draw men and allure men more to one place than to another whereof we shall in the next booke speake more at large OF THE CAVSES OF the greatnes and magnificencie of Cities THE SECOND BOOKE HYtherto haue we spoken of aptnes of the scite of the fruitfulnes of the soyl of the commodious transportacion of commodities too and fro for the helpe and encrease of our Citie Let vs now se what those things are that may allure the people who are of nature indifferent to be heere or there to the choyse of one place before another to make their habitacions in and what causeth commerce and traffique And let vs first declare the proper meanes the Romaines tooke and then afterward the meanes that generally were common to them and others CAP. I. The proper meanes of the Romanes THe first meanes the Romanes vsed was the opening of the Sanctuary and giuing libertie fredome to all that would to come vnto them which Romulus did to the end his neighbours at that time euill entreated by Tyrants and the countrie swarming full with discontented persons Rome might by that meanes be the sooner peopled through the benefite of their safety they were sure to finde there neither was he therein deceiued a whit for thither flockt with their goods a number of people that were either thrust out of their habitations or vnsafe and vnsure of their liues in their countreys But when they found afterward a want of women necessarie for propagation Romulus proclaimed certaine great and solemne feasts at which he stole and held away by force the greatest part of the youngest women that did resort to see them so that it is no maruaile if out of so fierce and stoute a people there rose so fierce and stoute an yssue The verie same reason in a manner in these our daies hath encreased so much the city of Geneua forasmuch as it hath offered entertainment to all commers out of Fraunce and Italy that haue either forsaken or been exiled their countreys for religion sake And the same Countrey of Germany they call Francorum Vallem by the sufferance of Cassimire one of the Count Palatins of Rhene later erected by the Belgians that were for Religion thrust out of their countreis hath doneth like Cosmus the great Duke of Tusâ—…an to appopulate the Port Ferato gaue protection to such as would flye thethâ—…r and confined a number that for their offences had worthily deserued punishment Which course the great Duke Franciscus his Sonne obserued afterward for the peopling of Pisa and Liuorno But as we haue afore sayd it is neither strength nor necessity that haue power to make a citie frequented or to rayse it vnto greatnes For a people enforst and violently driuen to rest in one place is like vnto seede sowen in the Sands wherein it neuer taketh root to grow vnto ripenes But let vs returne vnto our sanctuarie It cannot be denyed but that a moderate libertie and a lawfull place of safetie very greatly helpeth to draw a multitude of people to a resting place And hereof it comes that free Cities are in coÌ„parison of other places more famous more replenished with people then Cities subiect vnto Princes to monarchies The secoÌ„d means wherwith Rome increased was that they made the townes that well deserued of theÌ„ which they after called Municipia to be partakers of their Franchises and of their offices For these honors to be Citizens of Rome and to enioy the great priuiledges annexed to their enfranchisemeÌ„t drewe into the City all such as through adherencie through fauour or through seruice done vnto the common weale might haue any hope to beare office or rule therein and such as lookt not so high resorted yet thither to serue their kinsmens turnes or their friends with their voices to aduance them to some good office And thus Rome was frequented and enriched with concourse of an infinit sight of people both noble and rich that in particular or in common were honored with the enfraÌ„chisement and freedome of Rome The third meanes was the continuall entertainment the Romaines
the people that inhabit there the shadow of the heauens It hath been in our time the Citie of residency of the Queene Crementina who by cause she rebelled from the said King of Cambaia was with maine force depriued thereof in the yeare 1536. The Emperour of the Cataian Tartars commonly called the great Chame deriueth himselfe from the great Chiny who was the first that 300. yeares agone came out of Scythia Asiatica with a valiant expedition and power of armes and made the name of the Tartars famous For he subdued China and made a great part of India tributary vnto him he wasted Persia and made Asia to tremble The successors of this great Prince made their residence in the Citie of Chiambalù a Citie no lesse magnificent then great For it is said it is in compasse twentie eight miles besides the suburbes and that it is of such traffyque and commerce as besides other sorts of Marchandize there are euery yeare brought in to it very neere a thousand Carts all loaden with Silke that come from China Wherevpon a man may gesse both the greatnes of the trades the wealth of the Marchandize the variety of the Artificers Artes the multitude of people the Pompe the magnificency the pleasure and the brauery of the inhabitants thereof But let vs now come to China There is not in all the world a Kingdome I speake of vnited and entyer Kingdomes that is either greater or more populous or more riche or more abounding in all good things or that hath more ages lasted and endured than that famous and renowned Kingdome of China Hereof it growes that the Cities wherein their Kings haue made their residence haue euer been the greatest that haue been in the world And those are Suntien Anchin and Panchin Suntien by so much as I can learne out of the vndoubted testimonies of other men is the most ancient and the chiefest and the Principallest of a certaine Prouince which is called Quinsai by which name they coÌ„monly call the same City It is Seated as it were in the extreamest parts almost of the East in a mighty great Lake that is drawen out of the foure Princely Riuers that fall there in to it whereof the greatest is called Polisanga The Lake is full of little Ilands which for the gallaÌ„tnes of the Scite the freshnes of the ayer sweetnesse of the gardens are very delightfull without measure His bankes are â—…apestred with verdure mantled trees watered with cleare running brookes and many springes and adorned with magnificent and stately Palaces This Lake in his greatest breadth is foure leagues wyde at the mouth but in some places not aboue twoo The Citie is from the mouth of the riuer twentie eight miles or there about In circuit it is an hundred miles about with large passages both by water and by land The streetes thereof are all of them paued gallantly with Stone and beautified with very fayer benches or seates to sit vpon The Chanells of most account are happely fifteene with bridges ouer them â—…o sâ—…ately to behold that Shipps vnder all their sailes passe vnder them The greatest of these Chanells cutteth thorough the middest as it were of the Citie and is a mile wide a little more or lesse with foure score bridges vpon it A Sight no question that doth exceed all other I should be to long if I should here declare all that might be said of the greatnes of the walkes and galleryes of the magnificent and Stately buildings of the beautie of the Streets of the innumerable multitude of Inhabitants of the infinite concourse of Marchandize of the inestimable number of Shipps and vessells some in laid with Ebony and some with Iuory and chekered some with Gold and some with Siluer of the incomparable riches that come in thither and are carryed out continually to be short of the delightes and pleasures whereof this Citie doth so exceedingly abound as it deserues to be called proud Suntien and yet the other two Cities Panchin and Anâ—…hin are neuer a whitlesse then this is But forasmuch as we haue made mention of China I thinke it not a misse in this place to remember the greatnes of some other of her Cities according to the relations we receaue in these dayes Cantan then which is the most knowen though not the greatest the Portugalles that haue had much commerce thither these many yeares confesse it is greater then Lisborne which yet is the greatest Citie that is in Europe except Constantinople and Paris Sanchieo is said to be three times greater then Siuile So that â—…ith Siuile is six miles in compasse Sanchieo must needes be eighteene miles about They also say Vechieo exceedes them both in greatnes Chinchieo although it be of the meaner sort the fathers of the order of Saint Augustine who saw it do iudge that Citie to conteine three score and ten thousand houses These things I here deliuer ought to be not thought by any man to be incredible For beside that that Marcus Polus in his relations affirmeth far greater things these things I speake are in these dayes approued to be most true by the intelligences we do receaue continually both of seculer and religious persons as also by all the nation of the Portugalles So as he that will denie it shall shew himselfe a foole But for the satisfaction of the reader I will not spare to search out the very reasons how it comes to passe that China is so populous and full of such admirable Cities Let vs then suppose that either by the goodnes of the Heauens or by the secret Influence of the starres to vs vnknowne or for some other reasons else what soeuer they be that part of the world that is orientall vnto vs hath more vertue I knowe not what in the producing of things than the west Hereof it proceedeth that a number of excellent things grow in these happy countries of which others are vtterly destitute and voyde As Sinamome Nutmeâ—…ges Cloues Pepper Camphâ—…re Saunders Incense â—… Aloes the Indian Nuts and such other like Moreouer the things that are common vnto both to the East I say and the West they are generally much more perfect in the East than the West as for proofe thereof the Pearles of the West in comparison of the East are as it were lead to siluer And likewise the Bezà ar that is brought fâ—…om the Indies is a great deale better far than the Bezà ar that comes from Peru. Now Chyna comes the neerest to the East of any part of the world And therefore doth she enioye all those perfections that are attributed to the East And first the Ayer which of all things importeth the life of man so much as nothing more is very temperat whereunto the neerenes of the Sea addeth a great helpe which imbraceth as it were with armes cast abroad a great part thereof and lookes it in the face with a cheerefull aspect and
Meacon and the rest And that the Tyrrhenian and the Adriatick Seas are but gullets in respect of the Ocean And of consequence our trade and traffique is but poore in respect of the Marts and fayres of Cantan Malacca Calicut Ormuze Lisbon Siuill and other Cities that bound vpon the Ocean Let vs adde to these aforesaid that the difference and enmity betweene the Mahumetanes and vs depriueth vs in a manner of the commerce of Africk and of the most part of the trade of the Leuant Againe the chiefest parts of Italy that is the Kingdome of Naples and the Dukedome of Milan are subiect to the King of Spaine The other States are meane and meane also the chiefest of their Cities But it is time wee now returne from whence wee haue digressed long The residence of Princes is so powerfull and so mighty as it alone is sufficient ynough to set vp and forme a Citie at a trice In Aethiop Francis Aluarez writeth there is not a towne although the countrie be very large that conteineth aboue a thousand and six hundred houses and that of this greatnes there are but few For all that the King called by them the great Nego and falsely by vs the Prete Iohn who hath no setteled residence representeth with his only court a mighty great Citie forasmuch as wheresoeuer he be he shadoweth with an innumerable sight of tents and pauilions many miles of the country In Asia the Cities of accompt haue been all of them the Seates of Princes Damascus Antioche Angori Trebysonda Bursia Hierusalem But let vs passe ouer into Europe The translating of the imperiall Seate diminished the glory of Rome and made Constantinople great which is mainteyned in her greatnes and Maiesty with the residēce of the great Turke This Citie standeth in the fairest the best and most commodious Scite that is in the world It is Seated in Europe but Asia is not from it aboue foure hundred pases It commaundeth two Seas the Euxin and Propontis The Euxin Sea compasseth twoo thousand and seauen hundred miles The Propontis stretcheth more then two hundred miles euen till it ioyne with the Archipelagus The weather cannot be so fowle nor so stormy nor so blustering as it can hinder in a manner the shippes from comming with their goods to that same magnificent and gallant Citie in either of those two Seas Ys this Citie had a royall and a Nauigable Riuer it would lack nothing It is thirteene miles about and this circuit conteineth about a seauen hundred thousand persons But the plague makes a mighty slaughter euery third yeare amongst them But to say truth seldome or neuer is that Citie free of the plague And hereupon is offered a good matter worthy to bee considered how it comes to passe that that same scourge toucheth it so notably euery third yeare like a Tertian Ague as in Cayrus it cometh euery seauenth especially bycause that Citie is seated in a most healthfull place But I will put off this speculation to another time or leaue it to be discussed by wittes more exercised therein than mine There are within Constantinople seauen Hills neere the Sea syde towards the East there is the Serraglio of the great Turke whose walles are in compasse three miles There is an Arsenall consisting of more then one hundred and thirty Arches to lay their shipps in To conclude the Citie is for the beawty of the Scite for the opportunity of the Portes for the commodity of the Sea for the multitude of the Inhabitants for the greatnes of the traffique for the residence of the great Turke so conspicuous and so gallant as without doubt amongst the Cities of Europe the chiefest place is due to it For the very Court alone of that Prince mainteineth of horsemen and of footmen not lesse than thirty thousand very well appoynted In Africa Algier lately become the Metropolitan of a great State is now by that meanes growen very populous Tremise when it florished conteined a sixteene thousand housholds Tunis nine thousand Marocco an hundred thousand Fess which is at this day the seate of the mighty King of Africa conteineth threescore and fiue thousand Amongst the Kingdomes of Christendome I speake of the vnited and of one body the greatest the richest and most populous is France For it conteineth twenty seauen thousand parishes including Paris in them And the country hath aboue fifteene Millions of people in it It is also so fertile through the benefit of Nature so rich through the industrie of the people as it enuieth not any other country The residence of the Kings of so mighty a Kingdome hath for a long time hitherto been kept at Paris By the meanes whereof Paris is become the greatest Citie of Christendome It is in compas twelue miles and conteineth therein about foure hundred and fiftie thousand persons and feedeth them with such plenty of victualls and with such abundance of all delicate and dainty things as he that hath not seene it cannot by any meanes imagine it The kingdomes of England of Naples of Portugall and of Bo◅mia The Earledome of Flaunders and the Dukedome of Milan are States in a manner a like of greatnes and of power So that the Cities wherein the Princes of those same kingdomes haue at any time made their residence haue been in a manner also a like as London Naples Lisbon Prage Milan and Gaunt which haue each of them a sonder more or lesse an hundred and threescore thousand persons in them But Lisbon is in deede somewhat larger then the rest by meanes of the commerce and traffique of Aethiop India and Brasil as likewise London is by meanes of the warres and troubles in the lowe countries And Naples is within these thirty yeares growen as great againe as it was In Spaine there is not a Citie of any such greatnes partly bycause it hath been till now of late deuided into diuers little kingdomes and partly bycause through want of nauigable Riuers it cannot bring so great a quantitie of foode and victuall into one place as might mainteine therein an extraordinary number of people The Cities of most magnificencie and of greatest reputation are those where the ancient Kings and Princes held their Seates as Barcelon Saragosa Valenza Cardoua Toledo Burges Leon all honorable Cities and populous ynough but yet such as passe not the second rancke of the Cities of Italy Ouer and besides the rest there is Granada where a long time the Moores haue Reigned and adorned the same with many rich and goodly buildings It is scituated part vpon the Hilles and part vpon the plaine The hilly part consisteth of three Hilles deuided each from other It aboundeth of water of all sortes with the which is watered a great part of her pleasant and goodly country which is by the meanes thereof so well inhabited and
of the Indies Inasmuch as the Moores say that if the world were a Ring Ormùz should be their Inell The Marchants of all nations vse to trade thither The naturall people there are partly Arabians and partly Persians the Arabians of a yealowish colour the PersiaÌ„s of a white of a good aspect and much giuen to Musick to neatnes and to cleanlynes to the knowledge of Histories and other such like pleasant studies The King which is a Mahumetan draweth out of the customes of the Citie of Ormùz 140. thousand Serafi out of Arabia twentie eight thousand out of Mogosta a countrie in Persia seauenteene thousand Babaren yealded vnto him 40. thousand His reuenues would be doubled if exemptions had not been graunted to the Kings of Persia and to other States and the Portugalls for the goods they enter in their names He payeth to the King of Portugall who holdeth a very strong Fortresse there twenty thousand Seraffes euerie yeare Tauris THere followes alongst the Sea which some call Mar maggiore Media The chiefest Citie whereof is Tauris some would that Tauris should be Echatana the Seate of the ancient Kings of Media This Citie is Scituated at the roote of a hill seauen daies iourney from the Mare Caspium or little more It hath an wholesome ayer but wyndy and colde And the soyle aboundeth with all things It is sixteene miles about but some do make it more It conteineth about two hundred thousand soules But it hath no building of importance For many inhabit within the earth and their houses are of mudd according to the manner of the East They lack no Springes Brookes nor gardeins Is was sometime that Seate of the Kings of Persia. But Tammas transferred it to Cusbin it was first destroyed by Selim and afterward by Soliman For it hath no walles and after that taken by Osman the generall of Amorat King of the Turkes who hath there erected a very strong Castell Derbentum Derbent is seated vnder the commaund of a Hill And with two walles that do extend euen downe to the Sea It imbraseth the suburbs the Hauen One wall is distaÌ„t from another 300. pases It hath two Iron gates with perpetuall watch ward Arasse Ciro two notable famous Riuers do make this country fruitfull It was sometimes vnder the King of Persia But it hath been destroyed by the Turkes in the last warres Aleppo Comagena is that part of Siria that followeth the course of Euphrates euen to the coÌ„fines of Armenia The chiefest City therof is the rich City of Aleppo This City which holdes the third place amongst the Cities of the Turkish Empire lieth vpon the Riuer Singa hath a ChaÌ„ell vnder grouÌ„d which produceth diuers fountaines publique priuate It containeth foure hills vpon the one of which is raysed a goodly castell and it hath great suburbes It hath no building there of importance except the Temples and the storehouses for Marchants of forreyne countries all of hard quarry stoane archt and vaulted with fouÌ„taines in the middest of the courts It aboundeth of corne and of the best wynes and of herbes and â—… fruites which are notwithstanding exceeding deere by reason of the quantity that is thereof there spent and eaten For traffique he that hath not seene it will neuer beleeue it For the Sope only that is made in that country bringes in 200. thousand crownes a yeare But the Art of Silke is an infinit woorke There hath been brought from Venice Marchandize for 350. thousand crownes This great manner of traffique is mightely holpen by the neighborhoode of our Seas and of Euphrates For from vs it is not aboue fiue reasonable daies iourney And from Euphrates also lesse The multitude of the people may be comprehended by this that in the yeare 1555. betweene the Citie and the Suburbes there dyed more then an hundred and twenty thousand persons in three monethes Fessa Fess is the fayrest the greatest the most populous and the richest Citie of all Barbary consisting all of it except the middest which is playne in Hilles and mountaines with a Riuer that crosseth it cleane thorough and serueth it wonderfull commodiously It consisteth of three parts the one on the East side of the Riuer And that contayneth foure thousand housholdes and is called Beleyda The other on the west side and hath 70. thousand houses and is called the old Fess The third is new Fess consisting of eight thousand neighbors It hath 700. Moschees The principall is Carue which is a mile and a halfe in compasse and hath â—… and thirtie gates vnto it The Marchants haue there a Court enclosed with a wall with twelue gates and fifteene streetes There is also a Colledge amongst many other whose buildings cost the King Abuhenon 400. thousand crownes There are to be seene in the Cities more theÌ„ six hundred springs of water it is 360. miles vpon the Riuer FINIS A Briefe Table directing the Reader of this Booke to the principall things in the same A Abundance of Corne Cattell Wyne and Fruits in Piemont more than in other places of Italie Fol. 16. Academy of Paris well prouided for for the sollace and recreation of the Schollers Fol. 43. Academies of Italie full of dissolutenes and great disorder Fol. 42. 43. Academies of Athens and Rhodes florished most Fol. 44. Academies would be seated in a good Ayer and pleasant Scituation Fol. 43. Alexandria by what meanes it encreased Fol. 66. Africk how many people it doth yeild Fol. 81. Anchin a Citie in China Fol. 71. Antwerpe a great Citie and by what meanes Fol. 15. B Babilon her greatnes Fol. 67. Balsame the best from Palestine Fol. 55. Bezaar from whence the best cometh Fol. 74. Brescia the description thereof Fol. 61. C Cayrus why it is called great Fol. 66. Cayrus euery seuenth yeare visited with a mighty plague Fol. 67. Cantan a great Citie in Chyna Fol. 73. Cain built the first Citie Fol. 2. Chanells made for transportation of goods Merchandize Fol. 20. Chanells in Flaunders Fol. 20 Chanell in Milan Fol. 21. Castells and Towers on Hills and Mountaines little peopled Fol. 27. China and the prayse thereof Fol. 71. China how many people it doth conteine and the multitude thereof Fol. 76. 78. China the description thereof and of her great ryches Fol. 74. 75. Chiambalù the description thereof Fol. 70. Citie said great not for the Scite and compasse of the walles but for the multitude of the inhabitants thereof Fol. 1. Cities how necessary they were to be erected Fol. 2. Cities built by many Princes and by whome Fol. 3. 4. Cities inhabited and built by the authoritie and power of great Princes Fol. 3. Cities seated on Hills and Mountaines for antiquitie most noble Fol. 8. Cities which are said fayre for Scite and which for Art Fol. 9. Cities by what manes they become great Fol. 13. Cities that serue for passage only few of them proue great Fol. 14. Cities grow
water Which of nature is such a substance that through the grossenes thereof it is apt to beare great burdens And through the liquidnes holpen with the windes or the oares fit to carry them to what place they list So that by such a good meane the West is ioyned with the East and the South with the North. And a man might say that what so growes in one place growes in all places by the easie meanes prouided to come by them Now without doubt the Sea for her infinit greatnes and grosnesse of the water is much more profitable than the Lakes or the Riuers But the Sea serues you to little purpose if you haue not a large and safe Port to ride into I say large either for the greatnes or for the depth in the entrie thereat the middest and the extreames And I say safe either from all or from many windes or at least from the most blustering and most tempestuous It is held that amongst all windes the Northerne is most tollerable and that the Seas that are troubled on the Greekish coast cease their rage and wax quiet assoone as the winde is laide But the Southern windes trouble them and beate them so sore wherof the Gulfe of Venice is an vndoubted witn esthar euen after the winde is laid they swell and rage a great while after Now the Port shal be safe either by nature as that of Messina and Marsiles or else by art the Imitato◅ of nature as that of Genoua and of Palermo Lakes are as it were little Seas So that also they for the proporcion of the place and other respects besides gaue a great helpe to appopulate townes and citties As it is found in Noua Hispania where as is the Lake of Mexico which extendeth nine hundred miles in compasse and conteineth 50. faire aud goodly townes in it Amongst the which there is the Towne Themistitan the Metropolitan seate of that great and large Kingdome The Riuers also import much and most of all they that runne the longest course especially through the richest and most merchantable Regions such as is Po in Italie Scaldis in Flanders Ligeris Sona in France Danubius and the Rhene in Germanie And as Lakes are certaine seuerall remembrances of the bosomes of the Gulphes of the Seas formed and made by nature Euen so Chanells whereinto the water of the Lake or the Riuer runneth are certaine Imitations and as it were shadowes of the same Riuers made by skill and cunning The ancient Kings of Egipt made a ditch that from Nilus ranne to the city Heroum they assaid to draw a Chanell from the Red Sea to Mare Mediterraneū to knit our Seas with the Indian Seas and so to make the easier transportation too and fro of all kindes of merchandize and by that meanes withall to enritch their owne Kingdome And it is a thing well knowē how ost it hath been attempted to breake vp Isthmus to vnite the Sea Ionium with Mare Aegeum A Souldier of Cayro drewe a Chanell from Eufrates to the cittie of Alepo In Flanders you may see both at Gant and at Bruges and in other places else besides many Chanels made by art and with an inestimable expence and charge but yet of much more profit for the ease they bring to merchandizing and to the trafique of other nations And in Lombardy many cities haue wisely procured this ease vnto them But none more then Milan that with one Chanell worthy of the Romaines glorie draweth the waters to it of Thesinum and of the Lake called Lago Maggiore and by such meanes enricheth it selfe with infinit store of merchandizes and with an other Chanell also benefiteth much by the Riuer Adda through the opportunitie and meanes it hath thereby to bring in the fruites and the goods of their exceeding plentifull countrie home vnto their houses And they should make it much the better if they would clense and scower the Chanell of Pauia and Iurea Now in Chanells and in Riuers for their better ease of conduct and of trafique besides the length of their courses we haue before spoken the depth the pleasantnes the thicknes of the water and the largnes thereof is of much moment to them The depth bycause deepe waters beare and susteine the greater burdens and the nauigation is the more safe without perill The Pleasantnes bycause it makes the nauigation easie vp and downe which way soeuer you bend your course Wherein it seemes to some they haue been much mistaken that had the ordering of the Chanell that comes from Thesinum to Milan Forasmuch as by the great fall of the water and the great aduantage giuen to the water it hath so strong a currant and is so violent that with infinit toyle and labor and losse of time they haue much a do to saile vpward But as towching Riuers nature hath shewed her selfe very kinde to Gallia Celtica and Belgica for asmuch as in Gallia Celtica the riuers for the most part are most calme and still and therefore they saile vp and downe with incredible facilitie because many of them come forth as it were in the plaines euen grounds By the meanes where of their course is not violent and they runne not between the mountaines nor yet a short and little way but many hundred miles through goodly and euen plaines Where for their recreation and their pleasure otherwhile men take their course one way another while another now go on forwardes and then turne back againe and so by this winding and turning too and fro they helpe diuers cities and prouinces with water and victualls or other such things as they need But there is not a country in Europe better furnished and prouided of Riuers than that part of Gallia Belgica that cōmonly we call Flanders The Meuse the Schelde the Mosella Tevora Ruer and Rhene deuided into three great Armes or branches runne pleasantly and gallantly forthright and ouerthwart the Prouince mightely enritch it by the cōmoditie of nauigation trafique of infinit treasure which certainly wants in Italie For Italie being long and strait and parted in the middest with the Apenine Hills the Riuers of Italie through the shortnes of their cou◅se cannot neither much encrease nor yet abate the violence of their Streames The Riuers of Lombardy come all as it were either out of the Alpes as Thesinum Adda Lambro Seruo A◅liga or out of the Apenine hills as Tarro Lenza Panarus Rhene and but a short way neither wherein they rather deserue to be called land floods than Riuers For they soone find out the Po which takes his course between the Appenine hils the Alpes So that he only resteth nauigable For washing this Prouince ouer by all his whole length he hath time to growe great and enrich himselfe with the helpe of many Riuers and to moderate his naturall swiftnesse by the long way he maketh But this
with a thousand creekes and gulfes penetrateth far within the very Prouince Next that The countrie is for the most part plaine and of nature very apt to produce not onely things necessarie for the vse and sustenance of the life of man but also all sorts of daintie things for mans delight and pleasure The Hilles and Mountaines are perpetually arrayed with trees of all sorts some wilde and some fruitfull The plaines manured tilled and sowen with rise barley wheate peaze and beanes The Gardens besides our common sortes of fruites doe yeald most sweet Mellons most delicat Plommes most excellent Figges Pomecitrons and Orenges of diuers formes and excellent taste They haue also an herbe out of which they presse a delicate iuyce which serues them for drincke in stead of wyne It also preserues their health and frees them from all those euills that the immoderat vse of wyne doth breed vnto vs. They also abound in cattell in sheepe in fowle in deere in wooll in rich Skinnes Cotton Linnen and in infinit store of Sylke There are Mines of Gold and Siluer and of excellent iron There are most pretious pearles There is abundance of Suger Honny Rewbarbe Camphire red Leade Woad Muske and Aloes and the Porcelan earth is knowen no where but there More then this The Riuers and the waters of all sorts runne gallantly through all those countries with an vnspeakeable profit and commoditie for nauigation and for tillage And the waters are as plentifull of fish as the land is of fruites For the Riuers and the Seas yeild thereof an infinite abundance Vnto this so great a fertilitie and yeild both of the land water there is ioyned an incredible cultùre of both these elements And that proceedeth out of two causes whereof the one dependeth vpon the inestimable multitude of the inhabitants for it is thought that China doth conteyne more then threescore Millions of Soules and the other consisteth in the extreame diligence and paines that is taken aswell of priuat persons in the tillage of their grouÌ„ds and well husbanding their farmes as also of Magistrates that suffer not a man to leade an idle life at home So that there is not a little scratt of ground that is not husbandly and very well manured Now for their Mechanicall Artes should I commit them heere to Silence When as there is not a countrie in the world where they do more florish both for varietie and for excellencie of skill and workmanship Which proceedeth also out of two causes whereof the one I haue commended before in that idlenes is euery where forbidden there and euery man compeld to worke no man suffered to be idle no not the blinde nor the lame nor the maimed if they bee not altogether impotent and weake And the women also by a law of Vitei King of China are bound to exercise their fathers trades and Artes and how noble or how great soeuer they be they must at least attend their distaffe and their needell The other cause is that the sonnes must of necessity follow their fathers mysteries So that hereupon it comes that Artificers are infinit and that children aswell boyes as gyrles euen in their infancy can skill to worke and that Artes are brought vnto most excellent and hygh perfection They suffer not any thing to goe to losse With the dong of the busâ—…es and oxen and other cattell they vse to feed fishe and of the bones of dogges aud other beasts they make many and diuers carued and engrauen workes as we doe make of Iuory Of ragges and cloutes they make paper To be short such is the plentie and varietie of the fruites of the earth and of mans industrie and labor as they haue no need of forreine helpe to bring them any thinge For they giue away a great quantite of their owne to forreine countreys And to speake of no things else the quantitie of Silke that is caried out of China is almost not credible A thousand quintals of silke are yerely caried thence for the Portugalls Indies for the Philippinaes they lade out fifteene shippes There are carried out to Giapan an inestimable summe and vnto Câ—…taia as great a quantitie as you may gesse by that we haue before declared is yearly carryed thence to Chiambalù And they sell their works and their labors by reason of the infinit stoare that is made so cheape and at so easy price as the Marchants of Noua Hispania that trade vnto the Philippinaes to make their martes vnto which place the Chinaes themselues doe traffique do wonder at it much By meanes whereof the traffique with the Philippinaes fals out to bee rather hurtfull then profitable vnto the King of Spaine For the benefit of the cheapnes of things is it that makes the people of Mexico who heretofore haue vsde to fetch their commodities from Spaine to fetch them at the Philippinaes But the King of Spaine for the desire he hath to winne vnto familiarity and loue and by that meanes to draw to our christian faith and to the bosome of the catholique church those people that are wrapt in the horrible darkenes of idolatrie esteemeth not a whit of his losse so he may gayne their soules to God By these things I haue declared it appeareth plaine that China hath the meanes partly by the benefit of Nature and partly by the industry and Art of man to susteine an infinit sight of people And that for that cause it is credible ynough that it becometh so populous a countrie as hath been said And I affirme this much more vnto it that it is necessarie it should be so for two reasons the one for that it is not lawfull for the King of China to make warre to get new countries but onely to defend his owne and thereupon it must ensue that he enioyeth in a manner a perpetuall peace And what is there more to be desired or wisht than peace VVhat thing can be more profitable than peace My other reason is for that it is not lawfull for any of the Chinaes to goe out of their country without leaue or lycence of the Magistrates So that the nomber of persons continually encreasing and abyding still at home it is of necessity that the nomber of people do become inestimable and of consequence the Cities exceeding great the townes infinit and that China it selfe should rather in a manner be but one bodie and but one Citie To say the truth wee Italians do flatter our selues too much and do admire too partially those things that do concerne our selues especially when we will preferre Italy and her Cities beyond all therest in the world The shape and figure of Italy is long and streyte deuided withall in the middest with the Apenine Hills And the pancitie and rarenes of Nauigable Riuers doth not beare it that there can be very great and populous Cities in it I will not spare to say that her riuers are but little brookes in comparison of Ganges Menan
great by granting freedomes and immunities vnto them Fol. 30. Cities that are free more eminent and better stored with people than Cities subiect vnto Monarchies Fol. 3â—… Cities made great by imparting their freedomes and their offices to others Fol. 32. Cities made great by erecting goodly monuments buildings in them Fol. 33. Cities made great by the helpe of neere Colonies about them Fol. 35. Cities made great by erecting vniuersities in them Fol. 42. Cities made great by the residence of the Nobility in them Fol. 63. Cities made great by the residence of the Prince in them Fol. 65. Cities seated on the Ocean are the best for Marchandize Fol. 79. Cities exceeding great are more subiect to Plagues and dearth than the lesser Cities are Fol. 81. 93. Commodious conduct of ware is not ynough to make a Citie great but there must be some other vertue attractiue vnto it Fol. 29. Cities once growen to a certaine number encrease not further on and the cause why Fol 92. 94. Cities are maintained by iustice peace and plenty Fol 97. Cities that haue delight and pleasures in them drawe forreyâ—…ert to come vnto them Fol 9. 10. 11. Cities which are of greatest reputation in Spaine Fol 83. Crema and her beginning Fol 7. Children in Chyna bound to learne their fathers art and occupation Fol 56. Cloaues had from the Moluccaes Fol 55. Constantinople the principallest Citie in Europe Fol 80. 81. Constantinople and the description thereof Fol 80. Constantinople euerie third yeare visited with the plague Fol 81. D Dominion maketh a Citie great and by what meanes Fol 60. Dominion gotten by meere strength and force holdeth not long Fol 12. E AEthiop hath no greate Cities Fol 79. Europe and her great Cities Fol 82. F Fraunce the Nobility and gent. there do mostly inhabite the country and not the Cities Fol 62. Fraunce plentifull of all necessary things Fol 17. FrauÌ„ce and the greatnes therof with the number of people it doth containe Fol 82. G Gaunt how many people it doth containe Fol 82. Genoua serueth for passage and yet a great Citie Fol 15. God how he is desired of all creatures Fol 39. H Hierusalem the greatest Citie of the East Fol 36. Honor is atteyned by Armes and by learning Fol 41. 42. I Immunity increaseth a Citie Fol 42. Immunitie the meanes to cause people to come together Fol 42. Incense from Sabea Fol 55. Idolatry by whome and for what cause it was set vp Fol 37. Industrie of man of more importe than the fruitfulnes of the land Fol 48. 49. Italie the description thereof Fol 79. Iustice ministred with expedition in Rome England Scotland and Turky Fol 46. The Tribunall seat of Iustice is the most principall member of a State Fol 46. The sâ—…at of Iustice makes great repaire to Cities and makes Cities great Fol 45. 46. L Lisborne a great Citie Fol 15. 82. Lisborne how many people it doth conteine Fol 82. London encreased by the resort of the Hollanders Fol 6. 83. London how many people it doth containe Fol 82. Lakes are in a manner little Seas auaile much to people a Citie Fol 19. M Media the Kings thereof made their residence in Echatana Fol 68. Memphis and the greatnes thereof Fol 66. Milan aduanced by the religious life of the Cardinall Boroâ—…meo Fol 40. Moscouia three famous Cities in that Empire Fol 84. Mony makes men trudge from place to place Fol 45. Multitude breedeth confusion Fol 87. Merchandize helpeth greatly to thencrease of a Citie Fol 55. N Naples how many people it doth conteine Fol 82. Necessity enforceth men to draw themselues together Fol 4. Nilus the riuer and his effects Fol 24. 25. Niniuie and the greatnes thereof Fol 67. P Palermo and the description thereof Fol 85. Panchin a mightie great Citie in China Fol 72. Paris exceedeth all the Cities of Cristendome in people and plenty of all things Fol 24. 44. Pepper a good part thereof doth grow in Calicut Fol 55. Pearles where the best are had Fol 74. Persia the Kings therof made their resideÌ„ce in Persepolis Fol 68. Pysa grew great vpon the sacking of Genoua Fol 6. Plague mencioned in Boccace most fierce and cruell Fol 54. Poloma and her Cities Fol 84. Ports of the Sea which are good Fol 19. Power consisteth in the multitude of people Fol 87. 88. Prage how many people it doth containe Fol 82. R Reputation of a religious zeale and feare of God maketh a Citie great Fol 36. Residency of the Nobility causeth the encrease of a Citie Fol 62. Residency of the Prince magnifieth a City Fol 65. Residency of the Pope causeth the greatnes of Rome Fol 86. Rhodes grew great thorough the multitude of Iewes that repaired thither Fol 6. Rome and the prayse thereof Fol 10. Rome great by the ruine of her neighbour Cities Fol 7. Rome great by meanes of her reliques and the Popes residency therein Fol 40. Riuers how much they import for caryage of goods Fol 20. Riuers some better then some for transportation Fol 23. Riuers of name Fol 28. Riuers in Spaine not greatly nauigable Fol 26 Romanes how they came fierce Fol 31. Riuers in Italy but few that are nauigable Fol 79. S Salonicha grew great by the multitude of Iewes that fled thyther out of Spaine and Portugall Fol 6. Sarmacanda and the greatnes of it Fol 69. Sena a riuer and the properties thereof Fol 24. Scituation what manner of one is fit to make a Citie great Fol 13. Spaine containeth no very great Cities Fol 83. Suntien a Citie in China which is in circuit an 100. miles about Fol 72. Sinamom a good part thereof doth grow in Zeilan Fol 55. T Tartaria and the Empire thereof Fol 68. Tauris a Citie in Persia 16. miles about Fol 68. Tamberlane the mighty spoyle and pray â—…e made vpon Damascus Fol 69. Thebes and the greatnes thereof Fol 65. 66. Towers the most ancient manner and forme of building that we haue Fol 4. 5. Trades occupations brought into a City make it great Fol 48. 52. V Venice by what meanes it grew great Fol 7. 64. Venice and her prayse Fol 11. Venice serues for passage and yet a great and mighty City Fol 15. Usages and manners most barbarous and horrible of the new world and other countries Fol 95. W Water created of God not only for an Element but also for a meanes of transportacion of goods out of one country into another Fol 18. Water more commodious then the land Fol 18. Water one sort more apt to beare burdens then an other Fol 23. Wayes 2. most famous made and cut out of about 2000. miles in length by the King of Cusco Waies very bad thorough out Italy Fol 60. Wooll most excellent in England and in Spaine Fol 55. FINIS Brasill Noe. Biscay Aragon Tamberlan Giustinopoli Gallia traÌ„spadana Saracenes Rialto Venice Alba. Cornicolo Pometia Veios Tatius King of the Sabines Tamberlan Sarmacanda Ottoman Mahomet Selim. Thespis Samos Alexandria Menisis Rhodes Babilon Rome Uenice Derben uÌ„ Sues Premont England London Fraunce Paris Coaches with failes Lakes Noua His pania Mexico ThemistitaÌ„ Riuers Chanell Nilus Heroum Marerubrum Cayrus Alepo Gant Bruges Milan Thesinum Lago maggiore Depth PleasaÌ„tnes Thicknes Largenes Gallia Belgica Celtica Flanders Riuers of Lombardy Riuers of Romagna Tiber. Nilus Questio Nilus Resolutio Fiesole Florence Rome Messina Naples Carthagena Genoua Catharo Perù Maragnone a riuer in Perù The riuer of Plate Riuer of Canada Angola foce Riuer of Coanza Riuers Menan Meicon Indus Obuius Romulus Geneua Cassimire Cosmus MunicipiuÌ„ is euery City or towne hauing the liberty that Rome had Alba longa This chatter here meÌ„cioned is written at large in the end of this boâ—…ke 2. Millions and a halfe of people in Hierusalem which was but 4. myles about * Irreligious people * Orbiculary period Rome * King of Spaine * New Doctrine Sectes Question Resolution Wooll Silke Cloues Incense Balsame Pepper Sinamom Salt Suger Wooll Armor Tapestry Veluet Cloth of gold ad siluer Châ—…a King of Cusco Draudius sexceâ—…ta milia Carthage 24 miles about Rome 50. miles about besides the Suburbs Cusco a princely Citie in Perù Cacicha viceroy or LieuetenaÌ„t Armenia Tygranocerta Venice Egipt the ancientest Kingdome Thebes Memphis Thebes 17. miles about Alexandria Cayrus Draudius The greatnes of Cayrus Niniue 60. miles about Draudius Babilon was 480 furlongs in circuit Califfe Media Ecbatana Persepolis Tauris in Persia 16. miles in compas Tartaria Mogora Cataia Sarmarcanda enriched by Tamberlane 8000. Camells laden with spoyle 60. M. Draudius The Kingdome of Cambaia Citor Citor a Citie 12. miles about The great Cham. Chiambalù 28. miles in compasse besides the suburbes The kingdome of China Three great Cities in China Polisanga Suntien a Citie in Circuit 100. miles about Cantan Sanchieo Vechieo Chinchieo The Indian Nut is called Cocus is full of milke and sayd to be restoraâ—…e Vitei Chiambalù Aethiop The great Nego Asia Constantinople Mare Euxinum Propontis Archipelagus Constantinople 1â—… miles about Plague euery third yeare in CoÌ„stantinople Plague euery seauenth yeare in Cayrus Tremise Tunis Morocco Fess. France Paris 12. miles in compas Paris containeth 450 M. persons England Naples c. London Lisbon London Naples Spaine Granada Siuilia 6. miles about Uagliadoid Madrid Polonia Cracouium Vilna Moscouia Moscouia CoÌ„stantinople Paris Lisbon the chiefest Cities in Europe Scicilia Siracusa Palermo Draudius 17. thousand Serafo is â—… coyâ—…e in India worth 4. shillings Sterl and of Spanish mâ—…ny a peece of 8. which is 4. shillings
A TREATISE CONCERNING the causes of the Magnificencie and greatnes of Cities Deuided into thre bookes by Sig Giouanni Botero in the Italian tongue now done into English By Robert Peterson 〈◊〉 To The right honorable my verie good Lord Sir Thomas Egerton knight Baron of Ellesmere Lord high Chauncelor of England and one of his Maiesties most honorable Priuie Councell MY very good Lord when I had enterteyned some of my free howers of vacation from other businesses with the reading of this Author in his owne language and that my liking led me into this further trauaile with him to translate him into our owne tongue I thought I had yet done little for him except I did also set him before the common eye of my country that the pleasure and proffit which I reaped in this worke might by this communication thereof redownd to many And that I might do so worthy a writer all right the matter consisting of Policie and State I could not addresse my selfe my translatioÌ„ of him to one whose wisedome and graue both experience and Iudgment might be more parallell to the substance of this worke or whose honorable fauour to my selfe might require of me more loue and dutie then your good Lordship To expresse this I haue been bold to commend these my labours to your honorable fauor beseeching you to make them happy in your protection of them and with them to receaue my humble dutie and seruice which resteth euer Your Lordships to be commaunded Robert Peterson A Table of all the Chapters conteined in these three bookes of the Causes of the greatnes of Cities In the first Booke What a Citie is and what the greatnes of a Citie is said to be Fol. 1. Of Authoritie 2. Of Force 4. How the Romanes encreased the Citie of Rome by wasting their neighbour Townes 7. That some haue gotten the Inhabitants of other Townes in to their owne Cities 8. Of Pleasure 9. Of Proffit 11. Of the commoditie of the Scite 13. Of the fruitfulnes of the Soyle 15. Of the commodity of Conduct 17. In the second Booke The proper meanes the Romanes vsed to appopulate their Cities 30. Of Colonies 33. Of Religion 36. Of Schooles and studies 41. Of the place of Iustice. 45. Of Industrie 47. Of priuiledges 53. Of hauing in her possession some Merchandize of moment 55. Of Dominion and power 60. Of the Residency of the Nobility 62. Of the Residency of the Prince 65. In the third Booke Whether it be expedient for a Citie to haue few or many Citizens 87. What the reason is that Cities once growen to a greatnes encrease not onward according to that proportion 89. Of the causes that doe concerne the magnificency greatnes of a Citie 97. THE FIRST BOOKE of Iohannes Boterus of the causes of the magnificencie and greatnes of Citties CAP. I. What a Citty is and what the greatnes of a Citty is sayd to be A Citty is sayd to be an assembly of people acongregation drawen together to the end they may thereby the better liue at their ease in wealth and plenty And the greatnes of a Citty is sayd to be not the largnes oâ—… the â—…ite or the circuit of the walles but the multitude and number of Inhabitants and their power Now men are drawen together vpon sâ—…ndry causes and occasions therevnto them moouing â—…ome by authority some by force some by pleasure and some by profit that proceedeth of it CAP. II. Of Authority _â—… Ain was the first Author of Cittyes but the Poets whome Cicero therein followed fable that in the old world men scattered here and there on the mountaines and the plaines led a life little different from brute beastes without lawes without conformity of customes and manner of ciuile conuersation And that afterward there rose vp some who hauing with their wisdome and their eloquence wonne a speciall Reputation and Authority aboue the rest declared to the rude and barbarous multitude how much how great profit they were like to enioy if drawyng theÌ„selues to one place they would vnite themselues into one body by an interchangeable coÌ„municatioÌ„ coÌ„merce of all things that would proceed thereof And by this meanes they first founded Hamlets and Villages and after Townes and Cittyes and therevpon these Poets further seyned that 〈◊〉 and Amphiâ—…n drew after them the beasts of the fields the woods and stones meanyng vnder these fictions to signifie shew the grossenes of the witts and the roughnes of the manners of the same people But besides these fables we read of Tâ—…eseus that after he had taken vpon him the gouernment of the Athenians it came into his mynd to vnite into one Citty all the people that dwelt in the contry there about dispersedly in many Villages abroad Which he easely effected by manifesting vnto them the great coÌ„modity good that would ensue of it The like thing is daily at this time put in practise in Brasill Those people dwell dispersed here there in caues Cottages not to call them houses made of boughes leaues of the Palme And for asmuch as this manner of life to liue so dispersedly causeth these people to remaine in that same sauage mynd of theirs and roughnes of maner and behauiour and bringeth therewith much difficulty hinderaÌ„ce to the preaching of the Gospell to the conuersion of the Infidells the instruction of those that trauaile painfully to conuert them and to bring them to knowledge and ciuility The Portugalls Iesuits haue vsed extreame diligence and care to reduce draw them into some certaine place together more convenieÌ„t for their purpose where liuing in a ciuile coÌ„uersation they might more easely be instructed in the christian faith and gouerned by the Magistrate ministers of the King So that to this purpose I might here remember those citties that haue been built by the power and inhabited by the authority of great Princes or some famous coÌ„mon weales For the Grecians and Phaenicians were the authors of an infinit sight of Citties And Alexander the great and other Kings erected a number more besides whereof beare witnes the Alexandriae Tholomaiâ—…s Antiochiae Lysimachiae Philippopoles Demetriadeâ—… Caesareae Augustae Sebastiae Agrippinae Manfredoniae and in our time Cosmopolis and the Citty of the Sonne But none deserueth more prayse in this kind after Alexan er the great who built more than three scoare and ten Cittyes then the King Seleucus who besides many other built three Cittyes called Apaâ—…iae to the honor of his wife fiue called Laodiceae in memory of his mother and to the honor of himselfe fiue called Seleuâ—…tae and in all more than thirtie magnificent and goodly Citties CAP. III. Of Force THrough force and ineuitable necessity people are gathered other while together into one place when as some imminent peâ—…ill especially of wars or ruine and vnreconerable wast and deuastacion enforceth them to flye vnto it to put in safty their liues or their goods and
art belongeth the strayte and fayre streetes of a cittye the magnificent gorgious buildings therein eyther for Art or matter the theaters Porches Circles Rases for running horses Fountaines Images Pictures and such other excellent and wonderfull things as delight and feede the eyes of the people with an admiration and wonder at them The citty of Thespis was frequeÌ„ted for the excellent workmanship sake of the Image of Cupid Samos for the merualous greatnes of the temple Alexandria for the tower of Pharo Menisis for the Pyramides Rhodes for the Colossus And how many shall we thinke haue gon to Babilon to see the wonderrous wailes that 〈◊〉 had made about it The Romans many times willingly went for their recreation sake to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Smyrna Rhodes and 〈◊〉 euen to take the benyfit of the ayre and to behold the bewty of those same cittyes To conclude all that euer feedeth the eye and delighteth the sense of man and hath any exquitite and curious workmanship in it all that euer is rare strange new vnwonted extraordinary admirable magnificent great or singular by cunning apperteyneth to this head And amongest all the cittyes of Europes Rome and 〈◊〉 are the most frequented for the pleasures and delightes they minister to all the beholders of them Rome for the exceeding wonderfull reliques of her ancient greatnes And 〈◊〉 for the gloriousnes of her present and magnificent 〈◊〉 Rome filleth the eye with wonder and delight at the greatnes of her 〈◊〉 the rarenes of her â—…athes and â—…enes of her oâ—…ossi aâ—… also at the Art of her admirable works both in Marble and in â—…rasse wrought by excellent 〈◊〉 â—…t the heiâ—…th and â—…enes of her Obelisâ—…es at the 〈◊〉 and variety of pillers at the diversity and 〈◊〉 of strange marble the exquisite curious cutting of it Theâ—… orâ—…ery Alablaster Marble White Black Grey Yellow and mixt and Serpentyne The great ruines the hel-gates and a number of other sorts and kinds besides which were too hard to recount and impossible to distinguishe What shall I say of the triumphall arches of the seauen Zoanes or circles of the Temples and what of a number of other wonders else And what shall we imagyne that Citty was when she floryshed and triumphed if now while shelyeth thus defaced is none other then a Sepulture of her selfe she allureth vs to see her and feedeth vs vnsatiably with the ruynes of her selfe On the other side Venice with the wonder of her incomparable Scituation which seemeth the Act of nature by giuing lawes to the waters and setting a bridell on the Sea ministreth vnto vs no lesse admiration and wonder at it The greatnes also of her inestimable Arsenall the multitude of ships both of warre of trafique and of Passage The incredible number of warlike instruments ordinance and munition and of all manner of preparacions for the Seas The heygth of the towers the ryches of the Churches the magnificeÌ„cy of the â—…allaces the beautifullnes of the Streetes the variety of Artes the order of her gouernment the beauty of the one and other sexe doth dazell and amaze the eyes of the beholders of them CAP. VII Of Profite THis Profit is of such power to vnite and tye men fast vnto one place as the other causes aforesayd without this accompany them with all are not sufficient to make any city great Not Authority alone For if the place whereto men are drawen thorough the Authority of any afford them no commodityes they will not abyde nor tarry there Neyther yet necessity For such a congregation and collection of people encreaseth multiplieth and lasâ—…eth for many yeares And necessity is violent And violence cannot produce any durable effect So that it comes to passe that not only citties do not encrease but also States Principalityes gotten with meere strength and violence cannot be long mainteyned They are much like Land floodes that haue no head nor spring as Riuers haue that minister perpetually plenty of waters to them But casually and in a moment ryse and swell and by and by asswage and fall againe So that as they are to trauaylers fearefull in their swellings so do they fall againe wthin a while to fast as trauailers may soone passe away on soote againe drye Such were the conquests of the Tarters that haue so vast inuaded 〈◊〉 and put it to the sword Of Alexandâ—… the great of Attâ—…la of great 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 the eight and of 〈◊〉 the twelueth King of france And the reason therof is that our nature is so great alouer longeth after commoditye so much as that it is not possible to quiet content her with that which is no more but necessary For as Plants although they be set deepe ynough within the ground cannot for all that last and be long kept without the fauour of the heauens and the benefyt of raine Euen so the habitacions of men enforst at first by meere necessity are not maynteyned long if profit and commodity go not companions with it much lesse then is pleasure and delyght of any moment For man is borne to labor and most men attend their businesse and the ideler sort are of no account nor reckoning and their idlenesse is built and founded vpon the labours and the industrie of those that worke And pleasure cannot stand without profit and commoditie whereof she is as it were the verie fruit Now suppose that profite is the verie thing from whence as from the principall cause the greatnesse of citties groweth For the same profite is not simple and of one sort but of diuers formes and kindes It resteth therefore now that we see what manner of commodity and profit is most fit for the end wherof we haue disputed all this while We say then that to make a cittie great and famous the commoditie of the scite the fertilitie of the soyle and easinesse of conduct helpeth sufficiently ynough CAP. VIII Of the commoditie of the Scite I Call that a commodious Scite that serues in such sort as many people haue thereof neede for their traffique and transportation of their goods whereof they haue more plenty than they need or for receiuing of things wherof they haue scarsitie so that this scite standing thus betweene both partaketh with both and groweth rich with the extreames I say partaketh with the extreames because it cannot otherwise increase the greatnesse of a cittie â—…or asmuch as it must either remaine desert or else not serue but for a simple passage Derbentum a Towne seated in the Ports of the Caspian Seas is a verie necessarie place to goe from Persia into â—…artary or from â—…artary into Persia yet notwithstanding it neuer grew great nor no famous cittie and in these our dayes there is no reckoning made of it and the reason is for that it partaketh not of these extreames but serueth for passage onely and receiueth those that ttauaile too and fro not as marchants and men of commerce and
take withall that forasmuch as the sayd Riuers thorough the shortnesse of their course enter and meet together with a mightie rage and violence they wax great otherwhile and swell and runne with such a raging course as they make the strongest Citties afraide of them much more the Country thereabout But the Riuers of Romagna and of other parts of Italy falling like raging Land-flouds partly on this side and partly on that side of the Appenine hils soone find out the Adriaticke or the Tyrrhenian or the Ionian Seas So that the most of them haue no time to slake their rage nor none of them haue so much time to grow great as might make them nauigable For that little that is nauigable in Arn◅ or in Tiber it is not worth the speaking The thickenesse of the water is also a verie good helpe in this case For it cannot be denied that the water of one Riuer beareth great and waighty burdens much better than the water of some other And in particuler when the Obelisk set vp in the time of Sextus the fift which is to be seene at this day in Saint Peters street was brought to Rome It is well knowen by good experience the water of Tiber was of more strength and of more force and firmenesse than the water of Nilus And Seina a meane riuer in France beareth ships of such bulke and carieth burdens so gr◅ the that sees it not will not beleeue it And the◅e is not a riuer in the world that for proportion is able to beare the like burden So that although it exceede not a mediocritie and be but a small riuer yet notwithstanding it suplieth wonderfully all the necessities and wants of Paris a citie that in people and in abundance of all things exreedeth far all other cities whatsoeuer within the scope of Christendome Here a man might aske me how it comes to passe that one water should beare more burden than another Some will that this proceedeth from the nature of the earth that thickneth the water and maketh it stiffe and by consequence firme and solide This reason hath no other opposition but Nilus the water whereof is so earthie and so muddie that the Scripture calleth it the Troubled riuer And it is not to be dronke before it be purged and setled well in the Cesterne And it doth not only water mellow all Egipt ouer with its liquidnes but more than that maketh it fertile and mucketh as it were the ground with its satnes And yet it is not of the fittest nor the strongest to susteine and beare shipps boats or barks of any good burden wherevpon I should thinke that for such effect and purpose wee should not so much preferre the muddinesse of the water as the sliminesse thereof for that doth glew it as it were together and thicken it the better and maketh it more fit and more apt to beare good burden But some man might aske me here again frō whēce cometh this quality this diuersity I mean of waters I must answere it comes of 2. causes First frō the very breaking or bursting of it out and passage along thorough rich rank fat Countreys For riuers participating of the nature of the grounds that make them their beds banks become therby thēselues also fat and slimy of quality much like to oyle The next cause proceedeth frō the swiftnes the shortnes of the course Forasmuch as the lengh of a voiage the rage of the Riuers maketh thin subtileth the substance and breaks cuts in sunder the slimines of the water which happeneth in Nilus For running in a maner as it doth 2000. miles by a direct line for by an oblique crooked line it would be a great deale more and falling from places exceeding steepe and headlong where through the vehemency violent force of the course by the inestimable rage of the fall it breaketh dissolueth all into a very small and fine raine as it were it waxeth so fine and subtile and so tyreth his waters that they loose all their slimie properties which resteth all at the Riuers of Almaigne and of Fraunce For they grow and walke thorough most rich and pleasant Countreys and they be not ordinarily swift nor violent Now that this is the true reason thereof the water of Senna shall make a true proofe of it for if you wash your hands with it it scowreth like soape and clenseth you of all manner of spots But let vs now passe to the widenesse and that is necessarie to beginne withall in Riuers and in Chanels of which we speake of that they should be wide and large that Shippes may commodiouslly winde and turne heere and there at their will and pleasure and giue way each to other But the widenesse of a Riuer without depth serues not for our purpose for it dissipateth and disperseth the water in such sort that it maketh it vnfit for nauigation which happeneth to the riuer of Plate which through ouer much widenesse is for the most part lowe and of vneuen bottome and full of rocks and little Ilands And for the selfe same cause the riuers of Spaine are not gretly nauigable for they haue large bellies but they spread wide and vneuen they are and vncertaine And thus much sufficeth to haue sayd of Riuers Now forasmuch as the commodities and profits are such and so great which the water bringeth to aduance the greatnesse of a Cittie of consequent those citties must be the fa◅rest and the richest that haue the most store of nauigable Riuers And euen such are those citties that are seated vpon good Hauens of the Seas riuers or lakes that are commodious apt and fit for sundrie nauigations It may seeme to some that with the easinesse of conduct the foundation is now found out and full complement and perfection of the greatnesse of a cittie But it is not so for it behoues besides that that there be some matter of profite that may draw the people and cause them to repaire to one place more than to another For where there is no commoditie of conduct the multitude of people cannot bee great which the Hils and Mountaines teacheth vs on which wee may well see many Castles and little townes but no store of people that we might thereby call them great And the reason is because of the craggidnesse and steepnesse of their scites such things as are necessarie and commodious for a ciuile life cannot bee brought vnto them without an infinite toyle and labour And Fiesole became desert and Florence frequented vpon none other cause than that Fiesole standeth on too steepe and too high a place almost vnaccessible Florence in a verie plaine easie to haue accesse vnto it And in Rome we see the people haue forsaken the Auentine and other hils there drawne themselus altogether downe to the plaine and places neerest vnto Tyber for the commoditie which the plaine
body And thervpon our forefathers in times past called the Goddesse of Artes Sciences Minerua bycause the toylâ—… of speculation weakeneth the strength and cutts the synewes For an afflicted body afflicteth many times the minde whereof groweth melancholy and sadnes And therefore it standes with good reason that all conuenient priuiledge and libertie be granted vnto schollers that may maintaine theÌ„ in conteÌ„ted cherefull mindes but no dissolutenes allowed in any wise vnto them whereof the Academies in Italie are growen too full For the penne is there turned into a poynado and the penner into a flaske and tutch-box for a gunne the disputations in to bloody brawlings the Scholes into listes and the Schollers into cutters and to hacksters Honesty is there flowted at and scorned and bashfulnes modesty accounted a discredit and a shame 〈◊〉 that a young man that were like ynough to lead the modest and sober life of a good student shall haue much to do if he scape to be vndone But let vs leaue complaints And yet I must needes say thus much first no Academy can florish aright without quarrels cards and dice be banisht quite clean cast out Francis the first king of France bycause the schollers of the vniuersity of Paris which in his time were almost an infinite sight should haue commoditie and meanes to take the ayre and to recreate theÌ„selues with honest exercises he assigned them a great meadow neere the Cittie and the Riuer where without let or trouble to them they might disport and solace themselues at their will and pleasure There they fell to wrastling there they plaid at the barriers at the ball and the foote ball there did they cast the sled and leape and runne with such cheerefullnes and pastime as it delighted the beholders thereof no lesse then themselues And so ceaseth by this meanes the clatter and the noyse of weapons and of Armor and also playe at cardes and dice. For the same reasons it is necessarie that the Citie wherein you will found an Academy be of an wholesome ayre and of a pleasant and delightfulâ—…â—…cituatioÌ„ where there may be both riuers fountaines springs and woods For these things of themselues without any other helpe are apt to delight chere vp the spirits and mindes of Students Such were in times past Athens and Rhodes where all good artes and learning florished most aboue all other Galeazzo Viscount besides these inuitings and allurements being earnestly desirous to illustrate and appopulate Pauia was the first that forbad his subiects vnder a great paine to goe any where else to studie which course some Princes else of Italie haue since his time followed But these are meanes full of distrust and trouble The honorable and notable meanes to reteine subiects in their country and to draw strangers also home to it is to procure them meanes of honest recreation to prouide them plenty of victuall to maintaine to them their priuiâ—…edges to giue them occasion to ryse to degrees of honor by their learned exercises to make account of good wiâ—…ts and to reward them well but aboue all to store them with plenty of doctors and learned men of great fame and reputation The great Pompey was not ashamed to enter into the Schooles For after he had conquered all the East he went to the Schooles at Rhodes to heare the professors there dispute But for a far greater reason Sigismond king of Polonia gaue a strait commaundement that none of his subiectâ—… should wander abroad out of his kingdome to study any where else And the Catholique king commaunded the like not many yeares since And it was to this end that his Subiects should not be infected with the Heresies that beganne in the time of king Sigismond and are at the heigth in these our dayes throughout all the Prouinces of the North. CAP. V. Of the place of Iustice. OVr liues our honor and our substance are all in the hands of the Iudge For loue and charitie fayling in all places the violence couetousnes of wicked men doth daily the more encrease from whome if the iudges doe not defend vs our busines what soeuer we do will ill go forward For this cause Cities that haue royall audience Senators Parliaments or other sorts and kindes of Courts of Iustice must needes be much frequented aswell for concourse of people that haue cause of Suite vnto it as also for the execution of iustice For it cannot be ministred without the helpe of many presidents I meane Senators Aduocates Proctors Sollicitors Notaries and such like Nay more then that which it greeues me to thinke on Expedition of iustice cannot be had in these our daies without ready money For nothing in the world doth make men run so fast as currant money For the AdamaÌ„t is not of such force to draw Iron vnto it as gold is to turne the eyes the mindes of men this way that way and which way they list And the reason is plaine bycause gold euen thorough the very vertue thereof conteineth in it all greatnes all coÌ„modities and all earthly good whatsoeuer To be short he that hath money hath you may say all worldly things that are to be had In these dayes through the plenty of money which the administration of iustice doth carry with it the Metropolitan Cities if they may not haue the whole administration of Ciuile and Criminall causes they will yet reserue at least vnto them the chiefest causes and all appeales Which is well done for matter of State whereof the iudiciall authority is a principall member by the meanes whereof they are the patrones and protectors of the life and goods of the Subiect But there must be a regard to the proffit that we haue poynted at This goes currant in all places especially where in iudiciall causes they do proceed according to the common vse and cours of the lawes of the Romans For that course and forme is longer and requireth more Ministers than the other In England and Scotland but especially in Turky where a short course is taken in tryall of causes euen as it were at the first sitting of the Iudge It profiteth little to encrease the greatnes of a Citie to hold pleas there Forasmuch as difficult and hard causes are in an after none as it were decided there and ended if sufficient witnes be produced at the hearing of the cause These adiornaments and many Termes are there cut off And Instruments Processe Officers and Mediators haue there no place Within a few blowes giuen they come to the halfe Sword So that the time the expence and the number of persons are far lesse and much fewer then the ciuile Lawes do require I speake not these things to the end I would haue causes prolonged and suites made eternall For they are to long already without more a doe And in doing iustice delay which receiueth no excuse by colour or pretence of warines and care to commit no error
get an habitation there Out of all which causes here recited there must needes follow an abundance of wealth and riches a most strong and forcible bayte to allure and drawe forth the marchants the artificers and the people of all sorts that liue vpon their labor and their seruice to run amaine from the furthest coastes vnto it After this sort a Citie soone encreaseth both in magnificency of building in multitude of people and abundance of wealth and also groweth to the proportion of a principallity The truth whereof these Cities all of them declare it plaine that eyther haue had or haue any notable iurisdiction in them Pisa Siena Genoa Luke Florence and Bressia Whose countries do extend an hundred miles in length and fortie in breadth and not onely conteine the most fruitfull and fertile playnes but also many rich and goodly valleis many townes and castles that haue aboue a thousand houses in them and do feede very neere three hun-and fortie thousand persons Many free and imperiall Cities in Germany are like to these Norimberg Lubeck and Augusta And such was Gaâ—…nt in Flanders that when the Standard was aduanst and spred sent out at once an hundred thousand men of warre I speake not here of Sparta Carthage Athens Rome nor Venice whose greatnes grew as fast as their power euen so far that to passe the rest Carthage in the height of her pride and glorie was 24 myles about and Rome was 50 besides the Suburbes which were in a manner so infinit and great as on the one side they extended euen to Hostia and on the other side in a manner to Ottricoliâ—… and round about they occupied and possessed a mighty deale of the countrye But let vs proceede For to this chapter belongeth all that shal be sayd hereafter of the residence of Princes CAP. X. Of the Residency of the Nobilitie AMongest other causes why the Cities of Italy are ordinarily greater then the Cities of France or other parts of Europe it is not of small importance this that the gentlemen in Italy doe dwell in Cities and in France in their castles which are for the most part Pallaices compassed and surrounded with moates full of water and fenced with walles and towers sufficient to susteine a suddaine assault And although the noble men of Italy doe also themselues magnificently dwell in the villages as you may see about the countries of Florence Venice and Genoa which are full of buildings both for the worthynes of the matter and the excellencie of the workemanshippe fit to bee an ornament and an honour rather to a Kingedome than to a Cittie yet not withstanding these buildings generally are more sumptuous and more common in France then they are in Italy For the Italion deuideth his expence and indeuours part in the Citie part in the country but the greater part he bestowes in the Citie But the Frenchman imployes all that he may wholy in the country regarding the Citie little or nothing at all For an Inne serues his turne wheÌ„ he needs How beit experieÌ„ce teacheth the residence of noblemen in Cities makes them to be more glorious more populous not onely by cause they bring their people their families vnto it but also more bycause a noble man dispendeth much more largely through the accesse of friends vnto him and through the emulation of others in a Citie where he is abiding and visited continually by honorable personages then he spendeth in the country where he liueth amongst the bruite beasts of the field and conuerseth with plaine country people and goes apparelled amongst them in plaine and simple garments Gorgeous and gallant buildings necessarily must also follow and sundry arts of all sorts and kynds must needs encrease to excellency and full perfection in Cities where noblemen do make their residence For this cause the Inga of Perù that is the king of Perù meaning to enoble and make great his royall Citie of Cusco would not only that his Cacichi and his Barrons should inhabite there but he did also command that euery one of them should erect and build a Pallace therein for their dwelling which when they had performed each striuing with the other who should erect the fairest that Citie in short time grew with most princely buildings to be magnificent and great Some Dukes of Lombardy haue in our daies attempted such a thing Tygranes King of Armenia when he set vp the great Tygranocerta enforst a great number of gentlemen and honorable persons with others of great wealth and substance to remooue themselues thyther withall their goods whatsoeuer sending forth a solemne proclamation withall that what goods so euer were not brought thither and could be found of theirs else where should be confiscat cleane And this is the cause that Venice in short time increased so notably in her beginning For they that fled out of the countries there adioyning into the IlaÌ„ds where Venice is miraculously seated as it were were noble personages and rich and thither did they carrie with them all their wealth and substance with the which geuing themselues thorough the opportunitie of that Gulfe to nauigation and to traffique they became within a while owners and masters of the Citie and of the Ilands thereunto adioyning and with their wealth and riches they easily enobled the countrie with magnificent and gorgeous buildings and with inestimable Treasure And in the end brought it to that greatnes and power in which we doe both see it and admire it at this present CAP. XI Of the Residencie of the Prince FOr the very selfe same causes we haue a little before declared in the chapter of dominion and power it doth infinitely auaile to the magnifying and making Cities great and populous the Residency of the Prince therein according to the greatnes of whose Empire she doth increase For where the Prince is resident there also the Parliaments are held and the supreame place of iustice is there kept all matters of importance haue recourse to that place all Princes and all persons of account Embassadors of Princes and of common weales and all Agents of Cities that are subiect make their repaire thither all such as aspire and thirst after offices and honors run thither amaine with emulation and disdaine at others thither are the reuenewes brought that appertain vnto the state there are they disposed out againe By all which meanes Cities must needs encrease a pace it may easiely be conceiued by the examples in a maner of all the Cities of Importance and of name The ancientest kyngdoÌ„e was that of Aegipt whose Princes kept their Court partly in Thebes and partly in Memphis By meanes whereof those two Cities grewe to a mightie greatnes and to beautifull and sumptuous buildings Forasmuch as Thebes which Homer calles poetically the Citie of a hundred gates was in circuit as Diodorus writeth 17. miles about and was beautified with prowd stately buildings both publique
and priuate and also full of people And Memphis was but little lesse In after ages other kings succeding which were called Ptolomei they kept their court in Aelxandria which did by that meanes mightilie increase in buildings in people in reuerent reputation taken of it and in inestimable wealth and riches and the other two Cities afforesaid that by the ruine of that kingdome falling first vnder the Caldaeians and afterward vnder the Persians were exceedingly decaied are now vtterly defaced The Soldanes after that forsaking Alexandria drew themselues to Cayrus which euen for this very cause became within a little time to speake of a Citie so populous as it hath gotten not without good cause the name of the great Cayrus But the Soldanes bycause they thought themselues not to be secure in respect of the innumerable multitude if so great a people should perchance rise vp in armes against them deuided it with large and many dicthes filled full of water so that it might appeare not to be one Citie alone but many little townes vnited and ioyned together At this daie it is deuided into ◅ townes a little mile distant one from another whose names are these Bulacco old Cayrus and new Cayrus It is said there are 16. thousand or as Ariosto writeth 18. thousand great streets in it that are euerie night shut vp with iron gates It may be 8 miles about within which compasse for that these people dwell not so at large nor so commodiously for ease as we do but for the most part within the ground stowed vp as it were and crowded and thrust together there is such an infinit multitude of them as they cannot be numbred The plague in a manner neuer leaueth them but euerie seauēth yeare they feele it most exceedingly And if it dispatch not out of the way aboue 3. hundred thousand they count it but a flea byt In the time of the Soldanes that Citie was accounted to stand to health when as there died not in it aboue a thousand persons in a daye And let this suffice that I haue said of Cayrus which is of so great a fame in the world at this day In Assiria the Kings made their residence in Niniue whose circuit was 480. furlongs about which comes to three score miles And in length it was as Diodorus writeth one hundred and fifty furlongs The Suburbes thereof no doubt must needs besides that be very large For the Scripture affirmeth that Niniue was great three dayes iorney to passe it ouer Diodorus writeth there was neuer any Citie after that set vp of so great a circuit and of so huge a greatnes For the heighth of the walles was a hundred foote the breadth able to conteine 3. cartes a brest together Towers in the walles a thousand and fiue hundred in heighth an hundred foot as Viues saith The residence of the Kings of Caldaeia was in Babilon This Citie was in compas foure hundred and foure-score furlongs so writes Herodotus her walls were wide fifty cubits high two hundred more Aristotile maketh it much greater For he writes that it was said in his time that when Babilon was taken it was three daies eare one part tooke knowledge of the conquest The people thereof were such a number as they durst offer battell vnto Cyrus the greatest and the mightiest King for power that euer was of Persia. Semiramis did build it but Nabucodonoser did mightely encrease it When it was ruinated afterward at the comming in of the Scythians and other people in those countries it was reedified by one Bugiafar Emperor of the Saracines who spent vpon it 18. Millions of Gold Giouius writeth that euen at this day it is greater then Rome if you respect the compas of the ancient walles But there are not only woodes to hunt in and fieldes for tilladge but also orchardes and large gardens in it The Kings of Media made their residence in Ecbatana the Kings of Persia in Persepolis of whose greatnes there is no other Argument then coniecture In our time the Kings of Persia haue made their residence in Tauris And as their Empire is not so great as it hath been so also neither is their Citie of the greatest It is in compasse for all that about sixteene miles yea some say more It is also very long and hath many gardens in it but it is without any walle a thing common in a manner to all the Cities in Perfia In Tartaria and in the Orientall Asia thorough the power of those great Princes are far greater Cities then in any parts else in the world The Tartars hauea◅ this day two great Empyres whereof the one is of the Mogoriā Tartars the other of the Cataians The Mogorian Tartars haue in our time incredibly enlarged their dominion For Mahamud their prince not contēted with his ancient confines sudued not many yeares since in a manner all that euer lieth between Ganges Indus The chiefe Citie of Mogora is Sarmarcāda which was incredibly enriched by the great Tamberlane with the spoyles of all Asia where like an horrible tempest or deadly raging flood he threw down to the ground the most ancient worthyest Cities and carried from thence their wealth riches And to speake of none other he onely tooke from Damascus eight thousād Camells laden with rich spoyles choisest moueable goods This City hath been of such greatnes power that in some ancient reports wee read it made out fortie thousād Horse But at this day it is not of such magnificency greatnes through the dominion of the Empire For as after the death of the great Tamberlane it was sodainly deuided into many parts by his sōnes So is it likewise in our time deuided amongst the sonnes of Mahamud who hath last of all subdued Cambaia And forasmuch as I haue made mention of Cambaia I must tell you there are in that kingdome two memorable Cities the one is Cambaia the other is called Citor Cambaia is of such greatnes that it hath gotten the name of a prouince Some write that it doth conteine one hundred and fiftie thousand houses to the which allow as commonly the maner is to euery house fiue persons and it will then come to little lesse then eight hundred thousand inhabitants But some make it to be much lesse Howbeit in any sort howsoeuer it is a most famous Citie the chiefest of a most rich kingdome and the Seate of a most mighty King that brought to the enterprise against Mahamud King of the Mogorians fiue hundred thousand footemen and a hundred and fifty thousand horsemen whereof thirty thousand were armed after the manner of our men of armes Citor is 12. miles about and is a Citie so magnificent of buildings so beautifull for goodly streetes and so full of delights and pleasures that few other Cities do come neere it and it is for that cause called by
manured as none can be more Siuil is encreased mightily synce the discouery of the new world For thyther come the fleetes that bring vnto them yearely so much treasure as cannot be esteemed It is in compas about six miles It conteineth foure score thousand persons and aboue It is scituated on the left shore of the Riuer Betis which otherwise some call Guadalchilir It is bewtified with fayre and goodly churches and with magnificent and gorgeous Palaces buildings The country there about it is as fertile as it is pleasant Vagliadolid is not a Citie but for all that it may compare with the noblest Cities in Spaine And that by reason of the residence the King of Spaine hath long tyme made there in it As Madrid is at this day much encreased and continually encreaseth by the Court that King Phillip keepeth there Which is of such efficacie and power as although the country be neither plentifull nor pleasant it doth yet draw such a number of people to it as it hath made that place of a village one of the most populous places now of Spaine Cracouium and Vilna are the most popuous Cities of Polonia The reason is bycause Cracouium was the seate of the Duke of Polonia and Vilna the seate of the great Duke of Lituania In the Empire of the Muscouites there are three great and famous Cities Valadomere the great Nouoguardia and Muscouia which haue gotten their reputation bycause they haue been all three of them the seates of great Dukes and Princes of great dominions The most renowned of them at this day is Muscouia thorough the residence the Duke holdeth there It is in length fiue miles but not so wide There is vnto it a very great castell that serues for a Court and Pallace to that same Prince and it is so populous that some haue reckoned it amongst the foure Cities of the first and chiefest ranckes of Europe which to their iudgments are Moscouia it selfe Constantinople Paris and Lisbon In Scicilia in ancient times past the greatest Citie there was Siracusa which as Cicero doth write consisted of foure parts deuided a sunder which might be said to be foure Cities And the cause of her greatnes was the residence of the Kings or of the Tyrants as they were termed in tymes past call them as you will But when the commerce with the Africanes did fayle them afterward through the deluge of the Infidels and that the royall seate was remoued to Palermo Palermo did then encrease apase her glory and Siracusa did loose as fast her luster Palermo is a Citie equall to the Cities of the second ranke of Italy beautified with rich temples and magnificent Palaces with diuers reliques and goodly buildings made by the Saracines But two things chiefely made of late are worthyest to be noted The one is the streete made throughout the whole Citie which for streyghtnes breadth length and beautifulnes of buildings is such as I know not in what Citie of Italy a man should finde the like The other is the Péere edified with an inestimable expence and charge by the benefit whereof the Citie hath a very large and spacious Port a worke in truth worthy of the Romanes magnanimity But what meane I to wander thorough other parts of the world to shew how much it doth import the greatnes of a Citie the residence and a bode of a Prince therein Rome whose Maiesty exceeded all the world would she not be more like a desert then a Citie if the Pope held not his residence therein if the Pope with the greatnes of his court and with the concourse of Embassadours of Prelats and of Princes did not ennoble it and make it great If with an infinit number of people that serue both him and his ministers he did not replenish and fill the Citie If with magnificent buildings Conduits Fountaines and streetes it were not gloriously adorned If amongst so many riche and stately works belonging aswell to Gods glory as the seruice of the common weale he spent not there a great part of the reuenewes of the church And in a word if with all these meanes he did not draw and entertaine withall such a number of Marchants trades men Shop-keepers Artificers workmen and such a multitude of people for labor and for seruice OF THE CAVSES OF the greatnes and magnificency of Cities THE THIRD BOOKE CAP. I. Whether it be expedient for a Citie to haue few or many Citizens THe ancient Founders of Cities considering that lawes and Ciuile discipline could not be easily conserued and kept where a mighty multitude of people swarmed For multitudes do breede and bring confusion they lymited the number of Citizens beyond which they supposed the forme and order of gouernment they sought to holde within their Cities could not be else maintayned Such were Licurgus Solon and Aristotle But the Romanes supposing power without which a Citie cannot be long maintained consisteth for the most part in the multitude of people endeuoured all the wayes and meanes they might to make their country great and to replenish the same with store of people as we haue before and more at full declared in our bookes della ragion distato Yf the world would be gouerned by reason and all men would content them selues with that which iustly doth belong vnto them Happely the iudgment of the ancient law makers were worthy to be imbraced But experience shewes through the corruption of humane nature that force preuailes aboue reason armes aboue lawes teacheth vs besides the opiniō of the Romanes must be preferd before the Grecians Inasmuch as we see the Athenians and the Lacedemonians not to speake of other cōmon weales of the Graecians came to present ruine vpon a very small discomfiture losse of a thousand seuen hūdreth Citizens or little more where on the other side the Romāes triumphed in the end though many times they lost an infinit number of their people in their attemptes enterprises For it is cleere more Romāes perished in the warres they had against Pyrrhus the Carthaginensians Numantians Viriatus Sertorius and others than fell without comparison of all their enemies And yet for all that they rested alwaies conquerors by meanes of their vnexhausted multitude with the which supplying their losse from time to time they ouercame their enemies asmuch though they were strong and fyerce as with their fortitude and strength In these former bookes I haue sufficiently declared the waies and meanes whereby a City may encrease to that magnificency and greatnes that is to be desired So that I haue no further to speake thereunto but only to propound one thing more that I haue thought vpon not for the necessitie so much of the matter as that bycause I think it will be an ornament vnto the worke and giue a very good light vnto it And therefore let vs now consider CAP. II. What the reason is that Cities once growen to