Madrid

Sources from old books

1638. The merchants mappe of commerce wherein by Lewes Roberts.

Of Madrid in Castile, and the trade thereof.

The generall Coynes of Castile I account as the generall Coynes passing thoroughout Spaine, which is to be considered when I treate of the trade of any Citty under the subjection of the King of Spaine.

In the then Court of Spaine being commonly in Madrid in Castilia, the duccat is worth 375. marvides, and is called by some a dobra of Castile.

A Castiliano is worth 485. marvides.

A florin of Castile is worth 265. marvides almost foure shillings starlin.

A duccat count or quento of marvides is a million.

A count or quento of marvides is duccats 2666⅔, and at Dobra it is worth 2739 57/73 dobras, which is starlin 733. li. 6. s. 8. d.

A Riall single of Castile is worth 34. marvides, which is 6. d. starlin.

A quento of marvides is worth 3258. Rials and three marvides.

A Crowne of Castile is worth 323, marvides, but of them you may not make paiment but of 500. onely.

The Duccat of Spaine hath 11. Rials of plate, and every Riall as I said before 34. marvides, and every Duccat 374. marvides, which is 5. s. 6. d. English, the Riall 6. d. and the marvides lesse then our farthing: the single Pistolet of gold is 11. Reals ¾. being 400. marvides, which is according to 6. d. a Riall 5. s. 10½. Esterling.

In Castilia they that give mony upon Exchange, do agree to be paid in Duccats of gold, or their worth in gold or silver, for if they should not doe so, they should bee paide in base money, which would proove to be more then five per cent. losse. The orders of the faires in Castile are thus.

The first is the faire of May, and is made in Medina del Campo, and begins the first of Iune, and lasteth 50. daies.

The second is the faire of August, and is made in Medina de Riosecco, and begins the first of August, and lasteth 30. daies.

The third is the faire of October, made in Medina del Campo, and begins the first of November, lasting 50. daies.

The fourth is the faire of Villa lion, begins the first day of Lent, and lasteth twenty daies, but is no faire of Exchange, the time expired, there may no goods be sould, nor paiments made upon paine of forfeiture of the goods and monies. and it is to bee noted that the letters be there fifteene daies before the time.

The paiments upon all the faires they make in Banco, not saying forth, and they are to remit in duccats de Oro, in Oro largo, and forth 〈◊〉 Banco, when they say forth of Banco and for ready money, there 〈◊〉 gotten thereby one per cent. and when they say duccats of gold or •…e worth, it is understoode in marvedes, 375. for a duccat, and when they say forth of the faire, it is understood for ready money, and this shall suffice to have said of Castilia in generall: and as for the custome and manner of their exchanges here practised, see the chapter 426. of the exchanges of Spaine at the end of this tract.

In Portugall once a famous Kingdome, (and the rather for the fortunate discoveries made in the Easterne Indies by the inhabitants) there is many faire townes of trading, but all of them giving precedency to Lixborne, the metropolis of this Kingdome, I shall willingly therefore omit the rest, and inlarge my selfe thereupon: The generall commodities this Country abounds in are these, Hony, Wine, Oyle, Allum, Fruits, Fish, white Marble, Salt, &c. and those many other commodities that it is now in great aboundance found to yield are the proper commodities of the East Indies, such as are Pepper, Cloves, Sugars, Nutmegs, Ginger, Cottons, Callicoes, the Iems of India, the Spices and drugs of Arabia, and the Silkes and fabriques of Persia and China, which though here to bee had, yet I have here omitted the mentioning, as not being the native commodities of Portugall.