Besides the above, this lady possessed forty-two vases, pots, tazzi and plaques of porcelain "of the earliest days when Europeans went to China, which are of a beautiful white, and decorated with all kinds of little paintings." The owner, who had evidently read Piga-pheta, adds that the makers did not profit in their own lifetime by the manufacture of this "ravissante" porcelain, because it had to be buried in the earth for a century in order to come to perfection. Another reason why it should be prized is that it is "so healthy that if it is soiled with poison by evil doers who want to injure anybody, it will immediately fall to pieces rather than suffer the vile draughts with which people would ravage our entrails."

At this date, the Oriental wares had not yet supplanted those that came through Turkey, Asia Minor and Egypt by way of Venice and other Italian ports. Among the lady's possessions we find twenty-eight vases, pots, cups and little earthenware bowls of Turkish work, decorated on the necks and handles with little tufts resembling horses' tails.

She also had four hundred beautiful glasses of all colours, and other Venetian crystal vessels, "adorned with the gayest fancies that the glass-blowers were capable of inventing, with which we delighted the eyes of royalty and the great ministers of state at the great entertainments we gave."

After Portuguese navigators had found the route to the East around the Cape of Good Hope, they were able to outstrip Venice as a sea-carrier for Eastern merchandise. The Levant trade, with its costly loading and unloading from caravan to ship, could not hope to compete with an all-sea route, and therefore the Portuguese soon acquired a practical monopoly of the traffic between Western Europe and Eastern Asia.1 Lisbon became the great mart whence lacquer, porcelain and other wares were distributed throughout Europe. Dutch ships swarmed in the Tagus, and transferred Oriental merchandise to Amsterdam and other European ports.

The Vicomte de Santarem assures us that from 1497 to 1521 from Lisbon alone the Portuguese despatched thirty-three fleets, composed of 220 ships; and a fleet was despatched every year till the next century. The fleet of 1604 even consisted of five ships. Two carvels also sailed the same year.

We learn what these great ships were like from Pyrard de Laval (1601), who wrote:

"Three or four Portuguese ships at most go out every year; these are the carracks, called by them naos de voyage, which are sent out with the intention that they shall return if they can. . . .

"The carracks are all built at Lisbon . . . they are ordinarily of 1,500 to 2,000 tons burden. Sometimes more, so that they are the largest vessels in the world so far as I have been able to learn; they cannot float in less than ten fathoms of water.

1 We know that much porcelain was brought into Europe through Venice from the Levant long after the Portuguese were dominant in the Eastern seas. As late as 1623, in Minshen's Spanish dialogues, China metlall is denned as "the fine dishes of earth painted, such as are brought from Venice."

"These great carracks have four decks, on each of which a man, however tall, can walk without touching his head against the deck above: indeed, he comes not within two feet of it.

"The ships leaving Goa are laden not only with silver, but with divers goods of Europe, such as wines, woollen fabrics, and among others red scarlet; all sorts of glass and crystal wares, clocks which are highly prized by the Chinese, much cotton cloth, precious stones cut and set in rings, chains, carkanets, tokens, ear-pendants and bracelets; for the Chinese like vastly to get gems and jewels of all sorts for their wives. The ships leave Goa towards October, and touch at Cochin for precious stones and spices, such as pepper and cinnamon, leaving there the merchandise of Europe or of the northern parts of India. Thence they sail for Malaca; for they cannot make this voyage without touching at Malaca in order to get the Governor's passport, and also to purchase the merchandise of the islands of Sunda in exchange for cotton cloths and other goods of India and Europe.

"Vessels making the voyage from Goa to Japan and back may reckon on taking three whole years; nor can they reckon on less by reason of the winds called by them Monssons and by us Muesons, which prevail for six months and more. From Malaca they go to Macao and thence to Japan. At all these places they must await the Muesons; in the meantime while waiting they carry on their trade. At Macao they leave the greater part of their goods, and all their silver, relading with other goods of China, such as silks and Spanish white . . . it is dear, and much in request in Japan, where all the women whiten the whole body with it, even down to the legs. This white comes from the island of Borneo, whence it is carried to China. Then they carry to Japan all those China goods and some others from Europe and India, which they sell exceeding well; they bring back only silver, which they get cheap, and return to Macao to resell all their silver, exchanging it for other merchandise. They make a long sojourn in all those places, and then return to Malaca, where they must call; there they make another exchange of goods for those of Malaca and the islands of Sunda. Thence they return to Goa, or whatever other place the master of the ship belongs to."

In Goa, "They have no glasses, except what are brought from these parts or from Persia, and that is but little, and, moreover, not much esteemed, as they get the pourcelaines of China at small cost.

"The Maldives take their food so nicely that they spill nothing, not even a drop of water, though they wash the mouth before and after dinner in basins served on purpose. The vessel used is of earthenware, like that of Fayance, fashioned in the native style, and imported from Cambaye; or else it is of China porcelain, which is very common and used by almost all. But they use not any plate of earthenware, or of porcelain, saving one kind of round box, polished and lacquered, with a cover of the same; it is manufactured in the island. . . .