![\"\"](\"https:\/\/toshareproject.it\/artmakerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Botero_-_Della_ragion_di_stato_1589_-_5870034-742x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n*How is Italy supposed to compete with this overwhelming industrial might? The condition of Italy must be hopeless.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Giovanni Botero, “On the Magnificence of Cities”:<\/p>\n
But let us now come to China. There is not in all the world a
\nkingdom (I speak of united and entire kingdoms) that is either
\ngreater, or more populous, or more rich, or more abounding in all
\ngood things, or that hath more ages lasted and endured than that
\nfamous and renowned kingdom of China. <\/p>\n
(…)<\/p>\n
I should be too long if I should here declare all that might
\nbe said of the greatness of the walks and galleries, of the
\nmagnificent and stately buildings, of the beauty of the streets,
\nof the innumerable multitude of inhabitants, of the infinite
\nconcourse of merchandise, of the inestimable number of ships and
\nvessels, some inlaid with ebony and some with ivory, and
\nchequered some with gold and some with silver, of the
\nincomparable riches that come in thither and are carried out
\ncontinually; to be short, of the delights and pleasures whereof
\nthis city doth so exceedingly abound as it deserves to be called
\nproud Suntien. And yet the other two cites Panchin and Anchin are
\nnever a whit less than this is.<\/p>\n
But forasmuch as we have made mention of China, I think it
\nnot amiss in this place to remember the greatness of some other
\nof her cities, according to the relations we receive in these
\ndays. Canton, then (which is the most known, though not the
\ngreatest) the Portuguese that have had much commerce thither
\nthese many years confess it is greater than Lisbon, which yet is
\nthe greatest city that is in Europe except Constantinople and
\nParis. Sanchieo is said to be three times greater than Seville,
\nso that since Seville is six miles in compass Sanchieo must needs
\nbe eighteen miles about. They also say Huchou exceeds them both
\nin greatness. Chinchew, although it be of the meaner sort, the
\nFathers of the Order of St. Augustine who saw it do judge that
\ncity to contain threescore and ten thousand houses.<\/p>\n
These things I here deliver ought to be not thought by any
\nman to be incredible. For (besides that Marco Polo in his
\nrelations affirmeth far greater things) these things I speak are
\nin these days approved to be most true by the intelligences we do
\nreceive continually both of secular and religious persons, as
\nalso by all the nation of the Portuguese. So as he that will deny
\nit shall show himself a fool. But for the satisfaction of the
\nreader I will not spare to search out the very reasons how it
\ncomes to pass that China is so populous and full of such
\nadmirable cities.<\/p>\n
Let us then suppose that either by the goodness of the
\nheavens or by the secret influence of the stars to us unknown, or
\nfor some other reasons else whatsoever they be, that part of the
\nworld that is oriental unto us hath more virtue, I know not what,
\nin the producing of things than the West. Hereof it proceedeth
\nthat a number of excellent things grow in these happy counties of
\nwhich others are utterly destitute and void, as cinnamon,
\nnutmegs, cloves, pepper, camphor, sandalwood, incense, aloes, the
\nIndian nuts, and such other like. Moreover the things that are
\ncommon unto both, to the East, I say, and the West, they are
\ngenerally much more perfect in the East than the West; as for
\nproof thereof, the pearls of the West in comparison of the East
\nare as it were lead to silver. And likewise the bezoar that is
\nbrought from the Indies is a great deal better far than the
\nbezoar that comes from Peru.<\/p>\n
Now China comes the nearest to the East of any part of the
\nworld, and therefore doth she enjoy all those perfections that
\nare attributed to the East. And first the air (which of all
\nthings importeth to the life of man so much as nothing more) is
\nvery temperate; whereunto the nearness of the sea addeth a great
\nhelp, which embraceth, as it were, with arms cast abroad a great
\npart thereof, and looks it in the face with a cheerful aspect,
\nand with a thousand creeks and gulfs penetrateth far within the
\nvery province.<\/p>\n
Next, that the country is for the most part very plain and of
\nnature very apt to produce not only things necessary for the use
\nand sustenance of the life of man but also all sorts of dainty
\nthing for man’s delight and pleasure. The hills and mountains are
\nperpetually arrayed with trees of all sorts, some wild and some
\nfruitful; the plains manured, tilled and sown with rice, barley,
\nwheat, peas and beans; the gardens, besides our common sorts of
\nfruits, do yield most sweet melons, most delicate plums, most
\nexcellent figs, pomecitrons and oranges of divers forms and
\nexcellent taste.<\/p>\n
They have also an herb out of which they press a delicate
\njuice which serves them for drink instead of wine. It also
\npreserves their health and frees them from all those evils that
\nthe immoderate use of wine doth breed unto us.<\/p>\n
(((This herbal beverage would be “tea.” Does any tea grow in Italy? Not a bit of it!)))<\/p>\n
They also abound in cattle, in sheep, in fowl, in deer, in
\nwool, in rich skins, cotton, linen, and in infinite store of
\nsilk. There are mines of gold and silver and of excellent iron.
\nThere are most precious pearls. There is abundance of sugar,
\nhoney, rhubarb, camphor, red lead, woad, musk and aloes, and the
\nporcelain earth is known nowhere but there.<\/p>\n
More than this, the rivers and the waters of all sorts run
\ngallantly through all those counties with an unspeakable profit
\nand commodity for navigation and tillage. And the waters are as
\nplentiful of fish as the land is of fruits, for the rivers and
\nthe seas yield thereof an infinite abundance.<\/p>\n
Unto this so great a fertility and yield both of the land and
\nwater there is joined an incredible culture of both these
\nelements. And that proceedeth out of two causes, whereof the one
\ndependeth upon the inestimable multitude of the inhabitants (for
\nit is thought that China doth contain more than threescore
\nmillions of souls) and the other consisteth in the extreme
\ndiligence and pains that is taken as well of private persons in
\nthe tillage of their grounds and well husbanding their farms, as
\nalso the magistrates that suffer not a man to lead an idle life
\nat home. So that there is not a little scrap of ground that is
\nnot husbandly and very well manured.<\/p>\n
Now for their mechanical arts, should I commit them here to
\nsilence whenas there is not a country in the world where they do
\nmore flourish both for variety and for excellence of skill and
\nworkmanship? Which proceedeth also out of two causes, whereof the
\none I have commended before, in that idleness is everywhere
\nforbidden there, and every man compelled to work; no man suffered
\nto be idle, no, not the blind nor the lame nor the maimed, if
\nthey be not altogether impotent and weak. And the women also, by
\na law of Wu-ti King of China, are bound to exercise their father’
\ns trades and arts, and how noble or great soever they be they
\nmust at least attend their distaff and their needle. The other
\ncause is that the sons must of necessity follow their father’s
\nmysteries, so that hereupon it comes that artificers are infinite
\nand that children as well boys as girls, even in their infancy,
\ncan skill to work, and that arts are brought unto most excellent
\nand high perfection.<\/p>\n
They suffer not anything to go to loss. With the dung of the
\nbulls and oxen and other cattle they use to feed fish; and of the
\nbones of dogs and other beasts they make many and divers carved
\nand engraven works, as we do make of ivory. Of rags and clouts
\nthey make paper; to be short, such is the plenty and variety of
\nthe fruits of the earth and of man’s industry and labour, as they
\nhave no need of foreign help to bring them anything. For they
\ngive away a great quantity of their own to foreign countries. And
\n(to speak of no things else) the quantity of silk that is carried
\nout of China is almost not credible. <\/p>\n
A thousand quintals of silk
\nare yearly carried thence for the Portuguese Indies; for the
\nPhilippines they lade out fifteen ships. There are carried out to
\nJapan an inestimable sum, and unto Cathay as great a quantity as
\nyou may guess by that we have before declared is yearly carried
\nthence to Cambaluc. And they sell their works and their labours
\n(by reason of the infinite store that is made) so cheap and at so
\neasy price as the merchants of Nova Hispania that trade unto the
\nPhilippines to make their marts (unto which place the Chinese
\nthemselves do traffic) do wonder at it much. By means whereof the
\ntraffic with the Philippines falls out to be rather hurtful than
\nprofitable unto the King of Spain. For the benefit of the
\ncheapness of things is it that makes the people of Mexico (who
\nheretofore have used to fetch their commodities from Spain) to
\nfetch them at the Philippines. But the King of Spain, for the
\ndesire he hath to win unto familiarity and love, and by that
\nmeans to draw to our Christian faith and to the bosom of the
\nCatholic Church, those people that are wrapt in the horrible
\ndarkness of idolaties, esteemeth not a whit of his loss, so he
\nmay gain their souls to God.<\/p>\n
By these things I have declared it appeareth plain that China
\nhath the means partly by the benefit of nature and partly by the
\nindustry and art of man to sustain an infinite sight of people.
\nAnd that for that cause it is credible enough that it becometh so
\npopulous a country as hath been said. And I affirm this much more
\nunto it, that it is necessary it should be so for two reasons:
\nthe one, for that it is not lawful for the King of China to make
\nwar to get new counties but only to defend his own, and thereupon
\nit must ensue that he enjoyeth in a manner a perpetual peace. And
\nwhat is there more to be desired or wished than peace? What thing
\ncan be more profitable than peace? My other reason is, for that
\nit is not lawful for any of the Chinese to go out of their
\nCountry without leave or licence of the magistrates, so that, the
\nnumber of persons continually increasing and abiding still at
\nhome, it is of necessity that the number of people do become
\ninestimable, and of consequence the cities exceeding great, the
\ntowns infinite and that China itself should rather, in a matter,
\nbe but one body and but one city.<\/p>\n
To say the truth, we Italians do flatter ourselves too much,
\nand do admire too partially those things that do concern
\nourselves, especially when we will prefer Italy and her cities
\nbeyond all the rest in the world. The and figure of Italy is long
\nand strait, divided withal in the midst with the Apennine Hills.
\nAnd the paucity and rareness of navigable rivers doth not bear it
\nthat there can be very great and populous cities in it. I will
\nnot spare to say that her rivers are but little brooks in
\ncomparison of Ganges, Menam, Mekong and the rest, and that the
\nTyrrhenian and the Adriatic Seas are but gullets in respect of
\nthe ocean. And of consequence our trade and traffic is but poor
\nin respect of the marts and fairs of Canton, Malacca, Calicut,
\nOrmuz, Lisbon, Seville and other cities that bound upon the
\nocean.<\/p>\n
Let us add to the aforesaid that the difference and enmity
\nbetween the Mohammedans and us depriveth us in a manner of the
\ncommerce of Africa, and of the most part of the trade of the
\nLevant. Again, the chiefest parts of Italy, that is, the Kingdom
\nof Naples and the Dukedom of Milan are subject to the King of
\nSpain. The other states are mean, and mean also the chiefest of
\ntheir cities. But it is time we now return from whence we have
\ndigressed long….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
*How is Italy supposed to compete with this overwhelming industrial might? The condition of Italy must be hopeless. Giovanni Botero, “On the Magnificence of Cities”: But let us now come to China. There is not in all the world a kingdom (I speak of united and entire kingdoms) that is either greater, or more populous, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"yoast_head":"\n