forest of masts, whose many-colored flags indicated the presence of
traders from all the commercial nations of the globe.

Portuguese gallions carried thither the gems and spices of the East;
Spanish gallions the gold and silver of America; Italian vessels were
laden with the delicate fruits and rich stuffs of the Southern countries;
German vessels with grains and metals; and all returned to their own
countries heavily freighted with other merchandise, and made way for the
ships which were continually arriving, and which, according to
contemporary chronicles, were often obliged to wait six weeks before they
succeeded in approaching the wharf.[2]

Small craft, such as _hers_, ascended the Scheldt, and even ventured out
to sea in order to trade with the neighboring people. Transportation into
the interior of the country was effected by means of very strong wagons,
several hundred of which daily left Antwerp. The heavy vehicles which
conveyed merchandise through Cologne to the heart of Germany were called
_Hessenwagens_.[3]

This extraordinary activity induced many foreigners to establish
themselves in a city where gold was so abundant, and where every one might
reasonably hope for large profits.

At the period of which we speak, Antwerp counted among its inhabitants
nearly a thousand merchants from other countries, each of whom had his own
attendants; one chronicle estimates, perhaps with some exaggeration, the
number of strangers engaged in commerce at five thousand.[4]

Twice a day these merchants met on Change, not only for purposes of trade
and for information of the arrival of ships, but principally for banking
operations.

To convey an idea of the amount of wealth at the disposal of the houses of
Antwerp, it suffices to say that the king of Portugal obtained in one day
in this city a loan of three millions of gold crowns, and Queen Mary of
England contracted a debt of seventy millions of francs.

One merchant, called the rich Fugger, left at his death legacies amounting
to nearly six millions of gold crowns, a sum which for that period would
seem fabulous, if the fact were not established by indisputable documents.

This wealth and the presence of so many nations vying with each other had
carried luxury to such a height that magistrates were frequently obliged
to publish edicts, in order to restrain the lavish expenditure. This was
not done on account of the foreign inhabitants of the place, but for the
adv