Читать книгу The Totall Discourse of the Rare Adventures & Painefull Peregrinations. The Long Nineteene Yeares Travayles from Scotland to the most famous Kingdomes in Europe, Asia and Affrica онлайн

87 страница из 131

It was credibly told me here by the better sort, that this little Ile maketh yearely (besides Oyle and Wine) onely of Currants 160000. Chickins, paying yearely over and above for custome 22000. Piasters, every Chicken [II. 65.]of Gold being nine shillings English, and every Piaster being white money sixe shillings. A rent or summe of mony which these silly Ilanders could never affoord, (they being not above 60. yeares agoe, but a base beggarly people, and an obscure place) if it were not here in England of late for some Liquorous lips, who forsooth can hardly digest Bread, Pasties, Broth; and (verbi gratia) bag-puddings without these curraunts: And as these Rascall Greekes becomming proud of late with this levish expence, contemne justly this sensuall prodigality; I have heard them often demaund the English in a filthy derision, what they did with such Leprous stuffe, and if they carried them home to feed their Swine and Hogges withall: A question indeed worthy of such a female Traffike, the inference of which I suspend: There is no other Nation save this, thus addicted to that miserable Ile.