Lopez, Robert and Irving W. Raymond. Medieval Trade in the Mediterranean World. New York. Columbia University Press. 1990.
From the compilation entitled, The Book of the Wares and Usages of Diverse Countries; from the Italian.
[Ragusa (Dubrovnik), 1458]
The following details are a very good depiction of what would be required of a Hârnic mercantyler. In addition, I would assume that
the more mercantile civilizations, such as Karejia and Chelemby, have such books for sale.
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Hepatic aloe ought to be clear of leathery substance, and it ought to be the color of liver; and there are some who say it ought to be
like pitch, black inside, glistening, bitter, and strong. You ought to take a piece of it and pound it, and its powder ought to appear
violet.
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Dry aloe ought to be clear of leathery substance, black, and glistening, and the more it approaches the color of hepatic aloe, the
better it is.
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Asafetida ought to be of a mixed reddish and white color.
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Ultramarine azure ought to have a deep and delicately warm color.
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Ammoniacum ought to be white and granulated and clean.
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Borax in stone ought to be white and thick, and [with] little paste.
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Boccaccini ought to be white and delicate and well worked; and they should be pleasant to the touch but not be heavy.
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Balsam ought to be the color of gold, and [when] in water it should sink to the bottom.
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Cannella ought to have a reddish and delicate color and be grooved, and it ought to be strong and sweet, that is, pungent; and [if it
is] like that, it is good.
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Heads of cloves ought to be rather coarse in powder and delicate inside.
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Cubebs ought to be rich in color and clear of stems; they ought to be large and grayish, and they ought to be fully [developed] below
the head and hollow within; and the larger part ought to be heads, because the larger part are wild.
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Camphor ought to be white and dry, clean and thick, and made like small deep saucers.
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Capers ought to be fresh and green and with little salt.
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Cassia ought to be thick and heavy, and its seed ought to make no sound [when rubbed], and its stalk ought to be whole, and its bark
should not peel off.
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Wax ought to have a rich color and be clear to the bottom.
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Rock candy ought to be white, glistening, coarse, dry, and clean.
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Cinnamon ought to be fine, black, hot, and very pungent.
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Cubebs ought to be fresh, thick, and heavy.
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Hides of oxen and buffaloes ought to be of thick leather, short-haired, and glistening, and neither moth-eaten nor bald; and likewise
any other hide.
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Cloves ought to be black and reddish within and tend slightly more to the black than to the red. Their stalks ought to be fuzzy and be
thick and dry and clear of [bad] stems.
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Tragacanth [gum] ought to be white, large, and clean and it does not matter if something in it is reddish.
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Dates ought to be fresh, large, and ripe.
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Diamonds ought to be well squared, and their color should be rose water mixed with a little greenish [tint], and their surface pale.
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Ermine ought to be long, white, and thick.
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Gum Arabic ought to be white, thick, and clear.
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Emeralds ought to be of good color, clear without cracks.
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Fine lac, that is, matured [lac], ought to tend to reddish color, and it ought to be thick, contain little powder, and be clear of
wood [particles]. [Nor should it be of the kind] which looks within like spongy pitch, that is, quite glistening. For [lacs] like that
are not matured. And it ought not to have those clots which are [present] only inside but it ought to be grooved.
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Rock alum ought to be white, clear, and large, and it should not be in powder, because ground [alum] does not last longer than one
year; and when it chances that it tends to green, that kind is better.
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Ladanum [resin] ought to be black and perfumed.
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Musk ought to be of reddish color and smell like cloves with slight bitterness and strong odor, so that when you put it into the mouth,
its odor should go quickly to the brain.
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Nutmegs ought to be large and firm and their surface clean; and there are some who say that they ought to be more than one fourth
wrinkled. And they ought not to be unripe.
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Orpiment ought to be thick, glistening, and clean of stones, and it ought to be gray and gold-colored inside when scaled; and it ought
to contain little powder.
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[China] rhubarb ought to be heavy, well folded, so that when one breaks it, it should be red and white inside; and there are some who
say that it ought to be yellow colored, and glistening, thick, and firm, without holes, and bitter in the mouth.
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Rice ought to be white and large, and it should not include those [grains] which have a coating, and it should not be rosy.
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Rubies ought to be of a good rosy color, attractive, and clean, and [a ruby] ought to receive leaf of gold.
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Rubies of good extraction and perfect in color and condition ought to meet all these specifications: first of all, they ought to have a
clear, rosy color that must not tend to dark; their color ought to be fiery red, that is, ardent. And when one meets this specification
he can trust it and need not worry about anything else.
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Scammony ought to have a minute form [sic], so that when one breaks it, it is effervescent and spongy. It is made from the juice of
herbs, and made into a cake; and if it is good it breaks easily. And it ought to be of a rather greasy color inside. And when you break
it you ought to put it to your mouth, and wet it with a little saliva, and then place one piece beside the other, and it will look as
if it were welded. And this is fine, and its color should be ashy.
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Dragon's blood ought to be red and blood-colored, light, clear, clean, and glistening.
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Lahijan silk is a very good silk, and if you want to know it, it ought to be white and coarse and reddish, and it ought to be clear
and of a regular thread, but it ought to tend to be reasonably thin rather than thick. And take care that it be not foamy, because it
could not [possibly] be good. And it comes from the Levant.
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Loaf sugar ought to be white, dry, and a well compact paste; and its powder ought to be large and granulated.
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Saffron ought to be new, free of small seeds, and dry.
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Sapphires ought to have good and clean colors.
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Vairs, when they are crude in the muzzle, are hairy, and they usually tend to reddish; these are not good; and if they tend to be
clear and [are] greenish those are good. Also, at the touch of the hand, if you find it well covered with hair underneath those are
good.
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Zedoary ought to be fresh, coarse, bitter, and firm. The sweet one is not good.
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Lambri brazilwood ought to be thick, of good color, and not too dark.
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Quilon brazilwood ought to be thick, and vermilion, and of good color, and it ought to have little pith and it should not be holey;
and when it contains much pith it is worth less. Its root ought to be firm and the stalk small.
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Green ginger ought to be clear, brittle; and it is not like tow, and [it has] little juice, and [it is] made with good sugar.
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Ginger of any kind ought to be of large roots, its skin clean and not wrinkled, and it should have good color, and [be] tender to the
knife and white inside and firm, that is, not holey, and well filled and not thin.
Note that up to here I have said what many wares should be like if they are good, and why it would be very hard to find articles of
such perfection and quality. And therefore a buyer needs discrimination, and he should be quite an experienced man. And if a ware has
the said characteristics or perfections to a large extent, and if a thing approaches the aforesaid quality, one may buy it. But always
take into consideration the [current] prices of the places for which you buy them, and you must take into consideration the quantity
which you can buy. For of pepper, of ginger, and of cloves, nutmegs, and other similar things that are easy to sell you can buy any
quantity; but of [uncommon wares] such as aromatic aloe, dragon's blood, tutty, and other similar things, one ought to take into
consideration to buy only that quantity which it is possible to sell in those places for which you buy them.
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