ould not suffer them to come into port,
much less to unlade their goods, upon any terms whatever, and this
strictness was especially used with them in Spain and Italy. In Turkey
and the islands of the Arches indeed, as they are called, as well those
belonging to the Turks as to the Venetians, they were not so very rigid.
In the first there was no obstruction at all; and four ships which
were then in the river loading for Italy--that is, for Leghorn and
Naples--being denied product, as they call it, went on to Turkey, and
were freely admitted to unlade their cargo without any difficulty; only
that when they arrived there, some of their cargo was not fit for sale
in that country; and other parts of it being consigned to merchants
at Leghorn, the captains of the ships had no right nor any orders to
dispose of the goods; so that great inconveniences followed to the
merchants. But this was nothing but what the necessity of affairs
required, and the merchants at Leghorn and Naples having notice given
them, sent again from thence to take care of the effects which were
particularly consigned to those ports, and to bring back in other ships
such as were improper for the markets at Smyrna and Scanderoon.

The inconveniences in Spain and Portugal were still greater, for they
would by no means suffer our ships, especially those from London, to
come into any of their ports, much less to unlade. There was a report
that one of our ships having by stealth delivered her cargo, among which
was some bales of English cloth, cotton, kerseys, and such-like goods,
the Spaniards caused all the goods to be burned, and punished the
men with death who were concerned in carrying them on shore. This, I
believe, was in part true, though I do not affirm it; but it is not at
all unlikely, seeing the danger was really very great, the infection
being so violent in London.

I heard likewise that the plague was carried into those countries by
some of our ships, and particularly to the port of Faro in the kingdom
of Algarve, belonging to the King of Portugal, and that several persons
died of it there; but it was not confirmed.

On the other hand, though the Spaniards and Portuguese were so shy of
us, it is most certain that the plague (as has been said) keeping at
first much at that end of the town next Westminster, the merchandising
part of the town (such as the city and the water-side) was perfectly
sound till at least the beginning of July, and the sh