And Fiesole became desert and Florence frequented upon none other cause than that Fiesole standeth on too steep and too high a place, almost inaccessible, and Florence in a very plain, easy to have access unto it. And in Rome we see the people have forsaken the Aventine and other hills there, and drawn themselves altogether down to the plain and places nearest unto Tiber for the commodity which the plain and the water affordeth to the conduct of goods and traffic.
But where conduct and carriage is easy you see not for all that a notable and famous city by and by. For without question the port of Messina is far much better than the port of Naples, that notwithstanding Naples, if you behold the people, exceedeth more than two Messinas. The port of Cartagena exceeds in all respects the port of Genoa, and yet Genoa, for multitude of people, for wealth and for all matter of good things besides mightily exceedeth Cartagena. What port is more fair, more safe or more spacious than the chattel of Cattaro? And yet is there not any memorable city in that place.
What shall I say of rivers? In Peru there is the river Marion which (it is said) doth run (a marvellous thing to report) six thousand miles in length, and more. You have the river of Plate thereby, which though it give place to Marion for the length of his stream and course it beareth yet more water a great deal, and at the mouth of it, they say, it is one hundred and fifty miles wide. In New France there is the river of Canada, wide at the mouth thirty-five miles, and two hundred fathom deep. In Africa there are also very great rivers, Senegal, Gambia and Cuanza, which last is a river late found out in the kingdom of Angola which is thought to be wide at the mouth thirty-five miles; and yet amongst them there is not a famous city to be found. Nay further, on the river of Cuanza the barbarous people there live in dens, and hide them in caves covered with boughs in the company and fellowship, as it were, of crabs and lobsters, which through use and custom grow wondrous familiar and secure with them.
In Asia although Menam, which in their language signifieth the Mother of Rivers, and Mekong, which is navigable for more than two thousand miles, and likewise Indus and other royal rivers be sufficiently inhabited, yet for all that Ob, which is the greatest there amongst them (for where it falleth into the Scythian Ocean it is eighty miles broad, which makes some men think the Mare Caspium disburdeneth itself that way into the Ocean), hath not any famous city in it.
After this another question also riseth, how it comes if the commodious means of conduct do at full accomplish the greatness of a city, how, I say, it comes to pass where upon the shore of one self river the conduct is even, easy and alike and that city yet is greater than another? Without doubt it sufficeth not alone that the transportation of goods to and fro be easy and commodious, but there must be else besides that, some peculiar virtue attractive that may draw men and allure men more to one place than to another, whereof we shall in the next book speak more at large.
Hitherto have we spoken of aptness of the site, of the fruitfulness of the soil and of the commodious transportation of commodities to and fro, for the help and increase of our city.
Let us now see what those things are that may allure the people (who are of nature indifferent to be here or there) to the choice of one place before another to make their habitations in, and what causeth commerce and traffic. And let us first declare the proper means the Romans took, and then afterward the means that generally were common to them and others.
