A merchant of 15^th century: Benedict Cotrugli Raguseo

I don’t think that the name of Benedetto Cotrugli Raugeo(1416-1469)can solicit some memory, because he is more known, if somebody knows him, for his book about the merchant where he explains this job, and he begun through the definition of merchant and merchandizes, he explain this distinction: “…we say that the difference between these words, this merchant and merchandise. But under this word of merchandise, we must include everything that we sale, or we bay. And the name of merchandise we must understand the art, or the discipline, or ordination, precept, or constitution, and through these orders the job of merchant must be made or contracted…”; he explains what is the job of merchant, and he must explain it very easy, because the colleagues of Benedict were very ignorant, also because, actually above all, because the knowledge or culture has had a valor very limited in the business. But benedict found also the far origin of merchant he gives this opinion that today is logic but in  during the 15^th century certainly it was very less or nothing: “…(the merchandise)that was ordinated above all, from the nature, for the supplement of human needs…”, in fact Benedict has spoken about the cloths, that after are improved also in aesthetic and from this improvement is born the merchant. He continues: “After the much centuries id past for the much utility of merchants, that for this motive, this is the utility, they have made very much and wonderful inventions…”; it is the explication more clear of merchant job and origin; but we must also consider that this explication are determined from experience, that must be before leaded from the culture, but after the translation to reality must be considered on ground of the case, for this Benedict is so obvious, because the single case makes the experience, now of merchant. But the our Benedict is also attentive to ancient authors, in fact he said about an opinion of Seneca(50b.Ch.-40a.Ch.): “Although Seneca has said that “the town doesn’t the man, although the town doesn’t man the merchant stems for ability of town and for consequence the merchant must choose the town opportune to merchant”; it is the truth, but may Seneca thought to his life, his father was a writer and orator, but not philosopher, and his mother Elvia, has the strong interest for the philosophy but she didn’t write something. Benedict after considers also the aesthetic of the town, usually the dwell of merchant, and he says: “because the town where the merchant dwells, give much of inclination, for the increment or not of merchant…”; it is the daily rule that we use when a stranger or friend come to our home, the first think is the aesthetic of home; but these thinks are from experience that Benedict has had, in fact he continues and advises a salutary town, and long from the war. For to explain the exchange benedict used an example that is too much known for to be alone a hypothesize, I think that is true experience: “The Florentines merchants, more times bring the cloths, to Sicily to sale it for fixed prices: and because the liquid isn’t always available, they that were in Sicily, and willing they that their merchandise ends, they think to the exchange…”; this strategy is certainly took from real example; the clue of this suspect is confirmed from the nationality that Benedict mentioned, this is the Florentine merchant, he could mention the Venetian, Pisan, Genoese merchants instead not, alone the Florentine, why? Simple because he has heard a tale of some Florentine merchant and he has translated here.