Auszug aus einem Reisebericht von Thomas Coryate (Quelle: Univeritätsbibliothek Glasgow):
“ […] Their streets and market places are many and very spacious,
especially two market places that I tooke exact notice of above
the rest, whereof the one in which they ordinarily sell their necessaries
and keepe their markets, is a hundered threescore and sixteen paces
long, and threescore and three broade. The other where their Mechants
doe meete twise a day which they call in Latin forum foenarium, because
they use to sell hay in the same, is the fairest that I saw in my whole
voyage, saving that of St. Marks street in Venice. For it is two hundered
and fourescore paces long, and fourscore and foure broade. For indeede
I meated them both. And this last market place is marvailously graced
with many sumptuous and stately buildings both at the sides and the
endes. Surely the beauty of this market place is such by reason of so many
magnificent houses including it, that I thinke if a clowne that never saw
any
faire shewes in his life should suddenly arrive there, he would be halfe
amazed with the majestie of the place. […]“
Thomas Coryate, Crudities, Part II p.313-314
https://eleanor.lib.gla.ac.uk/search/acoryate/acoryate/1,3,8,B
Dank an Simon Crowder aus Glasgow, der auf diese Quelle hingewiesen hat.