Cathedral of the Sea Read online

  The second rule that Hasdai proposed concerned Sahat:

  “No one should ever suspect he is my gift. Sahat is well-known among the money changers, and if anyone finds out, you could have problems. As a Christian you are allowed to do business with Jews, but you should avoid anyone thinking you are a friend of Jews. There’s another problem regarding Sahat: very few in the profession would understand why I have sold him to you. I have had hundreds of offers for him, each one more generous than the last, but I’ve always turned them down, both because of his abilities and his love for my children. Nobody would understand why he is with you. We thought in fact that Sahat could convert to Christianity.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “We Jews are forbidden to have Christian slaves. If any of our slaves convert, we have either to free them, or sell them to another Christian.”

  “Will the other money changers believe it?”

  “An outbreak of the plague is enough to undermine any religious belief.”

  “Is Sahat willing to do it?”

  “He is.”

  They had spoken about the matter not as master and slave, but as the two close friends they had become over the years.

  “Would you be capable of it?” Hasdai had asked him.

  “Yes,” answered Sahat. “Allah, all praise and glory to him, will understand. You know the practice of our faith is forbidden in Christian lands. We fulfill our obligations in secret, in the privacy of our own hearts. That is how it will continue to be, however much holy water they sprinkle over me.”

  “Arnau is a devout Christian,” Hasdai went on. “If he ever got to find out...”

  “He never will. We slaves more than anyone know the art of dissembling. No, not while I’ve been with you, but I have been a slave all my life. Our lives often depend on it.”

  The third rule remained a secret between Hasdai and Sahat. “Sahat, I have no need to tell you,” his former master said, with a trembling voice, “how grateful I am to you for this decision of yours. My children and I will be eternally grateful to you.”

  “It is I who should thank you.”

  “I suppose you know where you should concentrate your efforts.”

  “I believe so.”

  “Stay away from spices, from fabrics, oils, or wax,” Hasdai warned him, while Sahat nodded, having already expected this kind of advice. “Until the situation has settled, Catalonia will be unable to import these kinds of things. Slaves, Sahat, slaves. After the plague, Catalonia needs people to work. Until now, it’s not something we have done much of. You will find them in Byzantium, Palestine, Rhodes, and Cyprus. And in the markets of Sicily as well, of course. There are lots of Turks and Tartars on sale there. But I think it’s better if you buy them in their own countries. We have agents in each of them who can help you. Your new master should amass a considerable fortune in no time at all.”

  “What if he refuses to deal in slaves? He doesn’t look the kind of person—”

  “He is a good person.” Hasdai interrupted him to confirm his suspicions. “He’s scrupulous, of humble origin, and he’s very generous. He might well refuse to have anything to do with the slave trade. Therefore, don’t bring them to Barcelona. Don’t let Arnau see them. Take them directly to Perpignan, Tarragona, or Salou, or simply sell them in Mallorca. That’s where there is one of the biggest slave markets in all the Mediterranean. Let others bring them to Barcelona or wherever else they want to take them. Castille also needs a lot of slaves. Anyway, by the time Arnau has worked out how these things function, he will have made a lot of money. If I were you—and I’ll tell him the same myself—I would tell him to become familiar with all the different currencies, how money is changed, the various markets, the routes, and the main sorts of goods that are exported or imported. While he is doing that, you can be getting on with your own affairs. Just remember that we are no more intelligent than anyone else, and that anybody who has money will be importing slaves. There’s a chance to make a lot of money, but it won’t last. Make the most of it while you can.”

  “Will you help?”

  “In any way I can. I’ll give you letters for all my agents—you know them already. They will supply you with whatever credit you may require.”

  “What about the account books? The slaves will have to appear there, and Arnau could find out.”

  Hasdai smiled knowingly at his former slave.

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to sort out a small detail like that.”

  34

  “THIS ONE!” ARNAU pointed to a small two-story house that was shut up and had a white cross daubed on the door. Sahat, who had been baptized a Christian with the name of Guillem, nodded at him. “Is that all right?” asked Arnau.

  Guillem nodded again, this time with a smile.

  Arnau looked at the house and shook his head. All he had done was point to it, and Guillem had immediately consented. This was the first time in his life that his wishes had been so easily granted. Would it always be the same from now on? He shook his head again.

  “Is something wrong, Master?”

  Arnau glared at him. How often had he told Guillem not to call him that? But the Moor did not agree. According to him, they had to keep up appearances. Now he stared back steadily at Arnau. “Don’t you like it, Master?” he added.

  “Yes ... of course I like it. Is it suitable?”

  “It couldn’t be better. Look,” said Guillem, pointing to its position, “it’s right on the corner of the two streets where the money changers live: Canvis Nous and Canvis Vells. What could be better?”

  Arnau followed Guillem’s finger. Canvis Vells ran down to the sea, to the left of where they were standing. Canvis Nous was immediately opposite them. But that was not why Arnau had chosen it: the important thing was that the house was on the corner of the square of Santa Maria, just by what would be the church’s main doorway.

  “A good omen,” he muttered.

  “What was that, Master?”

  Arnau turned angrily toward Guillem. He could not bear being called that.

  “What appearances do we have to keep between the two of us?” he growled. “Nobody can hear or see us.”

  “Keep in mind that since you’ve become a money changer, a lot of people are listening and watching you without your realizing it. You have to get used to the idea.”

  That same morning, while Arnau wandered along the beach among the boats looking out to sea, Guillem investigated who the owners of the house were. As he had thought, it was the Church. The emphyteutas had died: who better than a money changer to take their place?

  That afternoon, they visited the house. The upper floor contained three small rooms. They would furnish two, one for each of them. The ground floor was made up of a kitchen, with a door to what must once have been a small vegetable patch, and, on the other side of a partition, an airy room in which over the next few days Guillem installed a wardrobe, several lanterns, and a long hardwood table, with two chairs behind it and four in front.

  “Something’s missing,” said Guillem, and left the room.

  Arnau was left sitting alone at what was to be his money-changing table. The long wooden surface shone where he had polished it time and again. He ran his fingers over the backs of the two chairs.

  “Choose where you’d like to sit,” Guillem had told him.

  Arnau chose the right-hand chair, the one that would be to the left of any future clients. Guillem changed the seats around: to the right he placed an elegant chair with arms, covered in red silk; his own was of less expensive cloth.

  Arnau surveyed the otherwise empty room. It was so strange! Only a few months earlier, he had spent his days unloading boats, and now ... He had never before sat in such a wonderful chair! His ledgers were piled up at one end of the table; unused parchment, Guillem had assured him when they purchased them. They also bought quills, inkwells, a balance, several money chests, and a large pair of shears for cutting fake coins.

  Guillem to
ok from his purse more money than Arnau had ever seen in his life.

  “Who is paying all that?” he asked.

  “You are.”

  Arnau raised his eyebrows and stared at the purse hanging from Guillem’s belt.

  “WOULD YOU LIKE it?” asked the Moor.

  “No,” replied Arnau.

  In addition to all the things they purchased, Guillem had brought one of his own: a fine abacus with a wooden frame and ivory counters that Hasdai had given him. As he sat, Arnau picked it up and moved the counters from one side to another. What had Guillem told him? The Moor had flicked the counters one way and another, calculating rapidly. Arnau had asked him to show him more slowly, and Guillem had obediently tried to explain how an abacus worked, but... Arnau could not remember the essentials.

  He put the abacus down and decided to tidy the table. The ledgers should go opposite his chair—no, better put them in front of Guillem. He would be the one making the entries. The money chests could go on his side; the shears could too, a bit farther away; the quills and the inkwells next to the account books, alongside the abacus. Who else was going to use them?

  He was still busy sorting all this out when Guillem reappeared.

  “What do you think of it?” Arnau asked him, smiling and showing him all he had done with the table.

  “Very good,” said Guillem, smiling back at him, “but that way we will never get any clients, least of all any willing to place their money with us.” Arnau’s face fell. “Don’t worry. There’s only one thing missing. That’s what I went to buy.”

  Saying this, Guillem handed him a cloth. Arnau carefully unrolled it: it was a rug of the most expensive scarlet silk, with golden threads round the edges.

  “This,” said the Moorish slave, “is what you need on your table. It is the public sign that you have fulfilled all the official requirements and that your countinghouse has been underwritten with the city magistrate for a thousand silver marks. There are severe penalties for anyone who keeps a rug of this kind without proper authorization. Unless you are able to display one, nobody will deposit any money with you.”

  FROM THEN ON, Arnau and Guillem devoted themselves to the new business. As Hasdai Crescas had advised, the former bastaix first spent some time learning the basics of the profession.

  “The first thing a money changer must be good at,” said Guillem as they both sat behind the table, keeping an eye open to see if anyone was venturing inside, “is exchanging different kinds of money.”

  With that he stood up, walked round the table, and dropped a bag of money in front of Arnau.

  “Look closely,” he said, taking a coin out of the purse. “Do you recognize it?” Arnau nodded. “It’s a Catalan silver croat. They are minted in Barcelona, only a short distance from here ...”

  “I’ve only ever had a few in my purse,” said Arnau, “but I’ve carried a lot more on my back. It seems the king trusts only the bastaix to transport them.”

  Guillem smiled and agreed. He dipped his hand into the purse again.

  “And this,” he said, taking out another coin and placing it alongside the first one, “is a gold florin from Aragon.”

  “I’ve never had any of them,” said Arnau, picking it up and admiring it.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll have lots.” Arnau stared at him, but the Moor merely nodded slightly. “This is an old Barcelona coin, the tern.” Guillem put this third coin on the table, and before Arnau could say anything more, he continued pulling out different coins. “Traders use many different kinds of currencies, and you have to be able to recognize them all. There are ones the Muslims use: bezants, mazmudinas, and gold bezants.” Guillem lined one of each of them up in front of Arnau. “Then there are French tournois, the Castillian gold doblas, the gold florins struck in Florence and those minted in Genoa, ducats from Venice, coins from Marseilles, and other Catalan coins, reales from Valencia and Mallorca, the gros from Montpellier, coins from the eastern Pyrenees, and the ones minted in Jaca that are usually found in Lérida.”

  “Holy Mother of God!” Arnau exclaimed when the Moor had finished the list.

  “You need to be able to recognize them all,” Guillem insisted.

  Arnau looked up and down the line of coins several times. He sighed.

  “Are there any more?” he asked, peering up at Guillem.

  “Yes, lots. But these are the most common ones.”

  “How are they changed?”

  This time it was the Moor’s turn to sigh. “That’s more complicated.” Arnau encouraged him to go on. “Well, to do that we use the standard currencies: pounds and marks for large sums, shillings and pence for smaller ones.” Arnau nodded at this: he had always talked in shillings and pence, whatever the coins he had been using, although they were usually the same. “If you are given a coin, you need to calculate its value according to these standard currencies, then do the same for the currency you have to change it to.”

  Arnau struggled to keep up with his explanations. “How do I know what the values are?”

  “They are fixed periodically on the Barcelona exchange, at the Consulate of the Sea. You need to go there regularly to check the official rate of exchange.”

  “Does it vary then?” Arnau shook his head. He did not know any of these different currencies, had no idea how to exchange one for another, and on top of that, their values changed!

  “Constantly,” the Moor told him. “And you have to know the variations. That’s how a money changer makes his money. One of the most important parts of his business is to buy and sell currency.”

  “To buy money?”

  “Yes, buying ... or selling money. Buying silver with gold, or the other way round, juggling all the various sorts of currency there are, and doing it here in Barcelona if the rate of exchange is good, or elsewhere if it is better there.”

  Arnau threw up his hands in despair.

  “It’s quite easy, in fact,” Guillem insisted. “Look: in Catalonia it’s the king who determines the parity between the gold florin and the silver croat. He has set it at thirteen to one: a gold florin is worth thirteen silver croats. But in Florence, Venice, or Alexandria, they don’t care what the king says, and to them, the gold in a florin is not worth thirteen times the silver there is in a croat. Here, the king sets the rate for political reasons; there, they weigh the gold and silver and set their own exchange rate. In other words, if you save silver croats and sell them abroad, you will get more gold than you would here in Catalonia for the same coins. Then if you bring the gold back here, you will still get thirteen croats for each gold florin.”

  “Why doesn’t everyone do that then?” Arnau objected.

  “Everyone who can does. But someone who has only ten or a hundred croats does not bother. The people who do are the ones who have many other people prepared to deposit their ten or hundred croats with them.” The two men looked at each other. “And that is us,” the Moor concluded, spreading his palms.

  Some time later, when Arnau was already becoming skilled in recognizing the different currencies and understanding how to exchange them, Guillem started to explain the trade routes and the goods bought and sold along them.

  “Nowadays the main one,” he said, “is the route from Crete to Cyprus, from there to Beirut, and from there to Damascus or Alexandria ... although the pope has forbidden trade with Alexandria.”

  “So how is it done?” asked Arnau, playing with the abacus in front of him.

  “With money, of course. You buy a pardon.”

  Arnau remembered the explanation he had heard in the royal quarries about how the royal dockyards were being paid for.

  “And do we trade only around the Mediterranean?”

  “No. We trade with everyone. With Castille, with France and Flanders, although you are right, it is mostly around the Mediterranean. The difference is the kind of goods we trade. We buy cloth in France, England, and Flanders, especially expensive materials: wool from Toulouse, Bruges, Malines, Dieste, or V
ilages, although we sell them Catalan linen too. We also buy copper and tin goods. In the Orient, in Syria and Egypt, we buy spices ...”

  “Pepper,” said Arnau.

  “Yes, pepper. When people talk about the spice trade to you, they also mean wax, sugar, and even elephant tusks. If they talk of fine spices, then they are referring to what you commonly imagine them to be: cinnamon, cloves, pepper, nutmeg, and so on ...”

  “Did you say wax? Do we import wax then? How can it be that we import wax when the other day you told me we export honey?”

  “That’s how it is,” the moor interrupted. “We export honey but import wax. We have too much honey, but the churches use a lot of wax.” Arnau recalled the first bastaix duty in Santa Maria: to ensure there were always candles lit beneath the statue of the Virgin of the Sea. “Wax comes from Dacia via Byzantium. The other main goods we trade in,” Guillem went on, “are foodstuffs. Many years ago, Catalonia exported wheat, but now we have to import all kinds of cereals: wheat, rice, millet, and barley. We export olive oil, wine, dried fruits, saffron, bacon, and honey. We also sell salted meat...”

  At that moment, a client came in. Arnau and Guillem fell silent. The man sat opposite them and, after an exchange of greetings, deposited a sizable sum of money with them. Guillem was pleased: he did not know the client, which was a good sign, as it meant they were beginning not to have to depend on Hasdai’s clients. Arnau dealt with him in a professional way, counting out the coins and verifying their authenticity—although for good measure he passed them one by one to Guillem. Then he wrote down the sum deposited in his ledger. Guillem watched him write. Arnau had improved: his efforts were bearing fruit. The Puig family’s tutor had taught him the alphabet, but he had not written anything for years.

  While waiting for the seagoing season to begin, Arnau and Guillem spent nearly all their time preparing commission contracts. They bought goods for export, joined with other traders to charter ships, or contracted them and discussed what cargoes to fill them with on the return journeys.