... so as not to destroy the market for the awaited ...

[pars]

Dear all:
What is the meaning of the words in bold? It is from the book The Asian Trade Revolution of the Seventeenth Century, by Niels Steensgaard, p. 233.

Other parts of the account also have a certain ring of authenticity; it is quite possible to imagine Michelangelo Coray in the role of informer, so as not to destroy the market for the awaited Sherley embassy in which he himself had a share, and it is extremely likely that the Venetian authorities would get rid of a Persian negotiator quickly and discretely if he threatened in 1600 to travel to Rome and work for the Crusade against Turkey.

Thanks very much.

 

[BobK]

The meaning of those words in boldface all depend on what 'the Sherley embassy' is. I don't know, but maybe you do from the context.

To have a share in something is to have part-ownership. The 'market for the awaited Sherley embassy' means the opportunities for trade that the Sherley embassy (which presumably had been reported as being on the way). Coray knew that having it known or suspected that he was an informer and a traitor to the Moslem cause would have a bad effect on that business. 'So as not to' means 'so that he wouldn't' or 'because he wanted to avoid'.
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