Question

what's the meaning of argosies with portly sail.
please help

Answer 1

An argosy is a type of ship or boat. He's comparing the way they act to large ships that just blow past the smaller ships on the ocean. In other words, the merchants tend to think that they are bigger and better than others.

Answer 2

An argosy is a type of ship or boat. He's comparing the way they act to large ships that just blow past the smaller ships on the ocean. In other words, the merchants tend to think that they are bigger and better than others.