PREFACE TO THE 



Conradus the Emperour, and of king Rudolphus for our 

 English merchants Adventurers of those times. Then if 

 you shall thinke good to descend unto the times and ages 

 succeeding the conquest, there may you partly see what 

 our state of merchandise was in the time of king Stephen 

 and of his predecessor, and how the Citie of Bristol (which 

 may seeme somewhat strange) was then greatly resorted 

 unto with ships from Norway and from Ireland. There 

 may you see the friendly league betweene king Henry the 

 second, and the famous Germane Emperour Friderick 

 Barbarossa, and the gracious authorizing of both their 

 merchants to traffique in either of their dominions. And 

 what need I to put you in mind of king John his 

 favourable safe-conduct, whereby all forren merchants 

 were to have the same privileges here in England, which 

 our English merchants enjoied abroad in their severall 

 countreys. Or what should I signifie unto you the 

 entercourse of league and of other curtesies betweene 

 king Henry the third, and Haquinus king of Norway ; 

 and likewise of the free trade of merchandise between 

 their subjects : or tell you what favours the citizens of 

 Colen, of Lubek, and of all the Hansetownes obtained of 

 king Edward the first ; or to what high endes and pur- 

 poses the generall, large, and stately Charter concerning 

 all outlandish merchants whatsoever was by the same 

 prince most graciously published ? You are of your 

 owne industry sufficiently able to conceive of the letters 

 & negotiations which passed between K. Edward the 2. 

 & Haquinus the Noruagian king ; of our English 

 merchants and their goods detained upon arrest at 

 Bergen in Norway ; and also of the first ordination of 

 a Staple, or of one onely setled Mart-towne for the 

 uttering of English woolls & woollen fells, instituted 

 by the sayd K. Edward last before named. All which 

 (Reader) being throughly considered, I referre you then 

 to the Ambassages, Letters, Traffiques, and prohibition 

 of Traffiques, concluding and repealing of leagues, 

 damages, reprisals, arrests, complaints, supplications, 



xlvili 



