A.D. 



1070. 

 Which be the 

 Five Forts. 



250. 



Citizens were 

 called Barons 

 in old time. 



Contention 

 betzveene Tar- 

 mouth, and the 

 Five Ports. 



1250. 

 Antiquitie of 

 Yarmouth 

 fishing. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



If 1 should judge by the common, and rude verse, 

 Dover ^ Sandwicus^ Ry, Rum, Frigmare ventus^ 



I must say, that Dover, Sandwich, Rie, Rumney, and 

 Winchelsey, (for that is, Frigmare ventus) be the Five 

 Ports : Againe, if I should be ruled by the Rolle which 

 reciteth the Ports that send Barons to the Parliament, 1 

 must then adde to these, Hastings and Hyde, for they also 

 have their Barons as well as the other : and so should I 

 not onely, not shew which were the first Five, but also 

 (by addition of two others) increase both the number, and 

 doubtfulnesse. Leaving the verse therefore, for ignorance 

 of the authour and suspition of his authoritie, and for- 

 saking the Rolle (as not assured of the antiquitie) I will 

 flee to Henry Bracton, a man both ancient, learned, and 

 credible, which lived under K. Henry the thirde, and 

 wrote (above three hundreth yeeres since) learnedly of the 

 lawes of this Realme. 



He (I say) in the third booke of his worke, and treatise 

 of the Crowne, taking in hand to shewe the articles inquir- 

 able before the Justice in Eire, (or Itinerent, as we called 

 them, because they used to ride from place to place 

 throughout the Realme, for administration of justice) 

 setteth forth a special fourme of writs, to be directed 

 severally to the Bailifes of Hastings, Hithe, Rumney, 

 Dover, and Sandwich, commanding them, that they should 

 cause twentie & foure of their Barons (for so their 

 Burgesses, or townesmen, and the citizens of London 

 likewise, were wont to be termed) to appeare before the 

 Kings Justices at Shipwey in Kent (as they accustomed to 

 do) there to enquire of such points, as should be given in 

 charge. Which done, hee addeth moreover, that forso- 

 much as there was oftentimes contention betweene them of 

 the Five Ports, & the inhabitants of Yarmouth in 

 Norfolke and Donwich in Suffolke, there should be severall 

 writs directed to them also, returnable before the same 

 Justices at the same day and place, reciting, that where the 

 King had by his former writs sommoned the Pleas of the 

 Five Ports to bee holden at Shipwey, if any of the same 



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