1315.] CHUONOLOGICAL HISTORY. 15 



Whilst the Norwegians, Flemings, French, and 

 probably the Spaniards of Biscay, seem to have 

 thus early subjected to their necessities or ambi- 

 tion, the largest animals in the creation, the Eng- 

 lish, it is not to be expected, remained long be- 

 hind. Vs^e possess, indeed, few documents, which 

 relate to any very early attempts to capture the 

 whale by the English ; and those we have, leave 

 us rather in doubt whether the whales therein re- 

 ferred to, were such as were run on shore by acci- 

 dent, or whales attacked and subdued upon the 

 high sea. By an act of Edward II. * a. d. 1315, 

 in an agreement with Yolendis de Soliere, La- 

 dy of Belino, he reserves to himself the right 

 of all whales cast by chance upon the shore ; 

 and, by a subsequent act, (a. d. 1324.) the wreck 

 of whales throughout the realm, or whales or 

 great sturgeons taken in the sea, or elsewhere, 

 within the realm, excepting- certain privileged 

 places, were to belong to tlie King f . Another 



* Rymer's Foedera, torn. iii. p. 514. and 515. An. 8. 

 Edward II. 



t " Item habet warectnm maris per totum reg-num, bale- 

 " nas et sturgiones captos in mari vel alibi infra regnum, ex- 

 " ceptis quibusdam locis privilegiatis per Reges." Cotton, 

 MS. 17. Edward II. o. 11. 



