25^ REVIEW ^WANSiT ON WOQt,. O^. a5,, 



notwithdanding wool continued, wUhout difpute, the chief 

 article of export from the kingdom. He fays, tiiat the firft 

 fubCdy that was laid on cloths exported, was anno 1452, 

 though he might have known, that in the year 1346 the Com- 

 mons in Parliament petitioned the King that tlie duties on 

 (j^ci/^ exported might be taken Oi< ; vvhich was refufed. He 

 contends, that the export of cloth from Britain was next to 

 nothing till the days of Richard II. and Henry IV. when 

 fame cloths were exported to the Baltic only in return for fifli, 

 which were foon on the decline. But he forgets to remark, 

 that anno 1245, when commerce was prohibited cu7it Vallenft' 

 huf^ among other articles enumerated are, aliquot genus vi6lua- 

 liunttferriim vel acerum, vel panmum ; alfo, that anno 1362, 

 merchants aliens were forbid to tranfport 'woollen cloths^ ex- 

 cept merchants of Almaigvie and Gafcoin : And that anno 

 1389, on account of certain abufes prevailing in the manu- 

 facture of cloth, there fpecified, it is faid, '' that merchants 

 that buy the fame, and carry them out of the realm to fell 

 to jftrangers ^he many times in danger to be flain, and fome 

 times imprifin'^di nd put to fine and ranfom : Therefore, it 

 5s ordained that no plain clotl), tacked and folded, fliall be 

 fet to fale." Nor does he take notice, that by the intercur. 

 Jus magnus concluded anno 1496, the Emperor ftipulates "• to 

 remit the duty of one florin, he had been in life to levy o\\ 

 each piece of Englifli cloth imported into the Netherlands ;" 

 by which it is plain, that the exports of cloth thither had been 

 before that time confiderable, and long in ufe. 



He reprefents the woollen manufadure during the war of 

 the Rofes as gone entirely into« decay, and afferts that our 

 •lyco/ was then exported to an unlimited ^xXtwt : yet be admits, 

 that by 14th Henry VI. neither wools nor wool fels fhall be 

 exported, except to Calais, at that time a part of the King's 

 dominions : That by 3d Edward IV. no alien Ihall export 

 ■wool, &c. but he does not advert, that by ifl Edward IV. it is 

 enafted, " That all woollen cloths made in any other region, 

 brought into England fhall be forfeited to the King :" — and 

 that by 7th Edward IV. " no perfon (hall carry into parts 

 beyond fea, any woollen yarn, or cloths rot fulled, and made 

 within this realm, upon pain of forfeiture." 



He fays, Henry VII. eflablifl?ed the company of merchant 

 advent irers, v/hofe fole biifmefs was the exi^^orting of clothsj 



