JOURNEYS AND MARKETS. Itf 



florin is valued in Middleton's time, thirty-two years before. 

 He sells his horse, as Middleton did,. and spends ^5 from his 

 own resources. 



Whitfield's journey to the curia occupied seven weeks, 

 lengthened, so the document informs us, by 'intemperies et 

 pericula in via.' It cost sixty shillings. He takes a courier 

 with him, one Thomas Byrland, c ut me salvum conduceret,' 

 and pays him twenty shillings for his labour. 



When he comes to Avignon, he takes up his abode also 

 with the c socii,' and gives them a feast on entrance, as Mid- 

 dleton does on the termination of his business. Whitfield is 

 delayed for rather more than sixteen weeks. 



The three lawyers whom he consults, Appleby, Albrick, 

 and Humberford (and the expenses of legal advice at the 

 court are enormous), are all, to judge from their names, 

 Englishmen, and perhaps, since Queen's was a north-country 

 college, from Westmoreland and Cumberland. Each receives a 

 fee of ten florins, the last two having further demands. Whit- 

 field pays Humberford twenty-two florins in order to meet 

 incidental expenses. It is clear also that this person was 

 used as we should use a banker, for Whitfield entrusted him 

 with the duty of paying certain sums after his own money 

 ran short. It is worth noting that, apparently, advocates from 

 all nations pleaded at the curia. As estimated in sterling 

 money, the currency at Avignon had, it seems, been depre- 

 ciated to the extent of one hundred per cent, within the last 

 thirty years, for the rate of exchange in 1331 was four to 

 one, in 1363 it is nearly eight to one, the payments to the 

 c socii' being ^23 ics. 3^., valued at 1 19^.0^. sterling. 

 The journey from Avignon to Calais occupied eighteen days, 

 and cost 2 4?. *]^d. in English money. The cost of travel- 

 ling from Calais to Oxford was Js. 



The expenses attending the use of the court were large, 

 for the custom of the Roman curia, as indeed universally 

 elsewhere, was to grant a monopoly of office by purchase, a 

 fashion which lingers with us in the buying and selling of 



