220 A REPORT OF THE SPANISH GRIEVANCES. 



In the eighteenth year of king Edward I. com 

 plaint was made by the commons, against the sub 

 jects of the earl of Flanders, with petition of redress. 

 The king s answer was, &quot; Rex nihil aliud potest, 

 &quot; quam eodem modo petere :&quot; that is, That the king 

 could do no more but make request to the earl of 

 Flanders, as request had been made to him ; and 

 yet nobody will imagine but king Edward the first 

 was potent enough to have had his reason of a count 

 of Flanders by a war ; and yet his answer was, 

 &quot; Nihil aliud potest ;&quot; as giving them to understand, 

 that the entering into a war was a matter tran 

 scendent, that must not depend upon such contro 

 versies. 



In the fourteenth year of king Edward III. the 

 commons petitioned, that the king would enter into 

 certain covenants and capitulations with the duke of 

 Brabant ; in which petition there was also inserted 

 somewhat touching a money matter. The king s 

 answer was, That for that which concerned the 

 monies, they might handle it and examine it ; but 

 touching the peace, he would do as to himself seemed 

 good. 



In the eighteenth year of king Edward III. the 

 commons petitioned, that they might have the trial 

 and proceeding with certain merchants strangers as 

 enemies to the state. The king s answer was, It 

 should remain as it did till the king had taken farther 

 order. 



In the forty-fifth year of king Edward III. the 

 commons complained that their trade with the 



