EARLY HISTORY 55 



and finally, in 1320, envoys from Flanders arrived in London 

 during the sitting of Parliament, and a treaty was con- 

 cluded. In this it is stated that divers merchants of 

 Flanders, while "proceeding on the sea of England near 

 Craudon," 1 were robbed of their wines and merchandise by 

 evil-doers of England, and that the goods had been brought 

 to England. The Flemish envoys prayed the king, "of his 

 lordship and royal power to cause right to be done and punish- 

 ment awarded, since he is lord of the sea, and the said robbery 

 was committed in the sea under his power." 2 The account 

 goes on to state that the king and his council in Parliament, 

 with the assent of the peers, agreed to appoint justices to 

 inquire into the matter, and that those who were concerned 

 in the robbery should be promptly punished. 3 Accordingly, 

 in December 1320, the Keeper of the Cinque Ports and others 

 were instructed to make inquiry regarding the pillaging of 

 a Flemish ship, laden with wines and merchandise, said to have 

 been committed by Englishmen on the sea of England, off 

 Craudon, so that the malefactors might be brought to justice. 4 

 Selden, who gives the document in which the previous pro- 

 ceedings are also recited, 5 does not attempt to locate Craudon, 

 which in other records in the rolls of Parliament in 1315 was 

 also called " Carondon," " Crasdon," and " Grasdon " ; but Nic- 



1 "Sur la mere d'Engleterre, devers les parties de Craudon." 



2 "Et prierent que le Roi, de sa seignurie et poer real, fait sente dreit et 

 punissement del dit fait, de siccome il est seigneur de la mer, et la dite roberie 

 fut fait sur la mer dans son poer, sicomme dessus est dit." 



3 Nicolas, who gives the details referred to, says that there is no record of these 

 proceedings in the rolls of Parliament. Op. cit., i. 388. 



4 "Et cum dicti nuncii ad tractandum de novo super hujusmodi dampnis per 

 dictum dominum nostrum Regem admissi fuissent, ipsi nuncii, prout alii nuncii 

 prsefati Comitis, in tractatibus supradictis, inter cetera quse requirebant, ante 

 omnia supplicabant, ut dictus dominus Rex ad sectam suam de potestate sua 

 Regia inquiri et justitiam faceret de quadam deprsedatione quibusdam hominibus 

 de Flandria nuper de vinis et aliia diversis mercimoniis suis super mare Anglicanum, 

 versus partes de Crauden, infra potestatem dicti domini nostri Regis, per homines 

 de regno Anglise. Ut dicebant facta asserentes quod vina et mercimonia prsedicta 

 eisdem Flandrensibus deprsedata adducta, fuerunt infra regnum et potestatem 

 dicti domini Regis, et quod ipse est dominus dicti maris, et deprcedatio prsedicta 

 facta fuit supra dictum mare infra potestatem suam." Rot. Pat., 14 Edw. II., 

 pt. ii. m. 26, in dorso. Selden quotes this document (lib. ii. c. xxix.), but his 

 text varies from the above, thus : ". . . potestatem dicti domini Regis, et quod 

 ad ipsum Regem pertinuit sic facere pro eo quod ipse est dominus dicti maris." 



5 Mare Clausum, lib. ii. c. xxix. p. 282. 



