320 A. D. 1 130. 



veying the king's part of their crops, animals, &c. to diftant places ; and 

 the king obtained a revenue, more convenient, and more eafily applic- 

 able to every purpofe whatever. [Dialog, dc fcaccai-'io, L. i, c. '7.] 



1 136, 1 158 — The commercial city of Amalfi, and four neighbouring 

 cities, fubjed: to, or allied with, it, were twice taken and deftroyed, or 

 pillaged, by the forces of the rival commercial city of Pifa, which for 

 fome years paft had repeatedly triumphed over the Saracens of Africa, 

 Spain, and the Balearic iflands. \Cbron. Pifan. and Breviariufn Hift. Pifan. 

 in Murnturi Script. V. vi.] But Amalfi recovered in fome meafure from 

 thefe difafters, and ftill poflelled fome degree of commercial and nauti- 

 cal eminence. 



The maritime laws of Amalfi were adopted in the kingdom of Naples, 

 according to Freccia, a Neapolitan author of the fixteenth century, who 

 fays, that in his time maritime controverfies continued to be determin- 

 ed by the 'Table of Amalfi in preference to the Rhodian law. [See Brenc- 

 vian Dijf. de rep. Amalphitana, § 18.] I believe, the time when thefe 

 laws were enafted cannot be accurately afcertained. 



An antient and authentic copy of Juftinian's Pandeds, difcovered at 

 Amalfi, w^hen it was taken by the Pifans, has been generally fuppofed 

 the original of all the copies now extant in Europe. Though the Pan- 

 dects were undoubtedly known in France before this time (as appeal's 

 by quotations taken from them by Ivo de Chartres, who died in the 

 year 1 1 17) the difcovery of the Araalfitan copy, and the numerous tran- 

 fcripts made from it, gave a new fpring to the ftudy of the Roman civil 

 law, which quickly fpread from Italy over the reft of Europe. [See 

 Breticman Hijl. Patidecl.] The Pandeds were known in England at leaft 

 as early as the year 1 140, [Selden ad Fletam, c. 7] and in the courfe of 

 the twelfth century, they were ftudied in every part of Europe ; and 

 henceforth property became more fecure, and the ftate of fociety was 

 improved. [See Robertforis HiJl. of Cba. V., V. i, p. 381, cd. 1792, S-z^o.] 



1 139 — Though the commercial ftates of Italy regulated their govern- 

 ments, eleded their magiftrates, made war and peace, and aded in all 

 refpeds as independent fovereigns, yet all of them, except Venice, 

 acknowleged the fupremacy of the king, or emperor, of Germany in 

 his charader of emperor of the Romans. In that charader Conrad 

 gave the Genoefe a charter, empowering them to coin money of gold 

 or other metals, having on one fide the crofs, the ftandard of Genoa, 

 with the words ' Conradiis rex Romanorum^ and on the other lide the 

 word ' faniia^ for the name of the city. \Stelhe An. Gen. ap. Muratori 

 'Script. V. xvii, col. 974. J 



About the year 11 30 the Genoefe, being profperous and opulent, be- 

 gan to think of enlarging their territories, and obliged the people of 

 feveral neighbouring towns, or little fi;ates (for almofl; every town had 

 a dependent diftrid) to fwear allegiance to them. Without enumerat- 



