A. D. 1 162. 337 



them the power of chufing their confuls, difpenfing juftlce, and punifli- 

 ing crimes, within their diftridt. He confirms to them all their poffef- 

 fions at home and beyond fea, particularly Syracufe with a tradl of land 

 adjacent to it. He moreover grants them a ftreet convenient for their 

 merchants, together with a church, a bath, a fadory (' fundicus'), and a 

 bake-houfe, in every maritime city, which he may hereafter fubdue, 

 and alfo an exemption from duties and feveral charges in every country, 

 which they Ihall aflift him to conquer. He alfo grants them one half 

 of the gold, filver money, and filk, which they fhall take, the other half 

 being for himfelf ; and a quarter of all the gold and jewels, which fhall 

 be furrendered to him. He gives them the power of appointing one or 

 more of their citizens to refide in every country to which they trade, 

 in order to difpenfe juftice according to his laws and good cufloms. 

 And (what was perhaps the mofl agreeable of the whole, if indeed he 

 had the right, or the power, to make it eifedual) he authorizes them to 

 prevent the French from failing to Sicily and the coaffc of Calabria ; and 

 he fubjects the Venetians to the fame reftridions, unlefs they (hall con- 

 ciliate his flivour. [Diploma ap. Muratori Antiq. V. iv, col. 253.] 



The delegation of the command of the fea by a prince, who, with a 

 founding title, poflefled no maritime power himfelf, probably encou- 

 raged the Genoefe in their pretenfions to a fovereign jurifdidlion upon 

 the fea, which they already exercifed by granting licences to the merch- 

 ants of other nations for trading by fea, whereof their encomiaftic 

 hiftorian, Baptifla Burgus, has adduced feveral examples which feem to 

 red upon very llender authority, and alfo fome which appear to be 

 more authentic, viz. In the year 



1 1 54 — the citizens of Luca were permitted to trade upon the Genoefe 

 fea with merchandize allowed by the laws of Genoa ; 



1156 — Azolino of Placentia was permitted to fend a veflel annually 

 to any port he thought proper with merchandize to the value of j^i5o ; 



1 1 84 — Drogo de Confilio and his brothers were permitted to fend a 

 vefTel annually to any port with a cargo of the value of jr400, as citizens 

 of Genoa ; 



1 1 89 — Cenlio Romano was permitted to go in, or to fend, a veflel 

 anywhere upon the fea of Genoa, free of any exaction, and carrying a 

 cargo amounting to ^^'200, whether belonging to himfelf or to others. 



For thefe his authorities are the records of the city : and his being 

 able to find ib lew in the courfe of fo many years fhows, that they were 

 but feldom applied for. 



II 65 — Axel (or Abfolon) bifhop of Lunden, having conflruded a 

 fort at an excellent harbour on the eafl fide of Zeland (or Seeland) in 

 order to proted the merchant Ihips from pirates, fome filhermen built a 

 few cottages befide it ; and an inn being alfo built for the accommoda- 

 tion of flrangers, the name of the place was changed from Axel-hus to 



Vox. I. U u 



