360 A. D. J 198. 



for a feries of ages to fupply moft of the weftern parts of Europe, and 

 even fome of the Mediterranean countries, with fine cloths, which the 

 Italians called French cloths, either as reckoning Flanders a part of 

 France (as indeed, in feudal language, it was) or becaufe they received 

 them from the ports of the fouth coaft of that country. 



1 1 99 — King John in the beginning of his reign addrefTed a letter to 

 the mayor and community of London, whereby he promifed, that for- 

 eign merchants of every country fhould have fafe condudt for them- 

 felves and their merchandize in coming into, and going out of, England, 

 agreeable to the due, right, and ufual, cuftoms, and fhould meet with 

 the fame treatment (' eandem habeant pacem') in England, that the 

 Englifh merchants met with in the countries they came from. 



Similar letters were at the fame time fent to the fhirref of Suflex, the 

 mayor and community of Winchefler, the bailif of Southampton, the 

 bailif of Lynne, the bailif (or fhirref) of Kent, the fhirref of Nor- 

 folk and Suffolk, the fhirref of Dorfet and Somerfet, the barons of the 

 Cinque ports, the fhirref of Hampfhire, the fhirref of Hertford and 

 EfTex, and the fhirref of Cornwall and Devon * ; whence it appears that 

 the fouth coafl, and the eafl coaft only as far north as Norfolk, were 

 efteemed the whole, or at leaft the chief, of the commercial part of the 

 country, though we fhall foon fee that Bofton, beyond thefe limits, was 

 little inferior to London in commercial importance, and fome ports flill 

 farther north had their fhare of the trade of the country. 



1 200 — The bufinefs of lending money at interefl, however moderate, 

 being prohibited to the Chriftians by law, the Jews, who in all ages, 

 fince the abolition of their government as a diflinft nation by the Ro- 

 mans, have eftablilhed themfelves as brokers and dealers in money in 

 every country, wherein there was any commerce or money, were there- 

 by put in polTeflion of a monopoly of the trade of lending money up- 

 on interefl. It is feldom that monopolifls are fatisfied with a reafonable 

 profit ; and the Jews in England appear to have fometimes carried their 

 extortions to a moft fcandalous height. Such condud was fufEcient, in- 

 dependent of the violent religious prejudices of the age, to render them 

 odious to the people, who were continually crying out to the kings for 

 the punifhment and expulfion, or rather extermination, of the Jews. 

 The kings, who did not think it for their intereft to expell them, took 

 a method, very convenient for themfelves, of punifhing them by heavy 

 fines. This proceeding proved to the Jews, that their extortions would 

 be not only tolerated, but even encouraged, if they were well paid for : 

 and it at the fame time compelled them to rife in their demands upon 



• Tin's faft conduft is publiflicd from tlie re- firft year of lils reign : but the fgure fccms rrro- 



cords in th'- Tower by Hakluyt ^^Voiagct, V. '\, p. neous, for fuch ;in art of favour would probably 



ijy] and, I believe, by no other. It is dated tlie take place very foon afti r his acceflion. 

 j"' day of April, which was the lalt day of the 4 



