392 A. D. 1239. 



land (perhaps the fame which was worked by David king of Scotland 

 when he was lord of that country) was worked in this reign. \_Camdeni 

 Brit. p. 631.] x\nd there were many mines in various parts of the 

 country, which contained, or were expeded to contain, fome gold or 

 filver, as appears by grants of the fovereign to feveral individuals. [Ca- 

 lend. rot. pat. in "turri., pajjim.'] But whether they turned out beneficial 

 to the undertakers, we are not informed. 



1 240 — From tlie ruins of the great and antient city of Mecklenburgh, 

 formerly the capital of the kingdom of the Vandals, Gunceline, the 

 lord of the country, built a new city, called Wifmar, on an inlet of the 

 Baltic forming an excellent harbour for the largeft veflels, the conve- 

 nience of which foon attraded a great refort of foreign merchants, by 

 which, and the fertility of the adjacent foil, the place foon became opu- 

 lent and refpeiflable. [Bertii Rer. Germ. L. iii, p. 304.] 



1241 — Pope Innocent IV, who ufed to call England bis inexbmiftiblc 

 fountain of riches*, had fome time ago fent Otto as his legate into this 

 country, who truely acted as if he intended completely to drain the 

 well. At his departure from Dover he left not behind him, Mathew 

 Paris fays, as much money in the country as he had extorted from it, 

 for his inafter and himfelf, during a reiidence of feveral years, indefa- 

 tigably employed in fcraping together money from every quarter, and 

 upon every pretence. The whole amount of his colleftion was probably 

 unknown ; but two of his aflociates, who were difpatched into Scotland 

 in the year i 240, pillaged that kingdom of three thoufand pounds of 

 filver. Other blood-fuckers, who were immediately fent to glean what- 

 ever had efcaped the talons of Otto, fqueezed fifteen thoufand marks 

 cut of Ireland, and large fums alio out of England and Scotland. While 

 thofe harpies were making the beft of their way to Rome with their 

 booty, they v/ere intercepted by fome officers of the emperor of Ger- 

 many, v/ho, thinking he had as good a right to the plunder of the Brit- 

 ifh kingdoms as the pope, his moft bitter and unrelenting enemy, kept 

 the treafure for himfelf. [M. Paris, pp. 400, 540, 549, 573.] 



The cera of the commencement of the Hanseatic association, one 

 of the moil important objeds in the commercial hifiory of the middle 

 ages, like the origin of many other great communities, cannot be pre- 

 cifely afcertained. It feems mofl probable that it derived its origin 

 from an agreement which was entered into in this year, 1241 f , by the 



* The pope, wlio, Mathew Paris [/>. 938] ob- aius of commerce have fiipplied a dream fiiUy equal 



ftrvcs, ought to be incapable of deceiving or being to all the wafte. 



tli'ceived, was encoiirored in liis rapacity by Henry f This is the date aflumed by Lambecius, Stru- 



himftlf, who abluhitely put tholV very words into vius, PfefFcI, &c. and furely the German writers, 



liis inontli, havint; to!d him in his letters, that Kng- Irom local iituation as well as indudry in rcfcarchj 



land was a fountain of riches, which could never be are well qualified for the examination of fuch a 



drained. — Certainly it has flood a vail deal of drain- matter , .4 



tag in that age, and ever fuice ; and Hill the fount- 



