4o8 ' A. D. 1257. 



thought proper, and of coming, remaining, and going away, without 

 any impediment. Thefe privileges were to be in force for feven years, 

 provided they (hould continue faithful to his brother the emperor elect. 

 Charters in the fame form were alfo granted to the burgelTes and mer- 

 chants of Denmark and thofe of the city of Brunfwick. [Cbart. in Hak- 

 luyt's Voiages, Fi i, />. 131.] 



Richard, the new-eleded emperor, expended upon his coronation, 

 and other fruitlefs objeds in Germany, the gatherings of his life-time, 

 amounting to the prodigious fum oi feven hundred thoufand pounds ofjilver, 

 belides his vafl revenues in England, which were remitted to him, while 

 he continued in Germany. By the exportation of fo much treafure the 

 country was very much diflrefled. [M. Paris, pp, 939, 949.] 



This year the king coined money of the purefl gold, weighing two 

 fterlings, or pennies, and ordered that it fhould pafs for twenty pennies 

 of filver, being in the proportion of one to ten — \^Rot. clauf. 41 Hen. Ill, 

 m. 3. — MS. Chron. in arch. Lend. — Snelling^s View of the gold coin, p. i.] 

 Thus it is proved, that gold money was coined by Henry III ; whereas 

 the common belief is, that Edward III, his great-grandfon, was the firll 

 king of England who coined gold. It is probable, however, that there 

 was no great quantity of it, and the exigence of it was foon forgotten. 

 According to Carte, {Hiji. of 'England, V. n, pp. 23, iii] the citizens 

 of London remonftrated againft the new gold money, on Sunday 4"' 

 November, and the king thereupon proclaimed, that every perfon 

 might carry it to his exchange, and receive the value at which it had 

 been made current (which, to-be-fure, was much above the price gold 

 had been hitherto rated at) * deduding one halfpenny) or two and a 

 half per cent) for the exchange f . 



The Welfh being threatened by Prince Edward, to whom his father 

 had afligned his fuperiority over them, with an invafion of the Irifli, 

 who were alfo his immediate vaflals, they provided a fleet of gallies, 

 fupplied with arms and provifions, to guard their coafl. In this war the 

 marches of Wales were reduced to a defert, the caftles and houfes were 

 burnt, the people and cattle were flaughtered, and the woods defliroyed. 

 A flop was alfo put to the ufual importation of horfes, oxen, &c. from 

 Wales, which in peaceable times was very advantageous to both nations* 

 [M. Faris, pp. 890, 949, 957, 958.] 



* The continiiator of Mathew Paris \_p, 1009] vf London, but has midakt-n the year of the king's 

 values a gold cup weighing 10 pounds at 100 reign. Notwithdaiiding the mention of ihls coin- 

 pounds of filvcr in the year 1239. Probably he age by Carte, Eachard, Maitland, and Spelling, 

 allows 10 pounds of filver for the workmanlhip. upon the furc autliority of anticnt records, fo tcn- 



f The coinage of gold by Henry III is alfo acious are many people of their accullomed be- 



noticed by Eachard in his Hi/lory of England, and lief, that it will ilill be difficult te perfuade them, 



by Maitland i]i his h'ijlory of' Scotland (a pott- that any gold money was coined in England before 



humous work). 'I'hc later found it in the archives the reign of Edward III. 

 of the city, when collefting materials for his Hijiory 4 



