422 A. D. 1272. 



1272. — Cloth of Ireland is mentioned along with cloth of Abendon, 

 and burrel of London (alfo a kind of cloth), as being ftolen at Win- 

 chefler fome time in the reign of Henry III *. [Madox's Hijl. of the 

 excheq. c. 14, § 9-] And this, I believe, is the earliefl notice we have 

 of any exportation of Irifh manufadures. 



During this reign there were feveral treaties with Caftile and France, 

 wherein there is not a word of any commercial affairs. [Foedera, V. i, 

 pp. 503, 505, 675, 688, &c.] But I find a letter, or charter, in favour 

 of the merchants of Spain, or Caftile, wherein, probably, their fovereign 

 had no concern. [Rot. pat. 47 Hen. III.} Among the nations who car- 

 ried on fome trade at this time with England, of which we know no- 

 thing, but from the letters of fafe conduft granted to them, may be alfo 

 reckoned the Norwegians, Portuguefe, and Brabanters. [Rof. pat. 7, 10, 

 45, Jlen. III.} 



Henry III, during the whole courfe of his long reign, opprefled the 

 citizens of London with grievous extortions, often upon the moft frivol- 

 ous pretences ; and many of his officers, whofe names, Mathew Paris 

 fays, it would be tedious and dangerous to particularize, following the 

 king's example, took every opportunity of plundering the merchants, 

 natives and foreigners, of their horfes, carts, wine, provifions, cloth, 

 wax, and other goods. He alfo fqueezed the Jews moft immercifully. 

 One inftance of a general tallage upon them has already been given. 

 From a fingle Jew, called Aaron of York, he extorted on various occa- 

 fions the enormous fum of fifty-fix thoufand marks, a quantity of money 

 equal in efficacy to about half a million of pounds in the prefent day. 

 Having borrowed money in the years 1255 and 1271 of his brother 

 Richard, he on both occafions inortgaged to him the whole Jews of Eng- 

 land, that is to fay, the revenue to be extracted from them, as a fecurity 

 for repayment. We need not be furprifed at the monftrous interell 

 extorted by the Jews from thofe who borrowed from them, which, we 

 are told, was, at leaft in fome inftances, above two pennies a-vveek (or 

 eight fliillings and eight pennies by the year) for the ufe of twenty Ihil- 

 hngs f. But they took fuch exorbitant intereft, with the dreadful 

 profpecl of plunder and murder before their eyes, and a certainty of be- 

 ing obliged to pay a large portion of it to the king, in whofe hands they 

 were in fadl inftruments for fucking the blood of the people. In ftiort, 



* For this notice of Irifli inainifaflurcs we are pears, however, that the Jews af Oxford were 

 indebted to the record of a duel between two h'cenccd to take two pennies a-wcck for the loan 

 thieves. So honey is extraded fioin tlie vilcll of twenty (hilh'ngs, and in proportion for fmalhr 

 weeds. — For earh'er accounts of Irifli nianufaiflures, Aims. They had even taken more, and were re- 

 fee above, pp. 223, 333. ftrifled to tliat rate of intereft on the petition of 



f That was apparently an uncommon inflance the/)uw ftudcnts. [Cltiuf. 32 IIcii. Ill, m Tovey't 



of avarice ; and it drew upon the whole body of yliit^lia Juda'ua, p. 122.] But fuel) exorbitant in- 



the Jews in London a pcrfccution, wherein 700 tercll was apparently only for petty fums and 



of them pcriflicd. l_Stow's yinii. />. if)^.^ It ap- vciy (liort lime. 



