438 A. D. 1282. 



city, and engaged to uphold the gate in future, and alfo to bear a third 

 part of the charges in money and men to defend it. On that occafion 

 the community of the city granted, or confirmed, to the German merch- 

 ants the liberty of ftoring the corn imported by them for the fpace of 

 forty days, unlefs particularly prohibited by the mayor on account of 

 fcarcity, or other reafonable caufe, and of chufing their alderman, who 

 fhould be of the city, fhould be prefented to the mayor and aldermen 

 of the city after his eledlion, and fhould take an oath before them to 

 maintain jufbice according to law and the cufloms of the city *. \_Stow's 

 Survey of London, p. 431, ed. 16 18.] 



1283 — ' Pedro III king of Aragon, by his provifion of the year 12^3, 

 ' which is the feventh chapter of the cortes of Barcelona of that year, 

 ' abolifhed the gabel (or duty) upon fait throughout all Catalonia, and 

 * decreed by law that neither he nor any of his fucceflbrs fhould ever 

 ' be empowered to re-cflablifla it. This falutary meafure was a diredl 

 ' encouragement to the fifhery and the trade of curing provifions, and 

 ' particularly tunnies, the fifhery for which had been in all ages an ob- 

 ' jecl of attention with the Catalans.' At the fame time (by c. 25'") 

 •the hofpitable law of Count Raymundo Berenguer I in the year 1068 

 was confirmed and amplified. [Capmany, Mevi. hijl. de Barcelona.^ ^'i. 

 Com. pp. 22 r, 224.] From thefe and other wife laws of the Catalans, 

 already mentioned, and to be mentioned, in this work, it is evident that 

 the true principles of commercial and manufailuring policy were well 

 underflood and aded upon by that nation many ages before they began 

 to be known in this country. And, indeed, at whatever time the fifh- 

 ■eries and manufactures of Great Britain fhall be delivered from the 

 hardfhips of the fait laws, it mull be acknowleged that the legiflators of 

 Barcelona will have had the merit of preceding up by above five centuries. 



The firfl: Englifh parliament, wherein eledive reprefentatives of the 

 people fat, was fummoned by the ufurped and tranfient authority of the 

 earl of Lelcefler in the year i 265 : and after that we know of no fimilar 

 reprefentative, or eledive, members of any parliament, till King Edward 

 fummoned a parliament (June 28''') to meet at Shrev/fbury on the 30"' 

 of September 1283, to which, befides the great barons called by a par- 

 ticular writ addreffed to each of them, and two reprefentatives eleded 

 for each of the fliires, there were called two members for each of the 

 following cities and towns, which, if the lift is complete, were thofe 

 which were then efteemed the moft opulent and confiderable in the 

 kingdom. The writs were direded to the 



Mayor, citizens, and fhirrefs, of 



London, 

 Mayor and citizens of Winche/ier, 



Mayor and bailifs of Newcajlle upon 



Tine, 

 Mayor and citizens of Tork, 



• We (1 all afterwards find the office of alderman of the Hanfe ufually filled by one of the aldermen 

 of London. 5 



