A. D. 1304. 473 



tiohs and tlie beauty of its buildings. [Siel/ce ^n. Gen. ap. Muratori 

 Script. V. xvii, fo/. 1021.] 



1305 — Either the trade of England was confiderably increafed fince 

 the year 1205, or the duty called the quinzieme was now more flridly 

 coUeded. In that year it amounted only to ^^4.95 8 : 7 : 3t for the 

 whole kingdom : and now the barons of the Cinque ports agreed to pay 

 2,000 marks (/^i,333 ; 6 : 8) for the farm of the quinzieme of the 

 towns under their jurifdidion, Haftings undertaking to pay 700, and 

 Dover, Sandwich, Romney, and Hythe, the remaining 1,300. \pladox'^ 

 Hiji. of the excheq. c. 15, § 11.] 



King Edward, in his great eagernefs to crufli the independent Scots, 

 whom he called 7-ebels, clogged the letters of fafe condudt, which he gave 

 to the merchants of Flanders, with a condition that they Ihould not 

 permit the Scots to procure arms or provifions in their country. But 

 Robert earl of Flanders declined accepting the favour on thofe terms, 

 and wrote to Edward, that he and his fubjeds had no intention to en- 

 courage the Scots in their war or rebellion, and he had even proclaimed, 

 that no one in his dominions fhould give them any alliftance in their 

 rebellion or hoftilities againft him. But he added, that as his country 

 had from remote ages been fupported by merchandize, and been open 

 to merchants reforting to it from all quarters, he could not with pro- 

 priety, and ought not, to exclude the Scots, or any other people, from 

 exercifmg their lawful and juft merchandize in his country, but was ra- 

 ther bound to defend them from all unjuft oppreffion, while they car- 

 ried on their trade without any fraud. [Fordera, V. iii, p. 963.] By 

 perfevering in fuch an impartial line of condu6t, and avoiding wars as 

 much as poffible, Flanders long enjoyed the gixatefl part of the com- 

 merce of the weftern countries of Europe. 



1306 — It was the law, or cuftom, in England to make every individ- 

 ual of the merchant flrangers in the kingdom liable to arrefl for the 

 debts, and even for the crimes, of any other foreigners, and to treat 

 them in many other refpeds with much rigour, unlefs when they ob- 

 tained the protection of the kings, either for particular fervices done to 

 themfelves or their favourites, or in confequence of recommendations 

 from the popes for fervices done to them. In the year 1301 a perfon 

 belonging to the houfe of the Spini of Florence was killed in a fquab- 

 ble w^ith fome other people belonging to the fame houfe ; and the guilty 

 perfon having abfconded, the officers of juftice feized the bodies and 

 goods of other perfons belonging to the company, and alfo, luckily for 

 the merchants, a fum of money coUedted by them in Ireland for the 

 pope, and fome merchandize purchafed for his account, who immedi- 

 ately fent a bull to the king, requiring the liberation of the people and 

 property arrefted. {Fa^dera, F. ii, j6. 891.] In the year 1306 leveral 



Vol. I. 3 O 



