A. D. 1317. 485 



village, deftined to become the chief feat of commerce on the weflern 

 fide of England. 



131 8, January 28'*^ — The citizens of Montpelier, a city in the fouth 

 part of France, appear to have carried on a very extenfive trade, as we 

 may judge fi-om their having dealings in London, the voyage to which, 

 coafting round the whole of the great peninfula of Spain, muft then 

 have been reckoned a very long one. In the year 1282 Ferrand, fon of 

 the king of Aragon, recommended Bertrand de Crefuels, a merchant 

 of that city who ufed to trade to England, to the favour of Edward T. 

 And now we find that a company of merchants of Montpelier confign- 

 ed various articles of merchandize to three merchants in London ; and 

 I am forry to add, that it is to a breach of faith in the confignees that 

 we owe the knowlege of the trade. [Ftxdera, V. ii, p. 2or ; V. iii,/». 

 693.] The ftrid mercantile probity and honour, which are now fo 

 eminently the charadleriftics of the merchants of London, were then 

 but little known in the world. 



June 29''' — The community of the city, or burgh, of Perth obtained 

 from King Robert a confirmation of a prerogative claimed by them, 

 whereby no veflel entering the River Tay was allowed to break bulk 

 without going up to the bridge of Perth, except vefl"els loaded with 

 goods belonging to Dundee, and that only in the time of the fairs of 

 Dundee. This monopoly of the river, which probably was the caufc 

 of the many fquabbles between Perth and Dundee, was often confirm- 

 ed by fucceeding kings, and even fo late as the year 1600. \Chart. in 

 Append, to Canfs Mufes T'hrenodie, p. 9.] 



July 1 5'" — The quarrels between the Englifh and Flemings (not the 

 king of England and the earl of Flanders) had got to fuch a height, 

 that the commercial intercourfe between them was entirely fufpended 

 for fome time. But fuch an interruption being exceedingly diftrefsful 

 on both fides, the two fovereigns intcrpofed, and brought about a peace : 

 and thereupon King Edward now wrote to the fhirrefs of London and 

 all the maritime counties from York-ihire to Cormvall inciufive, and to 

 all bailifs and others, defiring them to allow the Flemings to enjoy free- 

 dom of trade without any moleftation, till next Chriftmas. In the en- 

 fuing November, however, there was another order, addrefled to all the 

 maritime counties of England : but whether it was in confequence of a 

 fubfequent rupture and accommodation, we are not informed. [Fcedera, 

 /^. iii, /)/). 718, 720, 741.] So very uncertain were the merchants in 

 thofe days, whether they fliould be received as friends, or feized as ene- 

 mies, in the country they v/ere failing to. 



A vefltjl called the Little Edward, valued at only ^^40 fierling, loaded 

 with, 1.20 farplars * of wool, valued at ;^io each, the property of fix- 



* Sarplera lanse, half a fack, or forty tods, of if Ainfworth is coircvS, was much larger than the 

 wool. {Ainf worth's Dlcl. Focah. injure An^l."] In farpltr of England. See Skene d^ -verb-fign. in -vc. 

 Scotland wool was reckoned by the ferplath, wliich, or below uoder the year 1425. 



