A. D. 1333. 509; 



interruption of commerce, and the many other abufes, proceeding from 

 the pradice of granting letters of marque to empower individuals to 

 procure redrefs by means of armed vellels for injuries fuffered, or al- 

 leged to be fuffered, by them, had- repeatedly made regulations for ob- 

 taining juflice to the parties aggrieved by an amicable procedure, and 

 agreed to give no letters of marque, unlefs juflice fliould be denied by 

 the fovercign of the aggreffors. \C11pma71y, Mem. hift. de Barcelona, V. ii, 

 Gol. d'lpL p. 100.] James III, the late king of Aragon, having no fuch 

 regulations fettled with England, a country with which he confidered 

 his dominions as no- way connected by neighbourhood or commercial 

 intercourfe, had given a letter of marque againd England to Eerenguer 

 de la Tone, who duely proved in his court (accordmg to the mode of 

 proceeding fettled between Aragon and France) that he had been plun- 

 dered upon, the fea by an Englifh pirate of property to the amount of 

 ;^2,ooo Barcelona money, befides which there were found due to him 

 11,333 fliillings and 4. pennies for intereil, andj(^ioo for the expenfe of 

 feveral journies to England. Alfonfo, the prefent king, having liberat- 

 ed an Englifh ofHcer in the fervice of King Edward, who had been ar- 

 refled at the inflance of Tone's heirs, took tha opportunity of writing 

 to the king of England, and again requefling redrefs for his fubjefts : 

 whereupon King Edward, who by no means wifhed to (tir up any nev/ 

 enemies, now anfwered, that his father, King Edward II, had offered 

 to do juflice to Tone, who had himfelf negledled attending further to 

 the bufinefs. Re argued that neither equity nor juflice warranted let- 

 ters of reprifal in fuch a cafe ; and he profefTed his readinefs to do fpeedy 

 juflice, even with favour, to the parties, if they would apply for it. [fW- 

 era, V. iv, p. 577.] 



October 6''' — It is fcarcely worth while to notice fo common an event 

 as the appointment of two Englifh and two FlemiHi commifTioners to 

 fettle all claims of redrefs between the two nations. \¥a:dera, V. iv. 

 pp. 578, 579, bV.] 



King Edward having got poffefTion of Berv/ick, and being defirous 

 that it fhould be repeopled, proclaimed that all merchants, who would 

 fettle in it, fliould have burgages for their refidence ; and fome time af- 

 ter he gave the burgeffes an affurance, that they Ihould pay no more 

 than the antient cufloms, which thence appear to have been more mo- 

 derate than thofe of England. \^Ayloffe''s Calendar of charters, pp. 146, 

 207.] But it may be doubted, if Berwick, even in the prefent day, be 

 equal to what, it was in the peaceable and profperous reign of Alexander 

 III, when it was the principal port of the ilourifliing trade of Scotland, 

 and the feat of a company of Flemifli merchants reiembUng the merch- 

 ants of the Teutonic gildhall in London. 



1334, March ■^ — In a parliament, held at York, the king, at the re- 

 f^uelt of his people, determined to abolilli the flaples, which- had been.. 



