514 A. D. 133^. 



fels, with liberty of buying and felling, in any part of his kingdom, and 

 the further liberty of leaving any port without felling, or with felling 

 only a part, and going wherever they pleafed. The offer was accepted 

 by the Genoefe, who entered fo heartily into his interefl, that they 

 burnt fome gallies, which were fitting out in their port, becaufe they 

 conjedured, that they were intended to a6l againfl; him. Edward, high- 

 ly delighted with fuch a proof of their attachment, commiflioned one 

 of their own citizens to hire gaUies and ufcers *, properly manned, arm- 

 ed, and equipped, for war, at Genoa. \_Fa?dera, V. iv, pp. 702, 710, 

 712.] 



October 1 5*^ — The luxury of the table had got to fuch a height in 

 England, that it was thought necelTary to reftrain it by a law, which 

 prohibited all perfons, of whatever rank, from having more than two 

 couries, and more than two kinds of meat with pottages in each courfe ; 

 except on eighteen holidays in the year, when gluttony and extrava- 

 gance might be freely indulged. [3 Stat. 10 JLdw. HI.'] 



October — Notwithflanding the recent friendly arrangements between 

 England and Flanders, the earl, probably at the defire of the king of 

 France, his feudal over-lord, imprifoned the Englifh merchants in his 

 dominions, and arrefted their property. King Edward thereupon iffued 

 orders for retaliating upon the Flemings in his dominions. But being 

 very anxious to avoid having any enemies in addition to France and 

 Scotland, he immediately wrote foothing and expoflulating letters' to 

 the earl of Flanders and the magiftrates of Bruges, Ghent, and Ypres, 

 requeuing redrefs of thofe outrages, and profefling his refolution to al- 

 low no injuftice to be done to the Flemings. \_Foedera, V. iv, pp. 711, 



713-] 



November 3'' — King Edward wrote to the king of Norway, and to 



the earls of Holland and Gelder, requefting them not to allow their fub- 

 ieds to hire any veflels to the Scots, his rebels and enemies. \Fcedera, 

 V. iv, p. 715.] How could the oppreffed and j^erfccuted half of the 

 Scottilh nation, with their agriculture ruined and their trade annUiilat- 

 ed, find money to hire veflels in mod of the maritime countries of Eu- 

 rope ? 



November 6'^ — King Edward, ftill alarmed with rumours of hollile 

 armaments upon the continent, and having heard that fome Englifli 

 veflels had adually been taken, fent orders to all the maritime cities 

 and towns in the kingdom to oblige the owiiers to fit out every vefl^el 

 in their ports in a fufficient manner with men, arms, and ftores : and he 

 appointed the harbour of Portfmouth to be the place of rendezvous for 

 all veflels belonging to 



* Tancrcd king of Sicily gave Ricliard king of England four great fliips calk'd urfns, \_Hovcdin-t 

 ■J. 391 b] or ujfen ; \_Bromloii, col. I 195] apparently the fame kind of vcllcls here called ufceit. 



