A. I>. 1337- 517 



fleet, according to juflice, as it iifed to be in former times : and he alfo 

 gave them full power of chufing, either within liberties or without, as 

 many men as they might think neceflary for manning the fleet, and 

 feizing and imprifoning them, if they were unwilling to go onboard', 

 and he deflred all his faithful fubjecls to be aflifting to his admirals in 

 that fervice. [Fcedera, V. iv, p. 727.] The power of punifliing the 

 men onboard the fleet thus appears to have been already cftablifhed : 

 but this ample prefs-warrant feems to have been unprecedented. It 

 would, however, be no additional hardfliip upon the merchants, whofe 

 veflels were all feized, or expeded to be feized, for the king : neither 

 had the feamen any choice of employment except in the king's fervice. 



January 27'" — The king, feeing the necefllty of having veflels of his 

 own, employed William de Kelin, a carpenter, to build a galley for 

 him at Kingfton upon Hull, under the infpedion of the renowned mer- 

 chant William de la Pole, for the ufe of which he ordered the prior of 

 Blithe to furnifli forty oak trees *. Having ordered anchors to be made 

 for his fliips, called the Chriftopher and the Cog Edward, he direded 

 the fliirrefs of London to provide for that purpofe 5,000 pounds of 

 iron, 200 Eaftland boards, and 100 quarters of fea-coal f, to be deliver- 

 ed to the fupervifor of his works (a clergyman) at the Tower. [^Fcedera,. 

 V. iv, p. 730.] 



March 18''' — The Flemings being now leagued againfl Edward, he 

 wrote to the king of Caflile (or Spain) and to his principal courtiers, 

 requefting that the merchants of that kingdom might have no com- 

 mercial intercourfe with the Flemings, and that they would rather trade 

 to the ports of England, where, he promifed, they fliould meet with 

 every indulgence they could reafonably deflre J. [Fcedera, V. iv, pp. 736, 



737-] . 



April 15''' — Though King Edward was as eager to deprive the Flem- 

 ings of commercial intercourfe with other nations as his father had been 

 to deprive the Scots of their commerce with the Flemings, it was foon 

 difcovered, that the Englifli and the Flemings could not live without the 

 mutual advantages they ufed to derive from their friendly fupply of 

 mutual wants. A treaty was therefor fet on foot for marrying a fon of 

 the earl with a daughter of Edward, then in her cradle, and for re- 

 eflabliflaing the ftaple of wool in Flanders. [^Fadera, V. iv, pj>. 744, 



745-] 



May 24"" — The Brabanters, being thus difappointed of having the 

 ftaple of Englifli wool among themfelves, were now allowed to purchafe 



* The trees muft have been very large, if no ten fliillings worth of coals bought for the corona- 

 more were to be employed, or the galley very tion of King Edward 111. 

 fmall. ' J So ftrarigely flutluating were Edward's poli- 



f This is the earlieft -exprefs notice we have of tics, that we Ihall foon fee him granting favours to 



fo large a quantity of coals in London. Brand the Spanifli merchants for the fake of his good 



(in his Hijl. cf NcukoJIIc, V. ii, p. 254) meiuions friends the Flemings. 



