5i8 A. D. 1337. 



at the towns in England appointed for the fale of wool, as much wool 

 for the ufe of their own manufacturers only, as would be fufficient for 

 the confumption of fix months, the quantity being afcertained by the 

 oaths of two deputies to be fent over from each manufacturing town 

 with the duke's letters patent. [Fcsdera, V. iv, p, 757.] 



Auguil 8"" — ^The king gave orders, that a thoufand foldiers, levied in 

 Wales, (hould be drefl^ed in coats and mantles made of the fame cloth. 

 {^Foedera, V. iv, pp. 803, 810, &c.] Quere, if this is the firil mention of 

 -military uniforms ? 



September 27"" — ^The parliament made it felony to carry any wool 

 out of the kingdom. They alio ordered, that after Michaelmafs * no 

 nfian or woman, of whatever rank, in England, Ireland, Wales, and that 

 part of Scotland fubjed to King Edward, except the king, the queen, 

 and their children, (a moll injudicious and antipatriotic exception) 

 fliould buy any cloth of foreign manufadhire, under the penalty of for- 

 feiture of the cloth, and arbitrary punifhment befides. Neither was any 

 perfon, whofe annual income was not at leaft /,'ioo, permitted to wear 

 foreign furs. All perfons in England, Ireland, Wales, and the Englifh 

 part of Scotland, were licenced to make cloth without being reftrided 

 to any ftandard length. All merchants importing cloths after Michael- 

 mafs were alfo fubjeded to forfeiture of the cloths and arbitrary punifla- 

 ment. And all foreign cloth-workers were promifed the king's protec- 

 tion to live in any part of his dominions, together with franchifes to 

 their full fatisfadion. {A£is, lo Ediv. Ill, cc. 1-5.] Thefe ads are 

 flrangely at variance with the many negotiations with the. princes and 

 communities of Flanders and Brabant for fettling the ftaple in their 

 countries, and permitting them to buy wool in England. They were 

 immediately broken by the king himfelf, who ieems to have adopted a 

 new fyflem of politics almoft every month, v.hich mufl have been ex- 

 ceedingly prejudicial to the commerce of England and the countries 

 conneded in trade with it f . 



* From the king's own mandate to tUe iliiircfs f Walfingliam [/>. 135] obfeives, lliat nobody 



■for the pubHcation and enforcement of tlicfe a£ls paid any attention to tliele laws, -wliich he dates in 



(prirtcd immediately after them) which is dated 1335. He ailds, that the parh'ament a!'ov%ed the 



at Windfor tl.e 28"' day of March (no year), it foreign mannfaclurers penfions (♦ vadia regis') till 



appears that Michaelmafs in tlie following year they Ihould be cllabliflied in bufinefs. Indeed the 



vas the day propoftd for the commencement ef law is either defective, as we have it in the edi- 



llitir operation : for Michaelmafs niixt, though it tions, or the rtgiiits (in name of the young prince 



is fo expreffed in the adt, c. 2, being the next day when warden of tlie kingdom) made an addition 



but one, was loo foon for it lo be heard of even at to the llrength of it ; for, according to them, it 



a moderate dillance from London. In the end of ordered, ' lliat all they (without any dillinCtioii 



March 1337 Edward was at Windfor: on the of native or foreigner) \\, ho would engage in the 



2S'" of March 13?^ he was at Berwick. Fiom ' manufadUne of woollen cloth, might cany on 



thefe, and other, circumllanccs it appears that there ' their work in every part of the kingdom with- 



is fome enor in the date of thefe atts, which, how- ' out any lu'nderanee whatever,' £Fadera, V. v, p. 



ever, are rather curious, as the mark of a grand de- 137.] 

 lign, conceived rather prematurely, than important 

 on account of any efledl they l>.id. 



