A. D. 1338. 523 



ceeding, being probably reprefented as facrilege, raifed fuch a clamour, 

 that he was glad to dcfifl: from it. [Fa^dera, V. v, pp. 48-50, 59, 60. — 

 Knyghton , col. 2571.] 



Notwithftanding King Edward's application to foreign princes in order 

 to injure the trade of the Flemings, he was very defirous of being in 

 friendihip with them. In confequence of friendly letters fent by him 

 to the three chief cities of Flanders, his commiffioners appointed to ne- 

 gotiate with the good people of thofe towns and of the country, who, 

 I have already obferved, were in many refpeds independent of their 

 €arl, and who could by no means carry on their manufadure without 

 Englifh wool, concluded a treaty, whereby the Flemings were permitted 

 to purchafe the wool and other commodities of England, then lying in 

 Holland, Zeland, and elfewhere, and had a promife of ample protedion 

 in all the harbours of England and the king's other dominions, and of 

 fafety upon the fea to all their veffels, except thofe found trading with the 

 Scots. The Flemings promifed to take no part in the war between the 

 king of England and Sir Philip of Valois pretending to be king of France, 

 unlefs for the defence of their earl, if he fliould be attacked by either party 

 in their own country ; and they engaged to proted the Englifh mer- 

 chants and their property in Flanders. It was flipulated, neverthelefs, 

 that the earl with his military tenants, might ferve whom he pleafed out 

 of Flanders. Soon after this reconciliation King Edward gratified the 

 citizens of Ghent with an exemption for the cloths, bearing the feal of 

 their city, from being fubjed to the examination of the ulnators, aulne- 

 gers, or meafurers, in the ports of England. Fcsdera., V. v, pp. 38, s^^, 

 59i 74-] Thus was the premature la^v againft the importation of fo- 

 reign cloth effedually repealed. 



July 27 '' — The parliament having granted the king twenty thoufand 

 facks of wool, he immediately, without paying the fmallefl attention to 

 the recent law againft the exportation of it, ordered the whole to be 

 fhlpped, and veflels to be prefTed for the carriage. The colledion of the 

 wool, however, went on fo heavily, that only 3,000 facks were got ready 

 before his departure for the continent ; and on his arrival at Antwerp 

 he found there only 2,500 of them, inftead of the 20,000, on the fale of 

 which he depended for the payment of his army and the fubfidies 

 of his numerous allies. He therefor fent home orders to feize all the 

 wool in the country, fparing no perfon, whether of the clergy or the 

 laity, and to prefs carriages and veifels for the fpeedy conveyance of it 

 to him at Antwerp. [Fcedera, V. ^^ pp. 66, 73, 80.] The quantity of 

 wool levied in Leicefter-fhire was 311 facks, in Lincoln-iliire 600, and 

 in Northampton 300. \^Kiiyghton, col. 2571.] 



Among other expedients for carrying on a war of unprecedented ex- 

 penfe, King Edward gave orders for imprifoning all the Lombard and 

 other foreign merchants, except thofe of the companies of the Bardi and 



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