526 



A. D. 1340. 



the ninth part of the real vaUie of all the property (quere, if not rather 

 income ?) of the citizens and burgefles, and a fifteenth from all others, 

 excxpt labourers and beggars *. {Sfat. 14 Edw. Ill, c. 20 — Knyghton, 

 col. 2576.] 



April 16''' — They granted him alfo a duty of 40/" upon every fack 

 (containing 26 ftones of 14 pounds each) of wool, 40/" upon every 300 

 wool-fells, and 4q/'upon every lafl of hides, to be paid upon exportation, 

 and to be continued till Pentecoll in the year 134 1. In confideration 

 of thefe fupplies the king relinquilhed his right to the feudal tax for 

 knighting his oldeft fon and marrying his oldefl daughter f (a favour in 

 profpedl to thofe who held lands of him in chief) : and he engaged, that 

 after Pentecoft in 1341, he would demand no more than 6/'8 upon the 

 fack of wool, 6/8 upon 300 wool-fells, and 1374 upon the lafl of hides. 

 The exporters of wool were to find fecurity, that, for every fack of wool 

 carried out of the kingdom, they would within three months bring in 

 filver bulUon to the value of two marks, and carry it to the king's ex- 

 change, where they Ihould receive two marks in coined money for it. 

 IStat. 14 Edw. III.] 



Though the parliament, and probably the generality of the people, 

 were fo liberal of their property for the purpofe of enabling their king 

 to make himfelf king of France, it appears, that there were fome who 

 were endowed with more penetration, and faw that the fuccefs of the 

 king would be the ruin of the kingdom. In order to counteract the ef- 

 fed: of fuch an opinion, the king ilTued a kind of charter :}:, wherein he 

 declared, that, being defirous to provide for the fecurity and immunity 

 of his liege people of England, he had, by the alTent of his parliament, 

 determined, that the people of England fhould not be bound by any 

 commands ifTued by him or any of his heirs as king of France, and 

 Ihould be as free of any fubjeilion to that kingdom, as they were in the 

 ^ays of his anceftors. {Stat. 5, 14 Edw. III.] He might as well have 

 promifed the people of Cumberland and Cornwall, that they fhould not 

 be controlled by the laws enaded in the capital. 



April 18"' — King Edward was now fo well pleafcd with his good 

 friends, the citizens of Ghent, Bruges, and Ypres, that he made fome of 

 their magiftrates members of his council, and fettled penfions on them 

 with an allowance of robes from his wardrobe. For their fakes alfo he 



* Knygliton [_ail. 2569] and Walfingham [f. f Though what is written is permanent, yet, 



J 1 3] ttll us, that the king exaftcd from the peo- without the alTiftancc of printing, it is foon for- 



ple of England, (without any diflindtion of per- gotten. A demand was made for knighting the 



fons), a tribute of ■■iji/l/j part of tlicir goods in the prince of Wales in 1346, and in 1351 a new aft 



year 1339. But I often find tiiefc hillorians inac- was paficd to re-ellablifli the claim for the oldeft 



curate in numbers, when brought to the left of re- fon and the oldeft daughter as before. [Fteilera, 



cords. It may be queftioncd, whether it would ^v,/). 527. — Stal. 5, 25 Edw. Ill, c. II.] 

 have been poffible to levy fuch a contribution in an * It is printed among the acls of parliament, 



age when heavy taxes were as yet new and uii- 

 jtiiown. 



