536 A. D. 1346. 



During the liege of Calais the king of France attempted to detach 

 the Flemings from the intereft of King Edward. He offered to fupply 

 them for fix years with corn at 4/ per quarter inftead of 12/] which they 

 then paid ; to fend them the wool of France at a low price, and to 

 oblige his fubjedts to ufe no other cloth, while their cloths, made of 

 French wool were to be got (thus offering to facrifice the woollen ma- 

 nufafture, which, we have feen, his own fubjedis certainly had). He of- 

 fered to reftore to them the towns of Lifle, Doway *, and Bethune, with 

 their diflrids, to defend them againlt their enemies, to fubfidize them, 

 largely, and to promote their young men. But all his offers were not 

 fufficient to prevail with the Flemings. [R. de Avejhtiry, p. 153.] 



1347 — ^In the year 1347, and apparently in the early part of it, the 

 king's fon Lionel, as warden of the kingdom, in a council without the 

 cotnmons, impofed a duty of 2/ upon every fack of wool exported, 2/ up- 

 on every tun of wine, and dd upon every 20/ in value of other goods 

 (' des avoirs'), to continue till next Michaelmafs, for the protedtion of 

 the kingdom and the convoy of Ihips, [Cotton's Abridgement of records, 



P' 52.] 



April 10"' — For a confiderable time pait we have iiad little notice of 

 any commercial intercourib between England and Venice. In confe- 

 quence of an application by the conful f of the Venetian merchants at 

 Bruges and an Englifli merchant, the king now took all the merchants 

 of Venice, trading to England, Ireland, and his other dominions, under 

 his protedion during one year. [Fcedera, V. v, p. 558.] 



April 13"' — -The king fent agents to Genoa to hire twelve gallics, 

 completely armed and manned, for his fervice. In July a very prolix 

 treaty was figned at Genoa, wherein King Edward offered, and the duke 

 and community of Genoa (for the parties interefted) accepted, ^^ 10,000 

 flerling in full compenfation for the fix gallies taken in the year 1340, 

 and 8,000 marks for the cog taken in the year 1321 X> 'which fums 

 were to be allowed in the cuftoms of goods imported or exported in the 

 ports of England, by the perlbns aggrieved and their heirs, for their 

 own accounts only, till every one of them (hould thus retain as -much 

 as his fliare of the compenfation fhould be fettled at§. Moreover, what 

 was the king's great objedl, each of the contrading powers engaged not 

 to allifl the enemies of the other. [Foedera,V. v, pp. 560, 569.] 



Augufl: 12'' — King Edward, having made himfclf mafler of Calais 

 after a fiege of eleven months, defired the fliirrefs of the maritime 



* So I have vcntiinJ to call llie town wrilteii liiable Mimorlat h'ljloricns de Barcelona, gives « lift 



Rov-'acum in one MS. and Boivacuin in anotlier, of conlul.s commiffioiKcl by tliat city lincc tlie year 



apparently for Do'zlwcum. 1 2 70. 



•j- If I n^iituke not, this is tlie carllift notice of j Triis fccms the fa;nc fliip for which King 



tlieoHtcec.f ac^>n/"«/o/"»ii'rf/i(7«/jinaiiy Englidirccord. Edward oflercJ to pay 8,oco inaiks in the year 



But lor.g before this time the commercial dates in '3^6. 



the Mediterranean had confulsin every confiderable § Another inllance of payment in this mann?" 



port to which tiny traded. Capmany, in liis va- occurs i;i FaiUra, l^. v, p. 789. 



