552 A. D. 1353. 



affifting the enemy. Their fifhermen were licenced (as thofe of Caftilc 

 had ah-eady been) to fifh in the harbours of England and Bretagne. 

 [Fcedera, V. v, p. 763.] 



November 20"" — ^The highway between Temple-bar and Weftminfter 

 being already rendered fo deep and miry by the carts and horfes carry- 

 ing merchandize and provifions to the flaple, that it was dangerous, to 

 pafs upon it, the king required the proprietors of houfes, in confidera- 

 tion of the improvement of their property by means of the flaple be- 

 ing fixed at Weftminfter, to repair the road between their houfes and 

 the kennel under the infpedion -of the mayor and conftables of the 

 flaple : and for the reparation of the main road between the two ken- 

 nels, and alfo for the conftrudion of a bridge * intended for the ac- 

 commodation of the merchants frequenting the ftaple, he diredted that 

 a toll fliould be taken for three years upon all goods carried to or from 

 the ftaple, whether by land or water f. [Fadera, V. \,p. 774.] 



The laft year, and alfo this one, were remarkable for great fcarcity • 

 of the fruits of the earth and the filh of the fea, fo that many things 

 were raifed to double price. The duke of Zeland gave fome relief by 

 fending over feveral cargoes of rye to London ; and confiderable quan- 

 tities of corn were alfo imported from Ireland. [Mu/im. co?itin. p. 1 04. 

 —Stow's Anil. p. 398.] 



A Genoefe fleet of fixty gallies was this year defeated, and forty-one 

 of them taken, by the combined fleets of Catalonia and Venice con- 

 fifting of eighty gallies (Auguft 28""). The defeat was followed by keen 

 difl^nfions among the Genoefe, and the ruin of their independence. 

 They depofed their duke, and offered the fovereignty of their ftate to 

 John, archbifhop and lord of Milan; [Stella, op. Muratori Script. V.y.\\i, 

 col. 1092] and from that time their commercial fplendour, and their 

 naval power, have continued to decline. 



1354, April — The parUament enaded that no iron, whether made in 

 England or imported, fliould be carried out of the country ; and in or- 

 der to prevent the price of iron from rifing too high (a conlequence 

 iurely not to be apprehended from the prohibition of exportation) the 

 fellers were fubjeded to the controul of the juftices appointed to take 

 cognizance of the labourers. \^Stat. 28 Edw. Ill, c. 5.] 



Robberies were now more frequent than formerly (a neceflary con- 

 fequence of the continual war) and foreign merchants were more par- 



• Mr. Anderfon doubted whether ihis bridge for a laft of hides - - • 6d 



was intended to go acrofs the river, or only to be a cart of lead - - - 4 



a landing place. From the dcfcription of a bridge a tun of wine for fale - - 4 



at tht New temple, evidently a landing place or other goods for 20/' in value - - ^ 



wharf, [^Fadera, K v, p. 778] nnd from Sloiv's Goods, which paid in coming, were exempted in 



Sirvry [_p. 894] it fetms 10 have been the later. returning. We find by the patent rolls, that this 



f The lolls were pavage duty was renewed in the years J356, 1338, 



for a farpler of wool . . ^d 1359, 1 360, &C. 5 



300 wool-ftlk . . . 3 



