^yo A, D. 1363. 



tious : and it appears, that he never favv any profped of obtaining the 

 confent of his fubjeds, exafperated by the miferies of an age of war- 

 fare, to an union with their inveterate enemies ; and therefor he care- 

 fully kept the fcheme (for it was exprefsly declared to be no more) a 

 dead fecret *. Certain it is, that, under more aufpicious circumftances, 

 fuch an union might have been acceptable, and have greatly accelerat- 

 ed the improvement of agriculture and manufadures in both kingdoms, 

 efpecially Scotland, and would have enabled Great Britain much fooner 

 to aflTume a pre-eminent rank among the kingdoms of Europe. 



The equitable mode of repairing the roads by funds raifed from tolls, 

 collected from thofe who ufed them, was now fo far eftabliflied, that we 

 find, befides the renewals of the tolls for the Wcftminfter road almofl 

 annually, tolls granted this year for the road between Highgate and 

 Smithfield, for that from Wooxbridge (Uxbridge) by A6ton to London, 

 and for the venel called Fay tor (Fetter) lane in Holburn. [Rot. pat. fee. 

 37 Edw. Ill, mm. 25, 44, 47.] 



It may be proper to obferve, as a proof that fome of the citizens of 

 London were already very opulent, that Henry Picard, who had been 

 mayor fome years before, made a magnificent entertainment this year 

 at his own houfe in the Vintry, to which he invited his fovereign the 

 king of England, the kings of France, Scotland, and Cyprus, (all three 

 then vifitors at the court of England) the prince of Wales, and many 

 of the nobility ; his wife at the fame time giving another entertainment 

 in her apartments, I prefume, to the ladies. According to the cuftom 

 of the age, Picard prefented rich gifts to the king, the nobles, and 

 knights, who dined with him f . [5/oty'j- Annoles, p. 415, ed. 1600.] 



1364, January — The experiment of compelling the people to feed 

 and clotl)e themfelves according to a prefcribed ftandard of rank and 

 fortvme was found not to anfwer expectation, and the ads ordaining it 

 were repealed. The other ftrange law, reftriding merchants or {hop- 

 keepers to one fingle article of merchandize, was aUb abrogated ; and all 

 merchants, aliens &r denizens, were allowed to buy and fell all kinds of 

 goods, and to export them on paying the cuftoms, except that Englifh 

 merchants were now again prohibited from exporting wool and wool- 

 fells. All perfons were again prohibited from carrying abroad any gold 

 or filver, excepting (as before) the fiflaermen who fold nothing but fifh. 

 {Stat. 1, 38 Edw.. Illy cc. 2, 6.] 



* And it remained unknown to all the In'ftori- when he was mayor ; but 1363 was the year of 



ans of England and Scotland, and utterly forgot- the vilitatlon of the kings. — In the year 1350 



ten, till it was publilhed by Rymtr in the year Henry Picard and another perfon were appointed 



J •727. by the king to make an inquiry concerning a Ge- 



f Stow tells us that Picard, having won fifty noelc veffLi ; and in 1339 he and Hiigli de Wich- 



marks from the king of Cyprus at play, reftorcd ingham lent the king 15,000 marks. \_Fa(laa, 



ihcm to him, and gave gifts to his retinue. Stow y.s\, p. Ci^l.—Rut. put. ftc. 33 Ediu. Ill, m. 14.}; 

 but dated the entertainment in the year 1357, * 



