572 A D. 1365. 



From the account of Bartholemew Glantville * \T)e propridatibus rerum, 

 L. vi, cc. 12, 16, ed. 1481] we find, that flavery ftill remained with all 

 its rigours in England ; the child of a female flave was a Have ; fhe was 

 debarred from marrying without the confent of her proprietor ; and a 

 free man by marrying a flave reduced himfelf to the ftate of flavery. 

 All flaves were fold like any other living property. We find, however, 

 no accounts of flaves being imported or exported in this age. 



After an interval of almofl: a century, a feeble attempt was made this 

 year by the king of Cyprus to renew the holy war. He took Alexand- 

 ria, and after keeping pofliflion of it four days, burnt the greatefl; part 

 of it, and, underflanding that the enemy were approaching in great 

 forcfe, went off with a great deal of plunder, confifting of cloth of gold, 

 filk, and other pretious articles, which his foldiers, among whom there 

 were fome Engliftimen and Gafcons, proudly exhibited as trophies of 

 their valour in their own countries. But in confequence of the de- 

 llruftion made by thofe marauders, the price of fpices was raifed in all 

 the wefl:ern parts of the world. The crufade, undertaken on pretence 

 of religion, being thus found defl:ruclive of commerce, the Venetians 

 who were moreover fuffering from the refentment and revenge of the 

 Egyptians, perfuaded the king of Cyprus to negotiate a peace, in which 

 the recovery of the Holy land was entirely loft fight of. The war was 

 foon renewed by the turbulent king of Cyprus, who interefted the pope 

 in his caufe fo far as to attempt to ftir up fome of the princes of Europe 

 to renew the folly of the preceding century. But his holinefs, finding 

 he could not prevail with any of them to take the crofs, perfuaded the 

 king of Cyprus to feek for peace, which he obtained. [Fcedera, V. vi, p. 

 533. — A?ion. Vit. Edw. Ill, p. 430. — Walfingham, p. 180 — De Guignes, en 

 Mem. de Utter ature, V. xxxvii, p. 513.] 



We are told, that fome navigators of Dieppe in Normandy this year 

 (or the year before) difcovered the coaft of Africa as far as the River 

 Senegal, v/here they formed a fettlement, and obtained fome articles of 

 African produce, which they had formerly received by the way of 

 Alexandria. The difcoverers admitted feveral merchants of Rouen to 

 flia-re with them in the African trade ; and in the year 1 366 the enlarged 

 company fitted out feveral veflTels, and fettled fadlories on the Rivers 

 Niger f and Gambia, at Sierra Leona, &c. In 1382 they built the fort 

 De la Mine d'or on the coaft of Guinea, and afterwards thofe of Acora, 

 Cormentin, and others : and they went on very profperoufly till the 

 year 1392, when the civil wars, cogether with mifmanageinent among 



* Better known by the name of Baitholomxus known better liimfdf, render it often doubtful, 



Angliciis. His book upon the properties of thiugs whether the manners he dcfcribes are thofe of his 



is a kind of fummary of the knowlege of tlie age, own age or not. 



in the manner of Ifidorc. It ib a pity, tliat his •(■ Rather tlic river which ufed to be fuppofed 



very frequent quotations from anticnt autliors, and the mouth of the l>Jiger. 

 chiefly from llidore, for what lie ought to liavc 



