A. D. 1375. 581 



1375, January 31" — Some Scottifli traders having been plundered at 

 lea by pirates from Normandy, King Robert direded his ambafladors, 

 ihen going to the court of France, to demand compenfation. [Robert- 

 fotfs Index of charters, l^c. p. 100.] 



February 1 6"' — ^The Scots had very often occaiion to import grain 

 and malt, of which many inftances might be adduced from the records, 

 but one may fuffice. — King Edward licenced James, fon of the carl of 

 Douglas, to purchafe for the ufe of his own houfehold 100 quarters of 

 wheat and 300 quarters of malt in Lincoln-lhire and Norfolk, and to 

 fnip them at any po"c for Scotland. [Fcedera, V. vii, p. 58.] 



February — Though King Edward in the year 1370 had ordered his 

 naval commanders to refped: the Venetian flag, the duke of Venice 

 thought it neceflary again to apply for letters of fafe conduct for the 

 Venetian veflels trading to Flanders, and particularly for five gallies, 

 which were foon to fail for that country *. The merchants of Catalonia 

 alfo about this time applied for letters of fafe condud, before they would 

 venture to fail for Flanders. {Feeder a, V. vii, p. 52. — Rot. pat, prim. 48 

 Edw. Ill, m. 2 1 .] 



June 27"" — The war with France was fufpended by a truce, wherein 

 it was provided, that the fubjeds of both powers might go and come 

 unarmed in either kingdom, and exercife merchandize or any other 

 bufinefs. [Fcedera, V. vii, p. 68.] 



1376, January — It being ufual for fraudulent debtors to make over 

 their tenements to their friends in confidence, and live upon the rents 

 of them in the fanduaries of Weftminfter, S'. Martins le Grand, and 

 other fuch privileged places, in order to compell their creditors to ac- 

 cept trifling compofitions in full payment of their debts, the parliament 

 enaded, that all tenements or chattels, collufively conveyed, fhould be 

 liable to the jufl claims of the creditors. [Stat, jo Edxv. Ill, c. 6.] 



It was enaded, that no woollen cloths fhould be exported without be- 

 ing fulled ; nor fhould any fubfidy be demanded for them before they 

 underwent that operation. \Stat. 50 Edxv. Ill, c. 7.] Thus we fee the 

 Englifh, who had hitherto been generally only the fhepherds, fpinners, 

 and weavers, for the foreign manufadurers, making a confiderable ad- 

 vance towards getting the manufadure entirely into their own hands. 

 But it was not till a very long time after that a law againfl: exporting 

 cloths, before they were completely finiQied, could be enaded. 



The parliament alfo ordained, that neither fubfidy nor aulnage fhould 

 be charged upon the cloth called frife, made in Ireland, or in England 

 of Irifh wool brought to England ; and alfo that they fhould not be fub- 



* In a fimilar application in the year 1382 the and ctlier fubjefl,; of England traveling to that 



duke promifes, not reciprocal favour to Englifh city, \_FaJira, V. vii, i" . 354] the fuperior fplcnd- - 



merchants in Venice, for there were apparently our of wliich thus appears to Lave already at- - 



none, but L-beral treatrnent and favour to the nobles trafted the notice of Engliih travelers. 



