A. D. 1397. 609 



This lift, though evidently very defective *, fhows that the people were 

 much richer, or the king much greedier, now than a few years before. 



^39^' January — The commons reprefented in parliament, that the 

 llaple was appointed to remain at Calais, and that all wool, wool-fells, 

 hides, lead, tin, cheefe, butter, honey, peltry, and tallow, from England, 

 Ireland, and Wales, ought to be carried to Calais and no other place ; 

 but that fome perfons had purcPiafed licences to carry thofe articles to 

 other ports, which gave them an unfair'advantage over other traders, to 

 the deftrudion of the ftaple, and detriment of the coinage and cufloms 

 of Calais, The king thereupon ordained that the ftatute fliould be ob- 

 ferved with refpecT: to wool, hides, wool-fells, tin, and lead, and that no 

 licences fhould be granted to the contrary, unlefs by his own efpecial 

 grant f. [Slut. 21 Ric. II, c. 17.] 



February 21" — The grand mafter of Prufha complained to King 

 Richard, that his fubjeds could get no redrefs at his court for damages 

 done to them by the Englifh : and he therefor renounced the commercial 

 alliance formed in the year 1388, allowing the Englifli merchants a year 

 to withdraw from his dominions agreeable to the terms then ftipulated. 

 Such prohibitions were repeatedly ilTued by the grand maflers again ft 

 the Englifli merchants : but it is not necelTary to particularize every 

 one of them. IHakliijl, V. i, pp- 153, 154-] 



The city of London this year purchaled Blackwell hall, which wns 

 thereupon appointed to be the only place in the city wherein any for- 

 eigner or ft ranger X ftiould be permitted to fell woollen cloth, [Stew's 

 Survey, p. 518, ed. 1618.] 



1399, A-pril 16"' — King Richard, while preparing for an expedition 

 to Ireland, made his will, whereby it appears, that he had amaffed a 

 treafure of 91,000 marks. He was very particular in ordering the ce- 

 remonial of his funeral, for which he allotted ^^4,000. \Fcedera, V. viii, 

 p. 75.] Within ten months the unhappy Richardwas depofed, murder- 

 ed, and buried without any pomp. He was fucceeded (September 30'") 

 by Henry duke of Lancafcer, who had no hereditary right, though 

 Richard had been dead ; and that ufurpation was the direful fpring of 

 innumerable woes to England ; the royal family was alm.oft exterminat- 

 ed, and the kingdom depopulated, by the ftaughters in the civil wars 

 which enfued, whereby the manufadures and commerce of the country 

 were grievoufly deprelTed, and their advancement retarded. - 



During the reign of Richard feveral projects for mining were fet on. 

 foot in England, but we know not with what fuccefs. \Rot, pat. pnjfim.'\ 



The Viifliop of Winchcfter for £i ,000, and f We find the merchants of Newcaftle in pof- 



"]^ bifliop of Hereford for yf66 : 13 : 4 are the only ftfiion of fuch a licence in the year 1401. [^Co!- 

 "''"ops in the lift, and there is not one noble- tons^Abrid^eir.ent, p. 408.] 



"^^n : but we may be fure, tliat no bifhop or no- ;{: Foreigner or Jlratigcr uiufl here mean one no'. - 



blcman could be cxcafcd. Walfmgham [/. 353] a citizen of London, 

 fays exprefsly, that no prelate, no city, no citizen 

 reputed to be rich, in the whole kingdoRi efcapcd, ^ 



Vol. L 4K 



