6ix> A. D. 1399. 



It may be obferved, that England mull at this time have had no 

 ■flrength of fhipping befides thofe attending the king in his Irifh expe- 

 dition, when the duke of Lancafter, after fhowing himfelf on feveral 

 parts of the coaft, merely for the fake of difcovering what refiftance he 

 was to expeft, and thereby giving very fufficient warning, could land 

 deliberately and unoppofed, with a very trifling retinue. 



Odober — For the eafe of the poor it was enaded, that cloth, kerfey, 

 Kendal cloth, Coventry frife, cogware, or any other Englilh cloth or 

 Welfh cloth, of value not exceeding i^/^- per dozen *, fliould not be re- 

 quired to be fealed, or to pay any duty, for the fpace of three years. 

 [Stnt. I Hen. IV, c. 19.] 



It was enaded, that the ftaple for wool-fells, ikins, lead, and tin, ihould 

 be held only at Calais ; faving that the merchants of Genoa, Venice, and 

 •other places towards the Weft, in friendfliip with the king, might dif- 

 charge their merchandize at Southampton, and take in fuch ftaple wares ; 

 and faving alfo to the people of Berwick their liberties for their wool f . 

 [Cotton'' s Abridgement.) p. 393-] 



Odober 27''' — Letters of marque and reprifal were granted not only 

 for revenging or compenfating hoftile aggreilions upon individuals, .but 

 alfo for procuring payment of debts due to them in foreign countries, as 

 appears by fuch letters now granted to John of Waghen of Beverley 

 againfl the fubjeds of the earl of Holland, becaufe he had not com- 

 pelled two of them to pay fome money due to Waghen. King Henry 

 -moreover ordered his admirals to detain all veflels and property found 

 in England belonging to Holland and Zeland, till the earl fhould de- 

 termine the affair according to juflice :]:. \_Foedera, V. viii,^. 96.] 



December 6"' — King Henry fummoned the grand mafter of Pruflia, 

 and the governors of Lubeck, Wifmar, Roftock, Stralfund, and Grip- 

 pefwald, to appear in perfon, or by deputies, before his council to an- 

 iwer to the merchants of England, who complained, that they were not 

 treated in thofe places fo well as the merchants froni them were treated 

 in England, though the exprefs condition, upon which they had obtain- 

 ed their privileges in England, was, that Englifh merchants fhould en- 

 joy the fame advantages in their countries §. He alfo warned the merch- 

 ants of the Hanfe, that if they allowed others to enjoy, under colour of 

 their name, the privileges granted only to themfelves, he would totally 

 abolifli and annuU their charter. \Fa'dcro, V.\i\\,p. 112.] 



About this time Timour (corruptly called Tamerlane) completed the 



* It appears by an acl li Htn. IV, c. 6, lliat liis letters of inarqnc wf-re renewed in 1412 and 



a do7:cn ot cloth was a half piece coiihlliiig oifour- 1414. \_Fa:lcra, r. ini, p. 733 ; /''. ix, pp- 125, 



teen yards. 1S8. j 



f Their liberties authorized them to export all § When thofe coiidiliona wtre fti;)idated, the 



the wool produced on the north fide of Coquet reciprocity was merely nominal, for tliere were 



liver to any place whatfocver. [^Cotton's Abridge- very few Englifhmen who traded to foreign coun- 



;n.'n/, p. 482.] tries : but there were now many, and thence more 



X Waghen, however, got no falisfadion, and freqiicnt occafions of quarrel. 



