6i6 A. D. 1405, 



September 4* — The king, defiring to anticipate the receipt of the 

 taxes voted by parliament, commilTioned the fliirref and fome other 

 gentlemen in every {hire to oblige the richeft men to advance the money 

 for the taxes to be colleded in their diftricfl, which fhould be repaid to 

 them by the colledors. [Foedera, V. vn\,p. 412.] 



October 1 2''' — In the Scottidi court of the Four burghs, held at Stir- 

 ling, it was ordained, that every royal burgh on the ibuth fide of the 

 River Spey fliould annually commiffion two or three fufficient men as 

 members of the parliament of the Four burghs, which, I have already 

 obferved, was a board of trade*. [Regiam majejiatem, ^c.f. 153 b.] 



1406, March — The magiflrates and traders of London having taken 

 upon them to prevent the eloth-makers and the dealers in wine, iron, 

 oil, wax, and other articles, from felling their goods by wholefale in 

 London to any but the citizens, the parliament enaded, that they might 

 freely fell their goods by wholefale in London to any of the king's fub- 

 jeds.' [Stat. 7 Hen. IV, c. 9.] 



It was enaded, that thofe, who did not poflefs twenty fhillings yearly 

 in land or rent, fhould not put their fons or daughters to be apprentices. 

 But fuch perfons were allowed to fend their children to fchool f. [c. 17.] 



April 6'*' — The parliament having affigned to the merchants the guard 

 of the fea from the i" of May 1406 to the 29"' of September 1407, 

 they were empowered to receive 3/ upon every tun of wine, and one 

 {hilling in the pound of the value, befides a quarter of the fubfidy, up- 

 on wool, hides, and wool-fells, they being bound to keep 2,000 fighting 

 men fufficiently armed, and 1,000 mariners, upon the fea. The merch- 

 ants were alfo direded to appoint an admiral for the fouth and another 

 for the north, to be invefled by the king with the ufual powers of ad- 

 mirals to punifh all offenders, take up veffels, prefs men, and appoint 

 deputies if. In a few months the funds allotted to the merchants were 

 {topped in confequcnce of complaints of the many lofles fuflained for 

 want of a fufHcient guard upon the fea. [Fcedero, V. \'m, pp. 437, 439, 

 449, j^^^.-'^Cottovs Ahridgement, p. 452.] 



Odober 5''' — The king again granted his protection till the 2"^ of Fe- 

 bruary to all fiflicrmen of France, Flanders, and Bretagne, for their fifh- 

 ing bufinefs only, and provided they did nothing contemptuous or pre- 

 judicial to him or his kingdom. [Fcedera, V. viii, p. 451, and fee 459.] 

 1407, February 5''' — The Engli{h merchants trading to Holland, Ze- 



* Skenf, in lils title, moft thouglitlefKly tfalls tloii of freedom enjoyed by meclianiL's. The per- 



F.dlnbiirgh, Stirling, Berwick, and Rokfbiirgli, milTion to Icnni to icad Uas of little avail before 



ihrfvur burghs, though Vie ought to have known, the art of printing brought books within the reach 



cvi.n from the oppoiltc page of his own book, of the poor. 



tliat Lanark and Linlithgow were at thin time ftib- | Together with the mai-itime towns, to which 



llituted for Berwick and Roklburgh, which were the king fent notice of this regiil.ition, we find 



in the hands of the Englilh. not only Lincoln, Norwich, Beverley, and Nol- 



+ Tiie poor would fully comprehend the op- tiiighatti, which were acCefiible by boats, but 



prcfiivc tendency of this law, which was to pic- Grauthain, which could fcarcely have any coj)- 



vent their children from acquiring the fmall por- ueftion with the fea. 



