6i8 A. D. 1407. ^ 



jedls, even when themfelves fhould be at war, fhows, that they were be- 

 ginning to difcover that their own welfare depended on the profperity 

 of their fubjeds *. [Fcedera, V. v'ni, pp. 469-477, 530, 548. J 



July 1 1 ill — It was alfo flipulated, in a truce of one year between King 

 Henry and his ftep-fon the duke of Bretagne, that the merchants of 

 either party fhould have freedom of trade in the dominions of the other, 

 without being concerned in any hoftilities. [Fa^dera, V. viii, p. 490.] 

 This treaty was alfo frequently renewed. 



June 27''' — The king again anticipated his revenue by borrowing on 

 the fecurity of his fubfidies on wool, hides, and wool-fells, for the pay- 

 ment of his garrifon at Calais. The tranfadion merits notice only as 

 i"howing that laymen were now become more able to advance money 

 than formerly, the happy eflfed of the filent influx of commercial opul- 

 ence. The fums were as follows. 



The bishop of Durham ^ 66 1 3 4 John Norbury f ^2,000 O 



The earl of Westmerland 500 O O John Heiide f - 2,000 O O 



William lord of Rods 166 13 4 Richard Whityngton f 1,000 O 



Hugh lord of Burnel 1 66 13 4 The merchants of the staple 4,000 O 



The Italian company of the Albertini alfo lent j^" 1,000, for which they 

 were allowed to retain the cufloms on wool, &.c. exported by them at 

 London, Dover, and Southampton, till their debt fhould be paid up. 

 [Fcedera, V. viii, p. 488.] 



The bank of Genoa may be properly faid to have commenced this 

 year. It had been ufual for the republic to borrow large fums from 

 the citizens, and to affign certain branches of the public revenue as 

 funds for the payment of the intereft, which were put under the man- 

 agement of fome of the mofl refpectable citizens, who were to pay the 

 interefi; to the creditors, and account to the flate for the funds entruft- 

 ed to their care. In procefs of time the multitude of thole funds, there 

 being apparently as many as there had been loans, bred confufion ; and 

 it was now thought proper to confolidate the whole into one capital 

 flock, to be managed in one bank, called the chamber of S' . George, and 

 to be governed by eight protectors eleded annually by the creditors or 



* On a fomcwliat-fimilar occafion it was ob- tizens of London, and great builders of cluirclies, 



ferved by Rapin, that England and the Nether- colkges, &c. Hcnde was elcftcd mayor in 1391 



lands were fo cluftly comicfttd in trade, that it and 1404. Whityngton was fubrtitulcd by royal 



could not be interrupted without remarkable pre- authority in place ot Adam Bamme, who died in 



judice to both, and therefor treaties for guarding his mayoralty in 1397, and he was cledled mayor 



the interells of commerce were often made even in in that year, and alfo in 1406 and 1419, fo that 



times of the hotte.1 war. He adds, that ' tins he was in office at the time of this loan, and in 



• maxim was infiiiilely hetler than -jihat has been fol- all three years and five njonths. He feenis to have 

 ' loiuedfince of making a prey of the merchants, tvhich been alfo mayor of the llaplc at Calais, but refid- 



* proves to their ruin.' \_Rapin'' s ^iia regia, V. ii, ing in London, about 1420. [/IW. Bib. Colt. 

 p. 367, %-vo ed.'\ Calba, B i, n". 172.] The manufa<5lurers of books 



^ff Norbury was treafurer of the exchequer in for childien have moil unaccountably taken it into 



the lail year of Richard II, and firfl of Henry IV, their heads to make Whityngton originally a fcul- 



and afterwards king's treafurer, as appears by the lion boy, and have veiy confiflently provided ^ 



Tatcnt rolls. Tlic other two geutlciiicn were ci- great fortune for him by means of a cat. 



