A. D. 1407. 619 



ftock-holders. Under tins form of government the affairs of the bank 

 were conduced very profperoufly, till the further increafe of the public 

 debts, and the acceflion of whole towns and territories, among which 

 was the little nominal kingdom of Corfica, made them fenfible of the 

 inconvenience of annual fucceifions of new protedors, and determined 

 them, in the year 1444, to eled eight new governors, of whom only 



two were to go out every year. [Biza/i Atin. Genuenf. pp. 205, 797 



"J. De Laet de princip. Ital. pp. 175, etfeqq.'] 



Emden is noted as a retreat of the northern pirates in the year 883. 

 [R. Hoveden, f. 240 b.] At this time the citizens, being diftreffed by 

 their too-powerful neighbours, applied for afliflance to the affociated 

 cities of Hamburgh and Lubeck, whole maritime power was now very 

 refpedable. They were the firfl of their nation, who were alTumed in- 

 to that confederacy ; and, in confequence of the fupport of their new 

 allies, they in their turn became formidable to their enemies. IPontatii 

 Rer. Dan. hijl. p. 539.] 



1408, March i" — The Englifli merchants trading to Norway, Swed- 

 en, and Denmark, were empowered to eleft a governor, whofe fundions 

 and authority were made fimilar to thofe of other governors of merch- 

 ants, already fpecified. It appears, that his refidence was at Bergen, 

 and that he was alfo called alderman of the merchants. [Fcedera, V. 

 viii, pp. 511, 685.] The office of governor of the Englilh merchants 

 trading to a particular country now beginning to be general, it will not 

 be neceflary to particularize any more of them. 



The city of Wifbuy with the ifland of Gothland, after being jointly 

 poflefTed by the northern heroine, Margaret queen of Denmark, Sweden, 

 and Norway, and by the Vitalian pirates, was wrefted from them by a 

 fleet equipped by the citizens of Lubeck, Dantzik, Thorn, and Elbing, 

 and put into the hands of the grand mafter of Pruflia, from whom Eric, 

 king of Sweden (under Margaret), endeavoured to take it. But, by the 

 mediation of the emperor Wenceflaus, he agreed to pay the grand maf- 

 ter nine thoufand Englijh nobles for the furrender of the ifland, which 

 accordingly took place in the year 1408, Eric not being able to raife 

 the money before that time*. \Fontani Rer. Ban. hiJl. pp. 531, 532, 



The people of Holland were now beginning to lay the foundation of 

 that commercial importance, which afterwards aftoniflied the world. 



* Olaus Magnus \_L. !i, c. 22] makes the price to the duke of Burgundy at the current rate in the 

 20,oco nobles or dubloons ; and he makes Q\ieen year 1431. \_^Meyeri Ann. Flandr. f. 278 a. J 

 Margaret the purchafer, as does alfo PufFendorf, After this we hear little or nothing of the cele- 

 who Hates the fum 10,000 nobles. Thus it ap- brattd commercial city of Wilbuy, which in the 

 pears, that all the afts of the Englifh parliament (ixteenth century, perhaps earlier, was only known 

 could not prevent the gold of England from find- by its ruins, among which the fragments of polish- 

 ing its way to the continent : and the Englifli no- ed marble, doors made of iron, brafs, and copper, 

 bles continued to be current money in the Nether- and windows made of copper covered with gold 

 lands, as appears by a payment of 100,000 of them and filver, exhibit proofs of the magnificence of 



the antient inhabitants. [0/. Mag. L. ii, c. 22.} 



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