662 A. D. i445» 



them, whereby they accumulate eftates, which remain with them for 

 ever, and all the land in the country mufl: in time come into their 

 hands. He therefor prohibits them from receiving or purchafing any 

 more eftates in his dom.inions, till commiflioners, to be appointed by 

 him, fhall determine in what manner they may hold lands. [Brandt's 

 Hift. of the reformation^ V. i, p. 23 Engl, tranjl. *] This perverfion of the 

 privileges and wealth, obtained from the miftaken piety of princes and 

 devout perfons or the remorfe of opulent criminals, this licenced fmug- 

 gling, was by no means peculiar to the Netherlands : it was common in 

 other countries, and perhaps in none more than in England f . 



1446, Augufl 4"' — A truce between King Henry and the duchefs of 

 Burgundy, adling for her hufband, was followed by another treaty, 

 whereby a free commercial intercourfe was continued till the i" of No- 

 vember 1459 between the king's fubjeds and the merchants of Brabant, 

 Flanders, and Mechlin, whether dealers in wool, hides, provifions, or 

 whatever other merchandize, (except armour, artillery, powder, and 

 other warlike ftores) on paying the cufloms ufual in the ports of each 



country The fifliermen of either country were to have liberty to fifh 



where they pleafed, and, if obliged to take fhelter in the ports of the 

 other, they were to be admitted freely on paying the ufual duties — No 

 privateers were to.be permitted to iffue from the ports of either coun- 

 try to prey upon the fubjecls of the other : neither fliould they be per- 

 mitted to land their plunder in the ports of the contrading powers 



Neutral veflels, bringing provifions or other goods from the Eafl: coun- 

 try to the dominions of either party, fhould not be molefted in any 

 manner. — Veffels of cither coimtry, not fitted for war, being driven by 

 florm or enemies into the ports of the other, fhould be allowed to enter 

 and depart at their pleafure, but not to land any goods without a licence 



* BranJt next gives a book of rates, or table, of the king's own law againft the exportation of 



of the regulated prices of pardons for a variety of wool : but that law was never kept, 



fins, wherein it is obfervable, that the murder of The Cillerciau monks were great wool-merch- 



thc nearell relations is the cheapoil fin in the cata- ants, till their trade was prohibited in 1344. See 



logue. above, p. ^11- 



f In the reign of H=enry I the afebat of S'. Al- The fmuggling fchemca of the two bifliops of 



bans was a f.niniongcr. See ah^ve, p. -^"S.^. In the Iceland have been noticed, p. 657. 



reign of Henry II the bifliop of Ely owned a vef- It is not ncccffary to add to thefe examples a 



fel of the kind called an cfneck ; and In that of long lift of the verj- ufual grants enabling the popes 



Richard I the bifhop of Durham was owner of a and other foreign priefts to export wool and other 



Clip remarkably large. \_Mado%s H'ljl. of the exch. cullomable goods without paying cuftoms. 



<r. 17, 5 3 ; Ni)le en Dial, ilefcacc. L. i, c. 6.] Neither was Scotland without fonie examples of 



A. D. 13 1(^1 — The bllbop of Nidaros (Dron- trading bilhops. 



theim) in Nor.vay traded to England as a mcrch- 1365 — The bidiop of Aberdeen was owner of 



ant. See above, p. 479, note f. a vell'el. See a'cve, f. ^- 1. ■• 



1340— In thr famous battle near the Swyn there 1404 — A rich velfel, which the bidiop of S'. 



was a fuip be!, iiging to the prior of Canterbury. Andrews owned, or was largely interelled in, was 



[Ajito.V Ann. p. 370.] taken by the Englilh. \_MS. Lib. Cott. Vejp. 



In the fame year King Edward III licenced a F vii.] 



cardinal to export fixty facks of wool every year The fuececding biiliop of S'. Anduws builtthe 



of his life, \^Failera, V. v, p. 215] which was a fnicil fliip then in Scotljind, which was called The 



ery good annuity. It was moreover a vioktlon bilhop's barge. [Z.r/7. //. 303, 304.] 



V 



