A. D. 1449. 667 



of Engliih or foreign merchants, in the ports of London, Southampton, 

 Kingfton upon Hull, and Sandwich, or in any of them, and carrying 

 them dired to Italy, on paying alien's duty. The king expedcd, thaf 

 he would import bow-flaves, wax, and other foreign produce neceflary 

 for the country, to the great benefit of the revenue and of the nation. 

 [Fiedera, V. \i,p. 258.] The exemption of anEnglifli fubjecT: from the 

 law of the flaple, in confideration of the extraordinary fize of his fhip, is 

 a clear proof, that no fuch veflel had hitherto been built in England. 



1450, November — In confideration of alum to the value of ^^4,000, 

 delivered to King Henry by fome merchants of Genoa, the parliament 

 licenced them to fhip any flaple wares from the fouth part of England, 

 till they (hould be repaid by the amount of the cufl;oms. The king fold 

 the alum for /^8,ooo in ready money to fome merchants, to whom the 

 parliament gave a monopoly by prohibiting all perfons from importing, 

 buying, or felling, any other alum during two years, [Cotton's Abridge^ 

 jiient, p. 647.] 



December 16"" — William Canyngs, merchant in Briflol, already men- 

 tioned, had obtained letters from the king of Denmark, authorizing him 

 to load certain vefl^els with lawful Englifli merchandize for Iceland and 

 Finmark, to take in return fifh and other merchandize, and to make as 

 many voyages as he fliould think proper during a limited term, in order 

 to recover debts due to him in thofe countries. The trade was prohi- 

 bited by an Englifh ad: of parliament : but King Henry, confidering 

 the good fervices rendered to him by Canyngs while mayor of Briflol, 

 gave him leave to employ two fhips, of whatever burthen, during two 

 years, in the trade to Iceland and Finmark, and to export any fpecies of 

 goods not reftrided to the flaple of Calais. [Fa^dera, V. xi, p. 277.] It 

 is known that Canyngs pofl^efled (hips of 400, 500, and even 900 tuns 

 burthen : but it is not likely that he employed them in that northern 

 trade, even though the limited number of vefl'els would tempt him to 

 have them as large as pofllble. Thofe very large (hips probably tranf- 

 ported timber and other bulky articles from the Baltic, where, we may 

 believe, they were purchafed, as the extraordinary notice taken of Ta- 

 verner's great fhip in the year 1449 renders it improbable that they 

 were built in England *. 



According to a roll preferved in the Tower, the king this year bor- 



* Canyngs was five times mayor of Briftol, and fliips mentioned in the text. That the king's dif- 



founded the church of S'. Mary Radcliff on the plealuie was not incnned by piracy, as has been 



outfide of the walls, the moll magnificent paiifh fuppofed, or by any diflionourable deed, is evident 



church in England in the opinion of Camden, from the fait being recorded on his monument. 



\^Brit. p. 173."] From his monument in that His memory has lately been revived, as connected 



church we learn, that King Edward IV, on fome with Rowley, the alleged author of moft of the 



occafion of difpleafure, took from him 2,470 tuns poems publifted by Chatterton, and as author of 



of dipping, among which were the three great fome of them himfeif. 



4 P 2 



