672 A. D. 1456. 



May 31" — Though "King Henry had in former years commiflloned at 

 leaft three pretended philofophers to make the pretious metals, without 

 receiving any return from them in gold and filver, his creduhty was un- 

 fhaken by difappointment ; and he now ilTued a pompous grant in fa- 

 vour of three philofophers, who boafled, that they could tranfubftan- 

 tiate the meaner metals into gold and filver, and could alfo cure all dif- 

 eafes, preferve the hfe of man to the utmoft term with unimpaired 

 powers of body and mind, 8cc. &c. all by means of a mofl pretious me- 

 dicine, called the mother and queen of medicines, the inejlimable glory, thequint- 

 ejfence, the phitofopher s J}one,or the elixir of life. In favour of thofe three 

 ' lovers of truth and haters of deception^ he difpenfed with the law (5 Hen. 

 IV, c. 4) againil multiplying gold and filver, and empowered them to 

 tranfmute other metals into thofe more pretious ones. This extraordi- 

 nary commiffion had the fandlion of parliament, now a common corro- 

 boration of the king's grants. {Fcedera, V. xi, pp. 68, 128, 240, 309, 

 379-] Thefe irapoilors, perhaps impolang even upon themfelves, kept 

 the king's expectations wound up to the highefl: pitch ; and in the fol- 

 lowing year he actually inforined the people, that the happy hour was 

 approaching, when, by means of the Jlone, he (hould be enabled to pay 

 off all his debts in a few years*. [T'ovey^s AngUa fudaica, p. 257.] 



1457, March 2^ — The king of Portugal obtained a licence to Ihip 

 from the port of London 3,000 pounds of tin and 2,000 pounds of 

 lead, paying the due cufloms f . [Foedera, V. xi, p. 387.] 



1458, March — The parliament of Scotland enaded, that gold and fil- 

 ver ware fhould be examined and ftamped by the deacons of the gold- 

 fmiths, or in towns, where there were no deacons, by the principal offi- 

 cers. — They prohibited dyers from buying cloth to fell again, or being 

 drapers. — They alfo decreed, that none but perfons of good credit, and 

 having at lead the value of three ferplaiths of their own property or 

 configned to them, iliould go abroad as merchants. — They alio enad- 

 ed a fumptuary law, prohibiting merchants, unlefs-they were aldermen, 

 bailies, or members of the council of a town, to wear filk, fcarlet, or 

 far of martins. Landed men, having within ^^40 a-year of old extent, 

 were to drefs as merchants. Labourers and hulhandmen were to wear 

 grey or white, and on holidays light-blue, green, or red. Women were 

 directed to drefs in proportion to the condition of their hufbands and 

 fathers. The clergy were alfo prohibited to wear fcarlet or martin's 

 furs, unlefs they were dignitaries of the church. — The parliament alfo 

 ordained, that, as there was but one king and one law, there fliould be 

 but one meafure, agreeable to the flandard kept in Stirling, and that 



* After all ttic proofs King Heniy liad of the f Were tlie mines now cxhauftcd or forgotten, 



ignorance or knavery of tliofe projcdtors, lie con- vvliich produced thofe metals in his own coiin- 



tiiiued to encourage others of the fame clafs to the try, probably before the Britifli mines were 



end of his reign. Nor was liis fuccclior exempt known \ 

 from the fame credulity. See Futleia, F, \i,/>J>. 

 462, 637, &c. ■ 4 



