688 ^ A. D. 1472. 



Odober — The parliament obliged the foreign merchants to import 

 four fufficlent bow-ftaves along with every tun weight of goods imported 

 by them. \_A6is 12 Edzv. IV, c. 2.] 



In order to put a flop to the pradtice of fmuggllng cloth of gold, cloth 

 of filver, bawdekyns, velvet, damafk, fatin, farcenet, tarteron *, cham- 

 elets, and other fluffs of filk and gold, and of filk, whereby the fubfidies, 

 voted in the year 1463 for the guard of the fea, were rendered inade- 

 quate, and the law obliging foreigners to invefl the proceeds of their 

 fales in Englifh merchandize was evaded, the parliament ordained, that 

 all fuch goods, now being in England, or hereafter to be imported, 

 fhould be fealed and countcrfealed by the colledor and comptroller of 

 the fubfidies of tunnage and poundage in the port of delivery, before 

 they could be expofed to fale, on penalty of forfeiture f. — Precautions 

 were alfo taken againfl: another praftlce of fhipping fine cloths as coarfe 

 ones, owing to the negligence of the officers of the cufloms, who were 

 now ordered to examine the contents of every package, [r. 3.] 



The parliament, finding that wool of other parts of the country was 

 flill fmuggled to the Netherlands under colour of the permifHon to fhip 

 the wool of the northern fhires from Newcaflle to any foreign country,^ 

 now ordained, that thofe northern wools ihipped at Newcaflle fhould go 

 to Calais or New Middleburg in Flanders, and to no other place, and 

 that all other wool, wool-fells, morlings, and fliorlings, exported, except 

 thofe fhipped in gallies and carracks for the Mediterranean, fhould be 

 carried to'Calais only, on pain of felony, [c. 5.] 



1473, June 20'" — Though the bifliops of Durham had for many ages 

 enjoyed the privilege of coining flerllngs, or pennies, the prefent bifhop 

 did not think himielf fully authorized to coin halfpennies without ob- 

 taining the king's fpecial permifHon, which was granted. [Foedera, V. 

 xi,/.. 783.] 



1474, March 31" — WilHam Caxton, a mercer of London, being a 

 man of great ingenuity and unwearied application, and having refided 

 about thirty years on the continent as agent for the company of mercers 

 of London, and in the year 1464 as one of the ambalTadors fent by 

 King Edward to the duke of Burgundy, found means to make himfelf 

 mafler of the new art of printing. He actually undertook to print a 

 Hijlory ofT'roy, tranflated by himfelf from the French, which he finifhed 

 at Cologne in the year 1471. In the following year he returned to 

 England with fome copies of his book, and fet up aprefs in the almonry 

 of Weftminfler abbay, where he now produced the Game at Chefs^ the 

 firfl book printed in England. ' From this time to his death, A. D. 

 ' 1491, he applied with fo much ardour to tranflating and printing, that, 

 ' though he was an old man, he publiflied about fifty books, fome of 



• Was this tlie checquered fluff, now called f Formerly the penalty had been only double 

 inrtan, and thought peculiar to the Highlands of payment of the fublidy. 

 S Ltland i 



