62 THE MODEL MERCHANT 



subsidy for carndng on the war, but this aid was so little proportioned 

 to his wants and projects that he was forced to pawn his crown to the 

 Bishop of "Winchester, his uncle, for 100,000 marks, and part of his 

 jewels to the city of Loudon ' for £10,000 sterling." He goes on 

 to say — " The war continuing, as the supply granted him by the 

 Parliament was not sufficient for his purpose, and as money came 

 slowly into the exchequer, he was quickly in great want." "To supply 

 the present occasion he pawned the rest of his jewels, with letters 

 imder the great seal, empowering his creditors to sell them if the 

 money was not paid within such a time. The term allowed was 

 twelve or eighteen months, according as creditors were more or less 

 tractable. By this means he gained time for the payment of his 

 troops, which was a great convenience, as he could reimburse his 

 creditors according as the money came into the treasury, without being 

 obliged to pay all at once. People were so well satisfied of his sin- 

 cerity that they made no scruple to serve him or lend him money 

 upon such securities as would have been little worth under a prince 

 of less probity." ' Here we have good evidence of the fact of 

 Heni-y's borrowing to a large extent — of the probability of the story 

 of the bonds — of the attachment of the people to him — and of the 

 nobleness and honorable integrity of his character ; and we find also 

 that it was from the citizens of London that he raised his loans. IS'ow 

 let us learn wlio these citizens of London were. In Eymer's Fcedera " 

 we find that, on one occasion, John Norbury, John Hende, Eichard 

 "Whittington," and several others, advanced large sums to the king 



6 Mathew Paris, p. 501. 



t A great contrast between him and Richard IL 



V Rymer's Fcedera, vol. 8, p. 488. Henry's Hist. Great Brit. vol. 10, p. 254. 



10 In confirmation of this we find in the Proceedings and Ordinances of the 

 Privy Council of England the following minutes . — 



Bihl. Cotton. Chopaira, F. iii. f. 73. — Minutes of the Council 

 respecting the defence of Guienne, Calais, the Marclies of Scotland, 

 Ireland, and of the wages of the soldiers in Wales, probably in the 

 7th or 8th Henry IV. 



La XV* p estimacon s'amonte a xxxvjUi ti. 

 Dont sur Ics gages des souldcours dcs chastel ?^ ville de 

 Calcys des deniers appromptez de Richard "Whityngton [ M' jNI'. ti. 

 * autres, &c. &c. 



