A. D. 1497. i^ 



vears, between the feparate merchants-adventurers * or traders, from 

 many parts of England, on one fide, and a feled company of mer- 

 chants, which had exifled for 200 years, and about thefe times began 

 to give themfelves the pompous title of the Company of Merchants- Ad- 

 venturers of England, though they were not dignified by royal charter 

 with this title till the year 1 505. The preamble to this rtatute, of which we 

 here give the fubftance, fets forth (loy way of petition to the Houfe of 

 Commons, from the merchants-adventurers refiding in divers parts of 

 England out of the city of London), That whereas they trade beyond 

 fea with their goods and merchandize, as well into Spain, Portugal, Bre- 

 tagne, Ireland, Normandy, France, Seville, Venice, Dantzic, Eafhland, 

 Frifeland, and many other parts f; there to buy and fell, and make 

 their exchanges, according to the laws and cuftoms of thofe parts ; every 

 one trading as feems mofl to his advantage, without exadion, fine, impo- 

 fition, or contribution, to be had or taken of them, or any of them, to, 

 for, or by any Englifli perfon or perfons : And in like fort they, before 

 this time, have had, ufed, and of right ought to have and ufe the like 

 commerce into the coafts of Flanders, Holland, Zealand, Brabant, and 

 other adjacent parts, under the obedience of the archduke of Burgun- 

 dy ; in which places are ufually kept the univerfal marts or fairs, four 

 times in the year ; to which marts all Englifhmen, and divers other na- 

 tions, in time paft, have ufed to refort, there to fell their own commo- 

 dities, and freely to buy fuch merchandize as they had occafion for ; 

 till now of late, that the fellowfhip of the mercers, and other merchants 

 and adventurers, dwelling, and being free within the city of London, 

 by confederacy amongfl: themfelves, for their own fingular profit, con- 

 trary to every Engliihman's liberty, to the liberty of the faid mart 

 there, and contrary to all law, reafon, charity, right, and confcience, have 

 made an ordinance among themfelves, to the prejudice of all other Eng- 

 liflimen, that no Englifhman, reforting to the faid mart, fhall either 

 buy or fell any merchandize there, unlefs he fliall have firft compound- 

 ed and made fine with the faid fellowfhip of merchants of London, at 

 their pleafure, upon pain of forfeiture to the fiid fellowfhip of fuch their 

 faid merchandize : Which fine, impofition, and exaction, at the begin- 

 ning, when firft taken, was demanded by colour of the fraternity of 

 St. Thomas Becket ; at which time it was only an old noble Sterling : 

 And fo, by colour of fuch feigned holinefs, it hath been fuffered to be 

 taken of a few years paft. It was afterwards increafed to ico (hillings 

 Flemifh ; but now the faid fellowfliip of London take of every Eng- 

 lifliman or young merchant, being there, at his firft coming, L.40 Ster- 

 ling for a fine, to fuffer him to buy and fell his own goods. By reafon 



* A merchant-adventurer was one who adventured his merchandize to foreign countries, 

 f The old acfls of parliament are often very inaccurate in their recital of forei^jn countries. 



