A. D. 1494. 7 



fo ei&(fiua11y fupported that famous member of their confederacy, that 

 they effected an amicable compofition between both parties. 



In this fame year (according to Sir James Ware's ^//Wj- o/Jz-f/^w^, 

 p. 29.) the Irifli ftatutes were firfl: written in Englifh ; whereas the laws 

 of former parHaments were in the old French tongue, and digefled into 

 rolls. 



The Scottifh parliament now made a law, obliging all workmen and 

 tradefmen to fubmit to the regulations of the civil magiftrates, with re- 

 gard to the prices of things fold by them, more efpecially of eatables 

 and drinkables. Another Scottifh law of this year obliged all freehold- 

 ers to put their eldeft fons to fchools to learn Latin, and afterwards for 

 three years to fludy philofophy and law. 



Toward the clofe of this century, the excellent fcience of algebraical 

 arithmetic began to be known in Europe ; a fcience which has proved 

 extremely ufeful in many parts of the mathematics, and in all-calcula- 

 tions for intereft, annuities for lives and terms, reverfions, difcounts, 

 &c. The earlieft printed author on it was Lucas de Burgo, an Italian 

 friar, whofe work was printed at Venice this year. It is laid an Arab- 

 ian, named Geber, was the inventor of this noble art, about the year 

 950 ; though fome think that the Perfians, Indians, and Chinefe, had it 

 much earlier ; while others again afcribe its invention to the Greeks, as 

 far back as Plato's time. 



King Henry VII, for the accommodation of fuch of his fubjeds as 

 fhould trade to Italy v;ith their fhips and merchandize, appointed Bene-- 

 did: and Laurence Bomuci, jointly and feparately, to be confuls and 

 preiidents of the Englifli merchants at Pifa, and the places adjacent in 

 Italy, upon the fame terms or allowance with former confuls, viz. one- 

 fourth part of a ducat upon every 100 ducats. \Yoedera, V. xii, p. 553.] 



1495. — Upon the death of Don Juan, the heir of the crown of Caf- 

 tile, the people of all ranks clothed themfelves in white ferge ; which, 

 (fays Herrera) was the lail; time that white mourning was ufed in Spain. 



Emanuel king of Portugal, about this time ordered all the Jews and 

 Moors to leave his kingdomby a prefixed time,or elfe to be perpetual Haves. 

 The Moors immediately withdrew into Africa ; but from the Jews he 

 took all their children under fifteen years old, and baptized them ; and 

 the old ones were fo perpetually harrafled, perfecuted, and defignedly 

 obflruded in their journey out of that country, that, to avoid the per- 

 petual flavery intended, they outwardly confented to be baptized, but 

 invv^ardly retained their old religion, and therewith doubtlefs an irrecon- 

 cileable hatred to their perfecutors. {Puffendorfs Introduciion to the H'lJ- 

 tory of Europe J\ 



This year was aufpicious to the Britifli empire by a treaty being con- 

 cluded for a marriage between James IV king of Scotland, and the lady 

 Margaret, daughter of Henry VII king of England, which laid the 



