A. D. 1522. 61 



workhoufes, &c, for vagrants. Thofe Hanfe towns (lays Werdenhagen 

 their hiftoriographer) at the fame time declared war againft Chrifliern 11 

 king of Denmark, who had railed on them the toll in the Sound, and 

 obftruded their commerce ; yet, by fo frequently intermeddling in 

 the wars between potent princes and dates, the Hanfe towns now 

 and then fufliciently fmarted, although for the mofl part they did not 

 give their aid \Yithout at lead providing for themfelves an ample equi- 

 valent. 



1523 — According to Lord Herbert's hiftory of King Henry VIII, in 

 the attempts of the Englifli and French courts to gain Scotland to their 

 intereft, the Englifli minifters, among other arguments, aflerted, that 

 the Englifli were mailers of the feas, and thereby were able to flop and 

 interclude all fuccour that could come to them (the Scots) from any 

 other place. And as in the replications of the partifans of France that 

 affertion is not contradicted, the point feems to have been admitted. 



It was now by an Englifli ad of parliament determined {c. xii.), 

 ' That of every L 100 worth of gold to be coined, there fliould be L.20 

 coined into half-angels, of 3/4 each ; and of every L rco worth of 

 filver, L 50 lliall be coined into groats, L 20 into half-gro.its or two- 

 pences, L 20 in pence, 10 merks into halfpence, and 5 merks into 

 farthings.' With reiped: to thefe filver farthings, Lord Herbert obferves, 

 ' that though it was doubtlefs for the convenience of the people that 

 they fliould have fo much fmall coin, yet being fo very fmall, they 

 are all long fince worn out.' N. B. Here is no mention of fliillings. This 

 too was the laft time of coining filver firthings, probably for the faid 

 reafon- 



Malynes [Lex Mercaforia, p. 189.] alleges, that it was not yet roo 

 years fince one Violet Stephens, and other difcontented fiflimongers, 

 went to the town of Enckuyfen in Holland, where they procured the 

 inhabitants to fifli for them in the feas of Great Britain. In another 

 part of the fome book, he adds, ' whereby the fifliing trade is fo increaf- 

 ' ed, that Holland and Zealand have above 2Coo bufles or fifliing flii[)i, 

 * which ufiially make three voyages yearly.' He had jtui before laid, that 

 in the time of King Henry VII there was no fifliing trade eftabliflied in 

 the Low Countries. By the fifliing trade here mentioned by Malynes, 

 we are only to underfiand their fiipplying foreign markets with fifli ; 

 for, with refpect to the Netherlands themfelves, it cannot be doubted 

 but that they always fiflied on their own coafts for their own fupply, al- 

 though England iin^ht be beforehand v. ith them in ftipplying other na- 

 tions. 



1524. — Much about this time (fays Howell,/). ic8.), foap began firfl- 

 to be m.ade in, London ; before which time that city was ferved with 

 white foap from beyond fea, and with gray foap, fpeckled with white, 

 very fweet and good, from Briftol, fold here for a penny the pound, and 



