138 A. D. 1563. 



pellable to ferve in handicrafts, and who in hufbandrv.and their feveral 

 d'lties, &c. gives the fubftance of many fonner laws, with titir imper- 

 fections and contrariety ; and remarks, that the wages, afctvtained in 

 many of thofe ads of parHament, were now become infufficient, by 

 reafon of the advanced prices of all necellaries fiuce thofe times. Yet, 

 as large and comprehenfive as this ad is (which is partly ftill in force), 

 there are fundry fubfequent flatutes, both in this and fucceeding reigns, 

 for regulating difputes between mafters and their fervants, apprentices, 

 and labourers, concerning their wages, time of labour, &c. 



The next law [r. 5], intitled, conftitutions for the maintenance of the 

 navy. Sec. contains many good claufes for encouraging our own (hip- 

 ping and mariners: As,T) By permitting herrings, and other fifh caught 

 on our coafts, to be exported duty free. II) That no foreign fhips fhall 

 carry any goods coaftwife from one Englilh port to another. Ill) Wines 

 and woad fhall be imported from France in Englifh fhipping only, with 

 fome inconfiderable exceptions. IV) That, for the maintenance of 

 fliipping, the increafe of fifhermen and mariners, the repairing of port 

 towns, and the increafe of the flelh vidual of the realm, it fliall not be 

 lawful for any to eat flefh on Wednefdays and Saturdays, under the for- 

 feiture of L3 for each offence, excepting cafes of ficknefs, and alfo thofe 

 by fpecial licences to be obtained ; for which licences, peers were to 

 pay Li : 6 : 8 to the poor's box of the parifh, knights and their wives 

 13/4, and others 6/S each. But no licence was to extend to the eat- 

 ing of beef on thofe days at any time of the year, nor to the eating of 

 veal in any year from Michaelmas to the ill day of May *. 



The ingenious author of the Prefent ftate of England (8vo, 1683, 

 p. yy), acquaints us, that the manufadure of knives in England was be- 

 gun in this year by Thomas Matthews on Fleet-bridge, in London. 

 How flrangely are things altered iince thofe times ? for now London 

 excels all the earth in this refped, and fupplies many other nations 

 therewith in great quantities. 



1564. — Many good laws had been lately made in England for the 

 cmploynient of the people for improving the woollen manuladure, 

 againfi the importation of foreign manufadures interfering with home 

 ones ; and for fetting up new manufadures, and improving old ones, 

 more efpecially Iince the acceffion of Queen Elizabeth : Particularly an 

 ad of parliament [5 E/iz. c. 7] ftridly prohibiting the importation of 

 girdles, rapiers, knives, {heaths, hilts, pummels, lockets, chapes, fcab- 

 bards, horle -furniture of all kinds, gloves, points, ftirrups, bits, leather, 

 laces, and pins. Thefe regulations greatly alarmed the Netherlanders ; 

 and the citizens of Antwerp more efpecially became quite enraged to 



* Wedntfday was afterwards exempted from ftill viftuallcrs were forbidden to utter flefh in lent, 

 \\'\% i-o'iitical faliin;;, or abllinence from flefh ; but and on Friclaye and Silurdays. [27 EH^.c. 2.] 



