A. D. 1578. 1 61 



dates and the catholic king, theftates fhall oblige the faid king o^ Spain 

 to confirm and make perpetual all fuch of the laid articles as the queen, 

 fhall then judge expedient and convenient. 



Signed by Francis Walsingham. 

 Thomas Wylson. 

 Cornelius Wellemaus. 

 Sealed with the queen's feal, and with the feal of tl^.e duchy of 

 Brabant, in the name of all the ftates-general. [Foedera, V. xv, 



Queen Elizabeth had for a long time kept the Hanfeatics, or Steel- 

 yard merchants, in fufpenfe with relation to the renewal of their im- 

 munities, till her own fubjeds had gradually increafed in foreign trade 

 and {hipping. The Hanfeatics at length, finding they could not fhake 

 her firmnefs, applied to the Emperor Rodolph II, as their fovereign, 

 urging the neceffity of compelling her to reinflate them in their immu- 

 nities, and particularly that of paying only the antient cuftom of one per 

 cent. The queen replied to that emperor's remonftrances, that (he had 

 done the Hanfeatics no kind of wrong, having treated them on the 

 fame footing in which fhe had found them at her acceffion to the crown, 

 as it was her fifter who had abolifhed the old duty, and laid on that now 

 fubfifting. 



This anfwer was far from fatisfadory ; and the Hanfeatics growing 

 louder in their complaints all over Germany, they at length iffued a 

 prohibition of the Englifh merchants to refide any longer at Hamburgh; 

 whereupon the queen publiflied a declaration, annulling all their an- 

 tient immunities, and only allowing them the fame commercial privi- 

 leges that other foreigners enjoyed. Soon after, fhe prohibited all fo- 

 reigners, and particularly the Hanfe or Steelyard merchants by name, 

 from exporting Englifh wool. This prohibition was faid to be owing 

 to the induftrious proteftant Netherlanders, lately driven out by the 

 Spanifh governors, and fettled in England, who advifed the queen to 

 forbid the exportation of wool unmanufadured *. This was a frefh 

 blow to the Hanfeatics ; and thereupon, in the following year, 1579, 

 their general afTembly at Lunenburgh laid a duty of yl^ per cent on all 

 goods imported into their territories by Engliflimen, or exported by 

 them ; whereupon Queen Elizabeth laid a like duty of 7^ per ce:.t on 

 all merchandize imported or exported by the German Steelyard mer- 

 chants. Thus matters became more and more embroiled between 



* Tlie royal author of tlie ALmo'ns of Brandtn- foon as that wool was withheld, the manufaclire 



burg obferves, that the manufafturers of that declined. He addt, that Auguflus and Ciiriitiaii, 



country had made no good cloth, till the French elctlors of Saxony, in imitation of Elizabcrh, by 



refugees came among them in the year 16B5, inviting Flemifh artills into their territories, put 



without a mixture gf Englilh wool ; aud that, as their manutactures in a flourifhing condition. 



Vol. II. X 



