

JEWS. 



747 



ry 111. 



asr 



A.D. 100. 



property, it appears that they were still permitted to 

 exercise the liberal proi'eWons ; this edict ordering that 

 their contracts should be made in the presence of two 

 assigned lawyers who were Jews, two who were Chris- 

 tians, and two public notaries. This king also appoint- 

 ed Juiticrrs of the Jews, whose business it was to col- 

 lect and pay into the exchequer the taxes, assessed up- 

 on them. The Jews found their situation under Rich- 

 ard so intolerable, that nearly all the wealthier of them 

 emigrated, and there was a consequent defalcation of 

 the revenue. This was so considerable in the reign of 

 John, that that monarch, in the year 1 199, used his ut- 

 most endeavours to tempt them back to England ; not 

 only confirming their ancient privileges, but granting 



new ones, particularly that of appointing a high- 

 t. I 'pon this, many of them returned ; but they 



more cruelly plundered than ever. It has been 

 remarked, that Magna Charta sanctions an injustice to 

 this ill-used race, by enacting, that " if any persons 

 hare borrowed money of the Jews, more or' less, and 

 die before they have paid the debt, the debt shall not 

 increase while the heir is under age ;" but, in our opi- 

 nion, this clause had po reference to the Jews at Jm, 

 tmt merely a* money-lenders, and as they were the only 

 money-lenders of that period, they alone are mentioned. 

 As lone as the rage for crusading lasted, the Jews 

 were liable to great indignities and oppression, particu- 

 larly from those who had performed a pilgrimage to Je- 

 rusalem. Against these, Henry III. ordered them to 

 be protected ; he also liberated such as were in prison. 

 In order to distinguish them, he directed them to wear 



the lore part of their upper garment two broad 

 "white linen or parchment. It was in this 



that the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bi- 

 shops of Lincoln and Norwich, published injunctions 

 throughout their respective dioceses, that no Christian 

 should preaume to have any communication with the 

 Jews, or sell them my provisions, under pain of excom- 

 munication. The king, however, interfered in their be- 

 half ; and thus rescued them from starving. The prior 

 of DunstaMe was more liberal than hi* superiors ; for, 

 about this time, be granted to several Jews liberty to 

 on his land, and to enjoy all the privilege* which 

 Mais enjoyed, in consideration of the an- 

 nt of two silver spoons. 

 In 'the year 1230, the Jews took advantage of the 

 ptometian and favour of Henry, and erected a very 

 costly and mai 



JuHTa. 



synagogue in London ; but the 





petitioned the king to take it from them, and 

 it consecrated, which was accordingly done. In 

 the 18th year of his reign, on a petition of the inhabi- 

 tant* of Newcastle, he granted them the privilege that 

 no Jew should ever reside among them. It was during 

 the reign of Henry that the Lombards settled in Eng- 

 land, and by gradually superseding the Jews in the 

 lending of money, and thus rendering them less neces- 

 way for worse treatment than they had 

 need. To such a pitch of hatred was 

 which had been gradually instilled into 

 the people against the Jews arrived, that in 1262, the 

 barons being then appssed to the king, and wishing to 

 ban- bind the citiaens of London to their cause, ordered 700 

 Jews to be slaughtered at once, their houses to be plun- 

 dered, and their new synagogue burnt It was how- 

 ever, rebuilt ; but in 1 270 it was taken from them, on 

 the complaint of the Friars Penitents, that they were 

 not able- to make the body of Christ in quiet, on ac- 

 count of the great bowlings which the Jews made du- 

 ring their worship. 



In the third year of Edward I. a law passed the 

 Commons concerning Judaism, which seemed to pro- ^^^T' 

 mise them some security. Nevertheless, in the year geiz ^ thei ' r 

 1290, this monarch seized on all their real estates, and property, 

 banished the whole of them from the kingdom. From A. D. 1290 

 15,000 to 16,000 Jews were thus ruined, and then ex- and expels 

 pelled. They left behind them several valuable libra- them - 

 ries, particularly at Stamford and Oxford. The latter 

 being sold among the students, most of the Hebrew 

 books were bought by the famous Roger Bacon, who, 

 in a short note written in one of them, declares they 

 were of great service to him in his studies. The ex- 

 pulsion of the Jews at this time was so complete, that 

 no farther traces of them in England occur till long af- 

 ter the Reformation. 



Oliver Cromwell made the first attempt to restore to Cromwell 

 England the industry and wealth of the Jews: the in- restores 

 tercourse between them was managed by means of one them - 

 Henry Martin, who persuaded a deputation from the 

 Jews at Amsterdam to wait upon the English ambas- 

 sador there : from him they obtained permission to send 

 a public envoy with proposals to London. Manasseh 

 Ben Israel, who stiled himself a divine and doctor of 

 physic, but who was in reality a printer and booksel- 

 ler, was selected for this embassy, of which he publish- 

 ed a particular account. On his arrival in England, he 

 presented an address to Cromwell, recognising his au- 

 thority, and" solicting his protection. On the 4th of 

 December 1655, the Protector summoned a convention, 

 consisting of two lawyers, seven citizens, and 14 noted 

 preachers, to consult upon this request of the Jews ; 

 but he found so much prejudice and opposition, that, 

 after a conference of four days, he dissolved the meet- 

 ing. While this affair was pending, a Rabbi propagated 

 the opinion that Cromwell was the expected Messiah. 

 About this time a few appear to have settled in Lon- 

 don, since, in the year 1663, their register of births 

 contained twelve names ; and during the whole reign Numbers 

 of Charles II. who introduced the sale of patents of increase un- 

 denization, thuir numbers increased. In l68i, James II. der Charles 

 remitted the alien duty upon all goods exported in fa- ' 

 vour of the Jews. This privilege was opposed by the 

 English merchants, petitions from the Hamburgh com- Pul)lic . 

 pany, from the Eastland company, and from 57 of the ceel )i ng , rc ". 

 leading merchants of the city, being presented against specting 

 it. After the Revolution, this privilege was taken away them, 

 from the Jews. In the first year of Queen Anne, a J es " 

 statute was passed to encourage the conversion of young IU ^' 6tl , 

 Jews, by emancipating such converts from all depen- O f George 

 dance upon their parents ; and in the 6th year of n. 

 George II. it was proposed that the Lord Mayor and 

 Court of Aldermen of London, should apply to Parlia- 

 ment for the suppression of Jew brokers ; no public 

 proceeding, however, ensued. 



In the 7th year of James I. an act was passed pre- 

 venting all persons from being naturalized, unless they 

 first received the sacrament of the Lord's supper, ac- 

 cording to the rites of the church of England. This 

 act effectually excluded the Jews from being naturalized. 

 In the year 1753, a bill was brought into the House of B j]] for na . 

 Lords, and passed there without opposition, which pro- turalizing 

 vided that all persons professing the Jewish religion, them, 1 753. 

 who had resided in Great Britain or Ireland for three 

 years, might be naturalized without receiving the sa- 

 crament of the Lord's supper. On the 16th of April 

 this bill was sent down to the House of Commons, and, Argumer ,t 

 on its second reading, a motion was made for its being j n support 

 committed. The bill was supported by the petitions of of it. 

 a few merchants, chiefly dissenters : In behalf of it, it 



