The Considerations which determined the Alliance 29 



to Edward III at London or Calais, of which 50,000 may be 

 paid down at once. Minor details are subjoined. The first of 

 these resembles (4) : Violante is to be amply provided with 

 clothes and furniture, and to be sent in honorable state to Calais 

 within six years, if the king so wishes. Further, if Violante 

 should die without an heir, neither the king nor Lionel is to 

 be held to restoration of the money, or of Violante's personal 

 belongings. Should Lionel die, Violante shall keep her jewels, 

 and inherit one-third of the real property of which he shall die 

 seized. Should Lionel die without leaving a child by Violante, 

 the lands assigned as dowry shall revert to Galeazzo or his 

 heirs. If the king needs Lionel, he is to be free at any time to 

 return from Lombardy. If Lionel is made prisoner, while serv- 

 ing with Galeazzo against the latter's enemies, Galeazzo is to 

 provide his ransom. The Black Prince is to be consulted regard- 

 ing this treaty; if he has no objection, it is to be considered as 

 binding. Galeazzo is to be adjured to add to the territories 

 promised. His ambassadors disclaim any power to bind Gale- 

 azzo as respects the treaty, which, in all its articles, is to be 

 referred to him for his final approval and consent. 



What was promised by treaty was not, in fact, all that the 

 wedded pair received. The Chronicle of Montferrat specifies the 

 following gifts made to them on the day of their marriage : 



quam Virtutis oppidi ditio, honestissimseque appellationis titulus, novo 

 sponso nomine dotis accessisset.' 



The collection of the 100,000 florins was entrusted on March i, 1368, 

 to Sir Thomas Dale and Walter de Barde(s)— one of the Bardi, bankers 

 of Florence (Rymer, March 11, 1363) — master of the mint at Calais and 

 the Tower of London. Kervyn (i. 161) says that Dale received the 

 money between February (March?) and April, at Bruges, but gives no 

 authority. 



If a florin of Florence equaled three shillings English, 100,000 florins = 

 £15,000 = approximately $1,125,000 (at the arbitrary rate of ii = $75; cf. 

 Hist. Background, p. 165). Of this sum nearly four-ninths (exactly 

 nineteen-forty-fifths) seems to have been expended for Lionel's journey 

 to Italy (Devon, Issues of the Exchequer, March 5, 1369). Probably the 

 journey cost much more, for we know of a single separate item of 

 £178 13 4 = $13,400, merely for transporting Lionel's 457 men and 1280 

 horses from Dover to Calais (Rymer, May 10, 1368). This sum is made 

 up of £173 6 8 for 39 ships and 13 boats, besides £568 for the 'pontage' 

 of the horses. The hire of the ships was at the rate of £3 13 4 each, and 

 that of the boats £268 each. 



