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self somewhat more restrained in his former practice CHA P. of pillaging the several churches in Europe, by laying impositions upon them, he permitted the generals of particular orders, who resided at Rome, to levy taxes on the convents subjected to their jurisdiction; and Edward was obliged to enact a law against this new abuse. It was also become a practice of the court of Rome to provide successors to benefices before they became vacant: Edward found it likewise necessary to prevent by law this species of injustice.

THE tribute of 1000 marks a year, to which king John, in doing homage to the pope, had subjected the kingdom, had been pretty regularly paid since his time, though the vassalage was constantly denied, and, indeed, for fear of giving offence, had been but little insisted on. The payment was called by a new name of census, not by that of tribute. King Edward seems always to have paid this money with great reluctance, and he suffered the arrears at one time to run on for six years," at another for eleven: But as princes in that age stood continually in need of the pope's good offices, for dispensations of marriage and for other concessions, the court of Rome always found means, sooner or later, to catch the money. The levying of first fruits was also a new device begun in this reign, by which his holiness thrust his fingers very frequently into the purses of the faithful; and the king seems to have unwarily given way to it.

IN the former reign the taxes had been partly scutages, partly such a proportional part of the moveables as was granted by parliament: In this scutages were entirely dropped; and the assessment on moveables was the chief method of taxation. Edward in his fourth year had a fifteenth granted him; in his fifth year a twelfth; in his eleventh

CHAP. year a thirtieth from the laiety, a twentieth from the

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clergy; in his eighteenth year a fifteenth; in his twenty-second year a tenth from the laity, a sixth from London and other corporate towns, half of their benefices from the clergy; in his twenty-third year an eleventh, from the barons and others, a tenth from the clergy, a seventh from the burgesses; in his twenty-fourth year a twelfth from the barons and others, an eighth from the burgesses, from the clergy nothing, because of the pope's inhibition; in his twenty-fifth year an eighth from the laity, a tenth from the clergy of Canterbury, a fifth from those of York; in his twenty-ninth year a fifteenth from the laity, on account of his confirming the perambulations of the forests; the clergy granted nothing; in his thirty-third year, first a thirtieth from the barons and others, and a twentieth from the burgesses, then a fifteenth from all his subjects; in his thirty-fourth year a thirtieth from all his subjects for knighting his eldest son.

THESE taxes were moderate; but the king had also duties upon exportation and importation granted him from time to time: The heaviest were commonly upon wool. Poundage, or a shilling a pound was not regularly granted the kings for life till the reign of Henry V.

IN 1296 the famous mercantile society, called the Merchant Adventurers, had its first origin: It was instituted for the improvement of the woollen manufacture, and the vending of the cloth abroad, particularly at Antwerp. For the English at this time scarcely thought of any more distant commerce.

THIS king granted a charter or declaration of protection and privileges to foreign merchants, and also ascertained the customs or duties which those merchants were in return to pay on merchandise imported and exported. He promised them security;

Anderson's History of Commerce, vol. i. p. 157.

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rity; allowed them a jury on trials, consisting halfC HA P. of natives, half of foreigners; and appointed them a justiciary in London for their protection. But 1307. notwithstanding this seeming attention to foreign merchants, Edward did not free them from the cruel hardship of making one answerable for the debts, and even for the crimes, of another that came from the same country. We read of such practices among the present barbarous nations. The king also imposed on them a duty of two shillings on each tun of wine imported, over and above the old duty; and forty pence on each sack of wool exported, besides half a mark the former duty.

IN the year 1303 the Exchequer was robbed, and of no less a sum than 100,000 pounds, as is pretended. The abbot and monks of Westminster were indicted for this robbery, but acquitted. It does not appear that the king ever discovered the criminals with certainty; though his indignation fell on the society of Lombard merchants, particularly the Frescobaldi, very opulent Florentines.

THE pope having in 1307 collected much money in England, the king enjoined the nuncio not to export it in specie, but in bills of exchange. A proof that commerce was but ill understood at that time.

EDWARD had by his first wife, Eleanor of Castile, four sons; but Edward his heir and successor, was the only one that survived him. She also bore him eleven daughters, most of whom died in their infancy: Of the surviving, Joan was married first to the earl of Gloucester, and after his death to Ralph de Monthermer; Margaret espoused John duke of Brabant: Elizabeth espoused first John earl of Holland, and afterwards the earl of Hereford: Mary

was

2 Anderson's Hist. of Commerce, vol. i. p. 146. * Rymer, vol. iv. p. 361. It is the charter of Edw. I. which is there confirmed by Edw. III. Rymer, vol. ii. p. 930. Ibid. p. 1092.

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CHAP. was a nun at Ambresbury. He had by his second wife Margaret of France, two sons and a daugh1307. ter; Thomas created earl of Norfolk, and Mareschal of England; and Edmond, who was created earl of Kent by his brother when king. The princess died in her infancy.

CHAP. XIV.

EDWARD II.

Weakness of the king-His passion for favouritesPiers, Gavaston-Discontent of the barons-Murder of Gavaston-War with Scotland-Battle of Bannockburn-Hugh le Despenser-Civil commotions-Execution of the earl of Lancaster-Conspiracy against the king-Insurrection-The king dethroned-Murdered-His character-Miscellaneous transactions in this reign.

TH

136 17.

HE prepossessions entertained in favour of CHAP. young Edward, kept the English from being fully sensible of the extreme loss which they had sustained by the death of the great monarch who filled the throne; and all men hastened with alacrity to take the oath of allegiance to his son and successor. This prince was in the twenty-third year of his age, was of an agreeable figure, of a mild and gentle disposition, and having never discovered a propensity to any dangerous vice, it was natural to prognosticate tranquillity and happiness from his weakness government. But the first act of his reign blasted of the king. all these hopes, and shewed him to be totally unqualified for that perilous situation, in which every English monarch, during those ages, had, from the unstable form of the constitution, and the turbulent dispositions of the people derived from it, the misfortune to be placed. The indefatigable Robert Bruce, though his army had been dispersed, and he himself had been obliged to take shelter in the

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