XVI. 1377. that they fhould there meet with great choice of c'HA P. any particular fpecies of commodity. This policy of inviting foreigners to Calais was carried fo far, that all English merchants were prohibited by law from exporting any English goods from the ftaple; which was in a manner the total abandoning of all foreign navigation, except that to Calais "*. A contrivance feemingly extraordinary. 134 Ir was not till the middle of this century that the English began to extend their navigation even to the Baltic ""; nor till the middle of the fubfequent, that they failed to the Mediterra 135 LUXURY was complained of in that age, as well as in others of more refinement; and attempts were made by parliament to reftrain it, particularly on the head of apparel, where furely it is the moft obviously innocent and inoffenfive. No man under a hundred a year was allowed to wear gold, filver, or filk in his clothes: Servants also were prohibited from eating flesh meat, or fish, above once a day "". By another law it was ordained, that no one should be allowed, either for dinner or fupper, above three difhes in each course, and not above two courfes: And it is likewife expressly declared, that foufed meat is to count as one of these dishes ". It was eafy to foresee that such 137 Id. p. 177. 137 CHAP. ridiculous laws muft prove ineffectual, and could XVI. never be executed. 1377. 139 THE ufe of the French language, in pleadings and public deeds, was abolished "". It may appear ftrange, that the nation fhould fo long have worn this badge of conqueft: But the king and nobility seem never to have become thoroughly English, or to have forgotten their French extraction, till Edward's wars with France gave them an antipathy to that nation. Yet ftill, it was long before the ufe of the English tongue came into fashion. The first English paper which we meet with in Rymer is in the year 1386, during the reign of Richard II". There are Spanish papers in that collection of more ancient date : And the ufe of the Latin and French ftill continued. 240 We may judge of the ignorance of this age in geography, from a ftory told by Robert of Avefbury. Pope Clement VI. having, in 1344, created Lewis of Spain prince of the fortunate Islands, meaning the Canaries, then newly difcovered; the English ambassador at Rome and his retinue were feized with an alarm, that Lewis had been created king of England; and they immediately hurried home, in order to convey this important intelligence. Yet fuch was the 139 140 36 Edw. III. cap. 15. Rymer, vol. vii. p. 526. This paper, by the style, feems to have been drawn by the Scots, and was figned by the wardens of the marches only. 241 Rymer, vol. vi. p. 554. XVI. 1377 ardor for study at this time, that Speed in his c HAP, Chronicle informs us, there were then 30,000 ftudents in the univerfity of Oxford alone. What was the occupation of all these young men? To learn very bad Latin, and still worfe Logic. IN 1364, the commons petitioned, that, in confideration of the preceding peftilence, fuch perfons as poffeffed manors holding of the king in chief, and had let different leafes without obtaining licences, might continue to exercise the fame power, till the country were become more populous". The commons were fenfible, that this fecurity of poffeffion was a good means for rendering the kingdom profperous and flourishing; yet durft not apply, all at once, for a greater relaxation of their chains. THERE is not a reign among thofe of the ancient English monarchs, which deferves more to be ftudied than that of Edward III. nor one where the domeftic tranfactions will better difcover the tru: genius of that kind of mixed government, which was then established in England. The ftruggles, with regard to the validity and authority of the great charter, were now over: The king was acknowledged to lie under fome limitations : Edward himself was a prince of great capacity, not governed by favorites, not led aftray by any unruly paffion, fenfible that nothing could be more effential to his interests than to keep on good terms with his people: Yet on the whole CHAP. XVI. 1377. it appears, that the government, at best, was only a barbarous monarchy, not regulated by any fixed maxims, or bounded by any certain undisputed rights, which in practice were regularly obferved. The king conducted himfelf by one fet of principles; the barons by another; the commons by a third; the clergy by a fourth. All these systems of government were oppofite and incompatible: Each of them prevailed in its turn, as incidents were favorable to it: A great prince rendered the monarchical power predominant: The weakness of a king gave reins to the ariftocracy: A fuperftitious age faw the clergy triumphant: The people, for whom chiefly government was inftituted, and who chiefly deferve confideration, were the weakest of the whole. But the commons, little obnoxious to any other order; though they funk under the violence of tempefts, filently reared their head in more peaceable times; and while the ftorm was brewing, were courted by all fides, and thus received ftill fome acceffion to their privileges, or, at worst, fome confirmation of them. IT has been an established opinion, that gold coin was not struck till this reign: But there has ately been found proof that it is as ancient as Henry III. 143 143 See Obfervations on the more ancient Statutes, p. 375. 2d edit. 351 CHA P. XVII. RICHARD II. Government during the minority. Infurrection of the common people. Dijcontents of the barons. - rection. eharacter. His reign. THE parliament, which was fummoned foon CHA P. XVII. 1377. Govern after the king's acceffion, was both elected and affembled in tranquillity; and the great change, from a fovereign of confummate wifdom and ment during experience to a boy of eleven years of age, was the minority. not immediately felt by the people. The habits of order and obedience, which the barons had been taught during the long reign of Edward, ftill influenced them; and the authority of the king's three uncles, the dukes of Lancaster, York, and Glocefter, fufficed to reprefs, for a time, the turbulent fpirit, to which that order, in a weak reign, was fo often fubject. The dangerous ambition too of thefe princes themfelves was |