March 1.
Westminster. |
To the mayor and sheriffs of London for the time being. Order
before Easter next to cause proclamation to be made of the
petition and answer following, and during seven years next to
cause all theings therein contained, being ordered by the king in
parliament, to be kept unbroken under the pains therein specified;
as the commons of the realm in the last parliament presented to
the king a petition (French text follows), shewing that day by day
great damage and loss is caused to the king and people by the
buying and selling of foreign merchants at their own pleasure
without control or oversight of any of the lieges, and by sale and
purchase of all manner of merchandise one with another, and
also by their covins and contrivances to beat down the price and
value of merchandise of the realm, and to enhance that of their
own, whereby they are enriched, the king's subjects and denizens
of the realm impoverished, much treasure is taken out of the
realm, the customs and subsidies due to the king are withdrawn,
and the navy of the realm is reduced, and shewing that whereas
by divers statutes it is ordered that in every city, town and seaport of England to which alien merchants do repair hosts shall
by the mayor, sheriff or bailiffs be assigned to them, they are
abiding elsewhere than with such hosts, and those statutes are
no remedy against the loss and damage aforesaid, and praying
the king by assent of the lords spiritual and temporal in that
parliament to make order that one alien merchant shall sell no
merchandise to another under pain of forfeiting the same, that
every alien merchant coming to traffic in any city, town, borough
or port shall be under oversight of persons called hosts or overseers by the mayors, sheriffs or bailiffs appointed as hereinafter
follows, that every such merchant shall within three days after
his coming present himself before the mayor, sheriff or bailiff to
have a host assigned to him, that within four days after notice
received of the coming or presence of such merchants the mayors,
sheriffs or bailiffs shall assign them hosts, who shall be good and
trustworthy persons of English birth, of experience in trade and
not plying the trade of the merchants under their oversight, that
such hosts shall have oversight of all merchandise by them discharged at any port or place of the realm, or exported thence,
and of all sales, purchases and contracts by them made, that
every such merchant importing and discharging merchandise
shall within eight months of its discharge expose the same for
sale and make full advantage thereof, all cloths of gold, cloths of
silver and silk excepted, less reasonable expenses and costs, to
wit selling such merchandise for other merchandise of the realm,
or selling it for money and therewith buying other merchandise
therein grown or made, under pain of forfeiting money not so
used, that after eight months it shall be lawful for such merchants
to export merchandise unsold without payment of customs or
subsidies thereupon, that any such merchandise sold within the
realm after eight months shall be forfeit, that every host shall
register in a book from time to time all merchandise that such
merchants have and receive, and all sales, purchases, contracts
etc. made with his knowledge, and bring a copy thereof before
the treasurer and the barons of the exchequer twice a year, to
wit at the beginning of Easter and Michaelmas terms, and they,
their executors, heirs and the tenants of their lands shall not
thereby or by aught else affecting the occupation of host be
bound to account at the exchequer or be otherwise chargeable,
and for his travail the host shall take of every foreign merchant
2d. of each 20s. in value of merchandise sold and bought, that
the host when first admitted to that occupation shall be sworn
before the mayors, sheriffs and bailiffs appointing him to make
true and lawful use thereof, and if found unfaithful shall by
them be removed as often as they shall think needful, and another
put in his place, and at their discretion shall be punished according to his deserts, that if an alien merchant present not himself
to take a host, or refuse submission to his control and oversight
when appointed, he shall be by the mayor etc. arrested and put
in prison without release, bail or mainprise until he shall find
surety for such submission, and to make his host privy to all
sales etc. as aforesaid, and shall make fine and ransom at the
king's will, that if an alien merchant shall make any purchase,
sale or contract without oversight of his host, or not make his
host privy to all his dealings, he shall forfeit the value of goods
so bought or sold or for which contract is made, that if any
mayor, sheriff or bailiff shall suffer such a merchant to go at
large without a host, and not arrest him, put him in prison and
punish him, he shall forfeit 20l. in every case, and if any man
assigned as host refuse, he shall every time pay 10l. to the king,
that every alien merchant who shall not within eight months lay
out his money as aforesaid, or after eight months shall sell his
merchandise in England, and shall by examination or otherwise
be convicted before any of the judges at suit of the king or any
of the lieges, shall incur the pain and forfeiture aforesaid, and
the prosecutor shall have a fourth part thereof and the king
three fourths, that this act shall come in force at Easter next,
and remain in force seven years, and that before Easter commissions under the great seal reciting the same shall be addressed
to the mayors, sheriffs or bailiffs of every city, town, borough
and port of the realm to which alien merchants do repair, straitly
charging them to publish the act and put it in force, provided
always that the merchants of the Hanse of Almaigne and all
other merchants under the king's obedience shall not be included
therein; and with advice and assent of the lords spiritual and
temporal at the request of the commons the king by authority of
parliament did answer 'The king will that it be as it is desired,
so alway that by this provision and ordenance no prejudice be
yeven or doone to any alyance or trews maade be the kyng or
one of his noble progenitours afore this tyme.' By K. in parl. |
