ly seen to the appointment of wardens over the city, and of
magistrates to determine complaints which might arise at the fair to be
held at St. Botolph's, or Boston, in Lincolnshire, during their
absence.(301) The deputation were absent a month. On the 19th July,
Gregory de Rokesle and certain others whose names are not mentioned again
set out in compliance with orders received from the king; the object of
their journey being, as we are expressly told, to treat of peace between
the king and the Countess of Flanders at Montreuil.(302) A month later
Edward himself was in England.

(M191)

The king ruled the city, as indeed he ruled the rest of the kingdom, with
a strong hand. Londoners had already experienced the force of his arm and
his ability in the field, when he scattered them at Lewes; they were now
to experience the benefit of his powers of organization in time of peace.
Fitz-Thedmar's chronicle now fails us, but we have a new source of
information in the letter books(303) of the Corporation.

(M192)

The first and the most pressing difficulty which presented itself to
Edward, was the re-organization of finance. Without money the barons could
not be kept within legitimate bounds. Having won their cause against the
usurpations of the crown, they began to turn their arms upon each other,
and it required Edward's strong hand not only to impose order upon his
unruly nobles, but also, to bring Scotland and Wales into submission. The
country was flooded with clipt coin. This was called in, and new money
minted at the Tower, under the supervision of Gregory de Rokesley as
Master of the Exchange.(304) Parliament made large grants to the king; and
he further increased his resources by imposing knighthood upon all
freeholders of estates worth L20 a year.(305) When the Welsh war was
renewed in 1282, the city sent him 6,000 marks by the hands of Waleys and
Rokesley.(306)

(M193)

In 1283 an extraordinary assembly--styled a parliament by some
chroniclers--was summoned to meet at Shrewsbury to attend the trial of
David, brother of Llewelyn, Prince of Wales. To this so-called parliament
the city sent no less than six representatives, viz.: Henry le Waleys, the
mayor, Gregory de Rokesley, Philip Cissor, or the tailor, Ralph Crepyn,
Joce le Acatour, or merchant, and John de Gisors.(307) Their names are
worthy of record, inasmuch as they are the first known representatives of
the city in any assembly deserving the name of a p