w
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.

* Page 234. See also M. West. p. 409.

** Rymer, vol. ii p. 77, 107.

*** Rymer, vol. ii p. 862.

In the former reign, the taxes had been partly scutages, partly such a
proportional part of the movables as was granted by parliament; in this,
scutages were entirely dropped, and the assessment on movables 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 year, a
thirtieth from the laity, a twentieth from the 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 th