m the smallest umbrage: the few nobles who
remained in the country, lived in continual terror from his violence: he
seized the estates of all those whom he had either banished or murdered;
and bestowing part on their wives and children, converted the remainder
to his own use.* Such were the first effects that Europe saw of popular
violence, after having groaned, during so many ages, under monarchical
and aristocratical tyranny.

James d'Arteville was the man to whom Edward addressed himself for
bringing over the Flemings to his interests; and that prince, the most
haughty and most aspiring of the age, never courted any ally with so
much assiduity and so many submissions as he employed towards this
seditious and criminal tradesman. D'Arteville, proud of these advances
from the king of England, and sensible that the Flemings were naturally
inclined to maintain connections with the English who furnished them
the materials of their woollen manufactures, the chief source of their
opulence, readily embraced the interests of Edward, and invited him
over into the Low Countries. Edward, before he entered on this great
enterprise, affected to consult his parliament, asked their advice,
and obtained their consent.[*] And the more to strengthen his hands, he
procured from them a grant of twenty thousand sacks of wool; which might
amount to about a hundred thousand pounds: this commodity was a good
instrument to employ with the Flemings; and the price of it with his
German allies. He completed the other necessary sums by loans, by
pawning the crown jewels, by confiscating or rather robbing at once all
the Lombards, who now exercised the invidious trade formerly monopolized
by the Jews, of lending on interest;[**] and being attended by a body
of English forces, and by several of his nobility, he sailed over to
Flanders.

* Froissard, liv. i. chap. 30. * Cotton's Abridg.

** Dugd. Baron, vol. ii. p. 146.

{1338.} The German princes, in order to justify their unprovoked
hostilities against France, had required the sanction of some legal
authority; and Edward, that he might give them satisfaction on this
head, had applied to Lewis of Bavaria, then emperor, and had been
created by him "vicar of the empire;" an empty title, but which
seemed to give him a right of commanding the service of the princes of
Germany.[*] The Flemings, who were vassals of France, pretending like
scruples with regard to the invasion of their liege l