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"Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, etc. to all men, etc.
greeting. Know ye, that in consideration of a fine of 20000 marks,,
" which our citizens of London have made unto us as their ransom, by
" reason of trespasses or excesses against us, and our Queen, and Richard
" the illustrious King of Almaine, our brother, and Edward our eldest son,
"
by them committed, or unto them imputed, we do, for ourselves and our
"
heirs, so far as in us lies, wholly remit and pardon unto the said citi-
" zens and their heirs all such trespasses and excesses, in form as follows,
" that is to say ; that they shall have all issues of rents arising from houses
" and tenements as well in the City aforesaid as in the suburbs thereof,
" from the time of our Lord's Nativity last past, upon the understanding
" that from henceforth they shall, from such rents, satisfy all persons
" whatsoever in such manner as shall be right ; and shall have all goods
" and chattels of such misdoers within the same City, as, in the disturbances
"
aforesaid, have been against us and Edward our eldest son,
" and who thereof have been, or shall be, indicted ; save and
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"
except the goods and chattels of those whose bodies we have granted
" unto our said son, and except the houses, lands, tenements, and rents, of
" the same citizens, which are and ought to be our escheats, by reason of
" the trespasses aforesaid ; and shall have all goods and chattels of citizens
" of the same city in the parts of Flanders arrested, save and except the
" chattels and goods of those who by lawful inquisition may be found or
(f convicted to have been our enemies. And that all prisoners of the same
"
city, except those whose bodies we have given unto our firstborn son
"
aforesaid, shall from prison be delivered ; save also such prisoners as
" have by the same citizens been indicted and taken, and shall be indicted
" and taken. And that the hostages of the citizens aforesaid, for the safe-
"
keeping of the same city unto us delivered, save and except the hostages
" of the prisoners of our son aforesaid, and the hostages of those who have
(f taken to flight, if any such there shall be, shall in like manner be set at
"
liberty ; and that from the goods of such citizens as have died in the city
e<
aforesaid, since the time that the said citizens have submitted themselves
" unto our will, a contribution shall be proportionally levied towards the
" said ransom, according to the means of the deceased, in the same manner
" as in regard to the means of the other citizens who are still living in the
"
city aforesaid ; and in like manner it shall be done as to the goods of all
" men of the same city who are there in our 1
Exchange. We have also
"
granted unto them, that all goods and chattels of the reputable men of
" the City aforesaid, which have been taken from each and every of them,
" from the time when the citizens aforesaid submitted themselves unto
" our will, without our warrant aforesaid, the goods of Richard de
" Walebrok excepted shall unto them be wholly restored ; and that the
" said citizens shall throughout all our territories and dominions, freely
" and without impediment on part of us or ours, as well by sea as by land,
" trade with their wares and merchandize, in such manner as they shall
" deem expedient, quit of all custom, toll, and 2
passage ; and shall sojourn
" wheresoever they shall think proper, in the same our realm, for purposes
" of business, in such manner as in past times they have been wont to do,
" until such time as of our counsel it shall as to the state of the city afore-
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" said be more fully provided. And that no one of the said city, as to
" whom it may manifestly be proved that in the disturbances aforesaid he
fe has been our enemy, or the enemy of our eldest son aforesaid, shall in
"future sojourn or be harboured in the city aforesaid. In testimony
"
whereof, we have caused these our letters patent to be made. Witness
"
myself, at Norhamptone, this tenth day of January, in the fiftieth year
" of our reign."]] |