Ancient funerall monuments within the vnited monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland, and the islands adiacent with the dissolued monasteries therein contained: their founders, and what eminent persons haue beene in the same interred. As also the death and buriall of certaine of the bloud royall; the nobilitie and gentrie of these kingdomes entombed in forraine nations. A worke reuiuing the dead memory of the royall progenie, the nobilitie, gentrie, and communaltie, of these his Maiesties dominions. Intermixed and illustrated with variety of historicall obseruations, annotations, and briefe notes, extracted out of approued authors ... Whereunto is prefixed a discourse of funerall monuments ... Composed by the studie and trauels of Iohn Weeuer.

Depeford.

* 1.1Orate pro anima ..... Weuer ..... Mercatoris et Maioris Stapul. ville Calcis qui ob..... Februar. ... et pro .... Ioanne vx. eius, qui ob....

Martin the fifth Bishop of Rome, granted by this Bull to these Staple Merchants, in this Weeuers Maioralty at their earnest request, an itinerarie or portable Aulter, which they were to take with them to what place soeuer they trauelled to make any time of aboad; and withall gaue them licence to elect a Priest, to say Masse, administer the Sacraments, to heare their con∣fessions, to enioyne them penance, and to giue them absolution as the cause should require. The forme of which I hold it not much amisse here to set downe, as I found it in an old Manuscript, without name or date, in the Earle of Exceters Librarie.

Martinus Episcopus Seruus Seruorum Dei, dilectis filijs Maiori et eius locum tenenti,* 1.2 ac Constabulario ceterisque Principalibus Societatis Mercato∣rum lanarum Stapule Anglie Salutem, et Apostolicam benedictionem. Sin∣cere deuotionis affectus quem ad nos et Romanam geritis Ecclesiam non in∣digne meretur, vt petitionibus vestris illis presertim quos ex deuotionis fer∣uore prodire conspicimus, quantum cum Deo possumus fauorabiliter anima∣mus. Hinc est quod nos vestris deuotis supplicationibus inclinati, vt liceat vobis et posteris vestris Maiori et eius locum tenenti, ac Constabulario, nec non Principalibus societatis Mercatorum lanarum Stapule Anglie, ac vestrum ac eorundem posterorum cuilibet habere Altare portatile, cum debita re∣uerentia et honore. Super quo in villa Calestie seu alibi etiam in transmari∣nis, seu cismarinis partibus, vbi pro tempore vos vel aliquem vestrum esse vel declinare, et huiusmodi Stapulum lanarum teneri contigerit, in locis ad hoc congru••ntibus et honestis positis; per proprium vel alium Sacerdotem ydoneum Missas et alia diuina officia, sine iuris alieni preiudicio, in vestra et ipsorum ac aliorum Mercatorum dicte Societatis ibidem pro tempore presen∣tium: Nec non vestrorum et eorundem Posterorum ac Mercatorum familia∣rium presentia facere celebrari vobis et predictis posteris tenore presentium indulgemus.

Nulli ergo omnino homini liceat hanc paginam nostre concessionis infrin∣gere, vel ei ausu temerario contraire. Si quis autem hoc attemptare presump∣serit, indignationem omnipotentis Dei, et beatorum Petri et Pauli Apostolo∣rum eius se nouerit incursurum. Dat. Mant. 3. Non. Nouemb. Pontificatus nostri, Ann. primo.

By another Bull dated the same yeare, and his Apostolicall authoritie, he giues them free election of their Confessour the Priest.* 1.3 The words are; Ali∣quem ydoneum et discretum presbyterum eligere confessorem indulgemus,

qui quotiens vobis fuerit oportunum confessionibus vestris diligenter auditis, pro commissis debitam vobis absolutionem impendat et iniungat penitentiam salutarem; nisi forsan talia fuerint, &c. propter que sedes Apostolica, &c. Nulli ergo omnino hominum, &c. Dat. &c. In English.

We fauourably yeeld to your deuout and pious supplications, and we giue you leaue to choose a sufficient and discreete Priest for your Confessor; who so often, as to you it shall be thought conuenient, your confessions be∣ing attentiuely heard, may giue to each of you due absolution for your de∣linquencies committed, And appoint you sauing and comfortable penance: vnlesse the offences be of that nature, for which the Apostolicall chaire is to be sought to for remission.

Therefore let it not be lawfull for any man, in any wise, to infringe, or in a kind of foole-hardinesse rashly to contradict this Cartulary of our Concession: which indeed if any one presume to attempt, let him know for certaine, that he shall incurre the indignation of Almighty God, and of his blessed Apostles Peter and Paul. Giuen, &c.

Then followes a forme of Absolution, made in the Apostolicall Con∣sistory with plenary Indulgence to be pronounced by the Priest, to any one of these Merchants whensoeuer they shall bee dangerously sicke, in these words,

Ego authoritate Dei omnipotentis & beatorum Petri et Pauli Apostolorum eius,* 1.4 et Domini nostri Martini Pape Quinti mihi in hac parte specialiter commissa, secundum quod potestas mihi tradita se extendit, et quantum de∣beo et possum si ista vice moriaris te absolvo ab omnibus penis Purgatorii, que tibi in Purgatorio debentur propter culpas et offensas quas contra Deum commisisti; et te restituo illi innocentie in qua eras tempore quo baptizatus fuisti. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus sancti. Amen.

I by the authority of Almighty God, and of his blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of our Lord and Master Martin the fift Pope, to me especi∣ally committed in this behalfe, according, and in so much as the power to me giuen will extend it selfe, and how much of duty I owe, and how much I may or can; I absolue thee from all the paines of Purgatory which are due to be inflicted vpon thee in Purgatory, for those sinnes and offences which thou hast committed against God; and I restore thee to that inno∣cencie in which thou liuedst, the same day, when thou hadst newly recei∣ued Baptisme. In the name of the Father, and of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghost. Amen.

A word or two of these two words Merchant Staple, or Staple Mer∣chant.

He is properly called a Marchant, qui mare traijcit,* 1.5 who passeth ouer the Seas, et merces inde avehit, and from thence transports merchandise or wares into his owne warehouse; either bought for ready money, or had in exchange for other commodities which hee brings with him out of his owne Country. The diligence and industry of these Marchants is accurat∣ly expressed by Horace, Epist. lib. 1. Ep. 1.

Impiger extremos curret Mercator ad Indos Per mare pauperiem fugiens, per saxa, per ignes.

The ready Merchant runs to th'utmost Inde with speed. By Sea, by rocks, by fire, to shun outragious need.

There are a company of notable Skanderouns which greatly desire to be stiled Merchants, and these are such as runne from house to house, from Market to Market,* 1.6 such as haunt Faires and all publicke meetings; with packs and Fardels vpon their backes, filled with counterfeit and adulterate wares, with which they cheat, deceiue, and cosin the poore countrey-peo∣ple: and these are called Pedlers, Quod pedes iter conficiunt: because they go on foot.

Stapula inquit (Lud. Guiccia, est locus publicus quo principis auctoritate et priuilegio,* 1.7 lanae, vina, coria, frumenta, aliaeque merces exotica vendendi causa conuchuntur. Staple is a publicke place (saith Lud. Guiccia) to which by the Prince his authoritie and priuiledge, wooll, wine, Hides of beasts, corne or graine, and other exoticke or forraine merchandise are transferred, carried, or conueyed there to be sold, or set to sale. Or,

Staple signifieth this or that Towne or Citie, whither the Merchants of England, by common order or commandement, did carry their woolls, wooll-fels, clothes, lead, and Tinne, and such like commodities of our Land, for the vtterance of them by the great.

The word (saith Mins. let. 5.) may probably bee taken two wayes, one from Stapel, which in the Saxon or old English language, signifieth the stay or hold of any thing. Or from the French word Estape, id est, forum Vinarium: because to those places, whither our English Merchants brought their commodities, the French would also meete them with theirs, which most of all consisteth in wines.

Now, howsoeuer we most commonly finde the Staple to bee kept, and thereupon, as in this place, the Merchants thereof were stiled, Mercatores Stapulae villae Calistiae, yet you may read of many other places appointed for the Staple in the Statutes of the Land, according as the Prince by his coun∣sell thought good to alter them from the second yeare of Edward the third, cap 9. to the fifth of Edward the sixth.

Officers belonging to these Staples, were Maiors, Constables, Maniper∣nors, correctours, Porters, packers, winders, workers, and other labourers of woolls.

The Fees of the Maiors and Constables of the Staples in England, leuied out of 4. d. a Sacke of wooll, comming to euery Staple, were as followeth. The Maior of the Staple of Westminster had yearly, one hundred pounds, and euery of the Constables there ten markes. The Maiors of the Staples of Yorke, Kingstone vpon Hull, Norwich, and Winchester, euery of them twenty pounds, and euery of the Constables of the same places one hun∣dred shillings. The Maiors of Newcastle vpon Tine, Chichester, and of Exceter, ten pounds; and euery of the Constables of those places fiue markes. And if any of the Maiors and Constables aboue named, refused the Office, hee was to pay to the company as much as his Fee should amount to. Of all which you may reade the Statute, Ann. 27. Ed. 3.

The Maior and Constables of the Staple had power to record Recogni∣sances of debt taken before them, by vertue of a Statute, made the tenth of Henry the sixth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Weeuer and Ioane his wi••e.
• * 1.2

  The Popes Bul to the Staple Merchants, for a portable Al∣t••r and a Masse-priest.
• * 1.3

  Their Priest & Confessour.
• * 1.4

  The forme of an Absolution.
• * 1.5

  The definition of a Merchant
• * 1.6

  What Pedlers are.
• * 1.7

  Staple whar.