Great Britain -- Economic conditions; Great Britain -- Social conditions
Edward etc. to the Treasurer and Barons of the Exchequer, greeting.
Whereas formerly in our Parliament at Westminster on the quinzaine of
St. Michael in the third year of our reign, to the honour of God and the
profit of the people of our realm, we ordained and decreed that no Jew
thenceforth should lend anything at usury to any Christian on lands,
rents or other things, but that they should live by their commerce and
labour; and the same Jews, afterwards maliciously deliberating among
themselves, contriving a worse sort of usury which they called courtesy
(_curialitatem_), have depressed our people aforesaid on all sides under
colour thereof, the last offence doubling the first; whereby, for their
crimes and to the honour of the Crucified, we have caused those Jews to
go forth from our realm as traitors: We, wishing to swerve not from our
former choice, but rather to follow it, do make totally null and void
all manner of penalties and usuries and every sort thereof, which could
be demanded by actions by reason of the Jewry from any Christians of our
realm for any times whatsoever; wishing that nothing be in any wise
demanded from the Christians aforesaid by reason of the debts aforesaid,
save only the principal sums which they received from the Jews
aforesaid; the amount of which debts we will that the Christians
aforesaid verify before you by the oath of three good and lawful men by
whom the truth of the matter may the better be known, and thereafter pay
the same to us at terms convenient to them to be fixed by you. And
therefore we command you that you cause our said grace so piously
granted to be read in the aforesaid Exchequer, and to be enrolled on the
rolls of the same Exchequer, and to be straitly kept, according to the
form above noted. Witness myself at King's Clipstone on the 5th day of
November in the eighteenth year of our reign.
[Footnote 90: Printed in Selden Society Publications, Vol. 15, p. xl.]
SECTION IV
THE MANOR
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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