Throughout Mary’s reign the strife between the citizens and merchant strangers was renewed. She had herself added to the evil by her marriage with Philip, causing the city to be flooded with Spaniards, who took up their abode in the halls of the civic companies.(1437) A rumour got abroad early in September, 1554, that 12,000 Spaniards were coming over "to fethe the crown,"(1438) and this accounts for precepts being sent to the several aldermen of the city on the 27th September enjoining them to make a return of the number of foreigners that had come to reside in their ward during the past nine or ten days, and whence they came.(1439) The favour shown by the Crown to the merchants of the Steelyard was especially annoying to the freemen of the city.(1440) It was to little purpose that the mayor and aldermen issued orders from time to time against giving work to foreigners and prohibiting all such from opening shops within the city.(1441) The struggle between citizen and stranger still went on. In 1557 the corporation made an effort to induce the king and queen to revoke the favours shown to the merchants of the Steelyard in prejudice of the liberties of the city,(1442) and eventually the privileges were revoked on the ground that the merchants of the Hanse had not kept faith with the Crown.(1443) In the same year the exclusiveness entertained by the citizens towards foreigners made itself felt more particularly against that class of foreigner which kept open school in the city for teaching writing. Certain scriveners, freemen of the city, made a complaint before the Court of Aldermen against foreigners keeping writing-school within the city and its liberties.(1444) The chamberlain’s conduct of shutting in the shop windows of foreigners teaching children to write was approved by the mayor and aldermen,(1445) whilst freemen were allowed to keep open school provided they entered into a bond not to engross deeds.(1446) Occasionally foreigners were successful in obtaining licences from the civic authorities for teaching writing, but it was only on condition they kept their lower windows closed.(1447) (M727) (M728) (M729)