the realme and had a crosse in his hande, and then sodainely came
a great sort of Frenchman about him, and one of them sayde to the
Constable that led him, syr is thys crosse the price to kill an
Englisheman. The Constable was somewhat astonied and aunswered
not. Then sayde another Frenchman, on that price we would be
banished all by the masse, this saiying was noted to be spoken
spitefully. Howbeit the Frenchmen were not alonly oppressors of the
Englishemen, for a Lombard called Frances de Bard, entised a man’s
wyfe in Lombarde Streete to come to his Chamber with her husband’s
plate, which thing she did. After when her husband knew it, he
demanded hys wife, but answere was made he should not have her;
then he demanded his plate, and in like manner answere was made
that he should neyther have plate nor wife. And when he had sued
an action against the straunger in the Guyldehall, the stranger
so faced the Englishman that he faynted in his sute. And then the
Lombard arrested the poore man for his wyfes boord, while he kept
her from her husband in his chamber. This mocke was much noted, and
for these and many other oppressions done by them, there encreased
such a malice in the Englishmen’s hartes: that at the last it brast
out.” (Grafton’s _Chronicles_, vol. ii. p. 289.)
He goes on to relate that a certain John Lincoln, a broker, desired a
priest named Dr. Standish to move the Mayor and Aldermen at his Spital
sermon on Easter Monday to take part with the Commonalty against the
aliens. Standish refused. John Lincoln then went to a certain Dr. Bele,
Canon in St. Mary Spital, and represented the grievous case of the
people.
... “lamentably declared to him, how miserably the common artificers
lyved, and scarce could get any worke to find them, their wives and
children, for there were such a number of artificers straungers, that
toke away all their living in manner.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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