Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/117

Rh curious materials he selected unused in his very poor work on the history of London; yet he may be said to be the only writer who ever had comparatively free access to the record room of the corporation; since his time it has been virtually closed to historical enquirers. The reason generally alleged for withholding access to municipal archives is the possibility that municipal interests may suffer by their being made public; a poor reason, unless indeed it is to be understood that corporate privileges generally rest, which they certainly do not, on insufficient authority. It is agreeable to refer to the liberal example already set by Winchester, Southampton, Northampton, Norwich, and York, while deploring the principle of exclusion generally prevalent among municipal bodies throughout the country.

We dwell the more on this point because many of the best features of Mr. Hartshorne's work would have been wanting but for the facility he happily obtained of consulting the archives of Northampton. As an illustration of medieval manners the following picturesque narrative of a commercial feud between the citizens of London and the men of Northampton, in the reign of Henry the Third may be quoted; the story, although not unpublished, is now first translated for the benefit of general readers. It is derived from that most valuable manuscript in the possession of the corporation of London, entitled "Liber de Antiquis Legibus," a notice of which has already been given in the Archæological Journal.

"¶ Memorandum, that in this year, at the fair of Northampton, it happened that in a conflict between the Londoners and the men of Northampton certain of the Northampton men were wounded, of whom one afterwards died, but whether he died from that wounding or from natural causes is unknown. But the bailiffs of that town, who always envy the Londoners, seized four of the Londoners, imputing that death to them, and they imprisoned them, and arrested their goods, and the goods of other of their fellow-citizens. Which being heard, the mayor and citizens, because no Londoner ought to plead without the walls of the city, except pleas of external tenures, sought for royal letters for their delivery to the mayor, or to his messenger bringing the foresaid letters, for their standing right before the king, as they ought according to the laws of the city; but the aforesaid bailiffs were unwilling to dismiss them, neither for that writ, nor for another which the mayor again requested. But they shut them up closer and more cruelly, against the precepts of the king and the liberties of the Londoners, and so they remained there until after the Purification of the blessed Mary, (Feb. 2,) at which time the king came to London, and dwelt at the Tower. And on the morrow of his coming the mayor and citizens came to the king and requested from him a third writ for delivering the foresaid prisoners, and another writ directed to the sheriff of the county of Northampton, that if the aforesaid bailiffs should be un- willing to dismiss them, that he should enter within their liberties, and should deliver them to the bearer of the king's letters, bringing them before the king to be punished as they deserved, according to the laws of the city. Which letters being obtained, behold rumours that the aforesaid prisoners