nto the city, passing over London Bridge on his
way to Westminster, with the captive king and the king's son in his
train.(566) The streets were almost impassable for the multitude that
thronged them; and for the moment the citizens forgot at what cost to
themselves the victory had been gained. A truce--a welcome truce--for two
years followed.(567)

(M316)

Only a few weeks before the prince's return the citizens had laid before
the king a list of their grievances and prayed for redress.(568) They had
complained of being charged taxes and talliages in excess of any other of
the commons. They had lent the king at Dordrecht no less a sum than
L60,000, and had incurred further loss by the discrepancy between the
weight for weighing wool at Dordrecht and that of England. They had lent
the king further sums of L5,000 and L2,000 on two separate occasions,
which had not been repaid. The sum of L40,000 had been advanced to the
king's merchants at Calais and elsewhere, and this, together with other
sums lent (amounting to over L30,000), was still outstanding to the
grievous hurt of many citizens. They had, moreover, been called upon to
undergo more charges than others with respect to the king's expeditions to
Scotland, Flanders and France, and in providing men-at-arms, archers and
ships, in aid of his wars. Nor did their complaints stop here. The king's
purveyors had been accustomed to seize the carriages, victuals and
merchandise of citizens without offering payment for the same, in direct
contravention of the king's first charter to the city. Owing, moreover, to
deaths by the plague, so much property had come into mortmain that the
city had become impoverished, and one-third part of it rendered void of
inhabitants. These points they had desired the king to consider, inasmuch
as the city had always been loyal and peaceful, setting an example to the
whole country. The petition wound up with the usual complaint against the
privileges allowed foreign merchants, and a request that the king would
grant them letters patent under the great seal, such as they might show to
the purveyors whenever they attempted to take anything without
payment.(569)

(M317)

After the expiration of the truce Edward again set out for France. That
country, however, had suffered so much during the last two years at the
hands of freebooters, that Edward experienced the greatest difficulty in
finding sufficient provisions for his army. Whilst he was trav