of the brais to Milkegate, and the other to Prince's bulwerke; and to amend the cannoners along, so as the same may in likewise beate the said flankes.

Item, Dewlyn's tower to be taken downe, as moche as nede shalbe, and the same to be lyned, made broder, and massied up with lyme and stone, and thereupon a platfourme to be made to bere a grete pece of ordinaunce, as well to beate over the bulwerke ther, as to scoure the contreth thereaboutes.

Item, the tower next unto Dewlyn's tower towardes Prince's bulwerke to be open, and the tower next the same to be massied up for a platfourme; and so every tower from thence to the said Prince's bulwerke, one to be open, and another to be massied up; and every tower that shalbe made open, to be of the heigthe of the vaund mure of the towne wall; and every tower that shalbe massied up, to be of one highte.

Item, betwene the bulwerke at Dewlyn tower and Prince's bulwerke, suche a bulwerke to be made as is betwene Milkegate and Becham's bulwerke, with cannoners in the same, as well to scoure and beate the flankes of the brais, as the contreth ther aboutes.

Item, at the said Prince's bulwerke a gate to be made, and the tower nowe standing in the wall of the towne to be made on the one side of the said gate, and another like to be made on the other side of the said gate; and over the said gate, betwene the said too towers, a platfourme to beate over the bulwerke and brais there.

Item, the said Prince's bulwerke to be made rounde with canoners, for the beating of the said flankes of the brais, as well to Bollen gate as to the bulwerk towards Dewlyn tower; and the gate out of the same not to be made directly before the gate out of the towne, but on the side of the said bulwerke to the estwardes.

Item, that the counter mure of the inner diche do go furthe as the same is begonne.

Item, that such a light bridge be made betwene the said Prince's bulwerke and Dewlyn toure, as is devised to be made betwene Becham's bulwerke and Mylkegate, as well for men to issue out of the towne for the defense of the bulwerkes and brais, as to recoile into the towne, as the case shall require. Item, suche a bulwerke to be made betwene Prince's bulwerke and Bolen gate, as is devised to be made betwene Prince's bulwerke and Dewlyn's bulwerke.

Item, that the bulwerke befor Bolen gate be made so that the same may responde and beate the flankes, as well to the newe bulwerke devised to be made betwene that and Prince's gate, as to the bulwerke at the corner of the newe bray.

Item, that suche a lighte bridge be made betwene Prince's bulwerke and Bolengate, as is devised to be made betwene Dewlyn tower and Prince's bulwerke, and another like bridge betwene Bolen gate and the newe bray.

Item, that rounde aboutes the towne where the wall standeth upon arches, the same arches to be filled with brick, and too foote of the vaund mur to be taken downe; and all the loopes to be made mayne wall, and the wall that men goo on nowe to be made as highe as the vaund mure, when the said too foote shalbe taken downe; and then alonges the walle splaies to be made after the kinges devise, in stede of lowpes; and such a rampeir of erthe to be laed to the wall as too cartes may goo afront thereupon, and to be of the same highte that the wall (which men goo upon nowe) is, or some thing lower.

A DEVISE FOR THE HAVEN.

First, at the end of the est juttye, a strong tower to be made, with a platfourme upon the toppe therof, and cannoners out of the said tower, with ventes for the same; as well to beate the mouth of the haven hard by the water, as along the greve to Gravelingwardes.

Item, the jutty from the said tower to the mayne land to be made brode beneth and narowe upward, affter suche facion and proporcion as by the overseers of the workes, and the workmen of the same, shalbe thought requisite; foreseyng always, that the tymberwerke of the said juttye be sett soo nyghe togethers, and also to be made close on the topp thereof, that the see shall have no power to wesh ne cast out the chalke, nor such other stuff as the same shalbe filled withall.

Item, a travers to be made over the haven with iij. floodgates, for the receyvyng of the water that commeth in with the floode, and the keping thereof till the water shalbe ebbed out of the said haven, and then to open the said floodgats and lett the water passe; the said travers to be made from the bulwerke in the bray wher the king did appoint, streighte over the downes, and at the end therof a tower to be made, as well for the defens of the same floodgates as to beate over alonges the said downes.

Item, a wharf of stone to be made alonges the downes on the side therof towards the haven, from Risebanke almost to Dikeland, to th’intent that the see (which shalbe stopped within the haven by reason of the travers) were not throgh the said downes in processe of tyme, and specially when the wynde shalbe betwixt the est and the south-south west.

Item, a strong and a substanciall wall to be made from th'ende of the bray behinde the castelle alonges the full see-marke till ye come as ferr as the newe bulwerk, and then the said wall to kitt over, and joyne with the said newe bulwerke at the end of the newe bray next the castell; and the same to be soo made, that the sluse that is nowe in the wall which gooth towardes Newnham bridge may both lett in and out the water within the said wall. The said wall to be made with a vaund mure for defens, and also a gate to be made out thereof into the filde for a sayly, as the case shall require.

Item, a wharf of stone to be made from the ende of the said bray almost as ferr as the rounde bulwerke of erth, for the defens of the see from the north and westerly wynd, like as the wharf on the other side of the haven is devised to be made for the south and esterly wynde.

Item, a sluse to be made at Dikeland for the receyving of the see at the floode, and the keping therof tyll the last quarter ebbe, that the water beneth the same in the haven be gon; and then the said sluse to be opened, and the water kept lett passe.

Item, a wall of erthe to be made from the said sluse at Dikeland streight up to the highe land of the countrie, the same to goo betwene Frowickes house and Lambertes house, in suche place there as it shalbe thought most convenient; which wall shall serve to kepe and defende the see from overrennyng of the causé, and the low countreth thereaboutes.

Item, a wall of erthe to be made on either side of the plashe* at Newnham bridge; to th'intent that, when the see shalbe stopped tyll the half ebbe, the fresh water doo not overren the countreth thereaboutes.

. Item, that all the erth which shall serve for the making of the said too walles be digged but onely in too places, where by reason therof too grete pondes to be made, wherein so moche the more water shalbe receyved.

Indorsed. A devyce for the fortificacion of Ca[1]is.

CAMD. Soc.

This was a marshy spot, or pool: see the Map.

REFORMATION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF CALAIS.

From the unfavourable picture of the material condition of the king's town of Calais, given by the preceding documents, we turn to the still more essential requisites of its discipline and government, which the following paper assures us to have been "far out of order." It is a report addressed to Cromwell, by sir William Fitzwilliam* and other commissioners, who were specially sent to make inquiry into abuses, and arrived on the 18th of August, 1535.+

(MS. Cotton. Caligula, E. 11. p. 98.)

Sir, The cause for whie we have [not written unto] you sythens our comyng into these parties, soo as the kinges [highness] might bee advertised of our procedinges and doinges in his graces affaires here, is this:— :-We assure you that we have fownde this towne and marches farre out of ordre, and soe farre, that it wold greve and pitie the hart of any good and true Englissheman to here or see the same. It maye please you therfor to understonde we have had before us as well my lord deputie, the mayre, and all the counsaill of the said towne, as also diverse others of the kinges true servauntes of the same, and examyned every of theym apart, what the cause is that the good, olde, and holsome lawes, ordenances, and constitutiones of the said towne and marches, made by the kinges highnes and his noble progenitours, have not been followed and put in due execution (which surely is a greate cause of the decaye of the said towne and marches).

* At an earlier period, in the year 1525, sir William Fitzwilliam had been one of a commission, of which lord Sandes, sir William Fitzwilliam treasurer of the household, John Hales one of the barons of the exchequer, Christopher Hales solicitor-general, and William Breswoode, met at Guisnes on the 29th Aug. 17 Hen. VIII. and there promulgated "The booke of newe Ordenaunces and decreis for the Countye of Guisnes, made, devised, and ordeyned by the Kinges Justices and Comissioners appoynted for that same, which were delivered to the Baylye and Lawe at Guisnes aforesaid in the Kinges open court, holden there the first daye of February, anno regni regis Henrici octavi xxmo." These ordinances, which are of considerable length, will be found in the MS. Cotton. Faustina, E. VII. ff. 40 et seq. They refer chiefly to the tenure of lands within the county. They were testified by the affixing of the great seal of the king's exchequer of Calais, the seal of the king's comptroller, the usual seal of the mayor and aldermen of Calais, and the common seal of the staple thereof. (fol. 65.)

This date is derived from documents in the State Paper Office, to which Miss Wood refers in her Letters of Royal and Illustrious Ladies, vol. ii. p. 226. Turpyn's chronicle (ante, p. 45) records that sir William had made an earlier visit to the town, on the 26th May in the same year, to attend a conference with the French ambassador Chabot.

Wherunto they made answere, that they wold not let to shewe the said causes and remedye for the same, as farre furthe as they coulde, and that they were moche bownde unto the kinges said highnes that it pleaseth his grace to have the said towne and marches and theym soo graciously in his remembrance, sayeng that [there] was never more nede nor better tyme soo to have doon [than] now. And upon that we required theym to make. [unto] us bookes, particulary of the causes of the said decayes, and the remedies therof; and also of all extorcions and oppressions doon by any manner of person within the said towne and marches, which they not omitted willingly to doe [and] accomplisshe; and upon that we have gadered as well oute of the olde ordenaunces of this towne, as [information] of the kinges good and true servauntes of the said towne, [and have] therupon devised a charge, the breviat whereof [we have] unto you herin enclosed, which we yesterday delivered [unto] inquestes and juries by us charged and sworn, to every [of the] premisses, that is to saye, oon inquest of speres, an [other of] tipstaves with the clerk of the counsaille, a quest and an other of constables; all the which persons [receive] the kinges wages, and bee his sworne servauntes; and of [the town a] quest of aldermen, a quest of bourgesses and [another of] commoners, by whom we trust and doubt not but [that the] kinges highnes shalbe enformed of every thyng at length. [But] to bee playen with you, we doo not moche doubt but that [the] moost parte of the articles conteigned in the said charge (will be] fownde and presented, and it bee not the article for trea[son], wherin we here of noon as yet soo ungracious as to off[end]. But as to the moost part of the rest, they be confessed alredy. And we assure you, and it bee not a very [few] which set more by their singlier advaille then they doo [by the] common weale, on erth we never sawe people rejoyse more [than they] doo thorough oute of the towne, saying, "How moche ar [we bound] unto our gracioux souverain lord, that it pleaseth his ma[jesty] to loke upon us !" And as now we goo aboutes to tr[y the] musters as well of this towne as of Guysnes, Ha[mmes,] Newenhambridge, Risebank, and of all other men of war [in] these parties, and have gyven such ordre in that behalf, that [we] undertake and adwarrant you the kinges highnes shall not bee [displeased] therin; and we had thought to have mustred every other man [of the] towne and marches; nevertheles, by reason that we see th[erein] such a greate nombre of straungiers, and soo