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the Coaft would in a few Years be brought off from their odious Practife of plundering, and the Merchants have no Caufe to complain of the villainous Ufage they have met with; and then the Nation will foon recover its ancient Credit for Mercy and Humanity. And it is in Aid to all fuch Agents that I would lend my small Affistance, to make their Work less laborious, by perfuading the Populace to keep at Home, and not moleft and hinder them, nor risk their Necks and Souls to wrong their Neighbours.

To this End, 1 shall first give an Account of the Origin of this barbarous Practife upon Wrecks, for it

was

was by no means a Native of this Ifland, or the Invention of our Countrymen, and then fubjoin some Extracts from the feveral Acts of Parliament made for the Security of fuch Ships and their Cargoes; that any of them may fee at their Leifure, and at one View, what they are to expect as the juft Reward of their Iniquity, if they will not be perfuaded to defift from it.

The

XXX

The old and new Manner of Wreck at Sea, taken from the Perambulation of Kent, by William Lambard, of Lincoln's-Inn, published in the Year 1656. Page 307.

KING William the Conqueror

granted to his Monks of Battell, Wreck of the Sea falling upon Dengemarih, a Portion of Wye, and willed further by his Charter of Donation, that if any Fish (called a Crafpeis, that is, Craffe Piffe, a great or royal Fish, as Whales, or fuch other, which by the Law of Prerogative pertain❜d to the King himself) fhould

C

fhould happen to be taken there, that then the Monks fhould have it wholly; and if it fortun'd to arrive in any other Man's Land, (lying between Horfmede and Withburne) that yet the Monks should enjoy the whole Tongue, and two third Parts of the Reft of the Body.

Now in the Reign of King Henry his Son, it fortun'd that a Ship laden with the King's own Goods was wrecked within the Precinct of this Liberty, which his Officers would have feized and faved to his Ufe: But Geffray (then Abbot of Battell) withstood them, and that fo ftoutly, that the Matter by Complaint came

to

to the King's own Hearing; who (to make known how much he valued his Father's Grant) yielded the Matter wholly into the Abbot's own Courtefy.

The fame Story obferveth a Thing touching Wreck (or rather Varech, as the Cuftom of Normandy, from whence it came, calleth it) not unworthy the Recital; that is, that of antient Time, if a Ship were caft on Shore, torn with Tempeft, and not repaired by fuch as efcaped alive within a certain Time, that then this was taken for Wreck, and fo ufed along the Coaft. But Henry the first (faith the Book) difliking the C 2

In

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