[876]. See New Rymer, I. 135: “Know that we have ordered the mayor and sheriffs of London to allow merchants of your land to remove their goods and chattels from London, without hindrance to doing thence their will; and that if they do not, you may, if it please you, grieve and molest the men of that town (illius villae) in your power, without our reckoning it a breach of truce on your part.”
[877]. 2 Edward III. c. 9.
[878]. See 9 Edward III. c. 1 and cf. 25 Edward III., stat. 4, c. 7.
[879]. Cf. supra, pp. 290-1, where the inconsistency between the two parts of the Great Charter is pointed out.
[880]. See 2 Richard II., stat. 1, c. 1 and 11 Richard II. c. 7.
[881]. See 5 and 6 William IV. c. 76, s. 14.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO.
Liceat unicuique de cetero exire de regno nostro, et redire, salvo et secure, per terram et per aquam, salva fide nostra, nisi tempore gwerre per aliquod breve tempus, propter communem utilitatem regni, exceptis imprisonatis et utlagatis secundum legem regni, et gente de terra contra nos gwerrina, et mercatoribus de quibus fiat sicut predictum est.
It shall be lawful in future for any one (excepting always those imprisoned or outlawed in accordance with the law of the kingdom, and natives of any country at war with us, and merchants, who shall be treated as is above provided) to leave our kingdom and to return, safe and secure by land and water, except for a short period in time of war, on grounds of public policy—reserving always the allegiance due to us.
The terms of this permission for free intercourse between England and foreign lands are peculiarly wide, the exceptions being reasonable and necessary. Prisoners obviously could not leave our shores, nor outlaws return to them: the case of merchants from hostile states had already been provided for in a liberal spirit; while the temporary restriction of intercourse with the enemy on the outbreak of hostilities was eminently reasonable.