An Historical Association While exploring the Signoria (Palazzo Vecchio) in
Florence, I found a vast map-room, its walls decorated with fifteenth- and sixteenth-century conceptions of the various countries of the world into which the Medici gold had penetrated. 1 was delighted to note that, in the curiously shaped map of the British Isles, Kent was given only four place-names, and one of them was "Surrey." Adjoining that hyliothetical town was Cranbrook, which shared the honour of a mention with Canterbury and Ashford. No doubt it was thus identified by the Medici geographet, because of its active wool-trade, one in which the Florentine roy.11 banking house invested much capital. I believe that Cranbrook
one of the first towns-where the Flemish weavers settled, after Edward Ill had decided that our revenues would be increased if.we exported manu- factured cloth instead of raw wool. Odd little discoveries such as I made that morning in Florence help to link up in one's mind the realities of history, and to set the blood flowing again in the veins of the past.
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