IXTKODUCTORY. J 



of November, 1605, may have given the king a transient 

 popularity beyond the Court, but the feeling was evanescent, 

 and the struggle began with Cecil's book of rates. 



I reserve, till I deal with the financial expedients of the 

 first two Stewarts, comment on this capital innovation. It 

 had its defence. Louis Roberts, who compiled his Map of 

 Commerce in 1638, just before the storm burst, utters the 

 commonplace of the time as to the sovereign's right to define 

 the conditions and exact the tolls of commerce at his dis- 

 cretion. But in point of fact, at a time when the police of 

 the custom-house was impossible and the country was full 

 of harbours into which ships of light draught could easily 

 run without fear of detection, any increased customs duty 

 would fall on the large ports only, and especially on London. 



in the seventeenth century, and indeed for a century 

 later, it was highly inexpedient to put London in a bad 

 temper. The London traders made the cases of Bates and 

 Chambers their own, and the decision of the Exchequer 

 Court in favour of the Crown was a Cadmeian victory for 

 the Government. 



Cecil's book of rates began the struggle which ended at 

 i by and Whitehall. Parliament was resolved that the 

 king should not levy taxes without the consent of Parlia- 

 ment, and the Stewarts determined that they would. I need 

 not here deal with a topic which has received the attention 

 of most popular historians, and could not but be stated with 

 sufficient accuracy by all. It is sufficient to say that, looking 

 at the consequences, the issue of this book of rates is fatal 

 to the reputation of the first Lord Salisbury of the house of 



.is a statesman, or at least as a politician. 



The second Earl of Salisbury was affronted at some losses 



which he suffered by the rigorous exaction of forestal rights 



or claims on the king's part, and became a regicide, for he 



in the Lords on the fatal soth of January, and thus 



approved the deed. His son became a papist, abetted the 



worst acts of James the Second, and only escaped the con- 



