OBSERVATIONS ON A LIBEL. 427 



than the merchant poorer. Lastly, touching the 

 number of subsidies, it is true, that her majesty, in 

 respect of the great charges of her wars, both by 

 sea and land, against such a lord of treasure as is 

 the king of Spain ; having for her part no Indies nor 

 mines, and the revenues of the crown of England 

 being such, as they less grate upon the people than 

 the revenues of any crown or state in Europe, hath, 

 by the assent of parliament, according to the ancient 

 customs of this realm, received divers subsidies of 

 her people, which as they have been employed upon 

 the defence and preservation of the subject, not 

 upon excessive buildings, nor upon immoderate 

 donatives, nor upon triumphs and pleasures ; or any 

 the like veins of dissipation of treasure, which have 

 been familiar to many kings : so have they been 

 yielded with great good-will and cheerfulness, as 

 may appear by other kinds of benevolence, presented 

 to her likewise in parliament; which her majesty 

 nevertheless hath not put in ure. They have been 

 taxed also and assessed with a very light and gentle 

 hand; and they have been spared as much as may 

 be, as may appear in that her majesty now twice, to 

 spare the subject, hath sold of her own lands. But 

 he that shall look into other countries, and consider 

 the taxes, and talliages, and impositions, and assizes, 

 and the like, that are every where in use, will find 

 that the Englishman is the most master of his own 

 valuation, and the least bitten in his purse of any 

 nation of Europe. Nay even at this instant in the 

 kingdom of Spain, notwithstanding the pioneers do 



