A. D. 1344. 533 



of Philip's expcntes now obliged him to impofe a tax upon fah *, which 

 rendered him very unpopular among his fubjeds, who thought it a horrid 

 oppreffion to make them pay for water and the heat of the fun. {Mezeray, 

 Hi/h de France, V. ii, p. 544. — Meycri, Jhnj. Flnndr.f. 301 . a, J The tax was 

 probably at firft very light, according to our modern ideas of taxation. 

 But taxes are like fnow-balls, which increafe as they roll along : and the 

 progrelTive augmentations of the fait taxes, the inequality of them in 

 different diftrids, and the extreme rigour in collecting them, became the 

 fources of much cvafion, much tyranny, and much mifery, in France. 



It is faidthat anEnglifhman, named Macham (or Machin), failing for 

 vSpain with a lady, whom he had flolen away, was driven by contrary 

 winds upon the ifland afterwards called Madeira. There he landed with 

 the lady and fome of the fliip's company ; and they were deferted by 

 the fhip. The lady died ; and Macham and his companions made a ca- 

 noe, in which they pafled over to the coafl of Africa, and thence they 

 were fent to the king of Caftile. \_Galvands Difcoveries^ in Furcbas^s 

 Pilgrimes, B. x^ p. 1672.] Such is the account of the firfl: difcovery 

 made of unknown land after the ufe of the compafs became genera! f. 



This fame year the pope, after preaching a fermon, wherein he prov- 

 ed, probably to the fatisfadion of his audience, that he had a right to 

 difpofe of kingdoms, created Louis of Spain, an ambaffador from the 

 king of Fvance,^ prince of the Fortunate iJlandsX, \^Hemingford, p. 376, ed> 

 Hear?ie,'\ 



1346, March 24''' — King Edward, thinking it would be advantageous 

 to merchants and to the public in general, both in England and Flan- 

 ders, if the fame money were to have free currency in both countries, 

 empowered two agents to fettle with the magiftrates of Ghent, Bruges, 

 Ypres, and other towns, refpeding a coinage of gold nobles, with their 

 halves and quarters, like thofe lately coined in England, to be executed 

 in" his name in that country. [F^dera, V. v, p. 506.] 



■* King Edward, whofe pretenhons upon tlis we are told by Sir George Staunton. {_^ccount of 



crown of France made him deny the exiftence of nn cmbaffy lo China, F. \, p. "] \, ed, 179S.] 

 the Salic law, whereby he, as claiming in right of- :j: It would have been a laudable deed, fays He- 



his mother, was excluded from the fuccefiion, when mingford, if he had put him in polTefTion. He adds, 



lie heard of the new tax, faid, with a fneering pun, that there are nine or ten of thofe iflands ; that the 



that Philip of Valois was the real author of the natives^ who are neither Chrillians nor Saracens, 



Salic law. Such falic (fait) laws have fince been live like beafts, and go naked; they cut tlieir bread 



very fufficlently felt in this country, though not v/ith ftones, whicii are alfo tiicir weapons in fight- 



quite fo feverely as in France. iiig, they having no iron, and no knives, nor any 



■[•According to other accounts, Macham alio other kind of arms ; corn grows there without be- 



died in the ifland. The Portuguefe fay, that, ing fowed, and trees grow to the height of 115 



when they took pofleffion of Madeira, the roonu- feet. — Puichas [fi. >;, p. 1671] fays, from Gal-' 



ment eredled by him, containing his own and the -vano's Difcoverks, that Louis dc lu Cerda (for that 



lady's names, was (landing, and that the bay, where was his name) alked the king of Aragon to aflill 



he landed, is called Machico after lus name. His him to take pofTeflion of his new dominions: but 



llory, true or fabricated, is the fubjedl of a pi3.ure ^Ni hear nothing farther of it at this time 

 ia the hall of the government houfe in Madeira, as 



