UNDER HKNRTf VII. AND Vl/i. AND EDWAllD VI. 4.1 



oould lay claim to at any former period. Fine cloths 

 were much improved in his reign, and luxury began to 

 be attended to in an article, which, till then, had only 

 been rendered amenable to coml'ort. The ostentatious 

 reign of Henry VIII., gave an additional impulse to 

 the trade, and cloth was sold in 1512 for five merks, 

 which fifty years before would only have brought about 

 forty shillings ; while, in consequence of increasing 

 wealih, population, and consumption, the demand was 

 materially increased. A new market was also opened 

 up for the exit of their woollens, by the establishment 

 of an intercourse in 1516 with several islands in the 

 Archipelago, and a few of the towns on the coast of 

 Syria. 



Edward VI., or rather his ministers, for he was then 

 a minor, attempted to lay a poll-tax upon sheep, every 

 ewe kept in a separate pasture being charged three- 

 pence, every wedder twopence, and all sheep kept on 

 commons three-halfpence ; but it was found to be so 

 oppressive, so annoying to the people, and so difficult 

 to collect, that it was repealed during the next year. 

 England made a distinguished figure in this reign as a 

 commercial nation. The manufacture of woollens was 

 raised to a great height. Cloth, besides being export- 

 ed to Flanders, found its way to Holland, Hamburgh, 

 Sweden, and Russia, whose coarse warm stuffs were 

 very much wanted, and the trade wore such an air of 

 affluence, that a tax of eiglitpence in the pound was 

 laid upon all cloth made for sale Jft England. This, 

 however, was speedily repealed, a \ery short time 

 eerving to point out, that, though made for an endur- 

 ance of three pro*peroi!3 years, the people who werf 



