A. D. 1509. ^5. 



then, in his parhamentary fpeeches, earneftly to recommend matters of 

 commerce to his people. This good prince (fays Hall's Chronicle), by 

 his high policy, marveloufly enriched his realm and himfelf, and left 

 his fubjeds in high wealth and profperity, as is apparent by the great 

 abundance of gold and filver yearly brought into the realm, in plate, 

 money, and bullion, by merchants pafling and repafling, to whom the 

 king, * of his own goods, lent money largely, without any gain or pro- 

 ' fit, to the intent that merchandize, being of all crafts the chief art« 

 ' and to all men both mofl profitable and neceflary, might be the 

 ' more plentifutler ufed, haunted, and employed in his realms and do- 



* minions *.' 



Lord Herbert, and all other hiftorians, agree, that this king left a 

 treafure of L. 1,800,000 Sterling f in fpecie, in fecret places of his pa 

 lace at Richmond, he himfelf alone keeping the keys. ' This,' fays 

 that noble Lord, ' was doubtlefs a greater fum than any king of this 



* realm before had in his coffers, and fuch as might be thought effedl- 



* ively quadruple to fo much in this age,' \i. e. in the time of king 

 Charles IL] Which computation of his lordfhip's is extremely mode- 

 rate, when we have feen and confidered the rate of living at that time, 

 when the ulual price of wheat \anno 1504] was but c^f^d{i. e. S/6dof- 

 our money) per quarter, and ale not quite ^d per gallon. 



Laflly, it is faid by fundry authors, that there were very few brick 

 buildings, and fewer of ftone in England till this king's reign, except- 

 ing the palaces of the prime nobility, cathedral, and parilh churches, 

 and the greater monafteries ; the reft were either the mud-walls of the 

 cottagers, leffer farmers, and villagers, the timber and lath buildings 

 in cities and towns, or houfes built with ftrong oaken pofts, interlaced 

 with bricks and mortar, of fuch fubftantial duration as (fire excepted) 

 generally lafted feveral hundred years, and of v/hich fome have remain- 

 ed to our- own days. 



In this firft year of king Henry VIII, we have a fliil plainer account 

 of the now improved royal office of exchange between England and 

 foreign parts, in the king's grant of that office to fir Thomas Boleyn • 

 (the father of the unfortunate queen Anne Boleyn), in the terms fol- 

 lowing, viz^ ' We grant to him the cuftody of our exchange at Calais, 



* and alfo the cuftody of our exchange in England towards foreign 

 *• parts, he to take and receive of every perfon going to Rome or other 

 ' foreign parts, (either for devotion or for bufinefs, or who fends his 



* This eulogiiim is merely a traoilation from kiDg'spirfiniony, and the national opulence, we may 



Polydore Virgil. almo'l w nture to pronounce inciedible. After the 



f Others have eftimateJ his treafurr fo high as importations of Spain and Portugal had made the 



L. 5,300,000, a fum, confiderirvg the value of precious metals comparatively plenty in Europe, 



money in thofe days, which, notwithftanding e- fir 'AlUiam Petty tlliniated the whole money of 



Very allowance we may bedlfpofed to make for the England only at fix millions. M. 



E 2 



