A. D. 1511. 35 



King Henry VIII having it much at heart to revive the claims of 

 his predeceflbrs on the kingdom of France, it will, we apprehend, 

 be no very bad entertainment to an Englifh reader, to learn how early 

 fome clear-fighted perfons at court faw the ill tendency of the perni- 

 cious fchemes of England making conquefts on the continent, in fub- 

 ftance (from lord Herbert) as follows, viz. If, when all Guienne, 

 Anjou, Touraine, and (for a long while) Normandy was ours, and 

 when the duke of Bretagne was our friend, and the houfe of Burgundy 

 an aflured ally and confederate, we yet could not advance our defigns 

 in France, what hope is there now to attain them ? Let it be even 

 granted, that as many battles as we fought againft the French were al- 

 moft fo many vidories, what was this kingdom the better for them ? 

 Had we ever a more glorious time than that of king Edward III, and 

 was yet the country then ever more poor or weary of the wars ? — You 

 will (in our records and hiftories) find, that the kingdom was then 

 much exhaufted of its treafure (he might have added alfo of its men), 

 and {hall we truft now to better days ? What though, with our 12,000 

 or 15,000 men, we have often defeated their armies of 50,000 or 60,000, 

 ftands it with reafon of war to expedl the like fuccefs flill ? efpecially 

 fince the ufe of arms is changed, and for the bow (proper for men of 

 our ftrength) the caleever (or hand-gun) begins to be generally receiv- 

 ed ; which, befides that it is a more coftly weapon, requireth a long 

 pradHce, and may be managed by the weaker fort. Let us, therefore, 

 in God's name, leave off our attempts againft the terra firma, as the 

 natural fituation of iflands feems not to fuit with conquefts of that kind. 

 — Or, when we would enlarge ourfelves, let it be that way we can, and 

 to which, it feems, the eternal providence has deftined us, which Is 

 by fea. — The Indies are difcovered, and vaft treafure brought from 

 thence every day ; let us therefore bend our endeavours thitherwards ; 

 and if the Spaniards or Portuguefe fufFer us not to join with them, 

 there will be yet region enough for all to enjoy. 



had juft failed from the fame port. After a re- miral of England) was thereupon fent out with 



prefentation of the injury to the king of Portugal, two armed fhips agamll the Seottilh cruifers. In 



James III had granted letters of reprifal to the the Downs he fell in with Andrew Barton return- 



fons of the injured commander: but no aftive ing to Scotland in his fiiip the Lio-i, aticnded by 



fteps were taken to proftcute the affair till the a fmall veffcl called the /,(V.7c 7«.7;y (June 1511). 



reign of James V, when the lettei-s of reprifal An obftinate cngagtineiU enliied, wherein Bar.an 



were renewed, and many rich prizes were taken was mortally wounded ; and both his veffels were 



from the Portuguefe, whofe drips were at this time carried into the Tliamcs. The Lion was takea 



by far the moft valuable of any upon the Wellern into the fervice of the king of EiiiTland, who till 



ocean. The vindication of their own, and the na- now had only one (hip of war belonging to him- 



tion's wrongs, thus committed to the Bartans as felf (or to the public), called the Great Barry: 



a private patrimonial inheritance, was perhaps and thus by the acceflion of the Scottillr Liot: 



found too profitable to be willingly relinquilhed ; the royal navy of England was dc-ubkd. {^Ebifi. 



and there h reafon to apprehend, that the retalia- rcgum. Scot, f \, pb. 91, et frqq.-~L,Jly, pp, j^-id, 



tion was purfiied after fufficient fatisfadiou was 340. — Herlert''s HiJL of Hen. VWl, p. 15.] .The 



obtamtd, and at laft degenerated into piracy. The capture of tlscfe vefTels interrupted the anuty and 



Bartans are even acculcd of plundering Englidi commercial intercotirfe, which had fubfiiled be- 



veffels, on pretence of fearehing for Portuguefe twcen the Britifli kingdoms fince the marriage of 



property; and Edward Howard (afterwards ad- James IV with the daughter of Henry VH. M. 



