42 A. D. 151 2. 



to queen Anne, wife of Louis XII. But this fleet, in which was the 

 largeft fliip that had yet been feen on the fea *, was loft or difibled by 

 a ftorm, and the admiral's ill condud.' King James's real intent was 

 to aid the French king againft his brother-in-law, king Henry VIII of 

 England. 



Whoever will attentively confider the gradual increafe of the trade, 

 manufactures, and people of England, muft at the fame time acknow- 

 lege, that from fome of the old atts of parliament it appears that the 

 true condition and increafe thereof were far from being fairly or juftly 

 ftated, and often egregioufly mifreprefented either in the preamble, or 

 in the main bodies of fuch ftatutes ; fometimes probably to ferve the 

 temporary and finifter purpofes of men in power, and perhaps fome- 

 times only from mere inadvertency and ignoi-ance of the true ftate of 

 the time compared with elder times ; proceeding alfo from a humour, 

 at all times more or lefs prevailing, of unreafonably depreciating the 

 prefent, and exalting former, times. Of this we have furely a pregnant 

 inftance in a ftatute [3 Hen. VllI, c. 8.], intitled, ' Of the alUzing of the 

 price of viduals when a vicftualler is chief officer,' (i. e. in a corpora- 

 tion), which proceeds thus : 



Whereas, by a flatute [12 Ed%v. II, c. 6.] in the year 1319, intitled, 

 ' No oflacer of a city or borough fliall fell wine or viduals during his 

 office,' it was enabled, that no officer, who, by virtue of his office, was 

 bound to keep the aflizes of wines and vidual, fhould, during his office, 

 fell wines or victuals, either by wholefale or retail ; ' Now, fince the 

 making of which ftatute, many, and the moft part, of all the cities, 

 burghs, and towns-corporate within this realm of England, be fallen in 

 ruin and decay, and not inhabited with merchants and men of fuch 

 fubftance as they were at the time of the making of the forefaid fl;a- 

 tute ; for at this day the dwellers and inhabitants of the fame cities and 

 burghs be moftly bakers, brewers, vintners, fiflimongers, and other 

 victuallers ; and few or no other perfons of fubftance be v.'ithin many 

 of the faid cities and burghs at this day able to bear office within the 

 iame, and to content, anfwer, and pay unto the king's grace his fee- 

 farm, v/herewith they (i. e. the cities and burghs) be charged f. It is 

 now enaded, for the eafe, comfort, and relief of rhe forefaid poor cities, 

 burghs, and towns-corporate, that whenfoever, and as often as any 



* This vaft fliip delcrves more particular notice, which, fhe carried 300 fmall artillery, called my- 



beeaufe fhe was not indeed the lar^;cft thit ever and, culverias, doiible-dogs, &c. Her comple- 



liad been feen, but lari^^er tl.an any vtfTel (that we ment, befides ofilcers, conlilled of 300 feamen, 



know of) that ever was biilt fince the days of i 20 gunners, and looo foldicrs. \_PitJcottle's h'ifl. 



Ptolemy Phllopator king of Egypt. Her length /. 167. ed. 1778. — MS. Harl. No. 46^7. — Ej>\j}. 



was 240 feet, and her breadth 36 feet within and reg. Scot. V. \, pp. 39, 137, 214 MS. Cott. Ca- 



56 witliout ; her fides, which were proof againft lig. B. vi./. 70 a.] M. 



ftiot, being 10 feet in thicknefs. As yet lliips car- f How abfurd are thefe words, as if the bulk 



ncd gnus only on the upper deck, and this prodi- of a city fliould confift of fuch trades, the rcit bc- 



gious flup carried only 35 great guns, 16 on each ing reprefented as perfons unable to fiipjjort ihofc 



fide, 2 in the ftern and J in the bow ; befides trades ! 



