56 A. D. 15 19. 



may take, (feize) to work and fpend therein, one half of all the woolsf 

 bought, either by natives or by ftrangers, to be fent out of the king- 

 doms, paying the fame price as they had done for them. And that the 

 officers of juflice may take the faid wools either from the fliepherds or 

 from the buyers, and deliver them to be manufidured, as above. 



Hence it is plain, that there was once a confiderable manufacture in 

 Spain *, though it was afterwards r.egleded, chiefly owing to the influx 

 of gold and filver from America, very foon after this time, whereby 

 the nation grew lazy with their riches, and carelefs of the labour requir- 

 ed in manufadures ; and to the temptation of getting fuddenly rich, 

 which allured fuch numbers of people to emigrate to America, that 

 there were not induftrious hands enough left in Spain to carry on fuch 

 manufadures. 



Spain has fince made feveral unfuccefsful efforts for the revival of 

 that manufadture ; and fuch meafures are in our days purfuing by his 

 prefent Catholic Majefty, as are very likely to reftore it in fome confi- 

 derable degree, though the country fl;ill labours under the great misfor- 

 tune of a want of induflrious hands : fo extremely difficult it is for a 

 nation to recover a negleded and loft manufadure. 



1520. — The commercial treaty, named by the Netherlanders intercur' 

 Jus magniis, concluded in 1495-6, was now renewed between king Hen- 

 ry and the emperor Charles V, fovereign of the Netherlands, for five 

 years certain. [Fcedera, V. xiii, p. 714.] 



King Henry ilTued a commifllon for a congrefs at Bruges in Flanders, 

 to treat with comniiflioners from the Hanfe towns, concerning the 

 abufes, unjuft ufes, extenfions, enlargements, interpretations, and reftric- 

 tions, made by the Hanfeatic merchants, concerning the feveral privi- 

 leges at any time granted to the Hanfeatic league by the king or his 

 predeceflbrs, and to remove all the faid abufes ; alfo to demand and re- 

 ceive whatever fums of money, and how large foever they may be, due 

 to him on that account. And finally, to renew and conclude an inter- 

 courfe of commerce between England and the faid Hanfe-league ; but 

 the iflue of this congrefs does not appear. {Foederii, V. xiii, p. 722.] 



The Genoefe obferving the various ways of eflaying to get to Eaft- 

 India, befides the common way by the Cape of Good Hope ; as that 

 now by Magellan's ftraits, the fuppofed north-weft paflltgCj that fuppof- 

 ed from New-Spain, and the hoped-for north-eaft pafiligc, every nation 

 feeking to excel in induftry in this age of difcoveries ; they, because 

 not fo much accuftomed to voyages in the ocean, fent Paul Conterano 

 to the czar of Mufcovy, with a propofal for carrying the merchandize 

 of Eaft-India overland into Ruflia ; but the difficulties of this under- 



* The treaty between Charles V king of Spain, under the year 1526, affords a better evidence of 

 and Fiantis I king of France, which will be found the exiftenceof woollen manufadures in Spain. Jf. 



