A. D. 1527. 69 



increafe of the people in the towns and villages then in being, as well 

 as of the great number of towns, villages, &c. now exifling, which are 

 not named in that famous book. Yet though this may poflibly be 

 true of Glocefterlhire, the like proportion cannot poflibly be fuppofed 

 to hold in other counties ; and it may even be well if the number of 

 people at the Norman conqueft (fuppofed to be 2,ooo,ooo't be at this 

 time increafed, in feven centuries, to much m.ore than three and a-half 

 times that number, or feven, or perhaps nearly to eight, millions. 



Lord Herbert fays, that the Emperor Charles V propofed to King 

 Henry a treaty for felling to him his claim to the Molucco or fpice 

 iflands, perliaps merely with a view of drawing hiin over from the fide 

 of France, fince we hear nothing farther of it afterwards ; and v/e have 

 elfewhere noted, that he religtied all his pretenfions to thofe ifles for 

 350,000 ducats, borrowed of the cro\ni of Portugal, his own title to 

 them not being juftly fupportable. 



Narvaez failed from Spain with five fhips and 400 men, for the con- 

 quefl of Florida, being the firft attempt of the Spaniards to fettle in 

 North America. But finding no gold and much hardfhip, with the lofs 

 of fhips and men, the remainder got from the North Sea to New Spain, 

 after living among the Indians nine years, and travelling 200 leagues ; 

 and at length only three of them returned alive to Spain. 



1528. — In a prolongation of a truce for eight months between the 

 Emperor, France, and England, the mutual freedom of fifhing on the 

 feaswas fVipulated, and alfo that the commerce between England and the 

 Netherlands fnould be abfolutely free and undiflurbed for this and all 

 fubfequent continuations of the truce ; and moreover, the freedom of 

 commerce was extended to the Mediterranean fea, as well as to the feas 

 furrounding the Britifli iflands. 



At this time, in the wars of Italy between the emperor and the king 

 of France, the Imperialifts, commanded by Andrea Dorla, took Genoa 

 from the French ;. and by an agreement with the emperor, Doria, to 

 his immortal honour, reftored his native country of Genoa to that li- 

 berty and form of gtivernment which it has enjoyed to the prefent time, 

 inftead of imitating the Medici family at Florence, as he might eafily 

 have done. 



A war being likely to break out between England and the emperor 

 (King Henry having at this time entered into engagements with 

 France), Lord Herbert thereupon remarks, that our merchants, who 

 ufed not then the trade to the many northern and remote countries 

 they now frequent, forefeeing the confequence of thole wars, refufed 

 to buy the cloths that were brought to Blackwell-hall in London ;• 

 whereupon the clothiers, Ipimiers, and carders in many fhires of Eng- 

 land began to mutiny ; for appeafmg whereof, the cardinal-minifteiv 



