TOO A. D. 1547. 



for the then incumbents of united parifhes, the king's firfl; fruits and 

 tenths, &c. 



Ads of parliament frequently do not fet forth the true grounds of 

 the evils they are defigned to redify ; and it may be proper to remark 

 on this ftatute, that the fmallnefs of thofe livings in York (as in many 

 other places) was probably owing to the reformation from popery, 

 whereby the ignorant and ill-judged zeal of the laity receiv:"d a great 

 check. Dying perfons, and others, in ignorant times, frequently 

 erefted and endowed new pariflies unnecefTarily ; and many of thofe en- 

 dowments being even at firfl: but fmall, when at the reformation the 

 privy tithes of the rich, and the offerings of the multitude failed, and 

 money alfo became gradually lefs valuable, they became totally inade- 

 quate to the fupport of the incumbent, for which a wrong caufe was 

 often alligned. The zealous multiplying of parifhes in many cities and 

 towns in old times, renders it impoflible to form any certain judgment 

 of the number of inhabitants from that of the parilhes. Thus, for in- 

 flance, Newcaflle upon Tyne has but four parifhes, though it pro- 

 bably may now contain 40,000 inhabitants ; and York has ftill twenty- 

 eight pariflies, with lefs than half the population. Oxford and Cam- 

 bridge have each of them above thrice as many parifhes as Newcaflle, 

 with little more than a quarter of the number of people in each, and 

 the like might be faid of many other places. 



The herring-fifliing of the Hollanders was now fo confiderable, and 

 was efteemed fo precious by them, that their great penfionary De Wit 

 \lnterejl of Holland, part ii, c. i .] relates, ' That the flates of Holland, 

 ' though then but low, and although it was in a time of peace, fitted 

 ' out eight fliips of war for the defence of the fifhery.' 



Voltaire, in his introduction to his eflay on the age of Louis XIV, 

 fpeaking of the times of King Francis I, fays, ' the French, though 

 * poflefi^ed of harbours both on the ocean and Mediterranean, were yet 

 ' without a navy ; and though immerfed in luxury, had only a few 

 ' coarfe manufactures. The Jews, Genoefe, Venetians, Portuguefe, 

 ' Flemings, Dutch, and Englifli, traded fucceflivcly for us, we being ig- 

 ' norant even of the firfl principles of commerce.' 



The ftatute [i Edzv.Vl, c. 14.] which now granted the king all the popifli 

 chantries, &c. in Kng'and not dilpofed of by the 37th of Henry Vlli, c. 

 4, direded part of the rents fettled on thofe chantries to be applied to- 

 ward the maintenance of piers, jutress, walls, or banks, againfi. the rage 

 of the fea, havens, and creeks. It hud been well if that application 

 had duly taken place for fo national a benefit. And by another ad: 

 [2 Edw. VI, c. 5.], all the fee-farms payable l^y any city or town-cor- 

 porate to t!ie crown, are direded, during the three following years, to 

 be beflowed foleiy upon the repajation of walls and bridges, and fet- 



