A. D. 1580* 167 



tended with many vifible advantages to the nation, efpecially in point 

 of the annual fuppUes, and of the pubUc credit, as well as a greater 

 confumption of the produce of the kingdom, (fo much for the benefit of 

 the landed interefl) and of our manfaclures of all kinds. 



The ufe of coaches is faid to have been now introduced in England 

 by Fitz-Allen, earl of Arundel. , 



1581. — This year the Scottifli parliament made a fumptuary law, 

 which laid heavy fines on all under the degrees of dukes, earls, lords of 

 parliament, knights, and landed gentlemen not pollefled of at leafl 

 L2000 yearly rent (L250 Sterling), who fliould wear in their clothing 

 or lining any cloth of gold or filver, velvet, latin, damaik, taffeties, 

 fringes, paflments (lace), or embroidery of gold, filver, or filk ; or any 

 lawn, cambric, or woollen cloth made in foreign parts, (with exception 

 of certain officers and magifiirates) ; and to the end that all others, thus 

 debarred from foreign fineries, might be fupplied with cloth and fluffs 

 of home manufacture, whereby alio the poor might be employed, no 

 wool was thenceforth to be exported, under forfeiture, &c. By an- 

 other fumptuary law of the fame year, all under the above mentioned 

 ranks were forbid the ufe of confedions, foreign drugs, and coftly 

 fpices, which, it feems, were then laviihly ufed at weddings, chriflen- 

 ings, and other banquets, by perfons of low eftate. 



This year Queen Elizabeth granted to the city of Briflol, which had 

 long been a place of very confiderable magnitude as well as traffic, a 

 new and ample charter, with niany immunities, wherein fhe calls it 

 her city of Briflol, and terms it a large and populous city. 



'This year there was publifhed a mofl judicious pamphlet, intitled, a 

 Compendious examination of certain ordinary complaints of divers of 

 our countrymen in thefe our days. (By W. S.) Therein, public fpirit, 

 or zeal for the community, — inclofures for paflure, then fo much cla- 

 moured againfl, — the dearth of provifions, — the decay of towns, — the 

 multitude of flieep, — the coin's being worn out, — the true ftandard and 

 intrinfic value of money, compared with that of foreign nations, — wool, 

 againll: its exportation, — our extravagant love of foreign wares, — and fun- 

 dry other national points of great importance, are all handled fo maf- 

 terly, and in fo pure a diftion for the time he wrote, as to give room 

 for conjecfturing it might have been penned by diretflion of the queen's 

 niiniflers, fince fcarcely any ordinary perl'on, in thole early days, could 

 be furniihed with fo copious a fund of excellent matter. 



That author, fpeaking of the arts to be cheriflied m cities and towns, 

 finely oblerves, ' that often even one minute manutadture, made \k- 

 ' culiar to any one town, lias enriched it. I have (^iays he) heard fay, 

 ' that the chief trade of Coventry was heretofore in making blue ttiread ; 

 ' and then that town was rich, even upon thac trade, in a manner, only ; 

 ' and now our thread comes all from beyond fea ; wherefor that trade 



