A. D. 1588. 187 



ing with his demands, on pretence of their king being under age. 

 \_Camdeni Ann, Eliz. ad an. 1588.] 



As the number of men in a nation is of the utmofl importance, we 

 fhall here quote a paragraph from the anonymous author of a fmall fo- 

 Ho treatife, intitled, the Happy future ftate of England [1689, p. 249.] 

 He fays, that Mr. Pepys (fecretary of the admiraky) fhewed him a pa- 

 per, ftating, that the whole number of men in the realm of Spain, 

 taken by a fecret furvey, fome time, as is fuppofed, before the year 

 1588, was but r,i25,390,exclufiveof the regular and fecular clergy. Now, 

 we may here note, that if it be true, as is generally prefumed, that the 

 grown-up men of a country are about one fourth part of the whole people, 

 then multiplying 1,125,390 by four, gives for the population of Spain 

 about this time 4,501,560 fouls; the fmallnefs of which number, in fo 

 extenfive a country, is eafily to be accounted for, when we duely confi- 

 der their driving out fuch vafl: numbers of Moors and Jews, and their 

 receiving no foreign fupplies in their flead ; their fending out continu- 

 ally fuch numbers of their own people in the preceding eighty years, to 

 plant their American dominions ; and alfo the confuming and deltrud:- 

 ive wars of the Emperor Charles V, and of his fon King Phihp II, in 

 the Netherlands, Italy, &c. There are even many of opinion, that 

 Spain does not at prefent contain above five millions of fouls. 



About this time there were annually manufadlured in Cambriy 

 60,000 pieces of cambric, which being valued, one with another, at 40 

 florins each, amount to 2,400,000 florins, or about L240,ooo Ster- 

 ling yearly. [Tbuani Hijl. L. Ixxxix, ad an. 1588.] 



The Happy future flate of England relates [/>. 127] that in a re- 

 monftrance of the corporation of the trinity-houfe in the year 1602 

 to the earl of Nottingham, lord high-admiral of England (extant in Sir 

 Julius Caefar's colleftions) it is faid, that in the year 1588, Queen Eli- 

 zabeth had at fea 150 fail of fhips, whereof only 40 were her own *"*, 

 and no belonged to her fubjeds. And that in the fame year there 

 were likewife 150 fail of Englifli merchant fliips, of about 150 tons one 

 v^^ith another, employed in trading voyages to all parts and countries. 

 The queen's 40 fliips carried 12,000 men, or 300 in each flup ; the no 

 hired ones 12,100, or no in each fliip, on an average; and the 150 

 trading fliips carried 6000 feamen, or 40 in each fliip. But the re- 

 monflrance farther adds, that in a little above twelve years Imce the 

 year 1588, the fliipping, and the number of our feamen, were decayed 

 about one-third part. This decay of our maritime power was doubtlels 

 owing to the wars with Spain, the great lofs of Ihipping in thofe wars, 



* Though England was then, next to Spain, largeft of thofe fhips did not exceed the fizc of a 

 the mofl powerful maritime ftate in Europe, the modern fourth rate. 



A a 2 



