214 A. D. 1598. 



The Dutch Eaft-India merchants now fent out Heemfkerck on a 

 fecond voyage to Eaft-India, with eight fliips ; who returned home in 

 the year 1600, laden with the five ufual kinds of fpices, viz. cinnamon, 

 pepper, cloves, nutmegs, and mace. 



And fo fond were the Dutch of this trade, that they would not wait 

 for the return of thofe eight (hips, but in 1599 fent out three other 

 fliips ; and fo they went on yearly, making vaft returns of profit to the 

 proprietors, all Europe being in thofe times extremely fond of fpices, to 

 a much greater degree than at prefent. 



The Hollanders now alfo fent out four fliips, commanded by Oliver 

 Van Noort, on a new adventure, which, after various accidents, fail- 

 ed through Magellan's fl:raits into the South fea ; and thence on to 

 the Eaft-Indies, where they had fundry encounters with the Spaniards 

 and Portuguefe : and after fome trading for pepper, they returned home 

 by the Cape of Good Hope ; this being the fourth navigation round 

 the globe ; but the firfl: performed by the Dutch. 



1599. — ^^^^ route to Archangel was fo well known, and fo much fre- 

 quented at this time, that, according to Werdenhagen, the Hanfeatic 

 hiftorian, even fo far as from Venice, at leafl: one fliip annually reforted 

 thither for commerce. So much was all Europe by this time improved 

 in the arts of commerce and navigation. 



The queen, by proclamation, fl:ri(ftly enjoined all letter-of-marque 

 fliips to give fecurity before they fet fail, not to injure the fubjeds of 

 nations in amity with her ; and as fome complaints of piratical pradices 

 by fuch fliips had been made by the Danes and French, flie appointed 

 commiflioners to inquire into, and redrefs them. IFoedera, V. xvi, p. 

 362.] 



At this time (according to Grotius' Annals of the Netherlands) the 

 fea ports of Holland, and other parts of the united provinces, generally 

 built 20CO new fliips every year. A thing almoft incredible, did it not 

 proceed from fo reputable and illuflrious an autlipr *. 



King Henry IV of France (according to Mezeray) now prohibited all 

 foreign manufadures, as well of filk as of gold or filver, pure or mixed, 

 at the requefl: of the merchants of Tours, who undertook to make 

 quantities of fuch manufadures fufficient for the whole kingdom ; yer, 

 grafping at more than they could perform, and being alfo complained 

 of by the city of Lyons, (juftly fliled the golden gate of France), as 

 thereby deflroying their famous fairs, as well as leflening the king's 

 cufloms, that edid in favour of Tours was revoked. Yet (as Puffendorf 

 obferves) thofe new manufadures of France, and more efpecially that 

 of filk, did afterward draw great wealth into that kingdom. 



• Surely all the boats muft have been included vefiels ever been built in the whole of the Britifli 

 in the number. In no one year have half fo many dominions. 71/- 



