A. D. 1600. 217 



cuftoms which fhall afterwards be payable for merchandize from India, 

 the company fhall be allowed to give their bonds, payable one half in 

 fix months, and the other half in fix months after. For merchandize 

 loft at fea outward bound, tlie culloms fliall be allowed to the company 

 out of the next cargo fhipped off. India merchandize, that fhall have 

 paid the cufloms, may, until the end of thirteen months, be re-exported 

 by any fabjcds without paying farther cufloms. I he company may 

 export in their firll voyage, now preparing, L30,ooo in foreign coin or 

 bullion, fo as at leafl L6000 thereof be firft coined in the queen's mint, 

 and the like for the fuhfequent voyages, provided the company firft 

 import at leaft fo much foreign coin or bullion in gold or filver mco this 

 realm, of which L60CO fhall be coined as aforefaid. The company 

 may fend yearly to Eafl-India fix good fhips and fix pinnaces, with 500 

 mariners, unlefs the navy royal goes forth. None of the queen's fub- 

 jeds, but the company, their fervants, or afligns, fhall refort to India 

 without being licenced by the company, upon pain of forfeiting fhips 

 and cargoes, with imprifonment till the offenders give Liooo bond to 

 the company not to trade thither again. Neverthelefs, for the encourage- 

 ment of merchant ftrangers and others to bring in commodities into the 

 realm, the queen gives power to the company to grant licences to trade 

 to Eaft-India ; and fhe promifes not to grant leave to any others to trade 

 thither during the company's term vi^ithout their confent. The majori- 

 ty of any general meeting of the company may admit apprentices, fer- 

 ■'ants, fadtors, &c. to the fellowfliip or freedom of the company. The 

 filver to be exported fhall only be Hiipped at the ports of London, Dart- 

 mouth, and Plymouth, and lliall be duely entered by the cuftomhoufe 

 ofRcers, without paying any cuftom for the fame. Gold and filver im- 

 ])orted fliall be entered before landing the fame. Provided, that in cafe 

 this charter fhall hereafter appear not to be profitable to the crown and 

 realm, then, upon two years notice to the company, their charter fliall 

 ceafe and determine : but if otherwiie, then the queen promifes, at the 

 end of the faid fifteen years, upon the company's iliit, to grant them a 

 new charter for fifteen years longer. This is the fame Eafl-India com- 

 pany which, through many various viciifitudes, exifled under the fame 

 denomination till the year ijoli, when it was ablbrbed in the prefent 

 united company of merchants of England trading to the Eall-Indies. 



N. B. The original fhares fubfcribed were L50 each. 



About the cloie of the fixteenth century decimal arithmetic was in- 

 vented by Simon Stevin of Bruges. \lVuttou''s Refle3ioTis upon autient and 

 modern learning, c. -50.] 



i6or. — The patentees of the Englifh Eafl-India company immediately 

 ralfed the fum of L72,ooo, (though not in one joint ffock or common 

 capital, as in fucceeding times, there having been no joint flock in this, 

 company till the year 1*5^3), and this year fent out their firft fleet for 



Vol. II. E c 2 



