A. D. 1609. 259 



for future trade, and returned home after flopping again at Bantam. 

 This is ufually called the company's fifth voyage. 



161 o. — Although the fifteen years exclufive trade granted by Queen 

 Elizabeth's charter to the Eafl-India company was not to expire till 

 1615, yet King James, on the 3ifl: of May, in the year i6ro, was pre- 

 vailed on to grant that company a renewal of their charter, fetting forth 

 the profit and honour which this trade brought to the nation, whereby 

 his majefty was now induced to render this company perpetual, with 

 the ufual powers of making bye-laws, of having a common feal, and the 

 other powers in the former charter. 



The Eaft-hidia merchants, encouraged by their new charter, now 

 built the largeft merchant fhip that had ever been built in England, 

 being of i roo tons burden, which they narned the Trade's Increafe, and 

 with her and three others they made their fixth voyage to India. 



At the fame time the king built a (hip of war called the Prince, fu- 

 perior to any fhip ever feen in England hitherto, being of 1400 tons 

 burden, and carrying 64 cannon. Thus we fee how far fliort the navy 

 was of its prefent force and dignity even at this late time. Such a fhip 

 at prefent is the fmallefl of thofe which are admitted into the line of 

 battle. 



Henry IV, in the midfl of his patriotic labours for the improvement 

 of the manufaftures and commerce, and promoting the general happi- 

 nefs of France, was affaflinated in his capital. 



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

 gives us a compendious view of the ftate of France at the acceflion of 

 Louis XIII. The king had not one fhip of war *. Paris did not con- 

 tain 400,000 people, and there were not four magnificent edifices in it. 

 The other cities of the kingdom were like the towns beyond the Loire. 

 Every nobleman throughout the provinces lived in a fortified caflle fur- 

 rounded with moats, and opprelled the laborious peafants around him. 

 The roads were almoll impracticable, and the towns under no regula- 

 tion. The ftate was without money, and the government was as much 

 without credit amongft foreign nations as defective at home. The or- 

 dinary revenue did not exceed 45 millions. Silver, it is true, being then 

 valued at but about 26 livres the mark, thefe 45 millions amounted to 

 about 85 millions of the prefent money of France. 



King James granted many patents for the fo!e vending or making of 

 certain merchandize and manufad:ures, v/hereupon the people became 

 extremely uneafy and loud againft all fuch pernicious grants (which in- 

 deed were become very great grievances to the fubjefts, and obliged the 

 king this year to revoke all his monopolies by proclamation. The re- 



*■ Voltaire fometimes runs too fafl. According of war at Breft and Rochelle, and twenty galleys 

 to Su/'j'^s Memoirs, France had about fifteen (hips in the ports on the Mediterranean. 



Kk 2 



