A. D. 1621. 



309 



his Naval tracts) the biggeft fhips being of 600 tons, and the fmalleft of 

 160 tons, manned with 1500 men, befides 12 armed merchant ihips, 

 carrying in all 243 cannon and 1 170 men, viz. 3 of 300 tons, 2 of 280, 

 2 of 260, 2 of 200, I of 180, I of 130, and i of lOO tons, from 12 

 to 26 guns, and from 50 to 120 men, per fhip. 



A flender armament for fo great an undertaking; which alfo was badly 

 executed. It feems they feafted and banqueted in harbour inftead of 

 fcouring the feas ; whereby (fays Monfon) they loft the opportunity of 

 deftroying the pirates. They however attempted to buxni the fliips in 

 the mole of Algiers ; but it proved impracticable. And Mr. Burchet, 

 in his Naval hiftory, obferves that in return for our vifit, our admiral's 

 back was fcarcely turned when thofe corfairs picked up near forty good 

 fhips of ours, and infefled the Spanifli coafts with greater fury than ever : 

 wherefor (adds Sir William Pvlonfon) ' if thofe chriftian countries 

 ' which lie oppofite to Algiers (viz. France and Spain) could never pre- 



* vail in their fundry attempts againft it, although their greater vici- 

 ' nity, and their having the conveniency to embark and tranfport an 

 ' army without fufpicion or rumour, and of being fuccoured by the 



* ifles of Majorca and Minorca ; what hope have we to prevail, who 

 ' cannot fo fecretiy furnifh an army and fleet but all the world muft ring 

 ' of it ? And the warning given will be fufficient for a garrifoned town 

 ' of lefs force and fewer men than Algiers to prevent a furprize !' To 

 fay the truth, we arc now wiler by experience, and are not unacquaint- 

 ed with the iiibfiantial benefits we receive in our commerce, from thofe 

 corfairs keeping peace with us, whilft they make war on other nations. 

 And our poireilion of Gibraltar, v.ith our fliips of war ftationed there, 

 will probably be ever fufticient to keep thofe of Algiers, Sallee, Tunis, 

 and Tripoli, in conftant avve of us. 



In this fame year a fumptuary law paiTed in the parliament of Scot- 

 land, whereby no perfons were to wear cloth of gold or filver, nor gold 

 and filver lace on tlieir clothes, nor velvets, fatins, or other hlk llufls, 

 except noblemen, their wives and children, lords of parliament, pre- 

 lates, privy-counfeliors, lords of manors, judges, raagiftrates of principal 

 towns, fuch as have 6000 marks (i. e. ibmewhat more than L330 fter- 

 ling) of yearly rent in money, or elfe fourfcore chalder of vidual yearly,, 

 heralds, trumpeters, and minftre's. And it was by this law farther 

 enad.ed, that even thofe hereby permitted to wear lilk apparel fhould 

 have no embroidering nor lace on tht-ir cloilies, except a plain lace of filk 

 on the fcams and edges, with belts and hatbands embroidered wiih fdk; 

 and the faid filk apparel to be no way cut out upon other ftuflfs of filk,. 

 except upon a fingle taffety. Foreign damafk, table-linen, cambrics, 

 lawns, and tiffanies, were limited to the above qualified perfons, as were 

 alfo pearls and pretious n:ones. Alio the number of mourning fuits in 

 great families was hereby limited : moreover, the fafhion of clothes 



2. 



