A. D. 1625. 337 



two ftiips of war, for a joint attack upon Cadiz : the Dutch to have one 

 fifth part of the fpoil : which defign, however, was never put in exe- 

 cution ; any more than another, of the fame year, and againft Spain too, 

 dated Southampton, 17th September 1625, confiding of forty articles. 

 [CoUecliofi of treaties, V. \\, ed. 1732.] 



We muft here do King Charles the juftice to remark, that in this 

 year we find three different applications from him to his brother-in-law 

 Louis XIII of France, for fending back the fliips he had lent him ; 

 and infift.ing on their not being employed againfl his proteftant fubjeds, 

 (meaning the Rochellers.) 



Queen Henrietta Maria's marriage portion of 800,000 French crowns, 

 was in this fame year brought into England, all in filver money, intend- 

 ed to be recoined at the tower; but a plague raging in London, which 

 had infeded fome of the coiners, the king poftponed the recoinage ; and 

 for the more eafily paying the foldiers and failors wages of the fleet then 

 fitting out, he declared the French coin to be current for a time. It 

 was all of one fort, called a quart d'ecu, (i. e. a quarter crown) worth 

 ip-i. Yet, by an inundation of bafe and light ones, the king was 

 quickly obliged to annull the currency of that coin. 



King Charles being in great difficulties for money to carry on his 

 war againft Spain, employed the duke of Buckingham to borrow 

 L30o,coo fiierling of the ftates-general of the United Netherlands, or 

 their fubjecls, upon the pledge of a great number of incomparably rich 

 and noble crown jewels and veilels of gold, adorned with pretious flones, 

 which were delivered to that duke out of the king's jewel houfe. {Foedcra, 

 V. xviii, p. 246,] 



King Charles ifilied a proclamation prohibiting all commerce witl 

 Spain and the Spanifh Netherlands ; and commanding that no fliip 0/ 

 60 tons or upwards be fet to fea, unlefs flie be furnifhed with muikets 

 and bandeliers, becaufe of the danger of his fubjeds venturing tc fea 

 in thefe perilous times, ill furnifhed with arms and weakly manned. 

 \F(xdera, V. xviii,/). 251.] 



He again ilTued a proclamation, exactly in the ufual form, againfl: eat- 

 ing flefli in lent, or on other fifh days ; and for the fame reafons. \Foe~ 

 dera, V. xviii,/). 268.] 



This king being to be crowned on Candlemas day, ilfued out writs to 

 the fheriffs, to oblige all who held lands of the crown of the value of 

 L40 yearly, or upward, who were not already knights, to come and 

 take that order upon them. {Feeder a, V. xviii, p. 2 78.] 



The reader needs not be acquainted, that this was an ufual practice 

 of our kings in elder tinies to raife money on urgent occafions. 



1626. — The author of the Golden fleece, [410, 1626] a judicious trea- 

 tife on commerce, gives a fuccindt view of the Eaft-India commerce, 

 &c. as it then flood wiih refpect to Europe, viz. 



Vol. II. U u 



