A. D. 1626. 339 



In this fame year, the famous Sir Thomas Herbert failed with fix 

 fhips for Eaft-India, of which, and of Perfia, Japan, and the Moluccos, 

 he gives a judicious account, for the time he Hved in. At Calhin, in 

 Periia, Sir Robert Shirley and Sir Dudmore Cotton, the two Englifh 

 ambafladors (with whom he had travelled) both died ; and he returned 

 home over land through Perfia. 



Howell, in his life of King Louis XIII of France, publifhed in the 

 year 1646, gives us an edidl of that king, in this year, which prohibits 

 all commerce with England ; and that no kind of grain, wines, or pulfe, 

 fhould be exported to England ; nor from England to France ; nor any 

 cloths, ferges, wools, lead, tin, fi:uffs, filk fl;ockings, &c. By this (fays 

 Howell) one may obferve the advantage that England hath of France, 

 in variety and fubftance of merchandize. This we here take notice of 

 the rather, becaufe, were we ever fo much at peace with that nation in 

 our days, the cafe is fo widely different from what it was then, that they 

 would take none of thofe particulars from us but lead and tobacco ; and 

 they now know better than to prohibit the importation of our wool. 

 So fluctuating is the courfe of trade in this and many more inflances 

 which might be produced. For Cardinal Richlieu, after reducing the 

 power of the great nobility of France, earneftly promoted manufactures 

 and maritime commerce, for the enriching of that kingdom ; which 

 Morifot (in his Orbis maritimus) juftly calls the fplendour of kingdoms 

 whilfi: in peace, and their main fupport in wars. To this end he incor- 

 porated a fociety of one hundred merchants for traffic, both to the eaft 

 and weft, by fea and land, with a capital of 600,000 livres ; who alio 

 engaged to lay out as much more in building ftout ftiips at vlorbihan, 

 near Vannes, in Bretagne, where they ered:ed warehoufes, offices, and 

 docks, and fo many dwelling houfes as made a good town. To that 

 company alio he committed the fole trade to Canada, which they very 

 foon greatly improved. That cardinal, indeed, highly merited the dig- 

 nity conferred on him ot fuperintendant-general of the co.nmerce and 

 navigation, and high-admiral of France. He perfuaded Louis XIll to 

 lay out a vaft fum in the purchafe of fliips in Holland, Denmark, aad 

 the Hanfe towns, for the protection of the coalls, the rovers of Bar- 

 bary having taken or deftroyed above one hundred Frenca fliips, and 

 made flaves of fo-ne thoufands of their people, whereby many families 

 were undone : wh:ch improvements, though not effeded fo early as tliis 

 year, we judged might come in properly enough in this place. 



The king having fuddenly diflolved the parliament, becaufe they re- 

 fufed to fettle the duty of tonnage and poundage on him, till their 

 grievances fiinuld be redrefiTed, by his own authority directed the 

 cuffoms, fubfidies, and impofls on merchandize, exported and imported, 

 to be collected as ufual in the manner they were collected at his father's 

 death. lFa;cIera, V. xviii, p. 737-] 



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