A. D. 1627, 242 



claration of war againft France, wherein he accufed Louis of breach of 

 articles with his proteftant fubjeds, and of blocking up their towns and 

 ports ; for whofe relief at Rochelle he, this fame year, had fent out the 

 Earl of Denbigh with thirty fhips of war ; but, being too late in the 

 year, he was driven back by ftormy weather. 



We have before noted, that King Charles was fo ill advifed, as, for 

 his private gain, to raife the nominal value of his coin above its intrinfic 

 Value, by coining the pound weight of filver into L3 : 10 : 6 by tale, 

 whereby he was to gain 8/5 on every pound weight of filver. His privy- 

 council, however, were fomewhat doubtful of the prudence of this 

 meafure : whereupon the famous Sir Robert Cotton, being excellently 

 well /killed in fuch matters, and the precedents of former reigns, V7as 

 ordered to lay his opinion before the board ; which was greatly to his 

 reputation. For, in a fet fpeech at that board, (afterward printed with 

 his other pofthumous pieces in 1651) he moft judicioufly difplayed the 

 great difcredit as well as real lofs which would thereby redound to the 

 king himfelf, as well as to the whole realm. He Ihewed, that the Ro- 

 man empire kept up the purity of the flandard of the coin until the 

 loofe times of Commodus, when excefs of expenfe introduced neceflity, 

 and that brought on an alteration of the flandard : and that the majefty 

 of that empire gradually declined with the gradual alteration of their 

 coin. So that there is no furer lymptom of a confumption in any ftate 

 than the corruption of their money. 



Coming, in the next place, to fpeak of our own princes, he fliews 

 the difreputation which fell on King Henry VI, by not only abating the 

 quantity of bullion in his coins, (though ftill preierving the nominal 

 value) but likewife debafing them, by directing the pradlice of alchymy 

 (as they term it) in his mint ! That King Henry VIII fell into the lame 

 bad meafures. And that his daughter Qiieen Elizabeth was mod wifely 

 advifed by her treafurer Burleigh, and by Sir Thomas Smith, that it 

 would be for the honour of the crown and the true wealth of herfelf 

 and people, to bring back the flandard of the coins to the antient parity 

 and purity of her great-grandfather King Edward IV. Next, he judi- 

 cioufly fhews, that as coin or money was deviled as a rate and meafure 

 of merchandize and manufadure, if that meafure be rendered mutable, 

 no man can tell what he hath or what he oweth ; and no contrad can 

 be certain. That princes are guarantees to their people for the juflnefs 

 of their coin, and muft not fufter their faces to warrant falfehood. 

 That this propofal now on the anvil would take away the tenth part of 

 every man's due debt in rent. That, by coining the fnilling with k-fs 

 filver in it than before, a proportionably lefs quantity of any goods or 

 merchandize will be fold for it. That the Netherlanders will, with our 

 prefent good coins, recoin with the king's flamp, and import on us the 

 newly enhanced coin. That if men (liall receive in the propofed no- 



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