382 A.D. 1634. 



In this fame year we have a flagrant inftance of the fhameful as well 

 as impoUtic bigotry of King Charles I, and of Laud archbifhop of Can- 

 terbury, who makes his report, inter alia, to the king, purfuant to his 

 inftrudions, concerning the ecclefiaftical ftate of his province of Can- 

 terbury, ' that the Dutch churches in Canterbury and Sandwich are 

 ' great nurferies of inconformity.' And he prays his majefly, ' that 

 ' fuch of the French, Itahan, and Dutch congregations, as are born his 



• fubjeds, may not be fufFered any longer to Uve in fuch a feparation 



• as they do ; and inlinuates the danger of the church of England from 



* a toleration of foreign proteftants.' The "Walloons of Norwich too 

 were under the fame prohibition, though they pleaded the toleration 

 to them by King Edward VI, and fo down to his then majefty : but- 

 Laud's anfwer was pofitive, — they muft obey ! And the king on the 

 margin of this part of Laud's report wrote as follows: ' Put me in mind 



* of this at fome convenient time when I am at council, and I fhall re- 

 ' drefs it.' Laud, it feems, thought it a great piece of condefcenfion 

 to permit thofe Walloon and Dutch, who were not born in England, to 

 enjoy their own way of worfliip, but their offspring fhould be compelled 

 to go to their parifh churches ! Tt is here needlefs to remark how little 

 that prince underflood the true intereft of his kingdom and of its coni'- 

 merce in giving way to that wretched bigot. 



The Walloon, Italian, and Dutch proteftant manufacturers fettled in 

 Norwich, Canterbury, Sandwich, &c. had hitherto been permitted to 

 enjoy their own opinions refpedling religious profefllons and worfhip ; 

 but their children v^ere now compelled by Laud archbifhop of Canter- 

 bury to attend the parifli churches. The confequence of that ecclefi- 

 aflical tyranny was (according to Koge?- Cokts Detection of the court and 

 Jlate of England), that 1 40 families removed to Holland, where they 

 taught the Dutch the way of managing the woollen manufadure, which 

 has proved of very bad confequence to England. And doubtleis the like 

 caufes will ever produce like effeds. 



King Charles, by a proclamation, farther flrengthened the monopoly 

 of his foap company in Weflminfter, by prohibiting all perfons what- 

 ever, not free of that company, from either making or importing any 

 fqap. [Foedera, V. xix, p. 592.] 



' King Charles granted a licence to Thomas Skipwith to make the 

 * river Soare navigable from its junction with the Trent up to the town 

 ' of Leicefter, he paying a tenth part of all the profits of fuch new na- 

 ' vigation into the king's exchequer.' \F(edera, V. xix, p. 597.] It is 

 noble and wife in princes to encourage inland as well as foreign naviga- 

 tion, as greatly beneficial to commerce ; but this condition annexed to 

 the licence would be deemed fordid and difgraceful in our days. 



The king renewed his former proclamations for prohibiting all dove- 

 houfes, ftablcs, cellars, warehoufes, &c. except thole of perfons of qua- 



