A. D. 1637. 399 



foap company, within the city of London, equally illegal, having the 

 lord mayor, Edward Bromfield, Efq. at their head ; whereby he pro- 

 hibits all others throughout England, but iiich as fliall be free of this 

 new corporation, from making foap, or buying pot-albes, excepting Sir 

 Richard Wefton, and feveral foap-makers of Briflol, Bridgewater, Ex- 

 eter, Somerfet, Dorfet, Devon, and Cornwall, who had licences to make 

 limited quantities and forts of foap ; for which they probably gave due 

 fatisfadion. The Weftminfter company previoufly refigned their char- 

 ter into the king's hands. [Fofdera, V. xx, p. 181.] 



King Charles gave a fpecial coinmiffion to Robert earl of Warwick, 

 his agents and alTociates, to fit out ' as many armed fhips as he fhould 

 ' judge proper, at his and their coils, for an undertaking tending to the 



* advancement of our fervice and revenue, and the enlargement of our 



* territories in the Weft-Indies, and to the public honour of the na- 



* tion ; and to ailail, take, burn, or otherwife deflroy, any carracks, 

 ' fhips, galleys, &c. in thofe feas, or any where elfe, where the free na- 

 ' vigation, trade, or commerce of any of our fubjecls is or Ihall be de- 



* nied, or adually intercepted, or oppofed in any kind; (faving the 

 ' carracks, fhips, &c. of all princes and ftates keeping league and amity 



* with us, and not denying or adually interrupting, &c. the free navi- 

 ' gation in the leas aforelaid.) Impowering the fiid earl and his aflb- 



* ciates, in hoftile manner, by force of arms, ftratagem, or other policy 

 ' of war, to invade, furprize, vanquifh, retain, poffefs, and keep to our 



* ufe, any lands, iflands, cities, caftles, or other parts within the con- 

 ' tinent or iflands of America, or elfewhere, which he fhall any way 

 ' bring under his power; and therein to plant, inhabit, and fortify, or 



* elfe to demolifh and deftroy the fame ; and to take to his ufe all the 



* ammunition, goods, and treafure, found therein, &c.' [F^dera, V. xx, 

 p. 186.]: 



Every one may fee that this private expedition was intended againft the 

 Spanifli Weft-Indies. P'or although there was then peace between Eng- 

 land and Spain in Europe, yet there had never been any proper treaty of 

 peace between the two nations, relating to the Weft-Indies, or other parts 

 of America, wherein the pretenfions of the crown of Spain ran ftill 'io high 

 as to claim the abfolute fovereignty. And that very wild and arbitrary 

 claim gave a reafonable handle to other maritime nations to get poflef- 

 Con of as much as they could of thofe undetermined territories : where- 

 as, if Spain had made treaties with England and France, for afcertain- 

 ing the diftindl property of each nation there, fhe might at this day 

 have preferved her claim to fome parts thereof, which the feeblenefs oif 

 that rnonarchy in fucceeding times obliged her to give up. This in- 

 tended expedition, however, probably did not fucceed, or rather, per- 

 haps did not take place, fince none of our naval hiftorians nor voyagers 

 make any naention of it at all. 



