440 A. D. 1650. 



* three and twenty years. For fince the peace of Munller, which rfe- 

 ' ftored the quiet of Chriflendom, in 1648, not only Sweden and Den- 

 ' mark, but France and England, have more particularly than ever be- 

 ' fore bufied the thoughts and counfels of their feveral governments, as 

 ' well as the humours of their people, about the matters of trade. Nor 

 ' has this happened without good degrees of fuccefs, though kingdoms 

 ' of fuch extent, that have other and nobler foundations of greatnefs, 

 ■* cannot raife trade to fuch a pitch as this Uttle ftate, which had no 

 ' other to build upon ; no more than a man, who has a fair and plenti- 

 ' ful eftate, can fall to labour and induftry like one that has nothing 

 ' elfe to trufl to for the fupport of his life, But, however, all thefe na- 

 ' tions have come of late to fhare largely with them ; and there feem to 

 ' be grown too many traders for trade in the world, fo as they can 



* hardly live one by another. As in a great populous village the firfl 



* grocer, or mercer, that fets up among them, grows prefently rich, 



* having all the cuftom ; till another, encouraged by his fuccefs, comes 



* to fet up by him, and fhare in his gains : at length fo many fall to the 

 ' trade that nothing is got by it, and fome rauft give over, or all mufl 



* break.' 



We fhall not prefume dogmatically to combat fo great a man's opi- 

 nion concerning this pretty comparifon : yet we may here obferve that 

 pofTibly every one may not admit the parallel exadly to hold with regard 

 to the commerce of the world in general, which, doubtlefs, has fundry 

 new relburces ; new countries ftill to bedifcovered and traded to; and the 

 trade to other countries before known may be ftill greatly increafed : 

 moreover the vaft improvement of the American plantations fince Sir 

 William Temple's time, as well as of the Eaft-India trade, feems to 

 evince, that although the Dutch trade be long fince paft its meridian, 

 yet the general commerce of Europe is vifibly increafed fince the year 

 1673, when he wrote. 



Nothing can more effedually demonftrate the benefit of commerce in 

 general, and the prodigious increafe of it in Holland at this time, than 

 the great penfionary De Witt's account (in his Intereft of Holland) of 

 the fingle province of Holland being able, in the year 1650, to fuftain 

 the weight of, and pay the annual intereft on, fo great a debt as 

 140,000,000 of gilders, contraded by their war with Spain, beftdes 

 other debts not at intereft, amounting to 13,000,000 more. ' A capital 

 ' debt (fays our author) upon intereft, which will not be believed by 

 ' other nations, nor poffibly by our fuccefibrs in Holland, to have been 

 '' born by fo Imall a province, and at the fame time many other heavy 

 ' taxes, for the defence of themfelves and their allies.' 



The worfted manutaiStures of Norwich and its neighbourhood, known 

 by the name of Norwich ftufTs, being now arrived at a great pitch of 

 reputation l)y their great vent in foreign parts as well as at home, the 



