A. D. 1660. 4^2, 



•- denominate the age we fpeak of, to be the age of the Englifh, as well 

 * as the age of Louis the XIV.' 



In 1 666 the great Colbert, emulous of this glory of England, advifed 

 King Louis XIV, at the requefl alfo of feveral men of learning, to 

 eftablifli the French academy of fciences, which, in 1669, became an 

 incorporated body like ours of London, as fundry others have fince been 

 in other countries of Europe. 



So greatly was the commerce, and confequently the wealth, of Eng- 

 land increafed by this time, that feveral poHtical writers, and particu- 

 larly the anonymous author of the Happy future ftate of England y 

 thought by fome to be the earl of Anglefey, are of opinion, that the 

 revenue of England at the refloration was quintuple of what it was at 

 the reformation from popery, in the reign of King Henry VIII. This; 

 we apprehend, may be probable enough, yet no author, that we know 

 of, has clearly made it out to be precifely fuch a proportion of increafe, 

 and therefor we fhall leave it as we found it, rather than miflead our 

 readers by pofltive aflertions, void of abfolute proof, which is not eafy 

 to come at. 



While the Eaft-India trade from England remained, in a manner, fre©- 

 and open, viz. from 1653 to 1657, ^^ incident in India had almofl; made 

 an open breach between our two houfes of parliament, after the reflora- 

 tion, and made a great buflle for fome years. 



In the year 1657 Thomas Skinner, a merchant, had fitted out a fliip 

 for India, where he arrived the next year. At the fame time the Eafl-' 

 India company had a new charter from Cromwell, and their agents feiz^ 

 ed his fhip and merchandize, together with his houle and ifland of Ba- 

 rella, which he had bought of the king of Jamby. They even denied 

 him a paffage home ; and he was obliged to travel over-land to Europe. 

 For feveral years after the refloration Skinner made lamentable com- 

 plaints to the king, who at length recommended his cafe to a committee 

 of the council, and next to the houfe of peers, from whom alfo Skinner 

 petitioned for redrefs. The peers directed the Eaft-India- company to ' 

 anfwer, who pleaded their exclufive privileges and trade in and to India, 

 and alfo demurred to the lords jurifdidion, as not coming to them re- 

 gularly, by appeal from an inferior court. The lords overruled this - 

 plea, and in 1666 appointed Skinner's cafe to be pleaded at their bar, 

 yet the company found means to get it poftponed to the year 1667, 

 when they again demurred as before, and at the fame time petitioned 

 the houfe of commons againft the proceedings of the houie of lords, 

 which they alleged to be contrary to law. The lords hereupon were 

 greatly inflamed, and finally gave Skinner L5000 damages, to be paid 

 by the Eafl -India company. This inflamed the houfe of commons, who 

 not only pafled fome very warm votes againft the houfe of lords, but fent 

 Skinner prifoner to the tower. The lords were thereby farther inflam- 



