536 A. D. 1668. 



invafions from thence, before there was any royal navy properly fo 

 called. 



The timber of the kmg's forefl: of Dean in Gloucefterfliire being of 

 late much deftroyed, an aft of parliament direded, that eleven thoufand 

 acres of the wafle lands in that foreift fliould be inclofed, for the growth 

 and prefervation of oak-timber for the fupply of the royal navy, and 

 the maintenance of (hipping for the trade of this nation. [20 Car. 11, 



c. 



•] 



1669. — The author of the Happy future flate of England acquaints 

 us, that in the year 1669 there was 23,680 lb. weight of linen-yarn im- 

 ported from Scotland into the port of London. He alfo relates, that at 

 this time the French proteftants fettled at Ipfwich made linen of i c^f 

 per ell. 



De Witt, the judicious author of the Interejl of Holland, has the fol- 

 lowing obfervations upon the improving coHimerce and power of Eng- 

 land during about a century preceding this time. He fays, ' that when 

 the compuliive laws of the NetherUnd halls drove the cloth-weaving 

 from the cities to the villages, and thence into England, and the cruel- 

 ty of the duke of Alva drove the fay-weaving after it, the Englifh be- 

 gan to vend their manufactures throughout Europe : they became po- 

 tent at fea, and no longer depended on the Netherlands. Alfo by the 

 difcovery of the inexpreffibly rich cod-bank of Newfoundland the peo- 

 ple of Briftol in particular were enriched. Moreover, the long perfe- 

 cution of puritans in England has occafioned the planting of many 

 Englifh colonies in America, whereby they drive a mighty foreign 

 trade thither. So that this mighty ifland united with Ireland under 

 one king, — feated in the midfl of Europe, having a clear deep coaft, 

 with good havens and bays, in fo narrow a fea, that all foreign fhips 

 that fail either to the eaftward or weftward are neceflitated, even in 

 fair weather, to fliun the dangerous French coafl, and fail along that 

 of England, and in flormy weather to run in and prefervc their lives, 

 fhips, and merchandize, in its bays : fo that England now, by its con- 

 jundion with Scotland, being much increafed in flrength, as well by 

 manufadures as by a great navigation, will in all refpefts be formid- 

 able to all Europe ; for, according to the proverb, a mafler at fea is 

 a lord at land ; and more efpecially a king of England, feeing he is 

 able, both by whole fleets and private fhips of war, at all times to 

 feize on fhips failing by that coaft ; the wefterly winds, which blow 

 for the moft part of the year on this lide of the tropic, giving the Eng- 

 lifh great opportunities to fail out of their numerovis bays and har- 

 bours at pleafurc to infeft our navigation : of which formidable power 

 King Henry VIII was fo fenfible, that he dared to ufe this device ; cui 

 adhcereo prae/l, i. e. he whom I aflift fliall be mafter ; and he accord- 

 ingly made war as he lifled ; fometimes agcjinfl France, at other times 



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