A. D. 1669. ^^j 



' againft Spain, though then flrengthened with the German empire and 

 ' thcfe Netherlands ; making peace at his own pleafure both with King 

 ' Francis I and with the emperor Charles V, whom he dared fo horri- 

 ' bly to defpife as to repudiate his aunt Queen Catherine.' 



Thus this able minifler of ftate lays down an immutably interefling 

 lefTon for Britain, viz. ever to be fuperior to any other nation on the 

 Ocean, whereby we fhall ever be fuperior in commerce ; and while there- 

 by we preferve our great influence in the councils of the nations on the 

 continent of Europe, we fhall increafe our wealth, and preferve our in- 

 dependence, and confequently our liberty. Neither need we on this 

 fubjedl to obferve, that our Superiority muft ever be very confiderable, 

 not only on account of the guard of our own extenfive coafts, but alfo 

 for the protedlion of our commerce in all the four quarters of the earth. 

 This will ever be our great palladium ; and, according to the poet, 



' We then mofl happy, who can fear no force, 



♦ But winged troops and Pegafean horfe !' waller. 



This year the French prime minifler Colbert brought Van Robais, a 

 Dutch merchant, from Holland, to fettle with 500 workmen at Abbe- 

 ville in Picardy, where a new manufacture for fuperfine woollen broad 

 cloth was very fuccefsfully fet on foot. It is fuperfluous to recite all the 

 privileges, immunities, and fums of money, beflowed on him and his 

 workmen. From 30 looms, in the year 1681, he was encouraged to 

 fet up 50. In 1698 Van Robais's looms amounted to 80, and in 1708 

 they exceeded 1 00 in number. The French king, to do the greater ho- 

 nour to this new manufadory, gave leave to the noblefTe to be concern- 

 ed in it, without detracting froin their nobility. And to encourage the 

 Tale of thefe and other French woollen goods in Turkey, he advanced 

 money to the merchants of Marfeilles out of his treafury, to be repaid 

 after the return of their fliips from Turkey, whereby that city has gra- 

 dually fupplanted England and Holland of much of their Turkey trade. 

 And the apprehenfions of fome people go fo far as to think Marfeilles 

 will be able in time to engrofs the whole of it. 



France at this time, as has been already obferved, began to abound 

 in all kinds of curious manufadures, toys, &c. with which they fup- 

 plied every part of Europe. One mofl material thing, however, they 

 hitherto wanted, for completing their i'uperiority over the reft of the 

 world, viz. a fuperiority of naval power. De \^ itt, who at this time 

 wrote his Intereft of Holland, obferves, [part ii, c. 7] that the Freiich 

 have very few fliips and mariners of their own ; fo that all their traffic 

 is driven by Dutch fliips, and to Holland, or at leafl by unloading there, 

 fome few Englifh fliips and traffic excepted : and when any goods ar6 

 ro be traiifported from one French harbour to another, they arc put ou- 



VoL. II. 3 Y ' 



