634 A. D. 1689. 



' and fwear, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to their ma- 

 ' jefties ;' and 2, ' I do, from my heart, abhor, deteft, and abjure, that 

 ' damnable doftrine and pofition, that princes excommunicated or de- 

 ' prived by the pope, or any authority of the fee of Rome, may be de- 

 ' pofed or murdered by their fubjeds, or any other whatfoever. And 

 ' I do declare, that no foreign prince, perfon, prelate, ftate, or poten- 

 ' tate, hath, or ought to have, any jurifdi6lion, power, fuperiority, pre- 

 eminence, or authority, eccleliaftical or fpiritual, within this realm.' 



The revenue of hearth or chimney money being found grievous to 

 the people of England, by occafioning many difficulties and queftions ; 

 a great oppreflion to the poorer fort, and a badge of flavery upon the 

 whole people, expoiing every man's houfe to be entered into and fearch- 

 ed at pleafure, by perfons unknown to him ; it was therefor abfolutely 

 abolilhed forever, [i Gul. et Mar. c. 10.] 



It then appeared, fays the continuator of Rapin's hiftory, {V.Ti\,p. 52, 

 notes'] that the number of houfes in England and Wales, foon after the 

 reftoration, was about 1,230,000. And reckoning fix perfons at a me- 

 dium, to each houfe, it fixes the number of the people then to be 

 7,380,000^. 



In the fame fefilon it was enaded, that, when malt or barley is at 

 Li : 4 per quarter, or under ; rye, at Li : 12, and wheat, at L2 : 8 per 

 quarter ; then it fliall not only be lawful to export the fame, but the 

 exporters fhall alfo receive the following bounties, viz. for malt or bar- 

 ley per quarter 2/6, rye ^f6., wheat 5/ per quarter ; without re- 

 quiring any thing for cuftoms or fees whatever ; provided fecurity 

 be given for fuch corn being legally landed beyond fea, and that the 

 fhip and its crew, in which it fliall be exported, be duely qualified ac- 

 cording to the a6ls of navigation, [i Gul. et Mar. c. 22.] 



This was the firfl; law for allowing any bounty on corn exported ; 

 which bounties have generally been efi;eemed fo beneficial to the landed 

 interefi:, by enabling tenants to pay their rents in years of plenty, that 

 unlefs in years of fcarcity, when the current prices were higher than the 

 above-named ones, it has been judged prudent to continue the fame. 

 How much this bounty contributed to the improvement of hufl^andry is 

 too obvious to be difputed. Yet fome are of opinion, that, inftead here- 

 of, all the corn of plentiful years ftiould be purchafed of the farmers 

 by the public at a moderate price, to be laid up in granaries againfl; a 

 year of dearth. This would not only be a great help to our poor in a 

 year of fcarcity, but would bring foreign fliips to purchafe it at our 

 price, and would alfo employ great numbers of our own fliips, for fup- 

 plying other nations at higher rates, as is done in Holland. In other 

 countries, fays a French author, the people pay their fovereign for leave 

 to carry out their corn, but wifer England pays her people for export- 

 ijig it. 



