jefty meaning fpeedily to obviate fuch unlawful Practices, commanded that all Commiffions then extant, for Inquifition of any manner of Concealments, fhould be by Superfedeas out of the Exchequer revok'd, &c.

This was, as the common Proverb expreffes it, fhutting the Stable Door when the Steed was ftolen. All the Churches had been robb'd and plunder'd, nothing left them but bare Walls, and now an Order came forth to prevent their being ftript. A fingular Piece of Providence and Zeal, to forbid the taking away of what there was not!

The fame 39th Year above spoken of, there was a farther Taxation for the Relief of Soldiers and Mariners, where fufficient was not provided by the Statute of the 35th of Eliz. The greatest Rate of every Parish to be tax'd, to be &s. and the leaft 2 s. weekly; with further Provifion, if the Rate be not fufficient for Soldiers and Mariners in London. Thus by degrees came up the Taxes for the Poor, which are now grown up to fuch immenfe Sums, as fcarce feem credible, being as great a Burden upon Housekeepers as any other.

Still this fame Year the Clergy granted to the Queen three Subfidies of four Shillings in the Pound, to be paid at fix feveral Days.

At the fame time the Temporality granted no lefs than three entire Subfidies, and fix Fifteenths and Tenths. No doubt but there was little Occafion for frequent Parliaments, when they granted their Money fo freely, that it requir'd fome Years to levy the fame before any more could be any way ask'd.

In her forty-third Year an A& of Parliament pafs'd for Confirmation of Grants made to the Queen's Majefty, and of Letters Patents made by her Majefty to others, fince the twenty-fifth

Year

Year of her Majefty's Reign, mentioning, that there had been convey'd to her fundry Honours, Caftles, Manors, Lands, Tenements, Rents, Reverfions, Services, and other Hereditaments, by and from fundry Perfons and Bodies Politick, as well for the Discharge and Satisfaction of great Debts and Sums of Money, as for other good Confiderations. Thefe were the Pretences, and they were no other; for had thofe Lands, &c. been legally acquir'd, there had been no Occafion for an Act of Parliament to fecure them; but they were, for the most part, the Gleanings of the Patrimony of the Church, which till then had efcap'd either unobferv'd, or conniv'd at: But now Men in Favour found them out, had them feiz'd for the Crown, and then begg'd them for themselves, as had been the Practice in the Reigns of her Father and Brother.

The fame Year follow'd another A&t for the Relief of the Poor, wherein, after Order taken for Overseers, it follows that all Perfons able, be fet to work by the faid Overseers; as also that they raife weekly, or otherwife, (by Taxation of every Inhabitant, Parfon, Vicar, and other; and of every Occupier of Lands, Houfes, Tithes impropriate, Propriations of Tithes, Coal-Mines, or faleable Underwoods, in the Parifh, in fuch competent Sum and Sums of Money as they shall think fit) a convenient Stock of Flax, Hemp, Wool, Thread, Iron, and other Ware and Stuff, to fet the Poor on work; and alfo competent Sums of Money for and towards the neceffary Relief of the Lame, Impotent, Old, Blind, and fuch other among them being poor and not able to work; and alfo for putting out of Children to be Apprentices, to be gathered out of the fame Parish, according to the Ability of the fame Parish, &c. And

in cafe the Parish is not able to levy among themfelves fufficient Sums of Money, then two Juftices are impower'd to levy the fame out of any other Parish or Parishes within the fame Hundred; and if the Hundred cannot do it, the Juftices at the Quarter Seffions to levy the fame out of any other Parish or Parishes within the County.

In Default of Payment of the Money affefs'd, the fame to be levy'd by Diftrefs; and where no Diftrefs can be had, the Perfons not paying to be committed to Prifon.

By these frequent Acts for Relief of the Poor, it appears to what a Condition the Country was reduc'd; for no Expedients were fufficient to fupport the Diftrefs'd, and Peoples Hearts were fo harden'd, that the Needy could find no Support, but what was extorted by meer Force of Law; and that fo mean, that many ftill perifh'd for Want.

How little all that the Parliament did in the fe Cafes avail'd is vifible, in that the very next A pass'd in the fame Seffions is again for the neceffary Relief of Soldiers and Mariners. Still hammering upon this fame Point, and little or nothing brought to effect.

This Year the Clergy granted the Queen four Subfidies of four Shillings in the Pound.

And the Temporality four entire Subfidies, and eight Fifteenths and Tenths.

Thus much of Taxations of all Sorts during this. Queen's Reign: And fo we will conclude with her, laying afide all Remarks, as have been made on moft of the Kings her Predeceffors; for as the was a Woman, it is better to let her pafs fo than fay any thing of her that may be ill thought of; and thofe moft fulfome Encomiums, which fome Writers of her Time have thought fit for their private Views to beftow on her, will rather ferve to cloy any impartial

partial Reader, than to make them conceit there is any thing of Reality in them.

K. JAMES I

AY in general be call'd a good King to his Subje Subjects, if he can be allow'd to be a good King, who, like a too indulgent Father, is fo favourable and loving to his Children as to fpoil them. So this King carry'd himself towards the Generality of his People, eafy, and never guilty of oppreffing them; but fo far from it, as even to be blam'd for refufing to engage in unneceflary and unjust Wars, which must have drawn thofe Burdens upon the Nation that it has groan'd under during the Reigns of others, who have readily taken part in Quarrels that no way concern'd them, either to gratify their own Ambition, or to vent their Spleen and Malice. Such was the Excefs of Goodness in this King, that tho' his own Reign continu'd peaceable, yet the Seeds of Rebellion were fown and fprouted out plentifully under his Son, to the Lofs of that Prince's Head. Tho' King James, as has been faid, was fo good a King to his Subjects in general, it might be carrying the Character too far to fay he was fo in all other Refpects. If we look into his Treaties abroad, fome whereof may be feen in Sir Winwood's Memoirs, we fhall find many things which are far from looking fair; but that is not to the Subject in hand, any more than the private Acts of his Life, and which we fhall therefore pafs by. How rightful and lawful a King he was is fufficiently exprefs'd in the Act of Recognition, where he is declar'd and fworn to be fuch, not by Virtue of the faid Act, but by Birth-right, as being lineally, rightfully, and lawfully defcended

S 4

defcended of the Body of the most excellent Lady Mar garet, eldeft Daughter of the most renowned King Henry VII. and the most high and noble Princes Queen Elizabeth, his Wife, eldest Daughter of King Edward IV. the faid Lady Margaret being eldeft Sifter of King Henry VIII. &c. Then prefently after they declare, that the imperial Crown of England, and of all the Kingdoms, Dominions, and Rights belonging to the fame, did by inherent Birth-right, and lawful and undoubted Succeffion, defcend and come to his Majefty, as being lineally, jeftly, and lawfully, next and fole Heir of the Blood Royal of this Realm, as aforefaid. Such was this King's Right, than which none could be more undoubted; and yet as evident as it was, the World well knows how his Son was treated, and the Ufage his Grandchildren met withal. To come now to the Duties granted to this King by Parliament, the firft we find is

An Act of Subfidy of Tonnage and Poundage granted to his Majefty in the firft Year of his Reign for Term of Life, as had been before granted to King Henry VII. King Henry VIII. King Edward VI. Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth. The Tonnage, three Shillings of every Tun of Wine imported; and three Shillings more for every Tun of fweet Wines, as well Malmfey as other, imported by Aliens; and twelve Pence of every Awme of Rhenifh Wine. The Poundage, twelve Pence in the Pound of the Value of all Goods imported or exported, excepting woollen Cloth, c. as may be seen in the former Reigns.

The fecond Year of King James there was no Parliament, and confequently no Impofition.

The third Year the Parliament had been fo pleas'd by the King, that they thought nothing too much for him; and accordingly the Clergy granted