T Y i

Chap. I, from the I. oj James, I. to the Revolution,

Hi

1603, " have had Conference, which Letters" they folded and inclosed in Apples,

“ which they caused to be thrown in at" each others Windows. Lastly, if these" Purposes should fail, that then Sir" IVaiter Raleigh should have had from" the King of Spain a Pension of Fif-“ teen Hundred Pounds yearly, to" give Intelligence of the State and Pur-“ poses of England, whereby the King" of Spain might both prevent us, and" proceed against us. In this Point he" confessed to have had some Confer-ence with Count Arenberg : But in

“ the other Points he pleadcth not guil-" ty.

Bu t to leave this Digression j And tocome to Matters more properly belong-ing to our History.

- Trade now began, in general, tocrease of' Encrease; And long trading VoyagesTrade and were become more common; TheNavigation. Stock employed in the Eajl India, A-merican, Levant and Northern Traffickbecame more considerable, than in theInfancy of those Adventures; The Num-ber of Merchants grew daily greater,and consequently the several Branchesof Commerce more extensive. TheTranquility of this King’s Reign afford-ed Leisure and Opportunity for settlingthe Plantations in Virginia, Asia-Eng-land, the Bermudas or Sommers-Islands,&c. which before, tho’ the Places werediscovered, were not thoroughly settledand establish ed.

It would swell this Work far beyondit’s prescribed Limits should I pretend tobe so particular in my Relation of Mer-cantile Expeditions, as I have been inthe Accounts of some, in the three fore-going Reigns; And would, besides,but be a Repetition of the fame Thingsover again, with the only Variety ofPerson’s Names, and the Change, per-haps, of some few Circumstances. I shall,therefore, confine myself to such onlywherein some new Discoveries havebeen made, or some notable Exploitsperformed, and must even in them be as

brief as the Nature of the Subject will 1603..allow. This will oblige me to pursuemy Work in this Book, in the lameMethod I began in the first Book, Imean in Annals, excepting where somevery memorable Expeditions or Trans-actions may require my giving thema Place in a Chapter by themselves.

Before I go on to a particular Re-lation of some of the most memorableTransactions of this King’s Reign, Imust beg Leave to make one generalObservation EomRapin, which will givean Idea of his Character, and may pre-vent several Rpetitions in the Sequel.

" King James , I. had a Notion ofRapin.

" the Englijh Constitution very differ- James’*“ ent from what had been hitherto cur- 0 £% on vJLrent. If any of His Predecessors had clnfiimtmt" been of His Opinion, they had, at" least, taken Care to conceal it, or to" strew it but upon extraordinary Occa-" sions. For His Part, He did not" think fit to follow their Example,

" since He omitted no Opportunity ofts discovering, instead. of concealing,

" His Thoughts. He believed , the" Privileges of the Nation and Parlia-" ment were so many Usurpations, or,

" at best, but revocable Concessions of" the Crown, and gave frequent Occa- ^ o ^ tl3e" sion to believe, He had formed a Extent of" Design to free both himself and His thePreroga*" Successors from the Restraint, which tiVe" the Laws, Customs and Privileges of" the Englijh Nation had laid on His" Predecessors. However this be, from" the Beginning of his Reign to the" End, He embraced all Opportuni-" ties to improve His Prerogative Roy-" al, to which He set no Bounds butHis Will. The first publick Step,

" which discovered His Sentiments,

" was the Calling of His first Parlia-" ment. Both in the Writs and theProclamation, (d) He takes uponhim to describe what Sort of Repre-" ssntatives should be elected, not byWay of Exhortation, as the formerKings had done, but by Way of

‘ f Command,

Ryiner’&Foe- N) “ We not ’Vye by theis Presentes, that alldera Vol " Retornes and Certificates of Knightes, CitizensXVI.n c A " andBurgesses, oughte, and are to be brought toP - 5 3- cc theChauncery, and. thereto befyled of Record ;“ and if any shall be founde to be made contrarie“ to this Proclamation, the fame is to be reject-“ ed, as unlawful and insufficient, and the Citie." or Borough to be fyried for the fame ; and if“ it be founde, that they have commytted any“ groffe or wilful Default and Contempt in their“ Election, Retorne or Certificate, that then" their Liberties, according to the Lawe, are to

“ be seized into our Handes, as forfeited ; and if“ anyPerson take upon him the Place ofaKnight," Citizen or Burgefl'e, not beinge dnely elected,“ retorned, and sworne, according to the Lawes“ and Statutes, in that Behalf provided, and ac-" cording to the Purport, Effect, and true Mean-“ ing of this on re Proclamation, then every Per-“ son, foe -offending, to be fyned and imprisoned

“ for the same..

The King’s Speech, at the Opening of thisParliament, (which fee at Length in Stout) givg§yet plainer Intimations of his Design,