In respect to the encouragements given by the crown, for promoting commerce and plantations in the Eaft Indies, and America, they were as great under this reign, as under any fucceeding one. Several voyages were made on account of the Eaft India company, and the king did not fpare fending an ambaffador into thofe parts for their fervice*. Virginia and New England were in a great meafure planted; Barbadoes poffeffed and fettled, and Bermudas difcovered in his time. Even the attempts made for fixing colonies in Newfoundland, and Acadia, or New Scotland, though ineffectual, occafioned building a great many good ships, increased the Newfoundland fishery, added to the number of our failors, and kept alive that spirit of discovering, which is effential to a beneficial commerce. Belide, they engaged abundance of knowing and experienced perfons to write upon all branches of traffic; and their books, which yet remain, fufficiently prove, that there were numbers in those days, who thoroughly understood all the arts neceffary to promote manufactures, navigation and useful commerce.

As to the navy, which was more particularly the care of the crown, we find it frequently engaged the attention of the king himself, as well as of his minifters. In most of our naval hiftories, we have a lift of nine fhips added to the royal navy of England by this prince. But of the greateft fhip built in this king's reign, we have fo exact, and at the fame time fo authentic an account, in Stow's Annals, that it may not be amifs to tranfcribe it.

"This year, 1610, the king built a moft goodly fhip for war; the keel whereor was one hundred and fourteen feet long, and the crofs-beam was forty-four feet in length. fhe will carry fixty-four pieces of great ordinance, and is of the burthen of fourteen hundred tons. This royal fhip is double built, and is most fumptuously adorned, within and without, with all

* See Sir Thomas Roe's embaffy, in vol. 6.

man

manner of curious carving, painting, and rich gilding, being in all refpects the greatest and goodlieft ship that ever was built in England; and this glorious fhip the king gave unto his fon Henry prince of Wales. The 24th of September, the king, the queen, the prince of Wales, the duke of York, and the lady Elizabeth, with many other lords, went unto Woolwich, to fee it launched; but because of the narrowness of the dock, it could not then be launched: whereupon the prince came the next morning by three o'clock, and then, at the launching thereof, the prince named it after his own dignity, and called it The Prince. The great workmaster in building this ship, was mafter Phineas Pet, gentleman, fometime master of arts of Emanuel College in Cambridge."

In the fame author, we have an account of the king's going on board the great Eaft India fhip of twelve hundred tons, which was built here, and feems to have been the firft of that fize launched in this kingdom. The king called it, The Trade's Increase; and a pinnace of two hundred and fifty tons, which was built at the fame time, he called, The PepperCorn. This fhews that he was a favourer of navigation. The king alfo granted a commiffion of enquiry, for reforming the abuses in the navy; the proceedings upon which are still preferved in the Cottonlibrary. He was liberal also to seamen, and naturally inclined to do them honour; but as in other things, fo in this, he was too much governed by his favourites.

Upon the demise of king James, his only fon Charles prince of Wales fucceeded him; not only quietly, and without disturbance, but with the general approbation of his fubjects. He was then in the flower of his age, had fhewn himself poffeffed of great abilities; and after the breaking off the Spanish match, he rendered himself for a time very popular by his conduct. His father left him in a fituation much incumbered.

cumbered at the time of his decease; for the government was deeply in debt, a war with Spain was juft begun, and his prime minifter, the duke of Buckingham, who had been likewise his father's, was generally hated. In this fad ftate of public affairs, every thing was fubject to wrong conftructions: Eight thousand men, raised for the fervice of the Palatinate, were ordered to rendezvous at Plymouth; and in their paffage thither, coat and conduct-money were demanded of the country, to be repaid out of the Exchequer. The behaviour of thefe troops was very licentious; and the long continuance of peace, made it appear ftill a greater grievance. The clamour thereupon grew high; and the king, to remedy this evil, granted a commiffion for executing martial-law; which, inftead of being confidered as a remedy, was taken for a new grievance, more heavy than any of the reft.

During the time that Buckingham remained in the king's council, all things were attributed to him; and the nation was fo prejudiced against him, that whatever was reputed to be done by him, was thought a grievance: and though no man faw this more elearly than the king, yet by an infatuation, not eafily to be accounted for, he trusted him as much, and loved him much more than his father had ever dore.

The marriage of Charles with the princess HenriettaMaria, daughter to Henry IV. of France, had been concluded in the life-time of king James, and after his deceafe, the king was married to her by proxy. In the month of June, 1625, Buckingham went to attend her with the royal navy, and brought her to Dover; from thence fhe came to Canterbury, where the marriage was confummated: and on the 16th of the fame month, their majeities entered London privarely, the plague daily increafing in the fuburbs. It was not long before an unfortunate tranfaction renered this marriage difagreeable to the people, and

as this related to the navy, it falls particularly under our cognizance; which we fhall therefore handle more at large, becaufe in mot of our general hiftories it is treated very confufedly.

The marquis d'Effiat, ambaffador from France to king James, had reprefented to his majefty, that the power of the catholic king in Italy was dangerous to all Europe; that his mafter was equally inclined with his Britannic majefly to curtail it: but wanting a fuf-. ficient maritime force, was defirous of borrowing from his majesty a few hips, to enable him to execute the defiga he had formed against Genoa. To this the king condefcended; and it was agreed, that the Great Neptune, a man of war, commanded by Sir Ferdinando Gorges, and fix merchant ships, each of between three and four hundred tons burden, fhould be lent to the French: but foon after this agreement, the Rochellers made an application here, fignifying, that they had juft grounds to apprehend, that this English fquadron would be employed for deftroying the proteftant intereft in France, instead of diminishing the king of Spain's power in Italy.

The duke of Buckingham, knowing that this would be little relifhed by captain Pennington, who was to go admiral of the fleet, and the owners of the fhips; he gave them private inftructions, contrary to the public contract with France, whereby they were directed not to ferve against Rochelle: but upon their coming into a French port, in the month of May, they were told by the duke of Montmorency, that they were intended to ferve, and fhould ferve against Rochelle; upon which, the failors on board the fleet figned, what is called by them, a round Robin, that is, a paper containing their refolution not to engage in that fervice, with their names fubfcribed in a circle, that it might not be difcerned who signed first. Upon this, Pennington fairly failed away with the whole fquadron, and returned into the Downs in the VOL. VII.

R

beginning of July; from whence he fent a letter to the duke of Buckingham, defiring to be excufed from that fervice. The duke, without acquainting the king, or confulting the council, directed lord Conway, then fecretary of ftate, to write a letter to captain Pennington, commanding him to put all the fhips into the hands of the French. This, however, not taking effect, the duke fuperftitiously, and without the king's knowing any thing of the defign upon Rochelle, procured his letter to captain Pennington, to the fame effect. Upon this, in the month of Auguft, he failed a fecond time to Dieppe, where, according to his inftructions, the merchant ships were delivered to the French; but Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who commanded the king's fhip, weighed anchor and put to fea and fo honeft were all the feamen on board thefe fhips, that, except one gunner, they all quitted them, and returned to England: but as for the ships, they remained with the French, and were actually employed againft Rochelle, contrary to the king's intention, and to the very high difhonour of the nation. This affair made a great noife, and came at laft to form an article in an impeachment against the duke of Buckingham.

In the mean time the defign ftill went on of attacking and invading Spain, and a ftout fleet was provided for that purpofe; but as Buckingham, in quality of lord high-admiral, had the fupream direction or that affair, the nation looked upon it with an evil eye, and were not fo much difpleafed at its mifcarriage, as glad of an opportunity of railing at the duke, and those who, by his influence, were entrusted with the command of the fleet, and forces on board it. The whole of this tranfaction has been very differently related, according to the humours of thofe who penned the accounts; however, there are very authentic memoirs remaining, which inform us that this war with Spain was chiefly of the duke of

Buck