of the English gentry, under so mild and benign a prince, Appendix. might merit that appellation

THE Condition of the king's revenue, as it stood in 1617, is thus ftated ". Of crown lands, 80,000 pounds a year; by customs and new impofitions, near 190,000; by wards and other various branches of revenue, befides. purveyance, 180,000. The whole amounting to 450,000. The king's ordinary disbursements, by the fame account, are faid to exceed this fum thirty-fix thousand pounds *. All the extraordinary fums, which he had raised by subfidies, loans, fale of lands, fale of the title of baronet, money paid by the ftates, and by the king of France, benevolences, &c. were, in the whole, about two millions two hundred thousand pounds. Of which the fale of lands afforded feven hundred and feventy-five thousand pounds. The extraordinary disbursements of the king amounted to two millions; befides above four hundred thousand pounds given in prefents. Upon the whole, a fufficient reafon appears, partly from neceffary expences, partly from want of a rigid economy, why the king, even early in his reign, was very deeply involved in debt, and found great difficulty to fupport the government.

FARMERS, not commiffioners, levied the customs. It feems, indeed, requifite, that the former method fhould always be tried before the latter; though a preferable one, When men's own intereft is concerned, they fall upon an hundred expedients to prevent frauds in the merchants; and these the public may afterwards imitate, in establishing proper rules for its officers.

THE Customs were fuppofed to amount to five per cent. of the value, and were levied upon exports, as well as imports. Nay, the impofition upon exports, by James's additions, is faid to amount, in fome few inftances, to twenty five per cent. This practice, fo hurtful to industry, prevails ftill in France, Spain, and most countries of Europe. The customs in 1604, yielded 127,000 pounds a year They rofe to 160,000 towards the end of the reign 2. Some accounts make them amount to 190,000 pounds. INTEREST,

U See abftract, or brief declaration of his majefty's revenue, with the affignations and defalcations upon the fame.

X The excefs was formerly greater, as app ars by Salif bury's account. See chap. 2. Y Journ. 21 May, 1604. Z Idem, 31 May, 1621.

Appendix,

INTEREST, during this reign, was at ten per cent. till 1624, when it was reduced to eight. This high interest is an indication of the great profits and fmall progrefs of commerce.

THE extraordinary fupplies granted by parliament, during this whole reign, amounted not to more than 630,000 pounds; which, divided among twenty-one years, make 30,000 pounds a year. I do not include thofe fupplies, amounting to 300,000 pounds, which were given the king by his laft parliament. These were paid in to their own commiffioners; and the expences of the Spanish war were much more than fufficient to exhaust them. The diftreffed family of the Palatine was a great burthen on James, during part of his reign. The king, it is pretended, poffeffed not frugality, proportioned to the extreme narrowness of his revenue. Splendid equipages, however, he did not affect, nor coftly furniture, nor a luxurious table, nor prodigal mistreffes. His buildings too were not fumptuous; though the banquetting house must not be forgot, as a monument, which does honour to his reign. Hunting was his chief amusement, the cheapest pleasure in which a king can indulge himself. His expences were the effect of liberality, rather than of luxury.

ONE day, it is faid, while he was standing amidst fome of his courtiers, a porter paffed by, loaded with money, which he was carrying to the treasury. The king obferved, that Rich, afterwards earl of Holland, one of his handsome agreeable favourites, whispered fomething to one ftanding near him. Upon enquiry, he found, that Rich had faid, how happy would that money make me! Without hesitation, James bestowed it all upon him, though it amounted to 3000 pounds. He added, You think yourself very happy in obtaining fo large a fum; but I am more happy, in having an opportunity of obliging a worthy man whom I love. The generofity of James was more the refult of a benign humour or light fancy, than of reafon or judgment. The objects of it were fuch as could render themselves agreeable to him in his loofe hours; not fuch as were endowed with great merit, or who poffeffed talents or popularity, which could ftrengthen his intereft with the people.

SUBSIDIES and fifteenths are frequently mentioned by historians; but neither the amount of these taxes,

nor

nor the method of levying them, have been well explain- Appendix. ed. It appears, that the fifteenths formerly correfponded to the name, and were that proportionable part of the moveables A. But a valuation being made, during the reign of Edward III. that valuation was always adhered to, and each town paid unalterably a particular fum, which they themselves affeffed upon the inhabitants. The same tax in corporate towns was called a tenth; because there it was, at firft, atenth of the moveables. The whole amount of a tenth and fifteenth through the kingdom, or a fifteenth, as it is often more concifely called, was about 29,000 pounds B. The amount of a fubfidy was not invariable, like that of a fifteenth. In the eighth of Elizabeth, a fubfidy amounted to 120,000 pounds: In the fortieth, it was not above 78,000 C. It afterwards fell to 70,000; and was continually decreafing ". The reason is easily collected from the method of levying it. We may learn from the fubfidy bills E, that one fubfidy was given for four fhillings in the pound on land, and two fhillings and eight pence on moveables throughout the counties; a confiderable tax, had it been strictly levied. But this was only the antient state of a fubfidy. During the reign of James, there was not paid the twentieth part of that fum. The tax was fo far personal, that a man paid only in the county where he lived, though he should poffefs eftates in other counties; and the affeffors formed a loose estimation of his property, and rated him accordingly. To preferve, however, fome rule in the estimation, it seems to have been the practice to keep an eye to former affeffements, and to rate every man according as his ancestors, or men, of fuch an eftimated property, were accustomed to pay. This was a fufficient reafon, why fubfidies could not encrease, notwithstanding the great increase of money and rife of rents. But there was an evident reafon, why they continually decreased. The favour, as is natural to fuppofe, ran always against the crown; efpecially during the latter end of Elizabeth, when fubfidies became numerous and frequent, and the fums levied were confiderable, compar VOL. VI.

L

▲ Coke's Inft. book iv. chap. i. of fifteenths, quinzins.

B Id. fubfidies temporary.

Journ. 11 July 1610.

D Coke's Inft. book iv. chap i. fubfidies temporary.

See ftatutes at large.

ed

Appendix. ed to former fupplies. The affeffors, though accustomed to have an eye to antient estimations, were not bound to obferve any fuch rule; but might rate anew any perfon, according to his present income. When rents fell, or parts of an estate were sold off, the proprietor was fure to represent these loffes, and obtain a diminution of his fubfidy; but where rents rofe, or new lands were purchased, he kept his own fecret, and paid no more than formerly. The advantage, therefore, of every change was taken against the crown; and the crown could obtain the advantage of none. And to make the matter worse, the alterations, which happened in property during this age, were, in general, unfavourable to the Crown. The fmall proprietors, or twenty-pound men, went continually to decay; and when their eftates were fwallowed up by a greater, the new purchaser increased not his fubfidy. So loofe indeed is the whole method of rating fubfidies, that the wonder was not how the tax fhould continually diminish; but how it yielded any revenue at all. It became at last fo unequal and uncertain, that the parliament was obliged to change it into a land

tax.

THE price of corn, during this reign, and by confequence, that of the other neceffaries of life, was no lower, or was rather higher, than at prefent. By a proclamation of James, establishing public magazines, whenever wheat fell below thirty-two fhillings a quarter, rye below eighteen, barley below fixteen, the commissioners were empowered to purchase corn for the magazines F. Thefe prices then are to be regarded as low; though they would rather pass for high by our present eftimation. The ufual bread of the poor was at this time made of barley G. The best wool, during the greatest part of James's reign, was at thirty-three fhillings a toa: At prefent, it is not above two thirds of that value; though it is to be prefumed, that our exports in woollen goods are somewhat increased. The finer manufactures too, by the progréfs of arts and industry, have rather diminished in price, notwithstanding the great increase of money. In Shakespear, the hostefs tells Falstaff, that the fhirts the bought him were holland, at eight shillings a yard;

F Rymer, tom. xvii. p. 526. To the fame purpose, fee alfo 21 Jac. vi. cap. 28. Rymer, tom. xx. p. 157.

G

a yard; a very high price at this day, even fuppofing, Appendix. what is not probable, that the best holland at that time was equal in goodness to the best which can now be purchased. In like manner, a yard of velvet, about the middle of Elizabeth's reign, was valued at two and twenty fhillings H. I have not been able by any inquiry to learn the common price of butcher's meat during the reign of James'. But as bread is the chief article of food, and its price regulates that of every thing else, we may prefume, that cattle bore a high value as well as corn. Befides, we must confider, that the general turn of that age, which no laws could prevent, was the converting arable land into pasture: A certain proof that the latter was found more profitable, and confequently that all butcher's meat, as well as bread, was rather higher than at present. We have a regulation of the market with regard to poultry and fome other articles, very early in Charles the firft's reign K; and the prices are high. A turkey cock four fhillings and fixpence, a turkey hen three fhillings, a pheasant cock fix fhillings, a pheafant hen five fhillings, a partridge one fhilling, a goose two fhillings, a capon two and fixpence, a pullet one and fixpence, a rabbit eight pence, a dozen of pigeons fix fhillings L. We must confider, that London at prefent is more than three times the bulk it was at that time. circumstance, which much increases the price of poultry, and of every thing that cannot conveniently be brought from a distance: Not to mention, that thefe regulations by authority are always calculated to diminish, never to encrease, the market prices. The contractors for victualling the navy were allowed by government eight pence a day for the diet of each man, when in harbour, feven L 2 pence

A

See a compendium or dialogue inferted in the Memoirs of wool, chap. 23.

The author has fince difcovered in Dr. Birch's Life of prince Henry, that that prince made an allowance of near a groat pound, throughout the year, for all the beef and mutton ufed in his family. See p. 449. This price agrees very well with the calculations here delivered.

K Rymer, tom. xix. p. 511.

L We may judge of the great grievance of purveyance by this circumftance, that the purveyors often gave but fixpence for a dozen of pigeons, and two pence for a fowl. Journ. 25 May, 1626.