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Show 112 4· Plenty and wealth. I. ObfervationJ upon A LibeU,publijhed,In Anno 119 z. thofe of Leeth:> thofe of New-Haven, the fecond Expedition i'nto scotland, the wars of Spain, which I reckon, from the year 86, or 87; (before which time, neither had the King of spain, withdrawn his Emba.!Jadours,here refiding; neither had her Majifiy,re-lceived into proteCtion,the united Provinces, ofthe.LowCoun~ries;) And the Aiel of France; They have not occupied, 1n ttme, ::~ third part of her Maje.fties Raign;, Nor confumed, pafl: two, of my Noble Ho":fe; whereof France t~ok one, and Flanders another: And very few, belides, of ~ality, or Appearance. They have (carce, mowed down, the overcharge of the People, wirhin the Re"lm. It is therefore true, that the Kings aforefaid, and others her Maieflies Progrnitour:r, have been Vif1orious, in their fVars;And have made, many FamosH, and A-lemoraUe, Voyages, and Expedi . tions, into fimdry parts; And that her M-zjefly, contrary wife, from the bginniog, put on, a· firm Re~ lution, to content her felf, within thofe Limits of her Dominioni, which fhe received; And to entertain Peace, with her Neighbmtr princes; which R.efolution, {be hath ever fince, ( notwichfianding, fhe hath had Kare opportunities, Juft claims, ttnd pretences, and great, and mighty Mean,,) fought to continue. But if, this be objected, to be the leffe Honourable Fortune; I anf wer, that ever,amongft the Heathen, who held not, the Expence of Blood, Co precious, as Chrijiiam ought to do; The peaceable Government of Aug«flusC£far, was ever,as hig~ly efteemed, as the Villories,of ']ulini,his Uncle; .and that the Name, of Pater Patri£, was ever as Honourable, a§ that of propagator Imperii. And thi ~, I adde further~ that during this inward Peace of fo m•my year!', in the ACtions of War,before men· ttoned, which her Majejfy, either in her own Defence, or in 1~fi, and Honourable .Aides, hath undertaken; The .Service hath been fuch, as hath carr.ed, no Note, of a People, whofe Militi11, were degenerated, thro11gh Long Peace; But hath, every way,anfwerc: d, the ancient Reputatron, of the Englifh ArtJts. The fourth Blejjing, is Plenty, and Abundante: And firft, for Grain, and all Vittualls, there cannot be, more evident Proof, of the Plenty, then this. That, whereas England, was wont, to be fed, by other Countries, fron1 the Eaft, it fufficeth now, to feed, other Cozmtries. So as we do, many times, tranfport, and fetve, fundry Fori'ain Countrui; And yet, there was never, the like lV!ulfltude of People, to eat it, within the Realm. Another evident Ptoof there· l~ rna y be, that the good yields of Corn, which have been, together with fome 7olleration of Vent, hath, of late time, invited, and enticed Men, to break up more Ground, and to convert it to Tdlage, then all the Penal Laws, for that purpofe,made=> and enacred5 could ever, by Gompulfion, effect A third Proof may be, that the Prices of Grain, and VilJtJ~tll, were never, of late years, more Reafonable. Now for Argumen~s of the great wealth, In all other Ref peers, let the Points follawtng be confidered. There was never, the like Number, of fair, and Stately HeNIu). • __ O,bfervationJ up01t a LibelJ, publifhecl, liz .A.nno, IS 9 ~ .. ! es, .as ~ave ?een built, and fet up, from the Ground, fi ce her JJ1a;efh.es Ratgn :· lnfomnch, th~t there have been reckoned, in one shrre, th~t IS not great, to the Number, of 'Y" • Whi h h "· b.1 een a 11 , new b u1" 1 t_, W.i t h.m t h at ti. me: And w:> h:>e' reof thce Maevae-neil, was never budt, for two Thoufand pounds. There were never, the like Pleafures of,poodly Gardeni and OrciJards,.IVali<!, Pooles~ and Park!, as do ad or~; almoit, every A~.mji(} n Houje. There was never, the Iik~ Number, of Bcau tifulJ, and Coflly, Tombe.s, and Mon11ments, which are ereCted, in fundry ch11rches in' Honourable 1/.fcmo?, of the Dead. ' There wns never, the like Quantity ofrl~ete jewels sumptltous Moveables, and SI11J, as is now, within the Retd;t. • There was never, _the like ~antity, of Waft, and 11nprofttable Ground, Inned, Reclt~zmed, and Improved. There was never, the like HuJ!Janding of a11 Sorts of Ground~ by Fencing, 1Uam1ri1zg, and all kinds, ofg~od H1uba#dry. ' !h.e Tolvr:s_, were never better builr, nor peopled ; Nor the pnncipall Fazres, and Mark_et.J, never better cufiomed nor fre-quented. ' The C.ommodities, and Eafe, of Rivers, cut by hand, and brought Into a new Channell; Of l'eeres, that have been built; Of Waters, that have been forced, and brought, againfi the Grou11d were never fo many. ' There was never, fo many excellent Artificers nor fo many new Ha'!dJ:Crafts, ufed, and exercifed ; Nor ne\~ ComtJJodities, n~ade Within t~e Realm; S11gar ; Paper ; Gltif/e ; copper· diver:'! sz/4.! ; and the l1ke. ' f There was never, fuch Compleat, and Honourable Provifion ··~ 3 4· 5· 6. 7· 8. 9· 10. 0 Horfe;-:Jrmour,J'f'caponi,Ordnanceofthei'J7arr. ' I I • The F1ft~ ~lejjmg, hath b~en:' the grea.t Pop1tlation, and 11.1u.lti. 5. r11creafe 0 tud.c, of Famd,u,~ncreafed withm her Mtyefties dayes; For which People. P_mn~, I refer my Self, to the Proclamatio11s, of Rejtrai1tt, of Buil-dmg, t_n London; The Inhibition,of InnMte.r, of fun dry Cit ties 1 The Rifiramt, of Cotltlgci, by A[J of Parliamutt) And fundry other To-k._ cn.r, of Record, ot the StJrcharge, of People. Befide_s ~hefe parts of a Government,bleffed from God, wherein, 6. Reforma-t~ e Co~dttwn of th~ People, .hath been more happy, in her JyJ,tje- tion in Religiftres ~~m~s, the~! ~n the Ttmes, of her Progenito'11rs; There are on. certai~ Smgulanttes, :;tnd Particulars, of her ll1ujeflies Raign, wherem, I do not fay,that we have enjoyed them in a more am .. tie Degre:, and Proportion, then in former Ag~s; ( A'b it hath . allen out, In the Points, before tnentioned;) But fucb, as were, m Eff~tt_, ~nrkno:vn, .and untafred, heretofore. As firfr, the PuritytfRelrgron, whtch IS a Benefit Ineftimablc; And was, in the time o all former Princes, untill the dayes, of her .lltcljcfties Father of FamOJes .111emor,y; unheard of. Out of which PRrity ofRelilion have fince enfued, befide the principall EffeCt, of the true Kvow~ · Q ledge, |