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coafts of these islands were exposed to the rapine and barbarity of the Turks (11), who carried numbers into captivity.-So feeble

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by those base people, the king of Spain would reft well fatisfied, and not at all regard the loffe of those fhips; for the next year they intended to have five times as many in these feas as were in that fleete. Arens hath, fince my last writing to your lordship, excufed with the best reafons he could bring, the car(2)Sydney's riage of their admiral in the Downs (w).'- 'Tis, I ftate-papers, think, plain, from comparing these relations, that the vol. ii. P. behaviour of the Dutch in this affair arofe chiefly from 625.

p.

the confideration of the weakness of Charles. The English court confidered it as an infult: they expected an apology for it; and the Dutch ambaffador made the best excuse he was able, which, probably, was but a very poor one. A fpirited prince would have had a fatisfaction as public as the injury itself, and thereby have fhewn the world that he was worthy of the fovereignty of those seas which he claimed. May it never again be the fate of the British nation to be thus treated; but may it always affert its rights, and avenge itself on those who fhall prefume to fet its power at defiance! Wife and honeft counfels, public economy, vigorous measures, and a regard to the fubjects liberty, will enable a British king to render himself respectable to his fellow fovereigns, and effectually hinder them from treating him with contempt, either by words or actions. Heaven grant fuch a prince may be the lot of this ifland at all times!

(11) The hips of these islands were expofed to the rapine and barbarity of the Turks.] I will confirm this by authorities moft unexceptionable. Lord Wentworth, appointed lord-deputy of Ireland, in a letter to the lordtreasurer, dated Westminster, 9th June, 1633, writes as follows: They write me lamentable news forth of Ireland, what fpoil is done there by the pirates. There ⚫ is one lyes upon the Welch coaft, which it seems is the 6 • great

was the government, or fo carelefs of the welfare of the people!

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greateft veffel, commanded by Norman: another in a ❝ veffel of fome fixty tons, called the Pickpocket of Dover, lies in fight of Dublin: and another lies near Youghall, 'who do so infeft every quarter, as the farmers have al'ready loft in their cuftoms a thousand pounds at least: all trade being by this means at a stand. The pirate that lyes before Dublin, took, on the 20th of the last • month, a bark of Liverpool, with goods worth 40007. and amongst them as much linnen as coft me 500 1. ⚫ and in good faith, I fear I have loft my apparel too; which if it be fo, will be as much lofs more unto me: • befides the inconvenience which lights upon me, by being disappointed of my provifions upon the place. By my faith, this is but a cold welcome they bring me withall to that coaft, and yet I am glad at least that they escaped my plate; but the fear I had to be thought to linger here unprofitably, forced me to make this venture; where now I wish I had had a little more care of my goods, as well as of my perfon. The same • villain fet upon a Dutchman the 19th of the fame month, and boarded her; but they defended themselves fo well, as having blown up four of his men, the pirate gave them over: but in revenge he light of another Hollander, on the one and twentieth day, and pursued ⚫ her fo near, as enforced them to run on ground, to save themselves within fight of Dublin. The pirate, for all that, gave them not over; but in defpight of all the help the lords juftices could give them from land (by fending men to beat him off the fhore), entered and rifled the bark, taking out what they pleased, setting her on fire, fo as there fhe burnt two days together, 'till it came to the water, and was then all in a flame, "when my coufin Radcliffe writ me that letter, to be • feen forth of his majesty's caftle. She was about two hundred tun in content. The lofs and mifery of this is not fo great, as the fcorn that fuch a picking villain as this, fhould dare to do these infolences in the face of

• that

(x) Straf

forde's let

i. p. 90.

However, in juftice to the memory of this prince, the reader ought to be informed, that

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that state, and to pafs away without controul: yet I befeech your lordship, give me leave to tell you once ⚫ for all, that if there be not a more timely and conftant courfe held hereafter in fetting forth the fhips for guarding the coaft there, by the admiralty here, the money paid for that purpose thence, is abfolutely caft away; the farmers of the cuftoms will be directly undone, and the whole kingdom grow beggarly and barbarous, ⚫ for want of trade and commerce (x). And in another ters and dif- of his letters to Mr. fecretary Coke, dated 3d June, 1633, patches, vol. we have the following paffage. Here enclosed I have fent you two letters, by which you will find, what a difquiet is given to the trades and commerce of that kingdom, through the daily robbing and spoil the pyrates do upon the fubjects in those parts, fo as it were madness in me to think of croffing the fea, without captain Plumleigh to carry me and my company over in fafety. The pyrate hath already light of two hundred pounds of my goods; but I fhould be forry indeed his majesty's deputy were endangered through my untimely hafte, and, which is more, my mafter's honour fuffer thereby over all Christendom, in which relation I hold myself more bound to look to myself, that I neither fuffer nor do any mean thing, than in any other refpect whatsoever, to my own private. Captain Plumleigh is now at length got forth of the river, which, I am fure, I have by all means follicited the dispatch of, and have at length been forced to lay forth feven hundred pounds ' of my own money to fet him forward, fo far I am from ftudying unneceffary delays; and now, God willing, fo foon as ever I fhall have notice that the king's fhip is ready to carry me over, I will not ftay a minute of time in this place; but to ftir before were of no use at all, faving to put an unneceflary charge upon his majefty by my bills of transportation (y). How low in thefe times was the British marine! how little regarded its power! But to go on.-The lords juftices of Ire

(y) Id. p. 87.

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land,

that once he afferted the right of the crown

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land, in a letter to the lord-deputy, dated Dublin, Feb. 26, 1631, acquaints him, That they had lately, by their letters, humbly reprefented to the lords of his ma< jesty's most honourable privy-council, certain intelligences which they had received of attempts intended by the Turks the next fummer, against the western coafts of Munfter. Since which difpatch, fay they, we have received further advertizements which confirm us in a belief that they do indeed intend fome attempt • against us. And although the place of their descent here is yet uncertain, yet we find reafon to conceive that Baltimore (a weak English corporation on the feacoaft, in the weft part of that provence, whence the Turks took the laft fummer above a hundred English inhabitants) is not the most unlikely place they may attempt (z). And the lord-deputy Wentworth, in a (2) Straf-, letter to Laud, archbishop of Canterbury, dated Gawthorp, ters and difAug. 17, 1636, writes as follows: The pillage the patches, vol. Turks have done upon the coaft is moft infufferable, i. p. 68. ' and to have our fubjects thus ravished from us, and at after to be from Rochelle driven over land in chains to Marfeilles, all this under the fun, is the most infamous ufage of a chriftian king, by him fufferred that wears ' most christian in his title, that I think was ever heard of. Surely I am of opinion, if this be paft over in filence, the fhipping bufinefs will not only be much backened by it, but the fovereignty of the narrow feas become an empty title, and all our trade in fine utterly • loft (a).

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In a letter to Mr. fecretary Coke, dated Wentworth, Sept. 16, 1636, he has thefe words alío. The Turks

ftill annoy that coaft [the Irish]. They came of late into the harbour of Corke, took a boat which had eight • fishermen in her, and gave chace to two more, which 'faved themselves amongst the rocks, the townsmen looking on the whilft, without means to help them. This is an oppreffion to make a wife man mad indeed, • that these miscreants should at our doors do us this • open

forde's let

(a) Id. vol. il. p. 25.

(b) Straf

ters and dif

ji. p. 34.
(c) Memoirs,

P. 50.

(d) Waller's poems, &c. by Fenton,

p. 271, 8vo. Lond. 1730.

of England to the dominion of the British feas,

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open dishonour, and will require both a speedy and thorough remedy, fuch as may carry our fafety along with it for the future, it being moft certain, that vifibly already, there will be at the leaft feven or eight thoufand pounds lofs in those cuftoms this half year; and if this fhould continue but one year more, would prejudice the trade of both kingdoms, more than I fear forde's let-could be repaired in many years again, with extream patches, vol. prejudice to the crown, more than is yet foreseen (b).' Sir Philip Warwick also observes, that the Argier pirats infefted our feas, even in our own channel (c).' They even made fuch captures, that, according to Mr. Waller, they had in the year 1641, between four and 'five thousand of our countrymen captives in that country (d).' No wonder then the house of commons appointed a committee to receive, and to take into confideration, the petitions that are or fhall be preferred on the behalf of the prisoners and captives of Algiers, • Tunis, or elsewhere, under the Turks dominions, and to present the ftate of them to the house, and fome fpeedy way for their redrefs.' This was on the 10th of Decemb. 1640. On May 24th, 1641, upon Mr. • King's report from the committee for the captives of Algiers, it was refolved, that his majesty be moved to • fend fome fit perfon, at the charge of the merchants, to the Grand Seignior, to demand the English captives • in Algiers, and other the Turks dominions; and that in • fome convenient time after fuch perfon's departure out • of England, a fleet of twenty fhips and pinances be sent to Algiers, to affail the town and their fhips, if the captives be not delivered upon demand (e). A refolution this, worthy of the reprefentatives of a brave and free people! But through the hurry of the times, and the calamities of the civil war which enfued, it came to nothing, and the Turks continued their depredations: (f) Sym- for in July, 1645, twenty-fix children were taken at mon's vindi- ( cation of K. once by the Turks from off the coafts of Cornwall (ƒ);"

(e) Rufhworth, vol.

iv. p. 92,

276.

Charles, P.

110.

So

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