No ſooner was King James come to the Crown, but all the Reputation we had acquir'd in her glorious Reign was eclips'd, and we became the ſcorn of all Nations about us, contemned even by that State we had created, who inſulted us at Sea, ſeiz'd Amboyna,[1] Polcroon, Seran, and other Places in the Eaſt-Indies, by which they in-
groſs'd that moſt profitable Trade of Spices; fiſh'd upon our Coaſts without paying the cuſtomary Tribute, and at the ſame time prevail'd with the King to deliver up the Cautionary Towns of Brill, Ramekins, and Fluſhing, for a very ſmall Conſideration, tho' there were near fix Millions Arrears. He ſquandred the public Treaſure, diſcountenanc'd all the great Men who were rais'd in the glorious Reign of his Predeceſſor, cut off Sir Walter Raleigh's Head, advanced Favourites of his own, Men of no Merit, to the higheſt Preferment; and to maintain their Profuſeneſs, he granted them Monopolies, infinite Projects, proſtituted Honours for Money, rais'd Bevevo-
lences and Loans without Authority of Parliament. And when theſe Grievances were complain'd of there, he committed many of the principal Members without Bail or Mainpriſe, as he did afterwards for preſuming to ad-
dreſs him againſt the Spaniſh Match. He pardon'd the Earl of Somerſet and his Wife for Sir Thomas Overbury's Murder, after he had imprecated all the Curſes of Hea-
ven upon himſelf and his Poſterity; and it was general-
ly thought becauſe the Earl was Acceſſary to the poiſoning Prince Henry.[2] He permitted his Son-in-law to be ejected out of his Principalities, and the Proteſtant In-
tereſt to be run down in Germany and France, while he was bubbled nine Years together with the hopes of the Spaniſh Match, and a great Fortune. Afterwards he made a diſhonourable Treaty of Marriage with France, giving the Papiſts Liberty of Conſcience; and indeed, as he often declared, he was no otherwiſe an Enemy to Po-
pery, than for their depoſing of Kings, and King-killing Doctrine. In Ireland he gave them all the incouragement he durſt; which Policy has been follow'd by all his Suc-
ceſſors ſince to this preſent Reign, and has ſerv'd 'em to two purpoſes: One is, by this they have had a pretence to keep up Standing Armies there to awe the Natives: and the other, that they might make uſe of the Natives
- ↑ cf. Amboyna massacre
- ↑ Trenchard here seems to oppose the prevailing opinion that Prince Henry died of natural causes; it is now widely accepted that he died of typhoid fever.
