viting greater numbers, every one was allowed to think and live his own way. The French fettlement in the mean time went flowly forward, too inconfi. derable to raise any jealoufy, and too weak to attempt any encroachments.

When Cromwell died, the confufions that followed produced the restoration of monarchy, and fome time was employed in repairing the ruins of our conftitution, and restoring the nation to a flate of peace. In every change there will be many that fuffer real or imaginary grievances, and therefore many will be diffatisfied. This was, perhaps, the reafon why feveral colonies had their beginning in the reign of Charles the Second. The Quakers willingly fought refuge in Pennfylvania; and it is not unlikely that Carolina owed its inhabitants to the remains of that reftlefs difpofition, which had given fo much difturbance to our country, and had now no opportunity of acting at home.

The Dutch still continuing to increase in wealth and power, either kindled the refentment of their neighbours by their infolence, or raised their envy by their profperity. Charles made war upon them without much advantage: but they were obliged at laft to confess him the fovereign of the narrow feas. They were reduced almost to extremities by an invafion from France; but foon recovered from their confternation, and, by the fluctuation of war, regained their cities and provinces with the fame fpeed as they had loft them.

During the time of Charles the Second the power of France was every day increafing; and Charles, who never difturbed himfelf with remote conle

VOL. II.

X

quences,

quences, faw the progrefs of her arms, and the extenfion of her dominions, with very little uneafinefs. He was indeed fometimes driven by the prevailing faction into confederacies against her; but as he had, probably, a fecret partiality in her favour, he never perfevered long in acting against her, nor ever acted with much vigour: fo that, by his feeble refiftance, he rather railed her confidence than hindered her defigns.

About this time the French firft began to perceive the advantage of commerce, and the importance of a naval force; and fuch encouragement was given to manufactures, and fo eagerly was every project received by which trade could be advanced, that, in a few years, the fea was filled with their fhips, and all the parts of the world crouded with their merchants. There is, perhaps, no inftance in human ftory of fuch a change produced, in fo fhort a time, in the fchemes and manners of a people, of fo many new fources of wealth opened, and fuch numbers of artificers and merchants made to ftart out of the ground, as was feen in the miniftry of Colbert.

Now it was that the power of France became formidable to England. Her dominions were large before, and her armies numerous; but her operations were neceffarily confined to the continent. She had neither hips for the transportation of her troops, nor money for their fupport in diftant expeditions. Colbert

w both thefe wants, and faw that commerce only would fupply them. The fertility of their country furnithes the French with commodities; the poverty of the common people keeps the price of labour low,

By

By the obvious practice of felling much and buying little, it was apparent that they would foon draw the wealth of other countries into their own; and by carrying out their merchandize in their own veffels, a numerous body of failors would quickly be raised.

This was projected, and this was performed. The king of France was foon enabled to bribe thofe whom he could not conquer, and to terrify with his fleets thofe whom his armies could not have approached. The influence of France was fuddenly diffused all over the globe; her arms were dreaded, and her pensions received in remote regions, and those were almost ready to acknowledge her fovereignty, who, a few years before, had scarcely heard her name. She thundered on the coasts of Africa, and received ambaffadors from Siam.

So much may be done by one wife man endeavouring with honefty the advantage of the publick. But that we may not rafhly condemn all minifters as wanting wifdom or integrity, whofe counfels have produced no fuch apparent benefits to their country, it must be confidered, that Colbert had means of acting, which our government does not allow. He could enforce all his orders by the power of an abfolute monarch; he could compel individuals to facrifice their private profit to the general good; he could make one understanding prefide over many hands, and remove difficulties by quick and violent expedients. Where no man thinks himfelf under any obligation to fubmit to another, and, inftead of co-operating in one great fcheme, every one haftens through by-paths to private profit, no great change

can fuddenly be made; nor is fuperior knowledge of much effect, where every man refolves to use his own eyes and his own judgment, and every one applauds his own dexterity and diligence, in proportion as he becomes rich fooner than his neighbour.

Colonies are always the effects and caufes of navigation. They who vifit many countries find fome in which pleasure, profit, or fafety invite them to fettle; and these fettlements, when they are once made, muft keep a perpetual correfpondence with the original country to which they are fubject, and on which they depend for protection in danger, and fupplies in neceffity. So that a country once discovered and planted, muft always find employment for fhipping, more certainly than any foreign commerce, which, depending on cafualties, may be fometimes more and fometimes lefs, and which other nations may contract or fupprefs. A trade to colonies can never be much impaired, being, in reality, only an intercourse between diftant provinces of the fame empire, from which intruders are easily excluded; likewife the intereft and affection of the correfpondent parties, however diftant, is the fame.

On this reafon all nations, whofe power has been exerted on the ocean, have fixed colonies in remote parts of the world; and while thofe colonies fubfifted, navigation, if it did not increase, was always preferved from total decay. With this policy the French were well acquainted, and therefore improved and augmented the fettlements in America, and other regions, in proportion as they advanced their schemes of naval greatnefs.

The

The exact time in which they made their acquifitions in America, or other quarters of the globe, it is not neceffary to collect. It is fufficient to obferve, that their trade and their colonies increased together; and, if their naval armaments were carried on, as they really were, in greater proportion to their commerce, than can be practifed in other countries, it must be attributed to the martial difpofition at that time prevailing in the nation, to the frequent wars which Lewis the Fourteenth made upon his neighbours, and to the extenfive commerce of the English and Dutch, which afforded fo much plunder to privateers, that war was more lucrative than traffick.

Thus the naval power of France continued to increase during the reign of Charles the Second, who, between his fondnefs of eafe and pleasure, the ftruggles of faction which he could not fupprefs, and his inclination to the friendship of abfolute monarchy, had not much power or defire to reprefs it. And of James the Second, it could not be expected that he should act against his neighbours with great vigour, having the whole body of his fubjects to oppose. He was not ignorant of the real intereft of his country; he defired its power and its happiness, and thought rightly, that there is no happiness without religion; but he thought very erroneoufly and abfurdly, that there is no religion without popery.

When the neceflity of felf-prefervation had impelled the fubjects of James to drive him from the throne, there came a time in which the paffions, as well as intereft of the government, acted againft the French, and in which it may perhaps be reafonX 3

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