felves as Masters of the Deftiny of their Neigh bours; and, from that Time, he that fhall nicely examine their Schemes and Conduct, will, I be lieve, find that they began to take an Air of Superiority to which they had never pretended before ; and that they have been always employed more or lefs openly upon Schemes of Dominion, though with frequent Interruptions from domeftic Troubles, and with those Intermiffions which human Counfels must always fuffer, as Men intrufted with great Affairs are diffipated in Youth, and languid in Age, are embarraffed by Competitors, or, without any external Reason, change their Minds.

France was now no longer in dread of Infults and Invafions from England. She was not only able to maintain her own Territories, but prepared, on all Occafions, to invade others; and we had now a Neighbour whose Interest it was to be an Enemy, and who has disturbed us, from that Time to this, with open Hoftility or fecret Machinations.

Such was the State of England and its Neighbours, when Elizabeth left the Crown to James of Scotland. It has not, I think, been frequently obferved by Hiftorians at how critical a Time the Union of the two Kingdoms happened. Had England and Scotland continued feparate Kingdoms, when France was established in the full Poffeffion of her natural Power, the Scots, in Continuance of the League, which it would now have been more than ever their Intereft to obferve, would, upon every Inftigation of the French Court, have raised an Arny with French Money, and harraffed us with an Invasion, in which they would have thought themselves fuccessful, whatever Numbers they might have left behind them. To a People warlike and indigent, an Incurfion into a rich Country is never hurtful. The Pay of France and the Plunder of the Northern Counties, would always have tempted them to hazard their Lives,

and we should have been under a Neceffity of keeping a Line of Garrisons along our Border.

This Trouble, however, we escaped by the Acceffion of King James; but it is uncertain, whether his natural Difpofition did not injure us more than this accidental Condition happened to benefit us. He was a Man of great theoretical Knowledge, but of no practical Wisdom; he was very well able to difcern the true Intereft of himself, his Kingdom, and his Pofterity, but facrificed it, upon all Occafions, to his prefent Pleasure or his prefent Eafe; fo conscious of his own Knowledge and Abilities, that he would not fuffer a Minister to govern, and fo lax of Attention, and timorous of Oppofition, that he was not able to govern for himself. With this Character James quietly faw the Dutch invade our Commerce; the French grew every Day ftronger and ftronger; and the Proteftant Intereft, of which he boafted himself the Head, was oppreffed on every Side, while he writ, and hunted, and dispatched Ambaffadors, who, when their Mafter's Weakness was once known, were treated in foreign Courts with very little Ceremony. James, however, took Care to be flattered at Home, and was neither angry nor afhamed at the Appearance that he made in other Countries.

Thus England grew weaker, or, what is in political Eftimation the fame Thing, faw her Neighbours grow ftronger, without receiving proportionable Additions to her own Power. Not that the Mischief was fo great as it is generally conceived or reprefented; for, I believe, it may be made to appear, that the Wealth of the Nation was, in this Reign, very much increased, though that of the Crown was leffened. Our Reputation for War was impaired; but Commerce feems to have been carried on with great Industry and Vigour, and nothing was wanting, but that we fhould have defended ourfelves

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ourfelves from the Incroachments of our Neigh bours.

The Inclination to plant Colonies in America still continued, and this being the only Project in which Men of Adventure and Enterprise could exert their Qualities in a pacific Reign, Multitudes, who were difcontented with their Condition in their native Country, and fuch Multitudes there will always be, fought Relief, or at leaft a Change in the Western they fettled in the Northern Part of the Continent, at a Distance from the Spaniards, at that Time almoft the only Nation that had any Power or Will to obftru&t us.

Regions, wh of

Such was the Condition of this Country when the unhappy Charles inherited the Crown. He had feen the Errors of his Father, without being able to prevent them, and, when he began his Reign, endeavoured to raife the Nation to its former Dignity. The French Papifts had begun a new War upon the Proteftants: Charles fent a Fleet to invade Rhée and relieve Rochelle, but his Attempts were defeated, and the Proteftants were fubdued. The Dutch, grown wealthy and ftrong, claimed the Right of Fishing in the British Seas: This Claim the King, who faw the increafing Power of the States of Holland, refolved to conteft. But for this End it was neceffary to build a Fleet, and a Fleet could not be built with out Expence: He was advised to levy Ship-money, which gave Occafion to the Civil War, of which the Events and Conclufion are too well known.

While the Inhabitants of this Ifland were embroiled among themselves, the Power of France and Holland was every Day increafing. The Dutch had overcome the Difficulties of their infant Common-' wealth; and as they ftill retained their Vigour and Industry, from rich grew continually richer, and from powerful more powerful. They extended their Traffick, and had not yet admitted Luxury; fo that

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they had the Means and the Will to accumulate Wealth without any Incitement to spend it. The French, who wanted nothing to make them powerful, but a prudent Regulation of their Revenues, and a proper Ufe of their natural Advantages, by the fucceffive Care of fkilful Minifters became every Day ftronger, and more confcions of their Strength.

About this Time it was, that the French first began to turn their Thoughts to Traffick and Navigation, and to defire like other Nations an American Territory. All the fruitful and valuable Parts of the Weftern World were already either occupied or claimed, and nothing remained for France but the Leavings of other Navigators, for fhe was not yet haughty enough to feize what the neighbouring Powers had already appropriated..

The French therefore contented themfelves with fending a Colony to Canada, a cold uncomfortable uninviting Region, from which nothing but Furrs and Fish were to be had, and where the new Inhabitants could only pafs a laborious and neceffitous Life, in perpetual Regret of the Deliciousness and Plenty of their native Country.

Notwithstanding the Opinion which our Countrymen have been taught to entertain of the Comprehenfion and Forefight of French Politicians, I am not able to perfuade myself, that when this Colony was firft planted, it was thought of much Value, even by thofe that encouraged it; there was probably nothing more intended than to provide a Drain into which the Waste of an exuberant Nation might be thrown, a Place where those who could do no Good might live without the Power of doing Mischief. Some new Advantage they undoubtedly faw, or imagined themselves to fee, and what more was neceffary to the Establishment of the Colony was fupplied by natural Inclination to Experiments, and that Impa

tience of doing nothing, to which Mankind perhaps owe much of what is imagined to be effected by more fplendid Motives.

In this Region of defolate Sterility they fettled themselves, upon whatever Principle; and as they have from that Time had the Happiness of a Government by which no Intereft has been neglected, nor any Part of their Subjects overlooked, they have, by continual Encouragement and Affiftance from France, been perpetually enlarging their Bounds and increafing their Numbers.

These were at first, like other Nations who invaded America, inclined to confider the Neighbourhood of the Natives, as troublesome and dangerous, and are charged with having deftroyed great Numbers: but they are now grown wifer, if not honefter, and instead of endeavouring to frighten the Indians away, they invite them to Intermarriage and Cohabitation, and allure them by all practicable Methods to become the Subjects of the King of France.

If the Spaniards, when they firft took Poffeffion of the newly-difcovered World, instead of deftroying the Inhabitants by Thousands, had either had the Urbanity or the Policy to have conciliated them. by kind Treatment, and to have united them gradually to their own People, fuch an Acceffion might have been made to the Power of the King of Spain, as would have made him far the greatest Monarch that ever yet ruled in the Globe; but the Opportunity was loft by Foolishness and Cruelty, and now can never be recovered.

When the Parliament had finally prevailed over our King, and the Army over the Parliament, the Intereft of the two Commonwealths of England and Holland foon appeared to be oppofite, and a new Government declared War againft the Dutch. In this Contest was exerted the utmost Power of the

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