and his Voyage to Guiana-Is put to Death on his return, by an infamous Perverfion of Justice-Conduct of the Dutch at Amboyna-Firft Settlement of Barbadoes and St. Chriftophers-State of the Navy —Manufactures—Death and Character of James I. TH HE acceffion of James I. as it placed a new family on the throne, may be confidered as a kind of revolution. During the fucceeding reigns of the Stuarts, we fhall fee the reprefentatives of the people nobly exerting themselves for the recovery of their civil liberty. The yoke of arbitrary power had long lain heavy on the fubject, and during the preceding reign, the prerogatives affumed by the crown had been, in many instances, extremely arbitrary and defpotic. The nation now began to recover from its lethargy. James the First, whofe circumfcribed abilities, and overweening fondness for unlimited power, were depicted in every act of his reign, was a prince whofe conduct tended to excite difguft, whilft he had neither spirit, nor address, to inforce obedience. His weakness led him to draw back the veil which had hitherto difguifed fo many ufurpations, and made an oftentatious difplay of what his predeceffors had been contented to enjoy. It was a favourite doctrine with him, that the authority of kings was not to be controuled, any more than that of God himself: like him, they were omnipotent; and those privileges to which the people fo clamourously laid claim, as their inheritance and birthright, were no more than the effect of the grace and toleration of his royal ancestors. Such principles, which, till then, had been only filently adopted in the cabinet, and in the courts of juftice, had maintained their ground, in confequence of this very obfcurity. Being now announced from the throne, and refounded from the pulpit, they spread an univerfal alarm. Com merce, merce, too, with its attendant arts, and, above all, that of printing, diffused more falutary notions throughout all orders of the people; a new light began to rife upon the nation; and that fpirit of oppofition frequently difplayed itfelf in this reign, to which the English monarchs had not, for a long time past, been accustomed *. Never was the crown of England tranfmitted with greater tranquillity, than it paffed from the family of Tudor to that of Stuart. King James was the great grandfon of queen Margaret, the eldest daughter of Henry VII. and, on failure of defcendants, from the male line, his right of the crown, by defcent, became unquestionable. The nation had long confidered him as the fucceffor of Elizabeth; and as that princefs had bequeathed to him her crown with her dying breath, he was proclaimed king within fix hours after her deceafe. The people were filled with the utmost impatience to behold their new fovereign; and their fovereign was no lefs impatient to take poffeffion of his new dignity. The news of his acceffion was brought him at Edinburgh, and he immediately prepared for his journey to London; and having left a commiffion with the Scottish council, for the adminiftration of officers in that kingdom, he fat out on the 5th of April, 1603. The English presently grew jealous of the honours conferred by the king on his Scottish fubjects. The animofity, which had almost constantly prevailed between the two nations, was not to be cured by the two kingdoms being governed by the fame king. James, however, left most of the principal offices in the hands of Elizabeth's minifters, and intrusted both foreign and domeftic affairs to his English fubjects. His prime-minifter, and chief councellor, was fecretary Cecil, fecond fon of the great lord Burleigh, whom he fucceffively created lord Effindon, vifcount Delolme on the English Constitution, p. 49. Cranborne, |