1

common people revolted, but were foon reduced.-To punish them, to infure the establishment of the inquifition, and to prevent any future infurrections, Philip fent a reinforcement to the Duchefs, confifting of ten thousand veteran foldiers, Spanish and Italian, under the command of the Duke of Alva, an experienced general.

This force produced aftonishment, fubmiffion, and defpair, among those who could not fly before it," Upon the first report of this expedition, the trading people of the towns and country began in vaft numbers to retire out of the provinces; fo as the duchefs wrote to the king, that in a few days above a hundred thousand men had left the coun

client's fecrets. When the fatal morning is come, the dominicans begin the proceffion, followed by the penitents clothed in black, barefooted, and with wax candles in their hands; some have benitoes, and others who have but just efcaped being burnt, have inverted flames painted on their garments: then come the negative and relapfed, with flames pointed upwards; then the profeffed, with flames painted on their garments and on their breafts, carrying their own pictures, with dogs, ferpents, and devils round them, all with open mouths. The familiars and inquifitors clofe the proceffion. After prayers and a fermon, the prifoners are delivered over to the fecular arm, with earnest entreaties not to touch their blood, or put their life in danger! They are inftantly bound with chains, carried to the fecular prison for about two hours, then brought out, chained to stakes about four yards high, seated within half a yard of the top, when the negative and relapsed are ftrangled, but the honest and profeffed are folemnly delivered up to the devil; after which the holy fathers leave them: when, their faces being firft fcorched, the furze is kindled round them, and in about half an hour in calm weather, or in about two hours in very windy weather, their excruciating torments end. Dr. GEDDES.

try

try, and withdrawn both their

money

and their goods, and more were following every day: fo great an antipathy there ever appears between merchants and foldiers."-Many of these families came to England, and fettled in Norwich, Colchester, Sandwich, Maidstone, and Southampton, under protection of Queen Elizabeth.—In return for their hofpitable reception, they enriched the kingdom with the manufacture of bays, and other linen and woollen cloths of like kind*.-Some of them fettled in Sweden, and carried the iron and other manufactures into that country †.-Fresh exactions, cruelties, and oppressions, excited in the NETHERLANDS fresh infurrections, which never more fubfided till after a conteft, which lafted upwards of forty years, the SEVEN UNITED PROVINCES ftablished their liberty, and were acknowledged a free and independent people.-The arts, manufactures, and commerce, returned with returning liberty, and wealth flowed in upon them from every quarter of the globe.

If for a moment we can turn away our eyes from this scene of industry, from these rich provinces, where peace and plenty reign, let us enquire what is become of Athens, Tyre, Sidon, Carthage, Colchis, Syracufe,

* Camden, p. 416.

+ Lord Molesworth's Account of Denmark and Sweden.

A a 2

Agrigentum,

Agrigentum, Rhodes, thofe free cities, each of which in its day has been the metropolis of the commercial world? They are now no more, their place is hardly to be found. They loft their liberty, and with liberty the arts, manufactures, and commerce, have taken their everlasting flight*.

TOWNSEND

SECT.

SECT. XIV.

ON AGRICULTURE.

THE final view of all RATIONAL POLITICS is to produce the greatest quantity of happiness in a given tract of country. The riches, ftrength, and glory of nations, the topics which history celebrates, and which alone al◄ most engage the praises, and poffefs the admiration of mankind, have no value farther than as they contribute to this end. When they interfere with it, they are evils, and not the lefs real for the splendour that surrounds them.

Secondly, although we fpeak of communities as of fentient beings; although we afcribe to thein happiness and mifery, defires, interests, and paffions, nothing really exifts or feels but individuals.-The happiness of a people is made up of the happiness of single perfons; and the quantity of happiness can only be augmented by increafing the happiness of individuals.

The fertility of the ground, in temperate regions, is

I

capable

capable of being improved by cultivation to an extent which is unknown: much, however, beyond the state of improvement in any country in EUROPE.-In our own, which holds almoft the firit place in the knowledge and encouragement of agriculture, let it only be supposed that every field in ENGLAND of the fame original quality with those in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, and confequently capable of the fame fertility, were by a like management made to yield an equal produce, and it may be afferted, I believe, with truth, that the quantity of human provifion raised in the ifland would be increafed fivefold.-The two principles, therefore, upon which population feems primarily to depend, the fecundity of the fpecies, and the capacity of the foil, would in most, perhaps in all countries, enable it to proceed much further than it has yet advanced.— The number of marriageable women, who, in each country, remain unmarried, afford a computation how much the agency of nature in the diffufion of human life is cramped and contracted; and the quantity of wafte, neglected, or mismanaged furface, together with a comparison, like the preceding, of the crops raised from the foil in the neighbourhood of populous cities, and under a perfect state of cultivation, with thofe, which lands

of