3rd," England's Improvement," 1675. 4th,-"How the Navigation of England may be Increased," 1675. "England's Greatest Happiness," 1677. "Britannia Languens; or, a Discourse on Trade," 1680. "A New Discourse on Trade," 1668. "Discourses upon Trade," 1691. "An Essay on the Probable Methods of Making the People Gainers in the Balance of Trade*."

SECTION IV.

On Public Records-Satirical Productions and Ballads of a Political character-The Drama-Newspapers, &c., &c.

BESIDES the regular treatises, written expressly on political subjects, that we have ventured to scan over in this chapter, and which, form the staple commodity of British speculation on the abstract nature and functions of government, there are other classes of works, which have aided, in some measure, the cause of truth and knowledge on the science of politics. On some of these publications, we shall make a remark or two.

In the first place, we may mention the Public Records of the kingdom. An immense body of interesting and useful information is to be derived from this source. They abound with matters of fact, which enable a general reasoner to verify and establish his abstract propositions and principles. The records of the proceedings of parliament, and the state trials up to the revolution of 1688, abound in valuable mate* See note A, at the end of the volume.

rials to the politician. State Proclamations, from 1558 to 1624, may be occasionally met with in private hands, and even in some few public libraries. There is a valuable collection of this kind, which forms a continuation to the above, embracing the royal proclamations from 1625 to 1717, now in the possession of the Cheetham Library, Manchester. The Harleian Miscellany, in ten, and Lord Somer's Tracts, in twelve volumes, quarto, contain an immense body of curious political writing. In addition to thesc, there are the King's Tracts, in the British Museum, filling more than a score of volumes, and abounding with the rarest and most notable tracts published during the civil wars.

The "Harleian Miscellany," in ten volumes, contains an immense storehouse of curious and interesting political writing, on almost all theoretical and practical matters of general polity. There are likewise to be found here, several satirical poems on some of the more striking political events of the times; such, for example, as "Roy's Satire against Cardinal Wolsey," 1526, containing full eighty quarto pages. In this interesting and voluminous collection most all the political papers or essays are, however, very brief, many of them only amounting to a few pages, or even a single leaf or two. On this account the Harleian papers, taken as a whole, will not afford much aid to philosophical politicians who aim at obtaining an enlarged and profound view of all the abstract principles of the science of their favourite study. The assistance they will chiefly obtain will be that of recognising the state of public excitement at any given period, and the hold that particular political questions and measures seemed to have on the popular understanding.

The collections of political tracts, squibs, pamphlets, &c., at the Royal Institution, Albemarle-street, London, are valuable. Collection A, 23 vols. fol.; Collection B, 29 vols. fol.; Miscellaneous D, 10 vols.; Political E, 65 vols.; Duten's collection F, 87 vols.; Historical G, 5 vols.; Miscellaneous H, 8 cases; Miscellaneous I, 2 cases; Miscellaneous K, 63 vols.; Miscellaneous L, 7 vols.; state tracts M, 3 vols.; and Rushworth's collection, 8 fol. vols.

In the Free Library, Manchester, there is a collection of political tracts, embracing matters both of theory and speculation, on trade, commerce, finance, revenue, &c., of nearly seven thousand volumes. This is, we believe, the largest and best assortment of the kind in Great Britain. Writers who wish to enter fully into any of the leading divisions of political science, will find in this collection, a great and diversified mass of interesting and useful information.

In the writings of the historians, from the Reformation in England, to the accession of the Prince of Orange, many important political opinions and sentiments will be found. The same remark is applicable to the general mass of theological works; particularly sermons, which underwent a marked change, with the fluctuations of public opinion, on matters of state necessity or expediency.

The popular songs of a nation constitute one of the most palpable manifestations of its political feelings and sympathies; and this is more strikingly the case, if other legitimate channels for the expression of public sentiment be choked or dried up by the repressive hand of power. The song writer is an ubiquitous and privileged character. He pursues his avocation in the

family circle, in the workshop, in the tavern, at the gay festival, in the squallid alley, in the barrack-room of the soldier, and in the mess-room of the sailor. His strains are hearty, bold, and genial; the embodiment of thought, emotion, and melody. The popular song is easy, simple, and born of the incidents of the day. It is the intellectual personification of the feelings and opinions of a people. It is the delight of the multitude-the joy and solace of the many. It laughs in derision at despotic power, lightens the social burdens of life, and inspires the patriot with hope. Of the popular satirical song, much has been written, but nothing definitely settled. There is a schism among critics on its nature and character. It is a compound of delicate essences, and incommunicable graces, which bids defiance to definition. But we know that popular songs must be the energetic and faithful transcripts of general experience and feelings. Their necessary characteristics are fancy, passion, dramatic effect, rapidity and pathos. They are not transferable; the popular satire and humour of one country, cannot be adequately relished by another; nor, in the same country, are such productions so influential on public opinion in subsequent periods of its history, as when they first appeared. Time blunts the instrument, and deadens the national perceptions of the witty and the ridiculous.

The political influence of the poetic muse gradually increased, as politics became more generally studied and literature cultivated. The kingly office had its poet-laureates, whose chief office it was to sing their praise, and herald their virtuous deeds and sage councils to the ears of their subjects. The fulsome, and often very childish strains in which this was done,

frequently called from untitled pens some severe rebuke and satirical effusion, which told upon the public mind of the day, to the no small annoyance of both the royal personages and their ministers and courtiers. In the writings of the several poet-laureates from Benard, in the reign of Henry VIII. to Nahum Tate, who died in 1715, there is not much of a political character to excite the attention of the reader.

When Henry V. embarked for France, in 1415, he was attended by fifteen minstrels, to each of whom he gave the sum of twelvepence a day. We are told, however, that the king's modesty was so great that he would not allow the court poets to sing of his daring exploits at Agincourt, because they were all to be referred to the hand of providence*.

In the times of Henry VIII., the reformers and their opponents, or, as they were called, the old and the new profession, had each their respective set of ballad makers. The well-known ballad of "Luther, the pope, a cardinal, and a husbandman," and "Little Johnny Nobody," are descriptive of the contentions about religious doctrines, and the nature and limits of ecclesiastical power. There were, indeed, a great number of common ballads circulated in the lower ranks of life, which sung the praises of the German reformers, and which touched upon the more prominent events of the continental movement, with great humour and drollery.

In 1588 we have the national hymn on the threatened Spanish invasion.

"From our base invaders,

From wicked men's device,

* Hollinshed.