Synopses & Reviews
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. SHIP-MONEY RESISTED BY JOHN HAMPDEN?PICTURE OF THE ENGLISH COURT. THE first important resistance to the government of Charles which occurred in England was unattended by the slightest particle of violence, and was a declaration in form of law of ancient constitutional rights. A resistance which about the same time arose in Scotland assumed more the violent character of a popular outbreak or insurrection, though it proved far more formidable than popular outbreaks usually are. The resistance in Scotland occurred first in the order of time, being, in fact, simultaneous with the trial and punishment of Prynne, Bastwick, and Burton; but it will be convenient to take the English case first. The device of ship-money has been attributed to Noy. But in the second year of this reign, while Noy was a strenuous opponent of the court, ships were required from the seaports with the assistance of the adjacent counties. In 1634 the tax had so far assumed a different shape, that the inland counties were assessed as well as the maritime and, instead of ships, money was demanded, under the pretext of fitting out a fleet. A writ was drawn in form of law, and directed to the sheriff of every county in England, to provide a ship of war for the King's service, and to send it, amply stored and fitted up, by such a day, to such a place. With this writ were sent instructions each sheriff that, instead of a ship, he should levy upon his county such a sum of money, and return the same to the treasurer of the navy, for his Majesty's use; and directions were added in what manner he should proceed against such as refused.1 Although the precedents hunted up did not go the length of bearing out the claim now put forward on behalf of the crown, and the tax of ship-money, as levie...
Synopsis
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