Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	break_v	france_n	king_n	2,681	5	4.1804	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60870	Some thoughts concerning the better security of our trade and navigation and carrying on the war against France more effectually. Humbly offered to consideration.		1695 (1695)	Wing S4627; ESTC R219118	9,128	7

Some THOUGHTS CONCERNING THE BETTER SECURITY OF OUR Trade and Navigation And Carrying on the WAR AGAINST FRANCE MORE EFFECTUALLY Humbly Offered to Consideration LONDON Printed in the Year 1695. Some Thoughts concerning the better Security of our Trade and Navigation and carrying on the War against France more Effectually Humbly Offered to Consideration I Always thought it the Duty of every Man to contribute what in him lyes to the Happiness and Welfare of his Native Country and therefore at a time when the Nation is engaged in a Necessary and Expensive War and struggles under Difficulties to maintain it as it ought many from time to time have divulged their Notions and Apprehensions some for raising of Money some for the better or more thrifty Management of sundry Particulars relating to the War some one thing and some another and whether they are in the right or wrong I think whilest they modestly give their Opinions they do not deserve blame But it seems to me that none have yet throughly discovered the Malady under which we labour or proposed the full and proper Remedy Perhaps in time it may and in order thereunto I have resolved to offer my Thoughts to the Publick in the following Discourse 1. And First I shall consider what according to my Apprehension is the true Interest of England in general and with respect to the present War with France in particular 2dly What has been the Reason that hitherto we see no better Effect of this War 3dly By what means it may be advantagiously continued and at length arrive to its desired Issue And as to the First it is to be considered that the strength of England or rather of Great Britain and Ireland lyes in the number and strength of their Fleets at Sea and those Fleets are always stronger or weaker in proportion to those of our Neighbour Nations Heretofore before Trade was driven to the East and West Indies the European Nations were not so Powerful and Numerous in Ships of Force nor was there need of it When the Dutch fitted out but 40 Ships of War and the French but 20 it sufficed then that England fitted out 60 or a few more but since both the Dutch and French as well as we have enlarged our Trades to the East and West Indies more Seamen have been bred in each Nation and they thereby enabled to fit out greater Fleets in time of War than formerly The French King well considered that he could never expect any considerable Success against England or Holland unless he had a Fleet able to deal with theirs and therefore wisely for himself provided so considerable a Navy such as not many thought he would ever have been able to fit to Sea viz. 100 Sail or near of Capital Ships but still they proved too few against England and Holland united because they were able to send out a greater And I think I may confidently enough affirm that at what time soever either of the three Nations for no other stand in Competition in these Seas shall not be able to set forth a Fleet of Ships capable to Engage the Fleets of the other two Nations in Conjunction that Nation must one time or other give up the Soveraignty of the Seas and be exposed to Invasion and Conquest or at least to great Disturbance and Anoyance in time of War And because England alone by which I all along mean Great Britain and Ireland is able to do this whilest it understands and pursues its true Interest therefore in such case by consequence neither Holland nor France can but are subjected to the like hazard and danger when England is in Conjunction with either of those other Nations as it is now with Holland And therefore it seems to me that France might some time ago have been brought down if proper Methods had been prosecuted Not that I would hereby go about to blame or censure the Conduct of Affairs but as all Humane Actions are subject to various Casualties and Events and many Difficulties occur in great Transactions which are not easily obviated so it is no wonder if the same Fact has befallen this Kingdom The French 〈…〉 〈…〉 steps during this War some by Land but more by Sea or perhaps they might still have been in a better condition and we in a worse And whoever shall consider well the late Revolution the great Difficulties the King has encountred not only in forming and carrying on the Confederacy abroad but in managing the different Interests and Factions at home may rather think it strange to see things look with so good a face in the general as they do The King has done his part all that was for him Personally to do to a Miracle in carrying on the War with invincible Courage and Resolution and has never lost a Minutes time or any Opportunity to Prosecute it with Vigour which I wish could be said of all his Subjects But the discussing things in order to a yet more successful Prosecution of the War and not Complaints is the Province I am now engaged in and in order to that I may say that I am and always was of Opinion that the Parliament have been so far from giving the King too much Money from time to time that the first three Years if they had given him half as much more it would have saved the Nation a great deal in bringing the War sooner to a good end And I think still that it is better and more for the Advantage of the Nation to give 8 Millions a Year than 5 provided it be well laid out which is no difficult matter to see to I have often heard it said that the Parliament have always given the King what he asked but the reason seems plain why the King or his Ministers ask no more and that is because it comes with so much difficulty whereas if the People did well consider how much it is the Interest of England to bring down the Exorbitant Power of France they would give more freely and readily than the King could ask For what Security has any in England of enjoying their Religion their Laws their Liberties and Properties whilest France has a Fleet and Armies able to overcome us if we were singly engaged against them at least they had at the beginning of this War And how Fatal would it have been to us if England and France had joyned together first to ruin Holland and then to set up an Arbitrary Power in England as it was designed had the late Reign continued and as yet the intention of some is if they could break the Consederacy or take off the King or raise a Civil War in England before the Power of France is abated It is true the * A Ship so called burnt with the rest at La Hogue Royal Sun of France is set and since their Fleet has sailed by Moon-light and so has wandred and lost its way and cannot yet recover it but they hope