.MTQ.NjQ

1. If ye gradual changes have had influence in ye interests of Great Britain, which has never been much thought of; ch. Cambell thinks yt all those who have wrote against our interfering with ye affairs of ye Continent are in ye wrong; as Sir Robert Colton who wrote a treatise on yt Subject to diswade P. Henry, James S. Son from ye measures which had from his earliest Youth been inculcated into him.m The Instances, yt this elegant author has given us can be of no use, as things are so entirely chang'd since yt time. Our Ks. formerly used to make expeditions into France to maintain their consquests there, & what makes us immagin them to have been necessary for us at yt tmie, is yt ye most popular of our Monarchs have been those, who were most renown'd for their conquests, & those who steer'd a contrary path, were seldom left in peace by their Subjects.

Henry VII. who was always reckon'd a very wise P. is an exception to what has been laid down, for he had but little intercourse with ye continent, but his well managing ye share he took there, always prov'd to this advantage. He has been unjustly blam'd for allowing ye French to annex ye D-y of Bretagne, to ty Crown; for he could not hinder it, ye nation was very jealous of this, so yt he got greatsupplies from Parl. & declar'd was against France, which he did not carry on very deletion unclear /deletion vigorously, but soon made an advantageous Peace, by which he got a Tribute from two French Ks. successively; yt French then went on with a war with Italy, by which She was a great loser, Henry in ye mean time made alliance with ye H. of Austria, & an intermarriage; his Daughter soon after espous'd ye K. of Scotland, which he foresaw would unite ye whole Island into one K-m.

Queen Elizabeth who rais'd this K-m. to its greatest pitch of Glory, had great attention to ye Affairs of ye Continent. by her conduct she hinder'd Philip II. from getting universal Emp-e. She prevented France from being a Prov. of Spain, & supported ye united Provs. unclear

She encourag'd trade & open'd a passage to ye Indies, which ^ add commununclear /add has since yt been ye foundation of ye welath of ye nation, contrary to ye effects of ye Plantations of other Nations, our number of poeple is not lessen'd, but increas'd since our Settlements abroad, & has enabl'd to carry on ye long & bloody wars we have. this may seem odd, but it justly consider'd, will plainly be seen; for those who are unclear in ye Colonies