of London he
speculated largely in building, and greatly assisted in making city
improvements. He was the founder of fire insurance in England and was
active in land and bank speculations. He died in 1698, leaving a will
directing that none of his debts should be paid. [T. S.]

[43] The beggars of Ireland are spoken of by Bishop Berkeley. But Arthur
Dobbs, in the second part of his "Essay on Trade," published in 1731,
gives a descriptive picture of the gangs who travelled over Ireland as
professional paupers. In the 2,295 parishes, there was in each an
average of at least ten beggars carrying on their trade the whole year
round; the total number of these wandering paupers he puts down at over
34,000. Computing 30,000 of them able to work, and assuming that each
beggar could earn _4d._ a day in a working year of 284 days, he
calculates that their idleness is a loss to the nation of L142,000. (Pp.
444-445 of Thom's reprint; Dublin, 1861) [T. S.]

[44] See Swift's terrible satire on the "Modest Proposal for preventing
Children of Poor People from being a burthen." [T. S.]

[45] A small country village about seven miles from Kells. [T. S.]

[46] Esther Johnson. [T. S.]

[47] Stella's companion and Swift's housekeeper. [T. S.]

[48] See Swift's "Directions to Servants." [T. S.]

[49] By Acts 18 Charles II c. 2, and 32 Charles II c. 2, enacted in 1665
and 1680, the importation into England from Ireland of all cattle,
sheep, swine, beef, pork, bacon, mutton, cheese and butter, was
absolutely prohibited. The land of Ireland being largely pasture land
and England being the chief and nearest market, these laws practically
destroyed the farming industry. The pernicious acts were passed on
complaint from English land proprietors that the competition from Irish
cattle had lowered their rents in England. "In this manner," says Lecky,
"the chief source of Irish prosperity was annihilated at a single blow."
[T. S.]

[50] The original Navigation Act treated Ireland on an equal footing
with England. The act, however, was succeeded in 1663 by that of 15
Charles II c. 7, in which it was declared that no European articles,
with few exceptions, could be imported into the colonies unless they had
been loaded in English-built vessels at English ports. Nor could goods
be brought from English colonies except to English ports. By the Acts 22
and 23 of Charles II. c. 26 the exclusion of Ireland was confirmed, and
the Acts 7 and 8 of Will