theatre and the brothel
were in strict unison. The Church winked at the vice which opposed
itself to the austere morality or hypocrisy of Puritanism. The superior
clergy, with a few noble exceptions, were self-seekers and courtiers; the
inferior were idle, ignorant hangerson upon blaspheming squires and
knights of the shire. The domestic chaplain, of all men living, held the
most unenviable position. "If he was permitted to dine with the family,
he was expected to content himself with the plainest fare. He might fill
himself with the corned beef and carrots; but as soon as the tarts and
cheese-cakes made their appearance he quitted his seat, and stood aloof
till he was summoned to return thanks for the repast, from a great part
of which he had been excluded."

Beyond the Trent the country seems at this period to have been in a state
of barbarism. The parishes kept bloodhounds for the purpose of hunting
freebooters. The farm-houses were fortified and guarded. So dangerous
was the country that persons about travelling thither made their wills.
Judges and lawyers only ventured therein, escorted by a strong guard of
armed men.

The natural resources of the island were undeveloped. The tin mines of
Cornwall, which two thousand years before attracted the ships of the
merchant princes of Tyre beyond the Pillars of Hercules, were indeed
worked to a considerable extent; but the copper mines, which now yield
annually fifteen thousand tons, were entirely neglected. Rock salt was
known to exist, but was not used to any considerable extent; and only a
partial supply of salt by evaporation was obtained. The coal and iron of
England are at this time the stable foundations of her industrial and
commercial greatness. But in 1685 the great part of the iron used was
imported. Only about ten thousand tons were annually cast. Now eight
hundred thousand is the average annual production. Equally great has
been the increase in coal mining. "Coal," says Macaulay, "though very
little used in any species of manufacture, was already the ordinary fuel
in some districts which were fortunate enough to possess large beds, and
in the capital, which could easily be supplied by water carriage. It
seems reasonable to believe that at least one half of the quantity then
extracted from the pits was consumed in London. The consumption of
London seemed to the writers of that age enormous, and was often
mentioned by them as a proof of the gre