Old Virginia and her neighbours

CHAPTER XLbacon's eebellion.The rapid development of maritime commercein the seventeenth century soon furnished a newoccasion for human folly and greed to assert themselvesin acts of legislation. Crude mediaevalmethods of robbery began to give place to theingenious modern methods in which men's pocketsare picked under the specious guise of publicpolicy. Your medijeval baron would allow noship or boat to pass his Khenish castle withoutpaying what he saw fit to extort for the privilege,and at the end of his evil career he was apt tocompound with conscience and buy a ticket toheaven by building a chapel to the Virgin. Yourmodern manufacturer obtains legislative aid infleecing his fellow-countrymen, while he seeks popularityby bestowing upon the public a part of hisill-gotten gains in the shape of a new college ora town library.This change from the more brutalto the more subtle devices for living upon thefruitsof other men's labour was conspicuous duringthe seventeenth century, and one ofThe Navithemost o-larms:, 1 . . » .instances of it was the gation ActNavigation Act of 1651, which forbadeof 1G51.the importation of goods into England except inEnglish ships, or ships of the nation that produced