CHAPTER III.

Opposition did not deter the Jews from settling here in the Reign of Charles II-Twelve years' silence-The Ebullition of strong feeling in the beginning of the Reign of James II-The arrest of thirty-seven Jewish merchants-The Jews petition the king-His Majesty's council-His order-The remittance of Alien Duty-The anomalous effect produced upon English merchants-The petitions for the Repeal of the Remission of the Alien Act-The petition of the merchants of the City of London-King James took a different view.

In spite of all opposition which the Jews experienced from the common people, during the reign of Charles II., they nevertheless increased and multiplied to a considerable amount. Not only did the Jews of Holland, of Italy, the Netherlands, the Nuovo-christianos of Spain, continue to come over and join the Synagogue of

London, but also many Hebrews from Germany, from Poland, from the Province of Lithuania, were daily added to the members of the Jewish population in London. There is much evidence amongst the epitaphs in the oldest Jewish cemetery, engraved on tablets of stone, to prove that the German and Polish Jews had already formed themselves into a separate congregation.

Charles' determination to protect the exiles of Judah was a bona fide encouragement for them to come and dwell under the benign influence of "the Charter of the Land," of which they took advantage, notwithstanding that they had to encounter "the battle and the breeze" of a raging host of foes. Indeed, for the space of twelve years, the last of the reign of Charles, the enemies of Israel were silenced, and made up their minds to bring no more any railing accusation against a people who were the objects of the king's favour; at least, as long as that monarch was in possession of the throne.

The feelings, though for a time smothered, of many of the English, were nevertheless most unfavourable towards the newly-established Hebrew congregations; and as soon as a new king arose -as soon as James II. ascended the throne of

England-the hitherto pent-up feelings exploded. That very year, the first year of the reign of James II., A.D. 1685, thirty-seven Jewish merchants were arrested on the Exchange for not attending any church. How vigilant must their enemies have been, so as to ascertain to a nicety that the thirty-seven victims attended no church whatever. The writs were procured under the statute twenty-third of Elizabeth. This was done, probably, to try the disposition of the new king towards his Hebrew subjects. The Jews, however, petitioned the king to extend to them the same protecting and fostering hand which his predecessors had done, and to grant them free exercise of their religion. To the honour of James II. be it recorded, that in the presence of his lords spiritual and temporal, viz., his Royal Highness Prince George, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, the Lord Chancellor, the Treasurer, Privy Seal, and Chamberlain; the Dukes of Ormond and Queensbury ; the Earls of Huntingdon, Bridgewater, Berkeley, Nottingham, Plymouth, Craven, Peterborough, Middleton, Sunderland, Moray; Viscounts Fauconberg, Preston and Melfort; Lords Dartmouth and Godolphin; and the Chancellor of the

Exchequer; in the presence of these twentyfive illustrious personages, James II. ordered, "that the Attorney-General do stop all the said proceedings, his Majesty's intention being, that they should not be troubled upon this account, but they should quietly enjoy the free exercise of their religion whilst they behaved dutifully and obediently to his government." This took place on the 13th of November.

James II. did not stop there; he continued to show favour towards the Jews in a more substantial manner than did his predecessor. The Jews seem to have procured the esteem and friendship of several influential Englishmen of the time, and those Englishmen, headed by Sir Peter Vandeput, petitioned the king to remit to the Jews the export duties, alias "Alien duties." The king granted the request of the petitioners. This remission had just the contrary effect upon the generality of Englishmen from what it might have been expected. It might naturally have been thought by thinking men, that such a step would be conducive to extend English manufacture throughout the whole of Europe, and thus increase the prosperity of English werchants; but British manufacturers did not take

the same view of the case; they rather dreaded that the same remission would be made in favour of goods imported, which would of course have proved detrimental to the mercantile pursuits of the natives. Parliament was therefore inundated with petitions against the measure. We are told by Dr. Tovey that "the Hamburgh Company, the Eastland Company, the merchants of the west and of the north of England," presented petitions for the repeal of that favour.* The same writer furnishes us with a copy of such a petition, which was signed by eighty-three metropolitans, and is the following:

66 TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. "The humble Petition of several English Merchants of the City of London,

"Sheweth,

"That in January, 1685, Sir Peter Vandeput, and a few others, having petitioned your Majesty for the remission of the Alien Duties OUTWARDS; upon hearing the Commissioners of the Customs, your Majesty was pleased to declare your pleasure in favour of the Petitioners, and to remit the Alien Duty for all goods exported of the native production and manufacture of this kingdom, until

* Tovey's "Anglia Judaica." Page 288.