your Majesty should find cause to alter your royal pleasure therein. "And your Petitioners being informed that some persons are attempting to get the Alien Duty INWARDS remitted also, in all humility, do represent to your Majesty, that the remission thereof, either inwards or outwards, is a public damage to the interest of your Majesty's kingdom, and a diminution of your revenue, and the trade of your English merchants, and a means to transplant that, and the mysteries of our artificers, into the hands of foreigners, to the ruin, not only of the trading and working people at home, but also of the several English factories abroad. "Your Petitioners therefore most humbly. beseech your Majesty's leave, that they may be heard, to demonstrate to your Majesty the consequence of such remission. "And your Petitioners (as in duty bound) shall ever humbly pray." The following eight baronets headed the signatures. Sir Matthew Andrews. Sir Henry Tuffe. Sir Thomas Griffith. Sir John Chapman. Sir Samuel Dashwood. Sir Benjamin Ayloffe. King James, however, took a different view; his Majesty could not see the danger, which seems to have terrified the English merchants, and paid no attention, as a matter of course, to the solicitations of the Petitioners. The Christians of that time, however, scrupled not to borrow money from the Jews, and refuse payment on the plea that an old law existed, which forbade a Jew to bring an action against a Christian. The following anecdote is characteristic of all parties therein concerned :-Chief Justice Jeffries was called upon to give judgment in a case where a Jew was plaintiff for a considerable sum of money, from a Christian defendant. After the Jew had stated his matter-of-fact case; the Christian defendant replied, that though he had nothing to advance against the facts deposed by the plaintiff, he did not think that he was called upon to pay the debt. This extraordinary defence puzzled the judge. "What may be your reason for so strange a conduct?" asked Baron Wem. "Because the Jew had no right, by the laws of England, to bring an action against a Christian," replied the defendant. More astonished than ever, the judge continued to ask,-" Is this all ; have you no other plea, whereby to justify your defence?" "No, my lord, I insist on this plea," obstinately rejoined the debtor. "Then as judge I tell you, that even according to your defence, you are bound to pay his demand, for he did not bring the action against a Christian, but against a Jew, and one greater, by far, than himself."* A ramble through the old Jewish cemetery, the grave of many a distinguished Hebrew can be discerned, not only of those of Spanish extraction, but also of those who came hither from Germany and Poland. A curious pamphlet is extant which throws considerable light on Judaism, Popery, and Protestanism in this country, just before James abdicated. The pamphlet was printed in 1687, and consists of two letters addressed by a Christian merchant of London, to his friend at Amsterdam. The first letter contains an account of a conference between Father Saliam, a Jesuit, and a Rabbi Jonathan, which took place at the London merchant's house. The poor Jesuit was completely worsted in the argument, by the Jew's attempt to nullify the evidence of Christ's miracles, by adducing the greater miracles ascribed by the Romish church to Christian saints; such *See Lilly's Pract. Reg." Vol. 1. p. 3. 66 as St. Kentigern's mother, St. Patrick, St. Aidan, Odo, St. David, St Bernard, &c., &c. The second letter contains an account of a discussion between the same Rabbi Jonathan and a Mr. Beza, a Protestant, at the same merchant's house; and the result was that Rabbi Jonathan, after a short pause, thus replied,—“ Sir, I am abundantly beholden to you for your free and familiar discourse with me, for which I shall ever honour and esteem you. You have spoken much in a little, and fully removed those blocks that I mentioned, as lying in my way. I shall shortly visit you, with your leave, at your house, and there advise further with you about the things we have now discussed. Mr. Beza told him he should at any time be welcome to his house and so they parted, &c., &c." CHAPTER IV. The accession of William Prince of Orange to the throne of England-A little circumstance but big with importance -The origin of the English National Debt-The Hebrews, the cause of the Protestant stability, as well as of the permanence of the credit and prosperity of EnglandWilliam III was not ungrateful to his Jewish benefactors -A copy of the Noli-Prosequis Order-The discontent and restlessness of the English Merchants-The Representatives of the Commissioners of the Customs-The King from motives of expediency yields to their clamours— The Hebrews plead in vain-The King repeals the Remittance Act-A Copy of the Order-The Jews submit without a demur-The King continues kindly disposed towards them-The Petition of the non-Jewish Inhabitants of Jamaica-The great and rapid increase of the Jewish Population in this country-The German and Polish Synagogue built-The Spanish Jews built a new synagogue-The far-famed Rabbi David Nieto appointed Rabbi of the Spanish Congregation. Ir is beside the object of the Jewish historian to |