upon all French wines and also upon those farmers in the fruit sections who made and marketed cider.°

At this, however, the cider merchants rose in rebellion. "You are ruining our trade," they said. "We cannot sell cider at the price we would have to ask with this tax added to our present expenses. More than that, such a tax is an Excise, and we, the English people, will have no more of Excise. Should this bill for taxing cider go through the House, the Excise officers could raid our houses; and if one found a gallon of cider he could declare the householder an enemy of the government; nor could the accused so much as attempt self-defense without laying himself liable to a fifty-pound fine."

George had hated Grenville from the first; and after this he delighted in calling him the Gentle Shepherd in private and storming at him in public. "He is insolent; he is disobliging; he has no reverence for the king"; and he might have added, "he is as stubborn and mulish as the king himself." This dislike of the king for Grenville and Grenville's equal dislike for the king, we must keep in mind; for it is often said that King George and Grenville were hand in glove and that Grenville did whatever the king bade him. This was not so, however; and it helps us, knowing this, to understand the better how it was that Grenville, driven to distraction by the ravings of George III for money, and feeling that something must be done, invented the Stamp Act as a last resort. It helps us to appreciate that he was not wholly to blame if he acted not quite in harmony with the demands of the common people both in England

and in America, that there should be No Taxation Without Representation.

NO TAXATION WITHOUT

REPRESENTATION

"Are there not Navigation Acts," asked George III, "which have not been properly enforced?"

"Yes," said the Cabinet; "but Navigation Acts are unwise; and have thus far failed to perform that for which they were intended."

"Failed!" cried George III, "but why have they failed? Because there has never been a Cabinet with force to carry them out! Let us, Sirs, see to it that from this time on, revenue come from these Acts and that the revenue be used in paying the interest on the £2,800,000 which we must borrow."

"Navigation Acts will never succeed," said Grenville wisely.

'Why not?" roared George, who hated Grenville as he hated vipers, and who declared that Grenville knew nothing except to thwart the orders of the king.

"Bring out the Navigation Acts!" said George. "Let us see them! Of what use are laws if they cannot be enforced? We will see that they are enforced!" So the Navigation Acts were brought before the Cabinet and were read to the king.

The first Navigation Act, it was recalled, was passed during the reign of King Richard II, who realized,

even in his time, that England's need was a large and powerful navy. "The way to increase a navy, at least, a merchant navy," he said, "is to demand that all merchandise passing to and from the colonies of England be carried in English ships. The more merchandise, the more ships; the more ships, the stronger the navy." Certainly this was simple. 'Any one could see that," said George.

Edward IV was the next king who had his attention called to the matter of Navigation Acts; and he declared that henceforth no foreign ships should carry English wool, nor should any English merchant freight any foreign ship with wool.

"Excellent reasoning," said George III.

Henry VIII continued the policy of Edward IV; for under his reign we find a statute saying that no wines shall be imported except by British subjects upon British ships.

"Most excellent," said George.

Henry VIII, however, began selling licenses to certain merchants, permitting them to buy and sell, import, and export in contradiction to these laws.

James I went a step further. He sold monopolies to certain merchants, that is, he sold the exclusive right to import and export certain goods. For example, he allowed the London Company to impose a tax upon articles bought or sold outside the realm.

Sixteen years later, James issued a proclamation forbidding the colonists from cutting lumber of a certain size. Also he forbade anyone but the colonists trading with the Indians.

Ten years later, Lord Baltimore's Charter° de