King's modesty has been so far overruled as to suffer us to
communicate these his excellent computations, which we can the more
safely commend, having examined them very carefully, tried them by
some little operations of our own upon the same subject, and
compared them with the schemes of other persons, who take pleasure
in the like studies.
What he says concerning the number of the people to be 5,500,000 is
no positive assertion, nor shall we pretend anywhere to determine in
that matter; what he lays down is by way of hypothesis, that
supposing the inhabitants of England to have been, A.D. 1300,
2,860,000 heads, by the orderly series of increase allowed of by all
writers they may probably be about A.D. 1700, 5,500,000 heads; but
if they were A.D. 1300 either less or more, the case must
proportionably alter; for as to his allowances for plagues, great
mortalities, civil wars, the sea, and the plantations, they seem
very reasonable, and not well to be controverted.
Upon these schemes of Mr. King we shall make several remarks, though
the text deserves much a better comment.
SCHEME D.--A SCHEME OF THE INCOME AND EXPENSE OF THE SEVERAL
FAMILIES OF ENGLAND, CALCULATED FOR THE YEAR
1688
Number of Ranks, Degrees and Heads per
Families. Qualifications Family.
160 Temporal Lords 40
26 Spiritual Lords 20
800 Baronets 16
600 Knights 13
3,000 Esquires 10
12,000 Gentlemen 8
5,000 Persons in greater offices and places 8
5,000 Persons in lesser offices and places 6
2,000 Eminent merchants and traders by sea 8
8,000 Lesser merchants and traders by sea 6
10,000 Persons in the law 7
2,000 Eminent clergymen 6
8,000 Lesser clergymen 5
40,000 Freeholders of the better sort 7
120,000 Freeholders of the lesser sort 5.
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